Before doing grocery today, the Three Musketeers (Alwyn, Ogz and I) went to Reston Town Center. We're supposed to throw out the trash but totally forgot about it. So the first thing that we did when we reached the center was to look for a bin. Alwyn found one in front of a Verizon shop. He quickly took the trash out from our trunk and dumped it there. We had to leave the area immediately to avoid questions. So funny!
I've been to this area about 7 years ago. All I can remember is their nice fountain. We checked out Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Eddie Bauer and Victoria's Secret. We went inside Panera Bread to have our snacks. Got myself some choco pastry and organic apple juice.
Next stop was Marshalls. I found this cheap Nautica umbrella. It has a push button for opening AND closing! Advised Ogz to get one too.
Grocery time at Grand Mart and Walmart. We're only three now so it didn't take much time for us to shop. I'm planning to cook ground pork with baguio beans and ginisang ampalaya this week. I requested to be the chef on Tuesday and Friday.
At dinner, Ogz cooked grilled salmon with roasted tomatoes and eggplants using his new grill. I did a side dish of fried tofu with Nori. Alwyn played some jazz music while we eat. Rad!!!
Linds wasn't able to take me out to lunch on my birthday so we decided to go out today. We, along with Brenda, went to La Villa Roma for lunch. For appetizers, they ordered the fried ravioli and some cheese sticks. I got myself some Pasta Trio Combo: manicotti, stuffed shells and ziti.
One thing nice about here in the States is that, you will be given an empty plastic cup for your drinks and you just have to go to the soda dispenser and fill it up. If you wanna go crazy and fill your cup with different type of soda each time you finish your drink, then it's up to you. No one will give you the look. Well, this time, I tried their raspberry iced tea. I'm trying to cut down on my soda intake.Before leaving the place, Brenda offered to take my picture. There's gotta be souvenir pictures wherever we go ;oP I'm also wearing my new jacket from Lucky Brand.
Linds dropped by my cube yesterday to ask if I (or Ogz) would like to accompany her to the car dealership. I got excited 'cause we will be given our own Enterworks car. For the past 7 months, we've been using rented or leased vehicles but they were registered under the Xacta guys so we can't really drive 'em.
So Linds and I went to a BMW shop where Enterprise rental car is also located. I was eying some hot cars from BMW but of course, we will never be given a BMW car ;oP
After awhile, a red Chevy Cobalt appeared in front of the car shop. Linda signed some docs and then we went to separate vehicles.
The car is really nice. It smells clean. Meant for just 5 truh-vellers. No overloading, this time ;oP It has an MP3 player. It has no power locks nor windows which I miss from the van. But, I'm happy I (& Ogz) can now drive freely.
It's Lansdowne time once again. Mmmm... I miss drinking wine on my birthday. Ogz and I ordered wings and I got myself some red wine. We had free lunch and dinner today. What more can you ask for!
After watching this performance by Kameron & Lacey on "So You Think You Can Dance", I fell in love with this song of Elisa. Super thanks to Ogz for giving me a copy. You can now listen to the full version on my cassette player (click on the Play button to your right).
Now, as a bonus, watch this parody. It had me in stitches. So effing funny!
Thank you to all the peeps who greeted me. From Philippines, Virginia, Chicago, Arizona, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Australia, Canada, Germany to Singapore. "My gulay, international ang friendship!"
Like I said to Nikks, I miss how I celebrate my birthday there in the Philippines. Here in the States, it's kinda expensive. I just wanna enjoy this day ;oP
First grrrrreat news of the morning: our van broke down again. Crap! When I checked it myself, it sounded like a motorboat. Smoke is coming out too at the back. Ugh! Back to the days of walking to and from work =o( It's my freakin' birthday!
Called my family back home. Fiong-fiong sang to me "Read your Bible" and "Pen Pen da Sarapen". Need to teach her actual songs! Mom is doing good. Kuya is requesting Optimus Prime for Lance.
My new laser mouse from Logitech arrived today. I wasn't expecting it 'cause i got an e-mail yesterday informing me that it's on backorder. I was planning to cancel it already 'cause I paid a lot for the shipping. Glad it's here with me.
For lunch, we ordered Chinese from Great China. We played foosball and nine balls while waiting.
We continued the fun outside. I tried the 10-sec timer for the first time.
The celeb continued back home. I brought the chocolate cake that my friend, Linda, gave me. I was so happy when she delivered it to my cube. It also came with a sweet birthday card ;oP Thanks again, Linds!
On our way back to the office after lunch, Liz greeted me. She reminded me that it's already my birthday back in the Philippines. Oh no, I grew a year older ;oP
Today is another busy day. Will be reunited with EPX. Am back in my element, at last. For the past month, I've been coding JavaScript.
I'm looking forward to another TV night with "Prison Break" and "Heroes".
Ogz and I planned to try out the LA Fitness gym at Dulles Town Center today. But when I presented my Philippine driver's license, they won't allow me to avail the 7-day free offer. Ogz got in 'cause he has a Virginia State ID. Oh well. I was advised to look for a mail where my name is indicated on the recipient.
When I came to pick Ogz up about an later, I was given a tour of the place. They have huge selection of free weights, lotsa new gym equipments, and an indoor pool. The place is nice and big and new.
Afterwards, they wanted us to swap our 7-day pass with their discounted monthly fee. Instead of the 150 one-time registration fee + monthly fee of 50 bucks, they cut it down to 100 bucks + 10 dollar discount on the monthly dues.
I told them about our situation (we're not always here in Vee-Ay). Their associates informed us that we need to pay 10 dollars per month if we couldn't come to the gym. Commitment, in short.
I just wanna try their 7-freakin'-day pass with no obligations!
While listening to my iPod, I heard a crackling sound. I thought it's my Bose headsets that is emitting that screeching sound. I plugged my headset to my lappy and it's working properly. Oh no, it's my iPod!!!
I asked Mike if he brought his new iPod nano (he got the aquamarine) so I could test further. I checked my headset with his nano and it's working perfectly. I looked at his reaction when he tried mine. Yep, he heard the crackling sound too. I don't wanna return this to the shop. I bought this in Vegas, for Pete's sake! Mike suggested to reset it.
I immediately searched online for the number of Apple. I dialed "1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273)". The representative helped me out by these simple instructions:
1) Toggling the Hold button thrice 2) Holding down the Menu and the center buttons for 6 seconds
He then told me to try it again. I was really scared.
We're supposed to go out for lunch today but Alwyn found out that Olive Garden only serves their steaks for dinner. Mike doesn't eat pasta so we changed the schedule.
It's Friday night so we expected many people to be out too. According to the maître d', we had to wait for like 30 minutes. Good thing we brought our cameras. We took these shots while waiting for our table.
I experimented on the ISO settings of my camera. Here's the difference. With low ISO settings, you notice there's a ghostly effect on moving subjects.
After a few minoots, we were escorted to our table. I looked for a good wine to drink and settled for Valpolicella. Ogz got himself some Pinot Noir. As for my din-dins, I ordered Steak Gorgonzola-Alfredo. The waitress asked if I'm gonna have some soup with it or salad. I got the former. Their Zuppa Toscana was good. It has sweet potatoes, spicy sausage and some leafy veggies in a milky broth.
While enjoying our food and even after dinner, we still continued the picture taking experience. We just love 'em cameras!
Pattie reminded me that my birthday is coming up. I totally forgot about it. In 5 days, I'll be turning 34. *Big Sigh* Can't believe I'm getting ooolder again.
Now, I usually celebrate my birthday with my closest friends. Unforch, my friends are now scattered all over the world. I will definitely call my family in Boracay on Monday evening.
I remember when I was still living in Sta. Ana. My friends and I would buy ice cream the night before the actual birthday. We call it "asalto".
When I turned 25, my participants from Andersen Consulting in St. Charles, Illinois, surprised me with a birthday cake. It had trick candles that won't die even when you blow them.
I can never forget when my evil twin sister, Joyish, paid for my birthday celeb when I was damn broke.
Several years back at Enterworks, my Customer Support participants surprised me with a birthday cake too.
There's this one time, I celebrated my birthday in Singapore. My super friends there prepared everything. We've had spaghetti, chicken and a birthday cake!!! I think that's THE most special birthday I've ever had.
Too bad there's no dampa-style of restos here where you can eat all the seafood at a cheap price. I love celebrating my party there.
I miss getting birthday gifts from friends *wink* *wink*. Nikks and the rest of my friends in Manila bought me this cool flip-flops from Reef last year.
Ogz suggested to hold a small party at Hooters. It would surely be fun to be surrounded by beautiful women and big boobies. But I also wanna sing. I miss the videoke sessions back home. Being drunk while singing is the best.
Actually, it won't be just my party. Mike is having his on the 26th. Last year, we celebrated our birthdays together with Boy! Speaking of Boy, you owe us a dinner, my friend!
I posted an entry before featuring three ladies (Jennifer Bautista, Lani Misalucha and Regine Velasquez) singing the national anthem. Unforch, when I looked at the entry again, the videos are not available anymore. Crap!
Well, I've got good news for you. Today, I have 6. Well, 5 ladies (Sarah Geronimo, Lani Misalucha, Regine Velasquez, Sheryn Regis and of course, Jennifer Bautista) plus 1 gentleman by the name of Christian Bautista. The latter is the latest addition to the roster of... ehem... talents that murdered our national anthem. Christian actually forgot two lines!!! WTF! Regine did an excellent job so she's not in the list of failures. Sarah's version was a little safe.
Do you remember your high school days when you have to type words using those clunky typewriters? And whenever you make mistakes, you need to find Liquid Paper? Well, thank gawd, we're SO over that era.
Typing without looking at the keys every 2 seconds has its own benefit. You can finish your documentations quickly (and make your boss happy). You can watch the telly or movies while typing (just don't tell your boss about it). Your chat mate won't get too bored with you (not good, if he's your boss too). Lastly, you can play this game (with or without your boss)!
Alwyn sent me this link to a game called QWERTY Warriors 2 from CrazyMonkeyGames.com that will shoot your enemies by typing words. If you haven't practiced typing in a long time, here's a good workout for your fingers. Tried it and it was very challenging. Tip: Know when to use "detonate" and "fullhealth". Here's my first-time score (lemme know how it is for ya):
Am grateful that Ogz and Liz picked me up at the airport. We dropped off Liz at the office while Ogz and I took a quick shower before going to work.
Am like a walking zombie today. Got no sleep from the 4-hour flight. I drank some coffee while my laptop is awakening.I got my passport today. Canadian Embassy didn't give any information as to why they didn't give me any VISA. No stamp on my passport either. They just took my money and that's it. Dang it!
I got my pants that I bid on at eBay. When I opened the package, it's color forest green. Now, it IS Retro style but why would I wear a green pair of pants?! I'm not sure if I could pull this off or I'll just return it or dye it.
Fish, out. Superstar, in. Yep, that's the new name of our handsumlicious prisoner. This time though they're in Panama. The prison is dirtier than ever and there are no guards. He's IN while his big brother is out. T-Bag didn't show up until maybe about 20 minoots after. Grand entrance! I was looking for Sucre (he's damn lucky with Dayanara Torres). I wonder why Dr. Sara Tancredi is not in the opening credits. Liz mentioned that the actress is preggy. She might appear later in the season though since her character ain't dead-o yet. The unkempt Agent Mahone and Scofield are now BFF ;oP Oh, Superstar has an even bigger problem now--a mystery prisoner lurking in the dark.
The ladies had their flight schedule changed. Instead of going to Phoenix first, they got a direct flight to Chicago. We had to check out at 11 so after our shower, we had champagne breakfast buffet at our hotel. I wasn't too happy with the buffet even though they have crab legs and donuts (both my favorites). I enjoyed listening to the no-holds-barred stories of my friends. Here are a few:
(scenes at the Unimart) Customer: "Miss, meron kayong washroom?" Joy: "Yung fresh or dried?" (thought she heard mushroom)
Customer: "Do you have lotto?" Joy: "Yung babasagin or styro?" (thought she heard plato 'cause of the customer's accent)
We went to the airport around 10. I bid goodbye to my friends and went to the JetBlue counter. Before I could put my stuff in a locker, I had to go through the security check. Sooo many people were leaving at this hour so it was chaotic. I also went through the security screening a number of times 'cause I kept forgetting that I've got a bunch of stuff in several pockets. Dang!
I then asked one officer where the lockers are, he informed me that Gate D doesn't have them anymore. Son of a!
Instead of carrying my stuff around, I looked for the nearest hotel. I found Howard Johnson, about a mile from the airport. I paid 40++ bucks for the room but I couldn't check in yet till 3 pm. I left my stuff at the concierge. Good thing that the person behind the counter is a Filipina ;oP
At 1, I was back to the Strip. The free shuttle dropped me off at Tropicana. Good thing, I haven't visited this part of the Strip yet and that's my objective for today.
I was advised by a lady on the street to take the tram to Mandalay Bay instead of walking. By the way, she noticed me because the coins in my pocket were making funny noises ;oP
After Mandalay Bay, Luxor is pretty close so I went there next. This is my favorite structure. One of my dreams is to visit Egypt and see an actual sphinx.
On my way to New York-New York, I made brief stops to take photos of Excalibur (where our friend, Tamyts, stayed) and MGM.
At New York-New York, I looked for the box office. Since my flight is at midnight, I still have time to catch a 7:30 pm screening time of "Zumanity". Thank gawd, I found a good seat.
It's almost 3 pm so I had a quick lunch at a Chinese resto. Walked to Monte Carlo hotel to grab a cab. I had a problem giving out directions to my hotel 'cause nobody knows where it is. A driver informed me it's near Stratosphere but that's on the opposite side. I told one that it's very close to the airport. "Oh, it's on Paradise!" I just hope he's right. Around 3:30, I was back again at Howard Johnson (whose name is now "Knights Inn"). This place reminds me of "My Name is Earl".
I was finally given a room. My room has a queen-sized bed, tv, microwave (perfect for my leftover food), refrigerator, and shower.
I caught the shuttle that leaves at 5 pm. I made my way to Paris Hotel. Along the way, I found some cars you can rent (I dunno for how much), an Elvis mascot that looks like Jay Leno, an M&Ms store, and the Harley-Davidson cafe.
I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower up close. I dunno if I'll be able to fly to Paris someday so this is a good substitute for now. I went inside and inquired about the tour. The trip to the top is worth 12 bucks. I was instructed to pose first for a souvenir shot. Then I waited by the lift. An operator informed me & a couple beside me that it's 460 feet--half the size of the original. Sweet!
Y'know that I'm afraid of heights, right? So when the lift was going up, I could feel my body shaking. I thought I wouldn't be able to walk across the platform.
It was freakin' windy up there. But I must say, the view was great. I didn't have coins for the telescope so I just took pictures of the Strip and nearby buildings. I also requested the elevator operator to take my photo for my souvenir.
Went back down after like 15 minoots. I got my souvenir photo and bought a medium Eiffel tower.
Then I jogged to NY-NY. Before going inside the theatre, I checked out their shop. I bought some Zumanity souvenirs and a small bottle of Zinfandel to enjoy during the show. I am seated about 10 yards from the stage. There's a piano at the center of the stage with a martini glass on top. Red curtains at the back. Spiral staircases on both sides too. In front of the stage are love seats for couples in the house. The photos you'll see here are from the Zumanity website.
When the guy at the ticket booth handed me my ticket earlier, he mentioned that I need to be open-minded. Zumanity is a sensual Cirque du Soleil show. Sweet!
The pre-show started with this half-nekkid gigolo approaching the ladies. He took pictures of them using his Polaroid camera. Then he would request the subject to take it from him. The catch, he'd placed the photo on top of his crotch and the subject couldn't use her hands.
A French couple appeared and commented on the tits and the bulges of fellow couples in the audience. They also handed out dildos and went as far as sword-fighting with it.
Some cast members can be seen walking around and mingling with the audience.
Then a cross-dresser officially opened up the show and introduced his two songbirds. A creature with a big cape glided through the stage. A female performer called the Queen of the Wind danced flamenco style. Confetti flew everywhere. A black sexy guy with horns appeared too. Later, a female African dancer energetically danced to a tribal beat.
My favorite act of the night involves two topless female contortionists and a big water bowl. They would do these insane sensual poses and then they would take a dip in the water. "Eet eez Niceeee!!!" (to quote Borat)
A lady in a schoolgirl outfit soared through the air while gyrating/performing with several hoops. It's amazing how she could do all those spins! I'd be vomiting if I were her.
For the ladies, a sexy guy gave out some roses and did a striptease. The old woman sitting beside me was shouting and asking for more ;oP
A guy in boxers approached the stage and did these wicked movements. His body twisted and bent in all the wrong places. It's not comfortable to watch him. I thought I would hear bones breaking.
A big cage was brought down from the top and two guys were trapped inside. Even though they're fighting, you can feel there's sexual tension between them. At the end of their act, they kissed.
A lady who's into bondage moans & breathes heavily as she tortures herself with straps of leather.
There are three couple acts in the show. First, a Kama-Sutra-inspired hand-balancing act. Second, an aerial dance. Then a third one involving a big white tub. They poured milk/water on the bodies of their partners. So hoooooot!!!
For the finale, cast members got a man and a woman to join them in an orgy on the spinning stage.
After the show, I went to Bellagio and waited for the dancing fountain. The water danced to the tune of "Viva, Las Vegas". If you haven't seen it yet, I'm including here a video for you, guys.
I hailed a cab again at Monte Carlo and went back to my hotel room. It's a 4-hour flight so I quickly took a bath and prepared my stuff. I reached the airport around 11. Tried to get some shuteye before I reach Washington Dulles airport but failed.
Before doing grocery today, the Three Musketeers (Alwyn, Ogz and I) went to Reston Town Center. We're supposed to throw out the trash but totally forgot about it. So the first thing that we did when we reached the center was to look for a bin. Alwyn found one in front of a Verizon shop. He quickly took the trash out from our trunk and dumped it there. We had to leave the area immediately to avoid questions. So funny!
I got my passport today. Canadian Embassy didn't give any information as to why they didn't give me any VISA. No stamp on my passport either. They just took my money and that's it. Dang it!
