Viva Las Vegas
Since we arrived here in California during the 2nd week of December, most of our friends and relatives were still too busy with work to take us sight seeing. So while waiting for their holidays to start, my dad decided to book a 3-day tour to Vegas and the Grand Canyon. We’ve been to Vegas several times before since my cousin lives there, but we’ve never been to Arizona so I was pretty excited.
(I decided to make two separate entries about the trip instead of having a super long one. This entry will focus on our first day, when we went to Vegas.)
My dad booked the tour online and the confirmation email told us that they would pick us up at a supermarket near my aunt’s house at 7:30am. My aunt had to be at work by 9am so she dropped us off at around 7am. It was really cold that morning and the supermarket was still closed so we decided to grab some breakfast at the nearby McDonalds first.
Hot choco – perfect remedy to chilly weather
At around 7:30am, a van arrived to collect us and take us to Chinatown where the bus was waiting for us. Our tour was organized by Sea Gull Holiday tours, which is a Chinese company (I think). Most of the tourists were Chinese so the guides were required to alternate speaking in English and Mandarin.
Our bus. We had to make sure to remember our bus number because there were 3 other buses travelling with us they all looked exactly the same. (We forgot to look at our bus number in the beginning so my mom ended up getting on the wrong bus after our first pit stop. Luckily she realized her mistake quickly and we found the right bus in the end.)
Week 51/52 : Make your smile change the world, but don’t let the world change your smile
One more week till the end of 2011~
It’s been pretty crazy over here at my aunt’s house. Since we don’t often come to California during the holidays, my aunt decided to hold a big party here yesterday (Christmas day). She invited all our relatives in the area (there’s a lot) so we’ve were all really busy decorating the house and planning the menu for the big day. And now that the party’s over, we’re all busy cleaning up the huge mess that was left behind.
This picture was actually taken last week during our tour of Vegas, but lately I’ve been too busy to take a decent self portrait. Ezra took this shot for me near the entrance of Tropicana hotel, where our guide dropped us off to explore the city. I really love the red bamboo-like structures so I decided to edit it and submit it as my photo this week 
Week 50/52 : It’s the most wonderful time of the year
Whoa, 2 more weeks till the end of this year? Time goes by so fast!!
Ezra took this shot of me the the other day at my aunt’s house. I really love her red walls! My very first self portrait for 2010 was shot at this exact same location 
(I’m even wearing the same boots in both pictures XD) I stole the little snowman from her coffee table for this shot. I’m so glad she decided to decorate for Christmas this year. Last time we spent Christmas with her (back in 2009) she was too busy to decorate so Christmas didn’t feel as complete as usual. This year she even bought a real Christmas tree for us to decorate. It was the first time I helped set up a real live Christmas tree
(EZRA) 50/52 : Winter Wonderland
Earlier this week our family went on a 3-day tour to Vegas and the Grand Canyon (blog entry to follow). We saw snow again after almost two years I took this quick shot of Ezra when we were at Grand Canyon National Park. I wish we could have had more time to play, but we only had one hour before we had to go back to our tour bus. But we still had a lot of fun frolicking in the snow while admiring the view during that short time
(Trees and birds were added in Photoshop using brushes from redheadstock.deviantart.com)
Off to Los Angeles : Hello Kitty and funny mirrors
If you’ve read the last few entries on my blog, you can probably tell that I’m on vacation right now. I’m actually in California at the moment, visiting relatives for the holidays. The last time we were here was in 2009 (which was also when this blog was created – I took a lot of pictures of our activities and my shopping hauls back then that I wanted to share with friends so I made this blog XD) Anyway, we had so much fun spending Christmas with our relatives here that we decided to do it again.
We left the Philippines on December 10. We arrived at the airport early to avoid problems during check in, which meant that we had a lot of time to kill while waiting for our flight. Ezra and I passed the time watching Running Man while munching on the free snacks offered at the airport lounge.
Ezra and me
We sat near the buffet table so we can grab food more easily XD I only had crackers for breakfast so I pigged out on the mini sandwiches and siomai
Setting up Ezra’s laptop so we can watch Running Man
They had free wifi there too, so I checked my FB while waiting. (I had to use my PSP because I didn’t bring my laptop with me.)
Running Man! Ji Hyo’s so cute ^___^
After about an hour, we decided to head over to our gate and wait for our plane to board. Our flight was supposed to leave at around 2pm, but it was delayed by about 20 minutes.
Camwhoring on the plane XD
Week 49/52 : Season of giving
This was taken the week that I had my thesis defense. Since it was a success, I thought that it was the perfect Christmas present
(EZRA) 49/52 : The colder the winter the warmer the spring
Another quick shot taken just before we left for our vacation. We were told that it was getting pretty cold in California so she bought a lot of scarves and jackets for our trip. She loves cold weather because she enjoys layering clothes, which isn’t really something we can do in the Philippines (unless we want to torture ourselves).
(EZRA) 48/52 : Beauty is but a flower, which wrinkles will devour
Something simple because she’s so behind on her 52-week project. I actually like this shot. Even though it’s not that fancy, I liked how it turned out. Not bad for something I edited in the middle of the night. I actually went to bed around 11 that evening, but I woke up around 2am and couldn’t get back to sleep. I hate it when that happens! Anyway I decided to edit photos to pass the time and this was the result.
(EZRA) 47/52 : PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS! (Itty-bitty living space…)
Disney fans would probably know where Ezra got her title from.
She found this jade teapot at our house and thought that it looked like a genie’s lamp so she asked me to draw a genie for her. I think I did a good job, but she insists that it looks like a snake’s head because of the slanty eyes! Hmph~ I told her that since she’s using a Chinese teapot, she got an Asian genie XD
(EZRA) 46/52 : Saving all my kisses
Uploaded this on Flickr about 2 weeks ago, but forgot to post it here. I was extremely busy with school stuff when I posted this there.
I really enjoyed taking this shot because I got to tape up Ezra’s mouth XD She’s normally very chatty when we shoot, so it was nice to have some peace for a change XD Just kidding~
Anyway, this was taken before we left for our vacation here in California. She was extremely excited about seeing Kurt again. They’ve known each other for 10 years but this will only be their third Christmas together since he lives in California. Before we left she told him that he better prepare himself for all the kisses that she’s saved up for him
Vesma’s bachelorette party
It’s Vesma’s wedding tomorrow! I really wish that I could be there with the other girls to celebrate her special day with her, but I’m stuck thousands of miles away. I know that she spent months planning every little detail this wedding so I’m sure everything will be beautiful. I just hope that they take lots of pictures and post them on FB ASAP~
Anyway, about two weeks ago the girls and I planned a little surprise party for Vesma. We originally intended for it to be a whole day event in Manila, but due to everyone’s hectic schedules we had to change it to a simple dinner in LB. We were all too busy to meet as a group before the actual event so all the planning took place online. Thank goodness for FB and YM~ Aprille was assigned to order the cake, book the venue and make the veil, Brinks was in charge of chocolates and some miscellaneous items, while Camille and I were in charge of the games. We met up about 2 hours before the party to finalize the plans and decorations.
The cake, penis chocolates and condoms (which we used as balloons)
This was the cake Aprille ordered, lol
I tried on the sash, veil and bouquet that Aprille made
Otaku Expo 2011
(This is such a late post that I’m now too lazy to write a lengthy entry about the event. I’ll just fill the space up with pictures we took that day along with some short captions XD)
This year’s Otaku Expo was held on my birthday, so after having lunch with the family, Ezra, Ckloy, Raffy and I headed up to the 5th floor to attend the event. Now the funny thing is that we didn’t know that there were two cosplay events happening that day : Otaku Expo and the Hero Face Off 2. When we reached the 5th floor, the first thing we saw was the Hero Face Off event. We peeked inside, saw a few cosplayers and assumed that it was the Otaku Expo. We bought tickets, went inside and looked around for 5 minutes before realizing that we were in the wrong place. *facepalm*
Anyway, we left the event and walked a few meters to find the entrance to the real Otaku Expo.
Tickets were P100 each
First thing we did was go around the booths and look at the stuff that was for sale:
Cute beanies
Furry hats
Japanese idol magazines
Cute necklaces
Contact lenses
Christmas Wish List 2011
A lot of people have been doing this on their blogs so I figured I’d make my own wish list too (Although this is more of a personal shopping list of items I need to pick up while I’m here in California. Most of these are things that are expensive in the Philippines but are pretty cheap over here.)
1. A new laptop
My 3-year old Sony Vaio has been giving me a lot of problems lately so I figured it’s about time I replace it. I don’t really have a specific model in mind yet, but I’m probably be going to be sticking with Sony. My parents have already told me to think about what I want for Christmas so I’m going to ask them to take care of this one for me XD
2. Graphics tablet
My 4-year old Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet has given up, and editing pictures takes twice as long when I try to do it with a mouse, so this is something I definitely need. I’m thinking of getting it as a Christmas present to myself.
Prenuptial shoot for Jay and Vesma
Back in August my friends and I had a little photoshoot for our dear friend Vesma, who is getting married this December 18. None of us are professional photographers but we’ve had our fair share of camera and Photoshop experiences so we thought it would be fun.
It was just a quick, half-day shoot because the bride and groom had to head back to Manila later that afternoon. Hair and makeup was done by Aprille (and she also made the floral headbands that Vesma wore in some of the pictures). Like with most of our shoots, we didn’t really have a specific location in mind, so we just drove around campus and stopped whenever we felt like taking pictures. Not the most organized way to go, but we got the job done and the couple was happy, which is really all that matters to us.
I actually posted some of the shots here on my blog already, but it was a protected post meant for just the girls and I. I was worried that Vesma might want to keep the pictures private. But I spoke to her earlier and she told me she didn’t mind if I posted some of my favorite shots on my blog, so yay!
I’m only going to be posting the pictures I personally took, so if you want to see Aprille’s shots you can visit her blog post by clicking here. (Brinks was also a photographer that day but she hasn’t had the chance to upload her shots to her blog yet.)
Anyway, less talk and more pictures!
Here are some of my favorite photos taken that day:
Thesis defense : SUCCESS!
Finally, after months of preparation and weeks of agony, my thesis defense is finally over!!!!
I’m incredibly pleased to announce that it went very well. I can’t even begin to tell you guys how happy I am right now. I’ve spent months (that’s right, months!) imagining this very moment, and I can’t believe it’s finally here. Gaaaaaah~ It feels so unreal.
This was taken after my presentation. (You can probably tell by simply looking at the huge smile of relief on my face.) I was expecting myself to transform into a hopeless bundle of nerves and stutter all throughout my presentation but I actually managed to keep my cool and remember everything I practiced.
Of course I couldn’t have done this without the support of my advisers, examiners, reader, family and friends:
Thank you very much everyone!
And of course, I must not forget to thank God for all of this. Thank you Lord for all your blessings and for your guidance, especially during the moments I felt so lost and hopeless
Week 48/52 : Six years and counting
My boyfriend and I have been together for 6 years, I can’t believe it. Time seems to have gone by so fast. But at the same time, it feels like we’ve been together for so much longer. Does that make sense?
Sadly he has to work late today so we have to postpone our celebration till tomorrow.
Happy anniversary Ckloy! I love you baby~
Heart bokeh texture from HERE
Week 47/52 : Geek
I got new glasses the other day It was an impulsive buy because I saw that it was on sale. I’ve been using black frames since 2006 so it will probably take a while for me to get used to these white ones. I just thought they were really cute, and I like the fact that they have nose pads. My old plastic frames don’t have them and they keep sliding down my nose.
My shirt says “Astig ang Physics” which translates to something like “Physics is Cool”. It was designed by a Physics instructor from our University (where I used to teach before deciding to study again) for last year’s Physics Fair.
Ezra tells me that I’m such a geek for posting this XD
(Binary brushes are from redheadstock.deviantart.com)
