Back Again

It has been AGES since I’ve last posted. I’ve mostly been journaling instead. I can be raw with my feelings and emotions that way cos no one else will see that. 

I’ve recently gotten back into my photography. I’m so happy and excited about that. It’s been a while since I’ve taken a hold of my camera and really take picture. I’m glad I’m tapping into this creative side again. 

I’ve been heading out a lot recently to just explore the world confined around me in the city of LA. So much to do and so much to see. I want to do a lot more. I want to feel alive. I want to chase these feelings and let them out in a creative way. It’s like chasing electricity. It’s a drug I crave. 

I was digging through old photos of my Europe trip and found some amazing shots back when I began with my first DSLR. 

The travel bug has struck. I want to head out and explore. I want to see the world. I am beginning with the states. I have a road trip on the books for April. Traveling through Route 66. The thought of it just makes me beam with excitement. 

Tapping into my creative side really makes me want to blog more. Just so I can post more and jot things down….. To post pictures of the many adventures I partake in. 

Let’s see how this goes…… 

Last Minute Vegas Trip

Jessica asked if I was up for going to Vegas about 3 days before the planned takeoff date. It was Valentine’s Day weekend, and it’s not like I had any plans, so of course I said yes.

We booked a room, rented a car and we’re off on Friday evening. It took us about 5 hours to get there due to some very bad traffic, but we made it and started drinking right away. Breakfast at like 5am, then bed, then up to drinking and a buffet before more drinking and then Tao nightclub.

Tao was a blast because I met Jamie, who took us to his private VIP booth and offered us all as much of the bottle service as we wanted. I can’t complain about the night cos I ended up meeting some cool new people.

49ers vs. Chargers

About 2 month ago I made a comment about going to catch a Raider game with my brother in December, but it never happened. This brought up going up north to catch the 49ers vs Chargers game when I was at a friends Bday. I’ve been wanting to go see a game and Check out Levi’s Stadium, so I said yeah I’m down, not thinking it would actually happen. Two weeks went by and the talks became reality. The next thing I know the tickets were bought and hotel was paid for. Fuck it, I thought, a mini getaway to end 2014.

We were supposed to take off Friday night after work, but Richard couldn’t get off work until 6pm. Off we went in the 6 hour trek to Santa Clara. I was in charge of the tickets, and even though it had this warning, people should know not to boss me around.

We stopped by target to pick up snacks, cups and some beer to put in the cooler. (Shoutout to KidVic for lending me the awesome cooler that got us through Comic Con. Thanks dude!!! Nachos on me!!)

6 hours later we reached our destination. We changed into our PJs and began with a 4am game of beer pong.

Vanessa, and Manny fell asleep, while Richard and I tried to stay up to watch the sun rise. I knocked out on the edge of the bed near Vanessa’s feet and got up and tried to go to the couch. I must have slept in an awkward position cos my feet were numb and I fell straight to the floor. I tried to get up but fell again. I made it to the couch and knocked the fuck out.

The next morning we went out for breakfast and to pick up more booze, steaks, and all the necessities for the Tailgate. We tried to look for parking but it was packed. We found a lot and went in only to find that they did not let people tailgate. We were told the lot across the street allowed tailgating so off we went. We set camp, and took out a few tables for beer pong and a Ginormous sized jenga set that was made by Manny’s old man.

Once people saw the jenga and beer pong table they were drawn in to us and competitions began. Game after game after game was played of beer pong, Jenga and Flip Cup as booze and shots were downed nonstop! Some people from back home were also in the same lot and they joined our company.

The game was about to begin so at this point we packed up and headed out towards the stadium. This tech-ed out stadium was awesome! Never seen anything like it. Somehow Manny managed to get us prime seating for an unbelievable price.

Drunk was not even a word I would use to describe our state towards the end of the game. When we realized the game went to overtime we were trying to locate everyone as people scattered. We did not know who won until the next morning when we saw the highlights. =\

As scattered as we were, one of the boys got jumped twice, and luckily no harm was done. He was alone and nothing could have been done at that point. It took us over an hour to gather everyone together and then another hour to get back to the hotel (which was less than 2 miles from the stadium) where we semi continued drinking and just chatting the night/morning away.

The next morning some of the group thought I took of to Frisco with the other people but I was knocked out in the couch. We packed up, and headed straight to grub at Pizza My Heart then headed to the Winchester Mystery House.

I’ve been here prior so don’t feel the need to write about it. Off south we now went, destination: home!

I know the way back on a trip is normally shorter than traveling there, but for sown reason this trek back lasted for what seemed ages!! After a few pit stops we finally arrived home, and this concluded my eventful weekend. I will now be making my own Enormous Jenga and I plan on attending more Tailgates after this!

Vegas: Part 1

Almost 2 weeks ago I headed with co workers to Vegas! I thought the best times in Vegas were had when I last went a few years ago, but I was dead wrong!!

I got Friday off of work, and we took off around 11am. We picked up friends, grubbed at some sandwich place, then proceeded NorthEast to Sin City. We made a pit stop in Baker to buy some Beef Jerky at Alien Fresh Jerky.

Upon our purchases (including the Colon Cleaner Hot jerky) we proceeded the final trek to Vegas. Laury has the hook ups, and got us upgraded to a Suite at the Encore. The full stay was covered and we paid nothing! Awesome!!!

We had some spectacular views! While waiting for our final friend to arrive via flight, we were getting our pre partying started! We ventured off to Fat Tuesday to get Vegas started right!

Many shots and drinks, plus the half yard piña colada had us really buzzed already. We were in no condition to pick up Christine, so she had to take a cab ride.

Upon her arrival, we started drinking and began getting ready for the first nights festivities. Laury had met a promoter on our Fat Tuesday adventure and we got hook ups to head to Tryst nightclub in our own Casino. We all got dressed, drank more and headed out for the night.

Every time I’ve previously gone to Vegas, I’ve never gone out to the clubs. We always just pre drink, gamble, drink out on the strip, wall around, drink some more, eat and then drink some more. The clubs gave me a whole new experience and appreciation for Vegas. Guys may have to pay, (and in some instances north of $50, but with fun people, it’s SO worth it) and once we got in, we drank way more than we should have, danced the night away and had a blast. Vegas clubs are just a sight to see. I was surprised at the decor and ambiance.

I don’t recall what time it was when we left, but we headed out and wandered the casino for a bit. When we got to the suite, I remember wanting to eat. I had told Yoyce about a cheap foot long hot dog that they had close by and how we should go cos I was craving one (enter penis jokes here).

I didn’t have to really convince anyone cos all but 2 of the 7 of is went. I treated the lot that night and thankfully because of that late night (……errrr early morning?) adventure, I didn’t wake up with a hangover!

We proceeded back to the room in the wee hours of the morning, tired and drunk. As we all fell asleep I couldn’t help but imagine what was in store for us the next day…

James Dean

James Dean. The rebel. The icon. A legend. By far one of my favorite actors to ever grace the screen. I wonder how much he would have accomplished if it were not for that fatal car accident in Cholame, California.

On a whim years ago, I went to visit the fatal car crash site where he had died. I had gone with my neighbor to buy some comics and driving home we joked about going. At that time, my interest in Jimmy had emerged again and I was having marathons of his films. We joked how we were going to just take off and go visit the site since there was a monument erected in his honor and we had always wanted to see it in person. We didn’t even go home. We just picked up his friend last minute and took off!

We drove north from Los Angeles until we finally reached our destination: Cholame. There is a small little diner next to where the monument is placed. We decided to take pictures and head inside to eat.

The monument itself has shown the wear of time. Numbers are missing, but it’s still standing after many decades. Once we went inside the diner, we noticed how homely it was. There were many magazine articles, pictures, and a reprint of the newspaper showcasing the story of his death. We weren’t too hungry, so we bought coffee and some “homemade” pie. Upon eating the pie, we noticed that it had a very familiar taste. It took a while but Kidvic’s (my neighbor) friend finally realized it tasted like Jell-O pudding. Home-made my ass!!

We bought a few souvenirs and decided to head back home soon. Driving home I saw a road sign that had Jimmy’s name on it. I pulled over because I just HAD to take a picture.

Content with finally going to this location, we headed back home.

I’m glad I was able to visit this monument in person. It was surreal knowing that I was near the same place that Jimmy died over 50 years ago. His legacy lives on now in film and in his iconic quotes still used to this day. He truly did live fast and died young.

Roadtrips

I need another road trip. The last one I took was to San Diego. Now it may not have been a grand adventure, but it was fun! I’m thinking of possibly going on a roadtrip in September. I have a lot of things planned for that month, but I think I can manage to take a week off and jut go on a full blown adventure across the good old U S of A.

Road trips are fun. Having friends to share them with you makes the trip even better. Good things are in store for me as I venture out of 2012. I can feel it. I’ve gone through a lot of changes these past 7 months (the majority of it being physically), and I’m ready for more! Change is good. Change is grand. Change is needed to move forward. I’m looking forward to the next few months as I plan on making this year one to remember!

Mission: New York

Central Park View

I want to go to New York SO bad!!

I’ll start planning a trip later this summer, but i plan on heading to the East Coast sometime during the Fall during my work vacation. Does anyone know any hidden gems that are worth visiting, aside from the typical tourist-y spots?