Don't Use Yourself As an Example

I went to Big Bear over the weekend for my mom's birthday. We were all hanging out in my uncle's cabin and we had 3 games of cards going on in the living room. It was funny cuz we were all using different types of cards. One regular set of cards, one mahjong set of cards, and the other were either humongous or round cards. Those were fun to play with. After a few rounds of cards, a few of us decided to play Taboo. Oh my goodness is that game fun, especially if you're competetive like my family. Boy were we loud and rombunctious. If you've never played the game, you have a word you are trying to get your team to guess, but there is a list of words you can't say to describe this word. Well, it was our team and I had to describe this word to my teammates. The word was "flab" and I decided to use myself as an example. BIG MISTAKE. The round went like this.

M: "I have these." And I kind of sat up higher thinking maybe they'll see I meant flab in my stomach.

C: "A belly!"
"Fat!"
"Celulite!"
"Rolls!"

M: "OMG you guys! Thanks for making me feel so great about myself"

It was so funny that I was laughing with tears in my eyes. But yes, never use yourself as an example. You never know what people will come up with. Besides that, Taboo is a great game! Especially if you're winning, like my team. By 10 points baby!

NY Trip in a Nutshell

Delayed flight going to New York by 30 minutes. Broke a light bulb cover in the New Yorker Hotel. May flushing her phone in the toilet, 130 dollars to ship to NY the next day. I lost my metro card, another $27. Missed flight and having to cancel birthday party, $419 for a new ticket for May. Knowing the ex boyfriend was at the party. Worth it.

Okay, so that's just all the bad luck that happened to us. But the whole trip was worth all the bad luck. We were able to see almost everything New York has to offer. The first day we went around Time Square and Grand Central Station. Walked around Manhattan trying to take in everything and realizing we were actually in New York.

The second day we went to the Natural History Museum and saw Wicked! Oh my God! I LOVE Wicked! I think the actress who played the good witch Glinda made the show better. She was just so crazy and hilarious. We even visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. That church is so beautiful and gothic. The architecture in New York was really something. It was nice to see different types of buildings unlike here in Vegas, where everything is new. Later that night, we ended up bar hopping because we wanted to go dancing. I was sad it was the only time we partied but then again, we were in New York to be tourists. After walking all day, all you want to do at night is relax and not walk.

The third day, Shawn's sister Vahlen took us around Lower Manhattan. I hated this day because of all the walking we did. We barely rested but if we wanted to see everything, we couldn't rest. She took us around Soho, the village, the Meatpacking District, and the Brooklyn Bridge. We saw the Statue of Liberty from afar at night. I was sad we didn't get to see her up close and personal but that just means I have to come back.

The fourth day, we went to the MET, Central Park, and lots of Gossip Girl sites. My friend Rei is obsessed with Gossip Girl so we went to a lot of their sites. But Central Park is so beautiful. We rowed a boat in the lake. It was very nerve racking because that water was nasty and May kept moving. But it was fun! While Rei and I watched West Side Story later that night, May went to a tanning salon and laid out.

Our last night, we all woke up around 5am to pack our stuff and check out by 7am. We wanted to get a head start on our last day in New York. We left our luggage in the hotel storage and went to Lower Manhattan to do some shopping and went to MoMA. By the time we got to the hotel, we had to rush to the subway so we can get to the airport. What we didn't know was, some subway routes were closed for repairs so EVERYONE and their mama were at this particular subway. And to top it all off, it took 30 minutes for a subway to get to us and it stopped at every stop. By the time we get to the airport, they are boarding already. We couldn't board since we had baggage and they wouldn't let us check it in anymore. May had work the next day, so she went to JetBlue and bought another ticket to go home an hour later. Rei and I decided to check in our luggage at the airport storage and cruise around New York one last time. What we didn't realize was, we couldn't really do anything since lots of places close early. So we ate and wandered around all of New York through the subway. We ended up people watching at Time Square til 5am and ended up at the Tick Tock Diner and tried to stay awake. I later found out my sister and two good friends were partying without me at the place I was going to throw my party. It made me sad. That and watching people roll in the diner all dressed up after partying craving greasy food after a night of drinking. We ended up going back to the airport around 7am and we tried to take a nap on the benches in the airport. But I think I ended up sleeping for a half an hour. What an adventure right? It was. It made for a good story, but the best part of it was, I was in New York. Next adventure? Who knows. Aprille wants to go to Hawaii next year. We shall see.

Our postcard from the Brooklyn Bridge. Isn't it beautiful. "Wish you were here!"

Still Sick

Can you believe I'm still sick? This cough is still here and everyone at work keeps saying "poor Monica." Well it's been so long and all I have to say about camping is, it was fun and miserable at the same time. I don't think I'll ever camp that long again. It was super hot but it was fun to hang out with my family for that long. I just wish we did other things besides hang out at the river and watch the kids play. It was fun the first day, but it would have been nice to go fruit picking. I remember going fruit picking when I was a kid and I want to do it again. On our way home, we decided to take a picture at the sign. Can you believe we all fit in one RV? Well image a few more people. We lost 2 people since they were from California so they didn't have to come back home with us.

Extreme Heat + Extreme Cold = A Sick Camper

I'm sick. Last night of camping my aunt, mom, and niece Gizelle got sick. Gizelle had some stomach flu and my mom and aunt caught a cold. I tried my hardest to find a different place to sleep that night because I didn't want to catch anything, but everyone was full in their tents. The only place left was either the driver's seat or right next to my mom. Great. Sleeping right next to the sick person has only one result. And I'm living the result right now. High fever, aching body, and burning throat. I hate being sick. Especially right after a vacation. So I felt bad that I had to call in sick today at work, but I had no choice. I couldn't even get out of bed. Hopefully I'll be able to go tomorrow. I miss work.

Camp Amigo

One more day until I go on vacation. I shouldn't really say vacation since we're going camping for 5 days. It doesn't seem like it'll be too relaxing. According to my aunt, there will be about 60 of us. I doubt there will be 60 since I heard some people are backing out now. But I'm pretty sure there'll be around 40 of us. 40 Amigos in one camp site equals no relaxation. It'll be so hectic I'm sure of it. And the sucky part is. I'm still waiting for my period. With my luck, I'll get it on Wednesday, the first day of camping. At least we got an RV so I can sleep somewhat comfortably with Aunt Flo's visit. Can't wait to ruin my diet and stuff my face with lots of food! I just made lots of cookies and about 5 of them went in my mouth. Baking is never good for me. I will eat it too much. But one thing I learned with this batch. Butter burns fast! VERY FAST. And it will overflow the pan at any moment. My mom got so mad at me when the butter spilled all over the stove. But that's what baking is all about. It's a learning experience.

New York Here I Come!

I'm super excited! I booked my flight tickets and hotel for my birthday trip to New York. I'm leaving September 1st and coming back September 5th. 5 days and 4 nights for less than 600 bucks in Manhattan. That's a freaking steal! I still wish I went to the Bahamas but I've always wanted to go to New York so I'm still excited. I'm watching Cash Cab right now and I secretly hope I get into a cab with this guy. It looks so fun! I'm going to NYC with Rei and May. I don't know May that well but I'm sure it'll be fun either way. When I went to Mexico with Aprille and Julia, we weren't close friends. But after the trip, we all became great friends and travel buddies. I have so many places I want to see and do, so hopefully I get to see and do them. So for 2 months, I'll just have to look at this picture and wait to take my own. And it'll go by really fast since I'll be really busy at work doing over time. I have a September 1st deadline. So once I submit my game, I'm gone. I told my boss that if anything goes wrong, I'll be on vacation.

Bay Area Adventures Part 2

Our first night we decided to do what we do best. Party! While getting ready, Julia confessed she's never thrown up from drinking before, which shocked us. So Aprille and I decided to make that our goal. To get her wasted. To kill time, instead of realizing we didn't eat dinner yet, we started taking shots of soju in Chris' apartment which tasted like water. After a couple of shots, off we went to the club. Their drinks were cheap and strong! After one cocktail, Julia said she was feeling buzzed and Aprille and I were shocked cuz we weren't feeling anything. We decided to go to the bar so Julia could order some food while we ordered more shots. My friend Naz decided to join us which was an awkward situation. See, Chris and I used to flirt all the time online and I flirted with Naz when I met him through Aprille's boytoy. So we kept buying Julia shots but she kept refusing them, so Aprille and I had to drink them. A few drinks later, we were all dancing and I didn't know who to dance with. Next thing I knew, we're leaving the club and Aprille and I were play fighting in the streets while Julia and Chris were waiting for us near the car. Aprille and I pass out on top of each other in the back seat of the car and next thing I knew is that we're at Chris's apartment. The rest of the night was a blur because I was a bit drunk but we were all able to get ready for bed in a breeze. I remember Aprille and Julia yelling at Chris to not go in the living room cuz they'll just change there. Then the three of us crash on the futon.

The next morning we were all hungry and had a little headache. Good idea drinking the night before we're going snowboarding huh? Chris' friend Vince drove us to Lake Tahoe and thank goodness because it was raining and snowing and the visibility was pretty much none. The girls signed up for lessons while the guys did their own thing. It was a two our lesson where we didn't really learn anything. It was fun watching Julia go down the snow and going the opposite direction the instructor tells her to go. Then at the top of the mountain, when the instructor was trying to let go of her hands, she reached back trying to grab her hands again. We all fell a lot, but I fell the hardest by falling on my back and then hitting my head. I still have a headache. Snowboarding was pretty fun and we want to go and do it again. Maybe somewhere closer though.

Bay Area Adventures Part 1

On Thursday Shawn came over and got me all worried about my flight for San Francisco on Friday. The plan was this. I was to bring Aprille's luggage to the airport where she will meet me when she lands in Vegas at 9 am from Hawaii. We check in and go to our gate for our 10:45am flight. He kept telling me she wouldn't make it so I called her to verify that she wasn't landing in the international gate. She tried to reassure me that it'll be fine and she'll make it just as long as her flight doesn't get delayed.

Fast forward to Friday morning at 7am. Aprille calls me and said she is in Utah and her flight is delayed. The airlines told her they'll leave at 8:15 am Utah time (an hour ahead), so she told me she'll still be able to make it.

8:30am rolls around and she said she's still delayed and to check in her bag under me and she'll just pay me back.

9:00am, Aprille calls me and says that she doesn't know when she'll be leaving Utah. They keep delaying their flight because they can't find what's wrong with the plane. And I tell her that I just checked in and our flight is delayed as well. She tells me good! And to try to delay our flight. My response? How the hell do I do that?!

9:15am, Aprille calls and says their plane is leaving and she'll be in Vegas soon. And she'll be able to check in at the gate since she is already in the terminal. Her gate is actually about 5 gates down from us.

Julia and I were trying to patiently wait to see how long our 10:45am flight will be delayed. All we kept thinking of was Aprille and if she'll make it.

11:00am, Aprille calls me and says she just landed in Vegas and wants to know the status of our flight. I told her we're still waiting to see when we'll board, but to hurry up. We see her 10 minutes later and chat for about 5 minutes and we hear on the intercom that we can now board our plane.

How lucky can Aprille have gotten?! It was such a close call but in the end, we were all together and that's the only think that mattered because if she had missed her flight, Julia and I would be stuck at the airport waiting for her to come from the next flight.

San Diego Adventures

Going to San Diego was quite a journey. Hitching a ride with my dad to Cerritos for Jason's baptismal only to leave 4 hours later with Marvin whom I've only met the weekend before at Tao through Aprille. Marvin takes me to San Diego where he tries to scare me with a story of the haunted freeway. It's off the Sorrento Valley exit on the 805 South freeway. The story is that a long time ago, there was an accident on that exit involving a school bus where there were either a few fatalaties if not all. And they say that the exit is now haunted by the children who passed away that fateful day. The exit is on a downward slope and at the end of the exit is a stop light. They say if you stop your car at the light and put it on neutral, your car will be pulled up the slope all the way to the top. As we exit the freeway, Marvin stops his car and puts it on neutral and low and behold, we go up the ramp! I'm so glad that it was daytime because that would hella freak me out even more at night.
Finally getting to Lyn's house, the girls take a nap to get ready to go clubbing later that night. The night was short lived because of some drama among their friends so we end up at Russ' house to party some more. I guess we were so exhuasted and drunk. We get to his house and laid down on the living room floor to watch some tv and the next thing we know is that it's 7 in the morning and we have blankets on us.
Aprille and I left Sunday with barely any gas left in her tank. We couldn't find a Cheveron so she said she could make it from San Diego to Ontario with very little gas. She promised me we'll get gas there. She exited in Corona looking for a gas station because we were on EMPTY. We circle around a shopping center looking for a gas station and no luck. Luckily for us, we miss our freeway entrance and we found a gas station just in time. Beggers can't be choosers when we're on empty. We had to get gas at Shell. A lot more happened in my one day stay in San Diego but these were just the highlights.

24 is Expensive

• New camera: $300
• Two new tires: $160
• Birthday trip: $500
• Being able to say I had a good time: priceless

I've only been 24 over a week and I've already experienced some bad luck and an overload in my budget. Aprille, Julia, and I all have the same problem. Parents financially taking advantage of us because we have a career. The 2 years I've been working, I've never really spent anything on myself. Yes, I buy myself clothes and such, but all my big expenses goes to my parents. I think the most I spent on myself at one time was $200. So we definitely indulged on the cruise. Unfortunately, while on the cruise, I broke my camera. I'm not angry at Julia for dropping it since I know it was an accident. And plus I wanted a new camera anyways. Bad luck number 1.

Then on Saturday, we had a one week reunion from our vacation and went to Blue Martini. We bought quite a few drinks and drank like we were in Mexcio. Julia kept telling everyone it was my birthday so everywhere I went people greeted me like we were in Mexico again. At the end of the night Aprille, Rod, and Phil were walking me to my car when we noticed I had a flat tire. Great! Bad luck number 2. So I spent the night at Rod's house only to wake up at 6am freaking out because I didn't want it to look like I spent the night at a guy's house with my whole family on my dad's side spending the night at my house. I didn't know what to do so I called Aprille's phone hoping she'd pick up. There was no way in hell was I going in their room. I do not want to walk in the middle of anything. I finally get a hold of her 30 minutes later and we slowly get going. Walking through the front door at 8am to my grandparents in the living room was pretty humiliating. I immediately say I got a flat tire and spent the night at Aprille's house and she just dropped me off. I said that my car was the only lucky one since it was the only thing that got nailed that night. We were all too drunk to get lucky. I found out on Monday that someone had slashed my tire instead of the nail flatening it. I immediately thought Linda did it but I have no proof. Yes she was there at Blue and yes she does hate me, but can she be that cruel? If it was her, then I hope Karma tortuously bitch slaps her.

People say bad things happen in threes just like death so I'm waiting for my 3rd bad luck. I'm just hoping it's not as expensive as the other two. From the pattern the cost of my bad luck is decreasing but the impact on me increases. Let's just hope that I'm done with the bad luck. I can't afford it. Maybe the universe is telling me to take another vacation. I really do deserve another one.

(H)O-LA!

Mexico was an awesome vacation and birthday in one. Even though it was only the three of us, I wouldn't change anything. Aprille and Julia are the greatest vacation buddies I could ever ask for. We all bonded with each other and realized how similar we all are. We were together the whole time from beginning to end. We shared our deepest secrets and made new secrets with each other. You would think there were more people in our room since we were so loud but it was just the three of us. All we talked about were the show Friends, food, alcohol, sex/penis looking objects, and pizza. There were so many phallic looking objects on that ship. It's like a porn convention. We were pretty popular for our vulgar behavior and being the ones from Vegas. And we were drinking the whole time since none of us had to drive anywhere. We just had to be able to get to the right room, unless someone said "pizza" then the other two would go upstairs and get some pizza while the other would get some "pizza". We all agreed that Mexico was OUR Las Vegas and promised to not divulge everything that happened on the trip. Let's just say that we took over 300 pictures and only about 100 can be posted online. Everyone keeps asking about the trip and all I can do is say, "I had a good time" with a big smile on my face. We made up a new dance and our theme song for the trip was Pretty Ricky's song On the Hotline. Driving home with an hour of sleep was crazy. And sleeping 13 hours to catch up on the lack of sleep felt great. We're already ready for the next trip, Cabo San Lucas. Til next time, Adios!