Julie in the Palace - Trip to Korea - Oct 5, 2009

I'm alone today (*sob sob). Cocoy and Nancy has work so they won't be able to accompany me. Cocoy told me last night to go to iPark Mall at the Yongsan Station today coz he's worried that I might get lost if I tour around alone. Given this rare opportunity to go to Korea, do you think I'll just spend my day roaming around the mall? Of course not!So at 10am in the morning, this bitch took off ready to do some Seoul searching!

Last night, I already asked Sam and NK how to use the subway station. Surprisingly, it's pretty easy even for someone with no sense of direction like me! Yee-meng (from Malaysia) also gave me some pointers on how to get to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Thanks to the ever-reliable internet, I equipped myself with proper information on which subway stations and which exits are near the tourist spots. NK gave me a small subway map and it is definitely very helpful.

So off I went to the Sinseol-dong station, ready to do battle with a small subway map, a bottle of water and a couple of tourist printouts and other details as my ammunition (Cocoy, NK and Sam's phone number and Backpackers Korea address in case I get really really lost and have to go to the police station to get my sorry-ass back to the hostel).

FIRST STOP - Cheonggyecheon Stream / Cheonggye Plaza

I went to the subway station nearest Backpackers Korea which is Sinseol-dong station (Line 1). My destination is City Hall station (follow the signs going to Incheon) which is also in Line 1 and I took exit 4 going to Cheonggyecheon Stream and Cheonggye Plaza. I walked for a couple of minutes towards the Korea Press Foundation and I saw the sign leading to Cheonggye Plaza. When I saw the big shell, I wanted to rejoice! I'M ALIVEEEEE, I used the subway and I survivedd!!!!!!!!

Then a thought suddenly struck me, how the hell am I suppose to include myself in the picture with all this marvelous tourist spots as my background? Well, I can always ask strangers, right? And besides, I can also use a timer and do some self-shots.

Bummer, I still wish I have someone with me. The Cheonggyecheon Stream is awesome! It's length is up to ..errr... I don't know how long the stream is and I don't have any plans of walking the whole stretch. But it really is marvelous.

SECOND STOP - Gwanghwamun

Gwanghwamun is just a few minutes away from Cheonggye Plaza. We already went here last night so I just took a couple of pictures again since the ones we took weren't clear.

Just an FYI: I didn't know that Gwanghwamun is 'Main Gate of the Gyeongbokgung Palace'. My next destination is actually Gyeongbokgung Palace but I still have to ride the subway station to get there. Hmmm, confusing confusing...

THIRD STOP - Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gwanghwamun Station is in Line 5 and Gyeongbokgung Station is in Line 3 so I have to go to Jongno-3(sam)-ga Station to transfer to Line 3 (follow the signs going to Macheon or Sangil-dong to get to the train going to Jongno-3(sam)-ga). At Jongno-3(sam)-ga Station, I just followed the orange signs leading to Line 3 (going to Daehwa)and hopped in the train going to Anguk (since Anguk is the next station from Jongno-3(sam)-ga and it's in the same direction as Gyeongbokgung Station).

Intermission - I need to go to the restroom...BUT!!! Lookieeee!!! I peed on this! Look where the flush is! And, there's a hairdryer and brush at the restroom too. Uhm, no thanks.


I grabbed some food (Deli Manjoo - 2000 won for 12 pieces) before continuing my journey, pretty smart huh?

I took exit 5 and ended up in National Palace Museum. After a few steps, you'll be able to see the palace. It was huge and breathtaking (mwahahahaha, did I just use those 2 adjectives in one sentence? They sounded inappropriate together kekekeke!)

I was also able to witness the 'Changing of the Royal Guards' ceremony! Cool! Admission Ticket is 3000 won for adults. I asked some stranger to take a picture of me with the Royal Guard, I can clearly hear his heavy breathing. Poor fellow, standing under the sun with all these foreigners taking a picture of him.

I find it a bit creepy that their eyes are following the tourists even if they're not moving. One guard actually looked directly at me (*shiver). The other guard is about to fall asleep, it must've been really boring to just stand there and not do anything with all these layers of colorful clothes and weapons. I have this strong urge to startle the guard who's about to fall asleep but decided against it. I value my life more than the fun of seeing his suprised face. Besides, his comrade is already giving a very fierce aura. I think he really wants to slaughter me.

After a few turns and a few hours of walking, I'm officially lost! I'm in the middle of nowhere and has no clue on how to get out of this palace! I finally ended up in the National Museum of Korea.



I don't have the energy and the time to look around so I just focused on finding the exit. According to my printouts, Cheongwadae (Blue House) is near the Gyeongbokgung Palace so I asked the lady at the booth by the exit on how to get there.


FOURTH STOP - Cheongwadae (Blue House)

Cheongwadae is the Presidential Residence and it's noticeable characteristic is the blue tiles and smooth roof which blend beautifully with the Mt. Bugaksan at the back.The lady by the exit booth told me that I just have to walk at the left to arrive at Cheongwadae. She did not tell me it will be a very long LONG walk. At the start of my very long LONG walk, I saw 2 young police officers by the sidewalk. I initially thought, 'oooppps, I might be in a forbidden zone'. So I asked the police officer at the right if I can get through. He obviously doesn't speak english and called for a backup - the other police officer immediately went to the rescue and I asked both of them for directions to Cheongwadae. They told me I just have to walk straight. Okay, so that means I can get through. As I walk, I noticed there are a lot of police or guards at every corner which means I'm going on the right direction.

The million dollar question is, when will this long walk end?!!!! I saw a woman guard and decided to ask again. She told me the same thing, just walk straight. I asked her if it's already near. She said I'll be able to see Cheongwadae once I turn at the corner. Yup, I'm seeing it alright. I'm seeing the long stretch of road again!!!! Where the heck is the Blue House!!!

After the agonizing (and did I already mention very VERY long) walk, I was finally able to see the Blue House from a distance. It's quite a sight with the Mt. Bugaksan as its backdrop.

The small guardhouse where the police officer was standing caught my eye, I saw this in Korean Drama 'I really really like you' starring Eugene and Lee Min Ki. It would be nice if they give some to the royal guards from Gyeongbokgung Palace, they can really use some of those.

My next problem is how to get to the nearest subway station. I walked and walked... and walked until I saw a guard by the corner. I asked him where the nearest subway station is and he told me I just have to walk (AGAIN!!!) straight at the left and at the end of the street, just turn right and I will be able to see the subway station.

I decided to sit at the bus stop for a while since my feet is already killing me. It feels like the skin at the sole of my feet already peeled off and are attached to my socks. I haven't called Cocoy yet and he must be really worried coz it's already 2PM but he hasn't heard from me.

After walking for a couple of minutes, I finally arrived at the end of the street and decided to turn left since there is more buzz in there. And tadaaaaaa!!! I arrived at Gwanghwamun!!!! Earlier, I took the subway to go to Gyeongbokgung Palace from Gwanghwamun and now I find myself at Gwanghwamun?!

My goodness, that must've been a really long walk. I feel utterly defeated, I wanted to just stand in the middle of the street and be ran over by a Korean car in a Koren tourist spot. I should've carried on with my plan of surprising the royal guard back at the Gyeongbokgung Palace, at least I will have my share of fun before dying (*sigh).

FIFTH STOP - Han River

From Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5), I need to go to Yeouinaru Station which is also in Line 5 (follow the signs going to Banghwa). I hopped in the train going to Seodaemun Station since Seodaemun Station and Yeouinaru Station are in the same direction. I took exit 3, walked a few steps to the left and was greeted by a great view of the Han River!

There's a lot of couples chilling out by the riverside and I also saw families having picnic at the covered spots. I really wanted to go to Yook-Sam (63) Building but according to the couple sitting by the bench, it's still a long walk from where we were (note, we communicated through sign language and bits of english while the girl was giggling uncontrollably and asked for his boyfriend's help). I decided to just go straight to Itaewon to shop for souvenirs.

SIXTH STOP - Itaewon

From Yeoinaru Station (Line 5), I need to go to Gongdeok Station to transfer to Line going to Itaewon Station. I followed the signs going to Macheon or Sangil-dong and rode the train going to Mapo Station. I got off at Gongdeok Station and followed the signs to transfer to Line 6 (going to Bonghwasan) and hopped in at the train going to Hyochang Park. I finally arrived at Itaewon Station and took exit 4 (Itaewon Market).

There are a lot of foreigners in Itaewon and a lot of foreign shops too.When I entered a small alley, I saw a Philippine Store. After a few minutes of shopping, I decided to call it a day and head home.

From Itaewon Station (Line 6), I purchased a single journey ticket going to Dongmyo Station which intersects Line 1 and Line 6 (follow the signs going to Bonghwasan). As I was waiting for the subway going to Hangangjin, I met two Filipinos (Allan and Arnold) who immediately greeted me 'Kabayan'. After a few chitchats, the train arrived and it turns out they are getting off the same station. They asked me if I wanted to eat and I agreed since I'm really hungry, I only ate the Deli Manjoo from this morning.

After eating kamjatang (which tastes like our native dish nilagang baka) and drinking soju, Allan and Arnold accompanied me to Dongdaemun which happens to be close to my hostel. Pyonghwa Market is lined up with various stores but unfortunately, they're starting to close since it's already late. We scouted for sweater with hoodies. I found a sweater for my brother at the underground market.

We took a cab on our way to my hostel and told the taxi driver that we're getting off at Dongmyo station. We were taken to Dongmyo station but at a different exit that I totally don't recognize! Then we started walking aimlessly and it turns out we're walking on a different direction and ended up in Dongdaemun again! So I told them that we better ride the subway instead of taking chances and go to Dongmyo station exit 2. At last we were able to arrive at the correct spot and I was able to go home. If there's no subway in Seoul, I'll be rotting in the hostel.

I called Cocoy around 9:30pm and he's really worried because I haven't phoned throughout the day. He was surprised to know that I was roaming around the city while hewas wondering if I was able to go to Yongsan Station safely. Even more surprising is that I was able to go to Han River while he hasn't even been there in his 4 years of stay in Korea!

So much adventure in one day. In conclusion, the 'Wandering Julie' got home safe thanks to the subway. Thank you subway!

Trip to California - Feb 6 - 8, 2009 - Day 2

At the apartment before going for a day out

LA road on the way to Hollywood

We woke up around 7:30 am and went to Denny's to eat breakfast. Our destination for the day is Universal Studios located at Hollywood, California which is about an hour away from the apartment. On our way there, I was able to see the mountain with a big 'Hollywood' sign on it. I feel like my trip is now complete just by seeing that sign!

At first it was raining but fortunately, the weather is nice in our destination. We first got ourselves some coffee in Starbucks and took some pictures.

Hard Rock Cafe on our way to Universal Studios Park

We bought our 1-Day ticket which is around $60 (ahem, thanks to Reymond and Randy for always getting the tab). Universal Studios Hollywood is really fun. It will take a whole day to experience almost all the rides, studio tours, shows, etc.

Tourist na tourist!

Statue in front of the entrance

I don't know how many times we've asked a stranger to take a picture of the three of us. We just kept on taking pictures here and there.

House of Horrors!!

As we were walking, Reymond suddenly turned left. Randy and I just followed him. When I finally realized where we were going, it's too late - I couldn't back out. The sign is deeply sketched on my mind - House of Horrors. My last memory of entering such a place was back in college, in Star City. It was a very unpleasant memory. I didn't enter it when Melvin and I went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. But Puto was able to trick me into doing it by just an impulsive change in direction! It's a trap! This is not my idea of fun, $%#f*!k# .

Chucky, Puto and the Crybaby

House of Horrors is on the top of my list for the things that I don't want to experience again. Why would you submit yourself to such torture? It was the longest walk of my life. For the most part, Randy is just dragging me around coz I was really scared to my wits end. Ghosts keeps popping out. At one time, what I thought was a statue (a little taller than Chucky doll, covered in Mummy bandages) suddenly sticks his hand and walks toward us! F%$#k, $h!t!!! Some of the corridors and hallways are very narrow but I still cling to either Reymond and Randy so I could use them as shields in case one of the creepy figures at our sides make a move again. Then we arrived at a room full of bodies in transparent bags that hung on the ceiling. It's like a butcher's room. Then this brilliant Reymond exclaimed that one of those bodies is a real person and will chase us. Awesome...just what we need. The walk ended on what looks like a madman's laboratory where Frankenstein is created. On our way to safety, Frankenstein suddenly turned up on my right side and scared the living hell out of me. My friends were also chanting 'scare her! scare her!'. So I started to cry and Reymond and Randy dragged me out of there. Two monsters were still waiting at the exit. Great, this is soo great.

It's ogre time. Shrek 4-D

Our next stop is the Shrek 4-D. It's a 4-D movie wherein the seats move so it seems that you're also part of the movie. Water is also sprayed on your face whenever there's a scene involving splashing water.

Cars used in The Fast and the Furious

We then boarded a train for the studio tour to see the famous backlot in the largest movie studio. We were able to see the cars used for various blockbuster movies such as Back to the Future, the Fast and the Furious, Blues Brothers, Jurassic Park, etc. We also witnessed some of the special effects used for the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift movie.

Set for the wild west

Among the many structures we saw are neighborhoods for the wild west, European style setting for the middle ages, etc. We also passed by a lake and we get to see the special effects used for movies with sharks.

Wisteria Lane

Wisteria Lane is the set for ABC's series Desperate Housewives. I've watched a few episodes of it and it didn't cross my mind that the houses they used are not actual houses but are especially built for filming purposes.

Norman at the Bates Motel

We saw Norman (Lopez?) at the Bates Motel. He suddenly went toward us while grabbing a knife hidden on his coat.

War of the Worlds

For me, the wreckage from Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds was the highlight of this tour. An airplane was dismantled for this scene.

After the studio tour, we tried the Simpsons Ride. At first I thought it was a roller coaster ride, thankfully it wasn't. We boarded a vehicle, the ceiling opened up and we were elevated. The whole place was like a big screen and it seems like we were part of the whole experience with the Simpsons family.

Scooby Doo and Shaggy

The guys went to the Jurassic Park ride. As I was waiting, I saw Scooby Doo and Shaggy while driving the Mystery Machine. We also entered the Backdraft where they showed the pyrotechnics. After that, we went to the Special Effects Stages. Here they presented how the special effects for Heroes were made especially the scene for Hiro Nakamura who has the power of space-time manipulation. They also showed how audio effects are added to the movie scenes.

StarWay - links the upper and lower portion of the lots

After our interesting trip in Universal Studios Hollywood, we searched for a Thai Restaurant to eat dinner. Then we head back home. It was an exciting and enjoyable day!

Trip to California - Feb 6 - 8, 2009 - Day 1

Delta Waiting Area - Myrtle Beach Airport

Delta domestic flight going to Atlanta

I'm finally going to California! A week before, I decided to visit Reymond and Randy - otherwise known as Puto and Aso. I've wanted to visit them when I was in Virginia last 2007 but I wasn't able to do so. It has been years since I last saw them. I have a Dollar-off credit voucher from Northwest and fortunately, I was able to use it in Delta Airline. My flight leaves Myrlte Beach at 2:32 pm and arrives in Atlanta-Hartsfield Intl Airport around 4:05 pm. My connecting flight from Atlanta leaves around 5:30 pm and arrives at LAX around 7:34 pm (California is 3 hours behind). So, off I went to sunny California!

Los Angeles Intl Airport (LAX)

Los Angeles Intl Airport (LAX)

When I arrived, it was raining.....bummer. Randy and Joanne picked me up. I'm a bit surprised that with a little rain, the roads of LA gets a little flooded. Randy told me it really doesn't rain much in LA. Before going home, we stopped by Gerry's grill and I was able to eat sisig!! I really love California!

Randy (Aso) - Gerry's Grill

Reymond (Puto) - Apartment at Anaheim

Reymond and Randy lives at Anaheim. When we arrived at their apartment, I saw Puto lying on the bed. I made it clear beforehand that I'm gonna claim the bed! And both of them are sleeping on the floor! Reymond was still talking to his wife over the phone while I chase him out of the bed.

But, California or any other state, sleeping on the bed or sleeping on the floor, I really don't mind. I'm just really happy to see both of my friends. Cheers!

Poker Night

The Players (left to right) - Tom, Joey, Julie, Jimmy, Genti, Jaejay (taking the pic)


The Players (left to right) - Jimmy, Genti, Jaejay, Joey, Tom, Julie (taking the pic)

Over pizza and beer, the guys tried to teach me how to play a game that can destroy a man's well-being - a game called poker. I didn't know there is a variety of poker. Jimmy helped me in understanding the game. Here's what I learned:

1. Straight flush - poker hand which contains five cards in sequence, all of the same suit

2. Four of a kind - four cards of one rank

3. Full house - three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank

4. Flush - five cards of the same suit, not in rank sequence

5. Straight - contains five cards of sequential rank but in more than one suit

6. Three of a kind - three cards of the same rank

7. Two pair - two cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank

8. One pair - two cards of the same rank

We played Texas Hold 'em, Regular Draw and In Between. At first I was winning! At one point Genti thought he already won, but it turns out my cards are higher than his. He complained that it's because of my bad shuffling. Whatever the reason is, I'm still winning! As the game continues, my chips are...decreasing. It's a quarter for one chip and our initial chips are worth 6 dollars which is a total of 24 chips. My stack is approaching its inevitable demise. Tom is dominating the game. He even got the whole pot in one of the In Between games.

I'm winning!

And so the game continues... The winner with the most gain was Tom. I lost 6 dollars while Joey and Jaejay both won around 10 dollars. Crap!

Happy faces of the Poker Winners

My Apartment in Legends Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC

At first I thought Legends Resort is an apartment compound near the beach, it turns out it's a golf resort. It was raining when Jaejay and Joey dropped me off in 4578G (which is my villa number). Their villa number is 4532C, just a few minutes walk away.

After almost 24 hours of traveling, I can finally rest. I looked around and this feels like a really nice place.

Living Room

Kitchen

It seems that my apartment has a classical theme, more like a grandma/grandpa theme. The furnitures has an old feel to it (the TV has no input/output!). The alarm clock reminds me of the old radio in wooden casings used by farmers back in my province, it looks like the first 'modern' digital clock that humans have ever made. And the bible that is displayed on the living room can really fend off evil spirits, it seems as though it was really written by the disciples (not until I realized that the paper is not papyrus and it's not a Hebrew writing).

Alarm Clock (blast from the past)

Behold! First Compiled Bible!

It has two rooms with two beds on each room. I chose the room with its own bathroom. I'm not sure why I was really happy to see the hair dryer stuck on the wall eventhough I didn't forget to bring mine.

Bedroom


Bathroom

Whoaaa!!! *clap *clap *clap

My first dinner - McDonald's (I'm Lovin' It!). Isn't it amazing that halfway around the world, they have the same catchy phrase even if it's in a different language? (I'm Lovin' It! = Love Ko Toh! ). Even if that's the case, they don't have "Pa-burger ka naman! Burger! Burger!".

This is a regular size here? FRIES..BURGER..

The Royal Throne

Here's a view of 4578G in the morning.

Front

Trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (Oct 11 - Dec 14, 2008 Onsite Assignment)

I initially thought that this will be a very comfortable flight and that I will arrive in my destination at the planned time. Hell, I was so wrong!

NAIA Terminal 1 (Manila, Philippines) - I went to the airport 3 hours before my departure, the line was already long as expected. Surprisingly, there was no one on the NorthWest check-in counters. They were huddled up at the left side. And then...they announced the bad news over the microphone. We only understood the first few lines, the rest of the announcement was spoken using an alien language i.e. 'Attention passengers of flight NW72, we apologize for the delay. Apfarrenli we ar habin shhhhshhh shhhh (static)' . The NW personnel started handing out some cute paper cutouts with the information of why we are in the middle of such a mess. It turns out they are having some technical difficulties, their system is down so they cannot check-in the passengers. As part of their 'contingency plan', they are going to do manual check-in. As the guy in front of me blurted out, why didn't they think of that an hour ago? At that time I was actually thinking, what the hell is a manual check-in? Are they going to manually write down the boarding pass and manually write down your name or something? Anyway, whatever it is, do it and just let us have our seat. We finally left Manila around 9:30 AM (3 hours delayed as our original sched was 6:35 AM) and arrived at Nagoya Airport around 2:30 PM (Japan is an hour advanced compared to Manila time).

Nagoya Airport

Nagoya Airport (Japan) - As we disembark the plane and on our way to the next gate, we were greeted by a board with 'NW72 Detroit' written on it and with an arrow pointing to the left where the NW counters are located and where Japanese personnels were chanting 'Trip to Detroit?! Trip to Detroit?! Detroit? Detroit?' We have to line up again to get our reprinted boarding passes since some of us were checked-in manually. It was my turn. My conversation with the NW Personnel reminded me of my fave anime because of their expression when they are startled or when they heard something unusual - 'eEhhh?? '

NW Personnel: Here. Eto, final destination Washington?

Me: No.

NW Personnel: EeehhHhh? (looks at me and looks at the boarding pass)

Me: My destination is South Carolina.

NW Personnel: EeehhHhh? (looks at me and looks at the boarding pass, deciding which one to believe)

Me: I have a connecting flight from Washington DC to South Carolina.

NW Personnel: Ahhh. Different airline. This, different.

Me: But since our flight is delayed, I'm gonna miss my flight to South Carolina. Shouldn't I have a new boarding pass?

NW Personnel: In Detroit, they are going to give you. Please check in Detroit.

Me: Ok.

So off I went to Gate 19. But before that we have to pass the security check. The security people are obviously stressed out and as the items started piling up, he began saying 'Tsonto mante kudasai, tsonto tsonto' to us. (As an anime fanatic, I know that means please wait for a moment. But since nobody understands him, the passengers just kept on putting down their items.)

I was looking for the smoking area and I saw this lady who's looking for Detroit passengers and was pointing to the direction of Gate 19. I approached her and asked where the smoking area was. She looked at me and asked 'Huh? Ahhmm, Detroit?' and pointed at Gate 19. So I just asked again 'smoking area, doko desu ka?'. She smiled and said 'anywhere (pointed to her left and to her right), go straight'. So I went, well, anywhere.

Detroit, Michigan - We arrived at Detroit around 3 PM (3AM Manila Time). Again, there was so much chaos as the NW counter give us our new itinerary. They've rebooked our connecting flights. I was asked to go to Level 3 to check-in again. At level 3, a guy was shouting and swearing at the lady at the counter. Finally, the airport security were asked to take the guy away since he's becoming a threat. Three airport security then came and they hold his arms behind, placed his head over the counter. He was eventually shouting in pain.

Ceremony to honor the hero

Instead of Washington DC, I'm going to Atlanta then to South Carolina in Delta Airline. My gate is in councourse B so I head to the tunnel. My flight is again delayed! Apparently, there is a fallen soldier transported by the plane that arrived and there is a ceremony to honor the soldier. As I was waiting, I met a woman (who's also a Filipina) and asked me if I was also from the NW 72 flight. I said yes and started explaining her new flight details and showing me her ticket. She also said she has to call her someone who's suppose to pick her up (which reminds me that I also need to call Jaejay!). I helped her since she doesn't know how to use it and which coins to put saying that it's her first time in the States. Eventually, she just followed me around since she was nervous that something might get wrong because all of us have boarding pass and the new ticket issued by NorthWest is all she has. I told her to ask the lady at the Delta counter and she said she already asked her and told her she doesn't need a boarding pass, she just need the ticket. Huh?? It was finally time to board the plane, she just stick with me and asked me to help her talk to the lady coz she doesn't know what to say when they ask her. Okay, so we waited for all the passengers to board the plane before going in. She was immediately stopped by the Delta personnel saying that she already told her to rebook her flight / get a new ticket from NorthWest. I looked at her and asked her, 'I thought you said you already asked her and she said it was fine since you have a ticket? Turns out you have to rebook'. The Delta personnel asked me if we're speaking the same language and I ended up being a translator. Oh my goodness. Here's the situation, even if she gets on the plane, she'll just be stuck in Atlanta since she's gonna miss her flight going to Charlotte so she needs to go to NorthWest to rebook her ticket and choose a different flight.

Atlanta Airport

Atlanta, Georgia - I really have to call Jaejay since they are expecting me to arrive at Myrtle Beach at around 6PM. It's already 7:30PM and my flight from Atlanta to South Carolina is 8:45 PM so we'll be arriving around 10:45 PM. I rode the train going to concourse D and started to look for telephone booths. I don't have any coins so I bought a diet coke (first product I purchased in the US for the year 2008) and asked for coins for my change. I was able to contact Jaejay and Joey and told them about my flight details. This leg of my flight is on time, hallelujah!

Hooorrrayyy!!!!!!!

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - dan dan dan dannnnn... I thought this excruciating experience is finally over... BUT my luggage is missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROOOAaaaaRrrrrrrrr!!! Arf Arf Arff!!!

My Crazy Brothers

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One Saturday morning, my brothers and I together with my mother decided to eat at Jollibee. My mother has a weird habit of taking the plastic spoons and forks home.
Mom: Akina yang spoons nyo.
Audrey facing me and Sammy: Bilis itapon nyo na ang styrofoam baka iuwi pa ni Nanay yan.
Mom: Aba hindi yata, yung spoons and forks lang iuuwi ko.
Audrey: Kaya nga tinawag na disposable e dahil dapat itapon pagkatapos gamitin!
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We were strolling at the department store of Mall of Asia when my mother suddenly stopped at the men's underwear section and started picking underwears for my youngest brother, Sammy. When I saw her picking the RED briefs, I knew things are gonna turn out bad so I immediately called my 2 brothers. Upon seeing the red briefs, Audrey laughed.
Ako: Sammy, naku, para sayo yan!
Sammy talking to Mom: Napakakulay naman nyan.
Audrey talking to Mom: Nanay di ko maintindihan sa inyo kung bakit tuwing maggagala na lang tayo, bili kayo lagi ng bili ng briefs namin! Pwede namang damit!
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My mother knew that Sammy can only eat 3 hotdogs for breakfast so she prepared 4 hotdogs - 3 for Sammy and 1 for her. Sammy ate all 4 hotdogs.
Mom: Amec bakit apat ang kinain mong hotdog? Di ba tatlo lang kinakain mo palagi?
Sammy: E kawawa naman yung isa, malulungkot siya.
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Audrey talking to me: Ate alam mo yang si Nanay lagi na lang sinasama yung ulam na natira nung isang araw.
Mom: Sayang naman e!
Sammy talking to me: Oo nga. Katulad nung dati sinama sa mga bagong lutong hotdog yung hotdog na natira nung isang araw pa..Akala yata di ko mahahalata, e tuyong-tuyo na yung hotdog.
Audrey talking to Mom: Akala yata e maloloko kami, matalino yata toh!
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Ako: Amec bili ka ngang pizza sa Michelle's, gusto kong mag-merienda.
Sammy: Ate wag na yun! Tinapay lang yun na nilagayan ng catsup at hotdog, tawagin natin itong pizza!
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Crying Chloue

Crying Chloue

Pagkatapos makita ang batang laging kalaro ni Fions, nagdrama ang gaga dahil nami-miss na daw niya si Fiona (na nasa Dubai na)....Yuckkkk!!! Hahahahahhaha! Clauds, maga mukha mo!