it's christmas eve ya'll!

I just finished wrapping my Christmas presents and feeling like a damn insomniac... a perfect time to blog.  Frisco was a lot of fun.  Tons of Euros in Frisco I might add.  

It was nice to hear their accents for a change. 

The highlights:

1. First road trip with Ken.

2. First time stepping foot in Alcatraz, crazy!

3. Being a tourist in frisco (the times I go, there is a show I had to catch since I missed it in L.A., or such a silly excuse to shop in H&M, pre-L.A. distribution).

4. Using the cable car system to get around and of course via foot.

5. Yummy clam chowder.

6. Gingerbread latte galore (very cold weather does that to you).

7. Second time seeing Frisco during the Christmas season, beautiful.

8. Cha Cha Cha's!

9. Little Italy

10.Crisp air.

     

a friend visits

An old travel friend I met while living in Spain visits me en route on her North American adventure.  Cle will be in the States for 4 months to work part time, save some money and try to see as much of America as she can.  Our schedules worked out pretty well since my break from school started today, and I wasn't going to work until Wednesday.  Since a car is a necessity in L.A. (even going to a supermarket), I had to show her the Getty museum for some great views of West L.A. and 3rd. Street Promenade for some ocean air.  I always seem to forget L.A. is ridiculously congested on the freeway, side streets, back alleys, gosh everywhere that most of our time was spent on the road, from point A to B.  I drove from Santa Monica to Hollywood and Highland in one hour and 30 minutes.  Crazy!  It was draining to drive bumper to bumper in a 5 speed civic.  My left foot hurts!  With all the crazy L.A. traffic, It was great to see an old friend and show a bit of L.A. along the way.

10 years since h.s.

Yah, I went to my high school reunion.  It was a weird feeling seeing all those people again.  There were some uncomfortable moments, like walking through the door and seeing "the football players" or the "cheerleaders" in high school.  I was a nerd in high school and going back to typical high school stereotypes just made me cringe for some reason.  So many things have happened since 1997 and we are all adults now, so stereotypes of old high school shouldn't exist, but you can't help to reminisce.  The turn out was low, but I still enjoyed catching up with some old friends.  It was a memorable night.

beirut @ the avalon

One of the cheapest shows I have been to.  Oh so good.  Performance art to start the night, and some weird cello artist, and Beirut were awesome.

desk

Yah, just bored.  And I had to take this pic of the heart lettuce my sis found while making a salad.

picnic and pink martini

A darling little picnic in front of the heritage museum, cha cha cha music, and fireworks were good times to be had at the Hollywood Bowl with Pink Martini and the Coconut Grove. I should do these kinda things more often and make the time. I can't wait for school to be over already. Ciao!

harry potter book 7 ...finished!

Woo hoo, I just finished reading the book last night.  Well, I actually stayed up until 5:30 am to read the last few chapters.  I simply couldn't put the book down and it's easily amazing as the others.  A very good read indeed.

pit tickets number two & hammer fun

Monday:

Woo hoo... Snow Patrol was awesome!  But then again, we had pit tickets.  It's an exhilarating experience when the performer is a feet away singing the songs and getting all sweaty.  I had such a great time and I should be more picky about seat selections from now on.  Well, pit tickets are rare, and it's pure luck to have the opportunity to purchase them.  It has been a good year :)  Hot Hot Heat were great live as well.  I never knew the lead singer looked so much like that curly head cheeseball from American Idol 1, Justin Gaurini.  Strange.


Uncanny resemblance!


Yah, so much skinnier in person!


Emotional singer, yes.

Today:

Summer school is over, hoot hoot!  I finally had a chance to meet up with Christi and we went to the Hammer Museum so she can get inspired in how to decorate her new place.  The statue should work fine in the living room and why yes the middle sculpture is going to be great chandelier for the dining room.  Ate some garlic fries from this cute Greek restaurant in Westwood, yum!  Of course it was such fun laughing out loud with all the "news".

hump day

Yes, Wednesday was a great day.  After taking the most nerve racking test since starting summer school, I just found out I was approved for a BOG fee waiver.  This means my education is free for a year.  I am happy since school is getting pretty expensive.  I just purchased my school uniforms for clinicals and it was almost $200.00!  I also have books to worry about.  On my list, I have at least 5 books to purchase (eeek)!  Am I really going to be needing these books?  Getting financial help is of help for me.  I sometimes get angry that other countries don't have to worry about paying for their education.  It just sucks to live in America, the land of debt! 

On a lighter note, I saw the Fray on Wednesday night and they were pretty good.  Some of the songs on the album can get sleepy, but they did a very good job adding new sounds and increasing the tempo.  They are pretty good live.  They have grown as a band and you can tell all the touring across North America has matured their sound.  Ended the night at Fred 62, which has changed a lot!  Not as many hipsters (good thing), food gone ethnic (good), annoying L.A. types (bad), and they ran out of fries (hello)!


This reminds me of Grey's...


They sang their very own country song.


How to Save a Life


Girl groupies from the audience; bitches with pit tickets!

fall out boy

The concert was alright.  There were lots of youngin's; 11 year olds with rents' and curfews galore.  The concert ended at 11pm sharp, in contrast to other shows.  My sis and I ended the night in Pasadena for the needed cocktails; mango margaritas are too sweet btw. 

Omigosh, I just finished reading the 6th book of the Harry Potter series and was shocked with the death.  My sis thinks he might come back in the last book since he is such a powerful wizard.  I disagree because D's weakness is trusting in someone even if they are well known to be with the dark side.  It was also a foreshadow since the person who killed him was the one in question of being trustworthy.  The books are amazing and have become those Harry Potter fiends who are eager to read the last book and have fallen in love with the books.  It is unfortunate that I may not be able to read the last book until next year since I will be so busy with school.  The 2nd part of this year will be challenging, but I am ready for the challenge.  I have made many sacrifices, what's a year?

i have this thing down...i think?

Last night I read the email regarding Kroq's presale for Snow Patrol on Thursday (today).  The opportunity wasn't enough for me, so I googled for the password for the fan club presale and to my surprise and luck, someone actually blogged about it and I was able to get the password.  Today, I was waiting for the Kroq screen to come up in Ticketmaster, but it never did, so I actually typed in the fan club presale and got pit tickets!  I never thought of ever having the opportunity of getting pit tickets, but if it comes your way, why not.  The Greek is a small venue, and every seat you get is pretty good anyways.  Anyways, Yay pit tickets!

I finally uploaded my pics from my trip to Italy, and damn, I took tons of pics.  To check it out, click here!

I finished Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix last week.  Since I had a long flight home, I was able to breeze through it.  Now I'm reading the 6th book and enjoying it so far.  It's intersting how much Harry has evolved in each book and how much confidence he has gained.  I can't believe I read these books in such a short time.  I was able to read so much at work because my job can be slow at times.  Most days it's slow, but other days are an adventure to get through.  Can't wait for the last book and the movie that is coming out since I just read it. :)

back home

I just arrived home and happy to be home with the fam. and bf.  Before heading back to the States, I did make a weekend trip to Amsterdam.  The trip started out sour because both of my luggage were held back in Florence for unknown reasons.  I never had a "left luggage" experience before and I was super pissed because on the last minute I decided to turn in my carry on luggage en route to Amsterdam.  The carry on luggage had all my clothes for the weekend.  The next day, I was able to get my luggage, which were rotating on the belt for anyone to snatch!  I was happy I opted to pick it up rather than somebody dropping it off to the hostel because I needed my clothes pronto, and I wanted to feel I had more control of the situation.  Even with mishap with my luggage, I still found Amsterdam to be one of my favorite cities.  It has a lot to do with the liberal attitude towards lawmaking and it reflects the bohemian lifestyle which I fancy.  Amsterdam is not all sex and drugs; the city is beautiful.  They have neighborhoods with picturesque canals and amazing architecture that makes walking enjoyable.  The number one mode of transportation are bicycles, so I did have a go at it on Saturday and had an amazing time.  The make up of the streets caters to bike riders so riding a bike is relatively safe.  I tried bike riding in Florence and was scared for my life!  In Amsterdam, I sometimes witness many people give way to a person riding a bicycle.  I will post pics soon and share my Amsterdam adventure.

Since I am back home, it is time to face the real world and reacquaint myself with my activties of daily living.  I already start work on Wednesday and she has me working this weekend.  Yes, life is getting real right about now.  Ciao!

venice & milan adventure

Venice is amazing!  It's a surreal experience to think people live in close vicinity to the ocean and use a canal to get around.  When I arrived Venice there was a storm, so the view in the train was foggy and raindrops everywhere also altered my view.  Nevertheless, I was still excited since I was going to meet  my sister and how cool, in Venice.  As the train was approacing the Venice station, all I could make out was water and wooden logs out in the sea with km/h signs on it.  It is true, Venice is surrounded by water!   Getting out of the station and  the  Grand Canal only a few meters away was an amazing experience.  All  I can think of was "Shit, I'm in Venice, Italy and this is fucking amazing!".  I didn't mind the rain, rolling luggage around, up and down 3 tiny bridges with steps to get to the bus station, and then the hotel.  I am in Venice, and I have been in Italy for that matter is still crazy to me.  Yes, the place is infested with tourists and why not because Venice is a city that you have to see and experience.  It is beautiful and it is unreal.  I kept referring to the Venetian in Las Vegas and how accurate those architects and project planners were to mimic Venice, Italy.  It is a beautiful place and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, rain or shine.

As for Milan, I can understand why people wouldn't like Milan because it's not as pretty as the other Italian cities.  Florence is just so fucking gorgeous and you can walk around for hours and still you will find all these religious figures on the walls and tiny streets with unique doorknobs.  Even the tiny towns that surround Florence are just equally beautiful with their own charm and character, people luv that, and you don't get that in Milan.  The Duomo is breathtaking and structures surrounding the Duomo have amazing glass ceilings, but once you step 2 blocks away from the center, it is an urban city with graffiti, dirt on the walls and streets, but I still luv Milan because it has so much energy and great vibes from the people; there is always this buzz in the air.  It's also the home of  The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci.  We didn't know that you had to reserve months in advanced to see this spectacular art, so we were disappointed that we wouldn't be able to see it, especially if you have read The Da Vinci Code.  My sister and I are ruthless and stubborn when it comes to things like that and are always hopeful for a miracle.  When we arrived at Santa Maria delle Grazie we hoped to find somebody who can sell us tickets.  And within minutes stepping into the ticket booths, a guide who bought too many reserved tickets wanted to sell us tickets to see The Last Supper.  Of course we are skeptical because this is Italy and somebody will always swindle a euro or two out of you if  they could.  She was honest and only asked 8 euros (the regular fee) for the tickets.  We gladly took it and said to ourselves if this is fake, we only lost a 8 euros.  It was a legit ticket, and we got to see The Last Supper and it is something not to be missed because the art has an amazing history and the lady on the right of  Jesus is Mary Magdalene and not a man.  Da Vinci is one of the few artists of the Renaissance who knows how to render a woman accurately, ie Madonna of the Rocks at the Louvre.

Tomorrow we leave Milan and head out to Florence, a city which have felt like home for the past weeks.  Ciao for now!

busy week

This week has been busy!  It all started Sunday when my Dutch friend Anna and I decided to venture out in Lucca.  Lucca is 2 hours away via train from Firenze and it holds one of the most preserved medieval cities.  It even has a fort which protects the city.  You can walk one revolution and practically see the whole city in an hour or so.  I saw a cadaver of a Saint which was a surreal experience.  My friend Anna said they have one at Pisa, so for sure I will check that one out too; the cathedrals are amazing there also.  It was just nice to get away and see something different.

On Tuesday, I trekked out to Cinque Terre with Jill and her bf Tommy.  Oooh, I had so much fun because we are all chill type people.  It has been raining this whole week and to have Tuesday with no rain (well, except at the end) was a relief.  I even got sunburned from my back.  I was wearing a black and white striped shirt and was surprised the sun's rays penetrated through it and burned me!  The path started out easy and the book said it would be a leisure walk.  There is no such thing as leisure to me since there were steep steps and hills to walk through.  The book said the hardest trail was the last one that would lead you to Monterosso (the last village).  It was a fulfilling experience to walk on the cliffs and have an amazing view throughout the entire time.  In the last village, I ended up chillin on a beach chair and they swam, which I was so jealous!  After a strenuous hike, It would have been nice to swim and feel the nice cool water.  It was good times.

Today, was a great day as well.  I had another Italian lunch with Jill and her Italian family.  It was so good to have a 2 course meal with fruit as dessert and coffee with biscotti to end the meal.  It is good to be in Italy!  I also biked around Jill's neighborhood which was scary as hell, but definitely fun.  Of course had coffee with a design on the coffee foam, it made my day.

I am off to Venice tomorrow and have not even packed up my things, so I will be busy tonight.  It will be some good times ahead since I'm meeting up my sister and damn, I am going to Venice! Ciao!

prato adventure

Yesterday after class I headed out to Prato.  It is only 18km from Florence and supposedly it is a small city.  The sole reason to go to Prato was to catch Daniel Spoerri's exhibition.  I saw his advert on a pamphlet of exhibitions to check out in April.  I was excited to see him since I have been tired of all this gothic, renaissance stuff.  I recommend Madrid to anyone because you can have the feel of the old and new in one city.  Madrid is just an amazing place. I like Florence, but the whole city is infested with all this old art.  I studied it, and like to see it, but hell yah I am tired of looking at it.  Prato was a breathe of fresh air because it had all those old and new sensibilities.  The old town center is small and covers only 2 blocks.  Sometimes I can get retarded and think oh, I can walk this, and then I realized the place I want to get to is far. I took the train and got off on the second Prato stop.  I didn't have a map, so I was looking aimlessly for tourist offices, but no luck whatsoever.  Finally I spotted a hotel, and with luck he spoke english and gave me a map. On the map, it didn't look far, but actually taking that walk of 2 km, it was far!  The route to get there was not scenic at all, so the walk did feel long.  I did manage to find the place, and so that is why there is an abundant of pictures because I was just giddy that I actually made it.  I was not planning to walk back, so I manage to find another hotel and asked them where to purchase tickets.  Prato has an easy bus system because there is only 2 buses, red and blue.  It is pretty straightforward and I was just thinking to myself, why didn't I ask earlier.  Nevertheless, it was an adventure because even in the train station, stamping my ticket was a task, and even finding the platform. I have an angel on my side for sure because I made it back in Florence at a decent time, and even manage to buy wine at the local store that a classmate suggested to me.  yay!!

Today, I went to the Bargello and it was an enjoyable experience since it was not as crowded, and there were some good art to see. I can always laugh how ridiculous some of the female sculptures are. They have amazing muscles and boobs like tennis balls! You couldn't take any pictures at the Bargello, but that doesn't stop me, I manage to sneak some but did get caught.  I'm thinking, these sculptures manage to stay intact out in the sunlight and are made of materials that can withstand anything, and I can't take a pic, even on museum function on my Nikon, retarded! 

italian lunch

Woo hoo!

Jill and her bf have been so welcoming and have been entertaining me for my stay here.  Last night, I finally got a chance to go to a bar and enjoy some Italian beer.  I am not a beer drinker, but wanted to try the beer in Italy.  The bar was in a tourisy area, but I welcomed it because I needed to experience a bit of night life in Florence.  I was surprised there was a lot of people outside taking a stroll or enjoying a glass of wine and beer in a bar on a Monday night.  One of these nights I must try to go to club err something and dance the night away.  It was nice to finally meet Tommy and his friend.  I felt like a moron because I could not speak Italian.  I just get too shy around people to speak the language, and I tend to get nervous and forget all the verbs I know.  I have been practicing with a Peruvian classmate who only speaks Spanish during our coffee breaks.  If I can't express myself in Italian, well my bad Spanish is helpful in getting to communicate with her.

Piazza della Repubblica

Today, I was invited to have lunch with Jill and her Italian family.  I had an amazing meal!  I have been eating like a poor student, sandwiches and greek salads (my speciality).  Tommy's grandma cooked lunch for us and it was very traditional.  We ate pasta with sun dried tomatoes, then salad, fruit, and coffee with biscotti.  I had such a great meal!  Tommy's grandma was such a cute lady and was worried if I was full; omigosh, I was stuffed!  It was a nice lunch indeed.  Afterwards, just walked around the barrio and went to Piazza della Repubblica to do some homework and practice the italian language.  It was a chill day indeed! 

san gimignano & siena

Siena

San Gimignano

I can't believe I have been here for a week and time keeps moving faster.  I finally ventured outside of Florence, and visited 2 cities, San Gimignano and Siena.  I wished I had a weekend to explore both cities, but nevertheless, I did have a great time and met a couple of new people from my school.  Memorable moments of San Gimignano consisted of tiny streets, steep hills and amazing views of the vineyards near by.  Also, Gothic architecture that transports you back in time is not bad either.  As for Siena, the Duamo is breathtaking and the Piazza is a wonderful place to relax and people watch. 

around firenze

In front of Arno River in Ponte Vecchio

A really small car

I heart these ads!

I finally met up with Christi's friend Jill, and she took me to this really good gelato place.  There was this one flavor which consisted of pistachios nuts, chocolate and black pepper.  It was so good and authentic.  We chatted up a bit and after that we separated since she was going to cook dinner for her Italian family.  I decided to go crazy again, and take more random photos while walking around in Florence.  I saw some great classic sculptures that I have learned back in college.  I find some of these sculptures to be hilarious, especially fig leaves on genitalia.  In all, it is impressive that these sculptures have manage to survive all these years.  Ciao for now!

firenze arrival

Cezanne exhibit Palazzo Strozzi

View of my barrio from my room window

I finally feel adjusted in Firenze (Florence), but still suffering jet lag!  I keep waking up 3 hours later and I simply can't get back to sleep.  I still have a lot of energy to walk around the city and explore it's beauty; it must be the coffee.  My experience so far has been mixed with emotions.  At times, I pinch myself in disbelief that I am here, and surviving on my own, but at times I miss everybody back home and want to go home.  Being homesick will pass and most likely I would not want to leave.  I have been keeping myself busy by walking around the city and just taking some random pictures.  Yesterday was a full day since I went to see the Cèzanne exhibit at Palazzo Strozzi.  It was an interesting one since some of these paintings have not been in one exhibition because they are displaced all over the world and some are private collections.  It was a treat to see some great art.  There were also showcasing other Expressionist artists and Van Gogh was represented.  During the night, I had a 3 course meal at Casa Di Dante già Ristorante with my classmates.  I was so stuffed because my usual meals consisted of tuna sandwiches and greek salads, not 3 courses.  I am in a less than 40 dollars a meal day plan.  The meal was not typical Florence, but they served authentic Italian dishes.  I have yet to enjoy some bowl of soup, which is what they are famous for.