Anukayayun: October 2008

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Kamown?!

May laban ang Nuggets at Lakers sa Sabado dito sa Pepsi Center, kainis lang at wala akong mayaya. Para namang lahat ng Pinoy dito busy. Kamown?! Ayoko namang manood mag-isa. Sige na sagot ko na yung ticket at drinks! Samahan niyo lang ako!

Words to live by
Always remember no matter how bad you are, you are not totally useless. You can always be use as a bad example.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Stuck

What will you do if your flight is delayed for more than 3 hours?

I'm so tired.

I just want to go home.

I miss my bed.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Welcome to North Carolina!

Welcome to the Biltmore House! The largest private residence in the United States (built by George Washington Vanderbilt in 1895) located in the heart of Asheville, North Carolina.

So, just how big is America’s larges private residence?

Consider these numbers:

• Four acres under one roof

• 175,000 square feet

• 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces, one indoor pool and a bowling alley.

In addition to the sheer size, the architectural excellence remains a draw for many.

Napa -WOW talaga ako sa tour! Naisip ko tuloy, nagkakakitaan pa ba yung mga nakatira dito dati? (Sayang at bawal ang cam sa loob)

After the house tour, we went to the winery. It was a great walking tour that takes you through the wine making process and a wine tasting was provided at the end of the tour. The wine guides really strive to make everyone feel comfortable also they are knowledgeable and helpful to those inexperienced wine tasters like me to find a great wine. By the way, I love their red wine better!

Just some facts: Movies like The Hannibal, Patch Adams, Forrest Gump and Richie Rich were filmed in this mansion.

I have to STOP: Mamumulubi na ako. lol!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Gatlinburg Adventures

I never expected that such a small town like Gatlinburg have Hard Rock Cafe, Ripleys Aquarium and other attractions. It's like little Vegas to me, their downtown have a lot of little stores with great architectural designs.
Anyway, let me share my 3 unforgettable adventures on this beautiful town in one sunny day!

1. Aerial Tramway-The tram ride up the Ober Gatlinburg Mountain is okay. Once you are at the top, nothing more. The "amusement park" is not all that amusing. I must admit my tramway experience in Sandia Peak in New Mexico is far way better. 2. Skylift- the lift takes you up and then back down the side of the mountain. Pretty much like any other ski lift, I enjoyed some incredible views of the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg. If you are looking for an exciting ride, this may not be for you, but if you just want a nice slow relaxing ride with the love of your life, this might be what you are looking for. (Okay, wala ako nun!) Lol!
3. The Helicopter tour-My first heli ride (with no skydiving still) and it was fun. I know its a tad pricey, but its an awesome experience . I have the memories for life!

Next Stop: NORTH CAROLINA

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Welcome to Tennessee!

Howdy!

What about that southern accent?!- ang hirap intindihin! Hahaha! I was talking to the hotel concierge and I could hardly understand her. I know that I still have my Pinoy accent but hers is different- parang laging kinakain ang salita at laging mataas ang intonation sa dulo. If you've seen the movie Forrest Gump, you'll understand me.

We stayed at The Inn at Christmas Place. From the name itself, the whole hotel is decorated in a Christmas theme (plus Halloween!). By the way, I like their landscape!

At around 7:00 pm we're just on time for the Black Bear Jamboree Dinner and Show at Pigeon Forge. I didn't have any idea about the show, but it's like you were watching ASAP or SOP (na kailangan magkaroon ng nametag ang mga singer at dancer nila dahil hindi ko talaga sila kilala). The food was good and the price was fair considering the huge amount of entertainment.

They have a large cast of young and talented singers, dancers and musicians ran through a review of music from Hollywood, the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, country music, gospel and country formats with multiple set and costume changes.

But one observation that my friends and I agreed, patandaan ng audience! Booo! Feeling ko tuloy matanda na ako! Lol!

Overall, I enjoyed the show though I strongly say that we are better singers! Do..re..mi..fa...so... Ahem!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Welcome to Kentucky!

Q:Was KFC originated on the state of Kentucky?
A:The first KFC was in South Salt Lake, Utah. However, the colonel Harland Sanders started serving chicken in a restaurant in Kentucky and now KFC is based in Kentucky.
Source: Wikipedia

Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on the fact that bluegrass is present in many of the lawns and pastures throughout the state. Unluckily, I have not seen any blue grass on this trip just the regular green grass. Lol!

So, anong nakita ko sa Kentucky?- maraming puno at kabayo! (parang nasa Bukidnon lang ako)

Balik na lang tayo sa KFC..... Original or Hot and Crispy?

Basta ako, Chicken Joy pa rin! (masaya kasi ang manok pag piniprito sya!)

Next Stop: TENNESSEE

Friday, October 17, 2008

Welcome to Ohio!

There's nothing much I've seen in Ohio, since we've only visited downtown Cincinnati for 5 hours.

So let me just sing to all of you coz I'm sad today.

Someday, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight...

They know that Santa’s on his way
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy to see if
Reindeer really know how to fly.....

Next Stop: KENTUCKY

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Welcome to Michigan!

I almost fooled that lakes feel like oceans on this state. Really! Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world, bounded by four of the five Great Lakes. There is nothing much to blog about on this trip because I just stayed one day in Grand Rapids. Just enjoy the photos of the great Michigan Lake!

Next Stop: OHIO

Monday, October 13, 2008

Welcome to Indiana!

I may be wrong but there is nothing special in Indiana aside from their NBA and Motor Speedway that are known, the rest are boring. We visited Indianapolis ( went to the mall and zoo) but we stayed particularly in South Bend probably known more for Notre Dame University football field. My visit to the University of Notre Dame was the highlight on this trip. Known for its sports programs especially its football team, this school is a private Roman Catholic research university.As I walk through the entire university, it's just fun to reminisce my life being a student when things are not so complicated. (School-home-school-home.....) Okay that was not so long ago! Lol!
Anyway, meet Buddy! ang asong laging tambay sa pintuan!

Next stop: MICHIGAN

Sunday, October 12, 2008

10 Reasons You're not Rich

Got this article from TheStreet.com and it will not hurt you if you read it.

Here are 10 more possible reasons you aren't rich:

1.You care what your car looks like: A car is a means of transportation to get from one place to another, but many people don't view it that way. Instead, they consider it a reflection of themselves and spend money every two years or so to impress others instead of driving the car for its entire useful life and investing the money saved.

2.You feel entitlement: If you believe you deserve to live a certain lifestyle, have certain things and spend a certain amount before you have earned to live that way, you will have to borrow money. That large chunk of debt will keep you from building wealth.

3.You lack diversification: There is a reason one of the oldest pieces of financial advice is to not keep all your eggs in a single basket. Having a diversified investment portfolio makes it much less likely that wealth will suddenly disappear.

4.You started too late: The magic of compound interest works best over long periods of time. If you find you're always saying there will be time to save and invest in a couple more years, you'll wake up one day to find retirement is just around the corner and there is still nothing in your retirement account.

5.You don't do what you enjoy: While your job doesn't necessarily need to be your dream job, you need to enjoy it. If you choose a job you don't like just for the money, you'll likely spend all that extra cash trying to relieve the stress of doing work you hate.

6.You don't like to learn: You may have assumed that once you graduated from college, there was no need to study or learn. That attitude might be enough to get you your first job or keep you employed, but it will never make you rich. A willingness to learn to improve your career and finances are essential if you want to eventually become wealthy.

7.You buy things you don't use: Take a look around your house, in the closets, basement, attic and garage and see if there are a lot of things you haven't used in the past year. If there are, chances are that all those things you purchased were wasted money that could have been used to increase your net worth.

8.You don't understand value: You buy things for any number of reasons besides the value that the purchase brings to you. This is not limited to those who feel the need to buy the most expensive items, but can also apply to those who always purchase the cheapest goods. Rarely are either the best value, and it's only when you learn to purchase good value that you have money left over to invest for your future.

9.Your house is too big: When you buy a house that is bigger than you can afford or need, you end up spending extra money on longer debt payments, increased taxes, higher upkeep and more things to fill it. Some people will try to argue that the increased value of the house makes it a good investment, but the truth is that unless you are willing to downgrade your living standards, which most people are not, it will never be a liquid asset or money that you can ever use and enjoy.

10.You fail to take advantage of opportunities: There has probably been more than one occasion where you heard about someone who has made it big and thought to yourself, "I could have thought of that." There are plenty of opportunities if you have the will and determination to keep your eyes open.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Photoblogging the Chicago Botanic Garden

All photos were taken using Canon XTi with 28-135 mm lens.

Learn basic photography with Coldman!

See the big difference?

Next stop: INDIANA

Friday, October 10, 2008

Millenium Park and the Witch

Millenium Park is a relatively small park, semi-new, filled with attractions. It's centrally located, near the Art Institute, and it's much cooler than one would expect.

Among the attractions that I like: The "bean"- it's actually called cloud sculpture. At first glance, it looks like a gigantic silver jelly bean, mirror-like. When you walk under it, the sculpture is shaped so that you see a zillion reflections of yourself, like in a funhouse. Very cool.

Crown fountain- not just another fountain. The "fountains" are two walls, with water dripping down the edges. Each wall is a video screen, and the water cascade is choreographed to a series of photos / videos, like a modern art exhibit that you would actually like. Beware water spitting from the mouth!

Late afternoon we watched the witch. Wicked is a pretty spectacular musical. Both well-executed and compelling, it definitely makes you view the ever-beloved Wizard of Oz in a totally different light.

I was not able to see this musical when I was in New York but gladly I have the chance to watch here in Chicago. The musical itself was great! The performers were better than I had imagined! The music and everything was just spectacular! (The orchestra was good and conveyed emotions well, I would say the highlight was "Defying Gravity"). I loved how they made it funny and sarcastic!

Okay, I have to stop now- this is so gay! Lol!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Arts Institute of Chicago

I am always a big fan of classic and modern contemporary art, gladly we visited the Art Institute of Chicago. I'm not an art historian or anything like that but I know what a great museum is when I see and this is it. The art institute have a extensive collection of impressionist & post-impressionist paintings.

I didn't go through the whole museum but I really enjoyed the contemporary, modern and photography exhibits. I was just a little disappointed that the modern wing wasn't open while I was there, but I would definitely head back to see if I were to visit again.

Okay, enough for a serious post!

Figure this out!

Doing my Ab exercise!

Oops!

Just a friendly reminder, always act in utmost professional manner when you're inside the museum. Lol!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Welcome to Chicago!

Just got back from a two-week travel, my longest so far! (I'm so wasted while typing this post right now). So let me start my trip report to the windy city of Chicago!I thought sharing some of the highlights on this trip would provide a glimpse of what the Windy City has to offer any visitor, and why it has such a large fan base of tourists. All I can say is "Wow." I cannot believe how beautiful the city is. Granted, I only had enough time to do the touristy stuff and only scratched the surface. We walked through Magnificent Mile which provided us with a good look at the heart of Chicago. The towering buildings, swanky store fronts and general city smells and sounds all created a very memorable welcome for me.
Actually, it was not so magnificent to my eyes, being a congested street lined by the same stores you can find in any cosmopolitan city. I did not partake in the orgy of consumption, though I did admire the gardens that lined the sidewalks, as well as the painted art seating that graced them.
I also noted Chicago's cleanliness, which was its main contrast to New York. In other ways, the two are quite similar in feel, though I did think that Chicago is much friendlier and cheaper.
We stayed on one of my friends condo near downtown. The sundeck provided us with a bird's eye view of the entire city (good for my nightscape photography!) It made me wonder what would it be like to live in one of the high-rise apartments. Well, it sounds a lot of money and work for me and I can't afford that!
The next day we went to Navy Pier. The park has a rather eclectic mix of venues. There was a stained glass museum, a boat ride, a Ferris wheel, a human maze, a virtual reality ride and a wide variety of stores.
It's just right next to Lake Michigan, which looks like the ocean since you can't see land on the other side. The weather was starting to get very cold though, especially when the clouds blocked the sun. There's no question that Chicago deserves its title of "The Windy City." At the end we saw a large display of fireworks above the water, accompanied by various patriotic tunes being played on the loudspeakers
Overall, I give Chicago two thumbs up!

More Chicago photos and stories coming up!