Insane Woman at BART

You get a poem, not a post,
Explaining why I've been a ghost
Fading in and fading out.
I'll tell you what that's all about.

It's a long story, I fear.
I've been everywhere but here.
Traveling from coast to coast,
I really had no time to post.

In San Fran, I practiced law,
deposed a man about what he saw.
Then, I engaged in odds and ends
And had a visit with some friends.

I rode the rails on BART's train,
and met a woman who was insane.
I did tons of shopping in Union Square,
And took some photos while I was there.

I came back to loads of work,
which caused me to be a jerk.
With my computer, I shut myself in.
After days, I became pale and thin.

I missed the warm light of day
and wanted to go out and play.
Alas, I was forever stuck indoors,
and it felt worse than doing chores.

Rejoice! I finally got a break.
I didn't know how long it'd take.
So we drove to visit Cuz in DC
And went to the usual spots to sightsee.

The trip helped improve my mood.

Cuz took us to eat Peruvian food.
We stood in line for some fro-yo.
Before we knew it, we had to go

The end filled me with much dread
Because I knew more work was ahead.
Just thinking about it makes me wince.
But it's no excuse for my absence.

So that was where I have been.
No excuse for Laura or my twin.
As Laura says, I've been a busy bee.
But back to blogging for the Sisters 3.

Stranger on the Train

You know those people who meet people everywhere they go. Like in line at the coffee shop or the corner store. Or at the bus stop or supermarket. Well, I wish I could say I was one of those people. But I am definitely not. Sure, I smile and respond when a stranger says hello or makes a comment. I'm not rude. But this is how I see it. I am never going to see you again. I don't know you, and you don't know me. I already have enough friends who I don't even have enough time for, so what's the point, right?

This is particularly true when I travel. I am totally anti-social. I don't want to talk to anyone. I just want to catch up on my novel or listen to my ipod. I don't want to be bothered.

But for the first time, I regret my bad attitude.

Last night I was traveling home by Amtrak train with two of my co-workers. We sat at one of those four seaters that face each other. A young woman was sitting on the fourth seat, and we sat ourselves down in the three empty seats. After such a long day, we all wanted to enjoy a nice cold beer. The stranger overheard and wanted in. So for an hour or so, we were all drinking, talking, and having a good time. She told us all about herself--that she just broke up with her boyfriend and started a new job. My co-workers even tried to hook her up with someone we know from work. It was all in good fun. She even mentioned that she would hang out with us if we were ever back in her city. She was really cool and friendly.

It was just me and her chatting at the end because my co-workers got off an earlier stop. The whole time I was thinking whether I should ask for her contact information. Would it be completely pointless? Will anything really come out of it? Do I really want to pursue a friendship with this girl I just met?

Then my stop came, and we said our good-byes. I hopped off the train and immediately regretted that I didn't get her information. Ugh! I suck! Why can't I just be nice to a stranger? What is wrong with me?

I know her name though. It's Betsy. It was really nice knowing you, stranger on the train.

For Business, Not Pleasure

I have been a bad blogger this week. Bad blogger bad. Because I have been traveling...and also because I was lazy. Hehe.

I sometimes travel for work. I was in Los Angeles yesterday. But I usually only stay for a day. So I don't really have time to do anything except eat, prepare for hearing, attend hearing, eat some more, and then travel home. I don't mind traveling. As long as it's not like every week. It's nice to get out of the office once in a while.

There are a lot of great things that come with traveling. Such as nice hotels, free food, new cities. But those are not my favorite things about traveling. Don't get me wrong. Those are nice perks. But my favorite thing is something simple. Something probably unexpected. The showers. Nice hotels always have those awesome shower heads that are perfectly pressurized. Taking showers in hotels are relaxing and soothing...kinda like a massage.

I realize just now that that may have sounded dirty. Well, it wasn't! Get your mind out of the gutter!

My second favorite thing is Starbucks Cafe Mocha. Hmmm...yum. They cost about $4.50, which is completely outrageous. But not so bad when I am not paying for it. I have to get it at least once when I am traveling. It completes me.

My mom asked me not too long ago if I've been to every city in the US yet. Uh, Mom, there is like a million cities in the US. Okay, maybe not a million. But there are a lot! It'll be impossible. I've only been to a few. Here is the list of cities I've been to on my travels:

Arlington, VA
Austin, TX
Boston, MA
Bridgeport, CT
Dallas, TX
Freehold, NJ
Los Angeles,CA
Miami, FL
New York, NY
Oakland, CA
Palm Beach, FL
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA
Trenton, NJ
Wilmington, DE

See, that's not that many. My favorite place to travel to is San Francisco. That city is great. I usually get a hotel right at Union Square. It's the best. I took Huz with me once. We loved the city and wanted to move there. But then our family may kill us. And I want to live.

It's nice to dream though.

I guess I can settle for one-day trips as long as I can take showers and drink Cafe Mochas. Not at the same time though.

Serenaded in NYC

The city was bustling as usual. The streets were filled with people walking to lunch, to an appointment, or to meet friends. I was actually heading out of the city, back home. I weaved my way through the crowd to get to the train station. I was almost there when suddenly out of nowhere, I heard someone sing directly behind me.

He sang, "All you need is love." That's it.

His voice was so distinctly clear. Almost like his lips were right next to my ear. It was like this beautiful stranger was serenading me. Like he was singing only to me...in this city full of millions. He saw me and just couldn't help bursting into song

It was so sweet and perfect. I smiled to myself. But I didn't want to ruin the moment by turning around. I didn't want to find the person to whom that angelic voice belonged. So I kept walking. He was probably long gone and lost in the crowd anyway.

Whoever this person was...and whatever he was doing. I will always remember it like this...like he was serenading me. And that he looked like Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge singing that same line so loudly and powerfully. And with so much passion. Sigh.

And who said I'm not a hopeless romantic?

Disney World: The Happiest Place on Earth!

My family and I went to Orlando this month and we had a blast! I have to admit there's no place like Disney World. I am not an amusement park kind of person and I hate roller coasters (mainly because I get motion sickness the moment it starts). But Disney World has all kinds of rides and shows for adults and children. Where else can you watch "Beauty and the Beast" live, ride "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," and ride a Star Wars simulator? 3D and 4D shows are always a hit, and every park has one. And you also get to watch some of your favorite Disney movies live on stage or take a ride through the world of some of your favorite characters. If you love Disney movies, you'll love Disney World! I know Orlando, Florida, will be a regular vacation destination for our family for years to come.

Tina's Top 5 Disney Attractions:
5) Finding Nemo-The Musical: It's like watching a 30 minute Broadway show! It was such a treat, even though I was the only one who liked it. HELLO, they turned Finding Nemo into a musical! (Animal Kingdom)
4) The Haunted Mansion: It's fun and the holographic effects are pretty cool. (Hollywood Studios)
3) It's Tough to be a Bug!: It's a 4D show where you get stung by a hornet, sprayed by a stink bug, and attacked by spiders! (Animal Kingdom)
2) Dinosaur!: You take a ride through the Jurassic era where carnivorous dinosaurs want to take a bite out of you. (Animal Kingdom)
1) The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: They drop you from the thirteenth floor, three times! (Hollywood Studio)

Honestly, I missed a lot of rides and shows, but these are some you shouldn't miss! Disney World is the happiest place for all ages!

Hawaiian Shave Ice

I tried Hawaiian shave ice in Oahu, and it was spectacular. It looks a bit like a giant snow cone, but it is way better. As apparent in the name, fine shaved ice is used, not ground ice like in snow cones. And it is nothing like water ice either. Flavored syrup (usually three different flavors) are poured over the ice. There are a few variations, some include ice cream, azuki beans (sweet red beans), fruit, sweetened condensed milk or dried salted plum powder. I found one place that served it with shaved frozen milk for a more creamy shave ice. (I didn't try it though.)

Hawaiian shave ice was sold almost everywhere in Hawaii, but sadly I only got to eat it twice. It is one of my biggest regrets (plus not taking enough pictures while we were there). My friend took us to a place up North Shore called Matsumoto Shave Ice, which she claimed was the best. It took over 30 minutes to get there, and the line was long. But it was well worth it. My husband and I shared a large order with vanilla ice cream and azuki beans at the bottom and condensed milk poured on top. We, of course, got three flavors, coconut, lychee and honey dew. It was delicious. The flavors were really intense and don't taste artificial either. I couldn't wait to eat it and completely forgot to take a picture of it. Doh! My second turn at Hawaiian shave ice was not nearly as good. We went to a place in Waikiki Beach that served shave ice with fresh fruit. It was eh. I really want Matsumoto again. It was perfection.

Mopeds: A Must in Oahu!

We rented mopeds in Oahu, and it was the best decision ever. I almost didn't rent one. I tried out our friend's moped, and it was a bit unwieldy. So I was hesitant to get one. Then we went to the moped rental store, and the guy refused to rent one to someone without any experience because someone else had just gotten into a bad accident that day. That, of course, didn't help my trepidation. I told my husband that it was bad mojo. Haha. So we debated going to another moped store for a few minutes, and my husband told me not to do it if I was afraid. But I didn't want us to miss out. And I didn't know it would be sooo much fun. I am so glad we tried it.

On the first day, I had a death grip on the moped handles. And mopeding (yeah, that's a word...look it up) in the city was kinda scary. After I relaxed a bit, I was able to enjoy the scenery around me. On the second day, we drove up this road called Tantalus Drive that went up and up a mountain. The views are gorgeous from up there. And it was fun going up and down the mountain. Mopeds are a must in Oahu because there are so many roads and places to go that are perfect for mopeds. (Chris, you must rent one! You will regret it if you don't!)

We had so much fun. But I did injure myself. =:::( On the way home, we stopped by a store to buy last minute gifts. So I had to get the kickstand down, which is actually really hard to do. You have to kick this heavy handle down and lift up the back of the moped. I was standing on the wrong side of the moped and too close to the muffler. And I burned my leg on it!! Wahh! It was really hot considering we had driven around all morning. I am okay though, but it looks worse than it is. Tina can't even look at it, or she'll vomit. Poor me.

Turtle Beach, Oahu, HI

Aloha! I'm back! Blog, oh, how I missed you. Did you miss me? I noticed there aren't many posts these past two weeks. Hmmm...certain sisters have been shirking their duties while I was gone. They will need a good talking to. Haha!

So my fun in the sun is over. Back to the grind, as my husband had said sadly a few times since being back. Hawaii was paradise. We stayed with friends in Waikiki on the island of Oahu. Waikiki is really cool because it is part city and part beach. So everything was easily accessible--food, shopping, public transportation, and the beach, of course. It was pretty much awesome every single day we were there. Some days, my husband and I would venture out on our own while our friends were at work. And during the weekend and one random Hawaiian holiday, they took us to all these cool places, which leads me to Turtle Beach.

I am a turtle person. I have a nine-year-old red ear slider at home. I had him since 2000 when he was really tiny (like 1 1/2 inches). His name is Wasabi although I just call him turtle. Hehe...I know, creative, right? Isn't Wasabi so cutie cute??

I love turtles, so my best friend knew I would love to go to Laniakea, which is also known as Turtle Beach. Green sea turtles go there to feed and bask in the sun. I didn't know what to expect. When we got there, I didn't see any turtles, just lots of people and what I thought were large rocks on the ground. When I got closer, I noticed a huge turtle just sitting there in the sand and then another one and another one. I also saw several swimming close to the shore. We went in the water and actually swam with them. It was so cool seeing them swimming right next to you and eating the algae on the rocks. They are so cool. See the pics below.

Aloha Hard!

I will be going to greener pastures this week. Hawaii, here I come! So I leave you with a parting gift. Aloha hard!



Update 6/19/09: Stupid Laura just told me right now that I spelled "Aloha" wrong!! Argh!

I Heart NY?

Yes, the question mark is put there purposely. NY is one of those cities that people love to love. You know what I mean? There was a time when I thought seriously about moving there because I thought it would be cool. But I've come to terms with the fact that I am not a city girl. I was in New York today on business, and it's nice to go there once in a while. But it's too fast...too busy and bustling for me. I like the slow pace of the suburbs and the ability to drive where you want and get a parking space. And I like the trees and fresh air.

Another thing I notice every single time I go to NY is that NY is smelly. And you don't get just one smell. You get many different smells at every different corner and street. It's strange to me. Sensory overload! But it was fun for one day. Shout out to my friend in NY! Thanks for eating dinner with me today.