from Denver to LA

what a journey, I swear.

majority of us had to re-do all our bags because we exceeded the 50lbs limit. we had to dispose some of our extra stuffs or put it into someone else's luggage if they have extra. Like few of my pambahays are in Marika's box - hehe, sorry Mariks.

Hay, finally we get to pass the check-in counter. Had a meal from PANDA EXPRESS which fortunately serves rice. and then... enduring the bitin 2 hour flight from Denver to LA. 8PM, we landed in LAX and waited for almost 30 minutes for our bags... and then finally.

Running from Domestic to International side of LAX Airport, we made it to PAL check-in counters. Weighing the bags, explaining things, bringing our luggage to the x-ray machine - we ended checking in at 9PM. Our supposed boarding time is 9:50. We are so exhausted and hungry, we then decided to settle down and eat - i loved the japanese food i bought from Sushiya.

hay... tired and sweaty.. in an hour we will be heading to Manila na. :)

... to La Quinta

it wasn't an easy travel - we were all exhausted at the end of the day. or should i say, we were exhausted even the day after.

Saturday, August 29, 9AM (Wyoming time)

we checked out of the lovely Holiday Inn. we were in a hurry to finish all the thank you cards seset and johann bought. after loading all our luggage into our new rental car, we were all set. we went to Enterprise first to surrender our old rental car and then to Startek. we bid goodbye's and see you soon's to everyone we knew. i personally hate goodbye's, so even if i can roam around and shake hands; i decided not to. i just waved to jay jay and brenda and shook hands with john - the site director.

before we head to Greeley, CO to drop off Broz, we stopped by at Outlets at Loveland (CO) to shop some more. In between shopping, we had KFC for our lunch. They have so many selections (I think) compared to our KFC.

After strolling and some more shopping.. we finally reached Fairfield Hotel in Greeley where Broz will be staying for another week. Before driving out of Greeley, we stopped at Dollar Tree to buy things we would still need and McDonalds drive-though to have dinner. While eating, Johann's driving. I'm thinking close to 11PM, we reached La Quinta Inn near Denver International Ariport. After unloading our luggage unto our respective rooms, we drove to Wal-Mart to buy packing tapes, boxes, water, etc.

3AM - I called Marvin.

4:30AM
what a day. I called it a night,,

ah, yes! filipino food

we met a very friendly kababayan.

see, we are currently in Holiday Inn - Laramie, Wyoming and one of the managers is a Filipina. Today, on our way to Wal-Mart, she invited us to a dinner. I couldn't stop myself from blurting out that I want Sinigang. woooooooooooooooooo, she cooked us sinigang, and anim kami...

siyempre, nahiya naman ako, i brought drinks, dessert and ice cream. her house is so nice. parang ang sarap makinig ng story ng isang pinay na naging ok dito sa states. i look at her while wondering what does it take for her to get what she has now?

she's married. with two kids. one is 20 years old who lives on his/her own now, and the other is still going to school and is living with them. she works in a hotel, her husband works in an IT field. she has a house in laguna where they are originally from and she owns their house here in wyoming. parang gusto ko tuloy magmigrate.

after the steamed tilapia, pressurized sinigang, fruits, ice cream and Magic Sing - we called it a night. sarap ng tulog neto - yummy tyan. :)

weekend at estes park, colorado

saturday morning around 8AM, the entire team headed to denver. We met the Laramie Site Director at a specific highway then we convoyed until we get to a mall where he can park his car (so we can just use one - our white expedition).


10 or 10:30 - we reached Broadway Inn where we get to stay for the night. it was a long drive. i'm now getting used to long drives - wyoming and denver is just HIGHWA YS for me. After checking in we went downtown to have some lunch, picture taking and souvenir shopping.

a glimpse of our room

actually first we did was ride the air trams. from downtown, this cable car brought us up to the nearest mountain. it was soooooooooooo cool. from this mountain you can see the entire downtown, highways, mountains and other tourist destinations like the haunted hotel. we fed the squirrels and chipmunks too. it was just lovely. hehe. upo kami sa bato and call them and they would just come over and grab our peanuts -aliw talaga! :)

got tired, we had lunch at grub steak where I had wrangler and soup.

we then visited the stores along the street. there were variety of stores out there, clothes, food, antiques, etc. We couldn't resist this ice cream store. we had ice cream, i love my blueberry cheesecake and snickers. after some comfort walks, we headed back to our hotel and rest. 10 minutes after, we went horse back riding. the smell was just awful - but the horses were so tamed. i had a great time.

my blueberry cheesecake and snickers flavored ice cream

we get to have dinner at the end of the horseback trail, steak and beans. it was 5:30 then.after dinner, horseback riding again.

after the sombrero ranch, we had go-karts. it was my freaking first time and I had a really good time. gas and break - wohooooooooo.

after go karts, we went putt-putt golf. that's what they call it :p my first time too. whew, we were very tired. we ended the golf around 8:30PM and we won. :) it rained half way through the game so we had to stop; maybe 5 or so minutes. then we called it a day.

SUNDAY

we checked out by 9AM, had a buffet breakfast somewhere in downtown where i feasted over bacon, bacon and some more bacons, sausage, roasted beef, fruit and juices. GOSH! this sunday breakfast is soooooo worth it. we then drove to the rocky mountains national park. its not a zoo, nothing's really there except for the wonderful sceneries surrounding the mountains we're climbing. uber sa ganda! at the very top of the mountain, 12,000ft in elevation, we found trailridge

we went back to where we left our car, at k-mart then we headed to outlet shops where i got my kenneth cole wallet and nine west bag. i spotted a RL bag which i saw from Kim before (but I want the big one), but I hesitated - magsasale na e - labor day sale. :p for our dinner this day, we had black-eyes peas where I had Chicken Fried Steak (menu says real angus beef, but its name is chicken, i dont' understand but i think it was indeed beef)

School Year - University of Wyoming

We've been hearing a lot of things about when the school year will start, and that laramie will be busy again because there will be students again... but man, parking spaces nowadays are fully occuppied, mas marami ng cars sa kalsada - ayos - dumami na tao - hindi na mukhang haunted ang laramie. hahahaha.

kasi pala, dito sa states - ung mga konting population na state katulad ng wyoming, mas mura ung universities. So ung mga ibang students from other states go to different places to study... parang las pinas and manila - ur living in las pinas but you go schooling in manila. parang ganito din pala dito - you live in california, you want to study in wyoming - pwede. dun kumikita ung mga apartments and boarding schools. population daw ng wyoming pag walang school eh 18,000 - pag school year na, nagiging 27,000 - i don't know how true. you know me pag dating sa numbers - hehe.

our resource manager came here from denver and visited the laramie site. so we went to walmart earlier to buy food to pig out. it's so late na, tomorrow we will be heading to estes park for a tourist visit. :)

have to getup early - but i feel the need to update my blog.

it's 23 already (in manila) while i'm writing this, but its still 22 here. It is our third year anniversary. Last year, I was in australia during our 2nd year anniversary, this year - I'm here in US.. hmmmm, what's for next year - I'm hoping it will be the BEST!

hiatus

i LOVE to update my blog all the time but i guess i don't have the resources to do so for now. so the previous posts that you will be reading (previous to this post and after VISA UPDATE) are all BACK TRACKS.


thank you. :)

Alas; Thai Cuisine

us and our ehem.... many to mention

Wohooooooo!

At last, Training Certification is done! I did pretty bad with my last presentation compared with my first one. Oh, well. What can I do? not enough time to prep.

We had lunch at Sweet Melissa's - Vegetarian Restaurant. I had Pizza Pita.

Today we had a blast of dinner at Anong's Thai Restaurant - it was so relieving to finally eat in a non-american restaurant. LOL.
I shouldn't be whining - im in the US - what do I expect.

Crab Rangon was nice. Stir Fried beef in garlic sauce is wonderful. Sour soup with mushroom is just heaven - and the Fried Rice - nothing can compare to other american restaurant that offer fried rice. This one is really rice.

Their Thai Iced Tea was a bit weird. I drink milk tea in Chowking but the color of this one is different - i don't want to say terrible - but orange for a milk tea? i'm having second thoughts as to what i was drinking....

Mexican Food this time

Tomorrow we are having our trainer certification final presentation.

Instead of making the material, here I am with the rest of the gang at a mexican restaurant. because our country manager and HR director drove from denver to wyoming, we had to eat out and catch up a bit.

here are the singers serenading us with their mexican songs...

the restaurant is called Corona Village which serves purely Mexican cuisine

i liked my food; couldn't remember what it was

Prairie Rose

Today we tried a very neat and small restaurant in front of our site.

They serve good burgers and fries and the one I had which was foot long chili-dog. I couldn't remember exactly what it was called - but I liked it. It was just too much for me.

Today I learned that as part of the American culture, you shouldn't wave or call the attention of your waitress. When you enter a restaurant - doesn't matter how small or big, you have to wait until they ask you to proceed to your table. You don't call their attention if you are ready to order. Apparently, it is their responsibility to come to you and take care of your dining experience.

Unfortunately, when I wanted a pepsi refill - i waived my hand - before a colleague told me its a bit rude. Gosh! Oh well, tourist lang! :p

My First Breakfast

Sige, super detailed post na.

But this is my blog, what can you do? hehe. Here's my first breakfast here in the hotel. Gosh, should I be scared that I will be eating the same food for the next 20 or so days? I'm not a fan of pancakes - pero BACON, ay pwede!

First Sunday

ok.
sorry for the OA posts.

we had dinner at perkins - a restaurant just beside the beautiful Holiday Inn Hotel.

I'm just overwhelmed. finally, i'm here. safe, sound. doing ok. here's the pics of my room, i just took a picture of it via my phone since the batteries of my camera is not working.

Lovely.

Our trip to Laramie, Wyoming

here's my food last night delivered by BY JEEVES from Black Eyed Pea

From Holiday Inn Select Hotel, I had a good breakfast today. I just love buffet. :) fruits, orange juice, bacon and oh so much bacon, sausage, eggs and soup. What more can I ask for? - yes, its free.


Via a rented car and armed with the powerful GPS, we headed to Holiday Inn at Laramie, Wyoming. I don't know what's waiting for us. All I can say is that the GPS was amazing. Every mistake of road we take, GPS automatically calculates another route for us - hanep!

so there's the little helper

I don't want to sleep via our way to another state, so I'm all awake during the drive. Suddenly, we are driving through the shoulders of the very big highway. I didn't realize it until i looked back. Shit, sheriff. uh-oh. We got pulled over. We are driving 89 on a 75Mph highway. After all the interview, i thought the policeman will just let it slide - but nope; we got a ticket for overspeeding.
And now everyone's awake na.

But we made it in Holiday Inn, Laramie Wyoming -- safe and sound.

Another problem though - walang signal!!

Denver overnight

ahay, travel travel and more traveling alone.

its hard to travel alone only because you don't have anyone to talk to; the experience, the independence, and yeah - the pleasure of going to cities all by yourself is OK. I don't have to worry about anyone, I wake up on my own time, go here and there where I want to without someone else telling me what to do. But, I pull my big luggage alone, i take pictures alone, cruelly MY pictures alone, i kill time alone. ahay. but i'm cool. hey! independence you all.

my first two pics were from Radisson Hotel during my overnight at LA

From LAX Radisson's Hotel, i took the 2hours flight of Frontier Airlines to go to Denver where my bosses and other managers are staying and waiting for me so we can head to our final destination... Wyoming! Here's a pic of DIA

yep, you have to take a SHUTTLE BUS/TRAIN in order to get your luggage. Buti di ako naligaw

Denver and California are on different timezones, so instead of a 2 hour flight, it became 3 hours, but its just 2 - ok, whatever! hahaha.

I could have not imagined a BIG airport. Gosh, I thought I'll be lost finding my luggage. And so I followed this girl who I knew was on the same plane as me.... but while I was following her, she stopped to buy a coffee! ha! i was caught clueless as to where to go. Buti na lang i am able to read - ok, so follow the signs. and then whoah! I have to take a train in order to get to the baggage claim. ha! grabacious!

After the train, I heard someone calling my name. Turning around and looking for a familiar face - nope. I didn't recognize anyone. Then again, I heard it. Finally!! a familiar face. Our Country Manager - mind you - country manager, in his rubber shoes, cargo shorts and shirt, picked me up from Denver Airport. He was with the Site Director of Laramie Wyoming. Am i this important that two HIGH END people are picking me up from the airport - ha, I WISH!! hehe. siguro feeling nila mukha akong kawawa. hahahahaa.

But it was just a relief that finally, I get to talk to someone - I know.

From Denver Airport, we headed to Holiday Inn Select. I don't have a room reserved to me because we are supposed to leave for Laramie that noon. I guess everyone wanted to go shopping and make the most out of Denver so they moved the Laramie trip the next day. Since I don't have a room, I get to stay overnight with my manager. I was so freaking tired that I didn't manage to go with them to shop. Well, for one I don't have money, second - I badly needed sleep.

But I was hungry too. No food. It was a Saturday I think when I arrived. Since I got my US Credit Card, I went ahead and activated it and had food ordered and delivered to the hotel (since the hotel restaurant is closed). My first ever meal after the PAL plane is here in Denver, at freaking 5PM. I had overnight already in LA mind you.

to Los Angeles CA and my Overnight at LAX

August 8, 2008.

I am aboard PAL while writing this on my notebook. I left Manila at 10PM. I felt a bit sad and lonely - flying alone. There are many things that worry me so much but I just have to do this - I gotto do it. 747 is huge, as in really huge. There are around 10 people in a row and there are 95 rows man! Can you do the math? are we 10K in this plane? We had a long turbulence earlier - scary. but it was funny for me - hehe, because I liked it. I got two pictures to accompany this post but I can't save it here. darn! ------------------

I find it weird but I want to take note of everyday happenings in this foreign land. But i got confused. I left Manila august 8 and I arrived here at US august 8 too... hence, two entries in one day!
Here's my first encounter of US. Ok, I left Manila August 8; after 13 hours of being on the plane - I finally arrived here in the US and its still August 8 - la lang. Harhar, I don't know what to say!! It's 8:3o when the plane touched the ground and there was sunlight still!! I didn't know that 8:30 PM is supposed to be bright pa noh - hahahaha.

I made it to US!

Just to let you know that I am indeed at LA! :)

Here I am waiting in line in US customs when I saw Fannie Serrano

visa update

i got my visa today. yahoo!!!! from the ENTRIES field it says - M. Does it mean i'm multiple entries? My visa is expiring on 2018 pa! hahahaha - love it talaga.

last work tomorrow sa startek, on friday naka - OFF na ko because my flight is on friday night at 10 PM. I'm flying PAL non stop to LA and stay overnight there.

God Bless. :)

Grabe! i love you alicia keys!!

ALICIA KEYS, "As I Am" concert Live in Manila happened today at 8PM till 12MN. Exactly 8:15, three MTV VJ's went out and announced the front acts.

First front act was Luke Mejares who sang 3 songs followed by another ex-southborder vocalist Duncan Ramos who sung more than Luke did. Cool. After Duncan, lights went on again. Alicia is not yet around.

9:20, sounds went louder and faster,, back up dancers and musicians started to position on the stage... OMG - alicia keys in the house.

She was already singing but not yet on stage and everyone stood up from their seats and then finally, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah - i saw i saw i saw - OMG!!

ok, not quite the details - i can't tell you exactly what happened. it was amazing.
few things i am super uber happy about

1. i am happy i didn't get to sell my tickets. why, gosh, magsisisi ako kapag nagkataon. super lapit ko sa stage and yet, my buyers were buying my tickets for 2,500. kalerkey. eto pa.
2. my seats are sooooooooooooooo damn good. i'm row S yes, pero naman - siksik ung venue so kahit row S ako, kitang kita ko siya!! and our seats are third and fourth from the aisle - but owners of seats 1 and 2 didn't show up so we get to occupy the other two seats. buti nalang, kasi ung tatlong magkakasunod na katabi namin e mga amerikano. so we get to move, hence - we enjoyed dancing and swaying to the music! ayos.
3. fish and co. snack there was sooooooooooooo good! love it.
4. i enjoyed her music - she sang the songs i truly loved - including HEARTBURN, kaloka!

i'll post some pictures soon. I am just so happy at the moment. Even if I don't have anything at the moment, akeys was able to lift me up. Thank you. I enjoyed it so much.

i'm a true blood lellow lover now. :)

new workplace, new bossings, new country!

tomorrow, august 4 - i'll be joining a new company. same work, different place, different people, different ALL!

part of it is another dream coming true! -- i'll be going to the US soon! Not just that, let me tell you where i'm going...

from manila - stay overnight at LA - another trip to denver - then to wyoming
from wyoming - to denver - then LA - then GUAM - then manila

i'll be reaching 4 states for this trip! just lovely. but how can i be happy? hope to resolve my issues soon.

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will i be in hiatus for my blogging? we'll see. stay tuned.

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i'm selling my alicia keys tickets, if it doesn't get sold - i'll watch it anyway - no choice. let me know if you want. it's here

downer's

and i continue to fall my friends...

i don't blame anyone. i blame myself. i can't help but cry out while thinking of solutions to all my problems. i experienced something i am so scared to happen. yet, i didn't do anything in case it eventually happens. i was caught off guard, i made decisions and options i shouldn't have done before. and now, i'm suffering.

this experience is truly humbling. i went to people i know which i wouldn't even do even in my dreams. but i have to do it, else chaos - just chaos. i don't have any pride left, but i'm still true, i am still the same me.

it's a hard lesson i learned. i have not recovered yet. i'm not stable yet. but i want to get back to the groove soon before all is too late.

sorry to all the people i disturbed and i asked help from. thank you for even listening to me and entertaining me. help doesn't have to involve what i was asking for. pray for me. thank you for trusting me.


THANK YOU ALL!