My business trip to San Francisco was one big fiesta. I was able to meet up with so many friends that I've met "along the way" - and each one being so different in personality, has reminded me how beautifully insane our differences can be.
There were nights when I walked up and down Market St., critiqued art at MOMA, and spent hours pub crawling through Northbeach while trying new mom-and-pop joints to eat at. There was Sea Food, Indian food, Italian food, Japanese food, Irish food, food, food, food!
I didn't take very many pictures. I was too busy living life first hand - but all of the images, the scent of the bay, the laughter of friends, the clinking of glasses, the feel of his touch - are with me forever.
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
San Francisco Night 1
What an amazing start to my business trip. With my flight arriving in SFO at about noon, I was given enough time to paint the town red with one of my best friends from London, Jodi.
Jodi's been living in SF for a few years now, so she was able to show me around town like a true native - and we went from tourist traps to neighborhood pubs, all within a 7-8 hour time span. We walked through Chinatown, had clam chowder and a beer at Fisherman's Wharf, admired the view from Lombard St., and sat and paid our respects to the water. We even rode on the side of a trolley, where she gave me the most amazing play-by-play of all that the city has to offer. What an amazing tour guide.
Everyone has been extremely nice so far. The barista at Peet's Coffee gave me a mocha on the house, and the bartender at a pub gave us several glasses of free beer and cider.
The last 3 hours of the night were spent at the London Black Horse Pub, where we met two extremely amazing blokes - one, who was drop dead effin' gorgeous, was set to sail to the Galapagos Islands the following morning. Good looking, worldly, and 6'3".
We had to cut the night short - considering I am here to work - so I manned up and bussed it back to my suite.
I love you Jodi. I love you San Francisco.
Jodi's been living in SF for a few years now, so she was able to show me around town like a true native - and we went from tourist traps to neighborhood pubs, all within a 7-8 hour time span. We walked through Chinatown, had clam chowder and a beer at Fisherman's Wharf, admired the view from Lombard St., and sat and paid our respects to the water. We even rode on the side of a trolley, where she gave me the most amazing play-by-play of all that the city has to offer. What an amazing tour guide.
Everyone has been extremely nice so far. The barista at Peet's Coffee gave me a mocha on the house, and the bartender at a pub gave us several glasses of free beer and cider.
The last 3 hours of the night were spent at the London Black Horse Pub, where we met two extremely amazing blokes - one, who was drop dead effin' gorgeous, was set to sail to the Galapagos Islands the following morning. Good looking, worldly, and 6'3".
We had to cut the night short - considering I am here to work - so I manned up and bussed it back to my suite.
I love you Jodi. I love you San Francisco.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Has it REALLY been 6 months?
I'm still alive!
Having absolutely zero access to the internet outside of work hasn't allowed for much leisure surfing, but it has saved me from a lot of wasted hours stalking celebrities online - and consequently, has also cut back on my ability to blog about life and all its quirks!
But it's autumn now - the best of 4 seasons - and there's no better time for me to give a quick hello!
SO MUCH has happened in 6 months that it feels as though everything has come into full circle... Lakers season came and went - and voila, it's here again! I already have the 08-09 schedule pinned up in my humbly decorated cubicle... My apartment is as comfortable as can be, and its awesome location has catered to my pallet, and has given me the pleasure of entertaining a handful of overnight guests... Work is still exciting, and my commute is still the best part of my day (weird, right?)... I still haven't figured out how a man's mind works, but in my mind, I HAVE figured out what kind of man I want... I've been responsibly green for 6 months, and I plan on sharing A LOT of what I've learned about this amazing lifestyle over my next couple of posts (hopefully that will be soon)...
But I suppose that the best and biggest changes stemming from the fruits of spring and summer, are the awakening fruitions I have come to know about myself, my relationship with God, and of those I hold in the deepest recesses of my heart. I have never been this satisfied with life, as I am during this very moment (even with the lack of all my wants). And though I've always appreciated my loved ones, I have never been so aware of how amazing my family and best friends are, and how precious my relationships are with them. How important it is to nurture and give selflessly to these relationships. It's all been so spiritual and so moving.
Until next time...
Having absolutely zero access to the internet outside of work hasn't allowed for much leisure surfing, but it has saved me from a lot of wasted hours stalking celebrities online - and consequently, has also cut back on my ability to blog about life and all its quirks!
But it's autumn now - the best of 4 seasons - and there's no better time for me to give a quick hello!
SO MUCH has happened in 6 months that it feels as though everything has come into full circle... Lakers season came and went - and voila, it's here again! I already have the 08-09 schedule pinned up in my humbly decorated cubicle... My apartment is as comfortable as can be, and its awesome location has catered to my pallet, and has given me the pleasure of entertaining a handful of overnight guests... Work is still exciting, and my commute is still the best part of my day (weird, right?)... I still haven't figured out how a man's mind works, but in my mind, I HAVE figured out what kind of man I want... I've been responsibly green for 6 months, and I plan on sharing A LOT of what I've learned about this amazing lifestyle over my next couple of posts (hopefully that will be soon)...
But I suppose that the best and biggest changes stemming from the fruits of spring and summer, are the awakening fruitions I have come to know about myself, my relationship with God, and of those I hold in the deepest recesses of my heart. I have never been this satisfied with life, as I am during this very moment (even with the lack of all my wants). And though I've always appreciated my loved ones, I have never been so aware of how amazing my family and best friends are, and how precious my relationships are with them. How important it is to nurture and give selflessly to these relationships. It's all been so spiritual and so moving.
Until next time...
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Highlights of The Past Month
The past month = 8 Christmas dinners and parties (not including Christmas Eve or Day), 1 huge wedding, 1 job promotion followed by 1 job resignation, nearly 1 month of train and subway rides to 1 new job on the 18th floor of 1 big tower. Deep breath...
Here are the highlights (though the wedding deserves its own big post, later)!
End of November - Some old coworkers/friends from UCR and I reunited over an overpriced Italian dinner. Gabi (center) came all the way from London to visit, and we re-hashed old memories and talked about our new lives. Gabi and her British boyfriend have promised to introduce me to all of their single British guy friends when I visit next year - by then I'm sure I'll be ready to let someone sweep me off my feet!
End of November - Over the past year, I've shared with you my joys and my trials when it came to my job. I shared with you my desires to move on, branch out into new forums, and possibly a new company. After a lot of interviews and prayer, I now share with you my deepest gratitude for State Farm, and all of the opportunities that the company has afforded me, as I close the year with a permanent goodbye. The photo above was 1 of 5 farewell lunches I had with my favorite coworkers. My emotions during the last week on the job were indescribable. Resigning from the company was one of the hardest and most thought-out decisions I've ever had to make; but also the smartest and best decision I could've made for my career (and my sanity). It felt as though I was breaking up with a long-time boyfriend: it felt awkward, I felt unsure, but the decision was right. I was sad to go, but so ready to move forward.
Early December - I started my new job just in time for all of their holiday festivities! Our company Christmas party was a black and white masquerade ball at The Biltmore Hotel. People were pickled by 5:30pm (drinks were free), the food was okay, old people were getting jiggy on the dance floor, and the guitarist in the band was smokin' hot! Yay, proof that I work with corporate big-wigs now!
Jackie (above) is one of the ladies in my department (and also the lady training me for my new gig). Unfortch, I wasn't able to take any pictures of our department Christmas lunch at The Crustacean, where they make killer 1.5 lb crab dishes! I had to sip my wine slowly, as every time it hit a certain point in my glass, the waiter would refill it as though it were water. Man, these people live to wine and dine! The entire first week on the job, it was one expensive restaurant after another - and I didn't have to pay once!
December - My good friend Lamar had a Christmas dinner at his home, where my team kicked his team's ass at Catch Phrase - 4 times! Just like how the Lakers kick Denver's ass every time they play too. Mwahaha!
Late December - This was my 2nd to last pre-Christmas dinner celebration. I (again) reunited with my good friends from State Farm... See Eva, I told you there would be no such thing as a goodbye between us.
So... that sort of lets me catch up on my story telling. I have so many blanks to fill in - with tales of crazy people on the subway, the ex-love of my middle-school life who rides the same train to work, and the bills I drop while shopping on my lunch break (Express and Macy's are downstairs, crap). Stay tuned!
Here are the highlights (though the wedding deserves its own big post, later)!
End of November - Some old coworkers/friends from UCR and I reunited over an overpriced Italian dinner. Gabi (center) came all the way from London to visit, and we re-hashed old memories and talked about our new lives. Gabi and her British boyfriend have promised to introduce me to all of their single British guy friends when I visit next year - by then I'm sure I'll be ready to let someone sweep me off my feet!
End of November - Over the past year, I've shared with you my joys and my trials when it came to my job. I shared with you my desires to move on, branch out into new forums, and possibly a new company. After a lot of interviews and prayer, I now share with you my deepest gratitude for State Farm, and all of the opportunities that the company has afforded me, as I close the year with a permanent goodbye. The photo above was 1 of 5 farewell lunches I had with my favorite coworkers. My emotions during the last week on the job were indescribable. Resigning from the company was one of the hardest and most thought-out decisions I've ever had to make; but also the smartest and best decision I could've made for my career (and my sanity). It felt as though I was breaking up with a long-time boyfriend: it felt awkward, I felt unsure, but the decision was right. I was sad to go, but so ready to move forward.
Early December - I started my new job just in time for all of their holiday festivities! Our company Christmas party was a black and white masquerade ball at The Biltmore Hotel. People were pickled by 5:30pm (drinks were free), the food was okay, old people were getting jiggy on the dance floor, and the guitarist in the band was smokin' hot! Yay, proof that I work with corporate big-wigs now!
Jackie (above) is one of the ladies in my department (and also the lady training me for my new gig). Unfortch, I wasn't able to take any pictures of our department Christmas lunch at The Crustacean, where they make killer 1.5 lb crab dishes! I had to sip my wine slowly, as every time it hit a certain point in my glass, the waiter would refill it as though it were water. Man, these people live to wine and dine! The entire first week on the job, it was one expensive restaurant after another - and I didn't have to pay once!
December - My good friend Lamar had a Christmas dinner at his home, where my team kicked his team's ass at Catch Phrase - 4 times! Just like how the Lakers kick Denver's ass every time they play too. Mwahaha!
Late December - This was my 2nd to last pre-Christmas dinner celebration. I (again) reunited with my good friends from State Farm... See Eva, I told you there would be no such thing as a goodbye between us.
So... that sort of lets me catch up on my story telling. I have so many blanks to fill in - with tales of crazy people on the subway, the ex-love of my middle-school life who rides the same train to work, and the bills I drop while shopping on my lunch break (Express and Macy's are downstairs, crap). Stay tuned!
Friday, November 23, 2007
The Past Month In Pictures
The past month has been crazy - with parties, work, and misc. social events. And although I'd love to share hundreds of photos and stories with you, a few favorite pictures will have to suffice.
October 20 - One of my best friends threw an obnoxiously early Halloween party. After convincing two of my closest guy friends to dress up (above), they decided to show up wearing very ambiguous costumes. To clarify: no, they are not gay; yes, Justin's prongs are clapping in this picture.
October 31 - Katie and I made a huge effort to rush from the wildfire evacuation center (where we had been stationed for a short time) to the office in time for the Halloween festivities. Work shut down at 3:30pm to welcome [what seemed like] hundreds of children to tick-or-treat through all of the cubicles. Katie and I were determined not to be the only costume-less employees! 1 trip to Target, $7 of craft supplies, and 30 minutes later, we turned ourselves into awesome bags of jelly beans. Sooo dope!
Late October - As mentioned, Katie and I took lead at one of the wildfire evacuation centers for a couple of weeks. We got to see a lot of the homes that burned down in the mountain areas, and got to meet a lot of our customers affected by the devastation. Above is a photo of my work BFF, Katie, giving one of our customers a "good neigh-bear".
Mid-November - We didn't place in the annual chili cook-off this year. But on the bright side, the corn bread I made from scratch (pictured on the right) was a big hit! Not bad for my first try at homemade corn bread.
October 20 - One of my best friends threw an obnoxiously early Halloween party. After convincing two of my closest guy friends to dress up (above), they decided to show up wearing very ambiguous costumes. To clarify: no, they are not gay; yes, Justin's prongs are clapping in this picture.
October 31 - Katie and I made a huge effort to rush from the wildfire evacuation center (where we had been stationed for a short time) to the office in time for the Halloween festivities. Work shut down at 3:30pm to welcome [what seemed like] hundreds of children to tick-or-treat through all of the cubicles. Katie and I were determined not to be the only costume-less employees! 1 trip to Target, $7 of craft supplies, and 30 minutes later, we turned ourselves into awesome bags of jelly beans. Sooo dope!
Late October - As mentioned, Katie and I took lead at one of the wildfire evacuation centers for a couple of weeks. We got to see a lot of the homes that burned down in the mountain areas, and got to meet a lot of our customers affected by the devastation. Above is a photo of my work BFF, Katie, giving one of our customers a "good neigh-bear".
Mid-November - We didn't place in the annual chili cook-off this year. But on the bright side, the corn bread I made from scratch (pictured on the right) was a big hit! Not bad for my first try at homemade corn bread.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sierra Madre
My good friends Eva and Lisa (both avid hikers) were so kind as to invite me to join them on a good/fun/easy hike. Seven ungodly miles later, I was convinced they were on a mission to kill me. I was sweating out of pores my body never knew it had. Two days later, my muscles still pinch in thanks of all the boulders I climbed, the tree stumps I crawled across. If you don't want an ounce of fat on your body, take a hike, seriously. I can't believe I've agreed to make this a monthly ritual. I must have been dehydrated when they asked me.
There are pictures... but I look so to' up, you'll never see them.
Monday, September 3, 2007
August Highlights - My 24th Birthday
I'm not quite sure why people dread the steadfast approach of aging. I suppose I've learned to appreciate life in all its stages (either that, or the peace of mind that comes with knowing that my parents look 15 years younger than they actually are). It seems as though every birthday celebration gets better with every passing year; and if that's an omen to how the next year will turn out, then I sure have a lot of good things to look forward to. There are always new friends to invite into my life, and new beginnings to undertake. I've always taken my birthday as the point of year in which to reflect, re-evaluate, and re-charge. After all, it is "my" new year. With that said, I've already mentally listed my resolutions and goals for this new year of life.
My actual birth 'day' (August 24th) was a blast. After all, I only turn 24 on the 24th once in this lifetime. Ayana and I took the day off from work - which was a gift all in itself. She treated me to a very entertaining morning/afternoon at Glen Ivy Hot Springs. The amenities were "okay" - but we agreed that the entire experience is highly overrated. But we still had a blast.
Then came an interesting dinner with my closest friends. See, I lead a very compartmentalized life. Each segment containing a handful of friends - all of whom I never intermingle on a consistent basis. See, I like my segmented life... and the only time the worlds intertwine is on my birthday. It's interesting to see how everyone interacts with one another. What topics they choose to chat about, or what stories they highlight in order to introduce themselves. They're an amazing, and very good bunch of people. I am so lucky to have such endearing friends.
Thanks to everyone who called/texted/e-mailed me on my birthday. A special thank you to my family and friends who actually celebrated the day with me. I love you guys! And now, a picture overload!
Photo: Glen Ivy Hot Springs
Photo: With Ayana @ Glen Ivy
Photo: On our way out.
Photo: Post-nap & Pre-dinner
Photo: My faves! Ayana, Christy, Helen!
Photo: She got me baroons!
Photo: She wore her hair curly for me. She never wears it curly!
Photo: My bff and his wife (she's also a close friend).
Photo: Justin, my "play" boyfriend.
Photo: My coworker/friends Vineet and Dan.
Photo: The birthday people and Justin.
Photo: Smooth talkin Helen got the waiter to give me a badge.
Photo: Group
Photo: Yardhouse
Photo: Birthday girl and boy.
Photo: They made fun of the ribbon I made him wear. Sigh.
Photo: My men.
Photos: My bests.
Photo: Cheesin.
Photo: Right before Justin got schooled by security.
My actual birth 'day' (August 24th) was a blast. After all, I only turn 24 on the 24th once in this lifetime. Ayana and I took the day off from work - which was a gift all in itself. She treated me to a very entertaining morning/afternoon at Glen Ivy Hot Springs. The amenities were "okay" - but we agreed that the entire experience is highly overrated. But we still had a blast.
Then came an interesting dinner with my closest friends. See, I lead a very compartmentalized life. Each segment containing a handful of friends - all of whom I never intermingle on a consistent basis. See, I like my segmented life... and the only time the worlds intertwine is on my birthday. It's interesting to see how everyone interacts with one another. What topics they choose to chat about, or what stories they highlight in order to introduce themselves. They're an amazing, and very good bunch of people. I am so lucky to have such endearing friends.
Thanks to everyone who called/texted/e-mailed me on my birthday. A special thank you to my family and friends who actually celebrated the day with me. I love you guys! And now, a picture overload!
Photo: Glen Ivy Hot Springs
Photo: With Ayana @ Glen Ivy
Photo: On our way out.
Photo: Post-nap & Pre-dinner
Photo: My faves! Ayana, Christy, Helen!
Photo: She got me baroons!
Photo: She wore her hair curly for me. She never wears it curly!
Photo: My bff and his wife (she's also a close friend).
Photo: Justin, my "play" boyfriend.
Photo: My coworker/friends Vineet and Dan.
Photo: The birthday people and Justin.
Photo: Smooth talkin Helen got the waiter to give me a badge.
Photo: Group
Photo: Yardhouse
Photo: Birthday girl and boy.
Photo: They made fun of the ribbon I made him wear. Sigh.
Photo: My men.
Photos: My bests.
Photo: Cheesin.
Photo: Right before Justin got schooled by security.
Monday, July 30, 2007
SKYDIVING
Jump out of a plane? Check! There really are no words. No words. Great friends, no fear, lots of eye candy, and another dream lived. Seriously, one of the best/smartest things I've ever done in my entire life.
Click the pics to enlarge. And if I ever figure out how to get the DVD of my jump onto the mac, I promise to share! My videographer was amazing.
Photo: The gang (less Lucas)
Photo: Ricardo and I during training!
Photo: Lisa and the new guy Mike.
Photo: Seriously, Ricardo takes the best pictures.
Photo: Christian (left) was so adorable. Hot. Spicy. Australian.
Photo: Ready to board the plane!
Photo: This is my "are you taking a picture?" face.
Photo: Bye Lisa!
Photo: Weee! Meee!
Photo: Dug and I free falling!
Photo: Yeah, my face says it all.
Photo: I don't care that I'm fug in this pic, it's my favorite!
Photo: The harness did weird things to Albert.
Photo: Corny high five.
Photo: All of us! Thanks for taking pics Allison!
Click the pics to enlarge. And if I ever figure out how to get the DVD of my jump onto the mac, I promise to share! My videographer was amazing.
Photo: The gang (less Lucas)
Photo: Ricardo and I during training!
Photo: Lisa and the new guy Mike.
Photo: Seriously, Ricardo takes the best pictures.
Photo: Christian (left) was so adorable. Hot. Spicy. Australian.
Photo: Ready to board the plane!
Photo: This is my "are you taking a picture?" face.
Photo: Bye Lisa!
Photo: Weee! Meee!
Photo: Dug and I free falling!
Photo: Yeah, my face says it all.
Photo: I don't care that I'm fug in this pic, it's my favorite!
Photo: The harness did weird things to Albert.
Photo: Corny high five.
Photo: All of us! Thanks for taking pics Allison!
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