Weekend Recap - Yosemite
At the last minute on Friday, I decided that we would go through with the trip to Yosemite. So I rushed home after work, threw everything I needed in a bag, took the last shower I would have for a couple of days and then went to meet the others.
After all the last-minute preps and loading of the cars, we jumped in the cars and took off - Cecile and David in one car, and me, Marc and Douglas in the other. With all our gear, there was no way we could fit into one car. Besides, we were going to do separate climbs so two cars just made sense.
I think I may have set my expectations too high because I felt disappointed that we weren't able to do as many routes as I thought we would. Marc had warned me that it would be slower since there were three of us climbing together (Cecile and David paired up, and the rest of us knew we wouldn't be able to climb their level anyway) but I suppose I didn't expect it to be that slow of a pace. Despite that though, I still felt pretty fulfilled at the end of it.
One big disappointment for me was that I wasn't able to take pictures of Marc climbing. I had asked Doug to film him doing his first climb, but there were trees in the way, and eventually he just stopped trying and fell asleep. Sigh. It was the only advantage I could find with three people climbing but it didn't work out either. I think I'm going to get a tripod for the next trip.
So it is with a mixture of regret and pride that I share
these pics.
Flu :(
It's the day of my first trip to Yosemite, something I'd been looking forward to for the longest time, and I feel like I'm coming down with something. Actually, my muscles have felt sore since Monday, but I thought it was only because of climbing last weekend.
But in the last couple of days, the soreness has become different. It wasn't because of climbing - I was still able to climb pretty hard Wednesday night (flashed a 5.11a, yay!!) but it just seemed like I was still fatigued all over. It kind of reminded me of that time just before I got the flu when we first moved into our condo in West LA.
So it's been kind of iffy today, I've been seesawing between going and staying, but now there's no turning back. I seem to be feeling a little bit better, and maybe the rest of the bad toxins will go away with more sleep. Marc and Douglas will have to switch places driving because I plan on snoozing the whole way. So anyway I just called Cecile to give her the go signal, and she has bought food to feed everyone. So that's it, it's settled, I'm going. I need to hoard all the pills in the drugstores now to make sure I don't get sick before my first big day at my new job. I have homeopathic flu medicine, wellness pills, echinacea, Motrin, Tylenol, and a bunch of other vitamins that will supposedly make me feel better. It's going to get down to the 30s in Yosemite so I have to arm myself properly.
Wish me luck!
An Urge to Paint
Last Tuesday night, Marc and I decided we would fix the 2 bathrooms at home. Nothing crazy, just a little fix for the trim around these two rooms. So we bought our supplies at Osh, and spent the night filling in gaps that shouldn't be there in the first place. It was a simple enough job but it made the rooms look a lot better.
We had to wait for the caulking to dry so we simply laid out some painter's tape and called it a night.
Then last night, since everything was already dry, we took on the task of painting the trim. I only did a little part of the guest bathroom, but now, with the memory of all those colors at Osh that I could choose from, and knowing firsthand how fun it can be, I have the urge to paint my room. There's not a whole lot of wall to paint since I'm leaving all the wood walls as is.
But a bright sunny bathroom wouldn't hurt, would it? Especially with how dismal the weather has been lately!
Weekend Recap - Orange County and Anami's Birthday
I was actually waiting to post so that I could include some photos from the weekend, but forgetful me left my camera at home. I'll just have to update this post later tonight or tomorrow.
Anyway, I outdid myself this past weekend I think. We decided to head down to Orange County to join Angela, Bianca and her boyfriend at Sutra, this club in Newport Beach. But we left Santa Monica around 2ish in the afternoon and first headed to the Rockreation in Costa Mesa. Andie, Bianca and her boyfriend were there to do some climbing as well.
At first I was going to settle for some toproping because there was a kids' game going on in the lead climb area. I also wanted to see Andie and the others climb. But soon after starting, I glanced over again and saw that there was barely anyone leading. So Marc and I decided to try their routes there.
I had a blast!! How anyone can stay away from those routes, I have no idea. I even tried the high archway and
almost, almost made it, but choked right before the downclimb started. Darn it! Now I have to go back to finish it.
We pretty much closed Rockreation down. Then we headed to Angela's to freshen up and get ready for the night. Sutra was loads of fun - the dance floor was packed and we were sweaty from all the dancing we did. The only thing I didn't like was the long wait outside the club, and the fact that Bianca and her boyfriend (I really have to start remembering his name) weren't allowed into the club. Poor them, they ended up hanging out at the Starbucks down the street instead.
Sunday was Anami's birthday and we celebrated with lunch at Blue Marlin on Sawtelle Blvd. Like I always say, it's always fun to catch up with them. I know, I rarely go to the dinners or celebrations or night-outs with my uncle's group, but I always have fun when I do show up.
So there you have it, my weekend. If all goes well for the upcoming one, I will be back with stories from Owen's River Gorge... or Red Rocks... or Yosemite... or Joshua Tree (again).
Spreading the Addiction
I have to say that I am an addict. A climbing addict, that is. Sometimes when I come home from a particularly successful session at the gym or outdoors, I have so much adrenaline in me and I keep daydreaming about the climbs that I didn't get to do. And when I've had a frustrating time, when I feel weak and can't do anything, I can't keep my mind off that one particular move that I couldn't do, running a mental video of myself trying different moves, until in my mind I finally get it. And then I can't wait to go back and try it out for real.
So I'm an addict. We all know that now.
Recently, my friend Angela who I didn't think would ever be interested in trying it, suddenly told me that she had gone with her sister and a friend to the Rockreation down in Costa Mesa. Man! It's all I can do to stop myself from talking her ear off. But it would be so much fun if we all got into it and we could start going outdoors together more often! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
New Old Shoes
Mad Rock, well, rocks!
I was just about ready to give up on my first pair of shoes - the Mad Rock Flash - but when Manny told me that I might have a chance at getting replacements, I decided to give it a try. The tear in the rubber seemed like a factory defect, according to pretty much everyone that I showed it to, so I figured I had a good chance. I lined the shoes with baby powder (imagine opening a box that has had used climbing shoes in it for two days? ewww) and shipped them off to Mad Rock's California address.
Well, just yesterday, my new Mad Rocks arrived! Woohoo! So now I have two pairs of climbing shoes, with money to spare for some approach shoes, which I have started to research about. I think I've pretty much decided which ones to get, and where to get them though. It's just a matter of pressing the
Place Order button.
Weekend Recap - Joshua Tree
I'm back from a great weekend at Joshua Tree! We had a very laidback climbing day on Saturday, but it was still a blast. We actually drove out there Friday night, and instead of camping, Marc and I had full use of his friend Quinn's house, about 20 minutes away from the park. At first I was leaning towards just camping because it seemed like quite a drive to and from the rock walls, but in the end, I was grateful for it. It rained early Sunday morning, and while I imagine all the other climbers were battling the cold in their tents, Marc and I had hot water and a real roof over our heads.
Here's a
photo gallery documenting the fun we had!
Change in Schedule
With this brand spankin' new job, I've had to make a few adjustments in my schedule to accommodate the drive to/from work and the longer hours. I started flipping out yesterday when I realized that I was going to have a hard time balancing my extracurricular activities and this new job. Now my workouts all have to be in the evening which means either late nights or less climbing, and that sucks. I'm still trying to find an alternative daily schedule to keep myself sane.
On the brighter side, I am looking forward to a great weekend at Joshua Tree. Remember this beautiful, beautiful place?
Back from the Bed
So much has happened the past few days that I've only had time to write about these events now. First of all, my dad and grandmother have gone home. It was crazy busy the last few days they were here; I had to run most of the last-minute errands and get last-minute presents for them to take home. It was a challenge coming up with ideas of what to give people when there's only so much weight they could accommodate. My grandmother had gone crazy at Costco, consequently filling up four pieces of luggage with what she bought. They even had to leave some items behind. Geez! This happens every year, and it's as if she totally forgets what has happened in the past.
So it's nice and quiet once more here at home, and my uncle has his bed back (he was sleeping on the couch for a good two months). The bad news? The morning after, I came down with a really bad case of food poisoning. Not fun. I didn't stop regurgitating the food I tried to eat until the next morning, and the room would not stop spinning. This is actually my first day of normal health; I still feel a little weak, but nevertheless getting stronger.
Marc was sweet enough to come visit me and take care of me while I was at my worst. I felt so bad keeping him indoors for long periods of time because I know he gets cabin fever, and always needs to be outside for awhile. I know, because I'm the same way. So on Sunday morning, when I felt that I could walk more than a couple hundred yards without having to hang on to anything, I was out the door with him, walking on the beach and at the Promenade.
And then we come to today. Voila! I've started the new job. My back is aching, my eyes are tired from staring at the computer screen, but I know my mind is welcoming the challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed today, trying to solve Oracle problems (geeky, right? haha) and cursing silently at the errors that came up. If only I could really get back into the Oracle world....oh well.
So I have about three more weeks that I'm going to be working both at John's and in Pasadena, before I truly transition over into this new job. It's such a big difference because with John, it was so casual, and we were friends, and now I'm back in such a big corporation, with a totally different culture. This will take a lot of getting used to.
At least I get to shop for new suits, shoes and makeup, right? ;) Haha!
Camera Switch
When my dad brought out his old-school Minolta film camera to take pictures at our family reunion, I felt compelled to offer him my Sony digital camera instead. Sure, I had a lot of complaints about it, but my dad has had that old one for over 20 years. I thought it was only right that we give it the rest it deserved. It was a great camera though.
It was only a half-meant offer, I was kidding him about his camera being so obsolete. But when he got his hands on my camera, he seemed so interested and so pleased with the idea of having a new toy, that I decided to just give it to him and get another one for myself.
I was almost going to get the Casio Z750, but Angela enlightened me just in time. So here it is, my new Canon SD400. Not an improvement from the Sony in terms of megapixels, but a lot more advanced in terms of modes and camera speed (thank God!).
Weekend Recap - Family
It was my grandmother's and my dad's last weekend here before they leave (on Thursday) for Manila, so I made it a point to devote most of the weekend to them. So Saturday, we went to a birthday party for one of our in-laws. She's actually the mother of the wife of my uncle. We spent most of the afternoon there, then headed back early to catch the 5:30pm mass at St. Monica's. Then we simply had a quiet evening at home. Marc came over and brought - to humor my dad and my grandmother - a copy of
Monster-in-Law, a movie that we really wanted to try to avoid. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was though - I actually laughed at some parts. But as always, there's a lot left to be desired when it comes to Jennifer Lopez's acting skills. The saving grace for the movie was Jane Fonda's character and, maybe just for me, the mere presence of Michael Vartan. ;)
Sunday, I took my dad and grandma to the house of a distant relative, to pick up some things to bring home to the Philippines. Then we went on a spur-of-the-moment outlet mall stopover, which proved to be very fruitful.
I had to take a little break from family Sunday night because I felt a little overwhelmed so it was spent quietly with Marc. I like those times when I can just kick back and relax and not have so many expectations imposed upon me.
Like I said, it's always,
always nice to have family around. But it can get pretty tiring sometimes. I'm sad to see them go, but at the same time, I know I can relax a little more and do my own thing once they leave. It was a really great visit though, and I'm glad I got to spend the time I did with them.
