wall climbing

my first saturday here was spent sleeping and wall climbing (no, i wasnt sleep climbing :P). due to jetlag and maybe lack of quality sleep, i slept til 1:45pm. i wouldnt have gotten out of bed if not for my friend's phone call and being reminded that banks close at 2pm on saturdays. i needed to get some cash over-the-counter as my ATM card hasnt been delivered yet. lucky me, the bank is just right across the street and will take me about 3 minutes to get there. i made it on time and was able to get my cash.

a climbing gym called stoneworks - about 15 mins away from my place. we went there coz my co-worker's friend chose that venue to gather-up his friends and introduce to them his newborn son (that's why you see a baby stroller there). they personally know the owner of the place, so they were allowed to bring in food and some drinks.

thanksgiving desserts

i prepared some sweet treats (blueberry cheesecake and jello) for thanksgiving since i'll be going with my co-worker to visit his folks. i felt that i had to bring something. i was kind of hesitant to make them though, because i wasnt sure how it's going to taste like and also i didnt want to run the risk of giving them stomach ache. but i couldnt think of anything else to bring that will put a personal touch to it.

cheesecake -- without the blueberries yet...

whoala! the blueberry cheesecake!

(i brought this to the thanksgiving gathering and i'm happy his folks loved it! at first i thought they were just being polite, but when his dad helped himself with a second slice, i knew they genuinely liked it. i had a slice too to make sure i know how it tasted like AND just in case they end up with a bad tummy and i don't ... it cant be fully blamed on the cheesecake. Hehe!)

btw, the cold weather was helpful that night because i didnt have to wait HOURS before i can pour the next layer of jello. it hardened in as quick as 15 minutes.

it's cool coz i found these containers that worked well with the shape, showing-off the colors, layers. plus although it's small, it's just the right amount to give out. you see, I was able to make 3 full sets. i gave one to teresa and her family. the other 1, i gave to my co-worker. the last 1, well.. who else... for me :) hahaha!!!

unit 2234

i have a neighbor. it is unit 2234. surprise surprise! hahaha!!!

early this week, they (im assuming more than one person lives in there) hung a wreath on their door. and if you see their patio, they also decorated it with xmas lights. pretty cool! :)

no, i havent knocked and introduced myself to them. im not a very friendly neighbor .. yet. haha!!!

inside Unit 2233 part 1

i think my blog only allows me to post this much photos in one entry, so this doesnt show you yet all parts of unit 2233. in the meantime, here's a peek to 2233.

the moment you enter, it's either you see a big brown sofa (which is not shown here) or you notice the dining area behind it. so, this is the dining area. the table is set when i arrived and i havent touched any of it yet, so til now it's still like that. haha! you'll notice that there's a door beside the window.. that's to the patio.

this is the view from the patio. you can see the neighbors and the swimming pool (which is totally useless at this time of the year). the patio actually runs from the dining room to the bedroom. i can access the patio from either room. now taking maybe 5 steps from the entrance door and looking to your right, you'll see the kitchen. it is complete with pots and pans... the door you see there is the small laundry room where i have my washer and dryer.
now ofcourse the bedroom. i have a queen-sized bed and 2 side tables with lamps. i have an alarm clock radio (which does its purpose but i dont necessarily obey). you see the books on the table, which help me doze off at nite.
this is another shot of the bedroom (i was trying to be artistic - haha!) to show that there's a mirror / dresser right across my bed and that i have a ceiling fan with lights :)

i'll post photos of the living room, the fireplace (which i decorated with 3-dollar snowmen, so I can feel a bit of xmas around me), the bathroom, the laundry room and maybe the pantry? on part 2.


hope you enjoyed the little tour.




-Unit 2233

fortune cookie

i was looking forward to a panda express meal and i had one on tuesday. the best part about it was the fortune cookie. haha! this is what i got...

thanksgiving

thanksgiving is 5 days away, but why wait when i have a lot to say thanks to and to be thankful for. it's been long overdue to thank all the people who celebrated the despedida (bon voyage party) with me. it was 60 hours of partying (although I crashed 4.5 hours before the strike of midnite on sunday nite). the only thought on my mind waking up at 430am monday morning was whether i'm gonna have a hard hangover and migraine while i wait and get interviewed for the US visa. good thing i didnt have any post-partying, post-drinking headache -- and the best part, the interview went well and i got my visa stamp.

i think everything's gone the way the universe wanted it to go. it's been more than what i've imagined or planned. i want to return the glory to the Big One, first and foremost. the overflowing blessings of opportunities, loving family, friends, colleagues and the good amount of roadblocks that made and are making everything more worthwhile and senseful. i mentioned the roadblocks, because it's not a smooth ride to unit 2233. it's also good to mention that i didn't make it here on my own.

everything happens for a reason!

i'd like to take this opportunity to thank people in my life. it will be hard to mention names, so i'm not going to do that -- plus i don't want to run across the pain of forgetting people and making them feel bad about it. so the safest way would be saying -- thanks to you! you know who you are! :)

-0-

i know my friends have been waiting to hear from me. i've been getting IMs and emails asking me to post the recent pictures from the party, the japan trip and yea, oregon. you know i'm excited to post them as much as you are excited to see them, but aside from not being able to find the time yet... i also forgot to copy the folder of pictures on our home desktop pc, so i don't really have a copy of them with me. the only set i have is the one from the first night -- with intel friends -- and it's in my work laptop, which ofcourse i only turn-on when im at work. anyway, i'm gonna try to get hold of those pictures as soon as possible.

-0-

here are some teaser photos from japan and one from oregon:

the busiest intersection in the world (in shibuya)

tokyo tower (near roponggi)

hard rock tokyo




a picture of mount hood in oregon (this was taken from my iphone while in the car during my settling orientation, thus the quality)

Unit 2233

Welcome to Unit 2233!

Unit 2233 has been my home for the last 5 days. It will be my home for the next 130.

Since I cannot let everyone physically enter through this door (for various reasons including your own safety, haha!), I can at least let you know what's happening behind this door and ummm... inside my mind.

Now I must warn you: My mind is very dangerous. Haha!

-Unit 2233