2011 has been a serious roller coaster for me professionally and personally. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was updating the 2010 end of the year list!

Golly.

2011 in Pictures

Jan – March: Welcome to the family, Robin Hood the Hyundai Sonata! / Custom made truffles from Drago Centro / Got laid off

April – June: New Zealand vacation / Cochon 555 / The Nerd Machine Slave Leia PSA

July – September: 4th of July at the Los Alamitos Base / Camping on Catalina / USC football season

October – December: Awesome Halloween / Thorough destruction of the bRuins / Annual candy cane martini at Patty’s house

Drinking Buddy of the Year: Brandon…again

When you’re unemployed for most of the year, who else would be your drinking buddy but your husband!  Brandon has returned to claim the title since he got it in 2009.  This year, the mister also started to try wine, so we’ve had a little more fun with that.  Speaking of wine…

Bar of the Year: District Wine, Long Beach

I was introduced to District Wine by USC Alumni Club of Long Beach.  The club has many mixers hosted here and the board congregates here for the board meeting for bottlomless mimosas on a Sunday.  Elegant but cozy place with friendliest of staff can be really mellow some nights and lively on others.

With a variety of wine by the glass and very reasonably priced by the bottle and delicious nosh, if this place was around the corner from my house, I would certainly haunt it.  I like District Wine so much when I was contacted by Ghirardelli to host the Intense Dark chocolate and wine pairing event, I didn’t even try calling anywhere else but here.

I’m looking forward to many, many more good times!

Restaurant of the Year: Vino e Cucina, Long Beach

My friend Brenda introduced me to Vino e Cucina a few years back. It was REAL Italian food, owned and operated by Italian family.  I totally loved the food there since the very first bite, but I couldn’t get Brandon through the door for the longest time.  You see, the first time we popped in was a Friday night when they were still in the one store. With no reservation, they couldn’t seat anyone. B didn’t like that too much.

Since then they had expanded into the neighboring storefronts, and I finally convinced Brandon to come order a to-go dinner on a weeknight. The food proved itself worthy.  And now we eat there about once every other month.

Newcomer Award: Saatchi LA Peeps

“But Oakley, you only worked there for 4 months! How could you be so attached to these people?”

When you find a work environment you like, meet the people you adore, and get a sense of a company culture that fits you like a glove, you can’t help yourself feeling like you’ve always worked there. I feel like I belong there more than any other place I’ve worked at before (maybe except HSX.com).  I’ve met great people and created some awesome memories in my short time here.  This will not be soon forgotten.

Oh, and again, thanks, Matt.

High point of the Year: New Zealand Trip

Fresh off the layoff, the trip was the perfect springboard into the new adventure.  It was a carefree trip. We ate a lot. We walked a lot. Then we drove a LOT but we also saw a lot along the way.  We nerded out with Lord of the Rings sites. We drank plenty of wine and guzzled enough local beer. We took a million pictures (and I haven’t uploaded them all yet).

It was great seeing my dad and getting him out traveling even on a very limited schedule. My mom had always wanted to visit New Zealand. In a way, we were taking this trip for her as well.

The best, though, is that my dad and I reunited with my cousins Nancy and Nat who we haven’t seen in 10+ years.  I also finally get to meet my nephew Brandon for the first time.

What an adventure.

Low point of the year: Unemployment

Yes, I was all gung-ho about my new adventures. Then I was defeated by the reality of it.  I had some days when all the rejection emails and resumes that disappear into the black hole that is the Orange County job market really got me.  There were days when I felt useless and stupid. And there were days when I thought I should just grab a cup and go panhandle.

I’ve gotten used to a set schedule and a steady paycheck for these past 4 months. Going back to not working is going to be interesting all over again.

Holiday of the Year: Halloween…again

That’s it. I’m retiring this category since a) Halloween is my favorite holiday, and b) it’s ALWAYS awesome.

This year I didn’t have quite the same number of costume change as last year.  But I still had quite a bit.  A 1980s prom princess at work pre-Halloween. A Trojan Cat in the Hat for Halloween weekend tailgate.  Myself aka the Devil for work on Halloween day and then the TARDIS in a tutu for Halloween party that evening.

That TARDIS outfit though, I’m quite proud of. Now you just have to find more occasions to rock out my blue tutu. Hee.

Song of the Year: Pumped Up Kicks, Foster the People

I know, I know. This song is now overplayed.  However, you have to give it credit of the catchiness.  I mean, I caught it a bit before it blew up and I still caught myself humming it out of the blue.

Movie of the Year: Captain America

As a Harry Potter fan, the final Potter movie should be on this list. However, it just wasn’t. Since I haven’t seen The Muppets just yet, Captain America will be crowned as my favorite this year.

Super hero movies has gone gray. You know, all the heroes have some kind of flaws or darkness they have to deal with.  It’s so refreshing to see a TRUE super her with no baggage.

Surprise Movie of the Year: The Warrior’s Way

Brandon got this on rental. Horrendously cheesy with the story, the comic book CGI, and gratuitous violence. Everyone is over the top and stereotypical. The plot is predictable as hell too. But you know almost immediately that you can’t take any of it seriously. Even the actors don’t seem to be taking it seriously. Once you look at this as a live action comic book rooted in no reality of any kind, some kind of a fantastic voyage where everyone is in on the joke, you’ll totally enjoy it.

Book of the Year: Hunger Game trilogy

Oh, Entertainment Weekly Magazine. You influence me so. After having read so much about it, I decided to pick up the Hunger Game paperback for my New Zealand trip. I just couldn’t put it down. I ordered the box set the moment I came back and plowed through the rest in a record speed.

I mean, what’s not to like? Post apocalyptic, totalitarian world. A teenage girl fights for her family. Two boys who love her yet she doesn’t really know what she’s feeling.

If you can skip through the narratives about the food, the fashion, and how she was confused about her relationships–pretty much the parts Brandon couldn’t stand and therefore didn’t read past the first book–you have yourself one kick-ass sci-fi trilogy.

And next summer, the movie. Squee!

TV Show of the Year: American Horror Story

I actually didn’t want to continue watching after I watched the pilot. My skin was left crawling. Too intense of an hour of television.  But curiosity–and free on demand–brought me back.

And boy am I back and so totally obsessed with this show now. (Glee? What’s that?)

That’s about it for 2011.

So far over 1,000 photos have been taken. I have yet to calculate how many kilometers/miles and hours Brandon had driven in the 5 days we spent in South Island…on the opposite side of the road from the U.S., no less.

We had killed absolutely no possums (different than what we have in North America) and rabbits where are both non-native pests here in New Zealand, destroying forests and bird population. However, the Garmin GPS with Kiwi accent tried to kill us by running our car into the river. We guessed she was pissed after all of her “recalculating…make U Turn”s we ignored all day. And we have a video to prove it.

We had at least 6 great meals, 4 of which were a repeat of 2 restaurants, and one incredibily horrible one. We ate a lot but we also walked a lot in Auckland so I think that was what keeping my pants loose.

Yup. More coming soon!

6 days in Costa Rica and I came back with a new look at life.

I went 6 days without the internet (except for a 30 minutes I hopped on to check in with the hubby when I arrived and before I left), work, or television.

I went 6 days without much of anything but gallo pinto, rum,  and time.

Yep.  Nora and I didn’t do much of anything during our trip but relax and go with the flow.

We landed in San Jose at 9 a.m. on Thursday and we were at Calilu restaurant to wait for our shuttle by 10 a.m. The shuttle to take us to Playa Conchal was to pick us up at 3 p.m.  We sat and ate, made a new friend with a Canadian girl, learned to play Gin Rummy, and watched the rain fall.

Our driver was awesome and we learned the meaning of “Pura Vida”–pure life–or pretty much the answer for anything in Costa Rica: excellent, fantastic, I’m well, etc.  Our Canadian friend ended up saying good bye to us as “Puta Vida” and “Puerto Vida” after another 5 hours in the van.  LOL.

Having gotten into our room at the all-inclusive Paradisus Playa Conchal at 8 p.m. that night, we called for room service and cracked open in-room Imperial beers and called it a night.

The next few days was pretty much this: wake up at 8, done with breakfast by 9, and sit out by the pool or swim up to the bar for the rest of the morning.

We explored the hotel’s golf course on Friday, looking for the howling monkeys, bought our postcards, hit the beach, and had a wine tasting class, tasting house wines…meh.  Dinner with the Bride and Groom and friends, gambled a bit at the tiny little “casino”, and more drinking with the Groom and his friends.

On Saturday, we were in the swim up bar with the boys until all of us had to get get ready for the wedding.  The beautiful sunset ceremony on the beach north of the hotel was awesome and we didn’t get rained on, which was a HUGE blessing.  A casual reception followed.  Afterward the boys went back to continue drinking in their room and the girls ended up at the pool.  I didn’t go with either party but the late night downpour sent all the girls running in the middle of the night from what I heard. LOL.

Sunday morning came, we squeezed in our morning routine before packing up and checked out at noon.  At 2 p.m. we were once again on the shuttle, heading back to San Jose.  At 7: 30 p.m. we got out of the van in Escazu, just west of San Jose.  My friend Richard picked us up and took us back to his farm in Alajuela, just north of San Jose.

Richard was a chaperone (“Leader”) of his Costa Rican delegation of 4 11-year-old kids to the international camp in Australia I also went to back in 1989.  We have managed to keep in touch these 20 years and here we were, sleeping in his living room in Costa Rica.  Who woulda thunk!

Richard took us through the windy roads of Alajuela and up to Poas volcano.  We hiked up to see the crater but got the San Francisco treatment: nothing but fog.  He then treated us to Costa Rican lunch and ice cream at Pops, the Costa Rican version of Baskin Robbins essentially, and a quick tour through Alajuela town center.  Now, THAT is a contrast from our 3 nights at a touristy, vanilla all-inclusive.  We got to really see the country and the people!  Nora and I whipped up dinner at the end of the afternoon of watching thunderstorm rolled in over the farm, and capped off the day with Richard’s favoriate movie “Across the Universe”.  All three of us are Beatles fans so that was quite awesome.

Our last day in town, Richard dropped us off in Downtown San Jose to explore.  We dragged our feet through the Precolumbian Gold Museum, lingered over our lunch at the Gran Costa Rica Hotel, and explored the mini souvenir mall.  We took the cab back to Richard’s office and he drove us half way to the airport, fetched us a cab, and we said our goodbyes.  A few more hours of waiting at the airport and Nora and I were on our way home.

We didn’t do a lot. We didn’t have excursions planned. We didn’t zipline.

But we did enjoy our downtime.

With all I had on my hand was time,I’ve learned to relax for the first time in a long time.  I’ve learned to let things go and enjoy the moment. I’ve learned that I can still walk away from work a little and that I can’t let it consume me like I have been.

My shoulders haven’t been up to my ears since I got back as my normal life’s stuff starts circling me.

I’m slowly getting back on the internet life, catching up with duties left behind, and clearing out the DVR.

But the zen of Costa Rica is still with me.

And I’m going to keep up with it the best I can.

Here are the pics. Enjoy!

Yep. My BFF Nora and I are heading down to the beautiful northwestern beaches of Guanacaste region of Costa Rica for my friends’ wedding.  The traveling Couch Monkey will finally get to be among his capuchin buddies!

I just realized that this is my first trip abroad in 17 years.

Well, you know, having come over to the U.S. being my last “foreign” trip.  Since then, I have only gone home and nowhere else outside the U.S.

Okay. I did set foot in Canada for like 15 minutes in college when we got turned around the Vancouver border. But that doesn’t count.  (Long story short: Ex-boyfriend decided last minute to pipe up about my student visa status as we were presenting our California driver’s licenses for him to check. Good job, man.)

My history of travel includes Hong Kong (8 or 9 years old), Australia (12), New Zealand and Singapore (13), the U.K. (14), and the U.S. (15).

So yes. This is a HUGE deal for me.

And so far, it feels just like home. Except in Spanish.

Will have pics and vids when we get back. At $10 a day for wifi, it just ain’t worth it.

“Well, it’s 11-12 hours with a 3-hour layover in Taiwan/Hong Kong/Japan, and then another 4-5 hours to Bangkok. OR I can fly direct for 17.5 hours.”

“OH MY GOD! / Da-yam! / Are you kidding me? / I could never do that!?!”

Then I will tell them that it’s not so bad any more.  On Thai Airways direct flight, even Economy seat has its own on demand TV and Interactive center.  (Seriously, Jet Blue? DirecTV in every seat is supposed to be a big deal? Puh-lease.)

Sure, some flights are worse than others.  But hey, if you ever plan to travel the world, get a grip on those hours of flights, people.

Like the jet lag I’m suffering the tail end of it right now.  I’m staying awake as long as I can so I don’t wake up in the middle of the night again.  But so far Melatonin has helped plenty.

That brings me to the list of things I have learned NEVER to get on a plane without ever again.  (Not counting a bottle of water here since nowadays they supply you with plenty of water. Thai Airways handed me a bottle and told me to keep it for refill during flight.)

1. Bonine

The wonder of a motion sickness pill!  Unlike Dramamine, this thing doesn’t make me drowsy and it lasts for 24 hours.  Being as sensitive to motion as I am, flying has never been my forte. I HATED flying and scared out of my head with every tiny little dip in the sky.  I also used to have to sit by a window or I get super dizzy very quickly, worse when we hit turbulence during meal service.  With Bonine, I don’t feel any drops except a significantly big ones.  Last year, on a boat touring the islands of Phuket, I was so adjusted to the motion that I misstepped a few times because I actually couldn’t feel the boat tilting.

Bonine is chewable but dang the “raspberry” flavor is nasty.  You’ll need to wash that down with some water.  It works like charm on a road trip and most boats.

2. EarPlanes

I discovered these over one trip when I still had sinus infection before getting on the plane.  Some forums suggested using the EarPlanes pressure regulator earplugs.  They really helped.  I usually have problems popping my ears on the way down that would either leave me kind of deaf for a few days or give me severe ear pain during and/or after the flight.  Since I got these, landing is quite music to my ears.

3. Sleep Mask

Boy did I wish I have the complimentary one of those you’d get in Economy Deluxe class of seats over the last trip!  My seat was aisle, one behind the front row with access to the bathroom. However, the green “bathrooms are free” light was so bright the entire trip there was no way I could escape it where I was sitting.  And of course, there is always a jack ass somewhere with the reading light on.

4. A well tested travel pillow

I made sure my friend got a good one before he got on his long flight to the East Coast.  Dude still thanks me for it.  Personally, I have a child’s travel pillow, pink and funky-shaped, for my daily bus commute.  You need to really test out your pillow at home first.  I don’t recommend the blow-up kind. Those things SUCK!  The buckwheat-filled beanbag pillow fits me better than any of that donut neck pillow or the oddly-stuffed one on the plane ever will.  It’s just a tad heavier than the foam bubbles but definitely more comfy.  A perfect companion for all the long hauls.

5. A warm hoodie

The plane could get incredibly cold and incredibly warm.  The long haul usually ends up being cold. Best to get comfy.  And have contingency plan to cover your eyes.

6. A book and/or a loaded MP3 player

Entertainment center died on us 6 hours into the 17 hour flight. I did have my netbook loaded with a few movies but the batteries were dying after one and a half of them.  So, back to a book first, then music later.  A laptop/netbook is nice but some times I really wonder if it was worth the extra weight I have to carry.

7. A passport holder

I always ended up rummaging through my stuff for my green card to go with the passport and then I didn’t remember where I put the card or had to put it back somewhere else. ETC.  I spent a few bucks and bought a vinyl one from Target to hold my passport on one side, green card and Royal Orchid Plus frequent flyer card on the other with my itinerary.  They fit into my hoodie pocket. Perfect.

8. A pen

Seriously. Everyone is looking around for a pen when the flight attendances came through with immigration form.  Duh. Carry a pen, people.

9. Melatonin pills

This is NOT for during flight but your first night in town when you cross time zone(s).  Someone told me about Melatonin “therapy” to get people back on track after traveling back to the US from Asia.  It supposed to help you adjust your internal clock to darkness better.  I took it before bed my first night in Thailand and I actually slept through the night on the first night!  Usually I’d be up at 4 or 5 a.m.  Victory! Second night was also a success. That was all melatonin I took.

On the way back, so far I’ve bounced back a lot quicker.  I took it the first night and slept for 12 hours. LOL.  Brandon dragged my butt outside of the house for some daylight therapy which you also need to get your clock back to normal.  What should’ve taken 4-5 days or for some people a whole week to get adjusted back to, I am doing it in 3 nights with melatonin AND getting out in the sun.

Now that it’s nearing midnight, I think I’m tired enough to actually sleep through the night on my own.  Cross your fingers!

Optional: Goldfish crackers or some other snacky foods

Domestic flights don’t really feed you any more so you’ll have to take your own.  And sometimes you’re just too darn lazy to go the back of the plane for a snack during a long haul international flight.  But if I fly Thai, I’ll probably won’t bring that any more.  I’ve found on board Thai Airways this time that their mid-flight snacks are much better than the crackers.  They have bananas, apples, and oranges back there with cheese and crackers leftover from another meal service.  And if you want a cup-a-noodles, the attendance will hook you up with one.  Neat, huh?

That would be my travel essentials.  How about you?  What else do you or would you bring on a long flight?

I promised Note that I would blog about my month-to-month prediction, so that as time ticks on, we can come back to see how accurate she really is.

Before we get to that, what she said about my overall future gets me giggling.

She said that although I am a team player, I work better alone. Same thing with my social life, great with friends and going out but rather be at home.  She said that I will do well in an international environment. And that if I was to change job, I will find success in working on my own with international connections.

Gee. Doesn’t that sound like I should persue blogging and writing full time? LOL.

She also pointed out that my generosity and willingness to help people will get me in trouble.  Yeah, well, that was proven last year when I loaned money to childhood friend who actually was scamming off everyone she knew. Her poor mom was following her trail paying off the debt, including mine. But I digress.

Also I have to watch my dedication to work. Note pointed out that my doing well at work often means I’m so consumed by it and neglecting the household. Again, that’s true. I lost myself in whatever it is I’m involved in and forget to take care of my personal life.  Brandon knows this well from 2 years of Thrill the World back to back with my Big Gala.

Now, the 12-month prediction.

December: There will be secrets involved either at work or at home. Somebody has a secret and that will complicate things.

January: Watch out for some work harmony issue. That schpiel about me being too generous has something to do with that.

February: Great partnership at work and at home.

March: Other people will have bad news that I would take it upon myself to worry about.  It’s not my bad news but I’ll be bothered by it quite the same way.

April: The lady doth daydream too much. LOL. Something about me not being able to concentrate on the present, instead dreaming about things that could be.

May-June: There will be some obstables I must get over in these two months. Everything will be a struggle but I will win in the end.

July: Disappointment, she said.  That was the only word she gave me for July.

August: Temper rises and there will be some “third hand” interferences in my life. Like someone will try to mess things up for me.

September: I will “lead the army to victory” at work.

October-November: Again, obstacles. This time I will get tangled up in things. I will feel stuck. (Gee…during that time of year, could Thrill the World be something I get tied up on??)

There. You now also have the map to my future year. Stick around to see what may come true!

As for now, Note didn’t mention in her cards but I’m enjoying the time at home.  I had lunch with my family and the Aunties today.  We stuffed ourselves silly with a seafood feast, had great conversations, and remembered mom while at it.  Her friends miss her dearly and I once again serve as the proxy for my mom in hanging out with her friends.

Tuesday is Lalai Sap with the Aunties, movie in the afternoon with a friend, and dinner with Gnarly Kitty.  Wednesday is a day-trip to Aunty Or’s house in Khao Yai now that it’s finished and completed with the backyard orchard, corn field and mini rice paddy.  Thursday looks like a lunch  and shopping date with sister in law and dad. Friday is exclusively all Gang of 4 and a night out with Tong per our tradition. Saturday, last lunch with the family and off to California I go.

International lone wolf, I am!

I arrived at dawn yesterday and what a day it was!  My brother and sister-in-law picked me up in his brand new BMW X5.  We had breakfast and I was left to myself all morning.  I unpacked, played some piano, and took a crack at the Nikki Heat novel before succumbing to sleep after lunch.

My friend Note called to wake me up and off I went to her condo for a 4:30 p.m. pool party that didn’t happen. LOL.  Another friend showed up and we just hung out waiting for other people.

Meanwhile, in addition to her Kinnaree restaurant, Note has developed a new talent for tarot card reading.  I experienced her talent first hand last night which I will post later. Yes, it deserves its own entry!  Let’s just say that my general card is a Star. So is Lily’s.  It’ll be a good year next year.

The gang later assembled at Kinnaree Gourmet Thai on the back patio, away from general population.  3 other friends showed up for dinner. A few of us partook in a bottle of prosecco.  One of the friends brought home made cupcake and Note was off to assemble an “Earthquake” platter.

Those who are familiar with Swenson’s Ice Cream chain would know that an Earthquake is a big bowl of several scoops of ice cream.  At the request of our gang, Note emerged with a platter of almost every variety of ice cream she had at the restaurant.

I had a plate of half eaten cupcake in my hand as I reached over to get a scoop from the platter.  And SPLAT! The cake landed onto the ice cream.

“Oh my god! 2012 on a plate, you guys! Cupcake meteor!”

We laughed our heads off then.  And of course, I would repeat the same thing a little while later.  After I stopped laughing, I downed the damn cupcake to prevent future disaster.

We then took the party back to Note’s condo where we hung around as two more people get their fortune told, provided commentaries and real estate advise as we went.  All with the background of this cheesy modeling show Thailand has on, sponsored by a “talent” school, teaching modeling, stage presence, acting, and singing type deal. The models were quite horrible less this one girl who can actually act.  There was one hot boy on there that overacts worse than Henry Rollins on Sons of Anarchy.  I thought he was hot until I saw him work the runway. Smarmy and over abundance of narcissism killed it for me. But I totally digress there.

The next thing we knew, the girls’ phones started ringing. It was close to midnight and their moms were wondering where they were at. We knew we all had to go home.

My dad and brother just got back from a business trip this morning. I got to eat breakfast with them, now both are back in bed sleeping off their tiring trip.  I am going off to hang out with Lily and Joy and her kids at Royal Bangkok Sports Club for a swim and lunch.

The plan so far:

Today: Sports Club. Dinner with my bro and his girlfriend. Possible trip to Night Bazaar with my sister-in-law and the girlfriend.

Monday: Lunch with the family and Aunties.

Tuesday: Shopping at Lalai Sap Alley with Lily and the Aunties. Catching a Thai new rom-com hit, almost out of the run, with 2 MD friends later that evening.

Wednesday: The Aunties are taking me to Khao Yai. Aunty Or finally finished her home and they want me to see it.

Friday: Shopping with my gang. Dinner with family.

It’s going to be a busy but relaxing week!

Are you ready for me, the Big Mango?

So I leave LAX tonight, arriving in Bangkok at 6 a.m. on Saturday.  (Yes, time traveling. It’s awesome.) Let’s say, I’d probably get home around 8 a.m.  I’d be done unpacking by 9 a.m. and I get to relax for a while.

3:30 p.m. I am off to my friend’s condo for a pool party.  A few hours later, we’ll mosey down to Kinnaree Gourmet Thai for dinner and drinks, my annual pilgrimage.  Hopefully, someone will drop me off at home with a nice buzz.

Yep. I’m rolling out of the plane into a party yet again.  Last year, it was my school’s homecoming.  This one, it’s like an informal reunion anyway.  It should be fun.

The rest of the week?  Outside of going to see New Moon with my sister-in-law and one-of-these-days-sister-in-law possibly on Sunday and shopping with my BFF on Friday, my schedule is wide open.

Just the way I want it.

I’ll be blogging and tweeting at the weirdest hours for you Yanks.  Also, just the way I want to do.  I mean, I haven’t blogged regularly for MONTHS.  Now I can get back on that wagon again.

I have a lot of well wishes from friends an coworkers.  Of course, everyone jokes that I’d better get back on time this time and not stuck with airport closure again.  All I can say to that is that so far, the Red Shirts are indeed planning a a major protest, if they do as plan, after I leave, and hopefully, they will stick to that plan.  Additionally, we haven’t gone all out warring with Cambodia yet, so I guess I’m still okay to fly.

Yep. Little Miss Brightside over here.

See you on the other side!

It took Brandon and I 7 years of marriage to figure out that we both like camping.  Away from the cars kind of camping.

We have been investing in our camping gear.  When we were shopping for a backpack, the staff mentioned that REI does have overnight backpacking classes and that we should check that out.

So we did.

This past Saturday and Sunday, we were in Mount San Jacinto State Park backpacking for the first time with 2 REI instructors, Greg and Michael, and 5 other newbies.  One is gearing up for a trip to Bhutan.  Two are day hikers, taking things further. One is a budding outdoorsman.  And one wants to learn to go camping in one pack instead of a carload.

Of all of these guys, we were the least in shape.  Brandon has activity-induced asthma. And I, like how I was telling everyone else, have a case of activity-induced wussy.

It was no surprise that I came in dead last everywhere we went.  However, it was definitely a surprise that I came in anywhere at all.

With 22 lbs. (10 kg) of pack on my back.

And just for perspective, that’s 1/5 of my body weight.

On Saturday morning, we all met early in Rancho Cucamonga REI for gear check at 7 a.m.  Bright eyed and bushy tailed, we quickly bonded over the fact that none of us, less one, had done this before.  We all had a chance to run amok the stores to be fitted with a pack or finding a tent to rent.  I traded in my rain jacket for a kid’s sized lined one and a pair of convertible pants/shorts cargo–both kids size.  We had some more talks and split up the foods, and then we were on the road to Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

The tramway shot us straight up to 5,900 feet (about 1.8 km) from where we were.  Thank GOD for the Bonine I took earlier for the van ride from REI, I would’ve barfed on someone during the tramway ride.  Hahah!

We found ourselves a spot on the observation deck to battle with fearless squirrels have lunch.  Thankfully, I had the mind to put 2 containers of sun-dried tomato and roasted red pepper bruschettas into one of our gallon zip lock bag as they leaked all over the place.  After lunch, we repacked everything and double bagged said containers.  We came to find out later that one of lid had cracked on transit.

Then we hiked down what we have come to call the Switchback From Hell to the Ranger’s station to learn how to use our compass and maps and GPS units and to further acclimate ourselves with the altitude.

Everything reminded me of Brandon’s parents’ house in New Mexico with both the scenery and the thin air.  And I thought, oh yeah, if I could totally handle Red River, this altitude thing shouldn’t be too bad, I thought as I popped a few Aspirins to cope with the altitude.  (The Aspirin trick is a remedy Brandon’s folks always have us do before we started the drive up from Albuquerque.  It definitely helped stemmed the altitude headaches.)

The altitude kicked my ass like USC kicked San Jose State’s.  (Knew I was going to tie that in somewhere, didn’t ya?)

2 miles (3.2 km) to Round Valley with about 600 elevation gain. It doesn’t sound like a lot but with the terrain and the altitude and the 22 lbs. on my back, that was the longest 2 miles of my life.  Brandon and I brought up the rear with Instructor Michael behind us.  And then we had to go from Round Valley up another hill, I’m guessing half a mile, to our campsite.

This was where I hit that proverbial “wall”.  Marathoners, according to this guy here, hit that when their bodies literally used up everything its got.  In many cases it’s in our heads too, like in “Run Fatboy Run”.  And now I knew what that was like.

I wasn’t out of breath like I was earlier on the hike.  My legs just said no. Brain stopped thinking about the fact that the campsite was only just another 2 minutes away: it just didn’t want to me to go any more.  I told Brandon and Michael that I had hit the Wall and that I needed some time to get my brain in the right place again.  Seriously, I could see the top of the hill from where I stopped but I wasn’t going to go anywhere any more.

Without a word, Michael came over, took my sleeping pad off my pack, and continued his slow-and-steady pace up the hill.  That was all I needed to get me back on my feet and got the campsite.

The spot came highly recommended by the rangers and now we knew why.  The view at the site was beautiful, totally worth extra work.

We set up our tents and started in on dinner of pasta with pesto or bruschetta with chicken (chunks in pouches).  At this point the oil from the leaky tub was everywhere and onto everything.  Pretty much anything we touched food-wise at some point was oily and/or smelled like the bruschetta.

I took the liberty and named our little group the Bruschetta Brigade.

And they in turn named me Captain Crunch for unknowingly contaminated the pot of pasta when I used my sand-crusted gloves to break up the noodles. Whoops. Poor Stephanie and Pam got to eat that crunchy batch.

That night, the Brigade split up into two groups: the Summiteers who would actually summit San Jacinto Peak, and Team Tamarack who would do a mild day hike to Tamarack Valley and then clean up the camp for the Summiteers.

The following morning, Instructor Greg and 3 guys left a bit late on their schedule to summit San Jacinto.  Team Tamarack was all girls except for Brandon and Instructor Michael.  We cleaned up the “kitchen” and pretty much packed ourselves up except for a day pack for our little hike.  I was excited to be walking with just the camera. Photo ops, here I come!

Tamarack Valley was gorgeous. We even spotted some deer while we were out!  Michael packed us a lovely little lunch of hard cheese, tomatoes, and salami.  The Summiteers checked in on the radio and they were running about 2 hours behind, having left late this morning.  So we headed back to the site to finish up.  I was still a little winded going back to the site so that deflated me a bit.

So we packed up everything we can, and just as Michael was saying the boys weren’t going to make it back on time, I spotted the Summiteers coming up the hill.  I started cheering and the rest of Team Tamarack followed.  The Summiteers did so well!!

We helped everyone packed up the camp and got some group shots.  And down the hill we went.

I was feeling pretty good. My toes weren’t hurting all that much and I managed to not get too winded most of the time.  I really struggled with the weight going downhill.  Every step down was a little scary like I was going to tip over.

Everyone eventulaly went past me and Brandon, who was helping me down every steep step, except for Francis who injured his toes summiting, Kevin who wanted to actually look at some scenery on the way out, and, of course, the ever patient and encouraging Michael.

This little group did get to witness the marvel that is my agility when I slipped heading downhill.  Trying to gain my footing while balancing the weight on my back, I somehow ended up with two trekking poles firmly on the ground in front of me, facing up hill.  Zero biff.

I may not have the physical strength or stamina, but I am definitely plus 10 on biff avoidance.  That little maneuvering proved to be entertaining for all.

We re-grouped at the Ranger’s station where we first set off.  And off we went to attack the Switchback from Hell.

I was out of breath mid-way up the first ramp with Brandon in front of me.  Michael was once again right behind me.  He said gently to focus on the shadow of the rails cast on the path in front of me and to take VERY small steps.   I started my steps and I heard his trekking poles made the rhythmic clacks behind me.  Automatically, I tuned into the clacks and got in a pace.  I stopped for breaths at every bend.

Michael never once rushed me.  Just as he never did on the way in.  He waited patiently for me to get a hold of myself, physically and emotionally, and then get moving.

3 turns away. I hit another wall. This one was emotional.

My feet were still going.  I wasn’t in pain or anything but my heart was fluttering and my eyes were tearing up.  I felt like I either have to start crying or throw up, one of the two.  I did neither and I finally got to the station where everyone was waiting for me.

I tossed my pack and sat down to catch my breath.  I couldn’t catch one and started coughing.  A blessing in disguise really.  I was actually crying by that point but I claimed that the heavy coughing got me teared up.

In total, at least what I think I did, the distance I covered doesn’t sound very impressive: round trip (to/from camp and to/from Tamarack Valley) of about 8 miles (13 km).  But there’s the 700 feet (213 m) in elevation gain in all of this and with only 2 hours to adjust to the altitude when we started out plus the weight of the pack on your back, that there was a true butt kicker especially for those like me who are pathetically out of shape.

All in all, I did it. All 22 lbs. of it.  All 8 miles and 700 feet of it.

On my own two feet.

This is probably the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life so far.

We didn’t have a chance to adjust to the time change so we woke up too late each day to try to do anything.  It’s pretty much Coconut Grove and the wedding.  That was it.  No South Beach here.

We ate at Green Street Cafe twice. And I would seriously eat there for every single meal. I mean, with a mojito like that? I would be dangerous to live close to that joint.

Here are the wedding pics. It was wonderful, beautiful wedding.  So casual. I mean, the groom skipped down the aisle and both bride and groom cracked jokes with the officiant through the ceremony.

Irena and Danny, here’s to your grand future together, kids!