Travel Recs

So it's been a while since my last update, but I was at dinner with some friends earlier and we were talking about traveling. So, I decided to write up a little thing on places I have been that I recommend checking out if you get the chance this includes areas, attractions, and accommodations. These are some of my favorite places and places I consider unique and why I think they're good. Basically, you'll have a hard time find a place similar to these so they're worth checking out. I'd def go back again. Mind you these aren't all the places I like just the more unique ones.

First Australia:

Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island in Australia- Absolutely amazing water. Fraser island is the worlds largest sand island and Lake McKenzie is a freshwater lake with crystal clear water in the middle of a rainforest like area. Kinda out of the way it is well worth a visit. Truly beautiful. Plus, dingos are running around the island, just don't let your baby get eaten!

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary- Lovely little place. Far less zoo like as the animals seem to be generally a lot more free and in open air places. You can feed wallabie and kangaroos, pretend to ride a emu, and get your picture taken with a koala. I like the pictures here better b/c the background isn't fake nature it's real nature. The prices for the pictures weren't bad either. It's a little out of the way but a great place to check out some of Australia's animals.

Vic Hall- A hostel in Melbourne located right across the street from the Old Melbourne Gaol. It was a hostel with good prices and a really neat modern style. If you're looking for a nice cheap place I would check it out. Has a movie theater and everything.

On to New Zealand:

Christchurch, New Zealand- This is such a cute town with such a unique feel to it. Stayed at the only hostel there which was a house they turned into a hostel. Cute place. There's a lot of neat ways to see the South Island that are within a day's trip distance of Christchurch (i.e. Kaikoura, Mt. Hutt, and Hanmer Springs). If you get a chance take the gondola up the mountains just outside downtown Christchurch and bike your way back down instead of taking the gondola back down. Really a lovely place.

As for China:

Qinqdao Old Observatory Youth Hostel- They turned an old observatory located at the top of a mountain in a park into a hostel. They open up the observatory occasionally. It's a little out of the way but it's an easy walk down to the beach and whatnot. Def a neat place to stay if you're into such things.

Yellow Mountain- I've been to mountains, I've climbed/hike mountains, but I have certainly never climbed another mountain like the yellow mountain. If you have it in you climb up and down as it's not quite the same if you take the cable car. Mind you only do this if you are in good shape for it is definitely no easy task and if you do climb don't bring too much stuff with you especially heavy stuff. It is amazing to see the mountain and fog, but even more amazing is to watch the locals climb the mountain with loads of stuff (sometimes even a person). Everything used on the mountain top (which has only 1 hotel I believe) has to be carried up and all the waste carried back down. You can pay people to carry you up and down in basically a bamboo chair tied to 2 bamboo sticks but it just seems cruel. Definitely wake up early and catch the sunrise it's absolutely beautiful. If you want a one of a kind mountain climbing experience you'll def get it at Yellow Mountain.

Baotou, Inner Mongolia- Not only are the grasslands and sand dunes beautiful seeing the culture and history is amazing. They've managed to preserve a lot of the culture and it is really cool. Not to mention the sand dunes are a lot of fun and come on camels are just hilarious creatures.

Jiuzhaigou National Park- Getting here is a trip. The downside is it's very crowded and touristy but it was really beautiful and if you take a walk in a part with few people it can be very serene. The hostel we stayed at was actually a hotel w/ part set up like a hostel. Seriously, rough trip getting there, but made for part of the experience and definitely worth it.

Dragon Town Hostel in Chengdu- They kept a lot of the style of old Chinese housing with which was really neat. The restaurant in the hostel was pretty good and served western style food, but the restaurant right next door outside was such a neat little hole in the wall. Amazing beer shrimp and just a cute little design and cool chill place. The hostel is down an alley type street which was kinda neat and had a lot of local stuff going on.

Yellow Flower section of the Great Wall- This is only on here because this is where we were able to camp out on the Great Wall. Organizing and pulling this off was no easy task, but not gonna lie being able to say you slept on the Great Wall...just can't beat it. Keep in mind this is technically illegal...

So, these are some of the places I've been that I suggest checking out if you get the chance. This is by means not even close to the list of places I love but yeah just a short list to share some awesome traveling stuff.

Post-It Note Homage to 90s Games

They told me to decorate my office this was the result...




See if you can figure out all the games.
Spent about $10 on Post-It Notes but still have quite a few left over. Not bad considering posters cost almost as much! It was fun to do too. More pics are in an album on Facebook. If you want any Post-It Note wall art done let me know!

Life's playlist

Sometimes music really is just fitting for life. I wish it could go back to the days of the old song but I guess all I have is this one right now. Hopefully, you'll pass a new one along sometime soon. I really hate being stuck on this song, but you've left me little courage to push the "next" button. We'll see how long the "repeat" button is stuck for this time.

People I Love

So this is somewhat inspired by Duno's post of what he remembers about people. It's a list of some people that have touched my life, inspired me in some way, made my life more memorable, or have just been absolutely wonderful in some or another. They are all people I love.

Duno Tran- Well, I guess I might as well kick this off with the person that inspired me to even write this. His passion for life and his work is amazing. Duno always sees the beauty in everything. Not to mention his unique ideas and approaches are absolutely wonderful. I have no doubt that Duno's art has and will continue to inspire and move countless people.

Jorel Newsome- His positive outlook and upbeat personality are contagious to say the least. I have never seen Jorel mad or angry. Even in the most difficult of situations he stays positive. He's like a star, he's always full of energy and just illuminates a room with his bright and positive personality.

Steven Lam- As much crap as I love to give Steven I gotta say his perseverance, kindness. and loyalty is rather inspiring. He is always willing to help a friend out and is constantly thinking of others. Not to mention, the moments spent with him around are memorable.

Thinh Nguyen- I grouped DuSome all together. Hehe. I have definitely had some memorable and fun times with Thinh. His encouragement, friendship, and patience definitely make him someone I love. He makes a wonderful mentor and teacher.

Xu Wang- Xu never lets me down. He's guaranteed to help me out and to listen when I need it. He gets me surprisingly well and never passes judgment. I truly consider Xu to be one of the most trustworthy people I know and he's always got great advice.

Gloria Burnette- That girls always has a smile on her face. It seems like everything could be going wrong and she'd be there with a smile and hug. Her positive attitude and wonderful personality make her absolutely irresistible.

Peter Ngyuen- One of the most giving and happy people I know. I have never seen Peter turn down an offer to help others. He inspires me to be more giving and kind to others. He brings light to other people through his kindness.

Kevin Davis- I love how grounded and down to earth Kevin is. He sees things on such a clear level it's refreshing. I like that he's true to himself and doesn't front. He's a wonderful BFF even though I don't get to hang out with him nearly enough.

Doug Im- Doug is such a wonderful person. He thinks the best of everyone and is always there for you. He has got such a happy outlook on life and his faith in others and his religion are inspring on many levels.

Amit Jethanandani- I don't even know where to start on Amit. Haha. I love that he doesn't feel the need to sugar coat things. He's straight about what he thinks. His drive and ability to focus are inspiring. Who else can for real study on the beach during spring break?!?

Nickey Alana- I have honest to God never met a person that everyone loves as much as Nickey. I do not think a single person that has ever met Nickey doesn't like him. He will always go out of his way to make you feel special. He truly has one of the most beautiful personalities I've ever known.

Kevin Liaw- He's one of those people that you meet and you could swear he's never been mad a day in his life. Even when things are crazy he seems to stay positive and collected. He's always smiling or laughing and is a wonderful story teller and listener.

Alex Woods- I swear that girl knows how to cheer you up and make you laugh no matter how crazy things get. I absolutely <3 her. She makes everything seem so fun and wonderful and she's an absolute sweetheart.

Ross Chun- He is so kind-hearted and considerate. Ross is so lovable. Like Nickey I have never heard a single negative comment uttered about Ross because there really is nothing bad to say about him.

Stacy Hsu- That guy can make a whole room light up with laughter just by saying "honeychild." He has such a captivating personality and is an absolute pleasure to be around. There is never a dull moment with Stacy and you're guaranteed to smile and laugh the whole time you're with him.

Vicki China- I love Vicki so much! Even though we've been away from each other for so long she is still one of my best friends. Her smile always makes me want to smile and hug her. She is always so positive and loving.

Ok, so there are more but I've been typing this for a while and need a break so I'm gonna stop for now and I'll add more later. Here's a few people that are to come... Jimmy Wong, Adam Schreiber, Jeff Romaniuk, Grant King, and a few more.

Oh, and I wrote the following at the beginning but wanted to put it at the end so yeah it's here. Sorry for the lack of organization but I didn't think I was gonna stop writing in the middle so eh.


My family is a given of course.
It never ceases to amaze me that my parents support me and love me no matter how crazy I get. Even better it's never just a simple "sure, go for it" it's a full fledged "sure, we'll help you in whatever way we can." Seriously, what Chinese mom do you know that will encourage their only baby daughter to join the Peace Corps right after college graduation? Most I know would be against it and say something along the lines of "go be a doctor or get your Ph.D."
Then there's my brother. While we may not always get along he tolerates me amazingly well and is a great role model. I cannot even imagine how annoying it must have been to always have me tagging along with him and his friends.

I want one of these...

from Taiwan






of if I gotta stick w/ domestic

Sometimes I forget...

sometimes i forget to...
put my trash can outside my door at work
call the ppl i care a/b just to say hi
close the fridge door all the way
tell ppl things i should
not drink so much
put more effort into things
live my life the way i want to

but i'll try to remember b/c i really should

Dear Drivers

Dear Drivers,

In case you have forgotten the left lane is the fast lane and the right lane is for slower traffic. Please remember this the next time you drive and switch lanes accordingly. If a car catches up to you or passes you on the right you are clearly going too slow for the fast lane. You may think you are driving fast but obviously, since they are going faster, you are not going fast enough for them. Also, going 1-2 miles per an hour faster than the cars in the slow lane does NOT make it ok to use the fast lane when it causes the cars behind you in the fast lane to have to slow down. Please bear this in mind next time you drive. K? Thanks!

Annoyed Driver

I read this and love it posting it so i can have it around to read again. Hope you enjoy it.

Random Thoughts of the Day:
(1) I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

(2) More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think
about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own
story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me

(3) Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize
you're wrong.

(4) I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have
fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when
they've invented the lighter?

(5) Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in
the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But
instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which
you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or
make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the
surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the
sidewalk.

(6) I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

(7) The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This
recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be
ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

(8)Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work?
You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the
problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix
the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just
figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

(9)There is a great need for sarcasm font.

(10)Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly
realize I had no idea what the hell was going on when I first saw it.

(11)I think everyone has a movie that they love so much it actually becomes
stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes
shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right
parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond
earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

(12)How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

(13)I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2
trips to bring my groceries in.

(14)I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your
computer history if you die.

(15)A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of
mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

(16)Was learning cursive really necessary?

(17)Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

(18)I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

(19)Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is
absolutely petrifying.

(20)Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear
is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

(21)How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and
smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

(22)Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I
will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had
to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as
in...(10 second lapse)... ummm... Goonies"

(23)What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

(24)While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively
swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

(25)MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know
how to get out of my neighborhood.

(26)Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person
died.

(27)I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower
first and THEN turn on the water.

(28)Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and
you can wear them forever.

(29)I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

(30)Bad decisions make good stories.

(31)Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is
public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB
gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

(32)If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would
probably just be completely invisible.

(33)Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around
and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous?
Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

(34)You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when
you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for
the rest of the day.

(35)Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to
have to restart my collection.

(36)There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to
die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

(37)I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I
want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did
not make any changes to.

(38)"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

(39)I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV.
There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I
keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a
matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be
friends after this?'

(40)I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Aghh!), but
when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail.
What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

(41)I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing
anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

(42)I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I
like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

(43)Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for
pedophiles.. .

(44)As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no
matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

(45)Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know
what time it is.

(46)It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

(47)I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer
when they call.

(48)Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with
it.

(49)Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a
pocket, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my @ss everyone can
find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes
closed, in the dark, first time every time..

(50)My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen
if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

(51)It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link
takes me to a video instead of text.

(52)I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive
behind obeys the speed limit.

(53)I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

(54)I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday
night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

(55)The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they
had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the
restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then
estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a
large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself.

About time for another post huh?

Like previously mentioned I really epically fail at blog. Anyway went and saw The Hangover yesterday. Funny stuff! Definitely worth a watch. I have to sneeze but it won't come out. It was mildly amusing that some of the characters reminded me of people I know. Went to Purada too last night for BYap's bday thing. It was going well until I got a call from a friend asking me to pick her up because some shit happened. Because Karma is a bitch I went to go do my good deed for a friend in need and when I pull out I feel something wrong with the car. I pull over right away and lo and behold I have a flat tire. So, I have to call my friend and tell her I can't help her out because I have my own problems. Then I go back into Purada pissed about the tire. I chill for a bit before I really am just tired and too irked to stay. For some reason our car did not come with a jack so I ask a friend to borrow hers. A few of us go out there to get the jack and change the tire. But, the jack is for a sedan so even fully cranked it doesn't touch the bottom of my CRV. So, I go back into Purada to find someone with an SUV or truck so I can use their jack. I find someone I vaguely know with an SUV. So he, 2 of my friends, and I head out to change my tire. I can tell you now it a jack for an SUV takes forever to get high enough. Anyway, finally got tire changed and all that good stuff. I was covered in crud from the tire but got home and crashed. That's that.

All I can say is...

I told you I suck at blogging. Inconsistency is what it's all about!

Brixx and UP

Brixx was pretty good. A little pricey for what it was but was yummy. My "didi" Danny was sweet and bought my movie ticket for UP since my birthday is coming up hehe. We got some wicked sweet Drew Carrey style 3D glasses for the movie like the all black ones. So Up was good but kinda sad and depressing. The characters are still adorable and funny but they story was sad. It's worth a watch but be warned it is kinda depressing. On a happy note, Adam bought basketball shorts at the mall and they were buy one get one free so he gave me the free pair! Yay! I needed new shorts to work out in. Thanks Adam! Anyway, plans for tomorrow arepick up Amit, go to library to study for GMAT, then go work out at TREC.

Night/Morning from Hell

So I couldn't sleep last night as you can see from my previous post. I was up until around 7am trying to sleep. I finally get to sleep and at 8:50am my cell rings and wakes me up. I hit the silence button and go back to sleep. 5 seconds later my voicemail tone goes off waking me up again. Again I hit the silence button and go back to sleep. Not even 5 seconds later the house phone rings. I just start falling asleep again when my mom comes in the room and goes "Chrissy" then thrusting the phone at me "it's Jewelry Television" (I had applied for an internship with them out of desperation). So I answer the phone and the lady wants to set up an appointment for a phone interview later in the day. Seriously?!?!? Who calls to set up an appointment for a phone interview that same day?? So I ask her if 4pm will work but she says she already has an appointment for 4. In my half asleep state I ask her if it's possibly to do the interview tomorrow...tomorrow is saturday. FML. Anyway, she just says that it has to be today. So then I figure it's already almost 9 I might as well get in the shower and have her call around 10am so I ask if 10 works and yet again she already has an appointment. So I shoot for 11 figuring I can get another hour of sleep then shower and do the phone interview. 11 works for her. I hang up set an alarm and try to go back to sleep. By the time I fell asleep again I got maybe 25 mins when my alarm went off. So now I'm fairly certain I have bags under my eyes from not sleeping and I have a whole full day ahead of me. Not fun. But on the UPside I'm going to go see UP today!!! Yay for Russell!

Sleep Please Come to Me!!

I'm having issues sleeping...I'm somewhere between these pictures...

Irked

I find it extremely aggravating when people belittle me or try to give me shit about what I do. Not so much because I care what they think, because I sure as hell won't change what I'm doing because of them, but because I find it to be a large waste of my time to have to listen to or read they're bitching about me. Really, is your life so dull and worthless you have to interfere on mine and complain about what I do to find pleasure in your own life? It's not that I don't appreciate constructive criticism but what I'm talking about is straight up unnecessary comments. Please, in the future, do not include me in your obnoxious asinine behavior. Thanks!

Anyway, here's a random picture

Attempt #2384825

So, I have tried and failed many times in the past to maintain a blog. Recently, however, I have been able to update my Twitter on a fairly regular basis. There is one little problem though, Twitter I can update from my phone via texting and there's a 140 character limit, neither of these is true for a real blog. However, I am still going to try as sometime soon I'll either be joining the Peace Corps, teaching English somewhere, working a really shitty job, or failing at life and all these things could result in mildly interesting blogging. So for now this is for when Twitter's 140 character limit is an issue or I'm just bored and want to ramble.