’tis the season

stateside retreat - part four

november 20, 2007 - tuesday - day five - "privileged shopping" - 'twas the first time i woke up a little later than usual in days.  not much on the itenerary for the day, except for shopping some more stuff to bring back home at the mall inside travis airforce base where my uncle was a retired officer of the military, therefore having the privelege of using the facilities inside the base.  oh, and the prices at that mall are marked down from their regular retail prices on normal stores.  not much activity happened during the earlier part of the day.  i just stayed home and watched TFC, espn and other sports channels, plus made some adjustments on the items to be placed on the box.  i needed to make some more space since we'll be meeting my mom's college classmate tomorrow for dinner and she might have some items for me to bring back home as well.

we left for travis air force base after lunch.  again, 'twas a long drive, about two to two and a half hours on the freeway.  i was kinda starting to get bored with these long drives.  the trips we made everyday were equivalent to going to the province back and forth.  we reached the mall around mid-afternoon and started to wander around.  i checked out the DVDs section hoping to find titles that can be played on the dvd player back home but found out that all discs were encoded for region one only.  bummer.  i also checked out the prices for the playstation3, which, on tv were advertised to be starting at USD$299 down from USD$399.  though i didn't have enough money to buy one, i just did the math to find out how much it'll cost back home.  my mom got herself some more stuff for herself to use during her stay, while i just made the most out of my remaining pocket money and got only the important stuff which i'll be needing and using back home.

it was already dark when we went back to the car.  i had a picture taken beneath a vintage air force plane displayed at the parking lot area, but somehow when the picture came out, the plane can be hardly seen.  i fell asleep on the long drive back home.  we arrived at around 8pm, had dinner, got some of the stuff we bought and placed it on the box, then called it a day.  'twas the only day that i felt was uneventful.

november 21, 2007 - wednesday - day six - "a whole lotta chinese…. food" - after having an early breakfast, we headed out to vallejo post office to have some packages sent.  my brother had a colleague based also in california and had some stuff sent her way.  unfortunately, we weren't able to meet and give her the package due to scheduling conflicts, so after a phone conversation with her and my mom, it was decided that the package be mailed instead.  the post office was near vallejo marina, which was our next stop.  the marina has a ferry service going to and from san francisco, so there were a lot of parked cars around the area where people take advantage of the ferry instead of driving all the way to frisco.  it also had a park and a walkway for joggers, bikers and tourists.  on the other side of the river bank was mare island, an old industrial complex that was first used by the military during world war two, then it was abandoned and left unused for decades.  we strolled along the walkway, soaking up the sun and watching some of the locals setting up to go fishing along the river.  we even managed to come across a group of filipino tourists, who made initial contact by asking, "are you filipinos?"  we chatted for a bit and found out that they came all the way from new york to spend thanksgiving in the west coast.  back home, they were based in pampanga.  we then continued on the walkway and had pictures taken in front of the marina office.

quite tired from walking up and down the marina, we then headed to szechuan chinese restaurant near the area for an early lunch.  food was great, though i think we ordered too much since my mom and i forgot that the servings were far greater than back home.  we had noodles, rice, vegetable, lemon chicken, calamares and some beef.  food quality was excellent, and we had to take home what was left.  'twas one of the more "filling" meals i had during my stay there.  we went back home after lunch, and my aunt started preparing for the big thanksgiving feast tomorrow night.  she was in charge of the turkey and my mom chipped in by preparing fruit salad.  i, on the other hand, was busy organizing the box.  i had it taped, and started putting the items on their permanent places, though not yet sealing the box since there may be some more items that can be placed after tonight.

my mom's college classmate (who i also call aunt) and her husband picked us up at the house around 5pm.  they were in a sleek mercedes benz so i was quite giddy that i'll be able to set my ass on a mercedes!  the car was very, very comfy.  we then proceded to their place in hercules.  we had to drop off some things at my aunt's house before having dinner at a nearby restaurant.  it has been years since they last saw each other, and i can hardly remember the last time i saw her.  the drive to hercules was filled with conversations, mostly about me.  we then arrived at a restaurant, and when i entered, it was another chinese restaurant.  my mom and i looked at each other, knowing that we had chinese food for lunch and that we're about to have the same for dinner.  we decided to just keep silent about it, since they chose the place.  i tried to find other cuisine that was different from what we had earlier and suggested it to my aunt.  good thing we didn't have the same ones we had for lunch.  still, the restaurant was more upscale than the one we were in earlier, but the food tasted the same… obviously.  after dinner, we went back to their house and got a glimpse of how years of hardwork in a foreign country paid off.  it looked simple on the outside, but grand on the inside.  in between more conversations, they showed us photo albums of their son and daughter's weddings and had dessert.  at around 9 in the evening, we decided to call it a night, and they drove us back to vallejo.  naturally, they gave me some stuff to bring back home.

we arrived back in vallejo at around 10:30pm and realizing that there'll be less time to prepare my stuff tomorrow, i immediately went to work on the box.  we even went back out to raley's to buy some rope for the box to be easily moved around.  good thing that raley's was still open and since that it was the eve before thanksgiving, they were open until midnight.  i was able to finish and seal the box and secure my other check-in luggage just after midnight.  thanksgiving will be my last day, and it'll be quite a short celebration for me since i had to be at the airport just before midnight to check-in for my flight back home.  i was having mixed emotions already as i went to bed, convincing myself that the week's vacation is coming to an end.

on the final installment, my thanksgiving celebration and the flight back home.

stateside retreat - part three

on to part three of my highlights of my US trip.  things have been increasingly hectic at work so i apologize for taking kinda long in following up my stories.  anyways, here we go:

november 19, 2007 - monday - day four - "casino royale" - i noticed during the longer i stay on that part of the world, the more times i wake up during the night (wee hours of the morning) and have trouble getting back to sleep.  i don't know if it's the weather, but if it is, then it doesn't make sense because i sleep comfortably on cool nights.  in any case, i woke up at around 7AM and had breakfast.  our itenerary for the day is to go to cache creek and check out their newly opened casino resort, as opposed to the plans of going to reno this past weekend.  the drive to cache creek is about two and a half hours long, so for us to make the most out of the day, we left at 8am but had to pick up my aunt's sister who was also joining us.

the long drive began and immediately, my mom, aunt, and her sister began talking.  me, well, silent as always, trying to enjoy the scenery along the way.  my aunt's sister and i would have conversations from time to time, but mostly it was about her asking me about my life back home since it was the first time she met me.  we drove through an indian reservation land, orange plantations, and crossed some small towns reminiscent of the countryside scenarios i have seen on hollywood movies.  upon arriving at the area, i marveled at the sheer size of the structure.  it was like the only modern landmark put up on an isolated area.  we then proceeded to the registration area.  first-timers get a free US$25 loaded card that can be used on all slot machines upon presentation of identification, so good thing we brought our passports along.  i still have the card with me in my wallet as a souvenir.  since my aunt was a regular casino goer together with my uncle, she showed us how to play a certain slot machine game.  it was not the old-school slots where there is a lever on the right side, and you insert a coin, pull the lever, and hope to the high heavens you get the three sevens for the jackpot prize.  i was actually imagining it to be that way, but things are much more sophisticated now.  there are now computer-based game slots where patterns are analyzed and a certain combinations had to be made in order to get back an amount from what you initially bet on.  at least that's how i understand it… sorry, first timer here… hehehehe….

my aunt settled on her favorite game and i was on her right side, watching her play.  she then showed me how to operate the game where i was at, from placing bets, to playing the game itself, and all the mumbo-jumbo of hoping the big money pieces turn up.  i got the hang of it pretty quick and started playing on my own in no time.  my mom also started playing on the opposite side from where my aunt was.  for about 45 minutes of playing, i won some and lost some, but not completely using up my game card.  i continued playing until i noticed that my winnings were piling up.  i tried not to be conscious about it, for i think that's where losing starts.  so i played on, until the remaining US$8 i had on my game card rose to near US$50!  my aunt was noticing that my money was piling up and quickly suggested that i cash out.  it seemed a good idea at that time, so i hit the "cash out" button, and a voucher came out with a value of US$50.65.  my aunt told me that there is an atm-like machine where i can insert the voucher and the money will be cashed out.  i suppose beginner's luck was with me and i felt good about my first casino experience.  we then took a break to have lunch at a chinese restaurant within the casino premises.  as we walked towards the restaurant, we passed by all sorts of slot machines and different gambling tables for blackjack, poker, roulette, and craps.  the place was really huge, yet it wasn't full of people due to it being a monday.

after having a sumptous lunch, we tried the other machines for fun.  since i had already more money than when i came in, i gamely hopped from one machine to another.  big mistake.  slowly, what winnings i had turned into losing streaks, and trying new machines didn't bring back the beginner's luck i had earlier until i was now inserting bills i had since my game card read zero.  i finally thought of going back to the first game i played in the hopes that familiarity with the game can bring back my winning ways.  i started playing again, until the familiar sounds of winning were being heard.  playing safe, i calculated how much i put in, and waited until it reached the total of all that i had bet on, and then cashed out.  break-even sounds better than pushing my luck to win, only to lose.

we had other plans that day, mainly to go to costco to continue shopping for items that i'll be bringing back home and for my aunt to buy the thanksgiving turkey in order to avoid the rush on the eve of the holiday.  so after an eventful day at cache creek casino resort, we headed back to vallejo.  my aunt's sister's daughter–princess–called, asking where we were.  she replied where we're going, and asked if she wanted to meet us at costco.  her daughter agreed and told her she'll meet us up in a couple of hours.  i fell asleep along the way, and woke up when we're just about to park the car.  it was 6PM already, but the skies were already dark.  weather was chilly as always as we headed inside the store.  princess was already there and my aunt finally introduced me to her and her to me.  "nice to finally meet you," she greeted me with a handshake.  now, if only i could see myself while she offered that handshake to me, i swear that i was like a deer-caught-in-the-headlights-stunned to see a beautiful relative smile at me.  now i admit that i'm a sucker for women i can't have, but come on!!  i was like, "she's my cousin?!?  like, are you sure??"  not that i said that out loud, but inside i was screaming, "how cruel can this be?!"  i later found out that i was double-whammied.  first, she's my cousin, second, she's only 20 years old.  i swear to you, she don't look like no 20-year old hottie.  damn…..  while all of this was going through my mind, i kept a straight face, making sure that no one realizes how utterly disappointed and dejected i am in meeting a beautiful young woman who happens to be my…. cousin.  son of a….

realizing that my silent whining would get me nowhere, i just focused on getting the items that we came for.  i also took some time to look around some of the cool stuff for sale.  we got mostly food items like chocolates, mac n' cheese, cookies, etc.  i paid for everything by the way.  that's what the loan was for…. hehehehe….  so, we then had our items paid and headed back to the car.  i learned that princess was driving her own car and saw that she was parked not too far from where we were.  she's driving a 2006 honda civic, which was not bad.  we passed by a filipino grocery store to get a box that i'll be using to pack the stuff to be brought back home.  as we parted ways, princess waved at me and told me, "nice meeting you!"  i just smiled back and waved at her in acknowledgement.  within a few minutes, we were back home.

i unfolded the box and started to see if what we bought would fit.  everything wasn't final though, as i still have my other check-in luggage to fill.  we had dinner, i watched sportscenter until eventually i became sleepy.  as i was settling in bed, only one highlight of the day was present in my mind…  and i guess you all know what that was….

on the upcoming installments, more chinese food, getting to finally ride in a mercedes benz, a walk in the park, the universal thanksgiving greeting, having my first thanksgiving celebration, and the flight back home.

stateside retreat - part two

this is the second installment of what happened during my recent US trip.  again, please bear with me as this may be another long entry.  but i do hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoy writing it down.

november 17, 2007 - saturday - day two - "unscheduled stop" - i woke up to a foggy, 10-degree celcius temperature, yet i was able to sleep fairly well on my first night.  my mom and my aunt were already up and at the dining table having breakfast.  i joined them and had a traditional filipino breakfast of coffee, scrambled eggs and pan de sal which was bought at a filipino store not far from where we're staying.  i also got the chance to watch tv and surfed through the different cable channels like usa network, spike tv, vh1, fsn, espn and espn2, plus the local affiliates of cbs, fox, abc and nbc.  our plans that day were to go to the bank, a weekend street market, as well as check out the mall at vacaville where manufacturers like nike, adiddas, polo, and other brand name apparels are being sold at factory prices.  but before we go to those places, we had to make a quick stop at my aunt's office in oakland.  after breakfast, i took a very warm shower which felt good, but immediately started shaking after stepping out of the bathroom.  yet in spite of the cold temperature i was able to hack it, since i was used to cold temperatures in the office.

it was around 9 in the morning when my aunt, mom and myself left the house.  bank of america was our first stop.  i was kinda surprised that a stand-alone bank branch is open on weekends, but according to my aunt, they're only open until noon on saturdays.  'twas a quick stop, and we were on our way to the street market.  now, if you have seen the movie notting hill, you're probably familiar with the scene where one whole street was closed and lined up with sellers of different kinds.  from fruits to vegetables, plants, flowers, etc.  that was similar to what i saw on the street market which i found quite nice.  my aunt bought some radishes, and some veggies, while my mom got some strawberries.  we wandered a bit more, but my aunt told us that she needs to get to her office, so we were then off to oakland.  the drive took around an hour and a half on the freeway.  my aunt works at a restaurant supply company, called east bay restaurant supply, incorporated.  she just had to check some work-related stuff which she missed out since she was taking a week-long vacation on thanksgiving week, and had to make sure that things are in order.  upon arriving at her work area, she found out that she had work that day since one of her co-workers swapped schedules with her in order for her to be granted the thanksgiving week vacation.  so what was supposed to be a whole day trip turned out to be hanging out in the office on a saturday.  it was fine by me and my mom, since we were just tagging along and it prompted a chance for me and my aunt to have a little bonding session by talking to each other the whole afternoon while she was working.  we also wandered around the warehouse-slash-store since they were having a pre-thanksgiving sale that day as well, but we didn't buy anything.  had kfc for lunch, which really tasted better than what we have here in the philippines.

my aunt's schedule that day was until 4 in the afternoon, so we waited and once 4pm hit, we left immediately.  the skies were already getting dark that early, and since the drive back to vallejo was another hour and a half, we decided to push our scheduled activities to tomorrow and headed back home.  my aunt asked me what i wanted for dinner and i suggested we order take out at panda express, one restaurant which food i enjoyed very much during my first visit.  there was one on the way home, so we passed by and ordered orange chicken, chow mein, spicy beef, and sweet & sour tofu.  the smell of the food inside the car had my taste buds going since it's been that long the last time i had a chance to savor their food.  dinner was hearty upon arriving at the house and i had successfully done one of the things i enjoyed during my first visit–eat good food.  sunday mass the next day was scheduled at 8AM, so after watching sportscenter, i decided to call it a day and headed off to sleep.

november 18, 2007 - sunday - day three - "three stops, two masses, and the biggest dog i've ever seen" - i immediately took a shower upon waking up to get myself freshened up, as well as remove any trace of sleepiness i had.  after a short breakfast, we headed off to church.  my aunt was active in the parish community, and she was scheduled to be one of the lectors during the mass, so my mom and i seated ourselves near the front of the altar.  the church seemed to me like a small cathedral and i was awed by the nice paintings behind the altar.  the mass began after a couple of minutes of waiting.  all i can say about the mass is that it's more solemn compared to how masses are celebrated here.  the parish priest at the beginning asked everyone to greet one another, and it was my first time to shake hands with americans and filipinos alike during a holy celebration.  the homily was quite different since during that day, there was an organization fair where different parish groups are presented and everyone was asked to stand up and wander around to see if they might be interested in joining a particular group–all during the homily.  my mom and i didn't, though since i was just there for a week.  i really felt good after the mass ended, but as it turned out, my aunt had to stay for another mass celebration.  this time, her role was one of the coordinators for one of the religous groups during the fair.  we were not familiar with the area, so instead of going back to the house through local transport, my mom and i stayed and heard mass for a second time.  talk about making up for masses unattended!  hahahaha!

we immediately left after the second mass.  my aunt and my mom were talking about going to reno, nevada via a shuttle bus that leaves in the afternoon so we went first to lucky tours to inquire about the schedule.  unfortunately, all tour packages leave on fridays and saturdays only, so there goes our possible reno rendevouz.  my aunt then said that there is a new casino in cache creek so we decided to go there tomorrow.  for the rest of the day, we planned on going to vacaville and to the house of one of her sons in the same area as well.  we headed back to the house and had lunch, and shortly after, began the drive to vacaville.  after driving for an hour, we reached our destination and began to check out the different shops.  i got a pair of adiddas shoes for US$30 which had an SRP of US$45, a shirt from nike priced at US$12 which had an SRP of US$25, both good deals.  i bought a shirt and a cap for my brother, while my mom bought a pair of slippers for my sister.  we checked out some of the other stores, but i didn't buy some more, since i have a limited budget.  after a couple of hours wandering and checking out more stores, we then headed to a local suburb of vacaville, where my cousin–my aunt's son–was living.  she called him up, but unfortunately, he wasn't home, but since she had a key, we decided to go anyway for me and my mom to check the place out and see his pet dog.  it was an alaskan huskie of some sort, according to my aunt and it was about six months old.

we bought pizza along the way which we planned to have as dinner to be eaten at my cousin's place.  it was a short drive from the mall and it was late in the afternoon when we arrived at his place.  it was a typical american home, but my cousin is still single, so it turned out to be a bachelor's pad complete with a 42-inch plasma HDTV, a small weight room, and stuff you can find in a single guy's place.  my aunt then called for juno, the dog and when he entered the living room, my eyes were witness to the biggest dog i have ever seen in my life!  when i take a knee, i'm already face-to-face with it!  it's that big!  it's not afraid or uneasy with strangers, but it's very playful.  a picture of me with juno can be found on my friendster account.  i wish i had a pet dog like that.  we ate dinner–with juno–and after playing with him some more, we decided to head back home.

i felt sleepy on the way back and dozed off a little.  it was a tiring day and as soon as we reached the house, i changed to my sleepwear and headed off to bed.  little did i know that some of my other cousins were on the way to the house and unfortunately, i was already asleep when they arrived.  they were indeed looking for me, but my mom decided not to wake me up.  and for good reason.  i didn't want to look sleepy in front of them… hehehehehe!  but there were still opportunities to meet them before i leave.  and i wasn't expecting that it'll happen on the next day…

on part three, my very first casino experience, and finally meeting my cousins… one of which i wish wasn't… hahahahaha!!!!