11/10/08

Phillies Phever



This guy was really feeling the phever.

After waiting 28 years, the city of Philadelphia truly embraced the long awaited title. Although I may not fully understand all the emotions in regards of wanting something for twenty something years, I can say that the Phillies Phever was contagious. I believe I started feeling symptoms of this phever at the start of the playoffs, when the Phillies played the L.A. Dodgers. I was in no shape to do any school work or even go out during game days. I started to yell and scream more. Eventually, I lost my voice after game 5. All I could see was RED. This epidemic even led my friend from Boston (Red Sox fan) to buy a Phillies t-shirt just so she could feel better.

As for me, I dealt with the condition by buying a nice comfy red Phillies hoodie, busting out my red purse, shoveling through my closet for all my red-Christmas colored clothes, adding "ph" in front of every word beginning with the letter "f", memorizing the stats of the players, and petitioning with my classmates to have class shortened for game 5 of the World Series. Oh, and let me not forget the most, most important phanatical thing: I carved a Phillies “P” into my Halloween pumpkin.





This may sound corny, but I think the Phillies really brought the city together, creating major team spirit. For example, it was secretly mandatory at my school for everyone to wear red before a game. And if you did wear red, you were automatically friends with other people wearing red. Like, the other person would look at you, acknowledge your love for the Phillies, smile and give you a head nod. This went beyond school, too. On the streets, strangers would do the same smile, a head nod, and maybe even a “GO PHILLIES!” shout-out. It was a great way to meet people. Everyone seemed so much nicer and happier.

Even the dog has a t-shirt


Obviously I can’t end this post without mentioning flipped cars on Broad Street and the parade, where I bumped into Jay from Project Runway season 1. But since I didn’t do the post-game partying on Broad St. (I was in Manayunk, instead), I guess I can’t really tell you much about that. You’ll just have to google “Flipped cars, looting, fire, unhappy mayor, Phillies.”

Coach Charlie with the Commissioner's Trophy
"If you can't hold, if you can't hold...hold on for the phanatic"

MVP: Cole Hamels (a.k.a. most handsomest pitcher)


I’ll move on to Jay from Project Runway. Yes, the fabulous Jay from season one, the champion who beat Kara Saun in the last challenge. He came out to the parade with his 40oz and just chilled with one of his friends on the corner of Washington and Broad. He was actually standing right next to me. When I noticed him, I thought to myself, “This guy looks like Jay from project runway.” Little did I know that those words came right out of my mouth while I was “thinking.” We eventually ended up chatting and cheering for Cole Hamels. Apparently, Jay is working in Philadelphia now. So if ya’ll want him to personally design something super chic, he’s here! Didn’t I just say that being a Phillies fan was a great way to meet people?



Now if only the 76ers would step it up…

10/23/08

Fly First-Class for Free

"We fly first class to change the forecast..." Jay-Z

Too bad I'm not Jay-Z. And if you got onto this page via facebook, chances are, you're not Jay-z either.


In my experience with flying, I have never paid for a first class or business class flight but I've traveled in both areas of seating multiple times. Many people don't realize that there are rules that can be bent in regards to getting your seats upgraded. Let me start by showing you what coach class is like. Refer to video below:



Now, imagine first class as being the exact opposite of that video.


Here are a few tips that could pretty much guarantee an upgrade*

(*Some restrictions do apply.)


Give up your seat.

On a normal day, flights are typically overbooked because most airlines assume that not everyone is going to show up. So in cases where everyone does, the flight attendant will usually make the announcement asking for someone to give up their seat. Here's a chance for an upgrade. In exchange for a seat, they will promise to book you the next available flight, with upgraded seats. On top of that, they should offer an additional free airline ticket so you can travel where ever you please (within the U.S., of course). If you're not on a time crunch, giving up your seat is the way to go. You'll get two for the price of one.

Let me also note that voluntarily giving up your seat while on the plane (ex. a mother wants to switch seats with you so she can sit next to her child) will not guarantee you upgraded seats. However, if a stewardess initiates the move, you might get the upgrade depending on availability AND your attitude.

True story: I once witnessed a grouchy woman getting riled up when asked to leave her window seat in order for a mother to sit next to her child. She made such a scene that the airline stewardess finally asked another woman instead. The nicer, more obliging woman, said that it wasn't a problem and the stewardess told her that her new seat would be in first class. CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE WITH YOUR LUGGAGE!

Rack up the mileage points.
Join "frequent flyer clubs" if you find yourself traveling on a particular airline over and over again. The more points you have, the easier it will be to use those points for an upgrade. Racking up points can also be done by using a designated credit card that allows you to boost up mileage points (ex. American Express has a deal with Delta Airlines, Chase has a deal with United Airlines).

Travel alone.
Loners tend to be bumped up faster because it's easier to find one empty seat in first class than two. But you can't look like a hobo loner. Hobo loners are the people that scare off the people in first class. Shoot, they even scare off the people sitting in economy. You have to be a classy, well-dressed loner...Thus, leaving me to explain the next point....

Dress to impress.
This is crucial people! You're going to have to put away that old college hoodie with the matching sweatpants. Leave those in your suitcase. Better yet, just leave them at home. I'm not saying that you need to get decked out in Ralph Lauren. You just need to look business or business casual.


Be a doctor.
Okay, before all you med-heads start wearing your stethoscopes around your neck before boarding, you're going to have to save someone during the flight. Then, you'll get bumped up.

Get to the airport early...
The early bird catches the worm! Arriving early to the gate gives you a slight advantage over the "just on time" folks because if you're "dressed to impress" and there are open seats left in first/business class, you may get upgraded.

True story: This happened to my Dad and me when we arrived at the international airport in Vietnam 3 hours before the actual flight. My Dad was wearing his business-ish attire (not because he was looking for an upgrade but because it was the only clean outfit he had left) and the airline lady simply asked, "would you two like to sit upstairs on your flight?" Hello,business!

Get to the airport late...
Yes, I know I just told you to get to the airport early but there exists opportunities when one arrives to the gate late. For one thing, the ticket people will try to rush you to your gate as soon as possible, thus, if they see that economy is over crowded, they'll just throw you in first-class in order to avoid any disgruntled behavior. The last thing they want is a customer getting pissy at them about unavailable seats even though it's technically not their fault.


Connections, connections, connections.
I'm not talking about flight connections, I'm talking about knowing an employee within the airline you're traveling on. Sometimes it's not about what you know but who you know.


Always be polite to airline employees.
I repeat, ALWAYS be polite to airline employees. Do you want your luggage flying to Hawaii when you're on a flight to Europe? Do you want crappy seats because you bad-mouthed Aaron, the Airline man? Do you NOT want to get that secret coupon that airlines give out to the nice people when there's a canceled flight and you have to stay over night at some hotel?

Exactly, I didn't think so. Be nice to airline employees or suffer tragic consequences that will absolutely spoil your whole trip.


Varying degrees of upgrades:

Get Preggers.
This is a hit-or-miss situation. If you look like you're ready to pop, the airline employees probably won't even let you on the plane, let alone give you an upgrade. However, if you look reasonably pregnant (and I can't really give you an approximation on how far along one should be to look "reasonably" pregnant), then you could get a better, more comfortable seat on the plane.

Note: There's a myth circulating around saying that if one does give birth on the plane, the baby is guaranteed free tickets from that particular airline for life. Mmm...I don't think so but let me know if it is true.


Celebrate something.

This will probably work for honeymooners or someone celebrating a 70th birthday. Remember, it has to look obvious that you're celebrating something. I recommend wearing matching t-shirts saying "just got married" or matching Hawaiian shirts to those who are celebrating their honeymoon.




For those celebrating a birthday, you're gonna have to wear some sort of tiara/crown that says "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" in bright colors.



9/23/08

The Poconos




Actually, the real title should be...


Poconos Reunion 2008 (with a touch of class)

Our "official" UD reunion for the class of 2007 finally occurred this past weekend in the mountains of Pennsylvania. For the most part, our busy lives kept us from getting together for over a year so seeing everyone was like a blast from the past. I really do miss the good ole days of undergraduate life...Racing to the dining halls, living in UD paraphernalia sweats, and drinking budget friendly Popav's .

Group picture at Boulder Field



Well, we're all grown up now (hence, "the touch of class" added into the title). Instead of bunk beds from our Thompson dormitories, we stayed at Steve's lake side cabin (more like his uncle's cabin), traded in dining hall food for some "Food Network" inspired goodies, and of course, upgraded our drinks from cheapo Popav's to red wine. I, however, still wore my UD sweatpants for most of the trip just to keep the tradition going.

Chef du jour: Alan in his UD t-shirt

Being a major planner and working with Steve who is a planner king, I'm sure everyone knew that a lot was going to be done in just three days. One might have assumed that the activity's list was simple: eat, sleep, drink, and play. I mean, that's what college people do, right?

WRONG! Our schedule was much more refined, kind of old-fashioned but still really fun.
We were able to fit in a nice "welcome back bbq (w/a touch of class)," a Champagne brunch, Canoe racing, a bonfire, two movies, a fiesta meal, a trip to Boulder field, deer sightings, and a mean game of Taboo.
Enjoying the outdoors

Our attempt to have a canoe race started off a bit slow since the other boat was having trouble getting into the water...Until the yacht captain, fully dressed in the proper attire, finally arrived to the save the team!




These rocks at Boulder Field were moved by glaciers thousands of years ago.
We look all excited about climbing over rocks but it was kinda scary after our 2 hour all-you-can-stuff-in-your-mouth champagne brunch.
rocks
Trying to tan on the sharp rocks
Steve attempting to tan on the rocks

Beware: these rocks are a lot sharper than they look


Our bonfire and relaxation time in order to digest and prepare before dinner. S'mores, anyone?
The bon fire

The best shot of a sunset I could get. It's not all that, I know.
Sunset at the lake


Three days of fresh "Poconos" air can really do a body good. If you haven't been to the Poconos during the fall, you should try and go during late September or October to see the tree leaves change color. We caught the beginning stages of the change but hey, this was the only weekend that could accommodate us!

So long and farewell to my mini fall vacation break somewhere in the mountains!


Note: This area is also a big vacation spot for the winter because of the ski slopes (Blue Mountain, Camelback, and Jack Frost). However, the activity's list is limited to those sports unless you want to ice skate on a frozen pond or try
hunting?






9/1/08

My Top 5 Beaches

Island to island, coast to coast, these are my top 5 beaches.


5. Dauphin Island, Alabama


I know what you're thinking. ALABAMA?! The reason why I chose this location over Laguna beach, CA (the runner-up/honorable mention) is because it's so different. Who would've thought that there existed a very white sandy beach in Alabama? I just had to put this one the list to make people aware of the fact that this beach does exist and it's beautiful! The fact that it's a diamond in the rough makes me like it even more.




4. Goff's Cay Island, Belize



Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, is a country in Central America. In order to get to Goff's Cay Island, you would have to charter a boat. The ride is pretty amazing because you're surrounded by crystal clear, teal water. When I was there, our group encountered a tiny rain storm while riding towards the island and the waters got a bit choppy. After we all got sea sick and depressed, two rainbows appeared and we were immediately made happy again! This is one of my favorite pictures.



FYI: You can get your hair fully braided into cornrows for real cheap once you get onto the island. The locals really pressure you even if you say no...I almost got them done but I wasn't sure if I was feeling this particular look on me:



If you wanna spend an extra $2.00, you could get some beads braided in there too...

3. Coki Beach St. Thomas, Virgin Islands



St. Thomas is part of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Coki Beach is one of my favorites because of the location right within the charming city of St. Thomas. Also, this beach is not as crowded as the other popular beach, Magen's Bay. You can snorkel here and get glimpses of some incredible colorful fish. I don't know if this is illegal in St. Thomas but if you bring some bread to feed the fish while you snorkel, they'll all swarm towards you. If it is illegal, I obviously didn't do it.

If you're a swim fan, you can swim laps around the beach and swim to another part of the island because the waves are light. Another great thing about this place is that there are tiny local restaurants along the beach. You can place orders while sitting on your beach chair since the servers walk back and forth. Just remember who your server is. Lauren and I were chastised for placing our orders with different people (one place had better smoothies!).

Don't forget to get a massage for a dollar a minute. Let me just warn you now that the "private massage area" is a sketchy wooden table lying underneath a coconut tree.

The only downfall is that if you don't bring your own chairs or umbrellas, you'll have to rent them. You may have to bargain down the prices because they can be outrageous sometimes. Who would've thought that renting one chair and one umbrella would could cost $15USD???




2. Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

So much can be said about this beach. It's probably the most popular and famous beach in all of Australia. In my eyes, it's better than the ones near the Great Barrier Reef because there aren't as many jellyfish (emphasis on the "aren't as many"). There will always be jellyfish in Australia. Jellyfish and sharks. The good thing about Sydney is that they put up an underwater shark net that connects with the other beaches. So no worries, mate!

Random facts:

-In 2000, this beach was used for the Olympic beach volleyball tournament.
-The lifeguards here are the best in the world. If you ever plan on drowning, drown down under here.
-It's topless.
-It can get very, very crowded in the summer (1000+ people).
-Nicole Kidman lives 10 mins away.
-If you don't wear sunscreen and then you accidentally fall asleep on the beach, you could wake up with sun blisters. Don't know what sun blisters are? Google image it.
-In 2007, it held the Guinness World Record for the largest swimsuit photo shoot, with 1,010 women wearing bikinis taking part.
-A shark once attacked a swimming kangaroo (sources are still being verified on that one).




1. Hanauma Bay Park, Oahu, Hawaii



ALOHA HAWAII! Hanauma Bay was created within a volcanic crater, thus, making this area even cooler than the other places I've listed. In case you didn't know, the Hawaiian islands were basically formed by volcanoes. With the Hanauma being within the volcanic crater and declared a protective site, the marine life is very diverse.

A lot of people would say that they like Waikiki beach in Oahu. Unlike Waikiki, Hanauma has more to offer than just the surf and tanning: snorkeling, scuba diving, and exploration of the nearby hiking trails.

Before visitors even step foot onto the sand, EVERYONE has to watch this educational video about the Hanauma Bay. The summary goes like this:

1. Don't touch the coral reef
2. Don't touch the fish
3. Don't touch the sea turtles
4. Don't touch, feed, or step on the fish, sea turtles, or coral reef
5. How about you just make life easier for the conservationists and stay out of the water

Someone I know, who shall remain anonymous, actually saw a huge green sea turtle and tried to ride on it's back, thereby breaking rules 3 and 5.






hawaii 147

8/6/08

Hong-Couver


It's been close to two weeks now since I've been home. I haven't done much traveling, unless you call driving on 1-95 to Philly traveling for a few birthday parties (Happy Birthday Quyen and Aivi!). Nevertheless, I hope to be up and about some time soon. GOSH, I need to go somewhere! Lately, the interests of traveling to Vancouver, Canada has heightened. The weather in Canada is absolutely beautiful at this time of the year. I read somewhere that Vancouver is like a miniature Hong Kong but in North America (Hong-couver?). Take a look at their demographics.


Vancouver was also voted as one of the best cities to live in.


The Chinatown in Hong-Couver is also the second biggest in all of North America (the biggest is in San Francisco). On top of that, have you seen this picture of Vancouver? It looks gorgeous!





ALRIGHT, just loading that picture has made me so excited about possibly going there.

Note to self: Somehow make money and plan fun trip to Vancouver and find friends to go with. Would anyone want to come along?

7/25/08

Attention: Lightening has struck the plane...





"....And we can't find a piece of the plane. So we have to cancel the flight. Our apologies."-US Airways


WHAT?!? My connection flight from Toronto back to PHL was canceled the first time around and I had quite an interesting time in Toronto for the night. With lightening striking planes and confusing international gate directions, my overnight stay in Ontario was from a movie. I mean, I was that girl running from gate to gate, running in circles, getting yelled at for forgetting to remove my water bottle, and hearing things like "you know, it's because of your country that we have to be so strict about water bottles and security." Ahhhhhhhh.

But I am home at last!! And I should be home for awhile. I think.


Here are some great pictures from the Lake Louise hike I did over the weekend while in Calgary:

reflections


Me, Atticus, the BG

It looks like a painting

7/18/08

The Sun Sets at Midnight



11:42PM in Calgary (Canada) to be exact, basically midnight. I'm already jet-lagged from my flight from CA to Alabama and now my body's even more confused because I'm in the Northern Mid-west territory of Alberta, Canada. Let me see, I believe the time difference is 2 hours from the east coast and 1 hour from the west coast.


I'm here enjoying a visit to my Auntie. She's on vacation herself from her busy job and it's a girl's week of girlie things. Yesterday, I went on a walking tour of Calgary (a bit of a bore to be honest) and then we shopped at Calgary's only mall. A lot of people from this area are from the oil business (my aunt included) and everyone seems to be an expat (my aunt included as well).

Like I said before about Canada, the air is clean and fresh. I can already feel a difference in my skin. Everyone is in great shape and they enjoy the outdoors. The most popular shops around here are EMS, The North Face, Lulu Lemon, and any other place involving out door activities or yoga. Everything seems very simple, very nature, and very clean compared to the states. I feel like I should jog/bike while I'm here just so I can take advantage of the slew of trails available. With the sun setting at 11:42PM, many people are out and about running/biking/kayaking (I mean, "oot and aboot") late at night. Kinda bizarre...

I'm currently catching up on rest at the house with the dog, Atticus. His farts are really deadly (sorry, that was the first thing that came to my mind when I brought his name up).

This is his winter outfit in Canada


After this, we're gonna be heading to the Lake Louise/Banff area for some nature-ish activities for the weekend.

7/13/08

Camp Noah 2

I flew into Alabama last week and just completed Camp Noah part deux. It started on Sunday and lasted until Friday night. I'm so happy that the kids from last year signed up again (and they brought friends!). Things went smoothly and it was a pleasure working with everyone. This was my second time doing mission work as a volunteer counselor for Camp Noah. I volunteered through my church last year and had a blast. We had almost the same team working this year with a few new hands on top of that. Unlike last year, we weren't assigned individual age groups but individual tasks/activities. So I was able to work with all the kids this year, not just one age group. Here are some pictures from this year's camp. I'll post other information after the picture post...There's so much to say!

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Timmy, Me, Ana

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Activities

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The PINK team!

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Luu loves watermelons

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I wish I was small enough to play this game

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Skits

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Arts and Crafts

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Thoaie is adorable. She's grown so much!

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Lyona looks so studious

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Aivi and her crew

Most of the students were fantastic. No one really stood out as difficult to deal with or a cry baby. Although there was this one girl, Ana, who had quite the appetite. She's standing on the right in the first picture. Homegirl eats a lot! I didn't call on her this one time and she started crying. I didn't know how to make her stop. I tried everything...offering to call on her during the next lesson, offering to let her play outside longer...EVERYTHING. Ultimately, what made her stop crying was when I offered her another brownie. The next day I caught her taking extra chocolate granola bars and I asked her how many she had eaten. She hesitated a bit and answered me in her southern accent, "this is my sixth bar Miss Lanny."I was shocked!!! I immediately told her to grab some carrot sticks...

Other than bad eating habits, Ana and the rest of the children seemed to have enjoyed the camp. We were fortunate that it didn't rain 24/7 down there. OOH, and we also got to eat our fair share of shrimp and crawfish. Yum. Every time I eat shrimp down there, I am somehow reminded of Forest Gump's friend, Buba.

The unfortunate part about Alabama was the mosquitoes. They are worse than Vietnam. Towards the end of the camp, I decided to wear pants because I didn't want parents thinking that I had some strange skin disease on my legs. Lord, have mercy.

If you want to read more about Camp Noah, I wrote a post on it last summer in Aug. Check it out!