25 Random Things About Me

Facebook is exploding with "25 random things about me" notes to the point that Time Magazine even wrote an article about it. Check out "Facebook: 25 Things I didn't want to know about You."

So to go against the grain and not really participate, but participate...I've decided to make a useful list of "25 Not-So-Random and Important Things I bring to the Airport." Enjoy!

25 Not-so-Random Things I bring to the Airport


1. Carry-on luggage only. If you're traveling for a week or less, carry-on is the way to go.

2. Identification. Driver's license or passport.

3. Travel Organizer Case. A useful case that stores all my travel documents, ID, and money.

4. Printed Itinerary and flight confirmations. Don't waste time standing in line when you can print it out at home.

5. Extra cash. You need cash monies if you want to tip the skycap.

6. Magazines, preferably gossipy US WEEKLY/PEOPLE ones. They're cheaper and more entertaining.

7. A book

8. Sudoku

9. Pencil/pen. What if you want to circle something from the airline shopper's catalog...Like a hearing-aid that doubles as a bluetooth...

10. Chapstick

11. Slippers. I pack these on international flights.

12. A plastic bag. You need this for any liquids! It's very important!

13. IPOD

14. Headphones. If you don't own an MP3 player, you should at least bring headphones or else the airline could charge you $5 to rent theirs.

15. Plastic tie-locks for any luggage I do check in. It's plastic and it looks like twisty ties. It doesn't prevent dishonest people from breaking into your stuff but it can deter them.

16. Water bottle. It's easy to get dehydrated on a plane. Just remember that you'll have to pass through security and buy one at the airport.


17. Aspirin or Tylenol PM. Some people on the airplane can drive me crazy.


18. Breath mints or gum. What's worse than morning breath? AIRPLANE BREATH.

19. Eye drops

20. Pathmark Turkey sub. Airlines don't really feed you on the plane and if they do, have you seen their choices?! It's cheaper and better to bring your own sandwich

21. Snacks

22. Toothbrush. On overnight flights, I always bring a tooth brush to prevent the dreaded AIRPLANE BREATH.

23. My own pillow. When I was young, I used to drool on those airline pillows. When I found out that other people were drooling on them too, I brought my own.

24. A mini blanket or an extra sweatshirt. No infectious skin diseases, please.

25. A camera. You might want to take some pictures from the airplane if you see a great view. Plus, you never know who you'll bump into at the airport, especially if you fly into LAX. Hello, Cameron Diaz!

Stuff White and Asian People Like: "Taking a year off to travel"

My Asian brother traveling

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard of the blog called "Stuff White People like."

Every now and then I check it out for kicks. It's hilarious! Check out the latest entry, #120 "Taking a Year off."

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2009/01/11/120-taking-a-year-off/

I'm not white but I AM GUILTY OF #120!!

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.

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.