Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
1 Week, 1 Photo & 500 Words or Less (August 10, 2008)
Greetings from Irvine, California, USA!
Photo taken on Saturday, August 9, 2008.
* This was a missing journal entry. I took a hiatus – the break unplanned, the duration undefined. Eventually I restarted but skipped over 14 weeks. Approximately a year later the entry is now written.
Recently my parents went to Seattle for 11 days, both my roommates went on a motorcycle trip for 3 days and a couple with their son went to Hawaii for 7 days. Where did I go? I spent a week in Fountain Valley dog-sitting for the island-bound family.
While not a five-star hotel, their house has its comforts – a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, 100+ channels of cable with Tivo, flat-screen televisions in the bedroom and living room and, overlooking the three dogs and one cat, an empty house to do whatever whenever I wanted.
I spent most of my time at “Casa de Pou-chay” playing with the pets, watching television, lounging beside and in the pool and jacuzzi… Basically I did not have a care in the world, just living the “Life of Riley”, whoever he is. Everyone needs to leave harsh reality occasionally and enter a dreamland, a place with no distinction between weekdays and weekends, no schedules or routines, nothing resembling everyday life.
I left the “sanctuary” occasionally. I went to the beach to play volleyball twice during the week and to the Orange County Great Park yet again on Saturday. I was there for an evening flight in the big balloon. In my weekly photo the orange orb stands out against the dark sky. From the bird’s eye view of the balloon, lights from cars, streets and buildings created a luminous nightscape – an enlightening new perspective of suburbia.
Meanwhile the Olympic games in Beijing, China, started on Friday with the Opening Ceremonies, which had me on complete awe. Artistry seamlessly intertwined with technology and the talents of the performers were magnified by the scope of the production. This was inarguably a five-star caliber performance. Let the games begin.
Angelo
Photo taken on Saturday, August 9, 2008.
* This was a missing journal entry. I took a hiatus – the break unplanned, the duration undefined. Eventually I restarted but skipped over 14 weeks. Approximately a year later the entry is now written.
Recently my parents went to Seattle for 11 days, both my roommates went on a motorcycle trip for 3 days and a couple with their son went to Hawaii for 7 days. Where did I go? I spent a week in Fountain Valley dog-sitting for the island-bound family.
While not a five-star hotel, their house has its comforts – a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, 100+ channels of cable with Tivo, flat-screen televisions in the bedroom and living room and, overlooking the three dogs and one cat, an empty house to do whatever whenever I wanted.
I spent most of my time at “Casa de Pou-chay” playing with the pets, watching television, lounging beside and in the pool and jacuzzi… Basically I did not have a care in the world, just living the “Life of Riley”, whoever he is. Everyone needs to leave harsh reality occasionally and enter a dreamland, a place with no distinction between weekdays and weekends, no schedules or routines, nothing resembling everyday life.
I left the “sanctuary” occasionally. I went to the beach to play volleyball twice during the week and to the Orange County Great Park yet again on Saturday. I was there for an evening flight in the big balloon. In my weekly photo the orange orb stands out against the dark sky. From the bird’s eye view of the balloon, lights from cars, streets and buildings created a luminous nightscape – an enlightening new perspective of suburbia.
Meanwhile the Olympic games in Beijing, China, started on Friday with the Opening Ceremonies, which had me on complete awe. Artistry seamlessly intertwined with technology and the talents of the performers were magnified by the scope of the production. This was inarguably a five-star caliber performance. Let the games begin.
Angelo
Monday, August 4, 2008
1 Week, 1 Photo & 500 Words or Less (August 3, 2008)
Greetings from Newport Beach, California, USA!
Photo taken on Monday, July 28, 2008.
* This was a missing journal entry. I took a hiatus – the break unplanned, the duration undefined. Eventually I restarted but skipped over 14 weeks. Approximately a year later the entry is now written.
My 10 years of Junior Chamber (JCs or Jaycees) membership has been through the Newport Beach (NB) chapter until last year when I switched to its neighboring South Coast (SC) counterpart. I was going to more SCJC events than NBJC ones and my experience would better help the newer and smaller South Coast group.
I have participated in a wide range of activities and roles except for one. I had never been President until this year but it was short-lived. My small board of directors slowly vanished due to various personal reasons until I was the last person standing. I had the difficult decision either to keep the group going or call it quits. I chose the latter.
With the end in sight, I stayed committed to our existing schedule of events up to the last one – the group’s 5th anniversary beach bonfire. I would return to the Newport group but first South Coast would end with a blaze of glory as the weekly photo shows. That Monday night I had a “South Coast Jaycees” sign and added “2003-2008”, creating a tombstone which I tossed into the bonfire. It was a bittersweet moment of closure.
The next day we had a modest earthquake circa 11:30 AM on Tuesday. Having lived most of my life in SoCal, I was accustom to quakes. On the other hand my roommate James, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, had yet to experience one. I was stretched out in bed watching television when the tremor started and simply rode it out. James was also at home and I heard him run from his room, down the stairs and out the front door. When it was all over, I could hear James talking with other neighbors about the earthquake.
I had a temp job this week, working from 12 Noon to 6 PM and did not see James before leaving. Back home later in the evening I saw my other roommate Wayne. He too is from out of state, originally Oklahoma, and had never experienced an earthquake. Much to his diappointment, Wayne did not feel the tremor as he was driving at the time and his car’s tires and shocks absorbed most of the shaking.
James appeared as I told Wayne how he ran out of the house when it hit. While his behavior was not atypical, I gave him grief as he never checked to see if I was okay after the earthquake. He felt a little guilty and now I have an ace up my sleeve. At some later point in time, when needing a favor, I can say, “James, remember that earthquake when you ran and never checked on me? You owe me for that and I am collecting on it now…”
Angelo
Photo taken on Monday, July 28, 2008.
* This was a missing journal entry. I took a hiatus – the break unplanned, the duration undefined. Eventually I restarted but skipped over 14 weeks. Approximately a year later the entry is now written.
My 10 years of Junior Chamber (JCs or Jaycees) membership has been through the Newport Beach (NB) chapter until last year when I switched to its neighboring South Coast (SC) counterpart. I was going to more SCJC events than NBJC ones and my experience would better help the newer and smaller South Coast group.
I have participated in a wide range of activities and roles except for one. I had never been President until this year but it was short-lived. My small board of directors slowly vanished due to various personal reasons until I was the last person standing. I had the difficult decision either to keep the group going or call it quits. I chose the latter.
With the end in sight, I stayed committed to our existing schedule of events up to the last one – the group’s 5th anniversary beach bonfire. I would return to the Newport group but first South Coast would end with a blaze of glory as the weekly photo shows. That Monday night I had a “South Coast Jaycees” sign and added “2003-2008”, creating a tombstone which I tossed into the bonfire. It was a bittersweet moment of closure.
The next day we had a modest earthquake circa 11:30 AM on Tuesday. Having lived most of my life in SoCal, I was accustom to quakes. On the other hand my roommate James, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, had yet to experience one. I was stretched out in bed watching television when the tremor started and simply rode it out. James was also at home and I heard him run from his room, down the stairs and out the front door. When it was all over, I could hear James talking with other neighbors about the earthquake.
I had a temp job this week, working from 12 Noon to 6 PM and did not see James before leaving. Back home later in the evening I saw my other roommate Wayne. He too is from out of state, originally Oklahoma, and had never experienced an earthquake. Much to his diappointment, Wayne did not feel the tremor as he was driving at the time and his car’s tires and shocks absorbed most of the shaking.
James appeared as I told Wayne how he ran out of the house when it hit. While his behavior was not atypical, I gave him grief as he never checked to see if I was okay after the earthquake. He felt a little guilty and now I have an ace up my sleeve. At some later point in time, when needing a favor, I can say, “James, remember that earthquake when you ran and never checked on me? You owe me for that and I am collecting on it now…”
Angelo
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