48 Quarters

It was August last year when I started collecting the US State quarters. I am now just 2 coins away to completing the 50 US states!


The US Mint website describes the 50 State Quarters® Program as "an innovative 10-year initiative (1999 - 2008) commemorating each of the 50 United States, as allowed by Public Law 105-124. This is an unprecedented program by which the United States quarter's design will change five times each year for a 10-year period, beginning in January 1999. States are honored in the order in which they were admitted into the Union".

I still have to find the Alaska and Hawaii quarters, both just released in 2008. Anyone?

M

MAY, Month of
This entry is a memoir of my ordinary life for the month of May.

Memorial Day
The last Monday of May here in the US is observed as Memorial Day, a time where those who gave the ultimate sacrifice (their lives) are remembered and honored. This day is also a national (non-working) holiday.

Holiday (here in the US) is always an adjective for the word SALE. So off we go again to the garlic capital of the world, Gilroy, not to buy garlic of course, but to pay homage to the outlet stores.

Mighty Mouse
A wireless mouse for my Macbook. Blue-tooth enabled.
See also: Mom’s Day

Mom’s Day
For most parts of the world, the second Sunday of May is a day where mothers are honored, given extra attention and offered special gifts. I had been an inducted member of this privileged group of celebrants for two years now.

My mom and I were treated to a lunch and a tour of Napa. Evan wore his “My Mom Rocks!” t-shirt. Riki treated me for dessert afterwards at my new favorite place in downtown Walnut Creek, the Apple store. I ordered the Mighty Mouse and the laptop bag for my Mac. Woohoo!

I really wish we had Mother’s Week instead.

See also: Mighty Mouse

Moment, Purple Flower
I have been looking for a copy of the book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal since 2005. It had been on the top of my Xmas/Kris Kringle wishlists for the last two years, and a constant query to Customer Service during all my Powerbooks visits. But all efforts to find it were futile. The book seems to evade me for some reason.

That reason was made clear to me the week following mother’s day. When Riki picked me up from work one afternoon, he presented me (an additional) late mother’s day gift. A hardcover copy of the evasive Rosenthal book and a FIRST EDITION copy at that!!! I was panting from disbelief and sheer joy.

You remember the scene in Serendipity where Halley (Bridget Moynahan) gave Jonathan (John Cusack) a first edition copy of the book Love in the Time of Cholera as a wedding present? It was exactly like that moment, except that I wasn’t looking for a telephone number on the first page of the book.
See also: www.encyclopediaofanordinarylife.com for other purple flower moments

Muggle Task and Opinion
I finally got the chance to go to a bookstore and reserve my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (coming out July 21!). After getting my personal details for the database record, the attendant posed a very serious question to complete my reservation. Is Severus Snape a friend or a foe?

My answer was automatic. Of course he is a friend! Professor Albus Dumbledore had trusted him eversince. That is enough for me to believe that he is indeed worthy to be considered loyal. And I bet there will be a twist in Book 7, where Snape will be singing his redemption song in the end. So let's see if I am right on July 21, 2007.

More importantly, the “ Snape Is Loyal” sticker Border’s handing out is purple.

Multiply
I created my Multiply account last year just so I can have access to free mp3s online. But after a month of daily browsing thru Jon and Bibi’s photo albums, I was finally encouraged to ramp up my site just to make it decent for them, and for other visitors as well.

This blog and my Smugmug Family Album will still remain as my main sites though.

Musing
But writing with simplicity requires courage, for there is a danger that one will be overlooked, dismissed as simpleminded by those with a tenacious belief that impossible prose is a hallmark of intelligence.
- Alain de Botton, The Consolation of Philosophy

My Credit

If you have read the Rosenthal book, you will understand while I am writing my post this way. Kudos and full credit to Amy!

See also: Moment, Purple Flower

TRAVEL DIARY: April 2007

Time to start exploring the Golden State!

Armed with printed Mapquests directions and our dependable digicam (DSLR still budgeted for May!), we braved the intertwining freeways and roads of Northern California to visit some of its well-known tourist attractions from our Walnut Creek home this April.


April 7, 2007: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Getting There: 3.5 hours / 170 miles
Whoa! That’s what you’ll utter when you witness Yosemite’s beauty. The graphite mountain, the majestic waterfalls, the gemstone lakes, everything is so picturesque. Lonely Planet calls it the Taj Mahal of national parks. I haven’t seen the Taj Mahal, but I must agree still. Being there, witnessing the awesome beauty of nature makes you feel closer to God indeed, to his awesome creation.

Inside the park, there are hybrid air-conditioned buses that offer free rides around the vast territory. This is a better way to explore the area than bringing your car to every station. You can just hop in the bus, get off one camp to explore the trails and engage in massive camera-whoring activities, then hop in the next bus again to go to the next camp.

April 15, 2007: GILROY
Getting There: 1 hour / 78 miles
Lonely Planet only devoted two short paragraphs for Gilroy, plainly describing it as the garlic capital of the world. Omitted was the important fact that it houses plenty of factory outlet stores! This is certainly a place where everyone's sentiment is “too many stores, so little time!”. A shopaholic’s haven indeed.

It is also the hometown of Riki’s Italian friend/previous co-worker Luca. After a day of record-high kilometers in my pedometer, drinking Japanese beer and Italian espresso in their American home, while chitchatting with their French friends in the backyard (where there are lavenders in full bloom!) is definitely a welcome cool-down before heading back home to Walnut Creek.

April 21, 2007: SAN FRANCISCO and SAUSALITO
Getting There: 45 minutes / 31 miles
A visit to San Francisco will not be complete without seeing (and walking over) the “red” Golden Gate Bridge. Picture-taking in the south and north vista points of the bridge are mandatory. My little man Evan though seemed unfazed by the majestic bridge, taking more interest in the pigeons socializing with all the tourists in the area.

North of the Golden Gate Bridge, is the lovely town of Sausalito. When I first saw this bay neighborhood, only one word came into mind, quaint. Perfect for a romantic stroll, an al fresco meal and a cup of coffee, Sausalito is such a lovely place to spend a relaxing day during the weekend. My favorite place so far!

San Francisco has so many interesting places to visit, a day of exploring is not enough. However, after playing with the pigeons, Evan decided to take his nap already on our way to Exploratorium, which means end of the trip for us for that day. We will definitely come back for more in the future.

April 28, 2007: MONTEREY PENINSULA
Getting There: 2 hours / 120 miles
Sausalito is now just second on my list of favorite places in Northern California. The Monterey Peninsula now tops the list…well, so far. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a mesmerizing treat for marine animal lovers, strategically located in Cannery Row, which basically is an avenue of charming shops and restaurants, all promoting the area’s sardine-canning business. Riki and Evan had a blast watching the otters, jellyfishes, hammerhead sharks, octopus, penguins and a dozen types of fishes.

I had a better fun time though when we drove along the 17 Mile Drive, a breathtaking scenic route connecting Pacific Grove and Carmel. I just fell in love with the stately and posh seaside homes, the sea, the breeze and the Lone Cypress Tree. This is bed and breakfast destination extreme!

April 29, 2007: SIX FLAGS DISCOVERY KINGDOM
Getting There: 30 minutes / 23 miles
Never a fan of monster rides, Six Flags was not on our list to visit. However, the recently re-opened Marine World/Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo boasts of a wide variety of zoo and marine animals. So off we go, together with other Pinoy office friends to the amusement park. While the rest of them are screaming their lungs out in the thrill-rides, we explored the park, watched the animal shows and posed with the Justice League and Looney tunes folks.

Whew, that was fun! Travelling is indeed more meaningful when you have your family and friends with you to share those memorable shots.

This is just the executive summary of our April adventure. If you want to see the rest of the fun pictures, click this.

Till next month's sojourn! :)

Bitter Sweet Symphony

Prologue
To capture a month-long adventure in words is indeed a tedious task. Reading the resulting lengthy narrative is even a greater feat. Thank God for pictures to make things shorter but more interesting!

Finally, our California move sonata.

Saying Goodbye
Juliet had aptly said it. Parting is indeed such sweet sorrow. As much as you are excited with what lies ahead as you depart, the notion of leaving people and things you love behind is truly heartbreaking.

Since we will be away for the next 18-24 months, we have to dispose most of our belongings. We gave up our condo (where all our happy memories since Riki and I got married happened), sold all our personal stuff (and just got to keep in storage selected items for posterity) and forced GAEL to join the (car)workforce for the meantime while we were away. (Gael is one year old today, April 12... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!)

If saying goodbye to these THINGS was hard, imagine the sadness of saying goodbye to PEOPLE. With only a two-week window after getting our US visas, Riki and I had despedida parties/lunches/dinners till the early morning of our March 1 departure flight. I realized we are indeed so loved, having families and friends wishing us well and telling us that they will miss us while we’re away.

To everyone in Pinas, you are the reason why we will definitely come back home in 2008/2009.

The Adventure Begins
It was Evan’s first plane ride.
It was Riki and Evan’s first trip to the US.
It was Riki and me’s first trip out of the country.
It was the family’s first plane ride/trip together.

It was a Business Class booking, and it was free.
Thank you my beloved employer!

Buhay Expat
Moving to CA on an expat status definitely has its perks. From the exclusive club hotel accommodation pre-departure, business class airline tickets, grand airport limo transfer (complete with a bottle of champagne opened at your delight!), a designated relocation consultant at your heed and call for the first two weeks, to the luxury of corporate housing accommodation and transportation. Everything seems to be served in a silver platter, as they say (free of tab).

Well, everything except the implement to immediately cope with the emotional challenges of relocating to a foreign country with a different timezone, opposite weather and far more diverse culture than your comfort zone home country. The first two weeks had been especially hard to Evan who stayed awake at nights, slept during the day, felt grumpy and irritable the whole day and moved bowel every three hours. Good thing my mom followed us after three days, to the rescue! Whew!

And then there’s work of course. In the midst of all the relocation adjustment we have to endure, I have to start earning our keep and report for work. And as if my adjustment issues at home are not enough, I have to do the same in the workplace. My new role here is TOTALLY different from, again, my comfort zone. My expertise is Functional SAP. But lo, they assigned me to the Technical Team. I am to lead the Infrastructure Services group in the org chart. That means, I have to learn SAP Environment Management fast to be able to deliver in my new position. After two weeks on the project, I am popping 800 mg. of Ibupropen a day to ease the pain of my newly-acquired malady, migraine.

As I ponder later on, after all the haze had subsided, it really is fortunate (and in a way necessary) that we came here with all the luxury and convenience attached with our visa status. Otherwise, with all the emotional hurdles the family had to endure, we might be questioning why we were here in the first place, uprooting ourselves from an otherwise comfortable (and nanny-abundant!) sphere.

Immersion
All adaptation profiles go through the anxiety stage to the growth stage (we learned that from our Cultural Orientation here). As Riki and I start to get comfortable with our new surroundings, settled in our new home for the next two years, everything began falling into their right places. And then we started appreciating the flowers, and yes, even the squirrels.

Having Filipino friends, colleagues and even new acquaintances around also made life easier. Believe me, after a whole day at work speaking in English, it is a welcome exercise to converse with fellow Pinoys in our beloved language afterwards. It’s like eating all leaves (salad) and bread for breakfast and lunch, and finally going home to eat kanin and ulam for dinner.

Most importantly, the fact that the family is intact and together in this new life adventure, everything turns into sunshine and good memories (pictures and avps).

Action Items
This move is only temporary. Thus, it is but wise that we maximize it and make sure we have fun!

The first three weeks of hurdling relocation issues is now over.
The fifteen months of shopping, travel, exploring and good times begins!

The Garcia’s TRAVEL DIARY starts on the next post. :)

Mac and Me

Yes, I am still alive!

It has been a month since we started our Northern California adventure. We have finally settled down (after a month of relocation hurdles!) in our cozy apartment and is now ready to explore the land of the free!

I finally got my dream Macbook (woohoo!) last Friday, so I am now officially back in the blogging business. Our BIG MOVE stories on my next posts.

Much Ado About... Poo

It is now official!

We just got our L1/L2 visas approved last Friday. We can now openly tell our friends (and relatives) that The Garcia Trio will be temporarily relocating to the Sunny State of CA for the next 18 months. Thanks to our generous benefactor, my beloved company, the best employer in the world!

It has been my long-time dream to hit the hay and just be an expat’s wife. Imagine traveling the world for free. It had never occurred to me that I will be realizing that dream not for myself but for my husband. I guess God is telling me Riki had been a very good provider the past years he deserves a break (or is it a bigger, global reach for his entrepreneur gigs?).

It was Riki’s first time to be interviewed by a US Consul. On the way to the Embassy that morning, we went through all the possible questions he might be asked during the interview, even rehearsing how he will construct and deliver his answers. During the ACTUAL interview, the Consul just had ONE question for him, whether he had been to the US already in the past. He simply answered “No.” And that’s it. Haha! Talk about over-preparation.

Evan, on the other hand, just treated it as another (early) day away from his crib, playing with the other applicant toddlers at the compound while waiting for our go at the queue. And when it was our turn to be interviewed, then he decided it was high time to poo (in his nappy)! Thank God there is a thick glass window between us and the interviewer Consul. Well, if you gotta poo, you gotta poo right? Talk about making a statement in his own small way.

So now till the end of this month, we will be busy packing our bags (and boxes) as we start a new adventure beginning March.