Reality Ruckus; part1 (hot hot guys in bikinis, german models saying Auf Wiedersehen, and crazy lesbians!)

CBS finally announced the new teams for my favorite Amazing Race (season 9 starts on Feb. 28). It looks like they didnt cast any teams that are over the top...but its too early to tell. So far, I think i'll root for the nerdy team, the hippies, and the other under-dogs. In addition, I cant help but support the alpha male team mostly because of this picture of them (although I want one of the all-female teams to win, as long as these two hunks stay till the end of the show, i'll be a happy tv-addict. Also, if Phil wears more tight pants, the ratings will definitely rise).

Over at Bravo, the second season of Project Runway is truely living up to the original season. Lots of drama, lots of fashion kudos and disasters, but for the most part lots of gay boys prancing around fulfilling their life-long dreams! Earlier in the season I was really rooting for Diana-the-nerd (see the pattern of my nerd-loving) but she was teamed up with the worst designer in the bunch so she was Auf Wiedersehen by the lovely and very preggy Heidi Klum aka Mrs. Seal. Queen-bitch-Zulema is finally kicked out even though she won the week before...who is going to cause drama now especially Santino aka Hannibal Lecter (he said a couple of times that he will eat other contestants if necessary) finally realized that his artistic bruhaha might be too "fashion forward" ( which means its a piece of crap). My predictions for the top three (the pictures are that of their designs):

Sure Bets:

Chloe and Daniel



Battle for the third spot

Nick, Andrae and yes even Santino (if he really pulls his shit together these next two challenges)
click to enlarge each picture.

Lastly, over at MTV....the reality whore's of Real World and Road Rules (which has dearly departed us) are back again...divided between the newbie- whore (Rookies) and the been-there done-that-whores (veterans). Im surprised that Veronica is not in this Gauntlet 2 (I guess they might have to make a team just for her; professional whores). Anyway, its hard to summarize this season....its full of alcohol, sex and crazy people who would do everything to get a shopping spree at Best Buy (one of the prizes). How crazy is it...and I quote one of my favorite cast members (Aneesa from RW-Chicago) "Suck my dick bitch".

Till next week (or whenever I get the time to write)

Highlights/Complaints/Praises and other random blah of the day

Highlights:
The Boyfriend and I got a membership at the Newport Beach Aquatic Center. Its a fancy schmancy sports club with a gym and storage for different sorts of boats. The first week we tried the two-man sit on top kayak and this past Saturday he talked me into trying this Hawaiian style outrigger (like a kayak with a beam support on one side). I wasn't quite sure how stable it was going to be coz I saw this ultra-buff guy the week before; falling all over the muddy water (which was hilarious coz he was really trying to keep his composure). To reassure me that it is indeed stable, The Boyfriend tried it first...he was right so I followed along. We got off to a good start, paddling towards the mouth of Newport Bay. The Boyfriend decided that he needed to test the extent of this kayak's stability so he started swaying side to side...all of a sudden i see the boat flip over!!!!! I was genuinely concerned because the boat could have hit him on the head but he was fine and we both had life vests on. He turned it over and climbed back in... when I was sure he was ok...thats when I started laughing (I'm such an evil boyfriend....sorry babe). To make it worse, this whole thing occured in front of a bunch of Newport high brows staring down at both of us from their mansion. Anyway, we continued on our way to the ocean. We turned around at the mouth of the bay and rushed our way back to the aquatic center... by the time we got there I have just about to loose both my arms from paddling and toes from freezing (i didnt have any shoes on). We're definitely doing it again, and this time we're going out all the way to Laguna Beach.

After a strenuous Saturday, I followed it up with yet another tiring Sunday... It was such a beautiful day (70 degrees in the middle of winter! hells yeah I'll be outside), so we went out on a bike ride. Roundtrip it was almost 20 miles... on our way back The Boyfriend has to give me a boost because I was lagging behind (i looked like an 80 year old lady on a bike). Here are some pictures from our ride

(1) flower from the Irvine Edible Garden...where you can really just pickup all sorts of vegetables and take it home.
(2) The Boyfriend looking sexy
(3) We passed by tons of ducks and other types of birds like herons etc.
(4)Me looking ridiculous with my all black ensemble



Praises:

*Best Friend #1 (Nat) is very dedicated into having these medical goods delivered to a needy hospital in the Philippines.
*Best Friend #2 (Roy) had a short visit last week. The last day he was here, we did some shopping in West Hollywood but he really just want to bring one luggage. So in the middle of the sidewalk he piled up all of his clothes and somehow fit all of them in a tiny carry-on luggage.

* I know I keep saying that I'm a reality-tv addict but I havent really talked about it...I promise I'll post a crazy-ass comprehensive reviews for my current favorites (Project Runway, Real World-Road Rules Challenge, Dancing With the Stars, American Idol) and upcoming shows (Real World Key West, Survivor Exile Island and of course Amazing Race 9). But a quick peek(click on active links on each names to see their audition videos); my favorites from the American Idol tryouts Paris Bennett, Ace Young, Zachary Smith, Lisa Tucker and several other notables but I'll reserve them for later. Anyway, I'm rooting for Paris because she's adorable and her voice is so unique.

Complaints...and other things that pisses me off:

*That driver this morning who not only cut me off at the 4-way stop, he even did a gesture as if I'm the culprit...he got a well deserved middle finger and a honk.

*The Philippine customs, for being so corrupt...now Best Friend #1's charity work is sitting in a storage facility and the only way they can get it is if they make some under the table deals....horrible! For my readers in the islands of the Filipinos... can you guys help my best friend.

Back from camping....and I survived!!!

Day 1
I had a great time this past three-day weekend. Like what I said in my previous post, The Boyfriend and I went camping in Catalina Island. After I found out that theres a good chance of rain, I was somewhat hesitant but theres no backing out. We drove early to San Pedro to get on the ferry to Two Harbor as we arrived the port, it starts raining. We trekked to our camping site with our huge backpacks. By the time we got there we were so via Avalon. As soonaking wet, muddy pants and boots and we still had to set up our tent.


Day 2
Sunday was definitely a good change from the gray and wet first day. Woke up early, went hiking and then rented a two-person kayak. It was my first time (yes I'm a virgin at kayaking), as soon as I got on that kayak, the wave hit us hard soaking me! What a great start but we got it on our second try. Later that day, we decided to re-use our home-made tarp (trash bags) and made a kite out of it. Its interesting how a simple, inexpensive thing can be so much fun.


Day 3
Woke up early, packed up, had a large breakfast at the town restaurant (yes theres only one), and took the ferry back to mainland California. It was such a great weekend!

No I can't prescribe you medicine!

Everytime I tell people what I do, a lot of them tune out right about when I say..."I do research in...." I try my best to not overcomplicate my explanation and at the same time dont dumb it down too much that the person I'm talking to might feel a bit offended. They get the studying part but the rest remain's a mystery to these confused few (which includes not only acquaintances but friends and family too). Often, after telling them that I'm getting a PhD., I get a question somewhere in the line of "so can you write me prescription" or "so can you give me plastic surgery". I figured, why waste my time explaining if I can show it (hehe I know its a ridiculous premise)....So the series of pictures pretty much portrays what I do on a daily basis (in addition to going to classes).

Holiday in San Francisco

The Older Sister (Ate Anne) and I went to San Francisco for a few days. We met up with The Boyfriend for a day of fun in the city. Here are some pictures.



(1) The Boyfriend thinking about his successful escape from Alcatraz (seen in the background);

(2) I forgot to bring a step stool to match The Boyfriend's height (Union Square);

(3) The Older Sister on top of Lombard St. (that windy street)

(4)Uphill climb on a cable car (the guy in foreground is the break operator)

(5) need I say more...Golden Gate Bridge.

(6) Just finished lunch by the Fishermen's Wharf ( you can see that I had a delish clam chowder on sourdough bread bowl.

Highlights/Complaints/Praises and other random blah of the day

Complaints
*I love winter time. Although there is no such season in L.A., we (Los Angelenos) live in a city where everything is possible. In our desperation to experience the changing of the seasons, we create artificial snow in Disneyland's main street (which by the way, lasted only for 3 minutes). Some of us dress up in our winter outfits even if we're sweating bullets. I learned to just wear layers. It could get chilly in the early morning, enough to convince me to turn off my two alarms (yes I have two alarms set 15 minutes apart) and stay in bed till my room heats up to a nice baking temperature. It may sound crazy but some days I just want to wake up to an overcast sky, i'll even take a slight rain. I have all of these winter clothes (from my bay area days) that are just collecting dust.

Highlights

*I can't wait to go camping this weekend. Since its a 3 day weekend (thank you Mr. MLK), The Boyfriend and I are finally going to Catalina Island. I bought some MRE (meals-ready-to-eat) from Trader Joe's, I bundled up my sleeping bag, and thought about what things to bring so I wont die of boredom. The Boyfriend suggested to leave behind a lot of stuff I told him I'm going to bring. He said that bringing all of my crap will defy the purpose of the trip....to get away from everything. So no MP3 player, laptop, any school/work related stuff etc. Its going to be quite a change to what I'm used to but like what I said on my previous post about my New Year's resolution...change it up a bit. I'll update with pictures and stories when I get back. (Picture of Two Harbors where we will be camping. Courtesy of ThomasH www.pbase.com)

Praises
*I went jogging last night around the reservoir. I was waiting for the light to change so I can cross the street at the corner of Silverlake Blvd. and Glendale Blvd. Also waiting was this older Filipina (I'm good in identifying my Filipino folks) lady, maybe in her 60's or 70's. She's wearing a Ralphs (a big grocery chain in california) uniform. I recognize her as one of the baggers at the store. I smiled and she smiled back. You can tell that she's had a long day at work, probably on her feet for most of the day. If I were her, I would be grumpy and bitchy....having to stand up for most of the day, lifting heavy bags, making sure that the eggs dont break, then I have to walk to the bus stop and wait outside in the cold....I wouldnt be able to force a smile. A lot of people around her age would much prefer to play bingo, watch Home Shopping Network and just enjoy their retirement years. But not her. She's one of those folks who you can see working till their body gives up. She exemplified many older Filipinos that I've met (both here in the US and the one's I met while I was growing up in the Philippines); hardworking, dedicated to their families, and persistent to do absolutely everything to contribute to their family and not become dependent on other. Kudos to Lola-who-works-at-Ralphs.

Random blah
*I'm typing this at my favorite coffee shop (Silverlake Cafe). The majority of their patron's are fellow bloggers (I can see them furiously typing up their own blah's) and the Hollywood types (actor/writer/film-maker). I noticed that I'm the only one who doesnt have a Mac. Honestly.... I looked around the coffee shop. There are 8 people here and every single person (except me) has a Mac laptop. I love my Fujitsu Lifebook because its light and very user friendly but I do realize how popular Mac's are. I also noticed that the majority of the mp3 players that I see around town are also from Apple (need I say Ipods). While I on the other hand has a Rio iRiver which I also like coz I can listen to the radio. I feel like a minority in this Apple-technology- infested coffee shop. I know that every single one of these Mac users are looking down on me....well F*** them.

*I started my spring semester classes this week. I'm going to take it easy this semester so I can focus on my qualifying exams (yeah right). Im just taking the Biochemistry seminar class (where other PhD candidates present their work while I sit there eating the free greasy pizza) and Biostatistics (I've taken a couple of statistics classes when I was still in RSHS and a summer class at UC Davis so I'm hoping that I'm not going to struggle in this class). I'm shooting for my first full "A" grade in grad school (I got close last year) for this Biostats class but it might not happen because during the first few minutes of class the professor tells us that she's going to be extra strict (she's insane, we're not high school kids that needs to be warned and reprimanded).

Bonne Anne!

I know that I'm 10 days late but Happy New Year! We're more than halfway done with this decade and we were all freaking out six years ago with that Y2K hulabaloo. Like many folks, I also have "resolutions". I'd like to think of it more like long term plans coz, honestly most people's resolutions tend to last for about 3 weeks and then they just could not resist the stale doughnuts and Ben and Jerry's.

First I'd like to reflect on the highlights from last year.

*Spending the holidays with my Dad, and two sisters (I think the last time we were all together during Christmas was over 10 years ago).

*Breaking out of my comfort zone and travelling to Italy and France by myself.

*A new addition to the family(little Ernesto).

*A growing relationship with The Boyfriend.

*Other highlights (1) winning the training grant; (2) Trips to Boston, NYC, and different parts of California; (3) finally deciding on which lab I will do my thesis in; (4) reconnecting with old friends and extended family members that I haven't seen in a long time.


Now my new plans for the year.

I can easily list the stereotypical resolutions (ie. exercise, diet, quit this or quit that) but like what I said already, these types of resolution has such a high failure rate. So I'm going to list more life altering and long lasting plans.

*Really figure out what I'm passionate about. Am I going to stay with Science? Am I going to follow the path of Felicity (you know from the same titled show) and become an artist instead? Or am I better off as a nomad, begging my way around the world.

*When I say I want to do something....I need to just shut up and do it. Even I'm annoyed of myself when I dont follow through with whatever ideas I have.

*Sort of connected to the latter resolution; once in a while spice up my life with some spontaneity. I tend to over think or plan everything down to the details ("am I going to take a shit in the same stall everyday... maybe today ill use the stall next to it").

Right now thats what I have...but I think I'm going to add some more when I think of something else.