The Road to the Final Four - Prologue: Gearing For Battle

How wonderful it is to travel again!

After conquering Europe and Machu Picchu, I turn to Texas. I've been to Texas once, on a stopover in Dallas on the way to D.C. for my eighth grade field trip. I hear everything is bigger in Texas. We'll see.

In less than 12 hours, I will board a plane headed for San Antonio. I have tickets to watch the Final Four, a spectacle rivaled only by the Super Bowl. You could say the Final Four is a bigger event in American culture, in that it brings four universities, representing four people groups from four different parts of the U.S. And they all converge on the Alamo, like four armies gearing for battle.

I, and two of my fellow hardcore UCLA friends, will be in the middle of it all, cheering for my Bruins to the very end.

This weekend will consist of Bruin Basketball, Barbeque and Beer. Does it get any better than that? Maybe a National Championship. That would be great.

OK enough talk.



Let's do this.

As usual, expect a full write up soon. Till then, have a good weekend, and GO BRUINS!

Plans Change

Turns out I won't be going to the Philippines after all.

Family health issues have postponed the trip indefinitely. I'm incredibly sad. Being the eternal optimist that I am, I'm trying to turn this into a positive.

I'm contemplating a trip to Thailand on my own. It wouldn't be totally alone, since I have family in Bangkok. However, I'm thinking about making a swing through the other Southeast Asian countries, like Cambodia or Malaysia.

I've been feeling the travel bug lately. I've saved up so vacation time. It's time to get away.

This friday, I'll be heading to San Antonio to follow my Bruins to the very end. Be it Saturday or Monday. This will be my first trip to Texas. Hopefully it will be one to remember. If UCLA loses on Saturday, I might forget what state I'm in by Sunday.

The Vegas Diaries

March 20, 2004

It's my last day in Vegas. What a trip! I spent the last four days watching March Madness, from the morning till sundown. Too bad the Bruins weren't playing. Oh well. Oh I won 25 bucks playing craps! So exciting! Can't wait to come back next year...

March 21, 2005

Vegas trip's been cool. Sucks that UCLA lost in the first round. Puts a damper on things. That's ok. We'll get them next year. Had a few drinks at Margaritaville after the game. Don't remember much after that. You know, there's so many people here at this time of the year. It's like Spring Break. Can't complain. Lots of eye candy to go around. And so many dudes with striped shirts and orange skin. Hahaha

March 23, 2006

Vegas was OK. Lost $500 in craps. Lost $100 on UCLA. Never bet them in the 2nd round, stupid. Although I must say, the women here are hot. Got some play from the ladies when I told them I co-starred in "Take the Lead", with Antonio Banderas. Note to self: Next year, I'll tell them I was Rufio in "Hook".

March 22, 2007

God, this place smells like ass. There are so many douchebags on the strip right now. Where did they come from? Is there a D-Bag Expo at Bellagio? Geez. Went out to PURE with my friends. Spent forty bucks on a Midori Sour for a girl named Vixen. She bailed. I drank it myself. It was pure crap. This city bugs.

March 23, 2008

I hate this effing place. I paid fifty bucks at the Wynn just so i can eat fancy crap like chilled shrimp. They're the cockroaches of the sea. And I ate fifty of them. I haven't slept in four days. I reek of cigar smoke and stripper perfume. I've hocked up loogies the size of tennis balls. I caught a dude pissing in the bushes in front of the Mirage. I'm not coming back next year. Vegas sucks. I'm taking the money I usually save up for Vegas and buying a Wii. At least I'll be entertained in a douchebag-free environment. Good-bye, Vegas. And good riddance.

March 24, 2008

Found a $1 chip from Bally's in my pants pocket. Will have to go back next year to cash it in. Start saving up now.

Coming Together

I've put in my request for time off at work. I've begun scraping my funds together. I've emailed my aunt my itinerary.

In a little over two months, I'll be on a plane to the Philippines, heading "home". Not my home, but the home of mom and dad, my aunts and uncles. A place where the last time I went, I was a chubby and very self-aware nine-year-old. When I was there, I caught the chicken pox and had to stay in a local hospital for two days. I'm hoping this time, I'll be relatively disease-free.

But in addition to going home, I'll be visiting Thailand for one week, and most likely with mom and brother in tow. I also have relatives in the area. I hear the food is great and the massages are cheap. Just the way I like it...

The months preceding a major trip can be maddening. Some days go by ever so slowly, and yet, time passes so quickly that when it's time to depart, you're in a mad rush to pack.

For now, I'll be scouring the web for tips and tricks on what to do when I'm in the PI and Thailand. But I'm pretty sure when I arrive, I'll just ride the Travel Wave wherever it takes me.

Bounty

I just joined Matador, a new travel social networking site, and guess what they have? A Bounty Board!

On the BB are a numerous writing opportunities. Numerous PAYING opportunities. Not bad.

Check the Bounty Board when you have chance. You might actually score some dough...for your next vacation!

The Naked Introvert

Brave New Traveler has a interesting list of the types of travel writers out there.

Here's one type of writer:

The Naked Introvert

Naked introverts spend an inordinate amount of time fretting about their constipation, and then write about it in excruciating detail. They are funny, honest and extremely self-deprecating.

Naked introverts are especially well-suited to writing about travel because travelers are bumbling fools, and naked introverts are most entertaining when they find themselves in awkward and uncertain situations.

The author mentions David Sedaris as an example of a Naked Introvert, and if I can ever write as funny as him, I would be very, very, VERY happy with that.

I tend to write very introspectively, so much so that often my surroundings are secondary to personal experience. Also, I am a bumbling fool when I travel.

I am the Naked Introvert.

More Solo Travel Tips

From TravelHacker, here are 40+ Safety Tips For Solo Travel.

Good list. I like this one especially:

"Listen to your instincts. If you find yourself thinking that a situation just isn’t quite right or that a person seems disingenuous, chances are good that you might be right. Your instinctive feelings are meant to keep you out of harms way, to try to pay attention to what they’re telling you."

Well said.