Sites from New York

So this might well be my first quick post to serve as some sorta teaser on the places we saw in (the official) day 1 in our New York Leg of our vacation! So picture heavy with just a bit of descriptions, so to speak. I'll probably make a more detailed travel post when I have more free time. But just so there's a bit of explanation to the (awesome) vantage point of these pictures (except for Lady Liberty), these were taken from the top deck of the Hop-On-Hop-Off Tour bus we took along Downtown and Uptown.

Times Square. Not as awesome as when you see it at night, but still a great sight nevertheless. Of course I didn't include all the other amenities like the Broadway signs  (iconic of Times Square) since this tower was the best symbol representing it. That and my camera takes sloppy pictures at night.

The Empire State Building. I like the outcome of this shot that's off to the side a bit! It shows you a really awesome depth of the building. :D And that's all she wrote.

 The Flat Iron Building. You know, the one that looks like a big iron? I always enjoyed seeing this building. 8 years ago and until now.

 The Statue of Liberty. This time around my family and I had the great privilege of cruising over to Liberty Island where we could get this fantastic vantage point of her.

And finally, Brooklyn and Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan Bridge. This was during our Night Tour!

So that's it for day 1. Will probably put up another post from yesterday's trip where we visited some parts of Central Park.

Destination L.A.

*It is to be noted that I typed this entry on the plane, but I was only able to post this when I finally got net for my netbook.

It's been years since I last flew to the United States. Since my dad has been in the industry ever since I was born, we've always had this privilege to fly out to America every summer growing up. Our usual destination would be San Diego, California, considering a good number of our relatives reside there. But as time passed and we kids grew up, it became harder and harder to schedule these family vacations during the summer, starting with the year my brother entered college. We usually had summer semesters along with the usual school year, so planning had to shift to the vicinity of October and November.

This time around, all of us are now working. I'm currently on probationary status where I work for 6 months until November, but I was most fortunate to have accumulated compensation leaves from doing hours of overtime work for the past 3 months that allowed me to file for a leave that would last just a bit over 2 weeks.

Granted, I love my job. And if there would be any proof of that, it would be the positive evaluation I received just yesterday... if we still have not crossed the International Date Line. Taking a break from work for 2 weeks is most welcome, but somehow I couldn't shake off the fact that I still see myself going to work and testing out games from 8:30-5:30. But I don't think that's the point.

What IS the point is that as any year previous to this, our trip to the States is often never 100% full-proof. After all, using said connections of my dad, the tickets we have going to and from the States are non-reserved, or chance tickets meaning we could only get on the plane if there are available seats. With my dad's fairly recent promotion to Flight Purser, he gets the privilege of being able to upgrade our seats.

This is the first time I've ridden Mabuhay class; much more setting at the front of the plane. It's a very luxurious feeling with a fully reclining chair, my personal screen which I can choose what to watch and just the space. airplane food, good as it looks and probably tastes, never settles well with me during air travel.

This is the first time I've gone on a trip longer than a week - and to the States no less - during my relationship with Kai. The separation anxiety hurts, but I know our love is strong enough to make these 2 weeks go by quickly. When I return home, I know she'll be waiting for me to chat with her; as I am with her once that time comes. I love her so dearly, and I'll make sure that the wait is worth it. Doesn't hurt to find a good souvenir for her from New York too.

During my flight thus far, I tuned in to watch 3 movies so far: Rumor Has It (Mark Ruffalo), Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Chris Evans) and Australia (Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman and David Wenham). I'm deciding if I watch any more movies or crack open my book and continue reading. We do have about 3 more hours of flight time, but I was considering taking a good nap. We'll see.

Books and Artemis Fowl

Midway through last month was the worldwide release of the final book of Eoin Colfer's well-acclaimed series, Artemis Fowl. The Last Guardian, which is the 8th and concluding in its series, was something I had been anticipating, and most of my motivation to finishing The Atlantis Complex several months back. The feeling that sparked me when I finally got my hands on my own copy, which I bought with my own hard earned money, was pretty much the same as when I got my hands on Deathly Hallows of the Harry Potter series - this was the end.

But with a heavy heart, I summon the little kid in me who has since been a faithful follower of Artemis Fowl the Second, Butler and Holly Short on this one last adventure, if just to put my heart at ease. And without fail, the finale was something I never expected. Much as Deathly Hallows brought tears to my eyes, this pretty much amounted the same result. 

I finally finished reading it last night, and I have nothing but kudos and praise to the great Eoin Colfer. Thank you for bringing Artemis Fowl into the world. Without Arty, I wouldn't be half the imaginative roleplayer I am today. Without Holly, I wouldn't be half as persistent to do absolutely everything in my power to see things through. 

When I had bought the last book last July 16, I was starting on the third of the Nikki Heat novels, Heat Rises. I decided to put it on hold to give me time to finish the AF series because I owed it that much. This way, I had enough excuse to take my Nikki Heat novel with me during our US trip this Friday. Sadly we won't be there until September 11 when Frozen Heat is released in stores. But for now, reading on!

Something that caught me by surprise while Kai and I were looking for a book to give to my nephew Tristan in Fully Booked last Friday! This graphic novel of the second book, The Arctic Incident, was a welcome surprise. Ironic, really, how I was leafing through the graphic novel of the first and ended up swiping up the second without really looking. Oh well, I'll return for the first graphic novel in time. But this is surely part of my reading list after Heat Rises.