I Will Remember

"Please Remember" by LeAnn Rimes

I haven't written about my ex in a long time...but tonight is one of those nights when I can't escape the memories.  It came about when I typed in my last name in a Facebook search to see how many friends I had with the same last name, which is very common, and of course R's name came up in the search.  I noticed that it said "Add Friend" on the right side, and I immediately thought "DAMN IT!" I should have unfriended him long ago.  But what's done is done.  It's amazing how childish I can feel in the playground of Facebook.

Your first love will always have an effect on you, no matter how long ago it was or how much it hurt to say goodbye.  I moved on a long time ago, but maybe now, there won't be anymore traces of him in my life moving forward.  No matter how hard he tried not to hurt me, or didn't try, his actions have always affected me after we separated.  Part of it was because his actions were callous.  And part of it was because there were sprinkles of old memories of us left in my heart, like sugar sprinkled in coffee which can never be separated again.

Now that our lives have finally taken different paths with no more roads or bridges to connect us, maybe I will start to look back on our experiences together, not as bad memories, but as the sweet memories they were of loving for the first time.

I'll end this post with my favorite memory, my first kiss.  I remember it was a cool fall night at school.  We decided to go to the main mall as usual and lay under the trees, looking at the Capitol building lit up in the distance and at the stars even further in the distance.  We were laying down talking about something, which escapes my mind now, your arm was bent at the elbow, and your head was resting on your hand.  Then, you leaned forward, and you kissed me.  I had butterflies in my stomach, and I remember smiling.  I believe you said, "That was nice," and then kissed me again, which surprised me.  I felt so happy, nervous, and excited, and I couldn't believe I'd just had my first kiss.  And second kiss, I guess.  It was like something out of a movie.  A few years later, I would walk by the main mall, and I would think about that kiss and smile.  Whether you remember this memory, I will never know, but I will always remember.

Two Baby Bears

http://parkhyuna.tumblr.com/post/9281864324

Bingo

60 is the new 20...or maybe 20 is the new 60?  Recently, I've been going to play Bingo in the Heights, formally known as Lodge #88, which is a reception hall that turns into a Bingo hotspot every Thursday night.  Even though the main game doesn't start until 7:45 PM, people start claiming their tables before 6:00 PM.  A lot of people in their 20's frequent the place, but there are also families and older crowds that come, too.

Some things that make Bingo in the Heights so great:

• Random quirky comments from the crowd.  Corner!  O-69!  Bird Legs (B11).  I18 - That's what she said....
• Staff who work the hall.  Most people here look like they're retired and come here because they enjoy it.  They are pretty funny, too.  Last time I went, the crowd was being loud, and the bingo caller told us, "I teach 3rd grade, and you all are just as bad as them.  The difference is I can't put you in timeout."
• $5 for a whole night of fun.  I probably spend 3-4 hours there hanging out with friends.  Actual play time is about 2 hours with breaks in between each game.  And for just $5, you play 10 games that have different prize amounts ranging from $100 to $600.  My friend P actually won $300 tonight!  It got intense, and my heart even raced for my friend, when we saw he only had one number left.  Gambler's rush lol.

It's rare to find good old clean fun nowadays.  I'm sure there will be many more Thursday nights spent here.  

Give

Recapping their dances from this season of America's Got Talent, the Silhouettes performed last night with LeAnn Rimes singing "Give".

Here's a ridiculously impressive clip of Cirque du Soleil on the finale of AGT as well:

Music Memories

Sometimes when a song comes on, all you need to hear are just the first 3 seconds, and it brings you back to the old days when life was more carefree and sunny days reminded you of summer.  Here are some songs that brought back memories for me:

1. Elementary School - Shania Twain's "Woman In Me" & Spice Girls's "Spice" Albums
2. Middle School - Savage Garden's "Truly, Madly, Deeply"
3. High School - Michelle Branch's "All You Wanted" and Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me"
4. Early College - The Postal Service and Regina Spektor because that's what my roommate played a lot during freshman year.  Also anything by The Fray...I really like their music.  A lot of times, I don't understand what they say because their words slur together... so I usually have to go look up the lyrics.  But their instrumentals are good, and the music often strikes a sad, but beautiful chord with me.
5. Later College - A lot of randomness lol.  It might be too close to the present to really know which songs are more distinct in my memory, but some of them off of the top of my head include Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" because of Glee, Iyaz's "Replay", Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie", Katy Perry's "Firework" and many more...

Currently, I've been driving to and from work, and I hear Adele's "Someone Like You" on the radio everyday.  I happen to like this song a lot, so I don't flip the channel when I hear it.  Adele's voice is so strong and filled with emotion.  Now, if only she'd get over this bronchitis soon...

Silhouettes

I've been watching the finale of America's Got Talent, and I love the modern dance group, Silhouettes.  They didn't win, but my favorite performance was when they danced with LeAnn Rimes singing "Give."  I'll post a link to that video once it's uploaded to youtube.  Until then, here was one of their prior dances to "Imagine Me":

Miss Universe 2011

I just caught the end of the Miss Universe 2011 pageant, and Miss Angola, Leila Lopes, won.  She's so pretty!  Congrats, girl!

http://adventuresofabeautyqueen.com/2011/09/11/abqs-top-15-miss-universe-2011-contestants/

Valencia

After our stay in Madrid, we took a 2-hour train ride to Valencia, which is located on the eastern coast of Spain.  This city is more of a relaxing vacation place rather than a tourist attraction site.  There seemed to be fewer foreigners here, but the people here were probably the friendliest people we encountered on the whole trip.

We only stayed 3 days in Valencia, which was the perfect amount of time for this city.  Below were my top 3 places to visit while there:

1)  El Saler

El Saler is about a 30-minute bus ride south of Valencia's city center.  There is a more frequented city beach called La Malvarrosa, but I much prefer taking the trip out to El Saler.  It is a lot cleaner and quieter, and a perfect place to spend hours on the beach lying under an umbrella.  (I'm not too keen on tanning since I don't want to increase the risk of getting skin cancer or burned.)

We forgot our camera/batteries the day we went to El Saler, so this is actually a picture of La Malvarrosa.  It was a little overcast, but it's prettier on a sunny day.

El Saler

http://www.spaincenter.org/turismo-spain/comunidad-valenciana/valencia/el-saler.htm

2)  City of Arts and Sciences / Turia River Bed Gardens

I group these two sites together because the Turia River Bed Gardens leads right to the City of Arts and Sciences. The Turia was an old river that dried up, and the city has revitalized it to make it into a 7 km long park.  Each section has it's own theme, and there are a lot of people just running or biking along it.  We only walked 1/3 to 1/2 of the garden towards the south end because there wasn't much to see in the other half.

The City of Arts and Sciences is cool to walk around.  The futuristic looking architecture was unique, and I think it would fun to go there for New Year's or outdoor concerts.  It was pretty expensive to go into the aquarium and museum, and we weren't too interested in going to the planetarium, so we just took pictures from the outside.

3)  Walking Tour

We did a walking tour of La Lonja, Mercado Central, Cathedral and Miguelete, Plaza de la Virgen, and the Torres de Serranos one of the days.  I hit most of the top sites listed on this website, which I think was 

La Lonja - Old Silk Exchange

Cathedral and Miguelete

Plaza de la Virgen - I loved the marble tiles outdoors.  It gave the city extra finesse.

Torres de Serranos - Climbed the towers for €1.25 student price

The Real Madrid

One of my favorite shows that I used to watch in high school was Globe Trekker.  I always liked hearing that boingy noise at the beginning of every episode, and my favorite traveler was Megan McCormick.  That would be a pretty sweet job to have.  No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain would also be a cool job to have, but I digress.

The first stop of my 20-day Eurotrip was Madrid.  My friend X and I did a lot, but my top 5 places to visit were as follows:

1)  Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid)

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the palace, but the artwork and grandness were stunning.  It's unlike any place I've ever seen in the US, and there is a lot of culture and history behind the site.

2)  Toledo / Cathedral of Toledo

Toledo is a World Heritage City that is a 30 minute train ride away from Madrid.  It was the old capital of Spain before Madrid.  The quaint old city is built so closely together that you can walk the winding streets and visit most of the sites within a day.

My favorite site in Toledo was the Cathedral of Toledo.  Of all of the churches I visited in Spain and Paris, this Cathedral was at the top of that list, too.  Don't be deceived by the picture of the outside of the building.  Inside is huge!  The altar is ornate, and sometimes you just don't know where to look because there are so many things going on with all the decorations.  It is truly a site to see.


3)  Real Madrid C.F.'s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

I'm not a big futbol fan, which is probably akin to saying someone doesn't like puppies (How can you NOT like puppies?  They're so cute).  However, we visited Santiago Bernabéu, and I thought the self-guided tour was great.  Seeing the field, taking pictures with pictures of players, pretending to be sitting in club seats...it's pretty cool.

4)  Museo Reina Sophia

Aside from the Reina Sophia, there is the Prado Museum which is the largest and most famous art museum in Spain.  I chose to list the Reina Sophia here, though, because I enjoyed the collections and exhibits on display  more than the ones I saw at the Prado.  My opinion may differ next time I go.  People should try to visit both museums if possible.

 

5)  Retiro Park

This park sits to the east of the center of the city and it is huge.  There are not many flowers in this park, but the water areas are nice to look at.  We rested our feet for at least an hour in front of fountain because it was so peaceful.  There is also a glass house structure that has a slide inside of it.  We didn't try it out, but if I had not been wearing a dress, I might have.

Other Notable Sites

• Plaza Mayor
• Templo de Debod (Egyptian Ruins)
• Bull Fight
• Puerta del Sol - Street performances at night

X and I spent 5 days in Madrid, including the day trip to Toledo, which I think was long enough to do everything we wanted to do.  What struck me about the city was that the streets were so clean, the metro system is extremely well-kept (the nicest I've seen so far) and fast, and most of the dogs were off their leashes and were well-behaved.  Although many people visit Madrid, it doesn't feel overrun with tourists.  Madrid is very culturally rich, the people are pretty friendly, and it's a city I would recommend for others to visit if they ever find themselves in Europe.

A Teardrop

How many emotions are stored in a single teardrop?  The love for a person.  The heartache for missing someone.  The hope that that person is in a happier place.  Ba Noi, today, your children and grandchildren say goodbye to you.  I pray that you are smiling down in Heaven with Ong Noi at your side once again, and I send my love to you.

http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/tags/visa/