Spending New Year's Day w/ Virginia friends at Gina & Marfel's homeI am writing this post while riding the Southwest jet at about an altitude of between 5,000 - 10,000 feet. It doesn't seem so high from how it looks here on the window. My girlfriend Rizz and I are heading back to Chicago after spending 10 days of our holiday vacation in Virginia Beach/ Norfolk. The trip's highlights lagged in the beginning because of a big snow storm event that paralyzed the east coast for a few days, especially for wary travelers at airports and for regular commuters driving to work, school, etc. Even though the weather outside was frightful (as the saying goes in the 'Let It Snow' Christmas song), we managed to enjoy the comfort of being indoors in the home and chatting with my folks while we watched some TV ... It was good being at home for a while but then it became frustrating. I started to get cabin fever. I couldn't just stay put and not go anywhere with all the time we have left with this vacation. Thanks to my brother, Jay & my former boss and good friend, Emer, we managed to pick up the pace with our plans. Emer's help was certainly a plus. He actually loaned us his car to commute throughout the area. As the days were soon to be outnumbered, I hastened to get this going so we can meet a lot of friends and family. There was plenty of food to eat wherever we went and the get-togethers were planned so spontaneously and last minute, especially when New Year's was about to take place. First, Emer took us to the buffet restaurant to meet with his pals Cheryl and Julius. We sang karaoke in a reserved area. Though we were in little numbers, we managed to keep up with the fun killing song after song. And then there was another event that was quite memorable, too. It all started with a brief conversation between Gina and myself. Gina was very nice enough to get something spectacular going on our last Saturday night in Virginia. We both planned the gathering by-ear depending on whether she would have to work, or not (as she is on-call). The event ultimately was a success and we were able to get at least almost between 5 and 10 people there. Seeing everyone interact definitely put a smile to my face. There were no distractions. No music. No TV. Just a random conversation going on with everyone. But of course, the conclusion had to close out with a bang! So it did. We all sang karaoke for about 3 hours or so, lasting to the morning hour of 3AM. My friend Jim was really so into it like I've never seen him before. He actually sang the songs the way it ought to be heard - and not making up his own lyrics like most of us have gotten out of him in the past... Before all of these get-togethers, there was something spectacular to add to the highlight reel. Jayson took us all the way to Pungo in Virginia Beach and let us participate in shooting lessons at the C2 Shooting Center. We used his AR-15 rifle to shoot the paper targets that were about 25 - 30 yds away. For starters, Rizz and I were impressive. We were able to hit the bullseye and its surrounding areas. We totally rocked that day. Jayson was proud of us ... Lastly, Emer took us to the Red Ribbon bakery that just recently opened to the public. Amidst the news of long lines, we've decided to give it a go and head over there. Each of us had Halo-Halo and a piece of cake (in which I don't remember from the top of my head.) It was definitely a great milestone being there for the first time and seeing all this hype unfold. The only inconvenience was of course the dreaded long lines and the lack of seats available (in which people were just about finished with their food, yet they never left). Oh well. We took our desserts to Emer's office instead. From then on, he took us to the airport so we can catch up with our flight on-time. And this leads to where I am now: in the Southwest jet ... Documenting video clips and pictures through my Blackberry Curve was a breakthrough indeed. Usually, I use separate gadgets to do each task (such as that of my Canon digital camera & Flip video camera). And with those mentioned, I seldom used them. It was all Blackberry from there. From the shooting range to the gatherings, the device captured great moments on a tiny little Micro SD card that could keep data for up to 4MB. These media files were uploaded to social communities online such as Facebook and Twitter. I can always relive each highlight to the fullest ... However, I have to say this. The biggest highlight doesn't have to be documented on film or through pictures. It was something worthy to live each day for - and that's reuniting with my family. And having Rizz around was a great blessing, too. She's my inspiration.
