Took this shot as we were walking back to the car.

I was carrying all my stuff then saw this scene and I had to stop and take it.
No, the sky didn't really look like that.

I dipped my feet in the waters to test it and it was mighty, mighty freezing. I wasn't going to swim already but figured I needed to take advantage of the beaches of California before I head out east. I dove in and every single pore in my body snapped shut and my brain started screaming. Despite the low temperatures, the waves were great and the water was not too salty and I was able to keep my eyes open underwater without it stinging as much. Nothing beats the beaches of the Philippines though. The people here don't seem to care that the water is too cold for swimming or the weather is too windy to wear nothing but swimsuits. For as long as the sun is out and skies are clear, they all head out to the beaches. I've been way too spoiled by our islands' tropical shores and I can't imagine anyone not being able to experience warm, sunny beaches. I lasted about 15 minutes (or less) in the ocean before I bailed. The cold water was too much that my ears and head started to hurt. I sat on the sand snacking on Tostitos Lime (mmm...), shivering since the wind was blowing hard and the sun was on it's way out.

More photos from today can be seen here.

Louiie sent me this photo with a subject of "Yebahhhh!!! Let's Roll!!!"

She doesn't look too enthusiastic but I'm sure her heart is screaming inside.

Currently waiting for Joyce to pick me up. Heading out to Huntington beach for lots of sun exposure. I haven't gone beach swimming in the US since Hawaii circa early 90s. I can't remember the taste of American ocean water. Ha!

Jose came home from work with a wonderful surprise today. "May pasalubong ako sa inyo!" he says carrying what looked like a big cake box. "Ano yan?" I ask, somewhat skeptical. He opens the box and he shows me. It was a giant heart-shaped FLAN! One of my all-time favorite desserts! I don't know how to make one myself and I heard it can be a bit tricky since there's a big chance of burning it. I must've have looked like a total doofus after that because I squealed and started hopping up and down as I washed the dishes.

Went to the gym early this evening. I almost didn't go since it was late and I just had a big dinner of beef salpicao and buttered veggies (cooked by moi, of course!). But I pushed myself to get up and go because I knew that if I broke my rhythm, I might keep doing it in the future. Besides, I have to tone up a little because I'm going to the beach on Saturday! My friend from college, Joyce, found out I was here and she's taking me to Huntington Beach this weekend!

Paul and Bea are also scheduled to arrive next week and Paul said he was going to bring our favorite sleyli drinks to celebrate our reunion! I can't wait! Things are starting to look a bit more fun now that I'm going to see more people. I wish I had a car to drive around in so I can visit everyone I know in SoCal.

I've imported a lot of my old posts from the previous old blog into this one since I think it's a total waste of good writing to leave them there. I tried filtering out the posts that had any form of connection to the, uhm, previous addressee. I wouldn't want to lose my travel posts so they're here if you want to review them.