Tag: Adventure

Adventures and the company of two great friends:

Posted on by anele25

The day is short and the months fly by fast. The thrill of adventure along with some great friends is something that comes once in a lifetime. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do some adventure seeking out to Monterey bay with two of my friends Isela and Iveth. They started out as co-workers but they are two people whom I consider to be friends now. We started the day by myself driving to Isela’s apartment and we grabbed some blankets just in case it got cold near Monterey. As we packed everything away, we drove to go pick up Iveth who does not live too far away. We rode off into the sunset where we first got into a discussion about the famous show Game of Thrones. Myself and Iveth rambled on for a few minutes about the implications of the show as well as some of the intricacies of the show that can go on debate for years. I had a few theories about the show as did she and in all honesty, there are some things about GOT that frankly I can live knowing that may or may not be true (this will be discussed perhaps in a future blog). As we started getting closer, we talked about what we were going to eat and I have a thing where as I get closer I have a game where we look for a place to eat instead of having to be obliged to Yelp or not. We ended up settling on a Crepe place which actually was not half bad. We talked about life and a little bit of everything in between. At this point, we headed over to the paddleboats where we stuck around for an hour where we played some music and also had some other funny discussions about the direction where we were going in life. Isela, I would describe as someone who is sarcastic and witty and for that she makes me realize how lightly some things should be in life rather than all serious all the time and she know how to have a good life. Iveth, is a care free person who just wants to have fun and enjoys a good laugh.

I realized as we were paddling that another opportunity had arose in my life recently about a job and I saw how many great friends I had made and how much I would still like to see them to talk. The time passed and before I knew it we were back on land just off the boat and after it stumbled a bit but we were able to land safely as we got off. We originally said we were going to get on the wharf but then we saw how packed the parking was. Next we decided to head off to Lover’s Point which is famous for having places where you can take pictures for any special occasion that includes a wedding or a sweet sixteen. We did some walking on some rocks which by and large look intimidating at first but once you get passed the initial ones you get this beautiful view of everything that is front of you. We stayed there for a few minutes just enjoying the view and marveling at this sea otter that was down there. After, we decided instead to settle on driving to 17 mile but that also ended up being a bit more full due to it being the weekend. The 17 mile drive itself included a short pass by to Asiolmar beach where you could just see that beautiful trail that led to the end of the trail. As I passed by these locations, I thought how cool it would be to see some of these locations everyday and how peaceful it must be for people to live by the ocean. I also thought about living in the ocean and how you might be able to connect with the different aspects of nature. You have air, wind, fire, and water all practically in one. Air because as you sail away that is something that you breathe and then wind because a little wind can keep the current going. The fire is intriguing because you see a little bit of it around you as you sail away. The water is the ocean working its magic and taking you away.

Anyway, I suggested instead we go to Point Lobos which was not too far ahead. We parked a bit farther away and saw some of the insides of some of the animals where they would stay. Particularly, myself and Isela ended up exploring the beach a little more. I ended up seeing some crabs and also some small fishes. We walked a bit farther but we ended up seeing a beautiful view from the top and just took it all in at the end of the day. We walked back to the car and headed off to the next stop which was Carmel by the Sea which was an adventure unto itself as it had some pretty cool shops which included some body soap stores as well as some interesting watch shops which by and large were out of our price range. We walked for a bit before we reached our destination which was the beach itself. We dwelled a little deeper into each other lives as we heard a little more background information on what Isela’s living situation was like back in her time during college. I must say hearing her story made me see just how much living with someone can make a difference in how you perceive your current situation. The rest of the conversations that time of the beach felt relaxing just in general and I wondered about the times that were ahead for me and my friends. We headed off to the car and we had quite a climb back to the car and we got some good steps in at this location of Carmel by the sea as well as at Point lobos. Once we got in the car we headed back to the Wharf where we had a little easier time finding parking. We saw off to the side that there was a car auction that was going on. I started laughing a bit because of how fast the guy started talking and how fast these cars were driving. Once we got inside the wharf we saw how relatively small it was and there were some crab specialty restaurants that were giving out samples. We also got some coasters that serve as a little motivation to whoever buys them. I ended getting a dog one, a mountain one, and a campfire one. I think out of the ones I collected, I enjoy the campfire one the most because of the message it carries. If anyone is curious, I will post a picture of that coaster here as well as some other pictures.

We saw all the clam chowder that was being sold and we stopped at this little shop for some chowder. I ended up settling instead on some prawns and fries but funny enough the gentleman who served our food ended up bringing three chowders instead of two. He gave out the two that were for Isela and Iveth quickly and came back right away and asked me if I wanted the third so I said “sure why the hell not”. I had the quick reaction that it was some of the best food I had had in some time especially considering it was next to the ocean. Another delightful dinner as we walked along the wharf and saw everyone and the lights that were along the area. I left with the impression that this world is big and there are so many little treasures that are to be found inside it. I also saw just how cool and wonderful people can be when given the chance to go out and explore. Too many times we are concerned with the daily grind and leaving our houses on time that we forget how wonderful this world can be. We hopped in back into the car and had some fun times along the way as we sang our hearts out to some Los Tucanes de Tijuana as well as some other fun baile songs as well. Myself and Isela did a majority of the singing as we were having some good laughs along the way. After we got back to our destination, I went home thinking about all the special memories that had been made on 8/25/18. I also reflected back on the times that are ahead and special they are going to be as well. I may not be the richest person in the world but I have just enough to say that I can do anything in this world without too much hassle. I always say, if I can do something and I can find a way to do it, I will make it happen without too much complication. As promised, here are some pictures as well. Till next time adventures.

Hockey

Posted on by anele25

Hello again, this is me writing again into this lovely blog. I left off two weeks ago wondering what I would write about next. I’ve decided this time to jot a few notes down about hockey and the impact it has had on me. About 3 years ago, I had a friend of mine try and convince me to get into hockey. I told him that wasn’t the sport for me. Slowly but surely, I started watching the sport more and more. I got into the sport however because I feel I needed something new to watch. The excitement and thrill of the goal horn sounding is to much to turn down folks! I may not understand all the rules still but I do know what an icing call does (this will result in a team getting a face-off in their own zone). My friend told me to pick a team and I went with the Tampa Bay Lightning. What drew me to the team was their style of play and their players looking like stars. I also enjoyed the idea of rooting for a team outside of my local roots. No offense to the San Jose Sharks, just never been a big fan of their logo (if you’ve never seen it, it’s a shark chewing on a hockey stick). Hence, I was drawn to players like Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan, Tyler Johnson, and my personal favorite Victor Hedman. My first season was truly an incredible one. I saw the team I had chosen go to the playoffs my first season as a fan. I was thankful about the idea that this team had made it so far. That first round was a stressful one against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Lightning were about to go down 3-1 in the series. I knew that something was about to change because I wasn’t used to winning in sports. I had gotten used to my local teams, the Oakland Raiders and the Oakland A’s lose time after time. The fun part about being a sports fan is the sheer joy of winning and losing. You stick with them when they lose and you stick with them when you win. That game 4 changed everything as the Lightning pulled off a overtime win. They went on to win the series and the next two as well as they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. We eventually lost (yes I said we) to the Chicago Blackhawks in the final 4-2 and this did make me think, the incredible joy of seeing a team win and lose all in the same season make me a fan because of the emotions it brings. It can either make or break your day depending on how much you are invested. I can say after that I said no matter how good or bad my teams may be you always have to support them. They work their asses off to stay competitive and to me hockey is that one sport where you can feel the energy of the fans. The next year, I caught as many games as I could on my NHL package and once again the Lightning played some competitive games. I had the joy of once again seeing my team play until the Conference final against the eventual champions Pittsburgh Penguins. However, these playoffs were truly incredible. They were missing their top player in Steven Stamkos and lost goalie Ben Bishop in the 1st game of the conference final. In theory, this team of players should have won the Stanley cup with those two players in the lineup. I once again told myself, you are now committed to a team that you have invested time and money in. Last season, I had the honor and privilege to see this team up close at home in Tampa. I had seen them two previous times play here in my hometown of San Jose. Both times, we had been successful in winning 5-2, and 4-3 respectively. These two games in December of last year were truly incredible. I told myself I did not come to Tampa just to see these group of players lose. Low and behold, I was greeted with two excellent games against the Red Wings and the Blues. The 2nd game was my favorite I have been to so far in my short time as a hockey fan. The final score of that game was 5-2 as we had gone down 2 goals early on. Eventually we came back and won the game 5-2.

Ever since then, I have been telling myself man if it weren’t for this I’d probably lose my mind. The nature and idea that there is a small puck that players battle for is incredible. I also enjoy the idea that players are on the ice anywhere from 90-120 seconds at a time. The shifts that players go between seems rather stressful and having to remember where to be in your zone or when to create a crease so that your teammate can make a shot is also something to ponder. I also enjoy that the defensemen (along withe the goalie) play a much bigger role on how a team performs. If your defenseman on one side is unable to penetrate against the opposition in your zone, you can pretty much say that you are at a disadvantage. As for the Lightning, we were not as successful last season. There were too many injuries and unavoidable games where we collapsed. This season, I’d be curious on how we match up against the rest of NHL. We have our captain, Steven Stamkos back and a couple of upgrades on defense as well. Gone are Jonathan Drouin and Ben Bishop. This season, to me will really depend on depth and how we respond to injuries. The team has young defensemen in Slater Koekkoek and Jake Dotchin. The other young forwards on the teams such as Vladislav Namestnikov and Brayden Point will also be there playing with a chance to reach the playoffs with a team that is rolling with experience at this point. The team is still relatively young and practically made it to the playoffs with half of it’s roster hurt or playing with pains and aches. I can for one say I am excited for the season and don’t be surprised if we are contending once again for a Stanley cup. Let’s go Lightning! Below I added a little link to the season preview 🙂

Day #75 8/22/11: Therapeutic…

Posted on by anele25
My cousin in the middle and my two aunts

It was finally time to head to Mexico and I got up early to help out my old buddy Manuel as he has been on crutches for a little bit now. I noticed once we got to the airport it was very busy as the steps getting on the actual plane are a pain but I can understand why people in higher positions would think that people want to blow up a plane. So the head count was me, my aunt, and my mom and I was feeling like a survivor from my family. Everybody now has kids, works for a living almost killing themselves in the process from so much work, and I thanked myself for taking a vacation due to so much reasoning behind the fact that you work and you have nothing to show for it. But, the best advice I got from watching an interview with a wrestler a couple of years of ago, I realized you save your money and good things will come. Being on the flight, I started watching the best of raw from 2009 as I saw a few segments from the beginning of the year as I got flashbacks when I would go to class in the morning from 10:30-12:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays and I would come home to watch Raw. Once we got there, I saw my beloved uncle Guillermo, who is always willing to lend a hand seeing as how he picked us up and I can’t imagine anybody saying a bad thing about him because he has done so much for my family and I. I caught up with some old family members and after that we headed to a cemetery where both my grandparents are buried and I just noticed the raw emotion that was there from my mom and her sister from seeing there parents. We were there for a little bit until we saw that there was no way in hell that we could get the door open from the door lock being so dry. So, we decided to give a try the next day until we could get it open. The night ended with me, my mom, her sister, Guillermo’s wife, Maria, and Memo visiting an uncle of there’s that they haven’t seen in a while and needless to say it was like therapy. What I mean is that who needs comedians when you have older Mexican folks making us laugh with joy and tears by telling great stories about there adventures, there misfortunes, and as well as there future endeavors. Indeed, what a day!