So why would I name my journey to 30 blog after Sweet Potato Fries??? Why not?? Part of my journey to 30 is find and try as many spots with sweet potato fries as possible. So far… so good. LITERALLY! I’ve been to quite a few places that have the delicacy however I have yet to try many others. Suggestions are WELCOMED!! Here are a few AWESOME places to get your sweet po on! Ok I’m getting hungry now…
It's the new 20
Journey to November 25, 2011
This past weekend was Rhysa’s “muchachas sucias” bachelorette weekend in Vegas. After multiple bachelorette extravaganzas in Vegas, this one was definitely a bit more tame than the others… but I didn’t mind it at all. We started off the weekend at Max Brenner’s restaurant at Caesar’s. Imagine if Willy Wonka was bougie and decided to become a chef chocolatier… and shaved his head… voila Max Brenner. We then hit up theHOTEL’s sky lounge, Mix. Not recommended. The place was so dead, they ended the party before 2am… its Vegas, I mean really? YES we were tired and YES we were secretly glad the party ended early but still… it was expected that we would crawl back to our hotel rooms with ringing in our ears. That was a fail. On Saturday, we ventured to Aloha Kitchen then Nikki Beach Club at the Tropicana. I must say, this trend of pool parties in Vegas is pretty cool but you either want to cover-up bc that 21 y/o decided to sun bathe next to your pool chair or not give a f*** bc after all it is Vegas. Later that night, we had dinner at Firefly Tapas Kitchen and Bar. RECOMMENDED!! Appetizers as meals, HELL YES! I couldn’t resist and ended up eating the bacon wrapped dates Connie Mun got. Holy heaven they were delicious. We were so full, none of us had room to pre-party for Sapphires. Rhysa got an intimate dance sess on stage with the one and only black stripper guy named Tauris (you know that song, better with the lights off…. yea…). Granted he could gyrate nicely… but that’s about it. We ended our evening attempting to get in to Marquee at the coolest looking hotel ever, Cosmopolitan but unfortunately even with a 12:1 girl to guy ratio… they wouldn’t let the “1” in.
To sum up this weekend’s debauchery in Vegas wasn’t quite the debauchery as I had imagined, but it’s always a good time.
Volleyball, volleyball, volleyball… As long as I can jump, I will play
The rarities of life…
“The problem with getting older is you still remember how things used to be” - Paul Newman
As part of my 30 before 30 list, I wanted to pass the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) exam. This would have been a commitment to myself that this is the career path that I have chosen. Over the past few weeks since the end of March, I have been involved in self-study. Taking practice exams, reading the study guides, participating in webinars and online conferences to better educate and prepare myself for the exam. Low and behold, exam day is here - June 11, 2011. After 2+ hours of grueling, non-directive multiple choice questions… “Kristine Serrano Your Test Results: FAIL”. Wow, in all caps too. Thanks HRCI.
I have come to the conclusion that adult learning is definitely different at later stages of your adult life. Being an “adult” in college is obviously different than adulthood in your mid to late 20s, especially when it comes to education/learning. I was fortunate enough to get through a Master’s degree program, woo. Started when I was 24, graduated before turning 26. PHR exam at the age of 29… FAIL. Again in all caps. Self-study is a very tedious task… achievable don’t get me wrong but quite tedious. I remember in college I could get away with cramming for an exam hours before, sometimes the morning of an exam. Yea, not this time around… retention and staying awake are very clear challenges when trying to self-study. An educational accomplishments towards your 30s is DEFINITELY a rarity in life. Without determination, accomplishment is far from your line of sight. I guess my determination was sub-par.
With that said, I decided to take it upon myself to celebrate my shortcomings with another rarity in life - good friends. My close friend Cat was in town from NY this week so we decided to get together along with another close friend Therese for a, what seemed endless, lunch date. Santa Monica was very beautiful Saturday afternoon… talking with 2 close friends while walking the streets of Santa Monica, even more beautiful. That evening more exposure to good times and good friends in West Hollywood. April and Jill got to experience their very first “Happy Day” lol complete with souvenirs. The following day was spent with yet another brunch with Cat and two other close friends Daniel and Shirley. We’ve all known each other since freshman year of college [1999] and haven’t skipped a beat since. If this was 5 years ago, our conversation would likely have been about how stupid we were in college, sex, exes, drinking stories, and current gossip. Our lunch consisted of career advice and traveling. LOL. Another sign of getting older? Nah, we just happen to have a PC convo that afternoon. Unfortunately, no wonderful special effects pictures to capture this weekend’s moments - but it was definitely one for the books. Looks like I won’t be able to cross off “PHR” on my 30 before 30 list but maybe I can adjust it to say “Attempt” PHR =)
Thanks for reading… April or Jaye… lol.
Don’t judge a Disney character by its cover…
The wonderful thing about Tiggers. Is Tiggers are wonderful things.Their tops are made out of rubber. Their bottoms are made out of springs.They’re bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy fun, fun, fun, fun, fun But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is I’m the only one. III’m the only one! Tiggers don’t jump, they bounce!
Had to share this youtube vid… too hilarious. Who knew that Disney characters could get dooooown?!
I think I can, I think I can…
“The key to successful aging is to pay as little attention to it as possible.” ~Judith Regan
About two years ago, we started a women’s football team called One Love. The team consists of members of two organizations - Tau Theta Pi and Delta Phi Gamma… and of course original members of Scrotum Squad! Last week my wide receiver Miss Jennifer Carreon turned 21. I’ve known her for about two years now and knew that the year she turned 21, I would be turning 30. Holy crap time flies by. Let’s just say Jaye, Carlo, and I made sure she knew what she should be expecting now that she’s legally able to drink =)
The 3 J’s - JC, Jaye, and Jameson
On the same page, I was kidnapped by Jennifer’s peers (Fullerton Taus - Chary, Sydney, Nary, Christinee, and my mini-me Janella) to go hiking in Ventura County at Santa Paula Canyon in search of the punchbowl over the weekend. A 7.5mi hike over terrain that was not clearly marked. Crossing a creek, climbing rocks, walking thru non-tamed brush, squeezing thru downed tree trunks and branches… after 2 hours we finally made it to the punchbowl. It was BEAUTIFUL (even with the graffiti surrounding the falls). Towards the 3/4 mark of the hike, my body started talking to me… “wtf are we doing?!” My calves started to pull and my previous gastroc injury began to creep in. Asthma was close to follow… but I told myself that I would be a complete failure and a sad almost 30-year old if I didn’t show these kids what was up when you get to this age. I was not about be kawawa and have my body overtake my mind - I’m active, c’mon now this should be easy! I made it, without complaint (sorta). So booya calves! Yes I may need a week of recovery before any other physical activity but I did it.
Unbound terrain - Santa Paula Canyon
Made it to the punchbowl
This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend… and Theresa and Thao Pham’s wedding in San Diego (www.phamsquared.com). I’ve known both of them since college and we’ve snowboarding pals ever since, including a New Year’s trip to Tahoe… great stories, great adventures. This weekend was also the anniversaries of Oliver and Rienne Bentley, John and Sandy Dalog, and my cousin Claire’s one year engagement anniversary. Something about MDW that screams out love. Anyway back to the Pham(sqaured) wedding - the ceremony was held at Mission Basilica in San Diego and Reception at the Japanese Friendship Gardens at Balboa Park. Everything was beautiful - from the bride, to the decor, to the dance performances during the reception. It’s always good to see faces from back in the day and how grown up we all are. At first, whenever I saw couples (married, engaged, with or soon-to-be with child) there was always a part of me that felt a bit left behind. But honestly, rushing the process is just as destructive as not letting it happen. So instead of pushing the idea, I’ll just kick back and wait for fate to let it take its course. With the said, we partied at Gaslamp most of the weekend lol. It’s always a good time and a half spending time with my tertiary sisters from Delta Phi Gamma (1. biological, 2. taus… in case you were wondering who is primary and secondary hah). These girls are definitely sisters from another mother and never a dull moment with them.
Something not on the 30 before 30 list but I got myself a Disneyland annual pass last December… Totally worth it. Living in the OC for 11 years and I’ve never taken advantage of the fact that Disneyland was my backyard. Fireworks at my finger tips and Mickey of course!
[Flash 10 is required to watch video]
Part of my transition this year was switching out to more advanced technology aka 3G. Peace out Crackberry hellooooo Android. I got myself a Droid X in March but before making the change, I made sure to save the memories I had on my BB. This video was taken sometime in 2009 or 2010 - I don’t remember. Sorry about the quality… what do you expect from a first gen BB Curve. I bought the Wii Fit for my mom and it included a bubble game to practice with balance. *WARNING: turn your computer volume down!
Went to my first pride this year. Definitely something that was on the to-do list. It was pretty tame until these ladies showed up. Always good times with DPG.
