Pt. Mugu State Park: First Backpacking Trip!

I finally went on my first backpacking trip... Woohoo!! It was awesome! The trip was exactly on my three-day weekend, Oct. 7 - 9, and I have to thank my friend, Tony, for making it happen.


Not that I'm trying to make any excuses for posting this late, but I just bought a new USB cable for my camera. Stupid me forgot it back home (like way back in Thailand). And it would be kind of dumb if I make my mom ship something like that over. So then I realized I didn't have the cable after I took pictures of the spoils from my shopping spree. Sucks, eh?


Plus, I didn't want to just write about what I bought. That's totally boring.


Anyhow, let's first start with what I bought. Clothing wise, I bought a mid-layer, thermal underwear, and a pair of gloves. Funny thing to note: I bought my clothes from the kid's section. :) Yes, I'm small enough. Plus, it's totally cheaper. Tony was jealous. Hahaha!

Here is my mid-layer. I was thinking of getting this bright pink color, but blue is totally the way to go. I ended up not using this the second night just because I was sweating the first night with it on. My sleeping bag did too good of a job I guess. :p The fabric feels nice though. It's soft and all.. mmmm.... By the way, it's an extra large kid's size. Hehehe.

 Then came along this pair of gloves. It has a nice fit and feels nice, too. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to use it during the trip. Don't get me wrong. It was cold as hell when the sun went down (hah! oxymoron!). But we were playing a card game (Phase 10: a really fun and addicting game actually), and I knew better than to put gloves on my hand.

There was a funny incident the first night. Tony gave Joel a hand warming packet, and he had mistaken it for a glove packet. I was merrily playing the card game when I heard this ripping noise beside me. I looked over and Joel was tearing the packet open.

"What are you doing? You're not supposed to do that!"

"Wait... There's no glove in here?"

LOL!

Here's the thermal underwear. REI brand. Kid's size. It did its job out there. I never have liked the feel of tight clothing anyway. It wasn't bad, and it kept me warm, but I'm just saying I'd rather wear loose clothing. I know I'll freeze and die or something if I do, so I'm not complaining (okay, maybe a little). Especially because I have no natural insulation.

Moving on to food.....

I bought four Mountain House dehydrated meals: Beef Stew, Chicken Teriyaki with Rice, Beef Stroganoff with Noodles, and Lasagna with Meat Sauce. Oddly, I ended up only eating one of these meals for the whole three days (well, more like two and half days) there. We left a little late on Friday (around noon). Tony, Joel, and I got Subway before going in, so we basically saved half of the sandwich for dinner that day.

Saturday morning I had oatmeal and half of a lunar bar. Then for lunch, since we were still on the trail, we basically ate more bars. I had the Beef Stew for dinner. It was good! :) And we tried each other's food. Sunday morning I had dessert for breakfast: Mocha Mousse Pie. We hiked out right about lunch time.

My snacks! I ate the Luna LemonZest and  the Clif White Chocolate Macadamia Nut on the trail. I ate the Luna Chocolate Peppermint Stick and Clif Cool Mint Chocolate on my way to class in the mornings after the trip, mainly because I woke up too late to make myself breakfast. These bars are way good! No joke!

I bought two Neopolitan Ice Cream, ate one before the trip and decided not to take the other on the trip. It tasted okay. Then there's the Mocha Mousse Pie. By the time I finished eating it for breakfast, I didn't want another bite of anything. And the spork was awesome! I'll probably get a bigger one because this one barely reach into the food pouches.

My water supply! I mean, what more can I say? It's pretty easy to open and use. Actually, I do have a complaint. This bladder didn't exactly come with an instruction manual, so I didn't know that the yellow thing by the mouth piece is a stopper. If Alex didn't tell me, I still wouldn't have known. And here I thought it was weird how the yellow part was kinda wobbly. Maybe it could move to block the flow of water, right? :s

My not so light mug and tubes for sunscreen and toothpaste. Yes, that's my Lotso bear and Louise croc (from "The Princess and the Frog") in the background. Hey, I love Disney, okay?

The trail map! Which I didn't end up using because I kept overlooking at Tony's.

I bought this Socks Monkey from Puzzle Zoo just because I need change for the bus. Hahaha! Cute little thing though. No, I didn't bring it with me on the trip.

* * * * * * * * *

Now, onto the trip itself! So exciting!! Thinking about it all over again makes me so happy. :D

My bag all packed and ready! It definitely gives off a charming aura when it's stuffed and full. :) I love my backpack.

And here I thought my pack was already pretty heavy, Tony proved me wrong. He carried in 5 gallons of water. And we ended up going in to find that there are water faucets around the trails. His load was pretty heavy. I'd probably crumble under that much weight. And he even walked faster than me (plus, he forgot his insoles, too). Not just Tony, but Alex and Mark also were way ahead. I'm grateful Joel stuck by while I was walking. My short legs couldn't keep up. :( Lucky them with their long strides and legs. I'd probably need to go with a group of dwarf next time I go backpacking or something. Hahaha!

The sweet start! There's me, Joel, Mark, Alex, and Tony. [Photo credit to Tony]

We picked a pretty awesome campsite as well. There were lots of different lots around to sneak in and do our business. Hehehe. Plus, there was a porta potty nearby. I used it only once. It smelled (duh!), and I find nature much more appealing for my appetite to go.

That's our three-person tent. Me and Joel set it up! Pretty cool.

It was definitely nice and cozy in there for three people. We were literally shoulder to shoulder. I shared it with Joel and Tony. Of course, I slept in the middle. Don't want no inappropriate sparks flying around between two guys. ;p

Our little picnic table at the campsite. And Joel eating his last piece of the Subway sandwich.

By the time we got to the campsite, the back of my backpack was wet. I thought my bladder broke or something. Apparently, it was just sweat. I even tasted it (just to make sure, or I'm just weird that way). Yep, salty.

After settling down at the campsite, we set out to peak Pt. Mugu.

See what I mean when I say the guys were way ahead of me? Yep, those two little men in the distance there are Alex and Tony. And that orange dude in front is Joel. And no, I didn't intentionally stay behind to take this pic. I was that far behind. And I didn't even have a fanny pack on me. Pathetic I know. :'(

That's a good pic of us on our way. [Alex, me, Joel] Love those grasses!! We were on the fire road, I think.

I struggled getting up the slopes to the peak. Well, let's not use the word "struggled." More like I slowly crawled up that steep trail. Definitely breathing hard at that point. Looked up and guess what I saw. Nothing. Wait what? Where'd they go? Oh, right, they're already there. LOL! Ah, Pepperdine, I thought you were bad already, this thing is beating the crap out of me. Good times.

I got up there. (Woop!) And took pics....

Signing in the little book thing they have at the base of the flag. Pretty cool. You can also see the tiny moon toward the right side of the flag.

I was a bit surprised they have a flag there. "Oh yes, this mountain is the property of the United States of America!"

Here's what the view looks like all around the peak....

And that's just me, super happy about getting there. :D

We set back for camp after taking pictures and soaking up the view.

Then night set upon us. It felt so serene at night. Although I was kind of uncomfortable the first night because it was a little too warm. I love how there were noises at night, like little critters had visited our site. I wonder what they were.

Oh! Random, but it's a definite plus bringing baby wipes with me. I took a shower without really taking a shower (I was still salty and all). Better than nothing, right? Girls and hygiene. Sigh...

Along came Saturday, and we set out on our 12 mile hike. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures on this day. Too busy walking fast and catching up. Although I did enjoy the trail a lot more than the one we hiked in on. There were places on the trail where it was shady and cool. We crossed many small creeks (I hope that's what you call them). It was very interesting. And there were a lot of bikers too. Just the surrounding environment was incredible. Couldn't have made me any happier.

And I came upon a very curious thing. Well, for me at least. It was definitely animal waste, but it was HUGE! We passed a few on our trail, and it kept bothering not knowing which animal the poop came from. Do mountain lions poop that big? No, I didn't think so. I could assume from the content that the animal's diet was something along the line of grass. I thought of elephants. But that's just because I've been around elephants and saw their waste. Looks very similar, just darker. Only when someone mentioned horse riders that I figured out the horse made those. Way to go, Wendy.

We got back to camp before sunset and were all dead meat. We ate, tried to stay awake, played games, and went to bed early (around 9?). I don't really know the exact time. One thing I love about nature: no definite time. Worrying about time is such a damned thing.

Anyway, then the next day we packed up and hiked out. The way back seemed a whole lot shorter than going in. But you know what the funny thing is? That is true for every situation. I find myself thinking the trip "back" from somewhere is always shorter than the one taken to get somewhere (if that makes any sense at all).

Oh, look at me rambling. :s All in all, a successful trip. Loads of fun. I need to exercise more. Gain some weight (why is it so hard for me to gain weight?). And go on some more awesome backpacking trips! :D

"Epic" Fail

First of all, I failed at updating this blog. And I'm sorry for that. After the last post I busied myself with packing and getting everything together before coming back to the U.S. I thought of posting something short so my blog stays alive, but never could find the opportunity to. Nothing much happened during those times except for going around buying stuff I would be needing for a new school year.


Then after getting here (like less than a week before school started), I frantically ran around buying stuff for the new dorm. We finally got a kitchen and many more things were needed for that. Trash bins. Utensils. Cutting boards. Dish drying rack (who ever thought of buying this moving into a new place until they realize there's no place to dry the dish on?). Knives. Etc. And food. Now that's important: the food.


After settling down I drowned in my workload. One of my classes (a required history class) gives me 60 pages of reading each time. SIXTY! Are you kidding me? I have to read for other classes too. Bottom line is I'm behind in most of my reading and am trying desperately to catch up. Plus, I have an upcoming test for the history class on Monday. Oh, sadness.


Second, I failed in keeping up with my exercise routine. Ever since I got back home, I never actually went out to run or anything. Sad times. The important factor was how hot it is over there. Another is because there were a lot of workers around building new houses in the community and such (it's not to safe there). And, like I said earlier, I've been kept busy with work since I got back and couldn't really get myself to go out.


However, change finally arrives.


I started my exercise routine again. I'm going to a cheap Group Fitness offered at the university and such. I felt so bad because I have become so unfit. Seeing all those other girls in there pushing through the classes like it was nothing while I stood there panting like a dog in a summer day. It was horrible. But it is also a motivation.


I also have another motivation.


I will be going on my first backpacking trip in two weeks! Well, hopefully anyways. The date is set for Oct. 7-9 which is perfect because we have a faculty conference that Friday, thus, no class that day. :) I don't know exactly where yet mainly because the AT&T network around the Los Angeles area is down right now and won't be fixed until around 2 am (seriously? can't you maybe try to fix it a little faster considering how long it's been already?).


Anyway, I just found out about this trip yesterday. I will definitely get more details soon. I'm sooo excited!!!


Lastly, I failed at keeping my camera by my side. Sigh. There were so many things I wish I could have recorded but I stupidly "forgot" to bring my Cybershot (meaning I convinced myself it will just weigh my bag down and I wouldn't even end up using it in the end: totally bad argument). Like this weekend.


I came down to L.A. because my mom's here. I ended up buying a few things for my trip and honestly wish I can post some pics here, but that's impossible without my camera. Oh well. I guess a description will have to do for now. When I do get a hold of my camera though, I will post pictures!


I bought a sleeping bag. 15 degrees one. It's a Sierra Designs. I love how the whole thing looks like a cocoon and has these worm-like ridges. I feel like a little caterpillar in there. Plus, mine's pink. :) I also bought the mat that goes underneath the sleeping bag (by the way, I had to look up how to spell "mat" because I kept thinking that it's "matte").


Then there's the "bladder." I called it the hydrating water system thingy majig. The woman that was helping me (regrettably, I forgot her name) recommended one for me. It can hold up to 2 Liters of water. Then I got another pair of Thorlos' Light Hiking socks.


I am so psyched about this trip! I hope I don't hold the people that are bringing me back because of how slow I am or something. Exciting times to come!!


But now, back to studying...

No AC?!

Nothing much really happened since my last post. I've been going to Chinese classes with my mom, the concert every Saturday night, watching soap at night, and doing the usual following my mom around like an imprinted duck. I have also been practicing and getting prepared for the charity song I will be recording soon (hopefully next week).


The one thing that happened though was my AC breaking last night.


I mean, it works. It's still blowing out air and all. But it is definitely not cool air. We slept with just a fan blowing at us last night. My mom kept on waking up and trying to make the AC work by turning it off and on again. It's like 85 degrees outside! I can imagine it's somewhere close to that in the room.


The mechanics should be coming today. Some time.


Moving on to a better subject, I went to my grandmother's sister's husband's birthday a week ago. I know, it's kind of confusing. We keep in contact with a lot of our relatives. I forgot how old he's supposed to be. Somewhere around 80-90.


He is really nice. He's always happy to see me. Oh, how I love old people...

He asked to take a picture with me but never looked at the camera LOL

That's his wife (my grandma's sister) and him

Looking happy!

Hmmppfff!

The birthday feast (let's not call it a party) was right outside their house. I got to enjoy a little bit of good weather mainly because it was overcast (thankfully, or else it would have been super hot).


A couple of days ago I also took some pictures of my dog, Dapple, sunbathing at our window. She's a true American in that sense. Always catching the sun in the morning. Her tummy's actually a little tanned!

"Mmm, the sun feels so niiiice."

She's wearing her PJs!

"I got sunshine in my eyes~"

That's it for today.  :)

Sleep All Night, Play All Day

Summer has been kind of slow. I've been going downtown every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then every Tuesday and Thursday, there are usually something to do. I'm also taking Chinese classes with my mom every Monday and Saturday. Then every Saturday night we go to this reality singing concert. Kind of like American Idol, but the Thai version.

Oh, what a life.

And the dog that I rescued last Christmas break has also been coming in to the room to sleep as well. She is so adorable. She has grown so much since the last time I saw her, considering how she was only a puppy when I left home last time.

 

She sleeps real funny as you can see. Hahaha. There is enough room for her to stretch out, but somehow she seems to like putting her head against the cage while sleeping.


Then early in the morning, we let her out to go run around the yard/garden the whole day. She apparently likes jumping into the fish pond chasing after the Koi.


Last night, we were going to go to the concert, but it had been raining for around an hour or two before it was time to leave. Naturally, my gated community was flooded and we didn't dare leave even with the Land Cruiser. The water was that high. We didn't even go beyond 200 meters from home, I don't think. It was raining really hard and the water drainage system in the community is kind of slow.


So I ended up just watching Thai soap last night. :)

A Trip Out of Town: Khao Yai

How long has it been since I updated here? A while, I assume. Nothing much happened. I've just been going around town with my mom. Taking care of business (not really). I just went to renew my passport today because it will expire in 2 months. I have to go in and get it on Thursday. Thankfully, it didn't take too long like it would normally take.


Before this, I think it was last week, I went out of town to a city called Khao Yai. It is a very well-known city here in Thailand. It literally means "big mountain." The main attraction is the Khao Yai National Park. I have never actually been to the national park, but I definitely will when I have time. There are also outlets and interesting venues around town.


Usually I go to visit my grandpa because he is currently developing pieces of land there that he owns. He has his fruit farms and other "projects" he imagined up. Many, many things that I will not mention just yet. But, one of his project includes the Kaoyai Lumtakong Hotel where my mom is helping manage at the moment. Hence, the many trips I take to go there.


There was this little creek behind the hotel when it was first bought. With my grandpa's imagination and some landscape engineering, the creek was turned into a small, beautiful waterfall, giving the hotel a pretty attractive and relaxing environment.

From the patio :)

Another view

Whoosh whoosh!

As you can see, the water is pretty high right now. That is mainly because it is the rainy season here right now. I know, I know. There is no such thing as a "rainy" season, but we really do consider that here. It has been raining everyday ever since I got back. And I don't just mean regular rain, but more like thunderstorms and a heavy downpour.


So, there is an abundant of water here at the moment. A little too much, I think. It's so humid!


By the waterfall, there is also a water wheel, which I think adds a lot to the homey feel of the hotel. I heard my grandpa got it from one of the local farmers around the area. Hahaha. Because the water wheel is usually used to pick up water and irrigate the field.

Note: there is a blue, yellow, and green crane on the land behind the water wheel if you look carefully. My grandpa is still developing the piece of land behind the hotel. I think he plans on making a garden there.


Then there are the Koi fish in the pond by the reception:

Awww, they're so nice and plump!

A little crocodile by the pond

There are also orchids around the hotel, but they don't really have many flowers right now. I only managed to get one photo int he limited time that I was there, which was less than a day. Maybe even less than half a day.

Well, I've been watching Thai soap ever since I got here. And I gotta say. It's pretty darn good! :D I guess it's just one thing to do when I'm here.

4th of July and Home

It's been a while since I've last wrote, mainly because I've been quite busy with preparing to get back home and the trip back home itself. So I'll just briefly outline what had happened. I am still feeling pretty jetlagged. :s


After summer school ended for me, I went to San Diego for the 4th of July weekend. It was a pretty relaxing four-day retreat. I got to visit my hamster, Potato, at Joel's house. Although we're really worried about him right now because Joel told me through Skype that Potato looks like he's getting the wet tail disease. :( Hopefully he'll be saved in time. He is the sweetest hamster; it will break my heart to see him leave so early especially because I only bought him two months ago.


Anyway, Joel made an awesome house for him though. That kid better not die on us.

Told ya it was awesome! (verging on epic :p)


I still have hope. It's funny though. Because I lost this toy hamster Joel and I bought that will remind me of Potato when I come home at the airport. Somehow, that must have been some kind of omen. I really miss that fluffy furball of a rodent with his short, hairless tail. :'(

That's him on his "Woodland Get-A-Way" house.


Live, Potato! Live!


Moving on to a happier subject, Joel's cat, Troy, seemed to love me more than before. He was playing with me and meowing a lot when I meow at him. Hahaha! Funny how that works. He's adorable and fat. Reminds me a bit of Garfield except his face is not as huge. Joel said he had been nicer ever since he got kicked out of the room because of Potato. Hah!

It took me some time and effort to try and get a good picture of him because he keeps on moving around.


I also went running at the beach for the first time in my life. Well, not really because I'm pretty sure I did run at the beach when I was smaller. But now I've just grown lazy like other adults and prefer to walk around the beach instead. If I remember correctly, Joel and I ran at Imperial Beach. We tried to stick to the dry sand so it was kind of taxing. When we finally got back onto the pavement it was like running on nothing. Hahaha.


We watched fireworks from the freeway on the night of the fourth, and I ate lots of good food. Mmm. Baked mussels. :3 I wish I could stay longer.


I just got back two days ago. I landed and got back home around noon. Than in the late afternoon I got onto another plane and flew to Chiang Mai (a northern city of Thailand). As you can imagine, I was super jetlagged that day. Yesterday, I just flew back down to Bangkok. We were only there for a Buddhist ceremony so we didn't stay long.


And here I am, sitting in front of my laptop, writing in my blog. So much and so little has changed at the same time. It's kind of hard to explain what I'm feeling. Seeing and sleeping with my dog again is definitely nice.


Hopefully, I'll be able to get back into my exercise routine again soon. It's awfully hot here though. Oh, AC, how I worship thee.

Breaking in the Boots (Part II): On a Shopping Spree

Summer school has officially ended for me. Woot woot! I was really tired of studying hard every single day, especially because I took two classes this past session. I gotta say it was totally worth it though. I learned a lot from both classes. You know how on class evaluations, they ask if the class has contributed to your morals and values? I actually marked one of the classes as being a total life changer. Yes, it was that great. Although that's really another story.


The point is I moved out, and now I'm in that awkward, in-between period where I'm waiting to fly home. So I'm staying with my cousin in LA and packing/cleaning up the room. Then today I decided to go to Santa Monica and visit the REI store.


Gotta use that $10 discount before time runs out! :)


What a great opportunity to try the other pair of socks and to continue the process of breaking in my boots. Today, I decided to wear Thorlos Thick Cushion Hiking socks.

Just as a reminder, last time I wore Thorlos Moderate Cushion Light Hiking Socks.


Both of them feels very comfortable and soft. However, the one that I wore today is definitely for colder days. My feet were heating up a little, not to the point where I would take the socks off, but it was warming up nevertheless. It would be perfect for use in the colder time of the year, definitely. But hey, it's been getting quite hot these past few days, what was I doing wearing boots and socks anyway?


Bottom line: I'm not returning this pair and will be keeping them for winter adventures, hikes, etc.


I walked a couple of blocks to get to the bus station and rode down to Santa Monica. I was so happy there wasn't any traffic, considering it's the fourth of July weekend. Regrettably, I forgot to take my camera with me (I have got to just stick it in my purse!). I was really hungry, so I ate at this place called Bellagio, which was literally in the middle of the promenade.


I had this super awesome hot chocolate (even though the weather was a bit warm; but I decided to get it probably because I was cold from the AC inside the bus) and a kickass salame panini. Salame's the best!


Then I walked over to REI.


I bought more than I was expecting when I first walked through those front doors with pickaxes as handles. Really, I'm not joking. I thought that was a nice touch. Anyway, so I went to look for the base layer. Smartwool was recommended to me. I looked at other brands as well, like Patagonia and The North Face, but Smartwool seems to be the most comfortable out of all those. So I tried on different colors and got one microweight and one midweight crew shirts.

Smartwool Microweight Crew in Lavender

Me with the shirt on :)

**I usually don't take pictures of myself, especially not in front of the mirror, but I just wanted to let you guys see what the shirt looks like on an actual body. So, because I don't have a manikin, I had to use myself.

Smartwool Midweight Crew in Aegean Heather

The shirt on a body!

As you can see in both pictures of myself, I was trying to suck in my tummy as much as possible. Hahaha! And also the fact that I wear a Spongebob boxer at home for comfort. (Yes, it says Bikini Bottom.)

Moving on with my shopping day, something else caught my eyes. It was a sportsbra. I already have one, and it works pretty well, but looking doesn't hurt right? Well, it kinda did hurt my wallet. Because I ended up buying it.

I bought the blue Serena Seamless Sportsbra from Moving Comfort.

**Sorry, but I don't think I should model for this product. ;)

Not only did the color (which is a little brighter than in this picture) catch my attention, but the fact that it was soft and smooth. I love soft clothes! And when I tried it on, it was pretty comfortable. I jumped around a bit, and there was still some bouncing. It's only a medium impact bra though, so it was fine.

Here is the bra that I had before:

I bought this online from New Balance. It works pretty well. I used it when I went running or whenever I do any exercise. I've read people complaining about how a certain sportsbra would rub on their shoulders/clavicle and leaving behind red marks. I never had any of those problems with this one. It fits well and doesn't rub against my skin when I run.

I plan on testing out the new bra this weekend. Joel and I made a plan to go out running on the beach. :) So that should be challenging. Tammy recommended me to train on the beach because she wants to take me backpacking in the Sierra, and there are a lot of gravels which crumbles down to becoming almost like sand. We'll see how the running session turns out.

I probably won't be able to run as far as Joel, considering how I am less fit than him. Hehehe.

Continuing with my shopping story, I finally got to the clothing item I actually went into the store to get. The North Face pants. There was actually my size this time, which made me really happy: x-small, petite. :D

They are SO soft and comfortable I had to get them! :) They are quick-drying as well as protects my skin from the sun (UPF 30). I don't know exactly if I will be needing them for my trip with Tammy, but I couldn't possibly miss out on this piece of the cloud!

I also went to buy a charging cable for my iPod because I seem to have misplaced it. I can't believe how busy it gets in that store. I probably stayed in there for less than five minutes. The sales guy that was helping me out had a guide dog. He was really nice and the dog was super timid. I got to touch him/her (I didn't get a chance to bend down and see its true gender). I think it was a black lab.

After that, I took the bus back. Now, I wish I could have gotten gelato or something. I don't know why I didn't. Oh well. It was a day well spent nonetheless.