Ortega Hwy: The Scenic Route

We were stuck in unmoving traffic as far as the eye could see - on our way to Escondido last weekend.  My husband and I decided to take the scenic route to I-15.  Instead of staying in traffic for hours, we took Ortega Highway/CA State Hwy 74.

Ortega is my maiden name - and my husband has always teased me that it was my highway.  It is a long and winding road through the canyon, passing through Cleveland National Forest.  It was a beautiful stretch of road that reminded me of my paternal grandfather's place in the Philippines - rural and peaceful - a far cry from the bustling city (and jammed interstate freeway) we had just left behind.  A two-lane highway where you can appreciate the grand mountain ranges with a spectacular view of Lake Elsinore as you drive down.

I loved the view and my husband had wanted to take me through it for quite some time now - ever since he had to take the road on a business trip.  Our little detour saved us a lot of time and got us in a relaxed mood.  My husband is very easy going while I constantly stress myself - it's in my nature.  He always reminds me to calm down and take it easy - even while we're on vacation - I always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere, I always have lots of things planned that we have to see and do.  My husband complements me and completes me.  When every day seems like a task - my husband gets me to stop and smell the roses - to appreciate how beautiful this new place we call home is.

Today, it has been seven years since my husband and I decided to be more than friends.  And everyday I am grateful that God gave him to me - to save me from my bad temperament and impatience, to love me just the way I am, and to be my partner in this journey called life.

Denim Work Days

Source: Meghan Fox in Armani Jeans Campaign

We have a summer perk at work where we are allowed to wear jeans every day.  A lot of my coworkers jumped at the opportunity and some have even asked me if I got the memo because I still come to work in dresses and khakis.

The reason being that I just don't have that many pairs of jeans to wear to work.  Now if they allowed us to wear shorts...  :)

Plus if heat and comfort is the reason they've allowed jeans - I'm just as comfortable wearing my light-weight dresses and my capris than my jeans.  I also don't want to run out of comfortable clothes for my weekends when you want to savor the warm days by going outdoors.

It's nice to have the option though to dress casually.  We used to have that option all year long in the company I worked for in the Philippines - but there are just some days when I prefer dressing up - especially when you're going straight to date night from work.

Would you prefer to wear jeans to work every day or are you happy with your smart casual dress code?  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Adventures on the Nautilus Machines

Aside from the peace and quiet of having no one under 18 years old allowed inside the area - the reason my husband and I prefer Melody Hill to the other recreational areas in Welks Resort is because it has a cardio and exercise room.

With the 2-3 pm heat welcoming us as we got to the pool area - I ducked into the cardio room for some much needed exercise.

I must admit that it was in the privacy of Melody Hill's cardio room that I got the courage to try the elliptical.  When I came in, a very fit woman was on it - the TV was on and I was the only other person in the room.  I studied the woman on the elliptical subtly - she looked like she was strolling at the park - her movements were so relaxed and it didn't look difficult at all.

When she finished her workout and my recumbent bike workout finished - she left and I was left alone with a room full of treadmills, stationary bikes, recumbent bikes and ellipticals.  I enjoyed the Nautilus recumbent bike - with it's pre-programmed workout and stable construction, so I decided to try out the Nautilus elliptical that the woman used earlier.

I wasn't comfortable with the movement at first - it felt like I was walking backwards and I was so high off the floor - I felt that I might fall.  But then I realized how fast I was going - as I noticed the digital display of my RPM.  I didn't feel any impact on my knees - except for the times when it resisted the natural movement of the exercise machine.  I didn't stay on it as long as I wanted to - because I was already tired from the recumbent bike, but it was a great workout with very little discomfort on my body.  A relaxed workout - who would have thought that was possible?

I am now a fan of the Nautilus line of workout equipment.  The exercise equipment caters to my love of gadgets with it's programmable workout and digital displays.  At the same time, it enables me to get a great workout with minimal impact on the parts of my body I'm taking care not to injure like my knees!  I recommend them to anyone who wants to lose weight naturally - not relying completely on any starve-yourself diet fad.

The equipment is kind of pricey though - and that is why I'm glad I can use it at the Welks Resort Melody Hill Recreational Center whenever I can. It's part of our timeshare ownership benefits - great deal, right?  We've owned here for over three years now - and we're only realizing how good our benefits are now when we're actually coming down more often to use the facilities we help maintain.  Check the resort out when you're in Escondido!

Covert Affairs & My Want-To-Do List

OK, I admit it - I love female detective and female spy dramas!  It must be a secret dream job/frustration of mine or something, but these shows get me totally hooked for some reason.

I found a comment from a friend on Facebook who said she always wanted to be a language major, but had no idea what she would do after.  I told her about Covert Affairs, another new show on my DVR list - stating that the lead character speaks 6 languages.  Girl next door works as a spy - my friend loved the premise of the show and I gave her a link to the show's website!

Ever since I started watching it - I keep remembering things I want to do that is related to Annie Walker's (Piper Perabo) character profile namely: (1) learn a new language, (2) travel to the country that uses that language, (3) fall in love in a marvelous beach, (4) work for the CIA (ok, so maybe my expertise doesn't really translate well to espionage work - but I do speak 2 languages)!  I think number (3) is probably the easiest - I just have to get my husband home to the Philippines and get to one of our glorious beaches.

Kidding aside, I think I relate to females excelling in a career that males dominate.  Males still dominate the programming world and I always enjoy knowing that what I code makes a difference in the world.

Do you enjoy shows with female leads?  Do you relate to the female leads as well?  Have a great weekend, my friends!

Rizzoli and Isles: Second Chances

What attracted me to watch Rizzoli and Isles?  I just happen to be reading a Rizzoli and Isles novel that was offered at a special $1.99 price on my Kindle newsletter a few months back - when I saw the trailer for the show.

I must admit when I first read a Tess Gerritsen novel - I was expecting more of a Robin Cook style of medical thriller.  But while Robin Cook tends to dwell on the medicine and the science - Tess Gerritsen dwelled in the investigative plot.  I was a bit disappointed - I wanted my medical thrillers to be, well... medical!

The promotional Kindle book got me to give Gerritsen's work a second chance - and I like the way she developed Jane Rizzoli's character.  She's a female detective struggling to be treated as an equal in a male-dominated work force.  Great premise!  In the novel, Rizzoli is described as plain - Angie Harmon is anything but plain - they are developing a romantic interest between her and the lieutenant early in the season - hopefully it doesn't become cheesy.

Dr. Maura Isles adds the sugar to this seemingly incompatible team.  I watched Sasha Alexander in NCIS as Agent Todd.  Her character there leaves much to be desired - she came out bland - compared to the goth forensic pathologist, Abby, and her exotic replacement, Ziva David - this is also her second chance to wow TV audiences and Sasha Alexander's portrayal of a smart yet clueless (in a totally legally blonde way) forensic pathologist in this new series may just redeem her!  After all, who didn't enjoy that mix of logic and feminine whims that Reese Witherspoon was so great at?

So there's my new Monday night DVR schedule for this season!  Have an entertaining rest of the week, my friends!

Getting Organized: Baby Steps

Do you ever walk through your home and wince when you see your things in disarray?  I do.

I try my best to keep everything organized, but my hectic days of working 2-3 jobs/projects take their toll - and the fact that my husband's studies produces more books and papers doesn't help either!

I've had this letter tray on my home office wall for quite a while, but I have never organized my papers, envelopes and stamps in it before - now it's easy to find where everything is.  A small step, but it's a start.

I try to buy organizers for my stuff - even though my husband doesn't believe they will help (probably because of my misuse of the letter tray he painstakingly put up for me) - I think having a place for everything is important.   If you know where to return things when you're finished using them then you're more likely to do so - and not lose them.

Speaking of losing things, every time my husband needs to charge his phone - he asks me where I placed his charger (even though he is the only one who uses it).  Then we spend about five to fifteen minutes looking for it together.  I saw this charging station in our neighborhood office supply store yesterday, purchased it, and made him put his phone's charger in it.  Now he will always know where his charger is - it's going to be in the charging station with all the other chargers!  Time and frustration saved - priceless.

I know I sometimes have a tendency to overdo things - like the organizing and the organizers, but if it makes my home life more efficient - I don't think there's anything wrong with that, right?

Semi-annual Stocking Up

Yesterday I waited for my husband at The Block of Orange because I did not want to suffer through the intense heat at home alone.  I also have run out of hand soap, wallflower refills and body cream - which could mean only one thing - a trip to Bath and Body Works.  I was only going to get a few things - or so I told myself.

I reminded myself to keep my bag light so I can go around the shops more.  Of course the offers above prevented me from doing this.  Who wouldn't buy 3 body creams so you can get 2 for free?  Who wouldn't stock up on hand soap instead buying it at the retail price every few months?  And buy 1 get 1 on wallflower refills - that's going to last me half a year at the very least!  One of my wallflowers at home still has a third of the apple scent that I bought last Christmas.

So my scent-cabinet is all stocked up - at least until the Christmas season - and my arms got some exercise as I lugged around my haul afterwards.  Some good came out of this little incident though - my bag was so heavy, I went to a coffee shop - bought a smoothie and proceeded to read my detective novel instead of being tempted to go around the other shops!  So in the long run, my purchased stock could have saved me a great deal.

Do you have the same problem of resisting good deals?  Or do you just buy what you need despite of the "buy-more-save-more" promotions?  Tell me your secret, please.  Enjoy the scents of summer, my friends!

A Welks Resort Getaway

My sister-in-law visited us from New Zealand last week, she only stayed for a few days so I thought we could bring her to Welks Resort in Escondido to enjoy a bit of swimming (ok, so the idea was more for me that anybody else - I love swimming!) and lounging by the recreational areas.

We have owned timeshare here for over three years now, but this is the first time we've ever stayed here.  We usually exchange our weeks to vacation in other places.

I actually booked one of their online promotions to stay for just one night.  It was to stay at the property we own - the Mountain Villas.  For some reason we had to wait a long time for them to clean the room out - and finally the reservation assistant took pity on us and tried to get us a different room - the only ones available were two-bedroom suites so she upgraded us for free.

We had 1300 sq ft of living space, two bedrooms, a spacious living room, dining area and a huge kitchen - not bad!  In our brief time there, we managed to cook in the huge kitchen, have a few drinks and share stories in the living room and of course make full use of the bedrooms and the huge bathrooms (there were two of these as well so we did not have to share).  We all loved the place!

My husband and I had just enough time before checking out to spend a little "alone time" at the adults-only Melody Hill Recreational Center - we had the hot tub to ourselves and I was able to swim a few laps in the serenity pool.  This area though older than the Mountain Springs Recreational Center was quieter.  If you have no children and want some rest and relaxation, try spending time here!  We checked out Mountain Springs before going home and were welcomed by children laughing and screaming as they played on the water slide and in the pool.  It was a bit chaotic compared to Melody Hill, but the amenities were top notch.  I loved the Owner's Lounge where you can go online and print directions, watch sports in the big screen TV mounted on the wall or just play board games.

It's a great resort.  They were a bit understaffed, but the staff they did have were very friendly and accommodating.  They patiently answered all my questions and made sure our stay was as comfortable as possible.  So just in case you find yourself in San Diego - check out the Welks Resort for a vacation filled with golf, swimming, fun activities and lots of relaxation!

US Passport Price Hike

I took the US Civic Test for immigrants applying for naturalization yesterday.  The very kind immigration officer administered my test and recommended my application for approval.  If all goes well, I should get a schedule for oath-taking soon.

And that means I can apply for a US Passport and be able to travel back home - Yay!  Unfortunately for me, the application fee for a US Passport has increased effective today, July 13, 2010. Yes, one day after I passed the civic examination - I never had a chance at the old rates!

I found the table of new application fees posted below in the USPS website.

I hope the above information helps!  Happy traveling, my friends!

The Teas of Summer

It started with a fascination with Starbucks' passion iced tea - shaken not stirred.  I loved the tangy freshness of the perfect-for-a-really-hot-day beverage.  And the vibrant color just wakes you up!  Aesthetically pleasing as well as delicious - an inexpensive treat to take on the heat this summer.  Although I was taken with green tea frapuccino for a very long time, I find it really heavy now compared to just the shaken iced tea - not to mention heavy on the wallet!  This non-dairy version is recession-friendly when you're on a budget.

But then it couldn't stop there!  I was grocery shopping for my mother-in-law when I saw a poster on this store that served different kinds of teas. I was drawn to this chrysanthemum (yes, the flower) tea with boba sweetened with sugar cane.  I am now a fan!  And I go back to the little store in Monterey Park every chance I get just to get another taste of this fragrant little concoction.  A light and sweet refreshment that just makes you go, ahhhh!

And look what I discovered last weekend!  Brewed iced tea from Coca-Cola - Gold Peak Tea.  They had a free tasting at a nearby grocery store - and I thought it was more flavorful than the tea I currently had in my basket.  You really taste the difference - the flavor of the tea comes out more - enhanced by the lemon flavor.  And it tastes lighter!  Check this out next time you're in the grocery store and taste for yourself.

Have a refreshing summer, my friends!