Day 22 - Monday 17th December 2012

Today was a resting day, why wouldn't it be after an exhausting weekend. Slept in till the afternoon and unpacked the luggage. It's always a lazy day on mondays, sleep in and not do much. Just stayed in our room doing our own thing. So I caught up on the latest episodes of tv shows that I follow.

The past seems to always come back to haunt me

xoxo bmnt

Day 21 - Sunday 16th December 2012

So last night was another restless night. In the morning we all got ready to leave San Franscio. However we headed out to see the San Fransico bridge since we were able to do so last night. So when we finally got to the bridge, we drove all the way across it and down to the port. It was the perfect view  of the bridge. However because it was so cold we only took a couple of photos and made our way back up. We then went on the long drive home only to be stuck in traffic on the way home which made us come back even more later.

Only when im sleeping is when all my thoughts and pain goes away

xoxo bmnt

Day 20 - Saturday 15th December 2012

Another night and I yet agin couldn't sleep and so I ended up staying up all night. We headed out on a car trip to San Fransico at around 3.00 am. The car trip took at least 7 hours not including the stops made on the way. By the time we arrived to the Inn it was about 10.30 am. We checked into our room and dropped off all our luggage and headed out to Chinatown, San Fransico. The day was looking dull, cold and slightly raining. When we got to Chinatown, it was a crazy mission to find parking. After finally finding parking we headed out to the streets of Chinatown. It was a different experience, just the environment and the structure of the streets were different. We walked around the streets of chinatown just trying to absorb the different atmosphere. As we were walking we saw several groups of people who were dressed up as Santa Clause, Mrs Clause, Elfs, etc. Apparently there was a celebration where there would be a massive groups of people dressed up would meet up. They were over taking the streets as well as the bars/pubs. We eventually found a decent place we could go eat Yum Cha but here in the US they call it Dim Sum. Same thing, I guess but I dont get why they call it that. Anyways after we finished eating, we ended up walking into several souvenir shops and I managed to purchase over $100 worth of souvenirs and managed to single handily get validation for our parking ticket.  We then headed to our car, and drove around looking at the different buildings and sights. As we drove around I couldn't help but notice that all the pubs and bars were packed with the groups of people who were dressed up. They were packed inside and outside of these pubs and bars. It was an unusual sight, something I have not yet seen before. We continued to drive around San Fransico, however because the traffic was so terrible. We couldn't make it into Union Square, where they were holding a big celebration. Because of the bad traffic, we decided to head back to our room and end the long day we had. When we finally arrived at our room, we all took a rest and watched the movie, New Years Eve, that was playing on the television. And as my relatives slept me and my sister stayed up watching movies on our laptop however we did fall asleep eventually.

New places and experiences can never compare to back home

xoxo bmnt

Day 19 - Friday 14th December 2012

So today we went to try some dumplings at a dumplings store near my cousins work. My cousin ordered three different types of dumplings. They all tasted nice, but i preferred the steamed dumplings over the fried dumplings because the fried dumplings were just more dry than what i would normally expect from a  pan fried dumpling. After finally finishing the three plates of dumplings we headed off to  get some things for the trip to San Fransico. We ended up buying a whole heap of onion ring chips, prawn chips, Vietnamese desserts and bread.

After shopping for food for the trip we decided to go vintage shopping at Good Will. After looking at the racks of clothes for an hour or so,  we ended up with a shopping cart full of clothes that all three of us could try on. It was the most successful trip to Good Will compared to last time I was there. Possibly because this time I was with my cousin and she knows how to find clothes at these places. I always liked the idea of thrift store shopping back in Australia but I have not yet had the opportunity to experience it. So experiencing thrift store shopping over here in the US was totally an exciting experience.

One man's trash is another man's treasure. 

xoxo bmnt 

Day 18 - Thursday 13th December 2012

So today my cousin decided to take me and my sister to go shopping at Nordstorm Rack. As soon as I walked into the store. I could see that most of the clothes in the store were all branded clothing. I think my sister found a simple branded cardigan for more than $200. So obviously I just wondered around the store looking at what was there. Like always I end up in the clearance racks and because we were so short on time I had to ramage through the racks as fast as I could. Luckily I could find a nice lace dress and a few shirts, however the checkout lines were crazy long. So my cousin and sister left me waiting in line, while they went out and bought Subway to eat for lunch, before my cousin had to jet off to work again.

After finally paying for my items and meeting up with my cousin and sister, we rushed to eat our Subway sandwiches and to our car. As we were heading back home, my sister and I managed to persuade my cousin to drop us off at a shopping mall so that we can do some shopping on our own. So after much thinking and debating, my cousin dropped us off at a local shopping mall in Cerritos. It was the first time that me and my sister was out shopping alone without any relatives. It felt so relaxing and free, like we had all this freedom to wondering around and go where ever we want. We managed to shop around for at least 4 hours while waiting for my cousin to finish work and come back to pick us up. We were so tired from walking around everywhere non stop that we just sat on the lounge that were in front of the Apple Store. It was the best because there was Wifi for use to use while resting and waiting. Oh how i love any where with Wifi.

After coming home from a long day, we had a short rest before heading out the town again. This time it was to the Tea house. The main purpose was for my cousin to catch up on work, as for me and my sister we just tagged along. So we sat down in the corner table and all got out our laptops and did our own things. We also ordered drinks while we were there, I ordered a delicious Ma-Cha Icecream Milk Green Tea Drink. The thing I love about all these tea houses and coffee places are that they all close so late. Like this Tea house place, it closes at midnight. How awesome is that, especially since i'm always up so late. Australia should have more places like that.

"When I shop, the world gets better and the world is better, but then its not and I need to do it again." Confessions of a Shopaholic - the movie

xoxo bmnt

Day 17 - Wednesday 12th December 2012

So today turned out to be the most uneventful day that I have spent here in the US.

Once again I had a restless night and ended up sleeping for half the day. Not much surprise since that is usually the times that I wake up normally over here anyways. So when I woke up I had to quickly eat something before having to head out with my aunty to buy my parents the camera they wanted. They wanted a camera with a good number of megapixels as well as a zoom. So I decided to go with the Canon Camera. It may look like a professional camera it is still very much like a commercial camera. I even included the bundle pack, which meant that I get a side case poach, memory card and extra rechargeable battery. I don't know how this camera would be so I guess I would have to just wait to see when I do use it. Luckily I will be able to try out the camera this weekend when I go to San Fransico.

Hopefully the week ends on a better note.

"If you don't know where you're going, any road would take you there." George Harrison

xoxo bmnt 

Day 16 - Tuesday 11th December 2012

So last night I couldn't sleep last night, I guess I just had a lot on my mind. So I ended up staying up till 6.00 am and I didn't wake up till 11.00 am. When I eventually woke up in the mid day, we headed out to Best Buys, which is basically similar to a Dick Smith. So the main purpose of heading out the Best Buy store was to go find a suitable camera for my parents. Even though I don't see the point of my parents buying another camera, they don't even need a professional type camera. So I went into Best Buy and picked out a few different models of cameras that suited the idea of my parents.

So after not even buying a camera, we went home and rested at home whilst my cousin went to work. And when she returned home from work, she decided to take me and my sister to Downtown Fullerton. We walked around to explore the block and then eventually went to the Tranquil Tea Lounge. We sat near the lounge wall and ordered a tea pot of Tiramisu Rooibos blended tea, and Green tea & Mango Mochi. Drinking a hot pot of infused tea on a cold night like tonight is one of my greatest pleasures.


"Reality continues to ruin my life." Bill Watterson, The completes Calvin and Hobbes

xoxo bmnt 

 

Day 15 - Monday 10th December 2012

So today was just another lazy day spent at home, not doing much, just lounging around not doing anything. Yes, me and my sister tend to be lazy sloths. Shameful but I guess a day of rest is just what I needed after the long day.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein

xoxo bmnt

Day 14 - Sunday 9th December 2012

Last night was another night of so many thoughts running through my head. Luckily I had my Biffle to talk to, even though I kept my Biffle up so late. I'm sorry, but it was good to be able to talk to talk ro you for that long. It felt like i was back home, apart from the fact that I wasn't able to call my Biffle :( I don't know what I would do without my Biffle. If it wasn't for you I would have probably done something stupid a while ago. Thank you for always being there for me. Please know that I am here for you whenever, no matter the time or day :)

So anyways, I didn't really end up sleeping. I ended up talking to my Biffle till the morning here in the US. I probably had 30 mins of my eyes being shut. So really waking up wasn't a problem when I was already awake. The real problem was trying to wake up my cousin and my sister so that they could get ready to go Universal Studios. As me and my sister finished getting ready we went down stairs to the living room to wait for my relatives to finish getting ready. During that time I managed to talk my sister into painting her nails. And usually she declines my offer but for some reason she agreed, so i painted her nails a turquoise colour.

The car trip to Universal Studios was so intense with my cousin and her dad talking really loudly about the travel arrangements of the up coming events. We ended up getting a bit lost and I had to redirect my cousin using her navigation app on her phone.When we finally made it to Universal Studios we quickly found parking and made our way to the Universal  CityWalk. It was like walking through an alley of shops on either sides. It was beautiful and the vibe of the place was just so great.

We made our way to the entrance of the Universal Studios Park, there were a lot of people who were also making their way into the theme park. As we walked into the gates of the Universal Studios Theme park, the first thing I noticed was that it was that time of year called Grinchmas.  And then I saw some Whos, they looked so great and exactly what I imagined they would be like and look like. If you don't know or haven't seen the movie the Grinch. I suggest you watch it, its a classic Christmas movie. I remember every year watching the movie during my childhood. Anyways because this was such a rare occasion that I see Whos from Whoville obviously I took photos. They were all so jolly it made me feel jolly too.

So we made our way further inside and decided to go to a show at Water World. The exterior of the stage and the interior was decorated with sheet metal and fisherman equipment. I dont even know how to describe the inside. It was just incredible to see how they had set this up and they even had trained actors who were in the cast. The audience had to sit on the stands that surrounded the stage. The seats were labelled with Soak Zone, Wet Zone, and Dry Zone. This obviously meant that some what in the show we would get wet. However knowing that we stayed in the Wet Zone because you cant get that wet right? We were wrong. The show had a lot of effects, there was water effects, fire effects, etc. At one point there was even a plane that crashed and landed at the barrier of the stage. Oh and the fire effects were so close I could actually feel the heat from it. Overall the experience I had at the show was incredible and I didn't expect the show to be that engaging and entertaining.

Next we decided to go into the House of Horrors because it was close by as well as the fact that my cousin suggested it. I didn't know what to expect walking into a house of horrors. Inside it was so dark and limited on lights. I was leading my sister and my relatives into the house of horrors. I guess that was a bad idea because it was so dark I felt so blind. On top of that people dressed up in scary stuff kept jumping out at me. Literally the scariest house of horrors I ever walked into. I think we managed to walk through half way and ended up in a room full of mirrors and we were all confused so decided to exit the house of horrors. I regret going into a house of horrors with my cousin and sister all they did was walk really slowly and kept screaming and jumping out of no where which also scared me. It would be a while till I ever walk into another house of horrors.

After leaving the house of horrors, we walked around to forget about the horrors that were seen in the house of horrors. We walked around the set up streets, which had old english shops and french patisseries. The streets were too decorated with Christmas decoration and fake snow. We eventually made our way down to the Shrek 4D area. At first we entered a hall and was shown a short introduction. The hall was slightly dark with just enough light. The walls were decorated with images and also a few props. Afterwards we were shown into the Auditorium for chance to watch a small segment of a non released Shrek scene with 4D effects. There was a lot of chair movements, water effects, air effects as well as fog affects. Overall the experience I would say was enjoyable and entertaining. I even got to see Shrek and Fiona on my way out, it was a shame I didn't get a photo with them because they were rushing off somewhere.

Afterwards we headed to the Universal Studios Tour. There was so many people already lined up. Luckily there are tour bus constantly running so the wait was not too long. When we finally go to our tour bus we were lucky to sit in the front of the second carriage. So the tour lasted for about 45 minutes and it had showed us around all the different studio stages as well some of the staged houses and streets. We drove from the streets of New York to the Suburbs and then to the streets of Europe, literally. It felt so real like we were travelling through movies. We were even lucky enough to experience of the 360 King Kong. It was crazy and felt so real again they used water affects. I don't know what is with the water effect but Universal Studios sure loves it. We then travelled through the town of Whoville and were greeted by the Whos. They even performed a special song for us too. As I mentioned before I grew up watching up the Grinch so seeing this was just amazing. Me and my sister was just on the edge of our seat.

Next up was the Mummy ride we didn't know what to expect because the ride was inside. All I knew was that it was a roller coaster ride that had a lot of warnings. I was not too scared unlike my sister, I had to try and talk her into going on the ride. The line up for the ride was pretty long as the ride was a popular ride.  However when we finally did go on the ride, it didn't last as long as I thought it would have which was a down side but it was a good ride and the sharp motions it went just added to the excitement. There was also props and effects that were along the walls during the time of the ride. However at the end of the ride it suddenly stopped and traveled back through the ride backwards which was unexpected.

The next ride that we went on was the Jurassic Park ride. It was a water ride, where were in a vessel travelling on water. As we traveled through it was like we were travelling through the actual Jurassic Park. There was scenery like a forest and  there were mechanical dinosaurs as well. Travelling through this ride felt really magical and mystical. However the end of the ride was really unexpected it was like a fall that was really steep and ended up driving into the water. And we decided to seat in the first row we ended up getting wet, me getting more wet then my sister. But we did really enjoy our time on the ride. If the line up for the ride wasn't so long I would have gone a couple of more times.

We were walking towards the Transformers 3D ride and discovered that the line up for the ride was at least an hours wait. The ride was a new ride and a quite popular ride so I guess that is the reason for the long line up. At least I got to see Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime and I even got to have a family picture with Bumble Bee. So I guess it was okay.

We then walked to the Simpsons ride, it was getting darker and colder so all we wanted to do was get into the shelter. Again this was another popular ride so yet again the line was long and we had to wait quite. When we finally got to the ride we were showed into a room where there was a carriage. At first i just thought it was one of those rides where its just a screen and the carriage would just move. But I was so wrong. We were lifted up into a big dome where there was other carriages and there was a big screen. It was a virtual roller coaster with effects, mostly water effects but it did feel quite real. It was quite unexpected and amazed me.

We then went to the Terminator 3D pavilion to see what it was about. We were all tired and I really did not know what to expect from this place. Again we walked into a small hall for another introduction, the hostess was played by an actor. She had to constantly say "super" in a high pitched and exaggerated tone. Afterwards we moved in towards a cinema style room where we could wear 3D glasses to view the show that was put on due to the effects that are used. However for some reason it was not so engaged with the show. To be honest both me and my sister fell asleep during the show and the only bits that woke us up was the loud sound effects that were used. After show was finally finished we made our way out towards the gates and towards the car.

On our way out we decided to go to an All You Can Eat Buffet, because we were all starving. So after the long ride home, we finally made it to the All You Can Eat Buffet that was near our house. It was very much different to what I was use to back home at Marconi Club. The food was different and the variety as well, but there was snow crab. At first I struggled getting the crab meat out from the shell. But after a while I got the hang of it, eating so much snow crab I think I could start tasting the salt water from the crab meat. That was then followed by a few more plates of food. However after eating so much at the Buffet, I started to get a bit sick. So I went home and got some rest to try recover from a food coma. And that was the end of one heck of a long day.

Kodiak moments and memories are always the best when they include people who are most important in life. 

xoxo bmnt

Day 13 - Saturday 8th December 2012

Another day goes by and nothing changes. Me and my sister still sleeps in till after 10.30 am. Luckily today we woke up just in time for my mum to call us from back home. We managed to get my mum to log onto Skype and got her to wake up my baby sister. You see even though it was mid-day here in the US but back home it was Sunday morning. That meant it was Sunday 9th December my mum's birthday. So back to the point, while video calling my parents on Skype, I hinted to my youngest sister to go get my gifts that I had left behind for this occasion. It was the only gift i managed to buy before I had left. I have no idea, but time just seemed to fly by so fast. I literally could not keep track of the time I had left. I felt bad for my dad and sister but there was nothing I could do. I didn't really have that much money saved up too. Again back to the point, my sister came back into my parents room and we all started singing Happy birthday to my mum. The reaction to the gifts weren't what I was expecting since I did spend quite a lot on her for her birthday present. I bought her a PANDORA bracelet with three charms as well as a Gift Voucher for the beauty salon that I was working at. Knowing my mum she thought of the money that was wasted more than the thought and effort of the present given to her. Sometimes it really hurts me, especially how hard I try and yet I can't manage to make her happy.

My cousin had work so we waited for her to come home yet again so that we could head out. We drove to Costco so that my cousin could go buy three Annual Universal Studios Passes. Afterwards we headed home to get ready for church. I didn't know what to expect from this mass. Luckily it was a Vietnamese mass. But the church it self was so beautiful, very spacious, and very traditional. They even had a Thieu Nhi Thanh The. That took up a whole isle of seats, there must have been  at least 20 rows filled with children with all the different coloured scarves.

It reminded me of the times that I was still in Thieu Nhu Thanh The, I really miss being part of that loving environment where all our friends was like one big family. I wish I could go back, but it's just too late now. Everything has changed and so has everyone. For some reason every time I get the opportunity to see all of them there is just this awkward tension in the atmosphere. It's as though the past two years has caused a wedge between all of them and me. Sometimes I just wish I still had kept in touch with them. But all I can do now is reminisce and regret the gap between our relationships.

After mass service, we traveled to Signal Hill and observed the view, over looking the city of Long Beach. The view was so beautiful, it was so nice and calming just sitting down and looking over to the horizon of the Long Beach lights. Times like that I wish I was back home experiencing it with someone  who is close to me someone like my Biffle :) My mission when I get back home is to get my Ps and go for drives just trying to find spots where there is a view similar to that. As I sat there staring at the horizon I thought to myself. In this big world I am just a small insignificant part of it, so possibly what I do and what happens to me wouldn't affect the world. I don't understand it much but my mind goes to a dark place when I'm able to just think about it.

Anyways at night we video called my mum again, because my aunty's family was over. After everyone talked to each other and my cousin Quinn saw my cousin's baby Alyssa. Afterwards was a show and tell of all the jewelry my aunty had bought for my mum, just to find give an idea for my mum. After showing my mum everything and said our good byes, it was off to our rooms as tomorrow will be an early start because we're going Universal Studios. I can't wait to go Universal Studios it will be so much fun, hopefully i will bump into Ellen Degeneres. I really want to meet her :(

"Parents are the only ones obligated to love you, from the rest of the world you had to earn it." Ann Brashares

xoxo bmnt 

Day 12 - Friday 7th December 2012

So today we traveled down to the fashion district in LA and visited the Santee Alley Markets. All the stalls and stores reminded me a lot of Vietnam. All the stalls and stores were close together, the sidewalks was busy with people and the streets was also busy with cars. We walked around the streets and towards Santee Alley Markets. There was a lot of variety of products that were sold at a low price such as jewellery, shoes, hats, scarves, etc.  We walked through the Santee Alley Markets and it just felt like an endless alley of stores. All the stores that I walked past, I couldn't help myself but walk into every single store. Thats just how I go shopping, thats just me.

So we must have walked around till approximately 5.00 pm and we all completely hungry. So we all decided to go eat Korean BBQ for only $9.99.  However when we finally arrived to the restaurant we could not find any parking so we had drive around and around for a while. We were lucky to find a parking spot on the side street and walked to the restaurant. By the time we got to the restaurant all we wanted to do was start eating and get food into our tummy. My sister and aunty didn't quite eat a lot, so it was just down to my cousin and me. Between the four of us we managed to eat four plates of different types of meat, and side dishes.

After we finished eating we headed home, but on our way home we found out that there was a compulsory mass. Because of the late notice of the mass we had to rush through the freeway to make sure that we were not late to mass. Luckily, we did make it on time but the drive there was again the scariest experience ever because the drivers at LA are all very reckless. There was several situations that we could have been in a car accident.

After church we made our way home and after a long day, all I wanted to do was to hope into bed.

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." Albert Einstein 

xoxo bmnt 

Day 11 - Thursday 6th December 2012

Not much to say about today. It was basically a lazy day at home. Just coped up in my room all day, doing nothing that was productive.

Days like this, good company would be good.

xoxo bmnt

Day 10 - Wednesday 5th December 2012

Today was sales shopping at Macy's. I have no idea what is with Americans and shopping. So we traveled to some shopping mall that was pretty far. Because it was so far, we had to leave the house at 9.00 am. We did not even get time to even get something to eat for breakfast. So as crazy shoppers goes, we were all everywhere in the store. It was every person for themselves,  I flicked through all the clothes on the sales racks to see if there was anything eye catching. So we shopped around till after 1.00 pm. The moment that we had finally left the store we headed to go eat at In N Out Burgers. Best burgers in town. I say.

After an exhausting morning we finally arrived home and headed up to our room so that we could have a rest and nap. After waking  up from a restless nap, we once again freshened up and ate dinner, before heading out for another drive around town. This time we went to the music store, just to keep my sister entertained and happy. The first place and only place, we went to when we got there was the guitar room. Guitars were hung on the walls of the room, waiting for someone to come in and play them. It was interesting seeing all the different types of guitars and the styles. While in the guitar room we met a very nice stranger who was happy enough to play some songs and have a jam session with us too. On top of that he also helped my sister with some basic music theory. Such a great experience for me being in a music store for the first time.

Afterwards we headed to Target, to get a few things and to browse around. I was still amazed that they have fast food store inside the store, it is usually Pizza hut and Starbucks stores. And once again everything was still cheaper than products we buy in Australia. After walking around what I thought was the whole store, I noticed that in the far back wall was a section for refrigerated and frozen food. I have never been so amazed. Target just keeps on surprising me. You can buy ice cream in Target, how awesome is that! They even have a pharmacy within the store as well, so convenient in my option. I wish our Target back home was like the Target here, with all the facilities that the American Target offers.

"Smiling is the best way to face every problem, to crush every fear and to hide every pain." 

xoxo bmnt

Day 9 - Tuesday 4th December 2012

So another day passes and we're still sleeping at 3 am and waking up at 11-ish. Today we went to a coffee house again, this time it was called "It's a Grind Coffee House". It was the place my cousin went to, when she was studying for her exam. It wasn't what I expected, it had a warm atmosphere with very friend staff. The place was decorated with big comfy chairs and tables. The best thing is that I love the free wifi available. Surfing the internet and watching tv shows :) So anyways, me and my sister once again just tagged along with my cousin cause we really did not want to stay home in our room. So the purpose of going to the coffee house was that my cousin was suppose to do work before she had to go to work. But after she ordered our drinks she made a phone call to a friend who also did the same exam as her. The phone call lasted almost two hours, it just shows that my cousin loves to talk a lot.

After leaving the coffee house we had to rush to send a fax and rush home so that my cousin could make her wake to work. During this time we took the time to watch a movie and eventually fell asleep. Such a lazy afternoon. After waking up, me and my sister got freshened up, so that  we could get dropped off at my cousin's work.

My cousin had joined this site where it allows subscribers to participate in the audience to watch a free screening of a newly completed film. So my cousin decided to take us to the free screening of Safe Haven. It was a great to experience a free screening. The whole process of the screening was entertaining. We watched an enjoyable movie and was able to get free movie passes to our next movie. Two free movies what a score. I really hope this movie is successful because its just an incredible story. Especially when it is by Nicolas Sparks.

I was thinking about starting to read when I get back. And I think I might just start with novels by Nicholas Sparks. Hopefully I stick to it, cause ever since I was young, I just hated to read. But I just thought it would be a good change and possibly an interesting experience. Just hoping.

"Nothing is more beautiful than a real smile that has struggled through tears" 
Oprah Winfrey

xoxo bmnt

Day 8 - Monday 3rd December 2012

Today was a lazy Monday, we just slept in and stayed at home in our room watching movies. After waiting for my cousin to come home from work, we headed out downtown. We just visited all the different places around town. It felt good just being able to walk around seeing the different places. The atmosphere of the town was very cosy and warm. Decorated with christmas lights and wreaths and a large christmas tree in the middle of the town.

We went to this little cafe that was in town, it was called. The cafe basically sold waffle sandwiches. It was really strange to see that they had sold waffles in a form of a sandwich. They had a variety of different waffles that were on the menu. Savory, Sweet, and a few deserts. But me and my sister stuck to the sweet waffles and ordered the Creme brulee waffles with strawberries. Where as my cousin ordered Salmon waffles. This cafe was in the middle of the small college village, just close by a local college and dorms.

After finishing out waffle sandwiches we headed to a place called the Block. Just another shopping mall but had a nice court yard. This place had mostly outlet stores around and more of a variety. This place was somewhere that would be a great place to hang out with friends. We just walked around the courtyard, looking at all the different outlet stores as well as the just discovering the area.

After finishing walking around the whole area we headed back to Little Saigon to get some froyo. I love froyo. Its like my obsession. Lately I've been eating a lot of frozen yogurt, it all started a few months before I even left Australia. So we went to Yogurtland and got cups of froyo, when we arrived at the store the workers gave us tester cups to try out the different flavours that were available. When choosing my yogurt flavours I just decided to stick with the normal flavours. I choose Green tea and strawberry with toppings of fruit such as strawberries, berries, popping pearls, and mochi. Very delicious :)

So that was the end of the day. Not so eventful but it was enjoyable just going on a nice drive discovering different places.

I don't have any control of what happens in my life but I do control my actions. And I will have to live with the consequences of those actions. 

xoxo bmnt

Day 7 - Sunday 2nd December 2012

The night before we decide to stay up to watch a movie. The movie ended up finishing around 3.00 am and we were all getting slightly hungry. We all went down to the kitchen and tried to look for things to cook. It turned out that I had to cook instant noodles for them with mushrooms and eggs. And my way of cooking instant noodles when i get lazy is in a pot. But normally i would put a lot of other things into the pot such as vegetables but i couldn't find anything in the fridge. So i guess mushrooms and eggs would just have to do. 

The next morning we could not wake up early enough and ended up rushing out of the house and picking out a random church service. What i did not expect was to walk into a Spanish church service. It was so awkward, with everyone staring at you cause you're the odd one out. They even had a strict dress code, never seen a dress code for a church before. Very strange. Apart from not knowing what was said during the service, I quite enjoyed their music and songs. All so joyful.

Next stop was Chimney Brick Toast Coffee House. It was in a quite isolated area because of all the industrial companies that were around. However it was surrounded by a few other Asian restaurants and supermarkets. So the reason for us to be at this coffee house was because me and my sister was tagging along with cousin while she was having a political meeting. So we sat down at the empty table that was available, it was a shame that the table was against the wall near the restrooms. So we ordered hot drinks and hot sandwiches. My sister ordered a hot chocolate and a chicken salad sandwich  where as I ordered a Mocha and a Roasted beef sandwich. I was enjoying my time until i was disturbed by the awful smell of the restrooms. Did i mention the were out of order, so it was horrible. And especially for me when I was facing the direction of the door of the restrooms. It was mostly because all the workers kept going in and out of room, which i think made it worse.

 
 

Since we were in the city of LA my cousin decided to take us to Hollywood. So we walked around the main streets of Hollywood. We walked on the street with the famous sidewalk stars, looked around the lights and all the different stores along . All the bright lights and busy side walks full of tourist. It felt so crazy to be in a place so busy and touristy. Seeing all the different buildings and structures was so amazing. All the street performances were amazing and the different people dressed up as different movie characters. 

On my way back from Hollywood, I started feeling sick. It was like i was about to vomit. I tried drinking bottles of water and winding down the car window but it didn't really work. I continued feeling sick so my cousin drove through the drive through and ordered me a large Sprite. Yes, Sprite. I didn't quite understand why she would order a large Sprite. Because of all the fizz in the Sprite I thought it was a bad idea. But it turns out that it really did work, it helped my feeling of throwing up. 

Well the day didn't end there. My cousins and her friends had planned to go to this event it was called 'Chill' it was like a winter wonderland. Luckily by the time we were travelling to this event I started feeling beter. When we arrived inside the event, we were shocked to discover that the ice skating rink would cost extra. This was because we expected that ice skating would be included with the administration ticket that we had bought online. Trying to move on from the fact that we would have to pay an additional amount of money just to go ice skating.



 

We walked on into the Ice Kingdom which was the only thing included in our administration ticket as this was the main event. Basically it was a beautiful ice kingdom with all these beautiful ice sculptures. They even provided an additional jacket because it was very very cold inside. Wearing the big blue jacket on top of what i was wearing made me look like a fat whale. Okay maybe I exaggerated a bit, but me and my sister did walk around like penguins. Yes, we're crazy in that way.  So inside this ice kingdom there was ice sculptures everywhere, there was even a ice slide inside. The ice slide was very slippery and was available for all to ride and there was no limit of how many times we could slide down. After being inside the ice kingdom for a while my face started to get cold and numb. And as soon as we exited to room  we were hit with this nice warm temperature.









We slowly made our way to the Queen Mary boat that was available for us to explore. We walked through the corridors of the boat and made our way out to the decks. Where the scenery was beautiful, you could see the calm harbour.  You could also see the lights of the busy harbour on the other side. All so bright and beautiful. We all just stood and stared out to into the harbour, as this was happening I felt a sense of relaxation and calmness.

A feeling I havent felt in a while. And in that brief time, thoughts started popping into my head. What would I have done differently in my life. Who really matters and cares about me. What happened if I never dated Ashton. So many thoughts and all I really wanted was to be back home. Thinking that when I do get back I just want to is travel out to the city or somewhere with an amazing view and just sit there and reflect. That would be my aim after I get my Drivers license,  to find a nice place with a beautiful scenic view.

No matter what happens, I try to smile even if I fail to do so.

xoxo bmnt