G-OGRAPHY: a southeast asian lady travels...

Print Screening it = framing it.

Ok so according to this blog post I'm "LA’s Top 100 NON-Celebrity Bloggers You Should Take to Lunch : Social Media Marketing Secrets". I didn't even know I was on the list until I saw someone tweet the article on Hootsuite. So who's taking me out to lunch =)

By the way, I would really love for you guys to leave a comment. I know you are out there lurk...errrr....reading. Send me some cyber love.

Have I ever mentionied that my brother is a wedding photographer? He is now here in the US visiting from the Philippines. He is also here to shoot a wedding and some prenups. Bro is going international..w00t! I'm a proud sister =)

The picture was take near the Wild Card Boxing Club along Vine- also close to my old apartment in H-wood. I took him around LA a week ago and you can check out his blog entry about it here. Ignore my icky photos and click on his other posts. I must say that he has really grown into his profession and passion. I'm really digging his gallery.

Oh btw, this is the first time I've seen him in two years. I say always good to spend time with family...at least in small doses.

This was me last year at the 2008 Nautica Malibu Triathlon. I was smiling so much because despite of my half-ass training I was able to finish swimming 1/2 mile. Uhu, I did the swim part only since I was in a relay team. It was perfect since I never have been a serious athlete. Granted it took me 30 minutes in a surf wetsuit in the cold ocean water to complete the swim it still felt like an accomplishment.



This year I decided to try the whole thing over at Redondo. So I signed up for the mini-sprint: 1/4 mile swim 3 mile bike 1 mile run. I did prepare and train for it a bit this time =p More importantly I had fun with it!



Minutes away from Start of Race
I met Pam during the Triathlon 101 clinic they had a week before (I like it when I randomly get to connect with cool people). She's awesome coz as a first time triathlete she placed in her division and age group!



Swim
The most dreaded part of the race is always the swim. I love the ocean and I love to swim but I have been struggling to overcome my anxiety over ocean swims. There's just something about the thought of not having walls and floors around you that makes me fear being swept away at sea. However, it was a short swim and fun group so I can truly say that it was my best ocean swim so far! I felt calm and collected...what a breakthrough! This bodes well for future ocean swims. Oh and I bought a real swim wetsuit this time which made a lot of difference! It's a Rocket Science one. I'm so in love with this suit.



Bike
So the guy behind me on this picture crashed into the girl in front of me. He didn't notice the red line on the which requires the athlete to dismount before the transition area. The bike ride was easy except for the uphill part where I suddenly stopped to walk the bike. Hehehe I require more training obviously and a lighter bike!



Run
Gawd. Again a newbie mistake I made was not being able to control my bladder. Seriously how do athletes keep themselves rehydrated without needing to go to restroom? Well that is what I did...the run course was along the pier and I just happened to sneak in the public restroom during the start of my run. I may have also washed my face a bit- the ocean water got to my contacts!! LOL. I know I'm ridiculous.



The Results
Well according to my results I ranked 7 overall in my age group. By the way I am only 30! I guess they round off your age to reflect current year. Surprisingly my swim was the best time! =) Love it. My transitions sucked! I was all over the place and just taking my time. What was I thinking? Oh yeah to finish...good to know my competitive side is still alive. This is good motivation really because I want to do the full triathlon once I become serious with training. It's simply inspiring to see athletes and supporters in this type of event. You hear so many stories and it just makes you want to become better, faster, stronger.

Some of you may have remembered my previous post here asking for pledges. Although I miserably failed to garner more than 2 "pledges", I am just glad to still have been able to participate in the Revlon Run/Walk for Women last Saturday May 9, 2009.

It was a gloomy morning when we gathered at the LA Coliseum. I probably got there a little after the program started. Yes, just in time to be greeted by the husky voice of Miley Cyrus (oh what a delight!). I wish I had heard Cristina Applegate speak. As a child of a breast cancer survivor, who herself went through a double mastectomy only late last year, I just thought she would have something to say.

Anyways it was a great turnout. A little overwhelming at first since I didn't know what to expect. The event is in it's 16th year which I think speaks volumes. It was amazing to see every one supporting such a worthy cause. The best part was near the finish line where a group of tyco drummers greeted the runners and walkers. Everyone just started to pick up pace when they heard the beat. The path then led to a tunnel where you could hear the crowd cheer and clap at everyone for a good finish. I admit this was when I broke into a silly grin. I couldn't help but feel like Ben-Hur in that infamous chariot race. It was a pretty cool experience overall. I think it's a good way to do accomplish a good deed while exercising.

Next event...the Rockin' Charity Spin-a-Thon. If you are in LA do check it out at: www.listentomyhealth.com!!!

I know! I have been very delinquent with my posts since I have been busy working on several projects and entertaining out of town guests from AZ. I am forgoing my weekly news roundup in order to bring you "intel" from the LA music scene. Loading up some Iphone snapshots in 5...4...3...2...1

AVALAND - Axwell, Steve Angello, Annie Mac



Ja, the Swedes were out in full force that night to support(duh)Swedish DJs Axwell and Angello. This was my first time at the infamous Avalon and while a lot of people were there for the love of music there were a few hooligans present trying to disrupt the peace. Maybe I'm just getting too old for the rave scene...in fact, I didn't even get to see the main act (Steve Angello) because I was simply too exhausted from dancing with four inch heels on. By the way, Annie Mac killed the opening set. Girl Power!




Le Cercle

Not really a good photo but this was taken inside Le Cercle "Super Club" which used to be called Le Prive. It's mostly frequented by Koreans or Asians and is notorious for their booking system (make sure to click the link since it is a must read). I would never have gone to this place if it weren't for my guests although it has to be one of the strangest experiences I've had in a long time. Basically, waiters were pulling ladies from different spots at the bar to introduce to men at other tables. There was also a live dance performance from some crew that was part of that MTV show. Like WTH, right? And oh there were a lot of rude pushy people including the club staff. Boo!



Digital LA's Band Jam at The Mint

I have blogged about Digital LA before here and for this event they featured 3 bands: 1. The Dreamers 2. Ryan Collins and 3. Allensworth- in my opinion they were the best. I think they are opening up for Erykah Badu. Did I mention that before the bands played they had a speed networking event? It's similar to speed dating except you get to talk to "VIP guests" from the music business instead. They were all great and friendly with the exception of this one guy who obviously did not want to be there and talk to the little people. Super boo!



Passport Approved, Marketing Manchester, Raise Up Music Present...
A Taste of Manchester & LA: Featuring: Meiko, The Answering Machine, Casteneda & The Idyllists

My friend and I are big fans of Meiko so we have been stalking her all over LA. She was still awesome that night although she looked so exhausted after her SXSW stint. This gig held at The Viper Room was sponsored by Passport Approved which was my favorite program from the now defunct Indie 103.1 (Imagine tuning into your favorite radio station one morning only to hear mariachi music blaring from your speakers? I thought I was going crazy). The bands they featured were all good. I liked The Answering Machine a lot. Lots of energy and spunk. The biggest question of the night for me was: "How can they fit everything into those ultra skinny pants?"

Save a Life, Make a Pledge.
Click here: http://idek.net/6Gz

On Saturday, May 9th, I will be participating in the 16th Annual Revlon Run/Walk For Women. You can join me in the fight against women's cancers by making a donation on my behalf. Your donation will help fund important research into the cause and cure of women's cancers, prevention, education and support service programs. Every donation will help bring us one step closer to a cure. Until a cure is found and we know that all women are safe, we must continue the fight.

Technology meets Hollywood. That's all I can say. I just came from Digital LA's event over at Area Night Club and it was definitely interesting. The crowd was a mixture of people from the digital media industry mostly online entrepreneurs and employees from the big entertainment companies. They had the place set-up like a movie premiere complete with a paparazzi over at the front door and a photo booth inside the club. The fact that this is a night club frequented by celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and, yes, Lauren Conrad should be enough of a statement. I must admit that I surprisingly had fun. Not the usual run of the mill networking event since it brands itself as an informal one. A lot of gen x and gen y demographic defining their own way of networking with a lot of the dynamics reminiscent of online social networking. I wouldn't mind going to another one of these events. Since the organizer (who currently works for Myspace) is trying to hit up different segments of entertainment a Digital LA Music Band Jam is in the line up. That I am looking forward too since I love music! I will be posting links to tonight's photos soon. For those interested to know more about this group click on this.