Six Flags Magic Mountain!

My eye looks so excited to be riding this roller coaster!

 I made the cross-country drive from California to Florida for the holidays, I decided to have one last hoorah with some friends by going to Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park. This was my second trip to Six Flags – I had gone for the first time maybe two months ago after purchasing a fantastic Labor Day (I think?) Gold membership deal that included the rest of the year plus all of 2015 as well as VIP Parking (and with $20 minimum for parking, that was a HUGE bonus!). The last trip was fun but we only went on 4 rides before my sister wasn't feeling too well. Being a huge fan of roller coasters, I have been looking forward to going back so when my friend Luke invited me to go, I jumped at the chance.

My friends and I all arrived at the park bright and early around 9:30am. Unfortunately, the park didn't open until 10:30. On that particular day, however, they were letting Season Pass holders in half an hour early to ride the popular X2 roller coaster. My friend Kyle and I were the only pass holders and as much as we love our friends, we couldn’t say no to the early access. Unfortunately, X2 was closed due to the wind that day, so we instead got to ride Full Throttle which is the world’s highest vertical loop roller coaster. Since there was barely a line, we got to sit in the very front – something I always want to but rarely do because of the extra long wait – not an issue this time! In short, Full Throttle was AWESOME!

NO LINES!! Why can't rides always look like this?

Front row with Kyle on Full Throttle!

Afterwards, Kyle and I went to check on X2 but it was still closed and didn’t look like it was going to be running anytime soon (it did not run the entire day). Since we liked Full Throttle so much, once our other friends were let in, we decided to ride it again with them. The second time, I decided to ride it from the very back. Once again, it was awesome (although front row is definitely the way to go).

Next up was Superman. You are accelerated in reverse from 0 to 100+mph in seven seconds and climb nearly 41 stories into the air before plunging back down. This is a ride that Kyle, our Six Flags and roller coaster connoisseur has never ridden for one reason or another. Last trip, it was down for maintenance. This time around, not only did we get to ride it, but the wait time was the shortest out of all the rides we went on that day (minus the early access Full Throttle). Despite the short duration time, it was still quite the thrill. Little piece of advice though if you ever go on it yourself - try to sit in one of the inside seats. I was on the outside and your outer arm is closed off so you can’t lift it or move it much and it feels very awkward. I wanted to raise my hands up during the ride (like I do on most roller coasters) but could not all while feeling very uncomfortable.

Everyone (Kyle, Kaleb, Sammy, Chelsea, me, and Luke) in front of the Superman ride

Goliath was next on the list. This was the only roller coaster from the day that I had been on from my first trip. It features an opening drop of 255 feet into a underground tunnel and multiple steep banking turns. I'm glad I got to go on it again as I feel this was probably favorite ride of the day because it felt the longest and also seemed to have the most variety. Luke and I made it our goal to try and look as bored as possible when the camera took our picture during the ride. Since I had never ridden this coaster before, I didn’t know where the camera would be. I had a split second to make a face and I think my bored face came off more as disgust. I quite like it. I also like how peaceful Luke looks. I had to be sneaky about taking a picture of the screen so sorry for the terrible quality.

Luke and mine's "bored" faces

After Goliath, we were ready to tackle Tatsu. It is known as the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster, the only flying roller coaster to feature a zero-gravity roll, and has the world’s highest pretzel loop. So lots of accolades. Impressive. I have never been on a "flying" roller coaster. Apparently, this is a type of roller coaster that is meant to simulate flight by harnessing you into a prone position with your back parallel to the track. Interesting. We waited in line for about two hours before we finally made it to the front of the line. There were only three people ahead of me so we were up next. Then, the announcement we all dread hearing was made. The ride was shut down for maintenance. NOOOOO. We waited a bit before giving up and deciding to have lunch.

While I had packed a few snacks, I didn’t have any “real” food so I dished out $12 for some overpriced Panda Express – something I’ve only had once before. Luckily, I was able to get two meals out of it later so that helped justify the cost in my head somewhat. Not really.

It had been getting colder and windier as the day progressed. Most rides seemed to be closed – we actually had quite a difficult time trying to find one that was open. We finally saw Apocalypse, currently Six Flags only wooden roller coaster, was running.  While there were no crazy loops, it was still a very intense and aggressive ride that I really enjoyed - perhaps helped by the fact that I was once again in my favorite spot, the front!

 

All of us waiting in line for the Apocalypse ride

After Apocolypse, we circled the park again looking for more rides that were actually open. Tatsu by that time was back up and running. Alright, Take Two. We waited another hour and a half, but we eventually did make it! I have to say this was definitely the scariest out of all the roller coasters I've ever ridden. Since the cars are suspended below the track, you have no idea where you're going or what’s coming next on the coaster which was scary and thrilling at the same time. It was dark so a little difficult to see, but they fly you over trees which are really beautiful and since there’s no track you can see in front of you, just whatever is below you and open air, it almost feels like you’re flying through a forest.

How GORGEOUS was this sky?

With the park closing in an hour or so, we were debating whether or not to squeeze in one more ride. Chelsea and her boyfriend, Sammy, were done for the day and decided to get funnel cake – not a bad decision, but the rest of us decided to head to Batman. The wait was relatively short as was the ride (although it wasn’t Superman short). There were some intense corkscrew spins and I’m not sure if it was the wind or the ride itself, but there were some parts of the ride where the pressure was so much I couldn’t even raise up my arms.

With that, our day at Six Flags was over and it was time for me to go back to my place, finish packing, and start my insane road trip back home to Florida! Thank goodness, I did not have to worry about driving, just managing the Spotify playlist - which if you don't know about yet, there is a 99 cent for 3 months premium deal for first time users that is an absolute STEAL. As I post this, I am currently in Louisiana, just another 11 hours or so from home!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Weekend in Westchester

This weekend was my little nephew Kendyl's birthday which brought several of my family members including my mom to upstate New York to celebrate.

After getting off work on Friday, I went home and packed for my weekend upstate in Westchester. My cousin, David, and I arrived around 9ish after our hour long train ride and were greeted at my cousin Kim's GORGEOUS mansion with my mother's amazingggg homemade pho which is probably my favorite food in the whole world. After my stomach was more than satisfied, I took a shower and quickly fell asleep in one of the many spacious guest rooms.

Saturday was the big day of festivities. After some mother/daughter time, everyone packed into two cars to head out to the birthday venue at Chelsea Piers in Connecticut. Suffice to say, the place was incredible. It's a HUGE sports center with an Olympic sized pool, batting cages, a running track, indoor beach volleyball, rock climbing, a sundeck, and so much more it was ridiculous. There was also an area that was just trampolines...like the walls were trampolines - I feel like I could be entertained in that room alone for more hours than I'm proud to admit. All the kids in the birthday party went to this mini water park within the center - again, insane - while the older folks like me hung out upstairs in the birthday room eating pizzas and mini cheeseburgers xD Then the kids came back and there was chaos as there is whenever you have 20+ 8 year olds in one contained space. 

After singing happy birthday and eating birthday cake, it was time to go back to Westchester for the after party. My cousin bought TONS of food for guests and while the adults mingled, the kids got to play among themselves. I took this time to film a new video and take a much-needed nap (does that make me old if I get tired watching children exert themselves?). Later that night, my cousin David, my mom and I all headed back into Manhattan where my mother got to experience my six floor walk-up apartment first hand. Despite her doubts, she made it up and got to meet my two roommates. She inspected my apartment with utter disbelief and shock over how tiny it was wondering how we all live in such a small space. I was still very tired but wanted to take my mother out to at least one place before she met up with David to stay the night at his place. Since it was a Saturday, most places were quite crowded but we ended up in small bar and split an order of catfish and wine between the two of us. When my cousin met up with us, we parted ways and I went home to fall asleep.

Sunday, I started off with a lovely brunch with my mom at a cute little cafe near my apartment. I had Eggs Benedict for the first time and it was delicious. Afterwards, my mom and I went back up to Westchester to spend more time together and eat more pho. Sounds like a good end to a good weekend to me :)

How was your weekend?

Macbook-free Weekend

my cracked Macbook screen

I've resorted to writing my posts at work during my lunch break because my dear MacBook finally died on me. Not quite sure what is wrong with him yet, but I turned him into a Mac repair shop on Thursday to find out. I was told the diagnostic would take 3 business days and then it would be another 3-5 days to fix. So I'm looking at over a week without a computer =( Believe me, I've been going through withdrawals. Either way, it was probably about time I got him in for repair. Last fall, he fell (haha, fall/fell - sorry) off the top of my car during one very distraught day, and I thought he was gone for good. The entire screen was cracked and there were scratches all over his lovely silver shell. The Nerd Squad said nothing could be done and that I should just buy another laptop - luckily, I waited a couple days because lo and behold, he woke up from his laptop coma and has been trooping along without any problems since. Well, until now -__- Anyway, here are the details of my laptop-free weekend.

Friday started off very tepidly. Despite my health going downhill once again (I think that's the third time since I've moved here, would probably be easier to count the times when I'm NOT sick), I decided to spend three hours at the gym the night before. You know how some people go to the gym to get their mind off a breakup or a bad day? I went to get my mind off of mourning the death of my laptop and looming days of computer withdrawal ahead. Such a first world problem and if I wasn't sick I probably wouldn't mind so much because the weather was warming up and I could explore the city. But no, I had to be sick and, therefore, confined myself to my apartment all Friday morning in hopes of being well enough to go out that night for my friend Jackie's birthday. My sick regiment (which I've mastered at this point) consists of rest, a hot shower, Airborne, lots and lots of pho, chicken noodle soup, lots and lots of water and tea, and absolutely no leaving the apartment. Just add some old Office and Law & Order reruns and that describes my Friday morning. My strict sick regiment confinement was worth it though to be well enough to hang out with these two lovely ladies for the night.

Me and my friends, Jackie and Chandra

Saturday was my sister's 21st birthday (Happy Birthday, Melissa!). She had come home to Florida from L.A. to visit my dad on Wednesday but was already back in California to do some editing come Saturday. In her short amount of time home, she made sure to send me plenty of pictures of herself snuggling with cat, Xander, making me both homesick and jealous.

Xander and my sister, Melissa - miss them both so much

I told myself if I couldn't use a computer, I would at least try to educate myself through... Netflix. Thus began my major documentary kick over the weekend. I started off watching Exit Through the Gift Shop (really entertaining and the ending will really make you think - it's quite brilliant), Hecklers (who knew entertainers cared so much?), This Film Is Not Yet Rated (interesting look at our film rating system, but a little hard at times for the prude -yeah I said it - in me to watch), and Religulous (funny sure, but I could have done without Bill Mahr cutting off so many people while they were talking).


Once again, Sunday was my day of rest..with more documentaries! My Easter consisted of me watching Vegucated (it really made me want to try to go vegan), Craigslist Joe (uplifting film showing you the goodness and generosity of people), First Position (so beautiful and inspiring, I almost teared up watching some of the dances), Cave of Forgotten Dreams (*bows before Werner Herzog*), The Invisible War (just incredible - I got so ANGRY watching this at the injustice and the way these women were treated), and The Imposter (mind boggling and kinda creepy). This is literally all I did today..and eat.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Shenanigans

Hey guys, I meant to post this on Monday but life got in the way >.< (don't you hate it when that happens?). This weekend was actually quite eventful, and I'm now kicking myself for not taking pictures to share with you guys. So beware: lack of pictures of lots of text ahead haha xD

Let's start off with Friday night since I can't remember what I did in the morning besides pick up my laundry and run a couple other errands. I was really excited about going out that night. My roommate, Janice, had a friend in town as did my cousin (who lives about a 10 minute walk from me yet I hadn't seen in over a month) so I was excited at the prospect of meeting new people and having fun in a big group. We didn't really have any structured plans, but we figured we would see where the night would take us. We started off the night at a bar called Bua where I got the very Foursquare-recommended drink, Red Lemonade. Unfortunately, I think there was a little bit too much lemon and too little red. It was not the fruity strawberry lemonade drink I was imagining. Oh well. I stuck with various dark ales and ciders the rest of the evening. Then we moved to a larger bar called Spitzer's. Afterwards, we were feeling a little hungry so we headed to a tiny (there's literally three stools inside) late night taco shop called Snack Dragon. All their tacos come on blue tortilla shells like the Carne Asada taco I ordered below. Quite tasty, but maybe just a dollar or two overpriced at $4-7 a taco. What can I say, blame it on Taco Bell, but I'm a cheapskate when it comes to tacos xD Our last destination was a super crowded bar that played non-stop hip hop music. Not really my scene, but we were all getting tired anyway so we didn't stay too long before going home for the night.

The Carne Asada: marinated steak, black beans, homemade salsa, cheese, sour cream and cilantro

Saturday, I started off my day with breakfast with my roomie, John, at a little diner called Coffee Shop Diner (creative, isn't it?) that was actually featured in an episode of Louie. Afterwards, we both did some spring cleaning around the apartment during which time my cousin came over and dropped off a package that my dad had sent me from home. It contained homemade oatmeal raisin cookies (so yummy!), boxes of Kraft Mac n' Cheese, 2 containers of pepper spray, and a mini can of spaghetti-os (random but so cute!). John and I got an hour in at the gym before it closed then grabbed some food at Sushi Lounge before parting ways for the night.

I met up with my friend Chandra at an Irish tavern not too far from my apartment. Her roommate, Jackie's, friend's friend (I hope that make sense) was celebrating his birthday with a bunch of guys from the NYU hockey team. I felt like the old lady of the group (in the best way) as I sipped on a Guinness and watched with amusement as weirdness unfolded around me. It was one of the those bizarre nights that ends with you walking home at 6am after visiting a McDonald's where you and your one friend order 40 chicken McNuggets and you end your no-fast-food streak while drunk Canadian tourists wave a stack of twenties in your friend's face and she convinces them she has no name and that you are only 16 years old. I was also called a young Jennifer Lopez and a young Selena Gomez - even though I'm order than her...but I'll take it. And the kicker - I only had two beers the whole night! Oh, shenanigans indeed xD

Wearing my new Urban Outfitters crop top that I scored for $5 at Buffalo Exchange.

After two nights out, Sunday was pretty low-key aka I spent most of my day watching Law and Order: SVU on Netflix. Oh, wait, I did do grocery shopping. See, I was productive :D

How was your weekend?

This Weekend I...

Hey guys, so today I discovered a new link up hosted by Sar over at Life of Love. Be sure to check out her wonderful blog and join in on the fun!

This Weekend I...

Friday, I went out to my first New York City nightclub. I'm not a huge clubber as I prefer bars where you can sit and talk, but I do like to dance and New York clubs always look so glamorous in movies and tv that I was actually excited for this venture. My roommate, Janice, and I met up with my other roommate's girlfriend, Silvia and her friend Elisa at the club. It was called Pink Elephant and Janice chose it because she was friends with the owner and knew a couple promoters there. As shown on tv, there was a line outside the venue complete with bouncers. Luckily, because we knew the promoters, we got to walk right in without a wait. Once in, we skipped the coat check because we had a table with the owner and could just set our stuff with him. The owner, Bobby, was very sweet and courteous. It was definitely nice getting the "VIP treatment" on my first club outing. We got free drinks and didn't have to worry about creepy guys trying to dance on us and could really enjoy our "girls' night." Eventually, two more of my roommate's friends joined us before we left to watch one of their friends perform at a hotel in Soho. It was a bit later in the night so it had cleared out some, but, nevertheless, she had a lovely voice and you could tell she was touched her friends came to support her. Afterwards, we popped into a couple bars but nowhere seemed all that interesting so we all headed home.

Saturday, I experienced my first New York brunch which I had heard so much about. Janice and I once again met up with a bunch of her friends (who were all extreeemely nice and welcoming) at a very nice restaurant called Peels that had the most beautiful Southern decor. After looking over the menu, I decided to be safe and ordered the "Farmer's Market"- which was basically eggs, hash brown, toast, and bacon - and a biscuit. Everyone's orders but mine came quite quickly and I thought maybe it just took a little longer to prepare (which I still though strange as I arguably had the simplest meal). However, when someone else who had arrived late received their food before me, I knew something was wrong and inquired about my food. The server was incredibly apologetic and they got my food out to me right away and didn't even end up charging me for it because of the wait! I was originally a little disappointed, but that certainly turned my experience around!

After brunch, our group separated and four of us ended up going to this AMAZING Asian dessert bar called Spot. I had actually heard of it from a friend in Florida and was super excited to go! We ordered the Chocolate Green Tea Lava Cake, The Thai Tea Creme Brulee, and the Sweet Potato Cake (andd I got a Passion Fruit Bubble Tea - so refreshing!). They were absolutely delicious and beautifully presented, I can't wait to go back! I think this is one place I'm definitely going to be taking my friends and family when they come up to visit. Plus, a bonus is that it's literally across the street from my friend Chandra's apartment. Even though I literally just had brunch AND dessert, we went out to one of her favorite guilty pleasures, Dumpling Man, that I had heard oh so much about. I got about three dumplings in before I realized that, yes, I was stuffed and packed the rest for home then proceeded to watch Netflix and edit videos all night.

Sunday was pretty much my lazy day complete with SVU marathon. Janice made me a delicious breakfast of an omelette made with tomato sauce, onions, and spinach and toast with blackberry jam before she headed out for the day and I dove into working on my blog and Youtube channel. I did venture out from my apartment for a little while to do some shopping at Buffalo Exchange, a really cool consignment/thrift store. 3 tops and a dress all or $35 - not bad, right? Afterwards, I grabbed a pizza slice and calzone to go then proceeded to tweet about the Oscars laaaate into the night. I couldn't watch them live because I don't have cable at my apartment, but my sister does anddd there's always Twitter with it's constant updates that makes you feel like you're watching it live. Before the show started, my sister asked me what my Oscar predictions were in all 24 categories since she hadn't seen any of the movies but was doing a contest of some type with the kids from her film school in LA. I ended up getting 19/24 correct and she won a $60 gift card. I could probably do a whole post about the Oscars but because this post is already so long, I'm just going to sum it up as Christoph - superb. Adele - brought down the house. Tarantino - genius. Bradley Cooper - beautiful man. Ben Affleck - d'aww, so happy for him. And JLAW JLAW JLAW - you are simply flawless.

That's my weekend for you! Definitely a lot more exciting than when I first arrived to NYC! What did you guys do this weekend??