portland, here i come...

after driving 10 1/2 hours, 653+ miles from fremont, california (where my friend, who's very very kind to let me keep the last pieces of my stuff at her place, lives) to my sister's garage in portland, oregon... through the slippery and curvy roads, thick thick fog 'n HEAVY rain (it's no joke! i barely saw anything in front of me.. and it was still in the afternoon), gusty winds, mountains, farms, and listening to the most country songs i've ever listened to in my entire life (since the cd player wasn't working... great timing!.. and somehow i only caught the country music stations) and listening to my own voice from singing outloud to keep myself awake.... drinking (total) 34oz of coffee, 1 breakfast burrito (that tasted incredibly nasty!) 'n a bag of flaming hot cheetos (very very healthy eh? :P)..... having 1 rest area stop for bathroom trip and 3 gas station stops with 2 more trips to the ladies room... and each stop wasn't more than 10 minutes...................... yes, people...
i made it!

i drove long distance and cross country before. the furthest was from oklahoma to georgia... but then i had my bro, mom 'n aunt with me... this time i was driving by myself. i had my entire family worried :D i told my family about the plan months ago 'n actually my parents wanted my sis to be with me for the trip. but no, it's no biggie at all. i think my parents actually forgot about the trip completely... hehehe.. until last nite i sent them text message telling them that i just arrived in portland. :D i think in this case, it's better that way even tho i know it's not a good daughter thing to do ;)



was i scared? you have no idea. a week before i left, my sis already warned me about these areas, redding and medford, 'cuz the roads are hilly and curvy and when she called, those cities just had freezing rain, and portland just had snow. i drove in snow before 'n i know how slippery it can be. it's shit fun when you know you're not gonna bump on anything and screw your own car :D the adrenaline pumped like hell :D but now, freezing rain? i don't wanna deal with it. i had my computer watch the weather of those 2 places everyday. i told my sis that if they still have that kinda rain, i was gonna postpone the trip for another day. thank God! it was just 'regular' raining yesterday and the temp was still above 50s. felt sooo relieved.... i can deal with rain and snow... but NOT ice.


crazy eh? but seriously, it was fun... was it 'cuz i've trained myself driving back and forth LA-SF??? :D perhaps... but after this trip, i seriously promise myself to work my ass off and find a job that pays me VERY well so i can afford all those airline tix... hahaha... watching my odometer move was a painful feeling even tho i drove fast already... (i won't say how fast i drove 'cuz just in case my parents read this and they saw the #, they'll CALL me right away :D no no no... i save my own sorry ass and their heart....) plus sitting in a car for 10 1/2 hours, and holding the steering wheel tightly that made my fingers stiff weren't a pleasant thing to do at all....

but then... driving that long gives me time to think a lot, appreciate the breathtaking scenery, and learn something about myself... so it's not all bad :D it's just that my fingers and legs were stiff for being in the same position for too long and my butts were as flat as the car seat now... shaiks!!!!


oh well... this particular trip is over now. even tho another trip is coming up, i don't wanna think about it. it's holiday season and i'm with my beloved sister. her place is already decorated with xmas tree... oh, the smell of fresh pine trees... beautiful scenery from the windows, quiet and nice neighborhood, away from all the big city chaos... i don't ask for more. even tho it's wayyy colder, more rains and gloomier than san francisco, but right here, right now, i'm AT HOME! and i'm so much loving it!

being away from family for too long, i never realize how much i miss my family. i guess i've trained myself to be numb with such feeling. esp. during holiday...... until i saw my sister again last nite.... all the feelings i have suppressed all this time come rushing out... how i miss the laughters, the stupid nonsense jokes we throw at each other, the annoying habits, the cares, the attention... and last nite watching my sister sleep... i know how i love her so much that i will make any trips just to be with her whenever she needs me. i might not have my entire family here now.... but she's my sister, and she represents everybody.... i'm so happy :)

so what do i wish for xmas????????????? :D since it's a VERY long list and seems impossible to have 'em all, i should choose 1 for now eh?... hmmmm... how about unlimited resource of choco stick??? what brand?? ehmmm.... ehmmm..... :D ;)

ok... time to clean up the mess i made here....................


note: all pictures were taken while driving....:D and those are MINE!