FAREWELL 9-5 HELLO TRAVEL

04.09.14

THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG INDICATES LEAVING A NINE TO FIVE JOB TO TRAVEL.

NOPE, NOT IT!  (AT LEAST FOR NOW, SHHHHH)

INSTEAD, WE ARE CELEBRATING KRISTIN'S DEPARTURE WITH A COMPANY THAT SHE'S BEEN WITH FOR A GAZILLION YEARS.  BY A GAZILLION, I MEAN 15+ YEARS. 

BEAT THAT!

THIS IS KRISTIN R.  SHE HAS WORKED AT HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT SCHOOL PUBLISHERS FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.  SHE AND HER HUSBAND LOVES TO TRAVEL AND WILL BE LEAVING THEIR FULL TIME JOBS BEHIND TO TRAVEL.  I AM EXCITED TO KNOW THAT THEY WILL BE POSTING PHOTOS THEIR JOURNEY ON "INSTAGRAM" AND WILL BE FOLLOWING THEM TOO!

IMAGE SNAGGED FROM KRISTIN

                                                                                                                                  THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD BE TRAVELING TO AND FROM, BETWEEN APRIL THROUGH THE FALL OF THIS YEAR. 

THIS IS THE ORLANDO HMH BUILDING THAT WE WOULD BE HOLDING SECRET DECORATING GALORE FOR HER SURPRISE PARTY ON HER LAST DAY.

ORLANDO HOUGHTON MIFFLIN PUBLISHER

THERE WAS NOT MUCH DAMAGE DONE WITH THE BEFORE AND AFTER DECOR.

BUT SOMEONE ON THE FAREWELL DECORATING TEAM WAS BEING VERY CONSIDERATE AND NICE. AND NEAT TOO!  THAT PERSON WAS NOT I.  I SHOULD WHIP UP SOME DAMAGING DECOR PHOTOS FROM THE PAST ONE DAY AND BLOG IT.  THERE WERE THOUGHTS OF FLIPPING THINGS UPSIDE DOWN.  

BEFORE

AFTER

"CAMPING" IS THE THEME FOR HER FAREWELL.  IT MATCHES HER TRAVELING JOURNEY, AS HER AND HER HUSBAND WILL BE DRIVING THEIR CAMPING TRAILER TO THEIR DESTINATIONS.

THIS IS THE LOVELINESS OF NEAT DECORATING.

BUT JUST BECAUSE IT IS NEATLY DECORATED INSIDE, DOES NOT MEAN THAT I CAN'T PUT IN MY OWN SIGNATURE DECOR ON THE EXTERIOR......

2014 04 23 INDULGING COFFEE AT WAWA ORLANDO

Wawa
5910 Central Florida Pkwy 
Orlando - SW, FL 32821     
Phone: 407-345-5210         

LUV IT WHEN WAWA HAS THEIR $1.99 PROMOTIONS ON THEIR COFFEES.  ANY SIZE, ICED AND HOT COFFEES!  I THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY THE SELF-SERVED ONES TOO, BUT IT WAS ALSO THE SPECIALTY SELECTIONS THAT YOU ORDER THROUGH THE TOUCH SCREEN KIOSKS.

  

SINCE THE PROMOTION IS A SELECTION OF ANY SIZE, OF COURSE I HAVE TO GET THE LARGEST, WHICH IS THE 24 OZ.  

DOES THIS SIZE EXIST IN ASIA?  

IT FELT LIKE ALL THE DRINK SIZES WERE CATERED TO KIDS BLADDER OVER THERE.  

#OBESITY #PROBLEMSINAMERICA

#CONTROLLED #CONSUMPTIONS

SO, SALTED CARAMEL MACCHIATO IT IS! DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY PUT IN THE SALT, OR IF IT IS JUST TO ENTICE PEOPLE WITH IT BEING THAT IT IS A SALTED CARAMEL, BUT IT WAS REALLY REALLY SWEET! SO MUCH SUGAR IN THIS LARGE SIZE THAT I HAVE TO PACE MYSELF, DRINKING THIS OVER A 2 DAY PERIOD AND WATERING IT DOWN WITH WATER.  TONS OF WATER!

2014 02 15 LAST DAY FOR LUNAR NEW YEAR

THE LUNAR NEW YEAR LASTS 15 DAYS SINCE DEC 31 (FOR THE YEAR 2014 - IT VARIES EVERY YEAR).
LAST DAY FOR LUNAR NEW YEAR FOR 2014 IS FEB 15.

HERE ARE THE LOCAL FIRE WORKS FROM THE TEMPLE FROM NEW YEAR'S EVE NIGHT.

THIS IS WHAT I FELT LIKE THE WHOLE 2 WEEKS WHILE THERE WERE PLENTY OF NEW YEAR RELATED COMMERCIALS AND VARIETY ON THE ASIAN CHANNELS, AND VARIOUS WAYS OF FOOD AND CELEBRATION YOU CAN THINK OF IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF ASIA CELEBRATING THIS HUGE HOLIDAY.

I WAS UP-FRONT AND HAD CENTER VIEW OF THE FIREWORKS THAT WAS PRODUCE BY THE TEMPLE IN ORLANDO.

IT LOOKED LIKE VIBRANT LOUD SPARKLE AND GLITTER IN YOUR FACE!

2013 01 31 MY CHINESE NEW YEAR'S EVE IN ORLANDO

Guang Ming Buddhist Temple                      

6555 Hoffner Ave, Orlando, FL 32822

(407) 281-8482

PERKS TO BEING ASIAN?

WE TEND TO CELEBRATE THINGS TWICE, SUCH AS BIRTHDAYS AND NEW YEARS!

ALTHOUGH I DON'T REALLY CELEBRATE ANY HOLIDAYS THESE DAYS, I WAS SUMMONED (BY MY PARENTS) TO THE GUANG MING TEMPLE ON HOFFNER AVENUE ON NEW YEAR'S EVE.  

THIS HOLIDAY USUALLY LASTS FOR 15 DAYS AND THE DAYS ARE DICTATED BY THE LUNAR CALENDAR.  YES, WE GO BY A DIFFERENT CALENDAR AS WELL.

FOR 2014, THIS HOLIDAY FALLS UNDER JAN 31 - FEB 14.  

WITHIN THESE 15 DAYS,  YOU TYPICALLY CELEBRATE IT BY GOING OVER PEOPLE'S HOUSES AND EATING LARGE FEASTS (LIKE A THANKSGIVING FEAST), WISHING EVERYONE YOU ENCOUNTER ALL THE POSITIVES THAT YOU CAN THINK OF, AND IN RETURN, COLLECTING "LUCKY MONEY" THAT ARE USUALLY DISTRIBUTED BY MARRIED COUPLES WHO ARE OLDER THAN YOU. SO IF YOU ARE SINGLE, IN THE NON-MARRIED SENSE, THIS HOLIDAY IS IN YOUR BENEFIT! LOL!

IT IS JUST PLAINLY TRADITIONAL CUSTOMS WHERE THE IDEA IS FOR KIDS AND YOUNG ADULTS TO START OUT THE NEW YEAR WITH SOME SORT OF WEALTH.  SINCE THIS IS A HUGE HOLIDAY IN ASIA, I FOUND OUT THAT SOME PLACES SUCH AS TAIWAN STRETCH IT TO A 4-DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY.

EVEN THOUGH MY VISITS TO THE TEMPLE ARE RANDOM, I LIKE LOOKING AT THE SET UPS CATERED TO THE DIFFERENT HOLIDAY THEMES. 

OVERALL, I ENJOYED THE FESTIVE DECORS.

THIS SET UP WAS NICE WHERE PAINTED GOLD BRANCHES WERE PLACED BEHIND THE STATUE AND VASE FOUNTAIN ON THE GROUND.

I WAS WONDERING IF THE GOLD DECORS ON THE GROUND WERE CHOCOLATE......

2014 12 31 TYPICAL FLORIDA RESIDENTIAL VIEW OF NEW YEARS EVE

THIS IS THE OCCASIONAL, TYPICAL VIEW LIVING IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

FIREWORKS IN YOUR FRONT YARD OR BACK YARD.

DISNEY IS IN FRONT OF US (NOT LITERALLY), WHILE SEA WORLD IS BEHIND US (LITERALLY).

ITS USUALLY EASIER TO VIEW IN OUR FRONT PORCH.

NEIGHBORS TEND TO RUN OUT AND STAND IN FRONT OF THE SUB-DIVISION TO GET A CLEAR VIEW.  I'M JUST TOO LAZY TO WALK AND WOULD RATHER JUST OPEN THE DOOR.

THE NUMBER 4 FOR ASIANS IS NOT ONE OF THE LUCKY NUMBERS, I WONDER WHAT 2014 WILL SHOW US......

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!