celebraTINg exisTENce

While waiting at the bus stop, a Korean lady was waiting with us too and then we started talking. I told her that we are actually looking for Japanese and/or Korean restaurant in Vegas and she told us that there's a Chinatown along Spring Mountains road where Japanese, Korean, and Chinese restaurants abound.

Good thing there's a branch of Bank of America near Chinatown so we were able to eat there after our bank errands days after our conversation with the Korean lady.

We've gone there twice actually but the curry dinner in a Japanese restaurant was undocumented. Come to think of it though, most of the restaurant I ate at were undocumented. Kainis. Next time documented na dapat lahat.

While there are a lot of restaurants there, we were looking for a buffet.

We saw three Japanese and Korean buffets in the area.

The three from this area were not able to lure us in. We searched online and read about Sura BBQ Buffet. So we walked, kinda got lost but immediately found our way. Google and Transit app experts here.

It was a little intimidating at first but we went in; they offer the buffet at a competitive price and we were so hungry to look for other buffets anymore. It was less than $20 per person for a lunch buffet and there were decent reviews about it too albeit not recent sounded reliable.

More than enough choices!

There are a lot choices and the ready to eat food I had were all delicious.

They had an assortment of beef, pork, chicken and seafood to grill.

SO MISSED THIS CUISINE GAH. <3

They had BIG sushis there too.

Buti na lang 'cause prior to going here we inquired in a Japanese order all you can too that was quite pricey and timed so we said nah and we'll just look for another.

They had these too but I was already fixated with having my samgyeopsal.

Innards. Haha!

Fruits for desserts. :))

Sura BBQ Buffet
4480 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, Nevada

I only ate at two Korean buffets while in USA (The one is San Diego was undocumented too but it was an order all you can type with Sets A and B) but I have a lot to compare this buffet with here in the Philippines and I can say that Sura is really good and worth the price.

Definitely not bad for $20.

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Wait na lang for the second post. Better Griffith observatory but the Hollywood walk of fame is at the end of this post. Drama lang ung first part. :)))

'Cause for the longest time, I was wondering what is so "great" with Los Angeles. Rationalization. Ganyang phase. HAHA

Don't get me wrong, finding that out wasn't my main motive why I went to the USA. It just happened that I was "blessed" to experience Los Angeles four times while living in Vegas. Yup, met two people who willingly drove for more than 8 hours (8 hours kasi back and forth) just so we can visit Los Angeles and Sta. Monica. Hehe.

Mixed emotions.
Of enjoyment because I'm finally there, of looking at everything I was replaced with, of hoping yet not hoping to see you.
Maybe fate will be generous with us and lets our path cross in this lifetime once again.
Or maybe it knows better.
Cause we did not.
We are better off this way.
No use watering a dead plant.
You can't revive something that has long lost its life.

I'm thankful for those months.

With all the places I went to, with all the people I met, and with everything that happened - I really wanted to stay.

Yes.
I fell in love with a place.

No.
You are not one of the reasons why.

It's not an issue of who took someone out of the equation.
It's not an issue of forgetting and regretting everything that happened.

It's the acceptance that we're living our lives away from each other and without each other.
Us whom grew far from the "us" who shared hopes and promises.
Us whom no matter how much we deny, aren't the same persons anymore.

It was something to able to see this in person after all the pictures you sent me.

It was something to drive around a place I know you're always driving at.

It was something to be finally at the same city with you again.

It was something though that I wasn't turning my head in hopes of seeing you.

It was something that I had no memories of you in a place that have and will always remind of you.

Going to Los Angeles even if I was apprehensive.

Was something needed for me to confirm that I've moved forward.

I was no longer hurting.

That the feeling of being replaced was just an excuse I kept making myself believe because I didn't want to accept it.

I welcomed that little sadness but I have also welcomed the fact that I have accepted that you will no longer be a part of my future journey. That letting go of you is the only way that the person who would give me the kind of love I deserve will have a space in my heart when the right time comes.

You were in one of those buildings.

So close but I intentionally didn't give you a heads up.

It's not that I didn't care nor because I hate you - it was unnecessary.

'Cause albeit being geographically close, my heart was too far away from you.

I've quit hoping long before I flew thousands of miles away from home.

I've stopped thinking of the possibility of being with you again.

I've given the closure to myself 'cause I needed it, cause it was unhealthy to hold onto something/someone that couldn't make me feel secure.

We both know the level of indecisiveness that we've gone through.

But within three months, I've thought things over.

The gray area became black and white.

I've let go of "us."

I just liked looking back at what we had because we were forced to stop even before we began and that had always left me wondering.

You were always my maybe, my what if, my what should've been...

This time...

No more what if.
No more maybe.
No more someday.

FULLY. LET. GO

We were not together but there I was seeing the sunset at your side of the world.

You can't even guess how grateful I am for that moment.

You can't even guess how happy I am that one of your wishes for me turned to be that ultimate driving force to power my "dreams" for my life.

Dreams you're not a part of.

It was beautiful.

But you can't stop the sun from setting.

All you can do is to watch its light disappear before our eyes.

We can't force something to stay when it's time for that to go.

It was magical.

But there's no use holding onto something that has long ended.

We can't force something that's not possible anymore.

Let's not get stuck with the idea that the past was everything we asked for cause, like us, it was imperfect.

In short, mag move on na tayo. As in for real. Nostalgia na lang 'yan. Huwag mo na ko kausapin. Huwag mo na ko guluhin. Huwag ka na magbasa rito para maghanap kung nasaan 'yung bahagi ng kwento mo. Hindi sa'yo umiikot mundo ko. Kung uulit-ulitin mo sa'kin na para sa closure na deserve ko? Bakit ngayon pa? At para lang alam mo, 'yung closure na matagal kong hiningi sa'yo na hindi mo man lang naisipan ibigay, BINIGAY KO NA PARA SA SARILI KO. PARA MATAHIMIK NA AKO. I was never mad at you for making choices that you think were right for you, nagagalit ako kasi pinapamukha mong ako 'yung may pagkukulang lalo na kung ikaw naman 'yung unang bumitaw. Hindi ko ginagawa lahat ng 'to para mag habol.

Kung ikaw lang rin, wag na lang.

CHARRRRR. K. Bat ang drama, world?! Pag pasensiyahan niyo na kasi may babaeng nagmo-move on rito at 'yung isa naman, medyo stalker mode bigla kaya ayan, open letter para sa kanya kasi palagi siya nagbabasa rito para mag-feeling na tungkol sa kanya mga nakasulat dito. Pero okay, sige, marami naman talaga tungkol sa kanya pero sige rin kasi huli na 'to. Hindi ko maintindihan kung anong silbi ng mga pagtatanong mo kung alam natin na wala ng pag-asa kung ano man meron sa connection na 'to. Well, sana maintindihan mo na. Hindi ako naghahabol. Lalong hindi ako nagpapamiss. Hinayaan ko na lang kaya hayaan mo na lang din ako.

Tama na hugot, Tintin...

Griffith Observatory is one of the places where you can see the Hollywood sign. Party in the USA ba ito?! HAHA!

It's visible almost anywhere in LA 'cause it's in a mountain but this is one of the famous area for taking pictures with it. Sige na nga, of it kasi hindi naman kita masyado. haha but if you have better cameras, you may. :))

You can trek there though for a closer look.

We weren't able to go in the Observatory the first time but I have pictures of some of things you'll see there in my second Los Angeles post. 'Yung post na okay na. 'Yung hindi emo. HAHAHA.

Overlooking the City of Angels

So after Griffith Observatory, we went to Hollywood Boulevard.

Sayang di ako bumili ng souvenirs ng best place on Earth. Haha

Okay sana 'yung I survived LA. HAHAHA. LA HEARTBREAK NA AKALA KONG MALALA, HINDI NAMAN PALA. Praning ko lang ng very light.

Back then still didn't know that I'll be able to go to Disneyland in Anaheim. Hihi

Living in Vegas for weeks before going here, I was kinda disappointed with what I saw in Hollywood Boulevard. 'Yun na talaga 'yun?

But Hollywood is Hollywood.

It's just that if you're a first timer, go to Hollywood first before going to Las Vegas Strip. ahaha.

Okay pa rin. <3 Experience.

I find it hard to look for the star of someone I know. Hahaha

Oops, I did it again. I played with your heart. Charuuuu.

Thank you. <3

This was taken at TCL Chinese Theater in along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Hihi. Got kilig when I saw this in Legoland and I recognized the place 'cause I've been there rather than recognizing it because I saw pictures. hehe.

And this is me walking away from him... again.

I UNFORTUNATELY GOT "REINTRODUCED" IN OUR TOXIC CONNECTION after successfully walking away from all the bullshit some months ago. MUNTIK NA PERO PARA SAAN PANG NAKITA KO STAR NI BRITNEY SPEARS? I AM STRONGER THAN YESTERDAY. HAHAHAHA. AY GUSTO KO LANG YATA MAG KARAOKE PALA. HAHAHAHAHA

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Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden

What I did when I got there was search for, "Free things to do in Las Vegas" and I found a couple of things and put them in a list.

People would ask me, "Have you done everything in your bucket list?" I was like, "Kinda." but in reality there wasn't any bucket list hahaha just a list of free places to go to and free activities to do in Vegas or near the strip but I wasn't able to visit them all though. I ran out of next weeks. :))

Outside Ethel M Factory is this Cactus Garden where you will see several varieties of cacti that can be found in America. In this picture you can see the plants found in "my" state. You can see these plants almost everywhere and in the desert areas near Vegas particularly along the Interstate 15.

On my next sojourn (HAHA!), I will make an extra effort in taking down notes of all the information I get from the places I visited or just simply try to blog as soon as possible because the struggle in composing this three months after is real. As in.

Cacti appreciation day.

Solar panels and a Joshua Tree.

I saw that there's Joshua Tree National Park when we went to Palm Springs but back then, I still didn't know that I'll "fall inlove" with National Parks. Huhu. Take me back please USA! :( I still have a lot of National Parks and State Parks to go to. :(

I'm trying to move on from that chapter but sometimes I keep wondering where all the days went and I continuously see pictures of the different places in USA huhu tas wala ng, "Punta tayo." HAHAHA. Kasi naman!! Hindi nag journal!!! Pero lesson learned, always keep a journal with moi.

And something to look forward to, a longer, more blessed, and better sojourn for me soon. :)))

Scarecrow kind of cactus plant.

It was Spring when I went here thus some cactus has flowers.

When we were in Pahrump, California I asked my friend, "Yayakap ka ba ng Cactus?" HAHAHAHA. Ge. Tin. Push mo 'yan.

Then I went inside the factory and saw this mini version of M&M's World in Las Vegas.

Ethel M Factory produces the gourmet chocolate of Ethel M brand of chocolates which is also owned by Mars Incorporated. Same maker of M&M's, Dove, Galaxy, Skittles, Malteser's, Twix, Sneakers and many others.

Taken along the self-guided Viewing Aisle.

The only problem in traveling alone is having no one to take your pictures. haha!

But I learned from their site that this is currently closed for renovation and will be available for viewing once again in October 2016.

I bought some of these to bring home to the Philippines because the packaging is very Vegas but hahahahaa ate them all in only like four days. They were so delicious!