Punta Cana: A Trip to Paradise, Part 2

Continued from Part 1.

Day 4

On Saturday morning, Kristin and I stopped by the Club House / “Centro de Animación” where Kristin claimed her prize from the dance contest the night before – a lovely certificate and another bottle of our favorite local rum!

Then we all headed to the beach restaurant “Mare Nostrum” and enjoyed a delicious brunch buffet and mimosas.

For dessert, Trish volunteered to be the test subject for this weird pink rubbery thing but the experience was not a positive one so we didn’t follow suit.

After brunch, we ventured to the front lobby where we awaited our ride to go zip lining. This is what showed up:

Note the slightly scared look on our faces. It was quite a bumpy ride - strap in!

The ride there was so picturesque as we traveled through the local villages up to the mountain. I snapped about a hundred pictures for my own memories but most came out blurry since we were going about 60 mph on these little dirt roads.

Most of the houses had this intricate ironwork. Looks a lot more attractive than the bars on the windows you see in North Philadelphia, where I used to live ;-)

In this picture, you get a sense of how quickly we were traveling up to the mountain.

Palm trees and blue skies in every direction.

Just a normal mid-afternoon in DR?

There were campaign signs posted from the recent congressional election.

There were only a few others on the excursion with us that day, which the workers said was unusual but made it more enjoyable for us since we didn’t have to wait for a lot of people as we went from one zip line to another, and we got more individual attention.

This young man from Illinois was by himself because his traveling companion had not come back to their hotel room the night before. We’re not sure if they found each other later that day, but we felt bad he was alone and quickly adopted him into our trio.

Our first glimpse at what a zip line actually looks like. “That’s the BEGINNER one??” we all gasped. Yes, this was the shortest one, and they got longer and higher as the day progressed.

Just a little nervous.

Doing good so far.

Trish really wanted a picture with a lizard. I guess we forgot the scavenger hunt only had “Take a picture with a statue of an amphibian” (note: not a live one) because after this shot we all tried to get a picture with a lizard, but this was the closest anyone got.

Moving on. Yeah, this is what we had to climb…

As the lines got increasingly more difficult, correct form and technique was imperative to make it to the other side. If you pulled down on the line too much, you would slow yourself down, which is what happened to each of us one time.

The first was Trish, who had to get rescued by the guy actually going to the middle of the line where she was stuck, and pulling her back in. We had been instructed on what to do if you got stuck (turn yourself around and use a hand-over-hand motion to pull yourself along), but in the moment I guess she forgot.

I got stuck next, but was close enough to the end of the line where the guy just walked out to grab me and pull me in.

Kristin got stuck on the last line and, using proper technique, was able to pull herself to the end.

What an adventure! After some refreshments and a bathroom break, it was back onto the van for a bumpy ride back to the resort.

We had dinner at the Rodizzio Restaurant, a Brazilian restaurant on the other resort, just a short walk along the beach away.

During dinner, we spotted this stray doggie waiting for some leftover scraps. The waitress told us his name is Kenya, and he followed us almost back to our resort that evening, but stopped where our resort started. I guess the adult-only resort staff was not as friendly to him as the family side.

Also on the walk back, someone had arranged some greenery and candles to make a large heart in sand. My pictures didn’t come out because it was too dark and the flash ruined the effect, but we later saw one of these being used in a wedding ceremony. Aww.

When we arrived in the lobby, we visited our favorite bartender and I asked him to teach me how to make a caipirinha.

• “Have the bartender teach you how to make a drink from behind the bar.”

+ 1 for me.

Since Trish didn’t make it out the night before, Kristin and I promised we’d take her to the club in the cave that night. We got a nice couple to snap this shot of us at the entrance.

I spotted this woman who, despite not being Asian, was wearing what could technically pass as a kimono. She didn’t seem to speak English but I told her with gestures that I loved her dress and asked for a photo.

• “Take a picture with an Asian lady with a parasol (x2 if she’s wearing a kimono or dressed in all red).”

Kristin and Trish agreed I could have one point for creativity and since none of us were probably going to find anything closer than this. The guy jumped in at the last minute, I’m not sure if he even knew the woman on my left.

Inside the club, we danced our butts off and met an array of travelers from Boston, Massachusetts to Hamburg, Germany.

Notable moment: Miguel introduced us to the song “Wiki Wiki”  and none of us have been the same since.

Day 5

On our last full day in the DR, we decided to lay low, enjoy the weather, and hang out with all of our new friends from the week including twin sisters from Montreal, pictured below.

Starting off with some dance lessons on the beach given by our favorite Animación staff members seemed like a good idea.

Then a dip in the turquoise water and an impromptu photo shoot.

These are the VIP cabanas we lounged on all day.

Next up…

• “Take a picture of you climbing a palm tree.”

Score.

There were only scattered showers throughout the day, in which case we simply got out of the water and waited it out in one of the beach bars or in the lobby. Not bad for hurricane season.

That evening, after we had each accumulated enough of a tan to make our friends at home jealous, we ate at the Dominican restaurant called El Pilón.

Then we headed to the Arieto Disco and Mangu, where we learned how to do the Bachata and watched some break dancing that looked straight from the Jersey Shore.

We stayed out late and woke up early, not yet ready to leave such a gorgeous place as this.

Alas, arriving at the outdoor airport in 90+ degree heat, it was time to say goodbye.

Bottom line is, I LOVE this place and would go back in a heartbeat. Especially in the off-season, which proved to be the best value for the buck and probably a lot more fun.

Punta Cana: A Trip to Paradise, Part 1

I have never felt more relaxed and carefree in my life. The fact that we chose a luxury all-inclusive resort could be part of this. What a weird feeling to eat dinner and then get up and leave without asking for a bill or paying a tip. In addition, the people we met were so friendly and helped us with any and everything we needed. Well let's just get to the pictures...

Day 1

Departing Newark (the armpit), NJ, USA

Arriving in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

There’s the airport… the little hut… over there…

When we checked in to our beautiful suite (one of the best on the resort as we’re told), we got a delicious welcome package and some of the best rum I’ve ever tasted.

The bottle lasted us about two days, but there was no shortage as Kristin won another one in a dance contest later in the week, and our new friend Luis (who we understood to be the head of the wait staff) hooked us up with a bottle for some Cuba Libre, well, libre (free), shortly thereafter.

Luis fixing us a proper Cuba Libre

Passing by the pool on our way to the lobby, we were greeted by some freshly-chopped coconuts filled with a delicious cocktail called Coco Loco (some variation of light and dark rum, coconut milk, pineapple juice, and liqueurs). We thought this would be a daily occurrence but it seems that they actually have someone who grabs a machete and chops down the coconuts right on the resort when they become ripe.

By mid-afternoon we were really hungry but we had missed the window for lunch so we headed to the snack bar for some ham and cheese sandwiches and Sex on the Beach. Cocktails, that is.

Notable moment: random [local?] guy walks by, looks at the three of us, and exclaims, “You women are beautiful. Congratulations!” I guess they don’t see too many attractive young trio’s at this mainly-honeymooners resort.

Anyway, my sinuses really don’t like flying and all the sugar was not helping, so later that evening, Trish and Kristin explored the resort while I caught some Zzzz. Something did not agree with Kristin’s stomach and she slept on our bathroom floor that night. It couldn’t have had anything to do with all the drinks we had consumed that day…

Day 2

We all woke up bright and early to book some excursions through a guy named Miguel, who quickly became one of our favorites (and us his).

Of course, we also had to get an early start on hydration.

And Kristin became the first to complete an item on our officially unofficial scavenger hunt.

• “Take a picture with a guy with a big hat.”

We headed to the beach for some much-needed sunbathing and kayaking. We also watched a wedding take place right on the beach, and met a Russian couple who were on their honeymoon.

Then, we took a trip to the other resort, where families and kids are allowed, and where there are many more restaurant options and a bigger lunch buffet.

After lunch at the buffet, we walked around this other resort for a bit, dipped our feet in the pool, then took our time getting back while walking along the white sand beach.

We made dinner reservations at the fondue restaurant on our side, quickly stopped at the internet station to check e-mail and post annoying status messages on facebook to make all of our friends at home jealous, then headed back to the room to freshen up and relax.

When we arrived at La Petite Fondue for dinner, they upgraded us to a table for 5 and made us feel like VIPs. The fondue was delicious, not unlike the Melting Pot here in the States.

We stayed for a while just enjoying the ambience, then headed to the other side again for the evening events. While waiting for the shuttle we met our new favorite bartender Emilio. He likes to make up phrases like, “Humpty humpty, shaky shaky” which we found both lewd and hilarious.

We got to the other side of the resort with plenty of time to grab front-row seats for the show. Kristin and Trish got up on stage for the beginning, and eventually we all got up for the finale.

When that was over, we were ready to hit Areito Disco!

We heard mostly Latin music in the beginning but it quickly changed to American pop and standard club tracks as the night progressed, and we met some guys from Toronto, CA and another group from Miami, FL, USA. One of the guys was Kristin’s second win for the scavenger hunt.

• “Take a picture with a bearded man.”

When we returned to the resort we needed to cool off from all of that dancing, so we quickly changed to our swimsuits and donned our awesome bathrobes to head to the pool.

Unfortunately we got kicked out because, as one Spanish interpreter pointed out to us, they were chlorinating the pools. Oops. We didn’t know if it was just for that night or for every night but needless to say we didn’t try again. Besides, the ocean is right there…

Day 3

We woke up in time for the breakfast buffet on the third day and had a little time to kill before our first excursion. So, we all knocked out another item on our scavenger hunt.

• “Take a picture with a statue of an amphibian.”

I honestly don’t know how we came up with that one. Anyway, we each got a point for it and spent the rest of the morning wandering around the resort and hanging out by the pool.

By mid-afternoon, the heat was full blast and we stepped onto a hot school bus with the windows knocked out to get to the port. When we arrived, we had to listen to some boring safety stuff, grab our lifejackets, and head on the boat for a leisurely cruise to Stingray Bay where we would be meeting some stingrays and swimming with the sharks, then snorkeling around the coral reef and imbibing a bit while enjoying some on-board entertainment. Or so we thought.

The stingray part was tame enough. They were slimy, especially on your back – ick! Did not expect that at all, but it was fun.

When they hand-selected eight out of about a hundred people and asked them to volunteer for a new program, involving “interaction” with the sharks, my gut instinct said “HECK NO!”

But, my two girlfriends were already looking for the dotted line to sign the waiver, and I couldn’t be the only one of the three to chicken out.

Ah! I’m holding a Nurse shark!

So, I lived to tell the story (obviously) and after we swam with it for a while, we hopped back onto the boat for some entertainment before arriving at the coral reef.

Looking dorky ready for some snorky.

The reefs were so close to us, Kristin actually scraped herself on it. Then the dancer guy put some reddish anti-bacterial on it, which actually made it look worse and hurt worse. Of course I snapped this flattering shot to commemorate the event.

After some of the infamous mamajuana shot and some brief entertainment, we arrived back at the port. Then it was a hot and sweaty bus ride back home in the mid-afternoon sun.

That evening, we ordered room service while getting ready to hit the second club, Imagine.  The weird/cool thing about it is that it’s inside a natural cave. We didn’t know what to expect.

Trish didn’t make it that night - it was her turn to be sick. But, we liked it so much, Kristin and I decided to go back again the next night with her. Aren’t we good friends?

A club inside a cave, with great music and atmosphere. You don’t have to imagine it; it’s real!

Stay tuned for part dos!

Around the World in 10 Days

I didn't actually get to post about my trip to the Dominican Republic in August but I have another adventure to write about now. I had planned a three-day-weekend trip to San Francisco since I've always wanted to visit California, and then got assigned to a project abroad for work shortly thereafter. I somehow managed to fit both endeavors in to a small window of time and enjoyed every moment. The amount of planes I have taken in the past 10 days is just ridiculous though! I will try to post some pictures later if I have the chance, but for now I am very jet lagged and must get ready for a new week on the job...

View Around the World in 10 Days in a larger map

Portfolio Update: JavaScript, CSS, JSON in Action

The inspiration for this portfolio is a brick-and-mortar (or in my case, probably plaster and peeling paint?) art gallery. I was going to go with something that scrolls left and right as if you are walking through, but it felt so... constrained... contrived... limiting. For a portfolio piece, I really wanted something that showcased both my technical knowledge and graphic skill. So I broke out of the shell a bit with this one and made an original mashup of some leading web technologies combined with my own need for an easy-to-edit showcase of my creative work.

Try resizing your browser window and see what happens. Also try dragging some of the artwork around.

Now for some technical mumbo-jumbo. Rather than a lightbox for image enlargements, I used a mid-size image to start. I kept it simple and linked to the image's Flickr page which also allows commenting, favoriting, viewing full size etc. for further interaction with the same number of mouse clicks. The page uses Flickr's API to pull my most interesting images from my photostream (JSON), then gets their title and puts it in the little caption area. The rest is some CSS and jQuery magic. The result is I always have an updated, interesting portfolio page which saves me precious time and energy!!! The downside is that with JavaScript disabled there isn't much to see. Note to self: come up with a creative static portfolio asap.

Let me know how you like it in the comments.

Happy 4th of July Weekend

I'll be hanging out poolside for the rest of the day thanks to my lovely parents who let me come home whenever I want... (there's no place like home!)

Hope everyone has a happy and safe weekend, wherever in the world you are.

Pools of Water, originally uploaded by whoaitsaimz.

I'm in the FOX Spotlight!

A few words for Temple's Fox School of Business students: get to know and use the Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD). To see why I say this and to read even more advice from others, check out the following page on their website where I was recently featured!

On this page, I describe some of the things that the CSPD did for me in my undergrad career which ultimately led me to my current post-graduate position as a Junior Product Manager:

"Fox Spotlight | When it comes to success stories, these alumni are writing their own chapters."

About the Short Story

I never thought I'd write a coming-of-age piece for a job application. Somehow, that's exactly what happened when I applied for a position with a well-known ad agency in NYC.

Suzie has been a character of mine since I was a kid. I used to create PowerPoint animations of her battling monsters and flying across the city after discovering the software on my parent's computer. You couldn't have told me that Word Art and Smart Art were meant for business presentations.

Over the years, I have sketched, written about, and modified this little girl, but I never thought she would grow up this way. Late one Sunday night, I was taken by surprise when these words started manifesting through the keyboard. My very own fingers were telling me that Suzie is a doll, representing a young girl who realizes it's time to grow up but is not quite sure she wants to let go.

I did get an interview from the agency after this, although I didn't end up with the position. I am happy to say, though, that I was offered a wonderful position with the company I've interned for since last September. I'm very happy that everything has worked out and excited for this new chapter in my life, although I guess a part of me wonders what that might mean for the little heroine from my youth...

A short story: Great Leaps for Susan

Suzie leaped across the rooftop, flailing her arms beneath a long green cape and landing precisely on the building opposite, the silky “S” stitched into her leotard glimmering in the sunset. She dared look behind her to stare in the face of her enemy: a plastic headless Barbie doll named Midge.

“Susan, get down here and help set the table for dinner,” mother interrupted from the bottom of the stairway, “It’s almost 6 o’clock already.”

“Mom, it’s Sue,” Susan yelled back. “I’m thirteen years old now!” she huffed, shoving Midge and Suzie Doll behind her dresser in one corner of her bedroom before hurrying down the stairs.

Click here to read the story behind the story.