trying to get out of my shell

i've always known myself to be an introvert. although i really have to ask my parents and my other relatives if indeed i was, even when i was a child. i distinctly remember my aunt telling me that i would prefer to be in my room, reading than going out and joining a party. between my parents, i think i may have gotten this from my mom. my dad is clearly not an introvert. he always seems to know everyone at a gathering and if not, he would probably do by the time the party ends.

there are times, though, that i put on this extrovert facade for work. i've been the contact in asia for one of the applications that we implement for our client and this involves extensive networking on my part. i've had to talk to people way up in the corporate ladder, plant managers and loads of contacts from different places. and i think i've done well on those instances. so now, the only question is how i can put up my extroverted face when meeting new people outside of work.

i was talking to my cousin bea via ym last week and we've touched on this subject. i told her i was actually envious of the way they (she and her siblings) can easily interact with people. even at this age, i still have a hard time starting a conversation with people i meet or even those that i know but not close to. with friends, it's a different matter. although when you're in a foreign country, you would need to talk to someone new before you can befriend them, right?

this is one of the reasons why i decided to volunteer as an usher in the tennis tournament here in cincinnati. it's the western and southern financial group masters and women's open. of course, i wanted to watch the games for free but i could have simply bought tickets the way i originally meant to. i figured i might meet some new people while i enjoy watching the games. and i did. all of my new acquaintances are way older than i am and i found it to be fun talking to them. they were surprised to learn that i don't play tennis and have been convincing me to take up the sport (since almost everyone plays). i am thinking about it although it's probably going to be difficult to play once i go back home and have no one to play with. other than this, i've not done anything else to "expand my horizons" and meet new people. i've been keeping to myself the way i always have.

someone once told me that i was the serious one in the group (this group being me, irish, rose and martha). i think on groups i am part of, this is the case most of the time. and i guess i'll never be the life of the party or the one that keeps the conversations going but i am trying to find a spot in between. for the mean time, at least.

4th of july weekend

i've been really busy with work these past few days (well, more like weeks) and so i haven't posted much here. but i've been keeping myself busy beyond work, enjoying my remaining time here in the u.s. as much as i can.

i went to orlando, florida with officemates and spent two days going on rides at the universal studios theme park.



it was a 16-hour drive from cincinnati but we really did not mind. i, for one, didn't because the guys were the ones driving and we were only awake to make sure they don't fall asleep behind the wheel. in short, we were there for entertainment purposes. hehehe! we arrived at the hotel, a mere 5-minute dirve away from universal studios, at around mid-afternoon. after freshening up, we decided to just get our tickets, go around the vicinity, take pictures and have dinner. the rides will have to wait the next day. we were more excited than we thought we were, i guess, as we stayed until around 1 am taking pictures around the area. we went back to the hotel exhausted but excited for the next day's activities.

i was the first one up the next day (shocking, i know) since i was the first one asleep as well (my companions still had to work --- yuck, geeky!). after eating breakfast, we headed back to universal studios to take on the rides. our first, and my favorite, was "the revenge of the mummy". it was like an indoor roller coaster with all the effects. there was even fire on the ceiling! that was probably the most exciting ride in the park. all others were tame in comparison but it was fun, nonetheless. we went to "twister" and "earthquake" where they make you experience both natural phenomena, "e.t. adventures" where we like on bikes while travelling through stars and to e.t.'s world; "men in black" wherein we had to shoot aliens; "shrek", a hilarioius 4-d adventure and all the other rides that we could go to within the day. day one over.

we vowed to wake up earlier for day two but tiredness seemed to have caught up with us that we actually started our day later than we planned. this time, we went to islands of adventure, another park in the universal studios resort. we immediately went to the rides that will get us wet --- first stop: popeye and bluto's bile-rat barges. it was like white water rafting although we were seated in a circular raft and we weren't paddling. the water seemed to like me the best as i was the most wet among everyone within the raft. we then went to the ripsaw falls, similar to the jungle log jam that enchanted kingdom has although the log fit all five of us. as always, i was screaming my head off when the log "fell". then we were off to jurassic park. i thought that we wouldn't drop off any incline since we were in a very big "boat" but we did! it was not as steep as the ripsaw falls and wasn't as high but it was still exciting. the change of clothes also meant a change in pace as the other rides we went to were not as exciting as the previous ones. i even went on the cat in the hat carousel. one of the rides i did enjoy was spiderman. it was a 3-d ride but it was like you're also in a roller coaster. it was the best 3-d ride i've ever gone to so far (including the disney ones in tokyo). mind you, we weren't the only adults riding! i did not attempt to go on the really scary rides like the duelling dragons and the hulk. i knew i just would not enjoy myself with those kinds of rides. the guys went, though, as the last ride of the day. reluctantly, we headed home after that. day two over.

it was another long ride home but we were also looking forward to reaching cincinnati to have a good rest. before we went back to our own apartments, we had breakfast at ihop. i told my companions i wanted to go there since i've heard stories from my aunt and my friends that they go there for breakfast and i wanted to try it. soon, everyone else was excited to eat there as well. and we were not disappointed. i soooo loved my stuffed french toast (everyone knows i have a sweet tooth) with my refillable coffee (and of course, about my coffee addiction --- hehehe!). it was a great way to end a wonderful adventure.

more stories soon!