Yep, 2008 here's looking at you kid!
Thanks for a wonderful year 2008 and now we enter 2009 - a brand new year, a clean slate, and wonderful things to look forward to.
New Year's Eve, I was at Disneyland (working of course) and it was so neat to be there during New Year's Eve. Everyone in their party hats, some tooting their horns, and just being crazy - dancing on Main Street. It was like a club scene with all the families with their kids and friends, just dancing the night away. How do I know? While I was working at the cash registers I could see outside on Main Street, the strobe of flashing lights, the Loud Music can be heard from inside our store. It looked like so much fun, even us who can hear the music from outside were feeling the excitment of the New Year coming by dancing ourselves behind the cash registers. It was so much fun to see all the people - Happy and Exciting about the New Year coming.
Ah, so long to 2008. It was a great year -- My Nephew Jake turned one, I got my job at Disneyland in the Summer, and so far, we had a great year and it was all coming down to an end. Just awhile ago, Christmas was wonderful with family, friends, and all our loved ones. Got everything we could wish for at Christmas and going to work at Disneyland has been great and I look forward to more Disney as the new year approached.
Countdown began . . . and some of us cast members who were working that evening could go and be out on Main Street and our eyes gazed towards Sleeping Beauty Castle and watch as the fireworks sparked and lighten up the sky as the countdown began - 3. . . 2. . . 1 -- Fireworks banged and crashed throughout the nightsky and everyone turned and said Happy New Year's to everyone around them. People shouted and tooted their horns, and high-fived, romantic couples kissed, and people hugged. It was the beginning of a New Year -- 2009.
Welcome 2009. Good bye 2008. Back to work after the midnight came and went. Ringing up customers, wishing them a Happy New Years and later wishing Candice a Happy New Years as well, and my Dad all the way in Barstow texted me and I texted him back. Wishing all my family a Happy New Years. I am sure as 2008 was good to us, then 2009 will even be great as the New Years begins and continues on . . .
Until Then: Happy New Years To everyone who reads this. Welcome to 2009.

Hello all, here is the link to my new Blog Post:
http://thecofg.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-party-at-disneyland-2008.html

Pictures of Holiday Party  posted there. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all!

Hello everyone!
Been on a Fall Hiatus with my blogging lately. Reasons that I haven't blogged is: school and work. With school it's been an alright ride through the Fall Quarter. We are on our Finals week at UCI. So we are pretty much going into the Winter Break for the holidays. But for me it won't be much of a break when I do work.
Nevertheless, with work it's been kind of a fun job because working at the happiest place on earth -- Disneyland! -- has been wonderful. I am enjoying my job at Disneyland. I work as a cashier and you know with the holidays around the corner it's has been busy at Disneyland. The slowly downward spiral of our economy hasn't stopped other countries from coming to California to see Disneyland and those who want to keep having fun still go into the Park to shop and have fun on all the rides. What's the most beautiful thing about Disneyland right now is that it is dressed up for the Holidays. The Giant Christmas Tree is up and the whole parked is decorated with Christmas Lights and decorations. The Sleeping Beauty Castle has beautiful cool blue icicles that light up the park with its breathtaking views.
Lately, I have been working at the Candy Place which is in the Penny Arcade on Main Street. The smells of cookies, caramel apples and other sweets fill the air. As I work at the cashier area, the lines are long as shoppers buy sweets to take home for themselves or as gifts.
It's been fun at Disneyland, working there and getting paid for something I love to do. It's one of my dream jobs and I am actually enjoying it. Especially during these wonderful holidays with the park Christmasy, it's a joy to see and be there among the crowds of people who are taken aback with these breathtaking decorations around the park.
Tonight Candice and I are going to the Holiday party at the park and it should be fun. I am looking forward to it. I will be sure the blog about it in further blogs. As for now, Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you at Disneyland!

The expanse desert landscape

As we all drive on our road trip to escape

The California Sun with its immense heat

Nothing can drive the sun away, nothing can beat

The insane perspiration.

Ah, but New Mexico is in our sights

As we all drive through the day and into the night

The mountainous air, smell so good

For we are finally there

A state of chilis, a state of family affairs

And flour tortillas

Perhaps a margarita

Or Two.

(If one can take all that tequila)

Rattlesnakes, desert all around

But New Mexico we are all bound

For wedding bells are soon in the air

For New Mexico we are there!

Ah, July is here. The Birthday of our nation is near and the gas prices are still higher. Ah, summer and July. Which means BBQs, fireworks, and the hot summer heat. July is a month of adventures -- something to look foward to, several actually. Candice is coming home in a few weeks and I am definetely looking forward to that one! Also my family is planning a trip to New Mexico -- this calls for ROAD TRIP! Driving down to New Mexico has always been a memorable experience for me. I'm kind of disappointed that Candice won't make it with me, but she had her trip and her trip was actually more business than pleasure. But she will go back to her Lab down at UCI Bonney Research Labotory and go back to her usual task. When she comes back, I'll be leaving but not for a long time, perhaps only a short weekend trip will get me out of my Summer Funk. I think it'll be a great trip. It'll be Jake's first big trip and I'll be with my nephew. It'll be fun, I'm sure.

Anyway, I am just blogging out my thoughts on this mid morning of July 2nd, quite a few days before the 4th of July. Our Nation's birthday is upcoming. USA, you're getting old! BBQs and fireworks, plus family. I am heading over to Highland, my former home for awhile. I am going to hang out with Christina, Larry, and Jake. My Parents are going to be there too, so such an added blessing to hang out with my family on the 4th of July. It'll be fun. I am sure going to be hungry for hotdogs, hamburgers and hopefully drink a beer or two. It will be fun. I will for sure keep you all posted. Well, if I don't see you then: Happy 4th of July!

Sadly, this is Candice and I first 4th of July apart from each other.Candice, I love you and Happy 4th of July. At least she will be where our nation was born. Enjoy the lights in the sky. Happy Birthday USA!

2pm, 88 degrees at Irvine, California. I am hanging out at my apartment at Palo Verde 8127. Outside it's a clear and beautiful day, but one step outside that door, the heat wave will grab at you and pull you all the way down to the Summer Heat Wave. The Heat Wave that will lessen someone's enthusiastic going about the day feeling. Right now, it's the Summer Blues. Candice is still at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Our two dogs are sleeping off the afternoon and I am here writing out this blog for the day. The heat is rising all over Southern California and the hot air is blowing in from the open windows. In a way it is kind of nice because it shows that Summer is finally here. It's still in the middle of June and all that is left to look forward to is Candice coming home from the East coast. Meanwhile, I am still searching for any kind of job to keep me busy. As of right now, Disney is still not in the future yet. Since the audition I was kind of disappointed, but nevertheless I am still on the search for a job.

I think with this Summer month, it is beginning to pick up the heat waves and building higher and higher with each passing Day into the lateness of June. Staying indoors and staying cool is my priority right now. Gas is expensive and the price of everything is on a constant high. Where has our summer vacations gone? With the craziness of gas prices and everything else, staying indoors seems more and more like a fitting idea: since it's cooler. Alas, the idea of going to New Mexico is still in store. Driving down to New Mexico will be expensive on gas, but it would be nice to attend a wedding. It will be nice to go to the Mountains of New Mexico and perhaps catch a hot air balloon ride soaring high over our heads.

But like Dorthy from Kansas once said, "There's no place like home." That is why the summer blues, for I miss Candice and await for her arrival back home to Irvine, California. A place where the beaches are a few miles out and that my friends, is what I plan to do sometimes to get my Summer going. As for now, I need to do so many other stuff before I go out and chill by the beach. Palo Verde Apartment 8127, the place where I am staying indoors to chill with iced teas, movies, and of course some good books to read. The ocean's waves are calling to me from Newport or Laguna, even Huntington Beach -- the waves are crashing on the sandy shores where I bet there are many people now laying and basking in the summer sun. The heat wave continues to bring in the Summer Blues. The Blues of our Pacific Oceans, and the blues of our beautiful skies, and the blues of gas prices and the blues of missing Candice. Maybe when Candice comes home she'll be able to say, "There's no place like Home." And that my friends, is Irvine, California -- Palo Verde Apartment 8127.

Alrighty, what is done is done. I'm an optimistic. And you know what they always say: always next year!

The Lakers lost one of the most heart wrenching, gut wrenching games ever. The biggest deficit from the mighty Celtics as they crushed the purple and gold to shatters. But those pieces of gold and purple can be gathered up and put back together and there will indeed be some missing pieces that will need to be fixed. I know for sure we will see a completely different team next year. The core of the team, Kobe Bryant, our MVP was MIA (Missing In Action) scoring only a few points. The heart and soul of the team was missing and that's what made the Lakers lose BIG TIME.

Congrats to the Celtics -- what is done, is done. They are the new Champion, but I don't think it's a beginning of a new dynasty. They need to win more than one championship to be entitled that. The Lakers had their chance a few years back with Kobe and Shaq, along with company. Phil Jackson at the helm will be alrighty as he will set course to another championship next year. Unbelievably the Lakers did it with Kobe's incessant nagging of getting another player -- it worked! So didn't need that big Artistotle, Shaq wasn't needed at all in Phoenix, look where it got them. But look with Shaq's absence the Lakers made it all the way to the Finals. For those Celtics that screamed and cried to Kobe "You need Shaq!" Hmm.. not really, Gasol made the Lakers quicker and faster. Shaq would only slow them down -- indeed like the Suns were a quick team and at their fast breaks they were dangerous, insert Shaq and it's a whole new ball game for the Suns. The Lakers got quicker and faster, and yes with Bynum out of the picture there was no big man to cover the hole. So indeed next year Bynum back, and the pieces of the shattered dreams of the Lakers Championship run will be solved.

Like any optimistic Lakers fan would say: There's Always Next Year!

As I mentioned in my last blog about living in the OC, in Irvine, California has been a blast for me so far. I enjoyed the nice weather and the safe feeling of Irvine. Funny that I mentioned that in my blog because I came across an article to prove my point. This is the article that I came across and I wanted to post it here on my blog:

Irvine tops safe cities list again

Property crime down across Orange County, according to preliminary state attorney general's report.

IRVINE - Violent crime in Irvine dropped more than 16 percent and overall crime in the city fell 6 percent last year, making Irvine the safest large city in California, according to preliminary statistics released Monday by the state Attorney General's Office. It's the third year in a row Irvine has topped the list.

From January through December 2006, Irvine's number of reported violent crimes – which includes homicide, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault – dropped from 151 to 126 – at the same time the state saw a 1. 4 percent jump in violent crime. Irvine recorded drops in property crime and theft, but the number of homicides in the city doubled from two to four in 2006.

Following Irvine on the list of the state's safest cities are Sunnyvale, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clara and Simi Valley.

Fullerton and Orange saw double-digit increases in violent crimes. Fullerton's increase may be related to the opening of several new bars in downtown Fullerton over the last year and a higher number of assaults outside the bars, Fullerton Sgt. Linda King said.

In Orange County, the number of property crimes fell in each of the eight cities with populations over 100,000 except Huntington Beach, which saw property crimes go from 2,296 in 2005 to 2,564 in 2006. The Orange County Sheriff's Department, which is the only agency in the county to see increases in each of the four main crime categories, saw property crime rise 4.6 percent.

Violent Crime in O.C. cities with population over 100,000

Change from 2005 to 2006

Irvine: -16.6 percent

Huntington Beach: -12.7

Garden Grove: -5.5

Anaheim: -3.6

Costa Mesa: 0

Orange County Sheriff's Department: +0.8

Santa Ana: +8.3

Fullerton: +20.3

Orange: +32.4

Source: California Attorney General's Office – Crime in 2006 preliminary report

Hello I am back, I am thinking about blogs alot. I been keeping up with my blogs on blogspot. I love to blog now. I am now living in Irvine, California and have been living here for awhile. I reside at the Palo Verde Apartments at UCI. The weather has been great, it's about a short distance from the beaches -- Newport, Laguna and Hunington beaches. The weather here has been lovely, the fresh marine layers passes by and cools down these somewhat hot summer days.

Now with summer upon us, there is a great way to cool down living here in Irvine. Just head to the beaches which is not so far away. I enjoy living here in the OC and love every minute of it. I enjoy the surroundings of all the malls, parks, beaches, and other places to enjoy. Especially at the Park nearby, we can walk the dogs and they love the park as much as we do. It's a beatiful park with lots of open space and 3 baseball fields. The park is enjoyable to walk around on. Various people with their dogs walk around. People playing sports: baseball, tennis, or football, and alot of people come to this park to party. Alot of tables and chairs and a nice look of the park attract all sorts of people and their dogs. Children love the lovely playground area - a sandy area with slides, swings, and all sort of thing for kids to play on. Irvine is a nice area to live in with one of the best schools and nice parks, and lots of areas to enjoy one's time at.

With these hot summers, I think the beaches are the best place to hit. I enjoy staying at UCI at the apartments. I enjoy my time here getting my education. I enjoy the atmosphere of the OC and the nearby beaches. I enjoy that Irvine is so close to Disneyland where I hope to one day be working. I enjoy most of all that life has offered me a chance to achieve my dreams in living in a big city and a great environment where I can breathe the ocean air coming in from the beaches and enjoy that I know that the coast is just a few miles out.

Irvine, California -- a place I now like to call "home."

Hello everyone!

I just started a new blog, been keeping up with it for about a week already. I want you to go ahead and check out the blog I been working on. I use the blogs from Google account. So you can head that way and check me out:

http://thecofg.blogspot.com/

You can reply or comment anytime. Also, I think this My Space Blog will be updated not as frequently as the other one. So check out Blogspot.com and head over to read "The Chronicles of Gilberto." See ya there!