So we were left wondering – now that there were 3 of us on this mini vacation, we made a bet as to how many pictures we’d end up with. I figured, with the 3 of us, we’d average probably about 100 per day, knowing that we’re such hams when it comes to memorializing where we’ve been.

Would you car to venture a guess as to how many photos we took, total? Here’s a slideshow of just Day 1 on the boat.

But as fate would have it, Queenie’s flight was delayed in EWR, and did not arrive till 11:15 a.m. So, once we picked him up at the airport, we decided to just head out to the Riverfront area of Fort Lauderdale to do some sight-seeing and photo shoots, as well as have some lunch before boarding at 2:00. Besides, the Riverfront district was also a skip step away from the gay area of Fort Lauderdale – just in case we wanted to hang out a bar for a bit.

Needless to say – we had a blast at River Front. In a span of less than an hour, we had shot a lot of pictures in various poses and combinations! We were such goofballs, laughing heartily, that people were looking at us wondering what the hell the comotion was about!

And that’s what I love about our reunions. Aside from the bonding that we do, and the myraid discussions about our lives, our loves, the ups and downs, we never fail to just throw caution to the wind and have a hilarious, gay ol’ time w/ ourselves! Check it out!

After lunch at the River Front, we headed back to Miami to rendezvous with our ship, the RCL Majest of the Seas. Compared to our last cruise in September, the boarding process in RCL was a lot more organized, a lot more sane than Carnival’s. We were in and out in a flash!

I was a little bit disappointed once we got to the room – it was extremely small, and there were 3 of us! I guess it was to be expected, since the Majesty was a lot smaller than the Carnival Valor that we took last September. The room felt a wee bit claustrophobic, and we found it hard to maneuver at first.

But that was just a trifle – disappointed with the smallness, but we dealt with it. Because we didn’t let it get in the way of having fun! Once we dropped our bags and freshend up a bit, we started once more w/ our pictorials!

As time ticked while the baggage came out, I started to worry, as one by one, people started getting their luggage. Mine was not in sight. I started to get a panic attack – everyone save for a dozen of us on the same flight had already gotten their luggage. The carousel was just spinning around, empty, with a bunch of us bewildered passengers milling about, asking the same old question – “You were on that American flight from SF, right?”

The American Airlines baggage agent working there didn’t have a clue, and went to find some answers. And we – the tired, forlorn and baggage-less travelers – were left waiting. As the minutes ticked, my anxiety started getting the better of me. “God, this isn’t happening – I don’t have anything else save for one change of shirt and underwear in my backpack. What am I going to do?”

After about 20 minutes of worry, bags started appearing in the still-spinning but empty carousel. Ah, finally – my bag is here! Woohoo! I heaved a sigh of relief and said a prayer of thanks that the reunion was still going well. The baggage agent was no where in sight – I guess he couldn’t find an answer in time for us.

I immediately went to the Avis rental center, got the car, and sped my way to Fort Lauderdale airport to pick up Pipo. We squealed w/ delight once we made contact, and started gigling and chattering about the cruise as we made our way out of the airport.

We headed to downtown Fort Lauderdale, and started hunting for a place to eat. We were starving and tired, but we were excited still, since in about an hour and half, we would be hooking up w/ Leonel, and be off on our merry way exploring Miami before rendezvousing w/ the Majesty of the Seas. We finally spied an IHOP and decided to have breakfast.

As we sat down, we continued to chit-chat – our voices ringing with excitement about the cruise. This was going to be Pipo’s first cruise, and I told him that he would have such a blast! We talked about the stuff to do on the ship, as well as the adventures that we’d be having in the Bahamas. it was great to renew ties once again (even though I had seen him – albeit briefly – a month before during a trip down to Santa Monica for work).

As we ate our food, our conversation flowed to other things – more importantly about career and love. Pipo was doing very well in his new job, showing me his designs for XOXO featured in an ad in Elle featuring the model Anna Beatriz. Wow! Totally hot clothing – very Beyonce!

Alas – love was a different matter, since he was still hurting from his break-up w/ Drew. It takes a lifetime to forget, as I told him. At least he had Drew. I’m still single and looking!

While we were eating and chatting, Leonel texted us – a couple of times. The first text he sent – while we were just starting our breakfast – mentioned that he was still on the tarmac, due to a slight delay. The next text was a little more ominous – it was already 8:30 a.m., and they still didn’t leave the ground. The flight – a 3-hour journey from NYC – was expected originally to be in Fort Lauderdale at 9:15! He called up, and we sensed he was already ticked off – IRITADA!

Once we finished breakfast, Pipo and I made our way in search of a place where we could hang out and rest. We wanted to hang out in a beach area, since we were in Florida. I remembered seeing a sign with Dania Beach close to the Fort Lauderdale airport, and headed out there. We found it fairly easily, and spent a good bit of the morning parked at the beach, taking a nap since we were very much sleep deprived. We awoke around 10:00, and explored the beach, taking a few pictures along the way.

And here they are…very A4A, don’t you think? I don’t have any of me, since I think Pipo took them on his camera, and we didn’t have a CF reader to extract them out of his camera. >sigh< Oh well...

And now, I was heading back to it for a date on the Carnival Valor! Woohoo!

It had been 2 years since I had traveled for a vacation. The last time I did it was a short 4-day trip to Vancouver in between my jobs at Planet Out and VMware. That was in September of 2004. And now, I was heading to Miami/Fort Lauderdale to meet up with Leonel for the cruise that we had been looking forward to since the year began.

I had a little bit of a drama moment the day my departure. Weeks earlier, I had asked dad a favor of taking me to the Oakland airport on Saturday, Sepetember 16. On Friday the 15th, I was supposed to stay over night in Foster City with the family, so that they could take me to the airport the next day at 6 a.m. since my flight was at nine in the morning. However, I ended up with more stuff to do that day – both work and at home, that I wasn’t able to go to Foster city at the original time that I had said I was going; some work issues came in via e-mail (I was working from home), and I had to do impromptu repairs on a toilet seat that had just broken that day as well.

Anyways – to make a long story short, Dennis called me up and said that dad was not in a good mood because I had not yet made my way to Foster City at the supposed time I was going to be there. He suggested I make different arrangements for getting to the airport, since dad’s mood was making him unreasonable.

“I don’t need this shit.” That’s a phrase I said (and always say) to myself when things don’t go as planned.

Well, I was busy trying to get everything ready for the trip, aside from finishing work, that I had decided to take everything into my own hands. I had had told Dennis that I would just stay at home, and make arrangements on my own. In the back of my mind, I told myself that I would just drive myself to the airport, and just pay for long term parking. No drama, no hassle, no incovenience.

I was readying to go vacation. I don’t need the extra drama. End of story? Not quite.

Mom called after Dennis, and insisted that she would drive me to the airport. In the back of my mind, I was telling myself, that I did’t want to deal with this anymore, because if dad was in a foul mood, this would even make him more so.

So I kept on insisting to her that I had made arrangements already. I even fabricated a story that I called in a favor from a friend who I had picked up from the airport before at an ungodly hour, and that she would drive me the next day to the airport (FYI: the picking up of a friend at ungodly hour was true; her driving me to Oakland for my trip was not).

But mom, the person that she is – didn’t listen to what I was saying, and kept repeating the same thing over and over again – that she would take me to the airport, and I kept telling her no need, to the point where I was already raising my voice and getting angry at her (mom hears, but, of late, never listens to what we say to her at face value, and it really gets to me that I have to repeat something a dozen times before she finally shuts the f* up or moves on to another topic).

Finally, she said OK, but insisted that she drop by and see me before I flew. At this point, I just wanted to get everything done with, and really didn’t want her to come. But then, she’s mother – what can you say to her? She doesn’t listen anyways, and by that time, I was too tired to argue.

So, she came while I was having dinner. We chatted for a bit, but it centered around dad’s foul mood. I just let things go in one ear, out the other, and say “uh-huh.” Eventually, she left after “chatting.”

Dad eventually called 30 minutes later after she had left. He told me that things were taken out of context, and was still very much willing to take me to the airport. I had told him everything was fine, that I had already made arrangements. So, he left it at that, and wished me a happy trip.

Ah, finally, peace and quiet. I was so looking forward to leaving already, and like I said earlier – I didn’t need this shit, and needed this break. At that point, I definitely felt good, since now, it was just me-time – no hassle, no worries, no inconveniencing of people, no dealing with drama, etc.  I didn’t even care about how much I would pay for long term parking – to me, it was a great deal for a whole lot of peace and quiet to start my vacation.

I guess they knew I was coming! Look at the welcome sign they put out for me!

So, for this trip, instead of booking via the travel agency at work, I was told to book via Hotwire and get a good deal on the Intercontinental in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. The rate: $82/night. And let’s just say, it’s a big steal! Napakasosyal!

The room is just sumptuously decorated, with luxurious fabrics, and very clean, refined wood furniture. The bathroom has separate tub and shower. I’m just overwhelmed with lots of small details that you’ll only find at 5-star establishments.

For instance, while I was downstairs having my dinner, the housekeeping staff came in to do turn-down service. They had a small chocolate on my pillow, and the had ice and glasses in the serving area all set for any type of beverage that I wished before going to bed. Now that’s service!

Of course, I’m making the most out of this gig. After 6+ hours of flying and airport time, I took a very nice warm bath in the tub, and just lay there for about half an hour relaxing. For dinner, I went to the downstairs restaurant, and had the most scrumptious meal of grilled scallops on a bed of arugula and mushroom risotto with a balsamic vinegar reduction. Abolutely divine!

Now why can’t all business travel trips be this good? I even jokingly texted Leonel “Heto, babuyin! Kulbam!”

It was pleasantly warm in Minneapolis at the onset, but by the time the weekend rolled over, the heat setting turned up a bit!

I had a blast catching up w/ Dee. He never ceases to amaze me w/ his comments, insights and challenges. You can read more about our discussions here.

In the meantime, enjoy some photos! (If you see a pic that’s interesting, click on it!)

With the teeming restaurants of the world class food scene here in San Francisco, we spent a lot of the weekend eating and drinking. On the day that Pipo came over, we had a wonderful lunch at Juban, a Japanese grillery in Menlo Park. Very much like Korean barbecue, but our highlight of that meal was the Kobe Beef sashimi. Yes – raw, Kobe beef that was absolutely sublime!

Later during the day, we headed up to The City (as SF is fondly known to Bay Area residents) and traipsed for a bit along the Embarcadero – catching views of the Bay Bridge – before heading to dinner to my one of my fave restaurants, B44, a Catalan Bistro. I introduced Pipo to the wonderful paellas – especailly my favorite of all – the Paella Negre – a paella blackened by a sauce that uses squid ink as its base, with a dollop of heavenly garlic aoli. Yummmmm!

We spent the entire day in Napa, enjoying a 4-hour ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train. During the 4-hours, as idyllic views of the valley vineyards went past us, we ate a sumptuous 4 course lunch that typified the Napa life of good food and good wine!

In spite of the food and libations (especially the libations) to drown out love’s labours lost in L.A., Pipo couldn’t help but think of his special someone…

As I’ve heard people say…it takes but a second to catch the glint of someone’s eye, a minute to know their name, an hour to get to know them, a day to fall in love with someone, but it takes a whole lifetime to forget them, especially if they’ve made such a huge impact on your life…

So, we were traipsing along Hollywood Blvd. in downtown L.A., doing the Walk of the Stars on our way to Mann’s Chinese Theater, when lo, and behold, I come across this restaurant:

The weekend in L.A. was a blast, to say the least. On Saturday, we went to the Griddle Cafe on Sunset, and got waited on by this young, gorgeous hunky twink! Yummy! Wish I took a picture w/ my Treo, but I didn’t want to be that obvious (much less, look that desperate)!

So, Samantha and I were seated at the counter when who should walk in but Paris and her boytoy for the hour, Stavros Niarchos. No papparazi photogs in site.

I must say – Stavros looks better in person than in the photos. I don’t think he’s photogenic, cause when I first saw his pix, all I could say was “WTF?”

And yeah, Paris looked good, too – but then, that’s what you do when you’re born into all that money.

Hate her, but love the bf!

The rest of the weekend was spent bar hopping w/ Samantha, and seeing all the cute boys and bar tenders in WeHo. We almost hit every bar – The Abbey, Fiesta Cantina, Trunks, Numbers…didn’t go to Here, though it looked like it was rockin’! Had the most fun at Cantina and Numbers – good drinks, great conversation with Samantha, and delectable eye-candy all over. (I’m not much of an Abbey fan – typical L.A., and the drinks are waaaay overpriced.)

We were going to end the night at Cantina, but once we got home at 1:30 a.m., Samantha got a call from one of her chicas – to see if we were interested in going to an after-hours club.

You don’t need to ask the question twice to Samantha. And since I was in a mini-vacation mode, I said why not – who knows when I’ll be down in L.A. again.

I’m glad I want – the music was fabulous, and I had a blast!