8.31.2011

Dos Batos

Who knew an evening froyo run could lead to finding a yummy taco place?

I know this is a random post dedicated to a taco joint. But I thought the taco was good enough to deserve a shout out. Also, for some reason, I've just been craving tacos! That night in particular, I was especially susceptible since in my attempt to eat less junk, I didn't eat nearly enough to satisfy.

Anyway, the place is called Dos Batos.  I thought it was closed at first since it was a large space that was empty of customers. Inside was cool mural with a ninja in a desert filled with cacti and a guy with a "Mexican hombre"look in front of pretty pink sakura trees.  This guy has a picture of it on his flickr. On the other side was this giant blackboard that spanned the width of the wall. It had some amusing drawings describing what was on the menu, including a very well blackboard drawn bottle of "Mexicoke". Haha! On top of all their sterile white tables were vases with REAL flowers in orange and yellows. This was the most awesome part because there were a lot of tables, yet they thought it was important enough to spend for real flowers! :)

But enough of that, I should describe their food!  Well, the tacos are all wood-fired, which definitely added this delicious smokiness to the food. I ordered the pirata, and just the thought of it right now is making me crave the uber-juicy sirloin steak.  Hmm... I think this probably means that it's time to find a legitimate dinner.

8.24.2011

Hill Country Riding

the ride with my jacket on top
 One of my favorite things about living in Austin rather than the more popular Houston or Dallas, is the fact that there are rolling hills in the area instead of the typical flat. Therefore, areas of Austin is part of the aptly named "Hill Country" in Central Texas. I was able to experience more of this beauty and some of the few lush greenery that still manages to exist in this drought-infested state while going out motorcycle riding for fun (and not for function as riding in the Philippines often is).  ^_^



The ride began in San Marcos, which is a cute little town between Austin and San Antonio. There are apparently some outlets there as well. I didn't see them, but definitely have to add that to the checklist sometime. 

I took some pictures while we waited at the H.E.B. for the other riders. It seems the tubing is pretty popular in San Marcos because there were a lot of signs for where to get tubes. Or well, they like to write it as "toobs", which cracks me up every time I see it (which was a lot). 

Too bad I couldn't take pictures when riding since it's difficult if you're trying not to fall off! I have to admit, I was jealous of the other ladies with comfy seats in the back of Harleys. Apparently, I must earn my stripes before enjoying that privilege. Riding a crotch rocket is apparently something for the 20-somethings to do. 

We drove for about 4 hours. From San Marcos, we drove through a place called Devil's Backbone, then the town of Blanco and Wimberly. Then we headed down Purgatory Road and completed our ride with a scenic ride through Canyon Lake.  That last part was my favorite drive since the road followed the river and crossed at some points. It was also surrounded by trees which gave us protection from the sun. 

Our final stop was for ice cream at Freddy's Custard in New Braunfels.  Fun as it was, I'm definitely good on the whole riding thing for a while. Reece is always uber-safe and insists we wear jeans, leather jacket, sneakers and a full head helmet in 105 degree weather! I know it's a good thing, but it was for sure HOT!

I'll end this entry here, but before I leave, here are a couple of fun pics below:

This sculpture amused me at Cafe Java.

Indeed, why not? Slogan at Max's Wine Bar

8.15.2011

Bat Crazy

Did you know that Austin is famous for its bats?

Okay, maybe you knew.  However, until last week, I had no idea. The Congress Street Bridge that spans Town Lake is home to over a million bats!

So since I found this out, I have wanted to see them. The first attempt was last Sunday, after discovering this fun fact. We trekked from Longs Center when the symphony finished, and hoped to catch the tail end of something. But sadly, we were disappointed.

Throughout the week, I started to notice random things that would indicate how Austin is like the "bat capital of the world". First there was a flyer handed to us called Symphony BATS for young professionals who enjoyed classical music. Then around town would be a logo with bats or some other type of reference which I never noticed until now.

Thankfully, I only had to wait an entire week before I got to see them. One of my friends from NYC had moved here recently as well, so we first to kayak and see the tiny cracks under the bridge where the bats lived. Then, we headed over to join the exodus of people who crowded on the side of the bridge to watch the phenomenon. I was able to take a quick video using my phone. :)


Isn't that neat?

I guess my Austin bat curiosity has now been satiated. So, what else does this city have? As long as it's cute and doesn't bite, I'll be all over that.

8.11.2011

It's a family thing

Some of my friends are under the impression that I have family everywhere....  okay.. maybe that's true. At least, it's very true for Austin. In general, I think emigrating is just a reality of Filipinos. Therefore, many of us end up at random places around the world. Also, we are so big on family that we continue to count blood relation beyond the typical American limit of first cousins.  Honestly, it's really been a blessing having family here. Knowing I have this support takes the edge of this venture.

Even though the idea behind moving was to try something new and be more independent, it is a lot easier in theory than practice. I didn't fully appreciate "alone" til I found myself in a new city, having to adjust not only to a new culture (trust me, down here is a whole 'nother world) and getting used to 3 digits of HOT!!!!


 Now, the cool thing about meeting and spending time with family is that you realize some of the quirky traits that you find in with own family members display themselves those distant relatives as well. Considering which side of the family I have settled in with, I am not surprised at all that I somehow end up being part of this:


Yes, folks, this is a band picture. It's amazing how strong the music gene runs in my grandpa's side of the family. And actually, we happen to have our first gig this Saturday (that's how I got roped into this venture ^_^).  It is pretty awesome to be able to do something familiar and comfortable like music, especially when there isn't really anything I'm doing here that's familiar.

And at the same time, being with family also teaches me something new. For example, during a family gathering, I will hear 3 different Philippine dialects: Bisaya (my native dialect), Tagalog (which I only learned til 2nd grade) and Chavacano (which was never taught to me, but can understand because of my Spanish studies). It was pretty trippy the first time I heard all of them because they sort of just jump from one to the other depending on who they're talking to. Definitely keeps me on my toes if I wanna know what's going on!

Also, my 8 year old cousin is teaching me how to...











Although, when a young boy can move his hips better than I can... it might be time to throw in the towel. :)

That is all for now.

8.09.2011

Austin Things

The last week and a half, I've been trying to get into some groove of life in Austin. Since I am still in search of a job (anyone need a social worker?), mostly getting in the groove consists of meeting fellow Austinites and spending time with them doing things Austin-y things. Honestly, I'm being facetious with that statement since after almost 4 weeks here, I am still not sure what an Austin-y thing to do is. Mostly, I categorize it as something that I am not able to do back home in the Northeast or something that relates to Austin being the Live Music Capital of the States.

So, the other weekend, I went out to do "Truck Things" with a new friend who just bought a truck. Not really sure what "truck things" are, but I found that it consists of off-roading and kicking up a lot of dust.



After our fun truck things, we cooled off in the river/lake. (Of course it was blazing hot that day... like every day!!!)

This past weekend was yet another Austin-y adventure. Friday night, I headed downtown to dirty 6th, to catch a Bluegrass/Blues-y rock band play on one of the rooftop bars. From there, I got a good view of the "owl" on the Frost Bank building. (Just disregard the two red lights in front of the owl building).

There was more music to be had on Sunday when we headed to Longs Center to watch some of the players from the Austin Symphony play string renditions of hits by Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and Elton John. It's a good way to get some softcore classical music into the lives of your average citizen. We laid out some mats on the ground to enjoy some fruit, wine, good music and an amazing view of downtown.


So for sure, I am enjoying some of my time in this city. Still uncertain of my future down here, but as they say, try to appreciate the now and the time that you've been given. Maybe tomorrow everything will change and you'd regret not giving it a chance.

8.03.2011

The Mean Streets of Austin


mean streets of Cusco, Peru
Actually, the streets of downtown Austin are far from mean. As sketchy as some areas can seem, I have walked down my share of shady streets in New York City. Then again, this is the ignorant boasting of a green Austinite who thinks she can handle anything after NYC… or well, edit that… handle anything after Cusco! (Maybe that might help my rap sheet.)  Anyway, I have no idea what the crime rate is around here. Probably would have been smart to find out, lest I learn it first hand.

If there were a time to experience the more precarious side of the city, it would have been last night. I went again to the Tuesday night “Just Love” event for Gateway. (I’m pretty happy to find out what it’s called, even though I still can’t describe exactly what they do.) I still cannot really explain last night, especially since I arrived late (a drive from southernmost Austin takes 23-30 miles to go anywhere fun). From what I gathered, it was about the idea of belonging and being chosen. We had to remember those awkward gym days when everyone would get picked to play, except you.  (Yea, we love reminiscing on those days! *sarc mark)

As unfortunate as those memories were, it helped take us to a mindset where we can see some of God’s people that have been overlooked, or needed to feel like they were important enough to be chosen. It was apparently one of the hottest nights in Austin (though honestly, when has it been not the hottest night in this place!!!!). We got 2 bottles of water and were mandated to walk downtown and give the bottles of water to someone who may need to feel that sense of being chosen.

We began our walk and realize there weren’t that many people walking around downtown. In my head, if it was indeed that hottest night, most probably opted to stay indoors. It wasn’t until we walked several minutes that I spied some people taking shade in a tree by a parking lot. The sun was already low in the sky, so honestly, that tree wasn’t doing much to keep the heat at bay. So we headed over to do our Samaritan thing. I thought, okay, we’ll just hand them over and then keep going. But of course, God always has other plans.

I was in a group with 3 guys and one of the people started chatting them up. The man that I gave my water to also started chatting with me apart from the others.  Now, I don’t really like the “I’m a helpless female” excuse. But, I have to face facts that I am kinda tiny and can easily be overtaken.  So, it was not a comfortable situation at the beginning, especially after he made inappropriate comments. However, not wanting to be rude, I kept chatting, all the while fighting with my “flight” instincts.

Honestly, at the end of this experience, I can’t give you a very sunshine and rainbows moral of the story. It wasn’t that I came out of that with a fresh faced perspective that I have lost all my discomfort with being in those type of situations. I can honestly say though that it was a surprisingly more pleasant experience that I would have thought. And the more moving part to me wasn’t the majority of my time spent chatting with the man. It was actually with a woman who had just been sitting there until I was introduced to her. She and I come from different backgrounds and experiences, but after a short time of talking, I felt a connection, like she and I had a shared inner struggle.  "I'm just trying to get my life back together," she said as she told me about her man walking out on her and losing her will to care.

I guess it was in that moment when I took to heart the message from tonight, about feeling that sense of not being left out. My only regret is that combating the discomfort of facing the man kept me from reaching out to her earlier. Nevertheless, it is good know what's your kryptonite. Maybe next time I'll remember to keep my eyes set on the overarching purpose instead of just my emotions.

8.01.2011

The stars at night...

Nothing brings people together like some a song and dance! 


photo found on this neat free stuff site
Thursday night was a fun, relaxing evening. I joined some hundred Austinites over at the Hillside Theater in Zilker Park to watch their free summer musical, Footloose. The ground was pretty hard and the grass was dead. We're in the middle of a drought after all. However, there was a merciful breeze throughout the night. I have to admit it was pretty neat to sit there on a towel with my picnic food, watching actors sing and dance with other people from the community. What I loved most was the small twinge of belonging that I felt there amidst the crowd. Always a good first step to being in unfamiliar territory.




Since I'm about to start my 3rd week in this place, I'm happy that this caterpillar is slowly coming out of the cocoon of isolation. Definitely, need to find more things to do like this and for sure ones that are free!  Seems like Austin has it's fair share. I even found a site that I linked in the above picture, which seems to have a number of free things in general. I'm excited about that.





After the time at Zilker, I did some star gazing around the bend from my house. This is definitely the part that I am loving about this place. STARS! In my head, I keep hearing, "The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas."  Thanks, Sheldon Cooper.
(Only Big Bang Theory fans are going to get this, lol)
From less than an hour of partaking in that age old pastime, I was able to see 3 shooting stars! It's pretty amazing. Back home, since I live 15 minutes out of New York City, that is quite the rarity. Sadly, I was in a salty mood and didn't feel like making a wish on any of them. Since when I have I ever not wished on a shooting star? Missed opportunities for sure. Can't let the realistic, grownup wannabe win out!

Anyway, even though there have been some fun adventures, I still feel my heart calling for home. That always brings me back to a very lonely place in my emotions. How did I manage to move to Honolulu, last time? You'd think moving 5,000 miles away would be more difficult? 
But then again, maybe this is the difference between 22 and 28-year-old Faye. Nevertheless, I always welcome the chance at seeing another side of me when faced with different situations. I just hope I'm brave enough for whatever other challenges await me.