Quoc’s Web Journal

AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER, YOU CAN SEE THE FULL “RESIZED” VERSION OF THE PICTURE IF YOU CLICK ON THE PICTURE ON THIS BLOG…  PROVECHO!

Quoc is at the peak of the hiking trail where the Hollywood Sign sits… See the letter “O” on Hollywood just 100 feet below him and to the right?  How beautiful is Lake Hollywood in the background!!!  I love LA!!!

Hey family!!!  It’s been another wild week of emotions and experiences.  I continue to let go of things that no longer make sense to hold onto in order to make room for God to fill with things that don’t necessarily make sense for me yet.

Today, marks another wonderful day of wishes come true.  In the midst of these past few weeks and my newfound affirmations with sobriety, I have been going completely out of my comfort zone and trying new things out!!!  I’ve consistently kept myself from trying new experiences in hopes of doing it for the first time with someone special.  I had a very very very narrow definition of “someone special;” in essence someone I am romantically and intimately involved with.  In the past few weeks, I have redefined “someone special” to include platonic friends in order to realize dreams and wishes for experiences… 

This morning marks yet another one checked off the list!!!  I woke up really early this morning: 7:30AM; that is early considering it is a Saturday and my sleep in day to pick up a friend who took me hiking…  I’ve always wanted to hike up and get to see the Hollywood sign up close and personal!!!  Well, we did today!!!  Yippee!!!

We got up to the beginning of the trail and made our trek up to the sign…  We took a wrong turn on a path that was split and ended up on the other side of the hill across the way from the sign.  The view was just as spectacular and the hike was much more interesting as the terrain was rugged!!!  It felt more like rock climbing rather than just a brisk stroll up to the sign.  Here are some pictures of “Quoc”rilla in the mist!!!  It was very warm and humid from the get go!!!

Ethan doesn’t recall rock climbing in order to get to the Hollywood sign…  He later realizes that we are on the wrong side of the mountain as we see the Hollywood sign on the “other” side of the mountain. DOPE!!!  The hike was indeed most fun… Treacherous trails are hot!!!

“Quoc”rilla in the mists takes a moment to pose for a picture with the Hollywood sign… The only problem is that we’re on the wrong side of the mountain!!!  It’s hell far on the other side!!!  See the radio tower in the far background?  That is where we need to be…  Not where Quoc is standing in this “pseudo” hiking trail…  It is just as pretty and Quoc doesn’t seem to mind it at all… As a matter of fact he’s smiling molar to molar!

Having realized that we were on the wrong side of the hill, we back tracked and made our way back to where the trail split and took it up a very nicely paved, but very very narrow hike up to the sign.  I am thinking it’s a good 1 – 2 mile hike each way…  It wasn’t very fun playing dodge the horse scat in the beginning part of the trail.  The horse pooh was plentiful as was the smell!  Peew!!!  Once one got beyond that, it was a very very nice stroll with gorgeous scenary all around of Century City, Griffith Park & the Observatory, Hollywood and all of Los Angeles, and all of the Valley (Burbank, Glendale, etc…)…  Very very pretty!!!

Here are some pictures of Ethan and me at the well fenced off sign…  I was tempted to crawl under the fence and take a picture next to the sign, but there were security cameras everywhere…  I am glad I didn’t chance it as later when we hiked back down the hill, a police car cruised up the hill perhaps to stop trespassers from doing what every tourist would want to do; capture a picture with the Hollywood sign without any barricades in the way!

As we backtracked and took the other trail; we take a moment to evaluate where we are in relation to the sign…  I think there might be an indication that we are on the right track…  Tee hee!!!  I love you Ethan!!!  You’re a friggin’ rock star!!!

Yayee!!!  Quoc finally gets to see the Hollywood sign from the back end!!!  HOT!!!  For those of you who don’t know, Quoc has always been a guy who appreciates “back ends.”    You don’t see the fence that I had to place the camera over in order to capture this shot…

Remember the tower that was hell far from us?  Well, THERE IT IS!!!  Just about 200 feet away from me… The trail was well worth the hike to get to the sign…  I have the sweat stains to prove it too… And yes, I still smell like a proverbial rose despite the sweating!!!  This queen is immune to body odor!!!

Quoc gets right up close next to the radio tower and reaches over the fence again to capture another shot of the sign…  Very cool!!!!  Yes, going back to the fetish Quoc has for back ends, here is the back end of Hollywood… I have “WOOD” in the picture!

Okay, let’s balance it out with the Holly part of the sign…  Darn, I missed the H on Hollywood… I am sure you know what the “H” looks like on the sign…

Here is a spectacular shot of the sign and the very tiny strip in the background… That’s Gower Street where many tourists get a straight view of the full sign from below…  I have spent many a day down on Gower and Sunset or Gower and Fountain wondering what the sign looks like up close and personal.  Now I get to see Gower Street from behind the sign!!!  Very cool!!!

We take a few more steps and climb up to the pinnacle of the mountain where the sign sits and capture a few pictures…  To Ethans left is a solar powered seismometer…  Behind him is Lake Hollywood along with a hint of the Hollywood sign just to his right…  He’s sooo cute!!!

Ah!!!  How lovely the sign looks up close and personal.  This is one shot that many tourists don’t get to capture!!!  You have to be willing to take a little hike to capture this shot!

Hollywood sign framed among one hill after another…  Here is the threshold where the beginning of the trail to the sign takes place…  This is also where we exit stage right as it’s HOT!!!  Thank goodness for us hiking early in the morning!!!  I strongly recommend an early morning hike or late evening hike to avoid the traffic and the congestion of tourists…

We made our way back down and enjoyed a yummy breakfast at “Waffle.”  Yes, it was my second time there.  Now, here I am gettin’ down and dirty cleaning my apartment in preparation for the paint job as well as furniture in preparation for the party next week!!!  I am really nervous that not a lot of progress has been made considering the party is just shy of 1 week away!!!  It’ll be fine!!!

Here is to working on 26 days clean and sober!!!  Yippee!!!  I am 3 days away from my 33rd birthday, have 3 more days from taking my last newcomer chips, and 4 days way from taking my 30 day chips!!!  What better birthday gift can I receive from God’s will and my work to do God’s will!!! 

AND I COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!!

Thank you all!!!

Quoc

PS – I have been finding myself on the brink of tears this past week… Even like right now, I am watching the Men’s Volleyball match up: USA vs. Spain…  I keep tearing up when they make a great play or I see excitement and happiness in their eyes or their reactions.  I definitely have been tearing up with all the USA wins!!!  I teared up when the Chinese would have a perfect or near perfect routine on gymnastics.  I don’t know if this is cultural pride, patriotism, being new in sobriety, working on my 4th step, or feeling deep sadness for taking action in letting go of Sean…  Or it could be ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!  What I get to do is continue feeling the feelings, honor the feelings, share the feelings and continue taking the action that will affirm my sobriety and grow my spirituality!

A final shot of Hollywood that is just a few miles away from me.  We am so lucky to this sign right in our backyard!