[This was written on Friday June 20th @ 10:30pm Pacific Time]

I’m currently sitting in San Francisco International Airport waiting to start boarding my plane back home to Toronto. It’s only 9:30pm local time but I’m definitely feeling the time difference (Toronto time: 12:30am Saturday). There’s no WiFi here but I figure I can kill some time by typing everything up and posting as soon as I get signal.

My travel companion is Cactus Pup! He’ll be narrating most of this post.

Why am I in San Francisco/San Jose/Cupertino?

I was sent here for some work stuff.

(Can you spot Cactus Pup?)

I arrived at San Francisco International Airport last Sunday (June 14th) at 10:10pm. I had to grab my rental car and drive to my hotel in San Jose. *Eeep!* Definitely was a bit intimidating at first but I managed. The biggest challenge for me all along was the idea of having a rental car to myself and having to drive a good hour away in the middle of the night in California. This was my first time here; I am not familiar with the area at all! I am so thankful for Jackie’s GSP system because it really did save my life. Driving in California is actually a breeze. I arrived at my hotel at 12:30am and was exhausted; it was 3:30am Toronto time. *Whew!* 27 hour day. Thankfully the room was totally awesome and the bed was super comfortable.

DAY 1: Monday June 15th 2009
I woke up at 6:30am and felt totally energized, which amazed me. Then I figured out that my body is 3 hours ahead and it was actually 9:30am. *Sigh* I went down to the lobby to meet my coworkers. From there we either car pooled or drove ourselves and drove to Cupertino. (Which is all I’m going to say about work. *Wink*) We were all very excited to be here and were throwing around the idea of going to San Francisco for the evening to sight see. Afterwards, we were all beyond tired from the previous night’s travels and early start that morning so a few of us (Ericka, Greg, Scott and I) ventured over to a local Thai restaurant. It was absolutely delicious! From then, it was an early night and amazing sleep.

DAY 2: Tuesday June 16th 2009
Woke up early; still felt good. Drove into Cupertino and spent the day there. We were all very well-rested and decided to go to San Francisco because the weather wasn’t over cast and sunnier than the day before and if we didn’t get it over with then we may never get around to it! Luckily there were two local in our group and we were able to all fit into 2 cars. So 11 of us made the drive over. I-280 North to San Francisco is gorgeous! Absolutely stunning! Upon entering San Francisco and turning the bend, all of our breaths were taken away and the car erupted in glee as the Golden Gate Bridge came into view. We took some photos by the bridge and of Alcatraz, drove over the bridge and hiked up a hill that over looked the bay. We also went over to the park where the picnic scene in the opening credits of Full House was filmed. Major geekage. Dinner was at a local joint called Burger Meister. O.M.G. Their burgers are most amazing! I had the Meister Burger which was topped with avacado, bacon and grilled red onions. Ride home was exhausting and I was so glad I wasn’t the one driving. We took I-101 South to San Jose back (the same freeway I drove in on from the airport). This was definitely one of the most memorable things we did on this trip.

DAY 3: Wednesday June 17th 2009
We were all pretty tired from the San Francisco trip but made it through the work day. I had In & Out Burger at lunch for the first time and Juan let me in on all the secret menu options. “Make it animal”… “Protein Burger”… After work we went to a local Mexican place and I had delicious chicken enchiladas. Juan also recommended I try this refreshing drink made of rice and cinnamon. I don’t remember what it’s called but it was yummy. I’ll have to ask him later and perhaps if he knows how to make it or not. We waddled back to the hotel afterwards and baked chocolate chip cookies in John and Derek’s suite. Ericka and I had picked up baking sheets and Pillsbury cookie dough on DAY 1 at Target. We were there so I can pick up a toothbrush. (FACT: I always forget my toothbrush when I travel and end up buying a new one.)

DAY 4: Thursday June 18th 2009
Today was wicked cool. I met Ron Johnson! To non Applegeek types out there, it’s probably not a big deal; but I am still in a little bit of shock and awe. Such a pleasant unexpected surprise. ^_^ The group really hit it off at the beginning of the week. We really got to know each other and become closely-knit. After work we went to Whole Foods and picked up barbeque supplies to grill poolside at the hotel. I love Whole Foods. The one near us was huge! I’m also convinced that California has better tasting avocados and fruit. The pineapple, strawberries, melons, oranges… et al. are so sweet and juicy! I am quite allergic to fresh fruit but despite that, I kept eating it and dealt with having swollen, itchy lips, gums, throat and tongue for a few hours. Totally worth it. The barbeque was amazing and a good laid back time. Other people from the hotel saw us, came over with some beer and we all chilled. We had to call it an early evening though because we had to pack. Where has the week gone???

DAY 5: Friday June 19th 2009
Last day. I have totally fallen in love with California! Work was full of surprises today and I am leaving feeling very satisfied, fulfilled and surprised; all good things. We had to check out of the hotel first thing in the morning and right after work we all parted ways to catch our flights. Ericka and I had similar flight times so we followed each other’s car to the airport. I’m glad we managed to sneak in a few hours before we had to part. She boarded for her 9:10pm flight and since then I’ve been sitting at my gate waiting for my 10:50pm flight. It’s 10:05pm now and they should be boarding soon.

I’m so glad I had this opportunity. San Francisco, San Jose and Cupertino are so beautiful and everyone is so laid back. I met some amazing, talented and good looking people. I’m going to miss them but I know we’ll meet again and this gives me a reason to travel across the US!

Almost time to board for the red-eye flight. Hopefully I can catch some sleep. I arrive at Lester B. Pearson International Airport at 6:35am. Thankfully I have Saturday and Sunday off. Time to sleep in my own bed, eat my mama’s cooking and see my baby. Zzzz…

[There are loads more photos. Contact me for the link if you want to see the gallery.]

*chi ~ 婷婷 ♥