Oakland-Alameda California
November 6, 2009
What an awesome weekend this was (November 6-8). It started off with meeting my friend HEART for the first time at the Oakland/Alameda Airport that Friday around noon time. After we checked in to our respective hotel rooms, we both took a Taxi to Jack London's Square (or as I like to refer it...Jack London's Lair.) What was only suppose to be a few short miles to get there turned up to be a CAB RIDE FROM HELL (as my friend Heart would like to describe it)...He drove us something like 25 miles to get to a destination that was only a few miles away. When we got there, we met up with more of the Plokkers from the AP Site. It was nice to see Marlene, Annabelle,and Lou there as we kicked back and caught up on a lot of stuff that was happening both in and out of the internet. We ate at Kincaid’s Bayhouse...a very nice restaurant in Jack London's Square, and most of us ordered the Ribs. The Ribs were excellent...falling off the bone, but the taste of the table was the Sweet Potato French Fries that came with it.
After we left Kincaid’s Bayhouse we all went to the ORACLE ARENA for Filipino Heritage Night. Sure there was an NBA Game going on, but this was a night to celebrate our heritage. When we got there, a booth was set up with my dear friends from the AP Site working it trying to raise money for the Foundation. They did pretty darn good and I'm very proud of my friends for what they do and what they stand for...then Arnel Pineda showed up and it became a madhouse. Everyone wanted a piece of him (or atleast get a picture taken with him)...in the short time that he has become the Lead Singer of JOURNEY, he has become an IDOL and an Inpiration not just to a lot of Filipinos around the world...but to everyone that has a dream. Arnel made us all to DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'.
During the game, I had a Special Invite...I wasn't sure of what to make of this invite because there was a few of us selected to "go where no man (or woman) has gone before". To my surprise, it was an upgrade for LUXURY BOX SEATS and I got to kick it with Arnel Pineda during the game. This is actually the second time I met him in person...the first time, I only got to shake his hand back at the Pala Casino Concert (which meant more to me at the time than you can ever imagine.) When I did meet Arnel this time around, he told me that he loved the Pumpkin I carved out for Halloween...it was a perfect likeness of him...imagine that...Arnel was giving me props!!! 
After the game, Arnel Pineda did an interview with a lot of fans in the stands. We had Fundraisers, things that were auctioned off and the girls even asked me if I could help out a little...I'm use to a lot of fundraising and selling tickets to be auctioned off comes second nature to me. In a quick 5 minutes, I made $80 for the Foundation and I felt so good about it (I'd really love to do more in the future for the Foundation and I'd do it in a heartbeat, if they asked me to...)Anyways, Arnel told everyone in the stands that he was proud of everyone that made it to the game and even prouder to be a Filipino. He told us about the struggles he's been through, and how much his life has changed for the better since his time with Journey. Arnel is a very humble guy...giving us all messages of hope and to Don't Stop Believin'.
Thank You Arnel...I'm proud to be a Filipino too.
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