SoberRide on NYE

Happy New Years Eve everyone!! I am so excited to bring in the new year with all of my friends and family tonight! I hope everyone has something fabulous planned. A group of my friends and I got a table at Ozios on M Street. They're throwing a masquerade bash tonight, and Andrew got the hook up! I am super excited. This is probably going to be one of the last times in a while that all my guys, Wes, Kirk, Kevin, Sam, Sami, Jojo, will be together.

My friends from school Chris and Ryan are here visiting, and they booked a room at the Hilton on Connecticut Ave. for two nights! Wes, Kirk and them also booked a room, so we don't have to deal with hailing a cab that will agree to take us all the way back to the suburbs! God, that was a nightmare last year, not to mention that a cab to Fairfax is about $80. So yeah, a hotel room is a BIG sigh of relief.

For those of you who might be driving, please DON'T! The SoberRide program offers free taxi rides to people who are 21+, and it runs through Sunday morning. The service covers a cab fare up to $30. Area residents can call SoberRide toll-free at 800-200-TAXI each night from 10pm until 6am.

SoberRide is available in:

• The District

• Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax, E. Loudoun and Prince William counties, the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas and Manassas Park)

• Maryland (Montgomery and Prince George's counties and the cities of Rockville, Bowie, College Park, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt and Takoma Park)

So, for those of you who shouldn't be getting behind the wheel, DON'T! Just call 1-800-200-TAXI. I wish everyone a safe and fun night as we bring in the year of 2012. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

xoxox Nicole

New Years Eve Outfit

Okay, so like everyone I've been trying to put together a FABULOUS outfit for New Years Eve. I have the dress already, so I've been looking for crazy heels. My dress is a dark purple strapless dress that kinda drapes below the boobies.

I just bought these crazy looking pumps from a new website called Just Fabulous. I learned about it from a commercial I saw on TV. The website was started by Kimora Lee Simmons. It's pretty much a play off of Shoe Dazzle. But hey, I love these sites. Designer shoes and handbags are all $39.95! I won't argue there. I was thinking since my dress is not super flashy, I would wear gold pumps with a big gold gaudy necklace. What do you think? Check the shoes out!

xoxo Nicole

Nova Charity Christmas Rager

This year Hermela and I decided to throw a Christmas party for all our friends. This area that we call "Nova" is like a bubble; most of our friends have been friends since high school, and everyone has stayed pretty close over the past 4 years. Friends are scattered all over the place, but this is one of the few times during the year that everyone is home. So Hermy and I, being the so called "PR girls" that we are, decided that we want to throw a rager and donate to charity at the same time. What a great idea right?! lol. We made everyone bring a minimum of 2 canned goods and collected donations throughout the night for Share Our Strength, a non-profit that I interned at this fall. They fight to end childhood hunger in America. We went all out! Between the two of us, Hermy and I spent over a hundred dollars on decorations and other supplies.Hermy and I knew that if we were going to ask our stingy-a** friends to donate, we needed to make sure there was boos and food for everyone to enjoy.

Daniel Lopez let us use his house as the venue because the rents were outta town.  Instead of making all the food ourselves, we asked most of the girls who came to bring one dish. The spread turned out great.

Hermy made fresh bruschetta and her special rum punch with fresh fruit. I made a cherry cheesecake, German chocolate brownies and whipped cream topped with fresh cranberries and blueberrries. Alex, the Spaniard, brought pasta and made a big cake shaped like a Christmas tree. Elyse made buffalo chicken dip in a bread bowl and BBQ wings. The Schneinder girls brought their dads famous meatballs, Lindsey bought chips and salsa, and Shelby brought all the sodas and mixers, Oh! AND Gino saved the day with Georgetown Cupcakes!! I almost forgot, Elyse and Hermy made these awesome jello shots that were in the lemon and lime peels.

The Man Who Nobody Knew: In Search of my Father CIA Spymaster William Colby

I recently bought the December 2010 issue of the Washingtonian Magazine, and I found this article on the recently released documentary "The Man Nobody Knew" directed by Carl Colby. It's about Carl Colby's father, William E. Colby, former career intelligence officer and onetime CIA director. He died 15 years ago in a canoeing accident. This documentary is based on William E. Colby's life in the intelligence world. Washingtonian's article described it as "a home movie about what it's like to be in a CIA family."

The documentary included the highlights of William E. Colby's career:

• Winning a Silver Star for parachuting behind enemy lines in World War II

• Being recruited by the CIA and working undercover in Rome

• Overseeing the controversial Phoenix Program in Vietnam

• Being appointed by former President Richard Nixon to become the director of central intelligence

   The article in the Washingtonian magazine gives more detail about the documentary, and gives an interesting perspective from Carl Colby. 

  The documentary is not playing in the Washington D.C. area anymore, but I am going to keep looking! I really really want to see this, it looks crazy interesting. How often do we get to hear stories about the lives of people who work at the CIA?! 

  Make sure you check on the Washingtonian article!

  
  

  xoxo Nicole

 

 

Philippines Issues Arrest Warrent for Ex-President

By The Associated Press

 

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was arrested in her hospital room on electoral fraud charges Friday in a high-profile tug of war set off by her attempts to leave the country ostensibly for medical treatment.

 Arroyo became the second ex-Philippine president to face trial, after her ousted predecessor Joseph Estrada was sentenced to life imprisonment on corruption charges and later pardoned by her.

Arroyo denies any wrongdoing and accuses the government of political persecution when it stopped her from leaving the Philippines for overseas medical treatment for a bone ailment. Her lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said the government had filed fabricated charges with "indecent haste."

The Supreme Court earlier Friday upheld her right to travel, but a lower court where the formal charges were filed later issued an arrest warrant that effectively bars her from leaving.

Arroyo has been recovering in a hospital since her failed attempt to leave the country Tuesday, and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she will remain confined to her hospital room.

"They are not going to, let's say, handcuff her and take her out of the room," de Lima said. "We will not object to hospital arrest."

In a drama that has galvanized the Philippines, Arroyo, 64, sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a head and neck brace, was turned back Tuesday night from boarding a flight out of Manila. Authorities said she was still under investigation and might become a fugitive.

Her successor and staunch critic, President Benigno Aquino III, was overwhelmingly elected on promises to rid the Philippines of corruption and has said he wants to start with Arroyo.

The former president sought help from the Supreme Court, which issued a temporary clearance for her to travel and reaffirmed it Friday. But the government ignored the order, saying national interest and uncovering the truth were more important than an individual's right to travel.

"It is our desire that truth and accountability prevail and that the Filipino people be given the justice they truly deserve," de Lima told reporters.

"Justice has been served. It's very relieving," she said.

The election fraud charges filed Friday by the Commission on Election carry a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. Arroyo legal spokesman Raul Lambino said the case against her "is a high form of injustice."

The charges stem from allegations that Arroyo conspired with officials to tamper with results of 2007 congressional polls to favor her candidates.

She was accused of having direct knowledge of massive cheating in an autonomous Muslim region in the southern Philippines, the country's poorest and notoriously corrupt region, where ballot boxes are switched en masse and voters paid or threatened to abstain.

A probe this year by the Senate Electoral Tribunal found that an Arroyo ally, Miguel Zubiri, benefited from fake ballots. He resigned his Senate seat in favor of an opposition candidate.

Two witnesses — an election supervisor and a former governor of the Muslim region — have alleged that Arroyo and her husband ordered election rigging to favor administration candidates like Zubiri.

Also charged Friday were ex-election supervisor Lintang Bedol, who is in government custody and wants to turn state witness, and Andal Ampatuan Sr., the former Muslim regional governor and patriarch of a powerful clan. Ampatuan, a former Arroyo ally, is on trial for allegedly ordering the 2009 massacre of 57 people, including 32 journalists and political opponents in the country's worst political bloodbath.

During her tumultuous nine-year presidency from 2001 to 2010, Arroyo ranked as the country's least popular leader and faced down several coup and impeachment attempts over corruption allegations.

Her most serious crisis came a year after she was elected in 2004, when a wiretapped recording surfaced of her talking to an election official allegedly about securing a vote margin for herself. She later apologized but said she did nothing wrong.

After stepping down last year, Arroyo, 64, was elected to the House of Representatives and immediately faced at least half a dozen legal complaints, including allegations that she diverted state funds for her campaign effort and benefited from foreign contracts.

The Justice Department is still investigating the other complaints.

Anderson Cooper adds Speidi to The Ridiculist

I know it's 3 months old, but I laughed so hard watching this. Watch this video of Anderson Cooper as he slams the MTV stars.

I do have to say though, I'm surprised that he spent time talking about them. After The Hills wrapped, I completely forgot about Speidi. I guess reality television is considered news now a days.

'No Kid Hungry' Holiday Gift Cards

Honor friends and family this holiday season by making a donation in their name and give No Kid Hungry gift tags to let them know you care about ending childhood hunger in America.

Actual size 3.5" x 4.875"
Envelope included.
Click image to enlarge.

These beautiful, letterpress holiday gift tags are printed on Crane's Lettra Pearl White paper (made with recovered chlorine-free cotton).

Each tag includes a holiday greeting, a space for a personal note, and a message to let the recipient know that a donation has been made to Share Our Strength on their behalf.

Its the season of giving, so while attaching these beautiful tags to presents that you give to your loved ones, you are also helping a needy child get nutritious meal. No child should go with out a good meal, especially during the holiday season.

I know 10$ card is kinda pricey, but buying three or four doesn't put a big dent into your wallet.

Whether you attach them to packages, bottles of wine or even use them as holiday decorations, No Kid Hungry gift tags are the perfect way to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season while also helping to put an end to childhood hunger in America.

Please note that Gift Tags must be ordered before December 19th in order to receive them in time for Christmas. Purchase your cards here.

COACH TURNS FROM MENTOR TO PREDATOR

Joe Paterno

One of the biggest stories that has been circling the nation is the sexual abuse charges placed against Penn State's assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

"Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years, had access to the team's weight room as recently as last week, according to reports. The report came just hours before coach Joe Paterno was scheduled to hold his first news conference since his former protege was arrested Saturday on 40 criminal counts of child sex abuse. The news conference was abruptly canceled by the university Tuesday" (ESPN, 2011). 

Jerry Sandusky

Apparently, a graduate student had seen Sandusky attacking a young boy in the team locker room in 2002. The graduate student had told Penn State's Head Coach Joe Paterno what he had saw. Instead of reporting the matter to the police, Paterno went to the university administrators. There has been a huge debate circling this story whether Joe Paterno should have done more. 


I personally wonder whether things would be different if Joe Paterno wasn't such a decorated coach and the Penn Athletic department wasn't worth so much money. I mean when did it become okay for a man in power sexually abuse young children. A football coach is in a position to be a mentor to students, children and young adults. How could a man capable of committing such sinful crimes be given the privilege and power that the position as a college football coach entails? And why is it okay that the graduate student and Joe Paterno knew about this and didn't report it to the police? 


I mean Sandusky has reportedly been molesting young boys from the age of 10-14 for over 15 years! That is such a long time for a man to get away with such heinous crimes. Think about how many childhoods he ruined. I cannot believe that people are defending Joe Paterno for not coming forward. I understand that he is a decorated coach and well-known for being a good man, but COME ON! This is crazy; there should be no debate as to whether he should be punished some how or not. Now, I am not saying I am in any position to comment as to how he should be punished, but I do believe that he deserves something. I don't know whether I think that him losing his job is sufficient enough, but the action was definitely appropriate. 

I genuinely feel bad for Penn State students, especially the athletes. They are suffering the shame of their supposed "mentors," and it's not okay. The athletic program is about the student athletes, and this scandal has made people forget that. I pray and wish all the students and athletes well. I hope the chaos surrounding this story will die down soon, and they can get back to focusing on positive things. 

I also pray for all the victims of Sandusky and their families. Situations like these should never occur and one's involved should be punished accordingly. People can't and shouldn't forget the difference between right and wrong.  

This is a ESPN video that looks back on Joe Paterno's career and how the scandal has affected his life. 


xoxoxo Nicole

Holiday Bucket List: ICE! at the Gaylord

If you've read my previous post, you know that the holiday season is my favorite time of year. With the season here, I will me be blogging about my bucket list of fun things to do in the area during the holidays:

"The thrilling, chilling, one-of-a-kind holiday attraction ICE! is back in the D.C. area this Christmas season... and it's only at Gaylord National Resort."

ICE! at the Gaylord has become a tradition of mine to experience every season. This year's 15,000-square-foot attraction returns with a new theme: DreamWorks' Animation holiday TV special Merry Madagascar. Last year my boyfriend Jojo and I attended the Dr. Seuss themed ICE! attraction. The Gaylord literally creates a holiday wonderland made out of ice. The sculptures strike you with it's detail. They are amazingly beautiful with added color and lights adding sparkle to the interactive wonderland!

If you've never been, you're probably wondering how and where the Gaylord creates an ice kingdom within their hotel. Well, the show is not within the hotel. It's located in a huge covered tent that is kept at the appropriate temperature of 9 DEGREES to keep the ice from melting. The tent is right across the street from the hotel, making it walking distance. 

Once you enter the covered tent, it is so cold that they require you to wear big blue winter coats they provide for you at the entrance. Trust me you are definitely going to need it. You'll even need your gloves to prevent your fingers from going numb.

This year's ICE! is themed after DreamWorks' Merry Madagascar. "The DreamWorks Animation Holiday TV special will be brought to life in an interactive world of colorful ice sculptures carved entirely from two-million pounds of ice."

The attraction will feature scenes from the TV special, such as how Santa and his reindeer crash-landed onto the island of Madagascar, and why Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman and the wacky penguins must determine how to save Christmas by personally delivering all the presents themselves. 

"Even the mischievous lemur King Julien learns the true meaning of the holiday and manages to get himself off the "naughty list" once and for all."

ICE! is created by dozens of artisans who come to the DC area all the way from Harbin, China to create this amazing attraction out of two millions pounds of ice. I read that it takes these artists almost a whole month of 12-hour shifts to transform the refrigerated tent into a dazzling icy wonderland. 

Learn more about how this holiday attraction is created here.

I can't wait to go see this year's ICE! attraction presented by Coca-Cola. It will be available from November 18th to January 8th. Tickets are available online now!

Ticket Prices: 

- Adults (ages 13+) $25-35

-Child (ages 4-12) $20-30

-Seniors (ages 62+) $19-24

-Military Adults (ages 13+) $22-32

-Military Child (ages 4-12) $17-27

-Kids ages 3 and under are FREE

Purchase your tickets online now.

You can also call and purchase at (301) 965-4000.

** Ticket prices range according to which week you're choosing to book. Lower price tickets are available on weekdays (Monday-Thursday), and obviously tickets are more expensive over the weekend. 

If you're a family or friend and wants to go, call me and we can make a big group out of it. Discounts are available for groups of 20+ people!

Hope you choose to add this one-of-a-kind attraction to your holiday bucket list. Keep reading to learn more about my holiday bucket list.  

xoxo Nicole 

              

The Season of Giving

And this was only for 4 ppl.

My ALL time favorite part of the year is finally here. I love the holiday season sooo much! Just thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas puts a smile on my face. I love this time of the year the most because its the time to eat and celebrate with family, and the best part exchange presents! Thanksgiving is the best because it's a one night pass to eat as much as you can without worrying about how many calories you're consuming haha. And then black friday, the day of retail therapy, comes after! I personally love waking up at the crack of dawn to go to a mall swarming with pushy people and fight for the best sales! 

Ah don't even get me started on Christmas, my FAV holiday! The decorations, the spirit, the weather, the family; I love every bit of it.

Working at Share Our Strength has opened my eyes to new things pertaining to this season. A lot of families across the country won't get to enjoy all the gifts and good food that I have always had. It breaks my heart to think kids won't get a good meal and PRESENTS! I mean every child thinks about getting presents when they think about Christmas time. This season, I want to do something for those children who won't get to experience the finer parts of the holiday season. 

Share Our Strength

My long and annoying search for a job has finally paid off. I have just been offered a paid internship at a non-profit organization called Share Our Strength. It's a national organization that is fighting to end childhood hunger. I am going to be their new Communications and Media Relations Intern!

The job market is super terrible because of the economy, so a lot of employers are requiring at least 1-3 years of experience. Being a new college graduate, I only have about 6 months of professional experience to put on my resume. This makes finding a job with a yearly salary extremely hard. How am I supposed to have 1-3 years of experience when I'm fresh out of college. You have to be hired to gain more experience, but employers don't want to hire you unless you have that experience. The last couple of months has been super frustrating for me. I have been keeping positive throughout the process, and it's finally paid off. I interviewed for this organization on Thursday, and they offered me the position later that day! Because it's an internship, I know that this is temporary, but it doesn't matter because I can finally gain more experience and network with important professionals. I am just eager to learn more about my industry. AND at least the internship is paid, because most internships are unpaid.

I start on Monday, and I could not be more excited! I can finally start my career! This organization is awesome. I mean who wouldn't want to help out children in need. No child should ever go hungry. Coming from the Philippines, where there are hungry children everywhere, there mission really touched me. I'm excited to blog about the different campaigns and efforts the organization does for this cause. So keep posted for future posts on my new job!

When Dreams Become Reality

You officially enter the real world after college, and no class, program or lecture from your parents can teach you how to live in the real world. When you're a kid, you believe that anything is possible. You never think that what you imagine might not come true. I guess it's expected that once you become an adult and enter the real world, you're hit with that reality. But I still wonder, why can't our dreams become reality?

While applying for jobs today, I caught up on the last episode of Top Chef Just Desserts. It was the episode dedicated to the 40th Anniversary of the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie, released in 1971. The chefs were challenged to recreate the most memorable part of the movie, the room made of candy. Yes, this task is every pastry chefs dream. The chefs also got to meet the 4 original cast members who played Charlie Buckett, Violet Stanford, Mike TV and Veruka Salt. This movie is such a staple in everyone's childhood. I literally had goosebumps all over me when I saw the original cast. I didn't even know they were still alive haha. It's must feel amazing to be part of a movie that has become a part of so many people's childhoods. 

The episode was awesome. All the chefs were uber excited to do this challenge, and they definitely rose to the challenge. Although there were some desserts that didn't impress the judges or the cast, the room looked incredible. I used to dream about this room as a kid, and I still do! Sometimes I wish that the innocence and ignorance of a child's brain and imagination could be restored in adulthood as well. We were unaware of societal pressure, of responsibilities, of doubt, of true evil and suffering. Life wasn't so complicated. That pure innocence is often overlooked and taken for granted. The state of pure innocence is being free from feelings of evil, greed and jealousy, which are all feelings that darken the real world. I'm not saying I am miserable at 22, but wouldn't it be awesome if you could go back to being 6 or 8 years old once in a while?! I don't ever want to stop imagining and dreaming, and I hope you don't either. The transition into adulthood does not require you to forget about your dreams and imaginations. I think that it becomes overshadowed by societal pressures and expectations.

After watching the episode of Top Chef Just Desserts, I really wanted to watch the original movie again for the millionth time! This movie never gets old because it takes me back to that state of pure innocence.

Don't forget about the state of pure innocence. It's healthy to go back there sometimes. So, once in a while, take a break from your hectic life, and do something that will take you back. 

xoxo Nicole

Band Discovery: Feed God Cabbage

Feed God Cabbage

Live music is one of those things that almost all 20ish year-olds love. This past weekend one of my girlfriends, Stephanie invited me to come see her friend's band perform. Her friend, Dylan Sabel, went to Hayfield high school with her, but he was two years younger. Apparently a bunch of my friends know Dylan from high school. He is the lead singer and drummer for his band, Feed God Cabbage. They play punk/reggae music.

I don't usually go to a lot of live performances, nor am I a big music connoisseur, but I love doing different things, so I thought it would be fun. Feed God Cabbage opened for Passafire at Jammin Java. I had never been there before, making this an all new experience for me. I didn't know what to expect.

I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with Dylan and his band. I don't prefer to listen to reggae/punk music, so I wasn't expecting to love the music, and I definitely wasn't expecting to be blown away, BUT I was! They were awesome! Dylan can really sing. His voice has a raspy edgy punk-type tone to it, which goes perfect with their music. On top of that, he is a beast on the drums. I'm not a musician, but I can't imagine that singing and playing the drums is an easy task. Aside from being musically talented, Dylan has a way with the crowd. He kept the place hyped throughout their whole performance. Not to mention he's not bad to look at, if you know what I mean haha. I know Feed God Cabbage gained some new fans that night, me being one of them!

The band all around was amazing, it wasn't all Dylan. The three guitarists, Jared Scherer and Aaron March on guitar and Kevin Beisel on bass, can all ROCK! I mean the guitar solos in some of their songs were insane. It reminded me of playing guitar hero on expert but like 50 times crazier than that. You can tell that the band really needs all four members. A lot of start-up, garage bands have members that contribute more to the band than others. Not this one, it is apparent that every member contributes to the creation of their music. Their all around harmony as a band was inspiring, and I was really proud that they are from my hometown. It's always nice to see young talent shine, especially when you hear they are regular kids from NOVA.

"Save More. Do More"

The state of our economy is affecting many of us across the country. We still have to live life and have fun. In times like these, we need to be frugal. I'm not saying be cheap; I'm saying spend smart. Frugality is becoming a trend within all industries; hence the growing popularity of Groupon, Living Social, etc. Being a recent college graduate who hasn't started a career yet, I am always looking for ways to save money. Like many, I am not one to let a limited bank account constrain my appetite to live, experience, learn. Groupon and Living Social have become my best friends.

My parents just showed me this new thing called The Entertainment Book. This coupon book is AMAZING! It's provides you with thousands of dollars in savings every year. All you have to do is become a member by going to the website. You can get online deals as well as order the yearly issued book filled with coupons. The great thing about the book is it gives you a list of all your local businesses and establishments, therefore encouraging you to experience new things.