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NiCkOoN
read my profile sign my guestbook Name: Nick Mangkalakiri Country: United States State: California Gender: Male Interests: Badminton, photography, architecture, music, lakers....etc Occupation: Student Message: message meEmail: email me AIM: NsMn4945 Member Since: 6/27/2004

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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

	BOUND FOR BEIJING!! woot woot.....we're going to the olymipcs!!! yayyyyy!!!
	10:45 PM - 70 views - add eprops - add comments - email it

Monday, March 10, 2008

haha....so it's been 3 months since my last post. The last post was done after a 6 month hiatus.....so it looks like I'm making progress =)

Well...anyways....this past weekend...I went to New York City with my friend Michelle cuz we were able to get an awesome deal on plane tickets from Virgin America. But of course.....the hotel costs offset our savings from the plane tickets...but all in all...it was a blast! Lots of fun shopping...sight seeing....and of course eating!!! yumm.....enjoy the pics!

Grand Central Station

This place always amazes me....such a beautiful building....and there's just people everywhere you look, travelling in every possible direction.

haha....I kinda liked this picture....it's a picture of the trees in Bryant Park. Definitely shows you that winter was just there....

The old torch that once adored the Statue of Liberty. If you ask me...i'd say it looks more like a tea pot or better yet, a magic lamp!

Looking up the structure from inside. That circular staircase use to let you access the observation deck in the crown...but now, you can only go up as far as the pedestal.

The security check area. This has to be by far the most elaborate security system I have ever seen anywhere. You first go through the metal detectors before boarding the ferry. Then once you get here, you rent lockers using your fingerprints!...no keys involved. Then after that, you enter another security line where a gloved man hands you a plastic card. Once you're at the head of the line....right before the second set of metal detectors...you hand the card to another gloved man....who scans the card for your fingerprints!! After that, you enter a room where a machine blows puffs of air at you to check your body for bomb making residue. Crazy stuff......

The fortress like perimeter....

Old lady liberty....

...another view...

....and another.

This is the sculpture that once adorned the World Trade Center plaza. It survived....albeit a little mangled....but it's now here at this temporary memorial at Battery Park.

The big hole that was once the World Trade Center....

...Ground Zero is now a big construction site....

View from atop the Rockefeller Center....

Construction picture from the site of the Rockefeller Center...

Rockefeller Center and its awesome ice rink...

the cold cold weather and its bundled up tourists

Ice Skating in Central Park!!

...so fun!

Wall Street....

Michelle and I at the famous Bull on Wall Street. Word has it that if you rub the bull's testicles...your stocks will do well. So yes....of course i rubbed them!

Time Square...

...another picture

Lunch at Lombardi's...

America's first Pizzeria.....it was Yummy!!! MmMmmm....

Our last day...we saw a crap load of NYPD cars lined up all around Grand Central...

...we asked what was going on....

...and they said it was a Counter-terrorism deployment. Whatever that meant....haha. Pretty crazy nonetheless...

Empire State Building on Sunday....before our flight home. It was 16 degrees up there!!! FREEZING....and windy!

10:12 PM - 91 views - 2 eprops - add comments - email it

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

wowwee!!

its been what....6 months since i last updated my xanga? crazyyyyy......but yeah, I thought I should update it before my xanga really really dies and ceases to exist.

So anyways, it's been a good 6 months. Been out of school for about 7 and been working for a good nine months now. Wow....time flies. Working life is eh......not too exciting.....not too boring....just a tad bland. Haha....I guess I'll just get use to it eventually.

So back in August, I went on a mini vacation to Thailand and Cambodia and took 3 weeks off of work....!! Boy were they happy to hear about that when I told them....but yeah, here are some pictures from my fun-filled trip. Enjoy!!

The new Bangkok International Airport.....look at them cool escalators....

Outside the airport.....looking at their cool control tower...the world's tallest!!

one of our first meals....in my beloved foodcourt at mbk of course! haha...and look at how we're all wearing yellow!....such loyal tourists!

the usual sightseeing.....royal palace/temple of the emerald buddha

...the roof

Wat Arun/Temple of the Dawn

me at the top of the Temple of Dawn....signing my family's name for good luck

At the Floating Market....too bad it rained that day....had to put my camera in a plastic bag and cut a hole for the lens...haha

yumm....nothing like eating off a boat....

uh......tripping hazard. a big nono in america.....thats just a lawsuit waiting to happen!

Ayuttaya....ancient capital of Thailand....

lil elephant peeking out from behind the yellow robe...

Me in Lampang....at the elephant conservation camp...

....dont wanna get run over by these...

at another temple in Lampang. Had to make an offering since it's suppose to be a bad year for the Ox

...one of my favorite desserts....!! eaten straight out of the bamboo.....using a piece of bamboo u rip off as ur utensil....mmm....yum!

now onto Phuket!

look at the dark ominous clouds in the distance. It rained nonstop.....constant downpour. Monsoon season = bad time to go

haha.....

Did some kayaking/canoeing through the caves. Due to the rain....the water level rose super duper fast. Our guy had to jump out and push us through while others had to ditch their boat and actually swim out. We were lucky to get out unscathed...others actually got their faces scratched!

....close call!!

we stayed at Patong beach in Phuket. Very very touristy and european and westernized. Boy were we happy when we actually found REAL thai food.....

yummmm....pad thai....street food is zeee best!

last meal in bangkok....yummy street food. had to save it for the last day in case we got sick =)

mmmm....yummy and spicy!

Now off to Cambodia....aboard our beautiful little plane for our 45 minute flight that costs $400!!! Siem Reap only has one airport that allows only one airlines to fly in.....talk about a Monopoly!!!

Me and my trusty sidekick in what our own personal mode of transportation complete with driver!

no pavement....no traffic striping....no traffic signals....pretty awesome

full service gas station!! haha.....

chicken anyone?

our driver as seen through his side mirror. Notice how he has to cover his nose while he drives....its that dusty!

what an awesome car/truck!

phew....we made it!

Angkor Wat.....truly amazing and breathtaking. There's nothing like it in the world....

The long corridors...

look at their intricate carvings...

lots and lots of people. It was super duper hot....

Lots of statues looked like this...

Lots of temples in ruins....

super steep stairs...

hmmmm.....

it was more like rock climbing than walking up stairs....pretty scary

Bayon.....known for the faces that are seen all over the temple...

Ta Phrom.....one of the more popular temples since they allowed the trees to grow out of control....

crazy ruins....

more ruins....

...and some more...

Here's one of those crazy trees....

...be careful!

...and the Tomb Raider tree!! look familiar?

hmm...Okay....that's about it I guess. I hope you guys enjoyed the pictures. Let's see how I do at updating my xanga in the near future.....take care everyone!!!

9:53 PM - 101 views - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

aloha! havent updated in a while......

too busy w/ the vicious cycle that is called the real world. work is tiring...but oh well...i guess ill get use to it. so heres my tribute to my fatty sister who is in rio de janeiro, brazil.....for the Pan American Games for badminton. and heres the good news.....she won gold and bronze! haha...yeah....crazy huh? well.....she sent me some pics....so im just gonna post them here and write about them based on what she told me...haha...

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

hmm....eating hall?

....this looks like this would be the athletes village...

nike clothes for all the american athletes...

gotta do some sightseeing. heres one of the new seven wonders of the world....

badminton people. isn't it ironic how the USA badminton team is all asian? hehe...

at the opening ceremonies

ooh...lots of people

...haha...hats not very flattering =P

dude with torch

big cauldron

looks kinda cool

fireworks

mi hermana and her funny clothes

her medal

add a gold to USA's medal count!

a pic from getty images...

congrats MAY!!!! woot woot...u did it! woohoo

haha....and on a side note...my cousin just pointed this out to me.....i actually have an associated press photo credit to my name!! woohoo....how awesome is that! my first AP photo credit! haha.....

7:46 PM - 85 views - add eprops - add comments - email it

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Tribute to the Class of 2007!!

Lets start with USC...my adopted school...haha...jk

Kyle Yoshimi Ishii....

so many leis....looks like he has no neck!

Moving onto Berkeley...

graduation at the greek theater....

michelle han and the gang!

me and the grad

me and the grad in front of the campanile

my personal chaffeur

good times....good times

...sitting through the uber exciting graduation

ingaaaa!

Pacifica HS gang!!

....now moving onto ucla....boo

purtyy

the grad

grad with flowers

grad with me

....and now my graduation!

me and peter the anteater

me and the fam minus the sister

engineering buddies.....woot woot!

me and michelleee

me and ishii

me and my bestest buddy in the world

me and the girls

woohoo.....im on top of the world! haha...

thats it folks. 16 years of school and im done! thanks everyone for coming out and for all their love, support, and care! and thanks to my family for always putting up w/ me.....and thanks to all my friends at UCI for giving me a memorable 4 years. you will all be missed!

7:45 PM - 99 views - 4 eprops - 2 comments - email it

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