FLIP + CHING

Kicking Off ZINCON 2016

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Ching under Events, Travel, Zumba.

I recently returned from attending my third #ZINCON. (I’m not counting the Zumba Instructor Conference in 2014 because they didn’t have special hotel room keycards for the event. LOL.)

Somehow the collector’s edition room keys make the annual convention that much more memorable. Although, the LA conference in 2014 was the very last one so that in itself is pretty special.

We were on the same flight out as Pat and Stephanie which made the trip to Orlando go by a lot quicker. I also managed to talk Brian into shorter layovers on our connecting flights so that helped quite a bit as well. Although were on the same flight out, Pat and Stephanie flew back to Wichita on Sunday. Brian and I opted to stay an extra night (more on this later) and came home on Monday so the four of us didn’t get to travel back home together.

Our flights were pretty smooth and uneventful, unlike Andrea’s whose flight ended up getting canceled. She was supposed to arrive in Orlando by 7 PM and didn’t end up arriving until midnight. On the bright side, at least she arrived the day before and didn’t have to miss part of day one.

Brian and I were glad that we arrived by noon on Wednesday. Even though the hotel was already buzzing with ZINCON attendees, the lines weren’t too bad. I remember the long lines at the hotel check-in desk during my first ZINCON. It wasn’t unusual to have to wait almost two hours just to get checked in.

Lucky for us, I’d amassed a bunch of points by staying at Hyatt Place in Topeka over the last few months. Brian and I wanted to have enough rewards points that we wouldn’t have to wait in the long line when we arrived at ZINCON. You’d think that Brian was thrilled when my project was put “on hold” since I no longer had to be out of town so much but he was actually kind of bummed for two reasons: that meant he could no longer play video games all night and I wasn’t earning Hyatt rewards points to get us special treatment on our trip.

We checked my rewards status a few weeks before our trip and saw I had enough stays to make Platinum but not enough to make Diamond level. “Oh, well. At least we still get to skip the long line,” I told myself.

Fast forward to check in. Brian and I were actually a little bit cranky when we arrived at the hotel because our driver wasn’t waiting for us at baggage claim as we were accustomed to… When I called SuperShuttle to check on our Execucar, they were like “You didn’t give us the airline information so we didn’t know your arrival time.” I thought Brian messed up but he was quick to pull up his records and show me that he did, in fact, provide them our flight number. Somehow the airline and flight information didn’t carry over into their dispatching system so we didn’t have a specific driver assigned to us. When I called dispatch, they told me to go outside to the shuttle loading area and our ride would be there in 20 minutes. Anyway, a shared-ride van shows up and we were like, “Where’s our Execucar?!” The whole thing was all sorts of jacked up. We had a 12-passenger van all to ourselves, which seemed really silly to me. There’s only two of us. Why in the heck would we reserve a huge ass van? As absurd as the whole van situation was, I was more annoyed that we had to wait for the van to show up outside in the heat instead of our driver being ready and waiting for us at baggage claim as they have in the past.

But I digress… Brian and I kind of had the “What else could go wrong today?” mindset at check in because a few days prior we had received an email from the Hyatt Regency stating that they were oversold on Wednesday night. They were offering to put people up at the Double Tree down the street and pay for the stay and shuttle people to the hotel the next day. I think I was actually more nonchalant about it than Brian. He was super worried. Being the optimist that I am, I told him that (a) I felt sure there were other people who would take up the free night offer, (b) they’d probably kick out people who were not loyal Hyatt rewards members first before kicking a valued customer such as me to the curb, and (c) we’re arriving early enough that we should be pretty safe. Although, seeing everyone’s hotel arrival posts on Facebook did make me worry a bit because I knew that there were a steady stream of arrivals leading up to Wednesday.

So there we were in front of the concierge desk. We were tired, cranky, and apprehensive. The check in line was already quite long but not nearly as long as we’d seen it before. We definitely arrived at the right time. Wanting to take advantage of our newly earned elite status, we stood in front of the check in lanes under the “Diamond/Platinum” sign.

“I can help who’s next,” the lady at the front desk says. Brian and I step up. “Ma’am, you have to wait in line,” she tells us scoldingly while pointing to the end of the longish line. “But I’m Diamond,” I tell her indignantly like a petulant child. “In that case, I can help you,” she says completely changing her tone. I asked her if she needed my rewards number and she said she was able to look me up just fine. She told me that I’m actually Platinum in a way that made Platinum sound far more superior than Diamond level. Anyway, having been up since about 3 AM (because Brian wanted to be at the airport two hours before our flight — don’t ask, this is a constant point of contention for us), I also got confused and thought how cool it was that we made Platinum just in time for ZINCON. Brian and I actually knew I made Platinum several weeks prior but were trying to make it to Diamond. Somehow I had gotten it backwards in my mind and so did the front desk girl. She ended up giving us an upgraded room and all of the Diamond level privileges including a special amenity where we got to choose from several different beverage and food options delivered to our room on a specific day and time of our choosing.

I didn’t really care for the beverage options so Brian chose a couple of bottles of Bud Light and we both agreed on the fruit, cheese, and nuts plate.

The fruit and cheese plate was a great choice. It was delicious.

Other privileges included access to the Regency Club Lounge which offers complimentary breakfast each morning, light snacks throughout the day, hors d’oeuvres from 5 to 8 PM, and desserts every night. We bought a big jug of water and a ton of groceries to sustain us during our stay. Had we known we were getting free food, bottles of water, and other beverages we would have not gotten so much at the store. I’m actually glad that we didn’t buy any fruit at the store because we got fresh fruit everyday at breakfast.

Here’s a picture of Brian enjoying the complimentary munchies.

Here are a few pictures of the amazing view from our room on the 26th floor.

We had a great view of the pool area as well.

The our corner room was exactly identical to our room back in 2013, only several floors higher which in turn made for a better view. And, since it’s all the way up above everything else, we didn’t have to shut our curtains as we did before when were on the fifth floor. We didn’t have to worry about people seeing inside our room. It was really nice. I loved falling asleep to the twinkling lights of the Orlando skyline. Andrea, Brian, and I even enjoyed watching fireworks in the distance one night when Andrea came to hang out after the fitness concert.

After settling into our fabulous room and unpacking our bags and packing our fridge and pantry, we went to get me checked in at the registration desk to get my official name tag, commemorative shirt, and convention freebies.

I ran into my kababayan Lei Valle on my way to registration. He was getting his ACE/AFAA certifications during pre-cons.

We also ran into this lovely lady and she encouraged me to take a photo with her giant poster.

This one.

This is the typical scene in front of the “We Move the World” stage in between sessions. But this isn’t even anything compared to the crowd at the fitness concert.

Brian and I took advantage of my free time on Wednesday night to do some shopping at the Zumba Wear store. We met these two lovely ladies. They were hilarious. They changed their minds about various items in their hands a dozen times between when we first got in line up until it was time to check out.

I’m super grateful for Doris (left) because she told me about the official ZIN bracelet which I wanted but couldn’t find. I guess she had it in her pile of stuff and changed her mind so she put it in one of the bins. When she heard me and Brian talk about the bracelet she told me I could have hers. She even went back to the bin she dropped the box off at and got it and gave it to me so then I didn’t have to step out of the super long line to go hunt for it. I thought that was a super nice thing to do for a complete stranger.

Trust me, you do not want to step out of the line. It probably took an hour or so. The line to check out was even longer than the line to get in the store and the line to get in the store was super long. After Brian and I saw the line, we decided that Brian probably should have stood and held my place in line while I shopped. That’s the plan for next year so we can be more efficient.

Here’s an obligatory room selfie just because.

This is the scene at kick off. We got a really great spot toward the front, next to the ZCOM section and just behind the ten-year ZINs, thanks to my friend Charrise.

Zumba Home Office had the best intentions but just couldn’t enforce the no bags and selfie sticks rule. My group and I followed the rules but I saw lots of bags and selfie sticks. I didn’t want to chance it though because I always seem to be the one to get caught even when everyone else is breaking the rules. I’m like the little red coupe that gets busted for speeding the one time that I do speed. And I’m thinking, “But I was just going with the flow of traffic!”

Zumba gave us a bonus gift this year of the ultimate ZINCON experience through PixMob wristbands.

Here’s an example to give you an idea. You’ll also see it in the Magic Moments video at the bottom.

Anyway, this post is super duper long already so I’m going to have to cut it off here. Before I go, here are some key notes from kick off:

Everyone at ZINCON also got a bonus gift of our very own copy of ZIN Volume 1. Of course, many of the ten-year ZINs probably have every single ZIN Volume ever created already so now they each have a second copy.
Zumba is launching a new app that will replace ZIN DJ (which explains why they haven’t invested in fixing any of the bugs). The new app will combine ZIN Now features with ZIN DJ features and then some. It’s going to be like ZIN DJ on crack. I can’t wait until it’s available for download so I can finally scrap ZIN DJ. Until then I guess we’re stuck with the issues.
Zumba is launching an official mentoring platform. They know that we mentor students and help them become fellow instructors so they’re providing tools and resources to help us help another and flourish.
Timbaland will be making music for STRONG by Zumba. That’s how we roll.
The BabyFirst network will have a Zumbini TV show, which will help drive babies and moms to Zumbini classes.

For the rest of the Zumba Instructor Convention highlights, here are the Magic Moments of ZINCON 2016…

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Pre ZINCON Prep and Pokémon

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Ching under Babies, Food and Drink, Games, Things to Do.

We took last Tuesday off to get ready for ZINCON since we had to fly out at 5 AM the next day. We took the girls to the pet boarding place and then got manis and pedis and even squeezed in some Pokémon hunting.

Molly was super excited she got to drive to the pet resort. She is such a good little driver. She always looks both ways.

Before you freak out, I’m only kidding about Molly driving. We were stopped at a light when we took these photos. She looks really cool driving Brian’s car, though. Really gangsta. Just sayin’.

Then Brian and I were off to Nails and Beyond for manis and pedis.

I had my toes painted glittery purple to match my prom dress for the theme party.

After spending a couple of hours at the nail salon, we decided to head over to District Taqueria to support the Dress for Success fundraising event.

Don’t ask me what three tacos I got because I can never remember.

Brian is not a huge fan of DT. He’s more of a Qdoba kind of guy. I love the taco selection at DT, though. I also like the thick queso with kick. And, they have great desserts that they serve in cute, little mason jars (like the one the containing the queso in the picture above). We were good and skipped dessert this time, though. Plus, they were really busy. We almost left and ate somewhere else because there weren’t any open tables. I’m glad we waited a bit though, because I really wanted to help Dress for Success even though in a very small way.

We walked off our lunch by walking along Douglas and hunting for Pokémon. It was over 100 degrees that day so we were a bit nuts but we’re kind of addicted to the game. We got Rita’s Italian Ice to cool us off a bit and I actually managed to talk Brian to checking out Wichita State University campus as well.

The WSU campus was a bit disappointing. They had a lot of stops and there were five gyms but not really any rare Pokémons. Actually, there were hardly any mons that popped up for us. By far, the best place I’ve found for Pokémon hunting is down by the river. The Keeper of the Plains area is always hopping with Magikarp and Psyducks, and has been buzzing with people (fellow Pokémon trainers presumably) since the game was released last month.

Here are some pictures of us hunting Pokémon downtown. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago at the ICT Pop Up Urban Park, one of my most favorite places for hunting Pokémon because it’s got four Poké stops all in the same vicinity. I was actually walking back and forth along the block to hatch some eggs and I ran into Rolo when I sat the the corner of Douglas and Main to take a break.

We’re going to be really busy this coming week so we won’t have time to hit the hot spots but we will definitely keep you guys posted next time we’re out Pokémon hunting and perhaps we can all meet up. Until then, have a fantastic week!

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Congratulations, Holly and Meader!

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Ching under Events.

Brian and I had the privilege of attending our friends Holly and Meader’s wedding last weekend. It was funny because, when I received the wedding invitation a couple of months ago, the invitation included a map and instructions for the wedding venue which just happens to be one floor above my office. LOL.

I was like, “I know exactly where this is!”

Holly and Meader’s wedding was held at the Petroleum Club on the 9th floor of the Ruffin Building. I love how they had their wedding and reception at the same location. That was great thinking on their part because it makes it really convenient for the guests. It saves you from having to drive from one venue to another.

We meant to arrive much earlier but I spotted a Snorlax as we were leaving our neighborhood and asked Brian to pull over. Yes, we started playing Pokémon GO a couple of weeks ago and are completely hooked. Thankfully, we left the house early enough that we still arrived a few minutes early.

I can just see the disapproving looks had we been late. “So, tell me again why you missed the wedding? You were trying to capture a Snorlax?!” LMAO.

Paula and Abby were already there when we arrived. Paula (pictured on the right in the above photo) was kind enough to save me and Brian a couple of seats at her table, which she dubbed the “Zumba” table. This is another thing that I felt Holly and Meader got right. I think open seating is definitely the way to go. There are few things more stressful than having to decide where to place people. And then it’s extra work to make sure all of those placeholders are in the right spots. Definitely not my favorite wedding task. I say let the guests figure it out.

Here’s a picture of me and Kate.

Jake, Christina, Andrea, and Gina also sat at the same table.

Here’s a picture of me with Hideki, who was part of the wedding party so he sat at the special table for all the members of the wedding party.

This is Missy. She was party of the wedding party as well.

Here’s Missy and Brian.

Missy with the Bloessers, Rob and Heather. We got to spend time with these guys on the Zumba cruise earlier this year.

Beautiful party people.

I took a photo of our feet because I thought it was a neat coincidence that Paula and I wore the same color shoes. The red toenails belong to me and the blue toenails belong to Paula. Great minds think alike!

Here’s a picture of Brian and Todd with a photobomb by the groom.

It wasn’t too long ago that our group was Christina and Jake’s wedding. Now we were all gathered together again to share in Holly and Meader’s special day.

Holly looked so beautiful and was positively radiant.

Here’s a picture of their colorful wedding cake.

…And Meader’s Tardis groom’s cake.

Here are a couple of pictures of the happy couple.

We couldn’t resist Pokémon hunting after the wedding ceremony as we were waiting for the reception to official begin. The place was swarming with Pokémons because Gina and Brian both placed Pokémon lures at a nearby Pokémon stop.

Here’s a picture of me with Meader and Holly.

Having a great time with my Zumba pals, Paula and Missy.

Here are a couple of pictures of Holly and Meader that I took during their first dance. Don’t they look so adorable together?

More dancing!

A FLIP + CHING selfie…

That’s pretty much all I have. Congratulations to Meader and Holly. Best wishes for a happy honeymoon and marriage.

XOXO,
Flip and Ching

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Birthdays Galore

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Ching under Events, Family.

We had multiple birthdays this past weekend.

Madison’s birthday cookout was our first stop on Friday night.

On Saturday night we had Logan’s birthday first, followed by Misty’s birthday. Don’t let the picture on the cake fool you. Logan turned 13 today. They used an old picture of him for the cake.

Can you believe the woman above birthed Logan 16 years ago?

My favorite part of parties at mom’s house is the abundance of Filipino food. This is Filipino-style pork barbecue.

Next we have chicken and pork adobo.

Lumpia.

Pancit.

Pancit palabok.

Macaroni salad.

Leche flan.

Buko salad.

Biko.

My makulit sister.

Me and Brian.

We didn’t stay long at Logan’s birthday because we also committed to attending Misty’s 40th birthday at Ernie Biggs. Here’s a picture of Lindsay and Misty.

Cari was there too.

Ernie Biggs has been around for a few years now but it was actually our first time there. It’s a great place for celebrating special occasions. We had a great time celebrating Misty’s birthday.

Now that we’ve made it through the multiple birthday weekend, we’re gearing up for another busy weekend. Holly and Meader get married on Saturday. Hurrah! We are super excited for them.

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My Commemorative Plaque

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Ching under Life.

My 40 Under 40 commemorative plaque arrived at work last week. Brian was nice enough to come to my work that same day to hang it up for me.

Of course, he had to go home, change out of his suit, and take care of the dogs first. Then he came back to help me. Do I have the best husband or what?