12/15/2009 - I am grateful for a car in good working condition and cruise control.
12/16/2009 - I am grateful for my brother! Happy Birthday Jon!
12/17/2009 - I am grateful for the internet and the advances that let us do almost everything online.
12/18/2009 - I am grateful for good company and laughs over drinks.
12/19/2009 - I am grateful for the invention of brunch.
12/20/2009 - I am grateful for friends from all over and hugs!
12/21/2009 - I am grateful for time off.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Love Vintage?
You have to check out the Christmas Giveaway at ShopRuche.com! If you love romantic, vintage type of clothing and accessories, then this is your site. I've gotten some of the cutest and most comfy items from them. Check it out!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Gratitudes for Dec 8-14
12/8/2009 - I am grateful for housing opportunities.
12/9/2009 - I am grateful for cheat sheets on exams.
12/10/2009 - I am grateful for being good at one of my classes this quarter. :P
12/11/2009 - I am grateful for winter breaks!
12/12/2009 - I am grateful for rainy days, movies and dinner in front of the TV.
12/13/2009 - I am grateful for lazy days on the couch.
12/14/2009 - I am grateful for Disneyland and annual passes (even with blackout dates).
12/9/2009 - I am grateful for cheat sheets on exams.
12/10/2009 - I am grateful for being good at one of my classes this quarter. :P
12/11/2009 - I am grateful for winter breaks!
12/12/2009 - I am grateful for rainy days, movies and dinner in front of the TV.
12/13/2009 - I am grateful for lazy days on the couch.
12/14/2009 - I am grateful for Disneyland and annual passes (even with blackout dates).
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
OCD meets technology
So those who know me know I'm addicted to my iPhone and internet in general. Seriously, it's hard to get away (not to say I don't) but still.. it's very hard. So when my friend Michelle put on twitter that she's giving away a Viliv X70 on her blog.. I had to jump over there and check it out!
The things I could do with this little wonder! Well there's reading stuff for class, doing homework on the run, checking email for possible job offers and internship opportunities, updating the blogs and social media for Furry Friends Rescue, read Michelle's blog, tweet, chat, etc.. oh the list goes on and on.
It definitely appeals to my OCD self! :D
I mean seriously have you seen what this thing can do?!
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/06/review-viliv-x70-umpc/
oh how my heart flutters at technology.. wining this would be fantastic, it'll go into my purse alongside my kindle, iphone, and camera. :D
hehehe
The things I could do with this little wonder! Well there's reading stuff for class, doing homework on the run, checking email for possible job offers and internship opportunities, updating the blogs and social media for Furry Friends Rescue, read Michelle's blog, tweet, chat, etc.. oh the list goes on and on.
It definitely appeals to my OCD self! :D
I mean seriously have you seen what this thing can do?!
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/06/review-viliv-x70-umpc/
oh how my heart flutters at technology.. wining this would be fantastic, it'll go into my purse alongside my kindle, iphone, and camera. :D
hehehe
Monday, December 07, 2009
Gratitudes for Dec 1-7
12/1/2009 - I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to go to graduate school, the collaboration and discussion that goes on amazes me.
12/2/2009 - I am grateful for naps!
12/3/2009 - I am grateful for persevering in positive thinking today.
12/4/2009 - I am grateful for part time work that gives me the opportunity to grow and learn.
12/5/2009 - I am grateful for the gift of literacy.
12/6/2009 - I am grateful that I have the luxury of not working and being able to study and learn.
12/7/2009 - I am grateful for open book tests!
12/2/2009 - I am grateful for naps!
12/3/2009 - I am grateful for persevering in positive thinking today.
12/4/2009 - I am grateful for part time work that gives me the opportunity to grow and learn.
12/5/2009 - I am grateful for the gift of literacy.
12/6/2009 - I am grateful that I have the luxury of not working and being able to study and learn.
12/7/2009 - I am grateful for open book tests!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Cute stylish clothes for a great price!
So one of my favorite shops online is Shop Ruche, you should go check it out! They've got great accessories, clothing and shoes!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
current moment
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sitting in a coffee shop, feeling slightly productive since i finished my finance homework, chatted to some people and just thinking about how lucky i am.
life is good. right here, right now.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
things I remember about my mother's funeral 6 years later
My cousins all surrounding my brother and me.
The white sweater and pin striped pants I wore that day and then donated because I couldn't bring myself to wear them again.
The man taking photos of the entire event.
Looking up and seeing that my friend and ridden in from out of town to be there for me and feeling grateful just for his presence.
The wreath of flowers Karen ordered and put everyone's name on. Constantly hugging. Feeling completely numb.
The couch at the funeral home, the couch at the hotel.
The reception at the hotel and people standing up to tell stories as a photo slideshow played against a backdrop. Someone talking about her yellow suit.
Everyone in our hotel room, drinking a bottle of alcohol worth ridiculous amounts of money that was supposed to be drunk at my wedding or a happier occasion, laughing, crying, telling stories.
Struggling to fall asleep while my dad falls into a drunken, grief-stricken, sleep. Knowing my brother had to go sleep at home due to some Buddhist superstition.
...somehow it's been 6 years, I will always miss her, I will love her forever and it is her love that makes her loss easier to bear. thank you mom.
The white sweater and pin striped pants I wore that day and then donated because I couldn't bring myself to wear them again.
The man taking photos of the entire event.
Looking up and seeing that my friend and ridden in from out of town to be there for me and feeling grateful just for his presence.
The wreath of flowers Karen ordered and put everyone's name on. Constantly hugging. Feeling completely numb.
The couch at the funeral home, the couch at the hotel.
The reception at the hotel and people standing up to tell stories as a photo slideshow played against a backdrop. Someone talking about her yellow suit.
Everyone in our hotel room, drinking a bottle of alcohol worth ridiculous amounts of money that was supposed to be drunk at my wedding or a happier occasion, laughing, crying, telling stories.
Struggling to fall asleep while my dad falls into a drunken, grief-stricken, sleep. Knowing my brother had to go sleep at home due to some Buddhist superstition.
...somehow it's been 6 years, I will always miss her, I will love her forever and it is her love that makes her loss easier to bear. thank you mom.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Cute vintage stuff!
Okay so I'm trying to win more stuff, hey poor grad student's gotta do what she can! :D
Check it out, this person is so nice, she's giving stuff away for her birthday!
http://lessapathymorecake.blogspot.com/2009/08/happy-birthday-to-me-its-giveaway-time.html
Check it out, this person is so nice, she's giving stuff away for her birthday!
http://lessapathymorecake.blogspot.com/2009/08/happy-birthday-to-me-its-giveaway-time.html
EAD and Stinkerpants giveaway
Check out this cute contest from Elizabeth Anne Designs and Stinkerpants!
They're super cute cards designed by Stinkerpants. I'm hoping I can get some cards of me and Morgan the dog. :D Check out EAD's site for cute design ideas!
They're super cute cards designed by Stinkerpants. I'm hoping I can get some cards of me and Morgan the dog. :D Check out EAD's site for cute design ideas!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
It's the moments...
when the night before your best friend's funeral you're friend sleeps next to you so the loneliness won't hurt so much
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
It's the moments...
when I was sick with the flu and in college, missing my mom terribly, unable to move. I opened my eyes blearily and saw you putting water and Tylenol on my desk. thank you.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
the key to my heart knows one day it will be found
A friend found this key in a store in England.. LOVE IT! :)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
put it away
sometimes you put things away, thinking you've let them go, only to suddenly be reminded of what you're missing
guess that's life, one cycle after another. i'll keep moving forward because any sadness felt only means happiness is that much more appreciated.
guess that's life, one cycle after another. i'll keep moving forward because any sadness felt only means happiness is that much more appreciated.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
It's the moments...
when you sometimes feel so desperately lonely and it feels even more so because something reminded you after you had forgotten what you were missing... it's also knowing that will pass.
It's the moments..
It's the moments..
Saturday, June 20, 2009
give me nature
I've realized that I would love to live somewhere untouched. Where I can wake up and smell water, see trees and greenery and revel in it. Bath in the light and gaze upon the colors of sunrises and sunsets. Lay in a canoe or raft and see nothing for miles around me.
Of course you've got to give me some internet access. But I think I can live without Target and tons of people around and cars. All I'd really need is internet and probably TV and I'd be a happy girl and of course the dog's coming along.
Anyone care to join me?
Of course you've got to give me some internet access. But I think I can live without Target and tons of people around and cars. All I'd really need is internet and probably TV and I'd be a happy girl and of course the dog's coming along.
Anyone care to join me?
My first Africa experience - pt. 1
I've always said I'd want to visit Africa, I thought it would first be through Morocco or Egypt, instead it turned out to be through Zimbabwe and Botswana. What an introduction to the continent that was! Absolutely amazing, breath taking, and refreshing. Granted we were on a luxury safari and staying in 4/5 star places (even at the bush camps), but hey...a girl can spoil herself once in awhile.
I knew we were in for long flights, SFO-JFK (6 hours and 3 hour layover), JFK to Johannesburg (12.5 hour flight and another 3 hour layover), Johannesburg to Victoria Falls aka Vic Falls (2.5 hour flight). So yeah, 30 hours later we were there, sitting that long and not sleeping much created so much pain in the lower half of my body, I was in tears from the pain by the time we got there. Thank goodness for Advil and some icy/hot type of patches.
We were the last ones through immigration, you have to pay $30 for a visa to be in Zimbabwe. Luckily our chartered ride didn't leave without us, they almost did! We were the last ones to be dropped off at Victoria Falls Hotel. A hotel rich with history and stories, animal heads, hides and skulls (complete with antlers) adorn the walls alongside photos of the hotel and residents from different time periods.
It was built in 1904, a simple wood building that looked like an old school train station. Today it's a grand hotel with a new wing and a spectacular view of the falls. We were greeted warmly, porters immediately picked up our bags, check-in was quick and we were given welcome drinks, some kind of citrus juice with grenadine and a cool, sweetly perfumed cool towel. It was a welcome refreshment after the long trip and the heat. We took quick showers and headed out to see the falls, it was about 3pm by the time we left.
We got lucky, our guide told us later that the time we went was the best time of day to go. Early afternoon, because in the morning and at sunset the mist is so high that you can't see any part of the falls and the rainy season typicall ends in May (typically...more to come about rain later). As it was, I was covered in water pretty much the entire time (because in my tired state, I didn't think I'd need my waterproof windbreaker).
We headed back to the hotel and had dinner on the veranda, exhausted we could barely keep our eyes open. I had a burger and it was delicious, the meat was very fresh, local beef. My friends tried some of the ostrich and beef steak - would have been good if it was more tender. Then it was off to bed, I fell into a quick, dreamless sleep. The next morning I realized I set the alarm wrong and we raced to breakfast because we were supposed to be picked up at 7:30 for our overnight camping/canoeing trip...
They were an hour late, I was worried and we quickly found out it is the luck of the draw to try and call out of the country. All the numbers I had for our service providers were for offices in South Africa, out of the 8 calls we made to three different numbers, only 1 made it. Zimbabwe is a country and has gone from being an up-to-date country to one that is starting over due to political unrest. At one point their currency was facing such awful inflation that while waiting for lunch, the price would go up between the time it took to order to when it was received. Bills in the hundreds of billions were printed - with EXPIRATION dates on them!
The company finally called the hotel and said they'd be late, they were already 45 minutes late. African time, we quickly learned works a lot like Asian time. :) We got everything ready, changed clothes for canoeing and were driven into Zambezi National Park. We were so excited and passed some impala, waterbuck, elephants, and baboons on our way to the launch site. We didn't realize we'd see these animals again and in a closer setting so we were snapping photos like crazy.
We stopped at our launch site, the guides inflated the canoes and off we went! We had to watch out for hippos and they told us not to stick our hands in the water for too long or crocs would come. There's supposedly 1 crocodile every 300 feet. We canoed for over 10 miles (I like to include the times where we paddled in circles trying to get the canoe in the right direction). There were small rapids and lots of beautiful scenery. 2/3 of the way through we stopped for lunch consisting of crocodile, potato salad, bread rolls, eggs, salad, sausage and soda/beer. So delicious after canoeing all that way.. it's a lot harder than it looks!
After canoeing we got driven to our camp site and the guides and other staff set up the entire thing for us - complete with cots, bed rolls, blankets, sleeping bags, and a satin pillow. Granted everything smelled like camp and it was so freaking freezing we slept in every piece of clothing we could put on. There was an outhouse but it smelled so bad and was so dark, I ended up peeing outside like the animals anyway. Dinner was some yummy Chicken curry, rice, and butternut squash (we had our own cook too!). Life's good on a luxury camping trip - they even heated up water next to the fire and we had warm showers to take! After bedding down, we put our lamps outside the tents so the hippos could see us and wouldn't attack the tent if they accidentally ran into it. It was still so cold, we woke up every few hours and finally just got up to see the sun rise..
After a yummy breakfast of eggs, bacon, corn fritters, toast, and roasted tomatoes we headed back into Victoria Falls. One more night at the Falls and then it was off to Botswana - that'll be part 2.
I knew we were in for long flights, SFO-JFK (6 hours and 3 hour layover), JFK to Johannesburg (12.5 hour flight and another 3 hour layover), Johannesburg to Victoria Falls aka Vic Falls (2.5 hour flight). So yeah, 30 hours later we were there, sitting that long and not sleeping much created so much pain in the lower half of my body, I was in tears from the pain by the time we got there. Thank goodness for Advil and some icy/hot type of patches.
We were the last ones through immigration, you have to pay $30 for a visa to be in Zimbabwe. Luckily our chartered ride didn't leave without us, they almost did! We were the last ones to be dropped off at Victoria Falls Hotel. A hotel rich with history and stories, animal heads, hides and skulls (complete with antlers) adorn the walls alongside photos of the hotel and residents from different time periods.
It was built in 1904, a simple wood building that looked like an old school train station. Today it's a grand hotel with a new wing and a spectacular view of the falls. We were greeted warmly, porters immediately picked up our bags, check-in was quick and we were given welcome drinks, some kind of citrus juice with grenadine and a cool, sweetly perfumed cool towel. It was a welcome refreshment after the long trip and the heat. We took quick showers and headed out to see the falls, it was about 3pm by the time we left.
We got lucky, our guide told us later that the time we went was the best time of day to go. Early afternoon, because in the morning and at sunset the mist is so high that you can't see any part of the falls and the rainy season typicall ends in May (typically...more to come about rain later). As it was, I was covered in water pretty much the entire time (because in my tired state, I didn't think I'd need my waterproof windbreaker).
We headed back to the hotel and had dinner on the veranda, exhausted we could barely keep our eyes open. I had a burger and it was delicious, the meat was very fresh, local beef. My friends tried some of the ostrich and beef steak - would have been good if it was more tender. Then it was off to bed, I fell into a quick, dreamless sleep. The next morning I realized I set the alarm wrong and we raced to breakfast because we were supposed to be picked up at 7:30 for our overnight camping/canoeing trip...
They were an hour late, I was worried and we quickly found out it is the luck of the draw to try and call out of the country. All the numbers I had for our service providers were for offices in South Africa, out of the 8 calls we made to three different numbers, only 1 made it. Zimbabwe is a country and has gone from being an up-to-date country to one that is starting over due to political unrest. At one point their currency was facing such awful inflation that while waiting for lunch, the price would go up between the time it took to order to when it was received. Bills in the hundreds of billions were printed - with EXPIRATION dates on them!
The company finally called the hotel and said they'd be late, they were already 45 minutes late. African time, we quickly learned works a lot like Asian time. :) We got everything ready, changed clothes for canoeing and were driven into Zambezi National Park. We were so excited and passed some impala, waterbuck, elephants, and baboons on our way to the launch site. We didn't realize we'd see these animals again and in a closer setting so we were snapping photos like crazy.
We stopped at our launch site, the guides inflated the canoes and off we went! We had to watch out for hippos and they told us not to stick our hands in the water for too long or crocs would come. There's supposedly 1 crocodile every 300 feet. We canoed for over 10 miles (I like to include the times where we paddled in circles trying to get the canoe in the right direction). There were small rapids and lots of beautiful scenery. 2/3 of the way through we stopped for lunch consisting of crocodile, potato salad, bread rolls, eggs, salad, sausage and soda/beer. So delicious after canoeing all that way.. it's a lot harder than it looks!
After canoeing we got driven to our camp site and the guides and other staff set up the entire thing for us - complete with cots, bed rolls, blankets, sleeping bags, and a satin pillow. Granted everything smelled like camp and it was so freaking freezing we slept in every piece of clothing we could put on. There was an outhouse but it smelled so bad and was so dark, I ended up peeing outside like the animals anyway. Dinner was some yummy Chicken curry, rice, and butternut squash (we had our own cook too!). Life's good on a luxury camping trip - they even heated up water next to the fire and we had warm showers to take! After bedding down, we put our lamps outside the tents so the hippos could see us and wouldn't attack the tent if they accidentally ran into it. It was still so cold, we woke up every few hours and finally just got up to see the sun rise..
After a yummy breakfast of eggs, bacon, corn fritters, toast, and roasted tomatoes we headed back into Victoria Falls. One more night at the Falls and then it was off to Botswana - that'll be part 2.
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