So Not Me!

Or is it.. I recently got the chance to go on holiday with my roommate to St. Lucia. Her aunt and uncle built a house there about 2 years ago and invited us to come enjoy the place and all the island has to offer. It was such an incredible trip! I figured each day would be filled with nothing but drinking, laying by the pool and swimming. That was pretty much what we did the first two days of the trip. From here the decision was made to explore the island and all it had to offer. Now the old me, would have poo poo'd this idea and said no immediately. Normally, my thing is stay in one place, that way I feel safe and comfortable. I'm always too scared to venture out somewhere, that's how I've always been... until now. This trip made me realize how adventurous I had truly become. Of course, there are people out there who way more adventurous than me, but my starting point was low :)

One of the things we decided to do on the island was go ziplining through the rainforest. Yes, ziplining! The whole way to the rainforest I was shitting bricks. I was so nervous. Who did I think I was? I can barely get on the London Eye let alone go flying through trees on a single cord. Even while the guy was putting on my gear I was thinking of ways to back out but I knew I would regret it. I wanted to be able to look back on this and say I did this. That is what this time in my life is all about. Doing things I've never done, taking advantage of all the opportunities I've been given.

After a few sweaty palms and half a Xanax :) I did my first practice round. I screamed bloody murder the whole way down, but at the same time it was the most thrilling feeling in the world. Now I know what people mean when they say they get an adrenaline high. We did a total of 11 zip lines and half way through I was volunteering to go first in our group! Me, the girl who was afraid to take a subway, fly overseas.. I had to document the experience with more than just photos, so I had my roommate record one my flights :) Now, I'll always remember this moment.

Next time bungee jumping! Yeah right!

Snow Day!!!

Today I experienced my first snow day ever! The snow began falling last night and basically hasn't stopped. It's still snowing as we speak. They closed our offices for the day, so there was nothing left to do but play in the snow!! That is exactly what my flatmate and I did. I felt like a kid again. Growing up in Southern California I never got a chance to build a snowman or throw snowballs. I never expected to get that chance here in London. Even though, it's snowed here before it usually never sticks. According to the news this is biggest snowfall England has seen in 17 years. So, I guess I'm part of history, very cold history that is! They're expecting the snow storm to last until Wednesday. That could mean a couple more days at home.. one can only hope!

Happy New Year!

Ok, I realize we're 17 days into the new year but better late than never, right!? one of my new year's resolutions is to blog more. I have gotten so bad in the last few months, sorry! I'm more sorry to myself because I know there are so many memories I haven't captured that one day I'll forgot. Not good!

So, quick recap on the last month. December was full of Xmas parties, holiday fun, a flu from hell, and a trip home. One of my great memories was our company xmas party at a beautiful old country club called the Wentworth Club. It was a giant white castle from the outside and a prestige golf club in the inside. Had a wonderful time with my co-workers dancing the night away. My camera died very early that night so sadly I have no pictures. The other great memory was going ice skating at the Natural History Museum. I went the year before with "V" (who by the way lives in Russia now and is practically engaged to his girlfriend from Turkey) and Tenielle. This year I went with three girls who have become great friends of mine over the last year. It's a tradition in England to go ice skating for the holidays so I'm glad I've been able to uphold it. It dawned on me as December came to an end that this could be last holiday season in the UK. It struck a cord and I started to feel sad. This meant that a lot of things going forward could end up being the "last time".

Now, 2009 has begun and this could be my my last year in the UK. I barely remember arriving here almost a year and a half ago so thinking about leaving seemed so strange. It feels like I've just begun appreciating and embracing my time here, which made me come to the conclusion that I didn't want to leave so soon. Yes, folks I want to stay longer. Trust me, I can't believe it either! Not forever, since my heart will always be back home in California, but at least for one more year. The problem this decision is not entirely up to me as I've come to find out. When you work for corporate America you come to learn very quickly that you're at the mercy of the Man. Sure, you can tell them what you want but at the end of the day it's not about what best for me, but what's best for the business. Therefore, even though I've expressed my desire to stay, I have no clue whether or not it's going to happen. All I can do is be patient and enjoy each day I have here. Not an easy task for someone who likes everything planned way in advance and hates the unknown.

What does 2009 have in store? I've got some trips in the can, a wedding in Kentucky for my dear friend Heather, her bacherolette party in NY, more visitors, and finding the man of dreams. Oh and I guess I should learn some more stuff at work too. Sounds like a fun year to me!

Next on the European Tour- Prague

My friend Rupali came to visit me a few weeks ago on her way back from India. She was my last visitor for 2008! So, per my tradition here she is at my front door.

Instead of staying in London for the weekend we decided it would be fun to go somewhere in Europe neither one of us had ever been to. Prague was on the list for both of us, so off we went. I wasn't sure what to expect from Prague except that it would be freezing! It was a nice short flight to Prague from London- only 1 1/2 hours. Mind you or flight was at 7 am in the morning, so it felt much longer!!!! Our first experience in Prague was the crazy cab driver who drove us from the airport to the hotel. I think he thought we were on the autobahn. I couldn't understand where the fire was.. this guy was driving like a maniac, cutting people off , driving in the wrong lane. I thought we were going to die!

After checking into our hotel which was really cute and in a great part of the city we signed up for a walking tour of prague. So far, in all the trip I've been on I've never done a guided tour. In hindsight I wish I had done them for my other trips. This tour was great. It took us to all the best spots in Prague and it came with very funny tour guide. I can't remember his name now, but I do remember he was quite entertaining. He spoke what he called Chienglish. A phrase he had coined which was a mixture of Czech and English. It was pretty classic!

The sights in Prague were spectacular! The architecure was amazing, every time we turned the corner it felt like we were on a movie set. The buildings were so picturesque and each one was different from the other. Now, I can't say the same for the food. Prague is all about the meat- specifically beef or pork! People were eating these giant hot dogs at 10:30 in the morning or kebabs. Our first meal was corn on the cob and a chicken panini. Not really Czech fare but that was fine by us! However, we were huge fans of this dessert that we found. We ate one everyday we were there. They were called Trindlek. Don't know exactly how to describe them but they were bread covered in sugar, honey, toffee and nuts. They were freshly baked and were delicious!! The other thing Prague is famous for is beer. When you see a girl being put into a cab at 10:30 in the morning because she's so wasted you gotta think the beer is good! Unfortunately I cant drink beer so wasn't able to partake in that bit of culture. I did have hot wine though, they were serving that all day to people to keep them toasty. I guess it's their version of hot chocolate. Not bad, I guess I'll drink wine if its cold, hot, red or white!!!

The best thing about Prague was how cheap everything was. The exchange rate was awesome. But it was weird because we felt like we were dropping tons of money because their currency, called crowns, was only available in high denominations. So, we would buy a souvenir and it would be 200 crowns. It was so strange giving them these big bills but once you translated it back to Sterling, in my case, it was only like 3 dollars.

Prague is the best place I've been to so far. I absolutely loved it. There was something enchanting and magical about it. Hard to describe if you haven't been there. I would definitely go back!

Now the question is where to next... I have a few ideas in mind but thought it would be fun if you guys helped me choose. I have put a poll on the blog, so put in your vote!! I'm planning my next trip for January.

A little photo collage of our trip.. enjoy!

Roma!!

No that's not a spelling error that is actually what Rome is called here in Europe. That was one of the many things I learned while in Rome. The city is so full of history, every time I turned the corner their was ruins or a magnificent sight like the Colleseum. I just couldn't get over how magical the city was. My mom and I arrived Friday night and stayed till Sunday evening. We were sightseeing maniacs on Saturday by taking a hop on hop off bus tour. Then we walked around most of the city till the evening. Instead of taking you through our entire iteniary thought it would better to list the things i loved about rome and things i could have done with out.

Loved..

- The Food: i've never eaten so much pizza and pasta in a 48 hour period before. no matter what restaurant we went to the food was always so good. turned out the hole in the wall places were better than the fancy ones.

- Gelato: i don't count this as food, cause it's heaven. i ate it everyday, almost after every meal of the day. couldn't get enough of this stuff, and since it's on every street corner it makes it quite accessible.

- Colleseum: by far my favorite momentum in all of the city. i couldn't get over the magnittude of the place, how old it was, how it stood the test of time and was filled with so much history. I was in awe when I stepped inside. I felt transported back to another era.

- The Men: my god, ive never seen so many good looking men in my life. it was like seeing models walking around the streets.

Didn't Love....

- Smokers: I thought London was bad, not even close. No matter where we were or what time of day it was people were smoking like chimneys all over the city. In Rome you can smoke in restaurants, in taxis, and the stench was everywhere. I felt like I had been in Vegas when I opened my suitcase at the end of our trip and my clothes reaked.

- Shopping: I was expecting to be blown away by the fashion in Rome but that was not the case. Yes, the clothes were cute but it seemed to be the same stuff I could find in London. Maybe my expectations were too high. They did had lots of cute leather boots and bags, but again nothing that made me feel like I had to buy something.

As you can see there was a lot more I loved than didn't. I'm so grateful that I got to share this adventure with my Mom. It will be one of those trips I always remember.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip.

Mommy Dearest

It's been awhile since my last visitor, although Shawn and Joe were here for less than 10 hours last weekend, so they don't really count :) Now, this is no ordinary visitor, it's my mom!!! She is coming to visit for almost two weeks starting today!! I am really looking forward to showing her my new home, literally and figuratively. Last time she was here, which also happened to be her first time, it was more about getting me settled into my new life and finding a place to live. She really didn't get to experience this city in it's all glory. Back then I was a rookie, barely willing to venture far from my flat, refusing to go on the tube, complaining about the food. Now I'm pro, well sort of, I know exactly where to take her, what to show her. I want this trip to be really memorable for the both of us.

On top of visiting London, my mom and I are going to Rome next weekend!! Woo hoo!!!!! I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to go to Italy. Rome has been at the top of my list in terms of places to visit while living in Europe and I finally get to go. I can cross that one of the list.

So, there will be lots to report back in the next few weeks.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

When I first got here their were so many things I missed back home especially in terms of food. For example Pria Chocolate Bars, Bean and Cheese Burrito from El Ranchito, the fries at Islands, Diet Coke (for some reason I didn't think I could get here), The Tuna Special at Gary's Deli, string cheese, Mint Milano cookies, the list goes on and on. Nothing here seemed to fill the hole nor did I think it ever could. Twelve months later I have found things that have become part of daily repertoire and have become my favorites.

At least twice a week I go to Pret a Manger. It's nothing fancy, just your everyday sandwich shop with multiple locations all over London. I always get the same thing; a Avocado Salad Wrap and a bag of Vegetable Root crisps. It's like my Gary's Deli just more convenient and unfortunately more expensive!

Now that I can't drink Diet Coke (stomach issues) I had to find a suitable replacement. A girl can only survive on water so long. Along comes Ribena. Ribena is a brand of juice like Ocean Spray and comes in several flavours. My favourite is the Pomegranate and Raspberry version, but it has to be the light version, which they call Really Light. It's like the nectar of the gods.

Next comes Digestives. I know weird name! I didn't get it either. These things are like crack. They are cookies that people here drink with their afternoon tea. I eat them morning, noon, and night. They come in milk chocolate, chocolate, caramel, ginger, plain. They are so good. You can't eat just one. I need to bring a case home with me next time.

Last, but not least is Fruitella. You know when you eat Starburst or Skittles and you only pick out the best flavours? In my case that would be the strawberry pieces in Starburst and the red and purple Skittles. Fruitella is like having a strawberry starburst everytime. They are real fruit chews made from real fruit, I swear. At least that's how I justify having an entire pack in one sitting. I eat these things almost everyday. I have a problem, I can't stop