Getting Lost, In a Good Way

Last night, I got terribly and incredibly lost on the underground in London. Whilst I was frustrated, tired and upset, I also had a moment of clarity--every person going abroad has experienced this. So here I am...a little lost in my new country, haphazardly trying to find my way while also finding the humor in it all.

Of course, I started laughing to myself once I realized this and probably looked NUTZO to the other passengers. I blame my delirium--I had been on the trains and buses for about 4 hours trying to get to my destination, which of course I never got to and chose to go back home instead.

Home. This place is my new home. Taking the good with the bad, I'm starting to embrace that concept.

Enough talk, here a few photos for your viewing pleasure:

Remember Mo the Morning Monster? He and I were ready to go waiting to catch our night flight to London!  

Arriving on campus...

A visit to a pub in Richmond was in order :D  

Complete with a very delicious chicken and ham pie. Yummmmmmmmm. And with a side of "chips."  

 Walking about London...

Aaaaand, I just had to get one of these shots. 

And so there you have it. I've already reached lows (getting lost) and highs (hello...pub food?) while being here. I'm sort of having a blast so far. But maybe I won't be saying that on the 24th, because that's when classes start. Guess I better live up this week! 

Cheerio!

Hello Hello!

I'm currently typing from my room in the U.K. overlooking this park:

Sorry for the lack of a quality photo, but this is all I got.

I definitely had a bit of a shock when I got to my room and realized that I had indeed signed up to live in student housing. For instance, my shower is literally a drain in the floor of the bathroom. Of course, the water sprays everywhere and gets the entirety of the bathroom wet.

Riiiiight. So it's not luxury. But I'm meeting people very easily this way, which is the best part about being in a new country anyway. So, I'm embracing the stuff that is less comforting, because well, not everything is going to be comfortable. It's good for me, I think.

The campus is pretty picturesque and I can't wait to show you photos of the ponds and greenery and brick-ery.

I'm currently FIGHTING jet lag...must. stay. awake...I just wanted to update you all on what's been happening and that I've made it safely.

Until next time!

Across the Pond

Tomorrow night,  I board my non-stop flight to London. (San Diego straight to London, how poetic).

This will be my last post until I say howdy from the United Kingdom!

FROM

TO

The three most-asked questions I've been getting pre-depature are:

1. Are you packed yet?

As I type this, I am packing. I am always a last-minute packer. Although, that's not entirely true because I make a list of what to pack a couple days before.


2. Do you think you'll come back with an accent? 

God, I hope not. It will be a weird American, British combo reminiscent of Madonna.


3. Are you excited? 

Yes. Along with everything that comes with excitement. Fear, anxiousness, wonder, eagerness...you name it.

I think the more appropriate question is, "Are you ready?"

I couldn't be more ready to go on a new adventure.


Talk to you when I'm across the pond! 

Living An Uncomfortable Life

As my imminent departure into adventure and grad school nears, a few people have expressed their jealousy to me.

My immediate response to them is, "You can do it, too!" This is met with a roll of the eyes and a very sarcastic, "Riiiight."

Our culture has become all about maintaining the comfort zone. We opt for ready-made, delivered pizza because it's an inconvenience to go to the grocery store. We avoid trying out for that marathon we have on our bucket list because the couch looks more inviting. We insist on tuning into The Real Housewives of Mars (or wherever it's set, now) because we've become accustomed to watching other people's lives instead of living our own.

We have become a culture dependent upon comfort. What results is boredom. And jealousy.

People do not get jealous of comfortable, safe lives. They are jealous of the uncomfortable stuff. The stuff that is scary to sign up for. The stuff that you can really fail at, but you try anyway.

I don't want to yammer on too much, because I think you guys have heard it all before. All I have left to say is:

• Buy that plane ticket! 
• Sign up for the marathon! 
• Submit applications to your dream job!
• Sail the seven seas!
• Go after a dream! 
• And dammit, live life (uncomfortably)! 

"We won't get far/ flying in circles inside a jar" -- Death Cab For Cutie

Last Day @ Work

I thought the @ symbol in the title is quite appropriate, given the amount of e-mails I had to always sort through. I'm trading in e-mails for research papers and a BIG, FAT dissertation.

While some people may dread papers, I'm really excited to utilize my brain again, as answering loads of e-mails can be mindless work.

It's been 16 months working at my current university. It's been real. It's been a bit boring (truth). It's been fun (at times). And now, it's time to say adieu.

Ally McBeal, A Review

Source

I've stil been on a kick watching old wildly popular shows on Netflix. Ally McBeal was one of those shows that had me wondering, "what was all the fuss about?"

The first two seasons of Ally McBeal? Pure FREAKING magic. Ally starts off adorably neurotic and obsessed over an old love, Billy. When she gets a job at a new law firm, she finds out Billy works there too (eek!) and is married (double eek!). The basic plot appeals to everyone's human core--jealousy, temptation, love and heartbreak.

The cherry on top is Ally's co-workers, who have catch phrases: "Snappish!" "Bygones!" and even do song and dance numbers, lest you forget John Cage dancing to Barry White. Ally McBeal had everything going for it. It was lovably quirky, but not over-the-top. It even had dancing babies.

And then...

*SPOILER*

The show made the biggest mistake I have ever seen a show make. In season 3, they kill off the most crucial character in Ally's world. Billy dies from a brain tumor...er, aneurism? Who cares! It's the dumbest plot twist I have ever witnessed in a popular TV show. What ensues is a mad dash to fill the plot with another character for Ally to love; but alas, the writers had spent so much time building up Billy, no one else could replace him.

I read later that Gil Bellows (Billy) left the show in pursuit of a movie career, as they allowed the cast to have short contracts. Whatever the case, I really started to hate a show I once loved, as I felt obligated to watch every season to give a proper review. And the show only lasted 5 seasons. Guess other people started to hate it too.

If you're going to watch Ally McBeal, do yourself a HUGE favor and stop at the end of Season 2! Not even Barry White was able to save such a mess of a show.


Did you watch Ally McBeal? Were you still a fan after Season 3? 



Old Reviews:

LOST

Made You Laugh

 A few silly pictures to make you laugh on a Monday morning if you've got a case of the Mondays like I do! (Even though it's my last week at work, I still have a case of the Mondays!)...

FANTASTIC placement.

Bits and Bobs

My British friend Jackie once said the above phrase when heading to the market. It was something along the lines of: "I need to pick up some bits and bobs." I suppose the best American equivalent to this phrase is 'things' or 'stuff.'

Ours is less cool.

I thought this would be a good title for all of my random posts in where I want to string together many random unrelated things! Er, I mean, bits and bobs!

• First, you should check out this guide to British Slang. 

• Recently, 2 people have told me that I look like Marion Cotillard: 

Source

What do you think? It must be the eyes they are thinking of. I'll take it! 

• Jillian taught the blogosphere how to make yummy mushrooms in red wine sauce. This is a winner!

• You're not a true gangsta until you've bobbed your head to Milk In My Sippy Cup. 

• Lastly, I'm smiling because my UK Visa was approved and I'm really happy about it!!

P.S. I think I made this very random post (with too many exclamation marks) because I'm too excited to think clearly!!!!

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Music Challenge, Day 30: Your Fave Song At This Time Last Year

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WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF THE MUSIC CHALLENGE! It only took me a year and a half...

I'm too lazy to figure out what I was diggin' 'this time last year.' So, I give you one of my favorite artists from the past few years:

Tarkan is one of Turkey's most famous artists (oddly even reaching a large fan base in Latin America). There's always gossip over whether he's gay in all the Turkish magazines. It matters not, because this man has a voice like pure butter...

There's something about Turkish music that immediately transports me back to Turkey--nostalgia at its best. And honestly, Tarkan is one of Turkey's best.



The Challenge so far:
day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that nobody would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you're angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you're happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you're sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral

day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood

Enjoying the last little bit of San Diego...

Hey guys, how are you?

These past two months have the busiest in my life, but I think it's finally starting to slow down enough where I can relax a little. And believe me, I have been taking advantage of the relaxing part by sleeping and eating cinnamon rolls and sleeping some more. Hello, love handles!

I think it's time to get moving again, as I am still waiting for my visa to get approved and there's no sense worrying about it...I have a feeling all will be well, even though secretly I'm itching at the thought of uncertainty.

I've realized that I should be taking advantage of all the sunny days in San Diego before I hurry off to rainy London. Although, if you've followed my blog for awhile you'd know that I absolutely adore the rain! Might be a match made in heaven?

Well anyway, here's what I've been up to lately:

Hanging with Smokey Robinson at the Hollywood Bowl. My kinda night! It was especially fun to see Smokey do an impression of Stevie Wonder. 

Getting makeup done for my buddy's wedding. I don't think I've ever had this much makeup on my face (think layers and layers). It's fun for a day, but I don't understand how celebrities do this kind of thing on a regular basis...ugh! 

Chopping off quite a few inches...of hair! 

And admist booking my one way ticket (eek!), skyping with "programme conveners" (essentially the dude running the department), gathering all my stuff to move, taking Churro the dog to vet visits AND putting in my two week notice at work...

I've still given myself a little time to soak up the sun. 

I leave for London on September 11th! 

All the Possibilities

A few months ago, I felt stuck. Do you remember my posts? I was in a job I hated, and my world seemed dreary and small.

It's funny how filling out a few forms can wildly change your circumstance. In the past month, I've filled out all the forms needed for a visa, and now I'm just waiting for the approval to pack up and move to the United Kingdom. If everything goes smoothly, I'll be there in just over a month. Filling out those forms helped realize the power I have to change my life if I so choose. With a pen and a smile, I've signed away for a new life.

I feel empowered.

Often times when I'm feeling stagnant, I find I'm spending too much time on the couch and not enough time in the world. Today, I got in the car for what was supposed to be just a grocery trip, but just kept driving instead. The wind was just right, and Death Cab for Cutie sang to me as I cruised by the bay. I stopped by the airport and watched the planes fly over my head, thinking about all the possibilities...

In a month, instead of taking off in my car, I'll be on a jet plane--still trying to seize all those possibilities. Because there's too much of the world to see to stay on that damn couch.