I am sooooo happy that 2009 is winding down. Looking back, I found it to be quite unfulfilling this 2009.

Last night I stayed up into the wee hours of the night reading Hesse's Siddhartha. How wonderful it was, I thought. So much so that I wanted to jump out of bed and start a new day..a new life.. 2010, I wish for much better awakening in my soul.

Happy New Year!

It appears I have high blood pressure. I first thought it was a mistake but after 4 tries, my blood pressure consistently measured at "oh my god, I'm too young for high blood pressure" high.. could it be from all the tension that has been amassing near and around my neck? no, that's perhaps the result of high blood pressure.. could it be from the sleepless nights of staring at the ceiling wondering 'what the heck am I doing' thoughts? or could it be the lack of exercise and salty food I consume everyday? Well, perhaps its all of the above. Either way, I need to stop it all!

My co-worker told me today that he was going to quit smoking.. "Why all of a sudden?" I asked.. "Chest pains!", he responded. Ahhh... yes... the chest pains.. Well, my yellow light was the high blood pressure... I'm glad we both stopped at the yellow before seeing the red.

It's so bloody cold outside!! I think I had my first official teeth freeze moment while attempting to talk on the phone..

I recently read an interview by Chinese artist, Liu Bolin, I found quite moving. An artist that has been dubbed as the "The Invisible Man", Bolin spends up to 10 hours to completely paint himself and disappear in his surrounding... a camouflage..

how amazing it would be to just melt through the walls..

Bolin:

“In my photography, historical statues, costumes and architecture become symbols of that which confines us,”... “I am expressing the desire to break through these structures. I portray subjects that seem to disappear into these structures and become transparent. The subject is released from social constructs and he is free.”

I find these words to be beautiful. I think what he does in his art is amazing. But really, I am most moved by what he stands for as a human being, wanting nothing more than just to be free..

So as 2009 slowly winds down in the next few weeks, I am feeling a bit nostalgic.. It all started when I came across this old photo from my photo gallery. Believe it or not, this was taken just last year. I was a bit taken aback since I don't look like this anymore. When I say, like this, I mean FEMININE! haha. Perhaps its my short haircut. I asked JP if he prefers me with short hair or long hair. He opted for short. I was bit relieved since the thought of looking like this again will be dreadful for me. It represents the time in my life when I was falling down a bottomless pit. I was unhappy (despite the contrary in the photo), lost, broken, and desperate to get the hell out of here. As soon as I left the country, I chopped my hair, met my love, and have slowly tried to put back the pieces of meaning in my life.

It's funny how things turn around sometimes. 2010 is going to be a great year, I know it! I hope the same for you too! Hugs..

I often find myself struggling to write something in this blog, especially since I have so much to say but can't find anything to say at all. I think my brain is speeding at a rate where my body can't keep up. This may explain why I have noticed an increasing amount of typos in my writing, or even why it's difficult for me to look back and recall what it is I exactly did, experienced, sensed during my travels. Perhaps its sensory overload.. or perhaps not..

One of my many fleeting thoughts from my recent roadtrip was the following:

Nothingness is somethingness

Driving through Texas, Arizona and New Mexico one cannot help but notice the perpetual scenary of the enormous landscape of our country. After awhile the only thing I noticed changing were the clouds. A thought then suddenly popped up in my mind - what a waste of land. If I could, I would use this land for something, anything, even if its putting a fake Prada shop in the smack middle of nothing (Oh wait, somebody already did that).

When we arrived to Marfa we met a man working at the local thrift shop. He spoke about his story of how he and his wife ended up in Marfa. He continued to share his stories of all the films (and his side gig as an extra in these films) that were shot in the area, including P.T. Anderson's There Will Be Blood. Apparently, Daniel Day Lewis is a "very pleasant man". During his story, I asked the naive question of "Why?" Why are these films shot in Marfa and the surrounding areas? Why here? The man then responded, "because its the only place left in the country that looks exactly the same as it did 100 years ago." Suddenly I felt a bit convicted from all my previous thoughts of how this vast land was such a waste and that it should be used for something. Well, it is..I guess. For me, now, I realize it probably serves more function than what I could possibly ever ask from it.

And for all those times I complained about how I need to go to Cuba before the 'western civilization' comes in and "pollutes" it with their high rise buildings and a starbucks in every corner. Geez louize!

So we finally made it to Marfa. I must say, it was pretty darn cool.

 

So here I am in Los Angeles again. It took only about 10 trips here to make me finally admit: I can see why people like California. Ahh.. I admit it.. there is something to be said about palm trees and good weather.. Today I was a total tourist. I jumped on the Hollywood Tour bus and took cheezy photos of things I can't even admit to online. Ugh!

So now we are off to Las Vegas and then straight to Marfa, Tx baby!!

It's a bit ambitious I must admit, but hey, why not?!

I'm flying to the west coast next week for some R&R and of course, ROAD TRIP!!!! I love road trips. They are the bestest ~ especially, when you're not the one driving... muahaha.

Okay, a quick "why I love road trips" list:

1. Open road - Need I say more
2. Hidden treasures - little towns, cute shops, crazy locals
3. Landscape - Kodak moments
4. Music - Shane's all time favorite music compilations ON REPEAT
5. Pit Stops - Reason to eat fast food without feeling too guilty
6. Bonding moments - Awwww
7. Escape - Anywhere but here or there

Soooo, the itinerary is looking something like this:

1. California
2. Nevada
3. Arizona
4. Texas
5. Utah
6. New Mexico

I will be in the land of sun and burritos. Good times.

I hope to update this site during my roadside excursions. Until next time..

So.. I am finalizing the itinerary for my roadtrip next week. With all the different places I have always wanted to visit in the U.S. on the very top of my list is a small town in Texas known as Marfa. Best known as a hidden art haven for artists including the Donald Judd (his foundation is out there), Marfa is also known for their "mysterious lights". Also knowns as "Marfa ghost lights", people have reported since the 1800s that they have seen "glowing basketball sized spheres floating above the ground, or sometimes high in the air." Ranging in various colors including yellow, green, and red, it seems they often appear in pairs or groups... ummm. Bizarre!! Okay, there are many reasons to go to Marfa in my opinion... art, ghost lights, supernatural energy, Prada.. yes, Prada!

(Prada Marfa)

or the lack thereof... has been my downfall in life... well that and some other things, which I rather not divulge in this blog. With that said, I'm giving myself a deadline.. I swear.. this time... it's all or nothing!!!

When did organizing a short trip within the states get this difficult? I think I took less time organizing my travels overseas last year. One thing I know for certain, I'm itching to get out of town.. even if it's to the west coast!

On some side news, I am delighted to include a few of my friend's new blogspots on this site. It's so nice to see friends blog about something.. Not that I don't speak with them often but still, there's just something different about spilling your guts in writing rather than in person. Both equally acceptable and encouraged in my book, of course.

So my mom is thinking of going on a volunteer trip to Guatemala. First off, I am delighted whenever she tells me she is planning on volunteering somewhere other than her kitchen. It's encouraging to see that someone at my mom's tender age of ---- is still out and about and trying to do some good in this world. Maybe there's hope for me when I'm her age! Well, second thought is I always have this urge to jump on a plane and "escort" her to her volunteering locations. This time, she will be flying into Guatemala City. I can do that. I will fly in with her and then make my way alone to Lake Atitlan again. Did I mention I would love to go back to Lake Atitlan? Perhaps, this time going alone will be better for me. I need to be alone for a bit.. Life is too loud these days.

Lake Atitlan

okay, now that my traveling adventures have wind down I suppose I will continue this blogspot as a (gasp) regular blog! I will blog about the randomness that are my thoughts beginning with this one:

So during my uneventful commute to the city this morning, I spotted a hot blond chic on a gigantic billboard right before entering the Lincoln Tunnel. I first thought to myself - 'hey, shouldn't her breasts be bigger?' I mean, it was a Guess ad after all. But whatever - continuing on, I noticed the corset that she was wearing in the ad and I remembered wanting to buy one quite similar for some time now. Maybe I should buy that one I thought, but then I immediately snapped out of my daze - umm NO! it's Guess and I am not a fan of Guess clothing. My thoughts then transported me back to Luxembourg where I noticed that Guess was guess what - HOT - there! ??? ummm.. WHY?? I don't know.. but it is.. they love the Guess purses, which quite frankly in my opinion SUCKS and is just a bad knockoff of knockoff designs. With that said, I then remembered the time when I visited a local Auschon supermarket (think mini-Walmart) in Luxembourg.. There, to my absolute shock I found - friggin Balenciaga dress shirts for 39 euros right next to the toilet paper aisle! Balenciaga and toilet paper??? ummm.. HOW??

So for the rest of my commute through the Lincoln Tunnel I couldn't help but feel moranic by the sheer reminder that man, we're just a flock of clueless sheep herded by the tyrannous rod called Marketing!!! Well, I will be the first to admit that I often fall victim to the deceit of the fashion industry. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a love-hate relationship with fashion. I hate the industry for all the pretentious bullshit that it is.. I mean, don't come off as if your shits the bomb when you know it's friggin going for 39 euros at an overseas supermarket. COME ON PEOPLE!! Of course at the same time, when I see beautiful fabric assembled together to look like a piece of art I feel like selling my kidneys just to have it. Ugh!! The conflict within me.

Anyways, this blog entry is about sheep. As much as I can appreciate fashion art, I cannot tolerate being a sheep. I'm going to friggin take off that Giant City Stardust Balenciaga purse from my checklist dammit - today!!

Startdust - It was nice knowing you!

A city that has eluded me for quite some time.. My numerous failed attempts of making it to this city has baffled me for too long. If I can make it to Durban, South Africa twice then I can friggin make it to Seattle dammit! Besides, it's a nonstop flight! This will be my last attempt for this year. If I don't jump on a plane and make it to Seattle in the next two weeks - I am banning that city FOREVER!!

Okay, not forever ever.

Hearing travel plans of others makes me all nostalgic inside. I know I have done my share over the year but still, I can't help but to want to silently scream out "I'm coming with you!!" One friend is leaving for Macchu Picchu today. Another friend is leaving for an Alaskan cruise next week. Another friend is shortly starting his walk across America adventure next month. My cousin is doing South America right now.. Me?? I'm write this short blog at my new job. sniff.

So it's been almost a year since I started my little Boc on the Road adventures. How time flies I must say. I have come to realize that time is all so relative in my life. While I am in the moment, I am IN the moment. But once passed, it seems already a life time ago. There are times when I worry whether I will remember much at all.

For today, I remember Berlin. I think it has been my most favorite city thus far. If I could, I would make that my new residence.

Ever since I have returned all I have been told is that I don't belong here anymore. It's true, it seems pandora's box has opened. As one close friend put it, "you are back home but you left your heart in Europe." I knew this would happen someday. Perhaps it was the reason why I have been longing to be on the road for so long. Home is no longer home to me. I wonder how long I will continue to walk around like an empty shell. Or does time ultimately fill the void. We shall see.

For now, dear friends I consider home. (Eva is missing - oh, she's behind the camera)

It was sweet while it lasted.. I am back home now.. to this awful weather and murky skies. I miss being away. I miss my routine. I miss the sweetness of seeing your other come home from work.

Last night I spent in agony watching a film crew set up and shoot a 2 minute scene of a movie. What started off as a nice gesture by JP for a friend to be an extra in a movie turned into an all night affair. Im talking we got home at 3:00 am. The actual shoot took 4 hours and then another 3 hours of post celebrations. The director, who apparently is quite famous in Luxembourg, seemed absolutely directionless the entire night. Okay, I might be bitter here since his "direction" led to a 4 hour wait for everyone. Did I mention this was a 2 minute scene?? But really, this guy was a piece of work. He told JP his hair was too modern for this period piece. He instructed JP to go downstairs and see the hair and makeup crew. According to JP, he went down and literally got shoved into a chair where an overly anxious barber with clippers in hand was awaiting his next victim. I decided to rush downstairs to see what was going on only to find JP's hair already splattered all over the floor. I wanted to cry. HE'S AN EXTRA IN A FRIGGIN MOVIE!!!! AN EXTRA!! AN EXTRA!! A FRIGGIN EXTRA THAT IS NOT EVEN GETTING PAID FOR HIS TIME AND SERVICES!!! The best part of this all, is that when JP came back up from his hair massacre, the idiot director gives him a hat to wear as part of his costume. WTF???????!!!!!!!!!!! A HAT?????????? My mouth literally fell to the floor. You make an extra cut his hair that he's been growing for awhile for a 2 minute scene where he needs to wear a hat??? I swear.. this whole experience turned me off to filmmaking!!! Okay, not really but it turned me off to people who can't direct properly. I can go on and vent more but I will stop. Need to take my honey to the hair dressers.

On a brighter note, this piece is called Leaving by Anthony Mccall. If I could, I would get this in my house. I swear. When you want to run away and disappear into solitude where walls are erected by an invisible dimension of light this is the place to go. I will retreat here again at least mentally from last night's debacle.

Ugh!! I find myself dreading the thought of returning to the states.. I dread the chaos that will be home and the incessant noise that will clog my thoughts as soon as it begins all over again. If not for my nieces that I miss terribly and the promises that I have to fulfill, I would remain here in the silence much much longer.

It would only be fitting that some things in life are given and taken away. I knew that I went a little overboard buying cameras here. I have a total of 5 new ones now. It is why I am not surprised that the universe would take away at least one from me. In this case, its my original digital camera that I bought straight from Akihabara in Tokyo last year. You know, the one I actually NEED to take photos and post them on my blog. haha. Anyways. My digital is now in camera heaven. Unfortunately, I will not be able to post any up-to-date photos until I get myself a new digital. Until then, here is one that JP took of me at 6:00 am. We were getting ready to drive north to one of the flea markets. I look like death - nerd glasses still on - but at least my new Lomo Diana F looks cute.

can I be a total groupie and not feel totally embarrassed about it. LOL.

It reminded me of the time I met Jonas Mekas in Luxembourg. I remember going to an art show that he was hosting in NYC just to hear him speak. Unfortunately, I was unable to stay long enough to meet him at the show. But then, out of all places, I wind up meeting him at his film screening here in Luxembourg. Fast forward to the other night, I have attempted and failed several times to see Mars Volta live. Ever since my eyes first spotted Cedric and Omar at the Sundance Film Festival a few years back I had a growing curiousity about these two. Who are these guys?? Whats up with the hair? How do they make retro and goth look so good? I recall totally digging their look so much that I even took a snap shot of them. It was only after a while that I found out that that these two mystery guys in my photo were musicians from a hard rock band called the Mars Volta.

When I found out that the Mars Volta would be performing right here in Luxembourg in a small club I was overjoyed.. Of course, I assumed we would be like the only ppl at the show. To my surprise, the place was packed and we were suddenly packed in like sardines. When the music started I suddenly felt like a pebble stuck in a friggin crazy Luxembourgish mosh pit with overly huge men too overly huge to be moshing there overly huge bodies against a not so amused Korean girl. But I wont complain, why? bc Mars Volta friggin ROCK!!!! I was first fascinated by Cedric´s freakishly cryptic look and his perfect body spaz sequences but the real deal is Omar Rodriguez-Lopez on the guitar. Omar is the man! The last time I remember seeing a guitarist make my ass clinch was Benjamin Curtis performing First Wave Intact when he was part of The Secret Machines. Well, Im adding Mars Volta to my "Im going to check them out whenever they´re nearby" list! Their performance was solid and watching the unbelievably frail Omar tear that guitar apart is just sublime.

Okay, enough is enough. Im obsessed with buying old cameras. Okay, its true that I buy them at ridiculously low prices but still, I am running out of luggage space from all my flea market excursions in Europe. Once again, yesterday we commenced our flea market madness at 6:00 a.m. This time, we drove to Belgium. What was suppose to be two massive flea markets in one day turned into 3 massive flea market in one day when we decided to stop at Alon for a drink. As soon as we arrived, to our surprise, ANOTHER flea market. I can tell you that walking around in these markets for hours and hours under the scorching sun is madness! Yeah, we love every minute of it but still its absolute madness!

Of course, somehow I ended up buying another camera. This time it was a Canon AE-1 in absolute mint condition sold basically for nothing by a clueless offspring of a photographer.. After the purchase was done, we decided to get an extra lens for the camera for a couple of euros when suddenly the sister of the clueless offspring appeared out of nowhere to stop her clueless brother from the sale. She immediately took over and demanded the proper price for the lens. hahha.. if we were only a minute faster in the offer.

On the road home, we spotted something that looked a bit odd:

(how is this a gas station???)

Happy 4th of July to my family and friends back home!! I hope the weather is suitable for some nice bbq and fireworks. Fortunately, I was able to celebrate Luxembourg´s version of July 4th last month. Known as the National Holiday, I was told that folks from nearby countries would travel to Luxembourg on this particular holiday and participate in some massive celebration activities. To my surprise, my girlfriend from Tokyo who just happen to be in Germany with her fiance was also driving to Luxembourg for the celebration. What are the chances that I would meet up with an old friend here. It was like meeting Jonas Mekas in Luxembourg.

Well, I have to say that the National Day firework display here in Luxembourg has got to be one of the best firework shows I have seen in a looooong time... this is coming from a person not particularly crazy about them to begin with. I was able to capture a few moments of the 20+ min show on my camera. Hopefully I will be able to download soon.. until then, Happy Independence and enjoy the loong weekend USA!

It was nice to have my cousin come visit for a few days. It was a nice reminder of home. We took a train north of the country to visit The Family of Man exhibition at Chàteau de Clervaux. It was great that this reknown photo exhibition finally retired here in Luxembourg. There were some great photos exhibited in this 500+ exhibition. I particularly felt sentimental of this one from Bert Hardy.



Having YS here gave us incentive for another road trip. This time for a shopping trip to Maastricht, Netherlands. The shopping at Maastricht reminded me of 34th street in Manhattan. Ahhh.. Still, I love road trips. I love exploring.

Good times with my cuz.

In the wacky world of irony it would only be fitting that I should wind up with a car nut. Considering that at age 32 I am still void of a valid drivers license and was never interested in cars (or driving) to begin with I find it quite amusing that JP is a classic car nut! He attends tours all over Europe and this time around I happen to be his co-pilot on a tour here in Luxembourg. It was my second time in his old timer and this time I felt a bit more relaxed being in the passenger seat still void of an airbag and seat belt. Accompanied by an entourage of MG classic car nuts from all over Europe we toured the country side of Luxembourg for about 4 hours. To my surprise the tour was actually quite entertaining. Given the responsibility of guiding us to safe passage through corn fields and small villages I was an "excellent" co-pilot! (although told by a biased individual)

This whole experience with cars and car enthusiasts has slightly peaked my own interest in automobiles. Namely, I have found a car for the first time that would warrant my interest in obtaining a drivers license. It was a car that even I stopped and stared while in Paris. Of course, JP spotted it like a mile away and even insisted that I snap photos. The car is perfectly adorable and a classic. It will be mine someday. But for now, here is a photo that was taken in a friend´s car during the tour. The fine details of this car are nuts... So is the poser behind the wheel!

It´s not often you find someone who is a flea market junkie like yourself. Fortunately, JP and I are on the same page when it comes to antique flea markets. WE LOVE THEM!! Yesterday we woke up at the crack of dawn to head to a market in Diekirch. We were there before all the vendors even arrived. It appears that 6:00 am is the best time to get the best items for the best prices. Case in point: 2 polaroid cameras for 5 euros. Yeah! One of my favorite first purchases was a container full of old vintage matchboxes. The woman selling this must have collected them for most of her life only to have it disappear in 2 minutes for 15 euros. If my ticket stub collection I have collected for over twenty years was ever gone I think I would feel its gap. Especially if it was gone in 2 minutes for only 15 euros. What was the point of collecting in the first place?!

Anyhoot, to my new matchboxes (just some of them):

The other night we decided to go for a drive after work to the largest lake in the country. The weather was perfect to take out JP`s old timer and take it for a spin through the winding roads and vast fields of Northern Luxembourg. It was lovely. I had never driven in a classic car before so the concept of no seat belt and no airbag required a lot getting use to. For a moment, fear gripped me similarly to when we were returning from Basel on German highways - NO SPEED LIMITS!! I remember my silent cries of panic when we hit over 150 mph. I´m not a fan of speed. I prefer granny driving and speed limits and seat belts and airbags and living past 32.

Fortunately, we arrived safely to the lake. JP immediately went in for a dip while I relaxed watching the sun calmly set over the lake. It was beautiful and a perfect relaxation for a Wednesday evening. On our way back we decided to go off the beaten path and stop by an old pub in a small farming village. "What are the chances they will ever have someone from New York in their pub?", JP commented. True. They probably never had a tourist walk through their doors. I suddenly appreciated the moment so much more. There are people that we were meant to meet and then there are people we randomly meet by our random acts.. or is nothing ever really random at all.

I hope these summer nights will take their time passing us by. There is so much more to explore on the road.

(Meant beauty)


(Random beauty)

I read somewhere that Art Basel was the Olymipcs of the International Art World. I have been to many galleries and art fairs over the years but I must concur - Art Basel takes the cake. After 6 long hours of viewing art pieces - one after the other after the other after the other and so on in a labyrinth of endless white dividers.. I came to some realizations:

1. "Oh crap, I thought I did that side of the building!"
2. "What?? there are other floors??"
3. "What other building?"

By evening, we were completely Artd Out. No more! My eyes cannot take them. My brain could not process them. My legs were screaming for rest. The fact that Brad Pitt was wondering these same floors just a few days earlier no longer mattered a bit. I was done with Art Basel. It was fun while my legs lasted.

Perhaps next time, I will bring sneakers, some power bars and $1 million bucks like someone else.

From Art Basel, with love.

Im still trying to get use to the summer nights in Europe. I think this is the closest I have been to experiencing `White Nights` although Im sure this is nothing compared to the real thing. Well, one things for sure, I like it!

Luxembourg outside at 10:06 PM:




On a side note, on an ever expanding mission for my blog I have added a new Followers feature to my blogspot (on the right). Feel free to join and follow this site publically or privately. Toodles.

On our way to Bastogne, Belgium I met a sheep named Michael. I truly believe he was a dog in his past life. He acted like a loyal pup always by your side wanting to be petted. Even when we were leaving he saw us across the field and came dashing over just to say goodbye. Is this for real I thought? Ive never met such a friendly sheep before in my life. Oh, and when his eyes met a local canine taking a stroll - I swear it was love at first sight!!!



Belgium, I love belgium beer!

Bye bye Paris. Hola Luxembourg - again!

I spent the day today window shopping and buying baby clothes for my new baby niece. Around 5 pm I was attacked - by the rice man. I found the nearest Chinese restaurant and agreed to a chinese buffet for 13 euros. Although my quick round of the buffet table surely guaranteed that this would be the worst chinese dinner I would ever have, I was desperate for rice. Needless to say, I feel bad for Luxembourgish people that think Chinese food really tastes like this. It doesnt!! It shouldn`t!!! This is wrong on every culinary level!!

2 hours later - My stomach is still making weird noises.

Paris is beautiful! The weather has been superb since I arrived. The past few days I have indulged in every cliche tourist activity possible. My legs are killing me and I have a slight sunburn on my cheecks. Nevertheless, it was fabulous spending my lazy afternoons shopping and snacking on my 20th croissant. Following the footsteps of Sartre we decided to stopped by Les Deux Magots for some tea. While enjoying my drink and participating in the endless people watching I thought about my life back home. How when I return there will be a new member in my family. The summer will almost be over and it will be a whole year since I left my last job. How I will need to finally make a career decision and commit to it full force. How life may no longer be as simple and relaxing as a lazy stroll along Champs-Elysees on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon.

Greetings from Paris! Shane has been doing a little peek-a-booing!!!

I took this photo of my two friends walking ahead of me somewhere in the landscape of Iceland. I loved the image. I wondered how long before they would disappear beyond the horizon.

So I have decided to relinquish my job post for the time being and return to the road. It was a tough decision to let go of a paycheck (once again) but I know this is the right path for me. There is still so much to see beyond the horizon. This summer I will be touring Europe. My two week trip has now turned into two months. I will continuously post my sightseeing adventures on this site. See you when I get back!

When I use to look at airplanes in the sky I was never the one that wanted to be in one. This was mostly due to my innate fear of flying. My fears were exacerbated after 9/11. I would be lying if all my travels have cured my fear of flying. It has not, I still feel anxiety right before take off and before landing. Nevertheless, now, whenever I see a blinking light moving slowly through the evening sky, my heart sinks and I wish that was me up there.

Speaking of night time, I'm feeling nostalgic tonight. I looked up at the sky this evening and noticed only a handful of stars gracing the dark canvas. How disappointing. My thoughts immediately went to the spring of 2005 when one evening I looked up and my heart wanted to explode with the thousands of stars that appeared close enough to pick off from the sky. I was in Cato Ridge, South Africa. I think life was much simpler back then.

I miss flying. I miss the beauty of Africa.


Cato Ridge, South Africa

Okay, not my last.. but it might be awhile before I can "get away" like this without counting my vacation days. I will be rejoining the workforce society in a month. But before I return to the grind of making a living, I decided I will do some living On The Road before then. So my mission is as follows:

Length: 2 1/2 weeks

Places: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Heidelberg, Trier, Prague, Paris, and Luxembourg.

I hope to visit all of these cities in my short time span. If not, I suppose I will just have to go back.

Every time I think I am on the right path another road magically appears and I realize that I never left this labyrinth.

I am grateful for the pitchforks in my life. They make life more exciting and terrifying at the same time. Too many roads, one choice, make it count!

I'm not sure how one can get lost going to Philadelphia .. but somehow we managed to find ourselves being the suckers to do exactly just that. It took us 4 1/2 hours to finally arrive to Geno's for some cheesesteak. But then again, I flew 6 hours to go see The Secret Machines in concert. Oh the things we do in life to feed the need...

Despite our long day of driving in continuous circles, I enjoyed Philly... and the green boots..

It's that time of the year again.. Last time I was in DC I remember driving around in circles looking for parking.. It left a bad taste in my mouth.. This time I was able to find what I was looking for quite easily:

I'm not sure where the time went since my last entry. Perhaps I was focused too much on being a great tour guide for JP during his trip to NYC. I was busy with many important tourist attractions like visiting my favorite balls...



Nevertheless, I missed my deadline for the next travel article submission which I'm totally bummed about. Hopefully next next issue should I ever get my lazy butt to start thinking creatively again.

Today the thought crossed my mind that I have been void of all work related disciplines for the past several months. Although it was dreadful for me to get into the office by 9:00 am (or something like that) every morning I still made it relatively on time to work for the past umph years. But now, waking up anytime before 11:00 am is an ordeal! Is this a sign that I cannot go back to work?? Am I not ready? I'm not ready - that's for sure. I'm beginning to enjoy my lazy days of doing the little everyday pleasures in life. I still love to work and want to work but not in the conventional 9-5 type of thing.. more like a 11 to whenever schedule. 11:00 am to 1:00 am.. that's cool! This only means that I must go into business for myself, where most of my work occurs at night! (whoa, that sounds shady!)

It's out! My first travel article is published in this month's issue of Audrey Magazine. My next article for the next issue is due this Friday. I'm happy to be able to write about my travel experiences but my gosh, deadlines = dreary days of winter..

I remember taking this photo in South Africa. Sometimes I feel like how I first felt when I peeped through this hole and saw the wall.

There are some things that we are just so naturally good at that it's actually kind of freaky. I've discovered what that "freaky thing" is in my own life - PLANNING. I'm a planner. I'm not just a planner, I'm a SERIOUS PLANNER. In my freshman year in college I planned out my entire course schedules for my freshman year up until my senior year. I just had to know what courses I would be taking four years from now. My childhood friend reminded me recently that I use to do this even when I was in high school. I was the officially 'secretary/planner' for the group. It seems nothing has changed since junior high. I'm still the same obsessive planner.

JP is coming to visit me next month. Even before he confirmed the dates I already had a full itinerary drafted and ready to go. I attempted to make all the restaurant reservations but most wouldn't take my reservations two months in advance. Lol.. My hand written itinerary has been sitting on my dresser for over three weeks now. Today I decided to finally transfer my notes and email the draft over to JP for his review. It was when I started typing the itinerary I suddenly stopped. It hit me: THIS IS CRAZY!!! After he looks at this itinerary he's going to conclude that I'm officially crazy!! The only thing missing are the time slots for us to take a piss. Although I'm sure I would have put that in if I had more room on the paper. (okay, just kidding)

Typically this is something that I would want to chillax... it's border line obsessive but I just can't stop once I start. It's the actual act of planning that excites me.. the thinking, researching, organizing, writing, etc. etc. These pre-steps provide enough satisfaction that something I don't even need to follow through with the execution of the plan. Just planning is enough.. Hence, why the thought of going into event planning often crossed my mind.

Sometimes I wonder why it's so hard for some of us to make a living off of something that we genuinely love to do.

If life was .... like this man's sunday afternoon..

(Seoul, Korea)

I am now certain that my uncertain future was a major cause of my chronic insomnia these past few weeks, among other thoughts.. It's wild the things that creep up in the middle of the night when the rest of the world is dreaming.. My friend, who recently returned from spending some time in a buddhist monestary, told me about the sleeping schedules of monks. Basicslly, they go to bed at 9:00 pm and wake up at 3:00 am everyday. I thought to myself how wonderful that would be if I can do that in my own life.. now that I think about it, most of my verbal regrets uttered have occured between 10:00 pm to 1:00 am... I think I lose a little bit more common sense during those hours.. haha anyways, so why not try this new sleeping schedule out. I may fail miserably but it doesn't hurt to try..

with that said, finally some guidance is being bestowed upon me to make certain my uncertain future.. it just required faith and patience.. two areas of practice that I now know need more practicing in my life.

Watching the inauguration coverage of our nation's 44th President today, I felt a little hopeful of all the possibilities that exist out there for those who hold steadfast to their dreams. Of course, the reality is that some of us may never live to become or do what we dream and hope for in our lives... but it's okay, sometimes what we dream is not what was meant to be.. we were meant for something else.. another place in this world perhaps.. and that could be all the more wonderful as well.

Lately I find myself struggling with what I want and what I know should be good for me.. The logical prudent choices stand right before me but my eyes are wandering to every different possible way that they can... if I can't find answers in such simplicity, I question whether I will ever reach such a gnosis of life at all..

My travel blog is morphing into more of a personal blog.. I hope you don't mind.. Until my next destination.. I shall blah blah blah..

I can't believe it's only 13 days into the new year. Somehow it feels much longer...

I have not made any specific new year resolutions for 2009. I don't even remember my resolutions for 2008, let alone accomplish them. Therefore, I have decided to take on a new motto: Go with the flow....

I am trying new things for 2009. First off, I finally decided to join the rest of society and set up a Facebook account. I tend to be terribly behind when it comes to these types of things.. oh well.

Profile pic: (converse, sidewalk, moschino, crazy night in the west village)



Next up, a friend recommended the works of Tabatha from Sheer Genius, who happens to have a salon in Ridgewood, NJ. I need a new do. My do from Berlin has metamorphosized to something beyond my control. I actually caught the first season of Sheer Genius and remember Tabatha's work on the show. I hope that she will be able to create something new for my portfolio of evolving hairdos.

The last time I was in Los Angeles I was in a different state of mind.. It was when I first had my ephiphany that I should leave my job and travel. My life since then has been just that.

My state of mind this time around is not as drastic.. No ephiphanies.. just a massive exchange of crazy ideas of what I think I should be doing when I return home.. Oddly, just like my last trip to Luxembourg, I have been indoors more than out. I think yesterday was the first day I stepped outside while the sun was still out.. It was refreshing. I couldn't help but think of the days of my youth when I would go away to church retreats. Although, I'm not sure how I connected walking in Los Angeles on a brisk sunny day with a church retreat, but still..

My afternoons in LA have been occupied by sleeping, eating, napping and a Rocky marathon. Saturday afternoon we ended up staying in all day for Rocky I-IV. The sad part is I think this was my third or fourth Rocky marathon. Rocky I is the best.. it draws me in all the time and then I'm totally hooked for parts 2-4 because I'm still perplexed how Sly Stallone was able to write and create such a classic film like Rocky 1.

The highlight of my trip was my very first earthquake last night. Well, it wasn't a serious one but still, the first. We had just finished admiring Jason Statham's 10-pack abs in Death Race when suddenly everything trembled. It was only for a second or two but it was enough for me to declare it as my "very first earthquake". I can't imagine people here experiencing this on a regular basis. I can't imagine how it would be if it was more than just this second tremble but instead the walls were caving in... ahhhhh!! I suddenly miss Luxembourg.

There was a brief moment of sadness when the clock struck midnight. I should have been relieved really but, nonetheless, I still linger whenever there is change.

New York City was freezing cold on New Year's Eve. I stayed in with friends obsessing over our new toy (and recording friend's obsessing over our new toy).

The next day I jumped on the plane for some warmth. So here I am today, in Los Angeles, epitomizing the definition of couch potato. I have been in my pjs all morning, day, evening. (Even when we went out to buy groceries) Nothing makes me happier these days than to bum around in the company of loved ones..

(Jen in bed)



Welcome 2009!