Travel Tips

I really enjoy travelling, experiencing different environments, customs, people, and seeing things for the first time around all corners of our wonderful planet. One thing I don’t like so much? The actual “travelling”. You know… the airports, airplanes, packing, and security check-ins, basically all of those things we have to do in order for us to be able to get to our destination. Having collected my fare share of frequent flyer miles, I have a few tricks I want to share with you and maybe this will make your next trip experience more enjoyable.
Dress comfortably. I like to wear jeans, or leggings, and slip on flats, or sandals. This is a good idea, not only so you can sit on those uncomfortable airplane seats for long flights but also to be able to pass through security without any issues. Depending on the weather in my destination, of course, think of shoes you can remove and put back on easily without having to waste too much time.
Get cozy. Airplanes get cold 30,000 feet off the ground so I try to be prepared by bringing my own “blanket.” I carry with me a scarf made up of a soft, warm material to keep warm on the plane. Also, I bring ankle sox just in case my feet get cold. I choose ankle sox because they can be rolled up into a small ball and I can place them in my purse without taking up too much space.

Easy access. At the airport you will be showing your identification, passport, ticket, etc. at many checkpoints throughout. I don’t want to be digging in my purse every time, risking that something important may fall off in the process. You don’t want to be juggling around your ID’s, purse, carry-on, suitcase, and cell in your hands, it’s just too much. I use a passport cover to store my passport, ID, and ticket. It’s all neatly organized and it’s only one thing to store away or take out of my bag. Simple.

Be colorful. Watching the conveyer belt go around carrying a sea of black bags inspired me to be bold and different. I want my bag to stand out so even if I’m across the way of the baggage claim area I can still spot my luggage coming down. Anything but black is good, really. If you can’t afford to change your current black luggage try a colorful tag, it’ll do the trick as well.

Ready for anything. I always carry with me inside my purse gum, and travel versions of these items; hand lotion, hand sanitizer, Dramamine, tissue paper and eye drops. I’ve learned from past experiences that airport stores, although convenient, are very expensive. I choose to have these things with me and not have to worry if anything ever happens. Make sure you do too, wouldn’t want you to miss your flight because you’re standing in line at a gift shop or newsstand.

Attention Shoppers!

Halloween is over so it only means one thing. The holiday season is upon us. One of my favorite things to do is to go through Neiman Marcus’ The Christmas Book catalog and take my pick at the gifts that call my attention and wish to get every year. This also includes the oh so extravagant, and over-the-top expensive fantasy gifts. A girl can dream, can’t I? I definitely recommend you take a look at the book. If you don’t get the catalog delivered you can flip through it online.
Without further ado, here is a list of the goodies that I’m so including in my Dear Santa’s letter. Hehe!

Aquatalia mink-cuffed boots $795. They are waterproof, have a cute, stylish, wedge and they come in expresso and black. You can match it with any outfit this winter.

Gucci Vintage Boston bowler bag $990.00
It has the same style as a LV Speedy which I love. Gucci is one of my favorite design labels so this would be a very nice addition to my handbag collection. I specially like the vitage green and red stripe right down the middle. Very festive!

Juicy Couture ballet flats $195.00
These flats are super cute! I love wearing heels, but sometimes it gets to be too much at the office. Having trendy, comfortable shoes to switch it up is a must.
Byte By Teso suede and fur vest $2,750.00 Fur vests are in this season and this trend looks good and is practical for those cool fall days and nights.
Michael Kors cashmere coat $2,795.00
This coat is the perfect glamorous look to walk around in a snowy night. Very sex and the city. I wanted a white coat for a while now and this is the perfect one!

Edible Gingerbread Playhouse by Dylan’s Candy Bar $15,000.00
I love making gingerbread houses for the holidays. They are a really entertaining way to pass the time and they’re fun to eat too! So why not indulge on this house and eat your way out of it!

Candy Corn and a Side of Gore

In honor of Halloween this weekend I wanted to talk about the thing I like to do during the month of October to get in the mood for all hollows eve. I usually get in the festivity mood by watching horror flicks. For instance, this year I started with Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). Although I am an avid movie buff, horror is probably at the bottom of my favorite genre list, if not dead last. However, nothing says to me Halloween like cozying up on my couch with tons of candy, popcorn, soda, chips and scary movies such as these.

The Shining (1980) – Knowing that you’re all alone with no contact with the outside world and your husband turned into a deranged killer? Movie magic! This movie has many memorable cinematic scenes and lines that makes for an instant horror classic. I love Jack Nicholson’s performance. He is so good is frightening.

Halloween (1978) – I like that fact that is low budget independent film. Some cool trivia about this movie? It was filmed in the spring in southern California so in order to portray fall in Illinois the crew had to hand-paint leaves in autumn colors and reuse them over and over for different locations. Also, the director considered the hiring of Jamie Lee Curtis as the ultimate tribute to Alfred Hitchcock who had given her mother, Janet Leigh, legendary status in Psycho.

Psycho (1960) – Creepy is definitely the word I would use to describe this film. A grown man living alone with the corpse of his dead mother is enough of a twist to send chills down your spine. The main character suffers from a really bad case of multiple personality disorder in which he takes on the role of his mother to murder those that “she” believes stand in the way of their mother-son relationship.

Sleepy Hollow (1999) – alright, so this isn’t technically horror but I’ve loved the headless horseman story since I was very little. I like this version with Johnny Depp because I like how he develops characters and also like how Tim Burton direction is visually rewarding and adds to the eerie, mystical feel of the film.

The Exorcist (1973) – This movie is terrifying. Period. Scary movies involving children always creeps me out, but this one takes the cake. The demonic manifestations on Linda Blair’s character are nightmare inducing. You can’t watch this film alone.

A Night in Salem

It was a unusually warm and foggy night, perfect to walk around Salem, Massachusetts with all the Halloween activites that are going on for Haunted Happenings. Last night I went out with my friends from California. I barely get to see them so I was extremely excited to share and spend some time with them. She and her husband along with two other local friends joined me at this kitschy Thai restaurant called Bangkok Paradise downtown. The atmosphere was very relaxed. Because of the season, the restaurant had all kinds of Halloween decorations which added to our festive mood. There was a jazz band playing in the background and some of the regulars were singing kareoke to their favorite tunes. One of them sang Ella Fitzgerald’s I Got You Under My Skin, classic!

For appetizers we had edamame, of course, and chicken satay with peanut sauce. I always used to open the pod with my hands and pop the soy bean in my mouth, but my friend suggested a a better way. Just put the pod in your mouth and squeeze the beans out. That way you get the salt from the pod to season the bean. Very tasty.

For entrée we had pad thai, and sushi rolls. The pad thai was extremely saucy and delicious. I had never tried this dish before, but my girlfriend told me that of all the pad thai’s she’s had this one was on the good side of her scale. I believe I may be coming back here for some more Thai food in the near future.
The sushi was ok, nothing expectacular. I hadn’t had sushi in a while though, mostly because not many of my friends enjoy it as much as I do, so if I’m craving it that means I have to fly solo. I think sushi is a dish meant to be shared so it’s not that fun to get it by myself.

We talked about everything and nothing for a couple of hours over martinis and scotch. We made plans for me to visit California real soon given that I haven’t been back since their wedding. All in all, I had a great night with friends breaking from the norm of my routine in one of the funnest cities in October. I totally recommend you check it out before November first gets here. Cheers to good company!

One Day at a Time: Day 36

Last night I was watching an episode of How I Met Your Mother. The main story line was about how Ted changes his personality every time he meets a girl he likes. For instance, there was a montage where he was shown in hiking gear ready to go out with a girl that was outdoorsy even though he’s not, and so forth.

As I watched I thought about how maybe I have done that before and was never really aware.I thought about the things that I like that may have been influenced by him and see if it was really something I had an interest for or in fact it was my favorite because of him.

My favorite rapper, Jay-Z, is he really MY favorite? When it comes to rap I don’t really mind it, I can listen to it, but it’s really not my favorite genre, I think I have maybe like 10 rap songs all together on my Ipod and they are just really popular songs. My favorite music has always been Latin Pop. I probably know and own thousands of such type and my favorite artists are all from this genre. So I think it is safe to say that Mr. Sean Carter, although I do enjoy listening to his music from time to time and I do respect him as a business man, is not my favorite.

How about my favorite show, The Office? The Office was a show my brother introduced me to on their sophomore season after he watched the first one and really enjoyed the fresh, new way of shooting and producing a TV sitcom. I then promoted it to all my friends and turned most of them into avid Office fans, including him, so this one is mine and I’m sticking with it.

Finally, there are the few people that I became friends with while we were together, do I really wanted to build a relationship with them or was I just being cordial because of him? All the friends that I so desperately wanted to get approval from and would go to great lengths for them to like me so he could see that I was to be liked, well….he can keep them. I don’t miss them. I’ll keep my own.

I guess that I too, like Ted, would change my personality to adjust the object of my desire’s interests. Coming to this realization has made me understand that I don’t really have to do that at all. I can have my own interests, likes, hobbies without having to be all matchy-matchy with him. However, by trying new things is how you learn and are able to pass better judgment on whether you will like and enjoy something you never thought you would.

P90X – Office Edition

Today I’m starting P90X with my co-workers. No we’re not having sweat sessions at the office, that’s gross. We will each individually do the videos at home and share our results every week around the water cooler. Primarily we are doing this to serve as each other’s motivation and to keep each other on check.
It’s not the first time that we have engaged in some kind of physical activity competition in my office. Two years ago we had our own version of The Biggest Loser in which I won, twice! I lost 25 lbs. in total back then, but as of today I’ve gained most of it back 😦
I’m one of those people that once I get into it I can do it. My problem has always been motivation. That’s definitely something I have to work on my own, but for now I’ll use my co-workers’ support in order to achieve my fitness goals.
So here is to a whole month working hard to lose a few extra pounds, hopefully the lovehandles too, and to try to gain enough motivation and confidence to be able to continue on my own.