Monday, July 25, 2011

Signs...


Though, I am a Christian, I am a firm believer in signs, particularly signs that come in threes. My mind has been a complete jumble with all the things going on; Summer school, Fall semester starting, and plenty of personal dramas. I have been possessed by my Travel Writing class, so much to the point of almost changing my major to Journalism with an emphasis on Travel Writing. I know, it sounds excessive, but that is just how much I adore this class. Then, I had a thought, what is the core reason I love this class? Aww haa, BECAUSE I LOVE TRAVEL! My first sign came from a good friend's blog. She dedicated her entry to the one year anniversary of how European Backpacking trip. Her trip was wonderful and it made me think of my glorious European Backpacking trip! I knew it was time to return to Europe or anywhere I haven't been yet. My second sign came from the amazing description of Bali, Indonesia that Rita Gelman provided in the book I was reading for class. Bali was described as a magical, enchanting country with warm people and delicious food. This immediately made me think of the movie Eat, Pray, Love and then I decided to watch it. I FELL IN LOVE! The movie was incredible and glorious in every way. Bali was so beautiful, I just knew I had to go there and see for myself! Sign number three was a little bizarre. I was at my last day of my weight loss boot camp. I was waiting for the printout of my after pictures to go along with my before photos. As I waited, I saw a magazine on the table, National Geographic. I normally shy away from the magazine because I find it to be exploitative and too graphic. Well, this time was different. The magazine's title was "100 of the World's Most Fascinating Places You Must See Before You Die", I immediately opened it and read it! It was surreal! All the breathtaking places in South America, the wondrous art oriented lands of Europe, and the magical ancient areas of Asia had me hooked. That was the last sign, I knew it was time for me to continue with my travels. I have mapped out a list of places I want to go from order according to geography. I plan to start my journeys the summer of 2012 with Lisbon, Portugal being my first country and city. I will then trek through Italy, Malta, Greece, Austria, Croatia, and eventually make my way to Japan. Before the trip of 2012, I will take small, local trips. First, I'm heading to Belize for a little grown n sexy, newly 25 birthday fun. And from then on, I will make it a point to travel to places I have never been no matter near or far. I will be going to Canada, Mexico, and several US. cities. I have no children, husband, or other moral obligations; I OWE IT TO MYSELF TO HAVE ALL THESE INCREDIBLE JOURNEYS BEFORE I AM MOM AND WIFE! I know theses trip will cost, but the experience will be utterly priceless. I cannot wait to embark on theses new journeys and document the experiences. Now, I just hope my next signs will be an indication of the money I will be receiving to finance these glorious trips!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Let's do the Time Warp!


So many people would jump at the opportunity to fast-forward the past and get to the present. They don't mind missing the middle to get to the end. Thankfully, I am not one of those people. I adore the past because it reminds me of so many wonderful memories. And I don't regret my past, I may regret some of the things I did, some of the people I spent it with, but never the entire past. It made me who I am today, so I relish it always. I recently saw Midnight in Paris with my aunt and a friend. Now, normally I am completely anti-Woody Allen (I can't get pass the whole, married adopted daughter thing), but this movie completely won me over! I was pleasantly surprised to see that this movie carefully and cleverly combined the beauty of art and literary titans like Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, and Gertrude Stein. The writing, dialogue, and prose of the movie was sensational and the historical value was especially cool. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I am also happy that I could stomach watching Owen Wilson on screen (he usually bores me and makes me gag). This movie also reminded me of one of my favorite travel excursions to Paris four years ago. I did not have nearly enough time to truly enjoy Paris for the wondrous city is it, but I vow to go back and live each day there like its' my last. Watching the movie also inspired my current writing assignments in my Travel Writing class. This class is so cool because it forces me to remember some of my best experiences traveling all over the world. This makes me happy because I am happiest when I am traveling. Summer is almost over and I have been in school for a year and 7 months, so it is time for a trip. Though it is not international, next trip is to L.A. for a little R & R. I can't wait to soak up some delicious sun with a side of cool summer beach breezes!