c'est la vie!

So I've been a bit M.I.A from the world of blog...here's what I've been up to:

• visiting Oxfordshire and its respective University
• entertaining/touring friends around London, namely THE Lena Wong
• catching up with Desperate Housewives
• scouting out Christmas Lights
• Gym-ing it (yeah...I know, right?!)
• three main attractions: Kensington Palace, The Globe Theater, and Tower of London
• Leather Lane Market

Oxford University - to say the least is my idea of HEAVEN in England. It is extremely picturesque and is everything that you'd ever imagine England to be. It truly is a college town and as is everything else in England, very old. The streets are tiny, the streets are cobble stoned, and the air is so crisp and refreshing.

Professor Faught graciously arranged a day excursion to the city that lies about 3 hours away by train from London. The station is about a 10 minute walk from the city centre, but when you do finally reach it, the spirit of the community is thick in the air. It is the oldest university in the English speaking world and is divided into 38 colleges. Honorable mentions include:

• Christ College - most aristocratic college having graduated 13 PM, sets the scene for parts of Harry Potter
• University College - where our 42nd President was once a pupil
• Wadham College - where my friend Lena Wong is currently studying abroad, away from her educational home of Swarthmore College.

Perfectly manicured lawns, beautiful autumn trees, and a community culture all its own was enough reason for arousing envy amongst the LMU crowd. Yes we have our 70+ degree weather all year 'round, but some distinct seasonal change would be nice from time to time. Also, not to mention their tutorial style of education where students are tutored one on one on a daily basis, averaging about one tutor to 19 tutees! The cost of attending Oxford is currently £3,145/year for home/EU residents, but the cost for international students is about £30,000...yeah...so even if I did re-apply to college all over again, I highly doubt mom & dad would allow me to attend Oxford just because of the landscaping...

...the coolest part of Oxford University was the Bodleian Library which was recently converted into a copyright library, meaning that it has records of all books that have passed through its thresholds sine the 16th century. Books three stories above your head (there's a cap on how tall buildings can be) and then swarm miles below and around you. Unfortunately visitors were not allowed to enter the library without a special permit...

...if you're ever in the London area, I highly recommend taking a day trip out to Oxfordshire, it truly stands out as a city of its own and shows much contrast in culture that is refreshing amongst the hustle & bustle of the city.

Weekend with Lena Wong - more like Saturday with Lena since she had to rush back to Oxford due to a previously scheduled engagement, but nonetheless, it was time well spent. Unfortunately, the Circle line - though always tardy and overcrowded - was closed for the weekend and made inter-city travel extremely inconvenient and round-about. Nonetheless, via cell phone and strategic maneuvering against holiday shopping (you wouldn't know that there was a credit crisis if you looked at how many people were out), Lena and I were able to reunite in Oxford Circus.

Alan Yau, a restauranter originally from Hong Kong, is a household name when it comes to a broad price range of dining and epicurean delights. He is most notable for creating Wagamama, Cha Cha No Hana, Hakkasan, & Yauatcha - notably Asian/Asian fusion restaurants, until he brought Princi, an Italian bakery chain from Milan, to Soho - which I've recently self proclaimed as my favorite part of London (think: San Francisco w/ an English Twist). There's something so comforting about this place that the moment you walk in, you never want to leave. Maybe it's the eternity water taps that line the right side of the room, the glistening marble, the smell of fresh bread, or the colorful, nearly-brilliant, ingredients. That day Lena and sampled pizza, a variety of salads, and olive bread.

Delicious - is an understatement. The olive bread alone made me want to come back for more (and I have to, I didn't even make a dent into the dessert selection!). Let me attempt to describe my infatuation with this simple piece of baked dough -crispy, but not hard; olives in every bite (olive to dough ratio was probably at least 2:1), and each luscious green olive was stuffed with a piece of cheese. Upon baking, it had melted into the dough and made it so moist and if you were lucky enough to have a stick that was super melted, you got this satisfying crunch and saltiness from the red-orange crust. Perfection.

The rest of the day was spent touring Berwick Street Market, Carnaby Street, and most notably Oxford Street that was lined with THE LARGEST (and scary!) Topshop, Miss Selfridge's, Liberty Department Store, and a variety of other shops. Note to self: never shop (even if it's just window shopping!) at any London Circus on a weekend EVER again. Mom, this was no "yoga" session, by the time I got back, I felt like I had just wrestled my way through a herd! And mind you, squeezing my way back to the tube was no easy feat!

A relaxing, much needed night-in -While a large proportion of my flatmates went to go see Joseph & the Technicolored Coat, I spent the night-in catching up on nearly 4 episodes of Desperate Housewives. A small group of us Desperate-fanatics seemed to have created a therapy group and pitched in dollars, crowns, and pounds to d/l the shows off of itunes to satisfy our American TV fix. And you would have thought this would have happened amongst the Grey's crowd - nope! Not to mention, the group isn't entirely female either....

Anyhow, four episodes, three dramatic outbursts and about five hours later - I had caught up with the show, had my "home sickness" cured by Scott's spontaneous desire to bake chocolate chip cookies (which I must say were MOUTHWATERING! and may even rival my own...). You know...there's something about hanging out with guys that is just so much more "chill" than women. For the large portion of the evening we all just sat...and co-existed independently. No words, the occasional "OMG" reaction or "oh guys, check this out..."but other than that, we all just sat, did our own thing and it was fabulous. Cheers to Flat 14, you guys life so much easier to live :D

Scouting out Christmas - So with the lack of Thanksgiving combined with the disappointment that was Halloween (though I've never really been a fan of it to begin with...I know party pooper...) England, and probably much of Europe goes from Halloween straight to Christmas - and for good reason. Why would the English celebrate the achievements of the American colonists that did not impact their bottom line?

Anyhow, in the spirit of Christmas and to to feed the sheer enthusiasm that Justine has for the holiday - we set out to find Christmas lights (or what was already put up, the wattage and celebrations are expected to quadruple once we hit December). So we visited Regent's Street which is decked out with giant stars hanging from one side of the street to the other (and looks as if Spiderman had been there...), Oxford Street (chandeliers - gorgeous), and Harrod's (completely covered in lights). I love how festive the British are...where are the lights MV?!?!? One measly Christmas tree at City Hall just won't do!

The Gym...believe it or not my dear readers, but I am an active member (keyword: ACTIVE) of Imperial College Gym. I run to/from (yep...the girl with the ASL injury w/ a cadaver tendon is running on concrete on a tri, sometimes even quad - weekly basis) the gym and my flat. So...when sociologists were talking about how peer/community pressure really sets a tone on adolescent behavior and eating habits...they weren't lying. In California I was SUPER cautious and self conscious about every single calorie that I consumed relative to how much I exercised that day. The moment I stepped onto European/British soil, that belief went out the window. Yes, British people are larger than Americans (and maybe even rival the good ol' US of A in percentage of obese citizens) but the European mindset also really set in to me. I felt less conscious of what I was eating, probably consume more sweets than I should, but I always walk pretty much everywhere, climb more stairs on a daily basis, eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full.

Imperial College Gym is tiny - maybe half of the size of LMU. The hours are restrictive (all day on weekends, but only 7am-12pm M-F and 2pm-5pm MTRF) but its a good escape from the flat and they have this super school ab machine weight machine thingy. OH another thing, this will be a shocker for mom and dad - I gym it before 8am....breathe...I know right?!?!?

The Attractions - Kensington Palace (KP), Globe Theater (GT), Tower of London (ToL)- to sum it up as a melange of random bullet points:

• KP - Princess Diana lived there with her two sons
• KP - Princess Di's dresses are there and she was extremely thin and tall, really gorgeous
• KP - The last debutantes to have been presented there was in 1958
• KP - To be a deb was EXTREMELY expensive
• KP - vintage deb stuff is REALLY cool
• GT - There's no roof and thus, its freezing
• GT - It's not on its original site, it had to be rebuilt after it caught on fire...?
• GT - At most, due to costs of paying actors, a play was rehearsed once and actors only had 3 hours to memorize the scripts
• GT - Plays were shown in the afternoon as lighting was dependent on the sun
• GT - I have new found respect for Shakespeare, but I still can't stand his stuff
• ToL- the free tour is awesome
• ToL-yeoman (beefeater) and their families live there
• ToL- it takes MANY years (like 2-3 decades) to be a beefeater
• ToL - the term "beefeater" came from the fact that yeomen were fed beef everyday, beef was received for an elite class of people and that's what they were nicknamed
• ToL- crown jewels are bomb.com
• ToL-after hearing about all the torture and conspiracy that went on during the active time period of the Tower, though fascinating, I'm glad I didn't live during that era....the thing people will do to other people...it's disgusting.
• ToL- if you ever visit - don't eat lunch before you go, you'll lose it.

Leather Lane - Is off of Clerkenwell Street about 4 blocks from my place of work. It's where leather manufacturers used to go and trade/sell their stuff in the old days. Today - it's lined with jewelry stores and stalls selling cheap clothes, random stuff, and food. Basically...Leather Lane is my new place to get cheap food. Given today's exchange rate (if the credit crisis brought any silver linings, it's the favorable exchange rate to the sterling), I can get a huge sandwich/wrap/other lunch items for about $3 and be STUFFED - its WONDERFUL :D

To look forward to in the next post

• Proper Afternoon High Tea @ the Cadogan Hotel
• Toni&Guy Hair Academy...
• Belgium
• Scotland

Peace - <3 - Food

So you know you've got a obssession with food when...

...you lie in bed awake at night, even though you have to be up and dressed for work in about 3 hours, thinking about what you can do with an ingredient that needs using.

...in your free time (or in deep trance of procrastination) you scope out food blogs and look up British cityguide/yelp equivalents of where to go to eat.

...your idea of souvenir from each country you visit is chocolate.

...you make it your mission to sample the country's national dish when you travel.

...you pick what country to travel to based on their food.

...you have no shame in window shopping for food and giving it the once "over"

...your idea of relaxation is walking through a grocery store/food retailer

...the sight of an open-air food market makes your day 10x better

...you think about your next meal when you haven't even finished your current one.

I could go on and on and on...it's terrible. Others my age find peace and serenity in music, fashion, celebrity gossip, computer games and me? I find comfort in a warm bowl of stew on crisp, London day, will walk to the ends of the world to find outstanding, dark chocolate; and become overly elated when I bite into a perfectly, round, crisp green apple.

Today for lunch I had Cajun chicken gumbo stew over brown rice from soup and salad (http://www.soupandsalad.co.uk/home.html). For less than £5 I got a steaming bowl and a green apple. What made it phenomenal was the chopped Italian parsley, really brought out the punchiness of the tomatoes and spices and left the palate with a nice fresh, clean feeling. The one that I went to is on the edge of The City and East London. Being Friday, Spitafields Market was nearby and in full bloom during the business lunch hour so I headed over to browse through the vintage, the collectible records, local artwork, clothing, jewelry and other crafts. What I found and fell in love with was an organic bittersweet chocolate brownie from Flour Power City Bakery (http://www.flourpowercity.com/) which was, as they put it "£2.20 per indulgence" - yes it's an expensive price to pay for a slab (yes, that's right, a slab of brownie) but it truly was an indulgence that even the greatest of chocoholics could not finish in one sitting. Days in London where it doesn't rain is godsend. Being it overcast, cloudy, or ideally sunny - as long as it's not raining, it's a great day. I love being able to walk everywhere or catch the tube as needed, no worries about breaking traffic laws, parking, or crashing into something (heaven forbid!). Plus I think it helps me out on the food front, I would end up coming home as a whale if London didn't force me to walk everywhere.
This experience thus far, that is, all the little things about London, has reiterated what I've always known - that at the end of the day, you are ultimately the one who decides whether or not you are happy. Sure at the end of the day we've all got our own share of problems and our skeletons in the closet, but the length of one's life is so minuscule when compared in relation to the age of the world - why not cherish it? appreciate it? find joy - regardless of how big in size.

This past summer was really revolutionary for me in that I wasn't sleeping much, not because I couldn't, but just because I really didn't have the time (sleep is for the weak anyway...j/k!). My summer was essentially: class, work, class, homework, "sleep." All day and everyday. If I wasn't working, than I would be tending to my online class. Soon enough, I eventually lost myself in solid work. With Derrick & Lena in LA, Shelly in Seattle, Justin in New York, Tina shuffling around the bay area, and Shally, Olivia, and Cheryl working 9-5 themselves, the day left little for socializing anyway. So when I did find to breathe, I spent it with my mother.



My mom is one of my best friends. She is my source of inspiration. She motivates me to do my best. She is funny. She is a nut. I looked forward to our evening walks to do "yoga" and my days off when we would drive 40 minutes deep into San Jose to pig out on Vietnamese food and then curse ourselves for eating so much. I find the most comfort in her hugs and tells me about her day and the weird stories she's heard or people that she's encountered. She is also my reminder that the world is your playground and the sky is the limit given where she's been, what she's seen and how much she has accomplished. She is also the one that reminds me to breathe.

Somewhere within the last six months my whole point of view of the world shifted and changed. Others have brought it to my attention that I'm overly "chill." I'm no longer as uptight as I used to be, no longer feeling that I need to have every minute of my day structured and laid out in black and white, while still ambitious, yet spontaneous and willing to just "go with the flow" and see where life takes me. When my good friend from high school Lena pointed out my change in behavior, I have to admit that I was a little taken back and didn't quite know how to react. But you know, structure is great and all, but man is it easier than ever to breathe. You can plan as much as you like, but living life believing that something is going to go wrong isn't healthy.

So really...here's to life and the small pleasures that make it worthwhile, to the people that we maintain relationships with who care and love us unconditionally, to embracing every moment of every day, and not sweating the small stuff.

avec joie de vivre,
<3 Kimmie

Happy Election Day

I voted for Obama for my mama :D
...who just came back from New Zealand, welcome home Mom (& Jim)!

FA: Food-a-holics Anonymous

Hello World :D

I am writing from my desk as Administrative Creative Assistant to Other* Creative Limited. Please check us out at http://www.other.co.uk/. I am blessed to be located in an area that is very SpIcY with character, despite being located amongst the stiff white starched collars known as THE CITY (of London) - home to business buffs, head honcho, big cheeses...the works.

My current responsibilities include making place cards (ironic since in my last job, the company sold them...), answering phones, and brainstorming new formats for the Medical Foundation's (MF) Welcome Packs to new donors. The MF aims to provide care and resources to those who have been victims of torture. As a nonprofit, they find it difficult to keep the giving feeling alive and therefore create welcome kits that they send out to new donors. Unfortunately, if they look snazzy and cool, it costs too much and they get no donations. So they simplified it to the bare minimum and they still received no donations. So...this is where my job comes in: to be creative, cost effective, yet punchy! My supervisor and I meet next week...we'll see how it goes from there.

HIGH point of my days @ work: I get a £10 stipend for lunch everyday which allows me to fully engage my taste buds in the rather pleasing side of British fare. So far I've fulfilled my cravings for Englished -Pho, Japanese chicken curry, and Indian vegetarian curry. So basically...this week I've decided to avoid the main soup/sandwich chains such as EAT., Pret a Manger, and all those other shops who overcharge you for lunch meat between two slices of bread for South Asian fare. Plus its so much more filling and complementary to the freezing cold =]

On my walk to lunch today, originally aimed at this place called Soup and Salad off Aldgate, I ran into a street market that is there Monday through Friday called the Whitecross Market off...Whitecross! It's a mix between a flea market with random things under £5 such as socks, leggings, batteries, jewelry, pants, etc. and all these little food stands and shacks on wheels. Today for £3 I got 2 vegetable curries, basmati rice, and whole wheat naan. Unfortunately I couldn't find a place to sit and sitting under a tree seemed like an ideal thing to do....if it wasn't 30 degrees outside....next week I might have a falafel sandwich, fresh bratwurst, or a fire baked pizza.

So basically...in short:

Hi, my name is Kimmie and I am a Food-a-holic. I've been at it for 20 years and my addiction has increased significantly in the past six weeks though I expected it to decrease. British fare is heavy and on the disgusting side, though I haven't had any. However, London proves to be its own melting pot by offering so many options of international fare. Also, I don't know what they do to their cows but British yogurt and milk seems to taste so much better than California's. Those "real cheese from from happy cows. happy cows from from California" commericals are gonna get a run for their money.



I also made my premier trip to the GIANT Whole Foods on High Kensington Street yesterday and I was overwhelmed and baffled. With the leaves changing color and the temperature dropping so quickly, I craved pumpkin and treated myself to a pumpkin loaf. I nearly died in bliss when I found their chocolate bar AISLE of locally made chocolate bars ranging in cocoa content, mix-ins (including Himalayan salt, pink peppercorns, and honeycomb dust), and even featured vegan chocolate. I know...we have Whole Foods in California, so what am I doing? Well let me tell you, they also have a on the spot, fresh nut grinder for fresh nut-butters! Crazy cool, but I probably won't be coming in soon.


Also, what's up with London and their food halls! Every department store seems to have one - Marks & Spencer's, Harrod's, Fortnum & Mason - everyone has one!


Looping back up to the work front...the building we're housed in used to be an old hat making factory in the late 18th century until they realized that everyone was dying off from mercury-poisoning....just my luck right? Well...if that doesn't get, I'm still gambling my chances from catching some sort of Hepatitis from Prague, and if that doesn't get me...I'm not sure. I think I'll make my way over to Boots next week to get my flu shot...


...and another thing, they don't use the heater here...so I feel like I'm sitting in a closet freezer 95% of the time. Also day light savings reached London a week earlier than California, so it starts dark by 3:45 in the afternoon...sad...so sad...but nonetheless, I'd rather bite the bullet and walk home in the cold/darkness amongst walking commuters than face the tube traffic. Yesterday, a lady literally took a running start and then proceeded to JUMP into the tube. Her bum was on the larger side and a lady on deck had to help her push it in in order to "mind the door" since they wouldn't close! London-ers really do pack themselves as tight as sardines into a can - can't say I'll never be THAT desperate to make it to work on time. I think mom would agree with me that it would be better to talk for an hour instead of getting shoved into someone's armpit and breathe in who-knows-what in the tube.

P.S. Happy Halloween :D Given how cold it is, I've decided to be a mime =P


avec joie de vivre,

<3 Kimmie

Week break - Destination: Italy & Spain

Hello - Bonjourno - Hola - Hi!
8 days, 5 cities, and crazy times!

Be prepared for a MEGA post!
I don't even know where to begin to describe this amazing experience; words will never fully describe it in all its justice, but here goes! Shout out to my mamcita and Jim who are currently trekking through New Zealand in celebration of their wedding anniversary and mama's birthday! Thank you for always keeping me grounded, but letting me spread my wings and fly!

Friday, Saturday, 10.16-17.2008 - Destination: Stanstead London Airport
I basically lost a day of my life because well...I never slept to end Friday and I never woke up to a Saturday. Our flight via Ryanair left at 6:35am on Saturday morning, the tube closes at 12am and opens again at 6am, therefore the best and only real way to get there was my bus, walking, and then coach. We left the flat at 2am and made our way over to Stanstead Airport. It's roundabout travels and inconvenient times like these that allow students with small budgets to travel far and wide. On the positive side, it makes for some pretty good laughs. The night buses in London are notorious for drunks because they run all night, so there we were - at least eight girls and one very tall boy with all our luggage amongst the drunks and the annoyed bus driver. It also doesn't help that the buses are usually late because most of the drivers figure that its late, they're picking up the pissed (drunk in London lingo!) who don't really have a sense of time anyway!

ON A SIDE NOTE: British men aren't so fabulous. I mean yes, sure there's the accent and everything - but that only lasts so long. Their hygiene isn't up to par and apparently they don't believe in orthodontist because I haven't met a single English lad with straight teeth! Though I'm not looking for a person of the opposite gender (HI DERRICK :D), its always interesting to see whose heads you make turn. Living amongst 10 other women and in place of the lack of television, the love lives of my flatmates has become the new soap to watch! So while a large handful are having some sort of romance, while other hearts are being broken - my newly discovered long lost twin sister from different mothers (Justine!) and I discovered that the only attention that we manage to pool fall into one of the following categories:
* the over 40 crowd (umm...hi gross dude, do you realize you could be my dad?!?!)

* construction workers (it's in their blood?)

* bus drivers
* creepy, self absorbed weirdos (hi, could you BE anymore into yourself?)
so please imagine how I felt when a 40+ year old Indian bus driver handed me his number on my out....he had the broken, just from India, English accent and everything! On the plus side...if the GBP decides to gives the USD a run for its money overnight by the end of my stay here in London (knock on wood!), I might give him a call just for the free meal...JUST KIDDING!

Saturday, 10.18.08 - Destination 1: Pisa

Bonjourno! from Pisa, Italy. Barely an hour off the plane, some puzzling stares at the ticket machine and language barriers and the lot of us are off to see the leaning tower and grab our first cone of gelato! Aside from the tower....there's not much to do there, so when in Pisa, please do the following:
* travel over to the leaning Tower with all your luggage, it's what all the cool people are doing
* take a normal picture for Mom with the tower behind you
* take a pushing/kicking/leaning picture with the tower. I wish I had taken a picture of all the people doing this, because literally EVERYONE in Pisa is either taking a picture, having their picture taken, or trying to sell you something.

Saturday, 10.18.08 - Destination: Firenze!
A train ride later...we reach Firenze and after a few wrong turns of the map and a hike down multiple skinny city streets we find our hostel. In steep contrast to London, it was HOT! I was not prepared!!! Despite the lack of sleep with the conclusion of Finals and our morning spent traveling, we all headed out to explore. After spiraling down multiple skinnier streets and getting lost, we found this restaurant that was supposed to be gosh darn amazing - but - it was closed! Why? Italians just don't eat dinner at 4:30p.m.! hahaha. So instead, we found a small cafe, took advantage of their happy hour special of pizza Margarita and fanta! About 12 pizzas later we took a much needed hike to Piazza Michelangelo which has THE best view of Firenze EVER:

Sunday, 10.19.08 - Destination: Cinq Terre - Riomaggiore & Manarola!

Being as warm as it was and convinced by a recommendation (SHOUT OUT to CATHERINE ABALOS!), five of us girls decided to break away from the larger group and escape North! We trekked back to the train station the next morning and took the first train to Cinq Terre where my craving for "Italy" was fulfilled. It was literally everything that I had pictured Italy to be, down to the window covers, the laundry lines, and rotund, wrinkly Italian grandmothers yelling across the way from their windows. Technology has not severely impacted or commericalized this region the way Firenze, Pisa, or Roma has been. Though it was a tourist spot, I felt it was our little secret. The heels are steep, the greenery lush and vibrant, the population - elderly but it GREAT shape! We hiked along the steep streets of Riomaggiore, ate varieties of foccacia bread (I am a prouder epicureans of anchovies, tomatoes, and cheese!) and wet our feet in the Medditerranean Sea in our own private beach! Manarola was just as gorgeous, but a wee bit more rocky. When I grow old and decide that I've through with the city - I've decided that I will be one of those rotund, wrinkly grandmothers yelling from the windows of Riomaggiore.

Favorite place in Italy: Marina in Riomaggiore

Monday, 10.20.08 - Destination: Firenze, Roma
Firenze is one of the most walkable cities in the entire world. We were able to get around so easily on foot - it was wonderful! No car, no parking, no worries! Unfortunately we weren't able to see a lot of the famous pieces of art because a lot of the museums are closed on Mondays, but that didn't rain on our parade! We visited The Dome, shopped at the San Lorenzo Market, ate gelato, GIANT calzones, and by night fall; half of us headed to Rome while the others headed to Milan.

In getting to Rome, we decided to budget our travels a bit and instead of taking the 1.5 hour train that would have cost us $100, we took the 4 hour train that cost us about $30. About 3.7594 hours of delirium into the train ride later we saw a sign for ROMA and got SUPER excited due to mad cabin fever. Add excitement, tiredness, anticipation, and ladidadida; we got out of seats and waited for the train to stop and while the doors opened - briefly wondered why the rest of the train wasn't getting up and moving about. So I decided to ask someone. Through some poor Italian and a mix of English, I asked....Roma? Termini? The lady responds...uhhhh...no...um...next! At that moment, the four of us (Melanie, Marysia, Justine, and I) heard the train blow its whistle to close and leave and I swear we might as well have tossed all our luggage backed into the stairwell of train and leap on in because the sliding door nearly missed my bottom when closing! It was the scariest 10 seconds of my life - to have been stuck at Roma Termata at 12 am in the morning; which btw is no where NEAR Roma Termini would not have been fun! Past those 10 seconds were the FUNNIEST 5 minutes ever! I had never laughed so hard in my life!

@ Roma TERMINI Train Station
Marysia, Melanie, Justine & I

WE MADE IT!

Tuesday, Wednesday, 10.21-23.08 - Destination: ROMA

So basically the next two days completely fused together because well we didn't sleep very much! Why? Because there was just TOO much to see and NOT enough time to see it all. The hostel situation was kind of interesting...7 people in one room, one bathroom which was split up into a shower stall (which we thought was the closet) and then the shower/sink area. The hostel provided us a map and the four of us literally walked from West to East the first day from the Vatican City and then North to South the second day. Roma with all its history is a truly great city. Beautiful? Not so much. Lots of graffiti and its been overly commercialized with its McDonald's (right across from the Pantheon!) but luckily no Starbucks (can't stand a chance from the Italia Cappucino!).

In the 72 hours that we were there, we probably only slept 12 of them and were most likely walking the remaining 60 of them, if not eating AND walking. Spanish steps are gorgeous at night. Italian men are quite the gentlemen! I love that they were usually all in suits, at least the ones in Rome. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see a huge crowd of them all dressed. Sometimes old. Sometimes young. Sometimes in between. Downside of Rome: Camera was acting up and being high maintenance, so sadly, I don't have any pictures after the Vatican city to the Colosseum...but I'm working on it!
My favorite part of Rome would have to be....the Trevi Fountain. We saw it at sunset. They were doing some minor repairs to the Fountain so everyone was standing patiently in anticipation. I don't know if it was because of this arrangement or if it was the time of day, but their was something about that fountain that is so beautiful and amazing. I definitely felt a sense of "Italian-ness" as ironic as the sounds given that the crowd was probably 85% tourists and 15% Italian merchants. Nonetheless, I threw two coins in so I'm coming back to Italy someday and finding love in Italy as well!

Thursday-Sunday, 10.23-26.08 - Destination: Madrid, Spain

I swear, if US domestic cities were more interesting and more glamorized like European cities, Ryanair and Easyjet should totally expand their network to include the US! Because even though I have to get up before the sunrises to catch a flight, I love knowing that when I get up from my nap on the airplane I'll be somewhere totally different. And that's exactly what happened in Madrid. Spain so completely different from Italy. In Italia, I felt the need to go go go and see see see EVERYTHING. In Madrid, it hits you smack in the head when you deplane - CALM DOWN. Take it slow....have a sangria - hahaha, okay, so maybe not THAT slow, but you get the point. Madrid (despite the heavy inhalation of second hand smoke, and I mean even rivaling Las Vegas!) was a vacation from a vacation. It was warm, but not too hot. The pace of life was slow. There were siestas. Lots of walking, but no rush to get anywhere in particular too quickly.

SHOUT OUT to SILVIA SANCHEZ! who supplied me with lots of good places to hang out in Madrid! Over the three nights we spent here, we hung out in Calle Mayor, Sol, and Retiro Park. They have a metro system that rivals London's, but having just come from Italy, we didn't need it. Tapas were wonderful. The Spanish are serious about their ham. Bear and Strawberries is the place to meet and sangria is the house drink - always and everywhere.
My favorite part of this trip had to be...the CHOCOLATE CON CHURROs (extremely SINFUL! but OH SO good!!!) and rowing boats in the middle of Park Retiro. For about 4.5 Euro for a boat fitting up to 4 people, you had a little piece of heaven for about 45mins to an hour. It was fabulous. Don't mess with the Spanish with living the good life!

Sunday, 10.26.08 - Destination: London
We were back to FREEZING London by 930pm on Sunday! It was freezing. It's cloudy with patches of sunshine and the daytime high is at 30 degrees F. Oh and btw, it snowed last night! Not enough to stick, but it was the first time it had snowed in London in October for 70 years! It was truly amazing, magical, and giddy! I'm finally living in the winter wonderland of boots, coats, and public transportation...plus the funny accent.

One of my flatmates is SUPER into Halloween. So yesterday, in the joy of Halloween, Gillian and I carved pumpkins for our flat. Unfortunately, Halloween isn't as hyped up over here as it is in the United States, which is a bit of bummer, but here were our masterpieces!

Today was the first day of our internships. Until December 18th, three times a week, I will be working for Other* Creative. I'm not really quite sure what they do just yet because the head hauncho lady was out on holiday, as was the Creative Director, and the blah blah blah. So tomorrow, will be my second, but real first day.

This weekend will be my first weekend in London since I first touched down in London Heathrow nearly...6 weeks (?) ago! I've been go go go for awhile so it's gonna be good to have a few weekends off. Nonetheless I've been truly blessed to have such a supporting family and the opportunity to go out and explore the world.

It's funny how you think you really do have a feel for a world...but the moment you step out of it, you realize that you did know the world - the only world you knew. They say ignorance is bliss? I beg to differ. Every person that I've encountered on this trip has taught me something. Whether they were the man that dropped me a line to go into his store, the woman in Prague that wouldn't give me direction, the guy in Dublin that told me how to spend my day, or even the lady that handed me my cone in Italy; not to mention any of the nth people either living with me in my immediate flat or building - has impacted me in someway somehow. When I left to study abroad, a good friend told me that she was worried for me - that I would come back to the United States and hate it. Another person I really look up to also told me that she can't sit still for more than a month before jetting off to somewhere. Though my time here in London isn't over yet, I understand why.

Once you've been bitten by the travel bug, you can't help but want to see more of the world.

Nonetheless, I miss you all in the States! It's mindblowing to think that October is coming to a close and I'll be heading back to the States in about a a month and a half. Seriously...mindblowing.

Give me a few days to update Picassa...internet comes in and out depending on what time of day it is and how many people are on the network, but I promise I'll get around to uploading all these pictures. If you finished reading this post - props to you for being able to read poorly written "thinking." Treat yourself to a cookie, you deserve it for sticking with me this long! MmMm..actually, do me a favor and go to the Mission District and go to Tartine Bakery for any of their lovely things or Bi-Rite Creamery and get some ice cream; or better yet - get both ^^

avec beau-coup joie de vivre,

<3 Kimmie

Dublin, Ireland!

landed: Friday @ 3:45 p.m.

departed: Sunday @ 6:25 a.m.

Weekend trip #3 with the Santa Clara Girls: Cheryl, Sarah, and Stephanie

So here I went again, roaming around Europe to spend approximately 48 hours in a place completely new. Sadly, I did not find Lucky Charms (they're outlawed in the Europe), leprechauns (though I found a stag and hen parties wearing leprechaun hats!), see a rainbow (though it did rain our first evening), spot a pot of gold, or kiss an Irishman (which I can probably live without....). However what I did do was...

* see and roam around Temple Bar

- which really isn't an actual bar at all! Actually I take that back, there is a Temple Bar, but the area that is referred to as Temple Bar is actually named after a gentleman with the last name Temple and Bar is derived from an Irish word meaning area. The streets were filled with people and live music spilled out of pubs, but what I will remember about this area is Quay's Restaurant that served the best Irish Beef Stew in the city! The night was cold and the rain didn't help much so to fill our bellies with warm, comforting stew with a side a mash and Irish potato bread was a dream come true!
- also...we couldn't find our age group! What are the 20 somethings doing in Dublin?!?!?

*pictures @Trinity College

So...apparently the president of Trinity College during the 19th century was asked when women could attend the College and he replied, "Over my dead body" and of course, conveniently, the old man dies a week later and women are admitted. So on the anniversary of his death date, the women dress his statue in women's clothes. Poor guy is probably rolling around his grave! The campus was small but gorgeous and picturesque with wonderful columns, bricks, and cobblestone streets.

*Dublin Castle

it was unfortunately closed when we went to go visit it, but it should probably be more appropriately named Dublin Tower because the thing was TINY! Buckingham Palace could have had Dublin Castle for breakfast! It was also weird to look at because the people who look over it now paved over part of the cobblestones to make a parking lot...so in some of our pictures you can see VW bugs and then across the street is a very modern building.

*Churches - every street corner there is some sort of church, the Irish don't only believe in luck but faith as well. St. Patrick's...St. Kevin's...St. Margaret's.....SOOO many churches!

*Guinness Beer Factory/Storehouse - Grandpa Piper, this visit was for you! I think I would have been so ashamed to come home back to California having been in Dublin and not gone/drank any of the Guinness beer. The girls and I got our beverage education, saw the original 9000 year lease that Mr. Guinness had signed during the 18th century and had a few complimentary drinks. Cheryl and Stephanie pulled their own pints, I fell in love with the Guinness advertising section =P John Gilroy has become one of my favorite 20th century media artists. The Gravity Bar at the top (7 stories high!) had amazing views of Dublin and it was there that the four of discovered that Guinness Beer is perfectly complemented with pretzel sticks and m&m milk chocolate crispy candies! Sarah and I had the Foreign Extra Stout - the original beer that Guinness mass produced after halting his ale production and boy was it strong compared to the Porter! I can't say that Guinness will beat out Fruli, but cheers to you Grandpa Piper, this visit was for you!

* Howthe Beach side

- some of my flatmates a few weeks back had visited Dublin and one girl in particular kept emphasizing how we needed to see the beach side of Dublin. It was about a 30 minute DART ride and we got there by sunset to see the sun melt into the waters. The color of the sky was absolutely beautiful. We had dinner at local restaurant where they served seafood chowder with big chunks of salmon and potatoes - SOOO good! If I ever return to Dublin, I'd probably want to spend more time here!

So among the things I'd never ever thought I'd do in my lifetime...

* fall asleep in a hostel common room to only be thrown at 1:30 in the morning b/c we had forgotten to make a reservation for two nights...

* be extremely happy to find a kebab shop open until 4am to "house" us until it was time to get to the airport (abra-kebab-bra; the Irish version of Taco Bell...nothing else comes close!)

* be roaming around the mainstreet of Dublin at 3 in the morning analyzing the bullet holes of the Dublin General Post Office's columns from when pirate-like rebels took over it and used it as a HQ during the early 20th century (p.s. GORGEOUS POST OFFICE!)

* that I'd ever be commenting on how pretty a post office is...

*be misled by several hostel employees regarding late night/early morning transportation for the airport...it happened in Prague...and sure enough it happened again in Dublin...the Airport Express never came and luckily we were able to share a cab with an English bloke (shout out to Michael Jon Alp of Kent!) which averaged to 5 Euro/person = cheaper than the bus would have been!

* sprinting to our gate because we narrowly missed our flight back to London because we were actually having fun at the airport at 5 in the morning

* holding onto a baby for a woman who was traveling alone in the security line

* falling asleep before take off and waking up right after landing, therefore missing the flight from Dublin to London completely because I was so exhausted.

...but the important part was...we survived! This week I've got papers, midterms, presentations, and finals to conquer. Fall break is next week and I'll be heading off to Italy and Spain!!!! Thus, I'm sorry to say but pictures won't be uploaded for a while as a result. But...until next time...

...any suggestions for Italy and Spain?

...any contacts would be greatly appreciated!

...I miss you all!

...p.s. Thank you beau-coup.com for including me into the beau-coup family circle with your fleece jacket, b/c it's saved my life from cold in three countries and counting!

...P.P.S Looking for fall favors? Check-out beau-coup.com for all your party needs, they've got TONS of CLASSY and TASTEFUL gifts and party supplies!

avec la joie de vivre,

<3 Kimmie

Prague

Prague -

I went there knowing that it was a must stop, but really unsure of what to do when I did get there...so after flipping through a travel book, talking to some of the flatmates, and a facebook status............I got an idea of what to do! So in my (more or less) 48 hours in Prague, I...

*recovered sleep from pulling a near all nighter from my Islam midterm (fingers crossed!)
*visited Prague Castle
*attended a festival in Old Town
* took pictures of the Astro Clock and a spectacular Czech wedding beneath it
* learned about the legal issues concerning absinthe
* saw the mini Eiffel Tower (1/5 the size and two years younger of the original)from a distance
* had my breath taken away from amazing views
* got terribly lost on their public transportation system (which is unreliable!!!)
* found the ppl of Prague to be not as hospitable and kind as the Turks
* ate goulash & kolache
* visited a 200 store mall and spent more time looking at chocolate than clothing despite the huge variety of stores
* was surprised by carbonated water on multiple occasions when I was sure they sold me still
* have a small (hopefully!) chance of catching Hepatitis A....
* went dancing beneath the moonlight amongst a variety of international people
* had a stag party bombard me while I was taking advantage of the free Internet @ the hostel
* lied that I was a Canadian named Sophie from Quebec (there's a lot of animosity regarding Americans)
*slept at the airport
* had my return flight delayed for three hours
* felt like Saturday and Sunday fused together!

In short, it was quite an eventual weekend in Prague. I'm not sure if I would go back....the people aren't exactly the most friendly and people just keep walking if you try to ask them something. The hostel was lovely and we'll probably end up booking with the same organization for trips to come. We met two girls from Canada who have been traveling all over the world for the past 9 months and have 3 months to go before they finish their year backpacking and head back to the "real world". Also met a married couple that decided to quit their jobs, sell their house and travel for two years - can you believe it?! I don't know if I can travel that long without somewhere to call home.

I was really groggy upon my return to London this morning...due to the fact that I haven't slept in a proper bed in about 48 hours.....but I had the biggest pang of home sickness today! So I took a quick shower and headed right back to the London rain (yes the rain has finally settled in =/), which contradicts my energy level, but anyway.........I rode the tube back over to Shoreditch to fulfill my homesickness with Vietnamese food! Had a tiny bowl of pho, some banh khot (mom it's not the same =/), ordered a goi dua dua (green papaya salad) to go fo tomorrow's lunch, and a che ba mao (because I missed che that badly!!!). The people running their restaurant nearly died when they saw how much food I had ordered, even though half of it was to go! So in hopes of finding a regular fast food Vietnamese spot, I asked my waiter if there was a local one nearby? He gave me directions and sadly when I got there I realized it was an Asian market to MAKE MY OWN, as in FROM SCRATCH! eeeek! I already brought fish sauce into the flat and I'm waiting someone to ask..."dude, what's that smell?" let alone be able to make three color bean drinks or taro sago puddings!

This coming weekend I'm heading to Dublin w/ the bestie (Cheryl) & a few of her other friends from SCU, but even before that I have a presentation tomorrow, a few papers, and some last minute nuts and bolts to learn before finals (i know...already?!?!?!). More to update later, pictures will be delayed....sorry!

Thank you to those who have been sending me e-mails! I love hearing from you!!!

avec joie de vivre (et dormir =P),

Kimmie