13 and Counting...

I know nobody is really reading this blog. And yet, I still feel obliged to write in it. Go figure.

Anywho, I've started to count down again. 13 more days. In 13 days, I'll be boarding a plane to Brasil and leaving all normalcy behind. And yet, I feel absolutely nothing. I haven't even really told anyone. I've left clues, albeit skint ones. I'm not really worried that the only Portuguese I know is "Oi!" and "Fome" (I'm hungry). (Ok, I do know something else, but no Brasilian will actually give me an exact translation.) I should be excited or at least terrified. Is there something wrong with me?

Estou Perdida!

"The future has a way of arriving unannounced." - George Will, an American journalist

Ok, so I haven't been writing for a while. Admittedly, I suck. However, it's 2009, and as part of my New Year's resolution (#5), here I am.

"Change, change, and more change." That's all I've been hearing since the world has gone haywire some six months ago. For whatever reason, I started applying for random jobs even though I like my job now. And as luck would turn out, I was offered a position in a teaching program in São Paulo, Brasil. This was back in early December. I waffled, moaned, debated, and sat on the fence on this decision until now, ten days before I'm set to start this program.

I remember when I got the job in Japan. Without any hesitation, I signed my life away without a care in the world. That was four years ago. I'm slightly older now and slowly approaching a certain age which I'm in denial of. There's that doubt in my mind that I might not be able to do it all again. Can I adapt to life in Brazil? Will I make friends there? Will I freak out and jump back on the plane? 

Decisions... decisions...

Happy 2009!!!

Currently in: Las Vegas, NV

As I sit in a dark hotel room slowly sipping my cup of free coffee while recovering from what was another New Year's Eve celebration, I am left to think about this brand new year. So, as tradition goes, here are my resolutions for 2009:

1. Stop going to Las Vegas!!! (Unacceptable excuses: free rooms, hanging out with friends who just happen to be in Vegas that weekend, seafood buffets, 1 cent Monopoly, Wheel of Fortune)
2. Don't cry too much come November 1st.
3. Send Scharffen Berger chocolates to Russia and Korea.
4. Travel around the world to see all my special friends.
   
5. Start writing again.
6. Get 8 straight hours of sleep at least once a week.
7. Brush my hair more often.
8. Skydive in South America (Argentina preferably, but Brasil would be OK too).
9. Eat more fish because fish is good for me.
10. Never give up. (Actually, #10 was going to be 'cut back on coffee', but I already broke that resolution 8 hours after the start of the new year.)

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas!

Just returned from: Las Vegas, NV

It's Christmas Eve, and Mr. Weatherman is telling me rain and snow (in the mountains... please, I'm from LA) are coming!!!

عيد ميلاد سعي (Arabic)
Merry Christmas, mate! (Australian)
Boas Festas! (Brazilian Portuguese)
圣诞快乐! (Chinese)
Joyeux Noël! (French)
Fröhliche Weihnachten! (German)
メリークリスマス! (Japanese)
즐거운 성탄! (Korean)
С Рождеством! (Russian)
Feliz Navidad! (Spanish)
Maligayang Pasko!!!! (Tagalog)
Noeliniz kutlu olsun (Turkish)

I Left My Heart Somewhere in the Tasman Sea

Just returned from: Melbourne, Australia

Pros:

• The air is clear.
• The water is blue.
• My greenbacks made me rich!!! ($1 USD=$0.65 AUD)
• Vegemite isn't that bad. (Small quantities only.)
  
• I love TimTams and Shapes. (And at $1.79 each, it's even better!)
• For the most part, the people are halfway decent. (One exception: People who publicly embarrass others in front of large groups. I'm not naming anyone specifically, but you know who you are...)
• Aussie BBQs are fun. Food fights after Aussie BBQs are fun too.
  

Cons:

• I ate a kangaroo and was later called a cannibal. (read me)
• I ate one too many dim sums and Four'N Twenty Meat Pies for my own good.
• People talk funny there. (My American accent isn't THAT weird.)
  
• People drive on the opposite side of the road.
• Water flushes counterclockwise. (There is some truth to the Simpsons.)
• Spring is in November. (That's just wrong.)