Can't Get That Out Of My Head

As many of you know, I love almost every kind of music out there. Everything except stuff with screaming. I hate screaming in songs; I don't understand why artists do it and really, it gives me a headache.

In high school I loved pop and punk rock. I went to tons of concerts and was always making CDs. Here's one of my favorite songs from those days, New Found Glory - My Friends Over You (by the way, New Found Glory is still one of the best bands I have ever seen live):



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfcLcDBII78

In college I moved to a part of the country that really liked country music. My friends converted me and now I sing along with Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, and Tim McGraw without a second thought. Here's a fun Carrie Underwood video if you feel like singing along. Plus she's gorgeous:
Carrie Underwood - Cowboy Casanova



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM7NQQ0Lfu4


Last summer my European friends got me completely hooked on house music. Now I'm an addict. House is a pretty large genre so I'll just post two videos if you're interested.
First is Dennis Ferrer - Hey, Hey ... this song was HUGE in Europe last summer:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dgimjMhAIk


Or check out Swedish House Mafia ft. Pharrel - One



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkQ5rEJaTmk


Every once in awhile I hear a song though that I just can not get enough of. I'll be honest, one of those was Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester - Good Girls Go Bad:
Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester - Good Girls Go Bad Official HQ Music Video (unfortunately I couldn't post the video but check out the link if you are interested. The video is really good and Leighton is super hot)

The most recent song that I can't seem to shake is Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On. This song will be on his newest album, "Lasers," which is set to come out in March 2011:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q91LonKd2hs


Enjoy! Feel free to post some of your favorite songs here. Anything but screaming :)

What Age Do You Act?

I love Facebook quizzes. It's one of my favorite aspects of Facebook. All those quizzes that tell you all about you - anything from What Disney Princess Are You? (Aerial) to What Movie Love Story Describes Your Life? (Serendipity).

So when this one popped up I had to take it: What Age Do You Act?

Guess what I got? You Act Like You Are 22 Years Old
You are a twenty-something at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.


Sometimes Facebook is spooky.

Let's Get A Little Perspective Shall We?

Today I had a mini-QLC breakdown. It was only mini because I had to leave to volunteer before I could full out lose it. It started something like this:

My Husband: What are you going to do once you leave Italy?
Me: Teach English in Turkey, work at a resort in Egypt, volunteer in Kenya, show tourists the beaches of Costa Rica, pick fruit in Australia, cruise the waters with Royal Caribbean, or dodge pirates on a rich person’s yacht.

My Husband: Right, ok….sounds good….

Me: So yeah, no idea. *pause* Ohmigod I have no idea.

*Insert freak out here*

Like I said though, I couldn’t let it become a full-blown panic attack because I had to go downtown and volunteer. Currently I spend my afternoons as a literacy tutor at the International Institute. The International Institute helps refugees and immigrants in the area through a number of great programs. As a literacy tutor I help teach basic reading and writing, while I also help prepare students for the Citizenship Test. This is the test that those refugees/immigrants who want to become U.S. citizens have to pass in order to get citizenship. Let me tell you, there are hard questions on this test. Ones that I probably only knew the answer to while I was taking Mr. Monahan’s 8^th grade Civics Class.  

Click here to look at some sample questions if you feel like quizzing yourself (I personally like #72): Sample INS Citizenship Test Questions 

Back to the point though, I was wondering about the not-to-distant-future and had just put “lose weight because can’t afford to eat a whole lot” into the pro column of my mental To Live Abroad list, when I pulled into the parking lot; time to focus on other people and leave my problems in the car. Five minutes later I was sitting at a table with some of my favorite students, reading a book about baby animals. The women were refugees from several African countries, and we got to talking about which of the animals they had in their home countries. I was trying to explain the meaning of the word “mischievous” (which is really difficult when using simple English words) when the women started talking about how naughty raccoons and monkeys were back home. That behavior right there – those animals are “mischievous." Everyone understood the word, wonderful! but when were they going to use it?

I ask if the women had children. I figured I could segue into talking about how children are mischievous, while also getting to know them a bit better. Yes the women have children, in fact, it turns out some also have grandchildren. Ok these women did not look old enough to be grandmothers and I tell them as much. They laugh heartily and ask how old I am. I say, “I’m 25.” The girl next to me says “I’m 24.” One of the grandmothers then asks us how many kids we have. Now it’s my turn to laugh. The women stare at me in confusion. They then ask the 24 year old, who is apparently smarter than I, because she answers “None. They’re too expensive.” Everyone nods in understanding. That only lasts a few seconds though because they start telling us we must start having children right away. We are getting old.

Wait, wait, wait. Getting old? I can’t even decide what country to live in and they want me to start popping out children? Well first I need a guy to help with that and second no thank you. I’m as close to having children as I was when I was 18. Hello, I still am a child! Ooops, I said that part out loud.

“You’re a grown woman! Time to have babies!” That’s a summary of what the growing crowd is telling myself and the 24-year-old. Damn her, why couldn’t I be sitting next to a 30-year-old childless lady? Then they’d pay more attention to her. Oh well, I’m the focus so I’ll roll with it. This is what I’m thinking when they tell me girls start having babies as early as 15 in their countries. I think my jaw dropped. They definitely laughed at some part of my reaction. An Eastern European girl joins in here, telling me her sister has 6 kids and is my age. I almost pass out at the thought of having had 6 children by today. I turn to the lady next to me, “Doesn’t that hurt?!” More laughter. I’m a regular comedian. They all tell me no, it doesn’t hurt, but wait, really they don’t remember. Maybe that can go in the pro column of the Have Children Early list: “No memory of pain.” Too bad the con column has – in bold letters – “Very painful.”

At this point one of the quieter women stands up and takes off her coat. I've never seen her take off that coat. We take notice. Even if she had kept the coat on, the next thing she does would definitely have made everyone look. She grabs my purse - a big one, full of stuff ranging from a book to a full water bottle – puts it on top of her head and starts walking back and forth across the room. It’s National Geographic meets Coach. Then she ties her scarf around her body and imitates carrying a baby (using a cell phone as the child) and makes periodic crying noises where she then takes the phone out of the scarf and puts it in her bra. Women are whooping and laughing hysterically when a male volunteer walks into the room. At this exact moment the woman has the phone baby nestled against her bosom while continuing to walk with the bag on her head; the guy takes one look at this, looks at me and walks out of the room.

“That’s what men in Africa do too!” More riotous laughter. I join in. Apparently men the world over avoid caring for babies, even phone babies.

Eventually everyone calmed down and we got back to the important work of learning national holidays. While they were filling out a worksheet I realized I hadn’t thought about my earlier worries in hours. The only time it came up this afternoon was during the following conversation:

Student: Are you working?
Me: No. I am getting my certification so I can teach English in another country.

Student: Where will you teach?
Me: I don’t know. Maybe Turkey.

Student: Don’t go to Turkey. Everyone is poor. It’s no good there.

Me: Well I like kebabs.

Student: I love kebabs! Turkish food is great!

Me: I know. That’s why I might work in Turkey.

(There are other reasons I am considering living in Turkey. The food is #3, right behind “it’s close to Italy so I can easily afford the plane ticket,” and “it’s not in the EU so I can stay there as long as I want.”)

On my drive home I stopped to pick up a kebab and reflected on my afternoon. At noon I was almost in tears because I had images of myself sitting alone in a bare room in Eastern Europe/cabin on the ocean/hut in Africa being so lonely I would have to resort to conversing with a pet goat/seagull/turtle. At four o’clock I realized several important things:

• I can find girlfriends anywhere that women can bond over how unhelpful and stupid men are
• choosing what foreign country to live in is really not a big deal when compared to having a government relocate you because of war, famine, disease, genocide, or all of the above
• Although I don't want to live in the U.S. at the moment, I am very lucky to have been born an American citizen because no way could I pass the Citizenship Test

As I put my concerns into perspective I came to the most important conclusion of the day:

I would have had a much larger panic attack had I been looking at a positive pregnancy test instead of a list of ridiculous/awesome jobs in faraway/awesome places. 

Half Your Age, Plus 7

This weekend I learned the “Divide by 2, Add 7 Rule.” Apparently it’s an accepted and established rule and yep, it’s even in Urban Dictionary. The rule states that you can only date someone half your age, plus seven. At age 25, I am allowed to date a guy who is 20. I argued that technically I could date a 19.5 year old, but my friend informed me you must round up in these situations. So a 20 year old is the youngest guy I can date, and the oldest is 35 (because 35/2 + 7= 24.5).

I decided a long time ago not to date guys who were younger than me. Quickly I will bullet point this argument:

• girls mature faster than guys, explaining why guys 24 and younger still act like they are 19 most of the time
• guys out of college are more likely to have a job and therefore be more responsible than a 19 year old
• the obvious….a few more years gives them more experience, therefore (hopefully, definitely not always) better at the important stuff
• get your mind out of the gutter, I meant he is more likely to actually call you when he says he will and surprise you with flowers once in awhile
• ok and yeah, be better at the other important stuff

Let’s take me on 3 hypothetical dates with guys in my age range.

The 20 Year Old

How We Meet

He buys me a shot. He asks for my number. Or hey, let’s be real, he gets my name and Facebooks me from his iPhone right there at the bar. I’m a bit intoxicated so I think that’s a fine idea and accept his request from my Blackberry. Thank you Mark Zuckerberg.

Contact

Friday evening he posts on my wall: Going out tonight? Let’s say that I don’t know he’s 20, or my girlfriends dare me to respond, or I’ve been drinking since Happy Hour and can’t keep the BB out of my hands. I say: Of course! Text me later and give him my number. Around 11:30pm I get a text saying: Where r u?

The Inevitable Break Up

It won’t be a break up. He will stop calling and perform a phase out. Too bad I perfected the phase out while he was at his first high school dance and have already deleted him from my phone. We’re still Facebook friends though – defriending shows that you care.

The 27 Year Old

How We Meet

I’m working at a bar. I have an actual conversation with him and discover we have things in common. But I’m working, so I really can’t talk much. He asks for my number, I say I don’t give it out while working (it’s true!) but that if he wants, he can give me his. He writes it down and I have the decision to make later.

Contact

If I am really interested I text him sooner rather than later. Like Monday. He texts back that same day and possibly we exchange a few texts before getting on with our job filled lives. He calls me Thursday and asks if I want to grab a drink Friday after work. This is a smart move because neither of us commit to dinner – therefore we can escape after a quick drink if it turns out we really aren’t compatible, or decide to grab food if it is just the most fantastic date ever.

The Possible Break Up

There is a build up of fights, awkward phone conversations and a feeling of impending doom. Eventually we sit down and have a somewhat adult conversation and end the relationship. Then I move all the stuff out of his apartment and go out for drinks with my girlfriends.

The 35 Year Old (For the record, I’ve never dated a 35 year old, but some friends have so I’ll use them as an example)

How We Meet

He starts talking to me while I wait for my girlfriend somewhere, most likely a bar. He is funny and charming and is completely polite while I wait on my late friend. When she arrives he buys us a drink and asks for my number. Well this is nice, sure ok. Then I promptly forget him while my girlfriend and I gossip all night.

Contact

He calls me – no texting – around Wednesday. He asks me out to dinner at a nice place Friday. I say I’ll have to make sure I don’t have plans, then hang up and call my friends. They say go for it. Except Kay who says I shouldn’t because that guy seemed like someone her grandma would set her up with. But majority rules so I call him back and agree to the date.

The Break Up

I realize he is a) getting over his first marriage  b) desperate for a first marriage  c) completely normal and just spent his 20s studying to be a doctor/lawyer/pharmacist/inventor and he is just getting around to a social life. If situation a) occurs then I break it off quickly because that’s way too much drama. If situation b) occurs then I try to break it off, fend off phone calls and emails, and eventually have to start dating the 20 year old in front of him to show him I really am not interested. If situation c) occurs then I let him buy me dinner and see if he can fit in with my friends. If not, then a mature break up takes place and everyone moves on with their lives.

I based this off of actual experiences myself and my girlfriends have had. The ones who try to date younger always end up frustrated. The ones who date a lot older always end up in very, very, very strange situations. I'm thinking our age and a few years older sounds the most promising. Someone who is in the same place in their life, maybe even a bit more settled and can be a harbor in the QLC storm.

I should fess up to something here. My Husband is 24, soon to be 25 – yes he is 2 weeks younger than me. I still can’t decide if that really counts as younger. I have this hope that when he turns 25 he will be less inclined to go to strip clubs and do beer bongs. Unfortunately, I don’t think so. Of course I can’t be hypocritical as I drink like I did when I was 22 once in awhile. The difference is that I feel so horrible the next day it keeps me in check for a long time. The exception is Badger Game Day. In Wisconsin everyone drinks like they are 22. 60-somethings are the first at Jordan’s and Lucky’s, sipping Bloody Marys at 9am. And trust me, they’ll be going strong while the 20 year olds are passed out in the bushes. At least as guys get older they learn how to pace themselves. 

Mind out of the gutter again! I meant pace their drinking.

Ok, and during the other important stuff.

Candi Tales & Challenge of the Week

For those of you who were interested in the 25 New Things New Things To Do Before Turning 25, you can keep up with her personal challenges on her blog: Candi Tales


For your challenge of the week (I hope a few of you are doing these!) I have an easy one:
Tell three people this week that you love them.


It can be anyone, a good friend, your mom, your grandfather, a total stranger if you really want. Trust me, you can make someone's day and you'll be pretty happy to hear it back :)

A Trip to Luzon

As I am deathly hungover, I am too lazy to be creative. So I am going to recycle an email I sent to friends when I was in the Philippines last February. Just sit back and go on vacation with me!

If you ever do make it to Luzon (the main island of the Philippines) then do not miss Sagada. It is a great town with amazing things to see. We took the bus from Baguio to Sagada and I thought the bus was going to fall off the mountain a few times and once we nearly collided with another bus! We safely arrived however and checked into George's Guest House. We had our own little patio, which was nice because I did some laundry and could put it out to dry. I felt domestic. Anyway, we spent one day trekking through Echo Valley where you can see hanging coffins and some beautiful valleys. People in Sagada still hang their dead….the most recent was 2 months ago. 

We also climbed down some rice terraces to the "Small Falls" which turned out to be really, really small. Still, the rice terraces were beautiful but it was kind of strange to walk on the edges of someone's field and climb around in people's backyards. The next morning my friend wanted to go on a sunrise thing where he could take some photos but he had to get up at 4 so I didn't go. He serendipitously met up with this guide named Erwin, who then took us on more adventures later in the day. At 9am we started with an hour long hike down through a valley of rice terraces - beautiful beautiful beautiful - which ended in the "Big Falls." Now this was a real waterfall! We were early so we were the only people there and we jumped off big rocks into the icy water and swam for a bit.

Unfortunately, we then had to spend an hour climbing back up the rice terraces afterwards! We took a break for lunch then headed out to the "Big Cave." We ran into two Filipino girls who wanted to come too so it was the 5 of us in our group. We headed down into this cave and it got crazier and crazier! Erwin took us on the adventure trail (other ppl took a shortcut and missed out on some amazing stuff) and we slowly made our way through the cave. It is millions of years old - there are seashell fossils in the walls and this is all the way up in the mountains, about 4500 feet above sealevel! There were also huge stalagmites and stalactites which apparently grow at an inch every 10,000 years. We squirmed through small passages, slid down rocks, used ropes to get between caverns, waded through corridors (sometimes the water was up to my chest!) and ended at a small lake about 300 feet down in the mountain. Justin and I went swimming for a bit (the two Filipino girls thought we were crazy because they were cold) and then it was time to head back out. That took some time and more crazy climbs. We were soaking wet and muddy when we got out but it was AMAZING and one of the best experiences of my life.

After Sagada we went to Banaue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We decided to do a 2 day hike that took us through Cambulo and into Bataad for the night. We stopped in Cambulo for lunch and it was an amazing place. No roads go down there and everything people need to build structures, use for farming or cooking, etc all had to be hand carried down the terraces and into the village. We continued onto Bataad and when we reached the viewpoint it was one of the most awesome things I have ever seen in my whole life. We took photos but they can never really convey the real scene. It was in the shape of a giant amphitheater and the terraces were so many different colors. It was honestly like sitting on the edge of a postcard.

Bataad, Philippines 

Myself and Jerich walking along the terraces

Another view of Bataad

The view from our guesthouse

We spent the night there, which was great because some other travelers and guides joined us at the guesthouse. Our guide, Jerich, played guitar while we all sang and drank beer deep into the night. In the morning we hiked down to another waterfall and swam there for a long time – and of course took more photos. Unfortunately we had to hike out again (never go down to a waterfall without enough water to climb out!) and then spent about 5 hours on a grueling hike out of Bataad back to Banaue. My friend loves hiking and I had decided to go on this trek pretty much because of the look on his face when the tour guide told us about it - but in the end it was amazing and I am so glad that I did it! I would do it again in a heart beat.

Bataad Falls

So that's the story of Sagada and Banaue. The best part of those two cities was that I did things that I never thought I could do. If you knew me before this trip, you never would have thought I would go cave diving or embark on a 2 day hike. Sure we stayed at a guesthouse but trust me, it was no hotel. After traveling to these two cities I really started to think differently about myself. Yes, I had decided to go to Asia for 6 months, but I still was a very safe person. After doing these things though, I felt like maybe I didn't have to be so scared to go out and try new adventures.

2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Now everyone knows that I live for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. I DVR it and watch it again and again. When it was blazing hot in Hoi An this summer, I retreated to my hotel room and discovered that the only channel in English was playing the last 5 years of shows on a loop. I flipped on the air conditioning and sat mesmerized in front of the TV. I couldn't get enough of the glitz, the glam, the undies, the stilettos, and of course: the wings!


Last year's show was wonderful - the bit with choosing a girl to walk the runway at the end was amazing since it showed just a bit of what the models go through. Hello, I bought the Brazil Butt Lift workout video because they showed them doing part of the workout. The girls have always been gorgeous and REAL.


This year, not so much. 


I couldn't believe how bony the models were this year. Even Alessandra and Adriana seemed a bit thinner than usual. But at least they still resembled a normal hot person you could see on a beach on a private island or something. As a side note, I would like to give a round of applause to Adriana because she had a baby last year (which is why she missed the 2009 show) and last night she looked incredible. Of course Giselle and Heidi looked stunning after giving birth as well, so I think maybe it's really about having all those trainers. That's what I'm going to tell myself anyway. Getting back on track though - several of the models were so bone thin that I could literally see every one of their ribs, shoulder blades, and their internal organs. I do have to say that Erin Heatherton, the blondie who opened "Game On," is in amazing shape, but I guess I'm just used to the VS models having more curves?

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/53161078.html

I was completely disappointed that Heidi didn't make some sort of appearance this year, even it was just in the dressing room saying hi to the cameras. I just love her. Congrats to Miranda Kerr (my absolute favorite model ever!) and Doutzen Kroes as they are expecting gorgeous babies soon. I really hope they both return, at least for the 2011 show.

Here is one of my favorite stills of Miranda from last year:

http://film-book.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/miranda-kerr-victorias-secret-fashion-show-december-2009-3.jpg

Since Miranda and Marisa were absent from this year's show - I was forced to pick Behati Prinsloo as my new favorite. She was pretty funny backstage in 2009, and she completely rocked the Soccer Ball outfit they had on her in this year's "Game On" number:

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/5sQjqrRfusH/2010+Victoria+Secret+Fashion+Show/ZKs9Qz4pg1c/Behati+Prinsloo

All in all, I was not impressed this year. There seem to be mixed reviews online as half the population was staring at the underwear, and not the skeletal bodies marching up and down the runway. Usually I watch the show a second time and flip through the catalog to locate some of my favorite undies. This year I wanted to throw out every carb in my kitchen and start a strict carrot and berry diet. 

Check out lots of stills from the show at: Oh No They Didn't! Victoria's Secret 2010 Fashion Show 

Watch Akon's perform "Angel" during the show: Akon Performing at the 2010 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 


If you're in the States then watch the entire show from CBS here: 2010 Victoria's Secret Video Full Episode