chasingrabbits

Eat Me

2008-10-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

When Alice in Wonderland eats the little cake with the black current letters, she telescopes into a giant - a fantastical illustration of making life-altering decisions. Of course, I can hardly help wondering how consequential a recent string of decisions has made on my life? And what of Einmal ist keinmal? I can't decide which side to pitch my tent.

Hello Kitty Forever

2007-10-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, my mom always took me to the Hello Kitty store to buy school supplies. School was so much more fun with scented pens and erasers. With or without my mom, I kept my Hello Kitty spirit alive throughout my school days. Even in college PChem, I took notes with my Hello Kitty pens. Hello Kitty was definitely my BFF - until I entered the corporate world of laptops & web-conferencing. Sadly, Hello Kitty no longer had a place in my life. Recently, I strolled through Neiman Marcus and came upon... My BFF in 18K Diamond Pave? HELLLOOOOO KITTY!

Taking Out Bambi

2007-07-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

After late night eats with Maestro, Chicken Little, and friends, a deer happened to cross my path on my drive home. At about 75mph, I didn't dare to swerve around it. Instead, I braked hard and hoped it would frolic out of the way. No such luck. I can't seem to forget its gaze as it watched me run it over. Chicken Little commiserated with me until the tow truck arrived two hours later at 6am. Sunrise never looked so bleak.

A Blue Footed Boobie

2007-03-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

My car was broken into on Monday – in broad daylight! This is the second time within six months. I’m clearly unfit for the urban jungle. Which way to the Galapagos?

A Quest for the Downy Ball

2007-01-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered that when I do two loads of laundry, I need TWO Downy Balls. Another detail mom forgot to mention… Did you know that almost every SF retailer sells Downy but none actually stock the Downy Ball? In a matter of weeks, I went from nonchalantly perusing the aisles to madly hunting for the thing. My laundry suffered. I suffered. I eventually succumbed to the superiority of Target Greatland in the EastBay. Clutching a 4roll pack of toilet paper and swifter refills, I came upon a whole pile of them. Blue skies.

Gipple the Tauren

2006-12-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

I recently moved into San Francisco with a new roomate. We've got a great relationship going, i.e. we generally stay out of each others way. When he is home, he stays in his room at all times (except for meals & bathroom breaks) to play World of Warcraft. That's all he does. We work chores around his Raids. I don't know why he even bothers since he's already at level 60. Tonight, he showed me his Tauren character and said the sexiest thing to me ever, "Do you want to see me naked?" Before I could respond, he stripped his Tauren of armor. I was speechless.

Rain, Rain Go Away

2006-10-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

There’s been a rain cloud following me around that I can’t seem to dodge. More specifically, it’s been following my car around. My car was broken into last weekend sometime between 10:30pm and 1:30am on Fremont & Folsom. Okay, so maybe I was foolish to leave my bag behind in plain view. I hope whoever took it enjoys my Chloe bag & treasured Shu Uemura makeup brushes. I’ve already come full circle emotionally. Now I am just thankful that nothing truly valuable was compromised, such as personal safety. Chicken Little, thanks for taking me to the police station, taking me home, and providing comfort to a wailing, drunken me.

Charlotte, Spin Me Some Magic

2006-09-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to commend those in this world who possess the amazing talent to speak ever so eloquently on matters of little substance. It is in these people that we trust to spin webs which increase awareness and provoke change. It is in these people that I trust to help comment on my professional progress and aspirations. AKA Letters of Recommendation. Conversely, I belong to the group extremely adept at humbling even the most extradordinary subject. Such skill comes in handy when the need arises to gracefully put someone in their place. However, this ability serves utterly useless when called upon for creative essay writing. Application deadlines are around the corner... I'm really nervous, but I made time to get my nails done today. Hey, it helps me type better.

Advice From A Catepillar

2006-08-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

`Who are YOU?' said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, `I--I hardly know, sir, just at present-- at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.'

Eeek! Five essays per application?! My consultant reassures me that I won’t actually be writing 35 essays. Yes, I hired myself a guide for my application process. If someone else can do a better job, why get in the way? However, she’s not actually writing these essays for me and at the rate she’s robbing me, I’m wondering how much consultation I really need. I have to simply figure out questions to…Who am I? Who do I want to be? Only, that I’ve searched all my life in vain for such answers, and now I’ve got a 2-month deadline. So when you find me on BRB mode online, don’t be shy and do drop a “hello”, I’m probably just busy soul searching.

The Little Engine That Could

2006-07-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

So I'm taking the GMAT for the second time and the questions are so hard. The whole time I'm thinking, these questions are so brutal - how can there be so many 700+ rockstar stories out there? Well, since 7+3=11 in my world, I guess everything is near impossible. I hit the submit button anyway. (Scores are released immediately) Guess what? Now I've got my own rockstar story.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

2006-07-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Remember that accident I got into back in May? Well when I picked up my car from the autobody shop, I noticed that someone stole all the quarters from my ashtray. This of course, posed an inconvenience for me when I needed to feed the meters, but within weeks, I refilled my ashtray and was merrily on my way. When I had to return my car to the same shop because they did a sloppy job, I remembered to take the quarters out of my ashtray. Instead, I put them in a Sanrio box that I keep in the center console of my car. When I picked up my car an hour and a half later, the quarters were missing! This really struck a nerve because it was evident that someone was rifling through my stuff. Thieves!

Pink Popcorn

2006-06-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Do you remember pink popcorn? Some of us do. Nothing special, it was always to be found at carnivals or stacked high on the shelves of your local supermarket on clearance for 4/$1.00. More times than none, I'd walk past it not giving it a second glance; afterall, I was sure I would have another opportunity to delve into its crunchy sweetness. Well nowadays, this food is almost impossible to find. In a matter of fact, a girlfriend did an online search for this yesterday, found it, but at a ridiculous mark-up. For those of you who took it for granted, how much would you pay for it now?

Spelunking Fun

2006-06-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I joined my brother and his friends on a camping-spelunking trip. Now camping, I’m used to. I’m serious, my tent and sleeping bag are even color coordinated. But spelunking? Until I was rappelling 165ft down into a cave, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Let me tell you, this is no adventure for the acrophobic or claustrophobic. Yes, for a moment, maybe even two, I imagined that I could uncontrollably fall to my doom if anything went wrong. But I wish you were there to capture the view with me. It was amazing. Remember learning about stalactites and stalagmites? I was surrounded by them… ancient, colossal, unperturbed.

Spelunking is basically a term for exploring caves. For those of you who’ve never tried, it involves a lot of climbing and crawling in muddy, tight spaces. This is the type of sport where size matters and for once, being little is an advantage. It does take a little creativity sometimes to get through the small tunnels. I found myself pulling and kicking in a variety of awkward positions to move ahead. Although, I didn't do any digging, it left me feeling a little like a mole. Muddy and exhausted, I was thrilled to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Just a Hint of Rapunzel

2006-05-19T01:08:00.000-07:00

Huh, what parking brake? I went into the auto body shop today and signed off on the estimate - can you believe $2500 for a door ding? Friends + hammer fixed the garage door. AAA took care of the rest. Even after all was resolved, the sound of the accident continued to resonate in my head. I felt like I needed to be rescued all day. If only it could be as easy as letting down my hair!

I ♥ Amaebi

2006-04-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

I have some really exciting news to share. I'm not allergic to shrimp! For years, I've been convinced that I'm developing a shrimp allergy. Each time I'm at the sushi bar, it's been this huge debate for me... how many amaebi should I eat? After my visit with the Allergist & about 30-40 pricks on my back, today it has been uncovered that I'm allergic to EVERYTHING but crustaceans. I'm allergic to my down bedding, my dog, and all grasses & trees out there. Another positive reaped from today: I can finally kick the corticosteroids to the curb... though with some slightly adverse/ temporary effects on my adrenal glands... I should lose the 7% weight I've gained over the past 2 months and probably sleep better at night.

Alas, this does kill all the excitement at the sushi bar. I guess you can't win them all.

A Treasure Hunt

2006-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I found myself in a small, obscure independent book store in SF. If you don't already know, I am enamoured with stories I read as a kid. So suddenly images from this book about rice dumplings comes back to me, but I can't recollect any other information to identify it to the clerks. So I just did an online search...and drum roll please... it's called The Funny Little Woman. :P I think I'm a funny little woman too. Funny how I can put so much effort into treasure hunting, only to be less impressed with the treasure itself. Or maybe I'm just afraid to admit I'm getting attached and convincing myself otherwise helps me get through the night?

The Japanese rice dumpling-maker laughed, "tee-he-he-he."

...And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon

2006-04-04T01:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going nuts trying to plan my best friend's bachlorette party. This is going to be her last hurrah - it MUST be spectacular. Sometimes I am so creative... and sometimes I am so not. Anyone have any bright ideas on where to take her? There's NYC, Las Vegas, South Beach... all of which have either been shot down by her or another bridesmaid. I'm running out of ideas... help!

While we are on this topic... ChickenLittle has this theory for me. He says that everyone eventually settles. Somewhere along the way, time will tip our scales and we give in. This theory doesn't sit well with me. Whatever happend to starry eyes, holding hands, and falling in love? Hey Diddle Diddle, does the dish still run away with the spoon?

香港

2006-03-28T01:43:00.000-08:00

How can a place be so busy, obnoxiously loud, pretentious, and yet be so beautiful, intoxicating, and feel so right? I could barely stand to stay yet hardly had the heart to leave again. I think I had my fill of fishballs for the next year, took enough pictures of the Vitasoy machines, got a little too chummy with my fobby side, and did enough shopping... for a month. Oh, the jet lag hurts.

Track 10

2006-03-22T13:15:00.000-08:00

9 hours into a 14 hour flight. Cabin dimmed. Random - maybe even recurring thoughts. Can’t wait to get home to do some more exploring... too bad I just left. Ever felt too far from where you want to be?

♫ …maybe there’s a bit of me waiting for a bit of you, baby…♫

3 1/2 Minutes

2006-03-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Elle & I participated in a SpeedDating event last weekend at Dot. I must say, this is the most efficient way to meet people ever. Before starting, everyone gets a spreadsheet which lists stats such as height, age, education, etc. of the dates. Folks, don't expect any romance here. After a 31/2 minute discussion on Lewis Carroll and E.A. Poe, I checked off on Tex who immediately picked up on my Alice in Wonderland stagename. The whole affair was like 20 31/2 minute interviews - a bit overwhelming and very exhausting. But it's a great way to make new friends. When the alcohol kicked in on the last round, the dates seemed cuter and funnier... I think I just checked them all off from that point on. Results come out Wednesday - but Elle & I already exchanged info with the interesting ones. Why wait? Patience is a virtue I'm working on.

Through the Looking-Glass

2006-02-28T01:38:00.000-08:00

I made the most heartbreaking discovery on a day just like any other day. Let me introduce Ms. Columbia - observant, calculating, sexy as hell, and always 5 years the wiser. I always wonder how she does it; she turns every head and might as well get a standing ovation after every presentation. It must be the accent. It must be the attitude. Now Ms. Columbia had taken me under her wing since I stepped out of college and started at the company. Anything she said had strong bearing on me then and even so now. Anyway, we had finished lunch and on our drive back to the office, her exact words were "You have just shed your innocence, my friend." Ouch. She was referring to how it had finally dawned upon me that everyone at work was so motive driven. How it had become so painfully lucid to me that people aren't nice. Perhaps this is nothing new to you, maybe even something you have always been proudly aware of. You know how little kids go through that "Why?" stage... it sucks to know why. I must admit, I hate to see why people do the things they do. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a scary movie waiting for something ugly & horrific to pop up at me. Only it's real and I'm among the cast of characters. Sadly, after I fell off this wall, I've never really felt whole again. And oh... I've even come far enough to know that all the king's horses and all the king's men could never put me back together again.

Down the Rabbit-Hole

2006-02-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" said Alice.

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to, " said the cat.

"I don’t care where - " said Alice.

"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the cat.

So as you all know, I was canned last Friday. My feelings? It's like being in a relationship. The kind you're not sure that's for you, but then you don't really have the heart to break it off. And the other person calls it quits first and you're a little angered, and sad, and relieved all at the same time. Hey FlashGordon, the sad part is for you. So my gf tells me last night that I have just been granted an extended vacation. While this may be seemingly so, even Alice in Wonderland had an agenda. I see this more as a sabatacle for me to come of age. But unlike Alice, this trip will be far less psychedelic.

Hide & Seek

2006-02-16T21:29:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day. What does a single girl do on Cupid's busiest night out? She flies out to dinner 300 mi away of course and comes right back to play another round of hide & seek... have you seen him?

Cheers

2006-02-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning only to realize the bodily damage incurred from yesterday’s fun on the slopes. I know how hard I fell on my behind because it hurts when I get into the car. I’m also having trouble switching lanes (neck). And the bruises and scrapes serve as a reminder of how funny it must have been for ChickenLittle to watch me eat it and run into those bushes. Seriously, I haven’t had so much fun in a while. And I’m not being sarcastic! On our return from snowy bliss, I offered Advil to everyone in the car and to my surprise they all shied away from any. “Maybe I should just take one,” said a sheepish OneShot. The Irony. Not so long ago, these very people had diligently experimented with every paraphernalia available on the block. Countless times you've gotten snow blinded on nose candy and now you hesitate to pop 400mg of Ibuprofen? Gosh, have we REALLY changed so much since our crazy yesteryears of undergrad?!! Haha, Cheers… down went the Ibuprofen. Then, I turned back to my laptop to finish my reports as conversation resumed to investments & vitamins. I really don't mean to be crass, but I'm sure my mention on this subject matter brings most of you back to (at least) one particular euphoric moment. You know who you are... I hope I made you smile?

1001 Sheep and Counting...

2006-01-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

Lately, I’ve been having these anxiety attacks, which ultimately lead to sleepless nights. I guess I’m pretty restless by nature; I oftentimes find Mr. Sandman rather elusive and insomnia pesky and relentless. I guess what really hit home was when my brother had to wrestle me for Freakonomics yesterday. He took a cheap shot and accused me of being a book hoard! No contest. I hate it when he’s right. He pointed to all the books lying around that I’ve partially gone through… The Historian, Blink, A HeartBreaking Work of Staggering Genius… Fine, take Freakonomics. So this got me thinking, what’s my problem? Annoyed at my recent indolence and lack of focus, I immediately packed my stuff and headed off to Borders for the rest of the day. In about four hours, I was able to finish 2 cups of chai latte, Monday reports, find holes all over my resume, realize I suck on (GMAT) sentence corrections, read all about Pitt & Jolie, and also chat with a friend who came by to visit (Hehe, guess who’s sleeping with whom – heh, gossipy Chinese woman coming out again). And although I only got through another chapter of A HeartBreaking Work of Staggering Genius before bedtime, I slept like a baby. Now I just have to keep it up and also figure out how to work off the excessive caloric intake from CNY. Oh and in case you didn't get my SMS, Happy New Year!

Hopscotch Anyone?

2006-01-23T23:33:00.000-08:00

So I’m sitting across my girlfriend for dinner, just her and me. The whole time I’m thinking, wow, she’s really pretty all grownup. Mom was always right. I’ve known this girl since we were 5. We did everything from hopscotch to discovering Debbie Gibson together. She always gives me a sense of nostalgia and takes me back to a time when she was my only worthy opponent for 象棋, when I use to poke fun at her for her crush on Johnny Wong, and when we spent our bus fare on junk food so that we could instead walk the 10 blocks to YB. It’s been 3 months since our trip to Italy and we finally find time to swap pictures. We chitchat and do catch up… boy, I really made an effort to be here – I am so exhausted… I only slept 3 hours last night. I’ve begun to realize that when you hang out w/ Maestro & friends, you don't sleep. (I won’t get into the 8am false fire alarms.) Anyway, I can’t help but notice how much has changed since our last game of hopscotch. Conversation these days with her is always so grave. Everything said so calculated and drawn from empirical data. I find her slightly cynical. But how would I notice she’s cynical if I am not so myself? I am careful to avoid certain points as to not offend her. Again, how would I know what is offensive if I am not offended myself? And of course, in the midst of all this… I start to wonder, does she feel the same way? I become increasingly self-conscious, almost paranoid. Suddenly, my mind is a terrible place to be in. How did dinner become so complicated? And then eeeeEEEW – a SMS arrives… something about a zit and a priest. Hehe, at least there’s one person out there who still might be interested in a simple game of hopscotch. Blue skies.

Ups and Downs

2006-01-18T17:03:00.000-08:00

Life certainly has its ups and downs and this weekend was the perfect example. Before I left for my much anticipated ski trip, my boss pulls me aside to tell me the bad news. So I guess I might get laid off in February. What a great way to start my weekend. So as my friends and I pile into our rented SUV for our road trip to Heavenly, I can’t help but think about what lies ahead for me this year. One part of me is very excited… what will come next? I have been so unsure of this position since I took it; maybe this is the way out? The other part of me is afraid. How difficult will the road ahead be? Will I come out broken? So with a heavy heart, I try to keep my composure and submerse myself in the noise around me. Pit stop, after pit stop, after pit stop – all at the boys’ requests – we finally arrive at our destination. By the time Maestro was trying to sculptorade a “Tupperware Party” during a game of Cranium, I was 200 miles away from my misery and loving every bit of it. Elle taught us the best drinking game ever (see Rant & Rave’s Tahoe Weekend for instruction). It was my third time skiing this season, and albeit the afternoon’s low visibility, the snow was fantastic. Elle’s friends did an awesome job organizing and feeding 20 people on the trip. I did forget to ask LoneStar something before he left for Dallas. Oh well, another time another place. To top off the MLK weekend, Maestro’s Roomie demonstrated the legendary “helicopter” position. It was well deserving of applause.

Cinderella

2006-01-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

I’m waiting in the parking lot for my girlfriend; let’s name her Elle Woods. Not because she really is clueless, but something about her reminds me of Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. Maybe it’s the whole growing up in Danville thing. I don’t know…

Okay so where was I? I was waiting in the parking lot for Elle. Seriously, I was a half hour late myself, what was taking her so long? I cannot believe that I have actually found a person in this world who can be later than I am. Although this is quite embarrassing to admit, my friends often times lie to me, and tell me to arrive 30-60 min earlier then everyone else. Of course someone always slips up and I figure it out. But this does not change a thing. I’m still late.

When Elle arrives we book to Walnut Creek BART. I feel so silly, being in a prom dress and taking BART to a Black & White formal in the city. But Elle, being clever as she is, reminds me parking is going to be difficult and why would we ever want to drive on New Years? She assures me we’ll have a ride back. Whatever, worse comes to worst, BART’s last train is at 3AM. We arrive to SF and it’s about 30 min ‘til count down. I feel like Cinderella rushing to be somewhere before midnight. After running up and down several blocks, we finally catch a cab (our pumpkin carriage) and get to the Old Federal Reserve in time for countdown. Honestly, after all that, countdown was totally anti-climatic. The wrong person kept calling me and the right person wouldn’t pick up my call. I felt like I needed more to drink.

The evening was fun and I bumped into a lot of old friends I haven’t seen since college. At the end of the night, Elle and I were weighing our options. Which group of friends should we join for an after party? By chance, a stranger walks up to me and throws out the typical “Do I know you line?” But it was polished up a little to sound like, “Did we go to Cal together?” Maybe it was the alcohol, but he did look oddly familiar. His friend joined our conversation… Hey, Elle & I know his friend. He told me he was leaving for Dallas the next day. So in that fateful moment I decided for Elle and me how we would spend the rest of the evening. We headed off to So SF to join them and sang Jay Chou songs ‘til morning. Lone Star and his sidekick, like perfect gentlemen, drove us back to Walnut Creek at 8am. Thanks guys.

My Italian Adventure

2006-01-08T23:15:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago, I made my first trip to Europe – Italy to be exact. A girlfriend of mine asked me to join her and her coupled-up friends since her boyfriend had no interest in visiting Europe. (Sadly, some fobs only want to visit the Motherland and of course, Japan) After she books my non-refundable flight, her bf decides to join us after all. Too exciting. I get to hang out with 4 couples. Lately, I’ve been basking in my singleness, but at this point I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and annoyed at the situation. By some stroke of luck, my friend Miguel had both the time and money to join me. And to top it off, his boyfriend wouldn’t be joining us. Score! See, everything always works out.

Or does it? My gf had made sure to let me know that this WOULD NOT be a relaxing trip. She had firmly suggested that we only bring backpacks. Imagine Miguel and me traveling w/ backpacks. Misery loves company and I was glad I had Miguel. Luckily I found myself a ROLLING backpack. Miguel complained he wanted to bring 4 pairs of shoes. Haha, I packed my tennis shoes and of course a pair of stilettos – I was ready to go.

We began our trip in Venice. I had a horrible time. The mosquitoes had no mercy. Seriously, 6 of us stayed in an apartment and I was the ONLY ONE bitten. Even worse, they were having a field day on my face. I was hysterical. My gf came up to me and tried to calm me down by showing me how she had gotten bitten too. Whatever, if she was bitten, her body had reacted 1000x less than mine had. I went to the local Pharmacia and pointed to my face and made buzzing noises. I bought some bug repellant & anti-itch cream. Whatever, they could have been selling me athlete’s foot cream for all I know, since it was all in Italian. I sprayed myself from head to toe, only to wake up the next morning with eyelids the size of golf balls. My roomies were beginning to think this was funny. I went on a rampage and started hunting those suckers down. They were so fat from eating me alive, they were easy to find and demolish. Okay, enough ranting on the killer mosquitoes. Venice looks just like it does in the movies. The scenery is great for a day. They only sell gondola rides, gelato, masks, and Murano glass. The first night I arrived, I took a long walk with Miguel. The city sleeps early. It was nice to have some chat time with him. It’s been 2 years since we’ve seen each other. So much has changed. So much has not.

We spent the rest of the time trekking through Milan, Siena, Florence, and Rome. Truthfully, I made no effort to plan this trip. I figured I’d just tag along with my gf and her friends. I made a few requests: wine tasting, outlet shopping, Pompeii. Well and of course I made another request to only travel within Italy. After all, with only 10 days I didn’t want to be all over the continent.

Milan was lovely. We discovered this great little café that charged €4.50 for soda. Well actually, I couldn’t afford soda in Italy. Vino was cheaper, so vino it was meal after meal! I learned that water comes with or without gas and that San Pellegrino is ridiculously over priced in the States. Paninos are delicious. Their café latte are far superior to Starbucks or Peet’s or any other coffee house back home. I learned the only Italian I ever need to know is “Prada”. I learned that after a full day of walking, it is very difficult to get my feet into stilettos. But I sucked it up and learned to walk on cobblestone with them on (actually I cheated, I hung onto Miguel). I was kissed in Milan by the hottest guy. He told me I was cute! Miguel dragged me away. Hehe, he’s probably jealous. After all, Miguel has been the only beautiful man in my life for a while now. ;o)

I fell in love with Tuscany. Florence, Siena, Chianti… I loved, loved, loved it there. The next time I visit Italy, I am going to spend my entire vacation under the Tuscan sun. The food was spectacular, the scenery so picturesque, and the people so warm and friendly. There was a pool, I wanted to go for a dip. Why am I the only one who ever brings a swimsuit? It should be law that if you need to pack for any trip, you MUST bring a bathing suit. My gf refused to go to the outlets, so Miguel and I decided to go by ourselves. And what an adventure it was! I scored some great finds and smuggled them past SFO customs… feeling guilty all the way.

Up to this point, all of the dining, architecture, art, and scenery had been amazing. We were sad that our trip was ending. The last leg of our trip was Rome. Aside from the Collesium, Rome really didn't do it for me. It was too metropolitan. We visited the Vatican and made an effort to see Pompeii. By now, tension had risen between my gf and Miguel. All the walking and lack of sleep had gotten to us all… On the last day, we took the wrong train to Pompeii and had wasted 4 hours on the train. I could practically see horns grow out of my gf's head - she decided to take the 4-hour train ride back to Rome to purchase a sweater she was obsessing about. Miguel and I decided against madly chasing a sweater, and instead, see Naples before heading back to Rome. When we arrived in Napoli, we realized we were in the WRONG part of town. I can’t describe to you how scared we were. The streets were filthy. People were sleeping on the street among their own feces. We could hear beer bottles being broken as fights broke out everywhere. The streets were lined with vendors selling boot legged copies of anything you can imagine. The people were no longer tall and beautiful and chic like they were in the North. Dingy, dirty teenagers stood around the streets looking us up and down. When Miguel and I decided to get back on the train, we bumped into a Dutch couple that was obviously tourists. They explained to us that we needed to go towards the water, the embarcadero and advised us to leave this part of town. We hired a taxi, and the driver offered to give us a tour for € 40. It was the most excellent adventure. He drove us all around town and pointed at everything we needed to take pictures of. He told us where the espresso was “Number 1 in all the world”, and took us to try it. He showed us the “Beverly Hills” of Naples. I was so glad we had not immediately gone back to Rome. I later found out that there were train delays (expected) and my gf didn’t make it back in time to purchase her sweater. Poor thing...goes to show, nothing can be forced, and we have to just make the best of everything put in front of us.

I discovered on this trip that I have more resilience then I ever thought possible. I had the time of my life; I can’t wait to do it again!!!