Shakira

I was a big Shakira fan back in high school. I loved her music and had much respect for her. I'm not really impressed by her now (in fact I'm kind of disappointed), but I found this video online and it was a great blast from the past. I used to listen to this song over and over again on my CD walkman (remember walkmans?!) while waiting for my bus in the mornings. Ahh memories. Enjoy!

Music Video:"ESTOY AQUí" (by Shakira)

Music Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

Ambulance

When I woke up this morning, I didn't realize that in a few hours I would be taking my very first ride in an ambulance. I have been very sick for the past week. I got, what I thought was, a really nasty bacterial infection in my throat which affected my ears and then went on to give me the worst sinus pressure imaginable. The pain was unbearable. I had gone to the doctor before the symptoms got really bad and was immediately put on penicillin. I had been a good patient taking the pills 4 X a day. They didn't seem to be doing much since the symptoms kept getting worse as the days went on. Finally, yesterday I started feeling better. My sinuses were clearing up, my sore throat and ear pain were gone and I was getting my energy back. But I still had to continue on the medicine for a few days until I finished all of the pills.

This morning, after taking my second dose of the day, I felt like something was trapped in my throat. I thought that the pill was somehow lodged in my esophagus and I drank some water to see if I could flush it down. Three bottles of Dasani later, I tried honey and a salt water gargle. As the hours past, the pain progressed and I started to get short of breath. Then came the hyperventilating and panic. I called my parents numerous times, but they were far away and couldn't help. I was frantic and in tears and called 911. Within 5 minutes, there were 10 men in my apartment asking me questions, taking my pulse and checking my blood pressure. Shorty afterwards, I was whisked away into an ambulance and strapped into a stretche. Luckily, I was being consoled by a very handsome firefighter who had gone to extra effort to make me feel comfortable. (I wanted to kiss him right then and there!!!)

I arrived at the local hospital, went through all the motions. Registration, more registration, waiting, X-ray (of my throat), waiting, examination, more waiting and another examination. Luckily, there was nothing lodged in my throat, but it is very possible that I developed an allergy to penicillin. The medicine caused my throat to close up (thus the pain and the shortness of breath) and it also caused acid reflux which I'm sure did wonders to the lining of my esophagus. And what makes me the most upset about this, the doctor who examined me said that I shouldn't have been on penicillin in the first place because the infection I had was probably viral and not bacterial! Since penicillin only works against bacteria, I might as well have not been taking any medicine at all. Grrr!!

My parents had driven all the way up to come pick me up at the hospital (bless their hearts!). And for the next couple of days, I'm on a liquid/soft food diet and will take it easy. I knew that once I became independent and had my own place that I would have some adventures. But this wasn't the kind of adventure I was looking for.

Simple Pleasures

I took some getting used to, but my apartment is starting to feel like home. My level of stress has gone down, especially since I'm away from my parents, so there is less bickering and my commute is down to 10 minutes from 2 hour + daily. I feel more independent and more responsible. The best thing of all is that I have the time to take pleasure in simple things. Here are some new rituals and some small things I get pleasure from:

• Taking long evening walks
• Reading the Sunday New York Times at a cafe
• Watching people walk their dogs
• Seeing the Prudential Tower from my bedroom window
• Trying out new restaurants
• Grocery shopping on Sunday afternoons (lot of local single guys do the same)
• Silence. Enough to be able to sit down and truly enjoy a good book or magazine
• Watching the sun set over the nearby pond

I plan to increase this list considerably! I just have to get used to the town and the area. I'm looking for new and fun things to do and places to meet people. Meeting people is the most difficult thing. Luckily, I have school coming up. I promised myself not to say no to any school or work-related gatherings! I couldn't say yes all that often before because of my commute. Now I have no excuse! Let the good times begin!

New Beginning

Hope Floats is not one of my favorite movies, but there is a quote from the film that I will carry with my for the rest of my life. "Beginnings are hard, endings are sad, but its the middle that counts." It was a reflection on life in general, but I think it can be specifically applied to any major change in ones life. I'm sad to leave my parents, who I love dearly. I find myself going back "home" to find solace, intermittently while I'm adjusting to my new apartment, which has yet to become my new "home" in the emotional sense. I'm waiting for that in-between period to come. One in which I'm comfortable with my new-found independence and do not rely on my parents for emotional support. I think it will take a while -- a long while. I'm very behind at being an adult. But I'll get through it somehow. I just have to.

So Tired...

I'm exhausted. On Saturday, I moved some things into my apartment and got my new sofa. On Sunday, I loaded up a U-Haul truck and moved a whole lot more. On Monday and Tuesday, I moved even more things and started setting up so that the apartment could be somewhat liveable. I assembled a coffee table, two side chairs, a dining table and after 5 hours of blood, sweat and tears I gave birth to an entertainment center. I can't believe how much work this is and how quickly I get tired and have to stop. This definitely shows that I need to be more active!

Gonna take a short hiatus as I'll be internet-less for a few days and will need to keep working on my apartment. Pictures to come! Woohoo! And also, the finals of the World Cup are this weekend so I'll be too busy having minor heart attacks to do anything at all productive. Bon journee!

Go Portugal!!!!!

Portugal kicked England's b-u-t-t today. This game was pure torture. No goals for 90 minutes, then no goals for 30 more minutes. Then Cristiano Ronaldo (shown above) sealed Portugal's victory with a third successful penalty kick. It was beautiful, but good grief I almost had a heart attack! The excitement was too stressful.

Grown Men Crying

I love watching the World Cup, but boy is it stressful. I don't think I could ever become a full-time devoted fan of football (soccer). I wouldn't have enough energy to deal with real-life emotions because all my stress, anxiety, heart-break and happiness, joy and elation would all be funnelled into games. What gets to me is the major disappointment when one team loses. Today Argentina lost to Germany in penalty kicks. Argentina managed to only get 2 in while Germany got 4. That last missed penalty kick by Argentina sealed Germany's victory. That poor guy Cambiasso who lost that one goal was crying! Even though I was beside myself with joy that Germany won (I think they are incredible), watching a grown man crying depresses me to no end. And then to see a whole team crying and leagues of fans cry, I can't take it! I even fell to pieces when I saw Cristiano Ronaldo cry after his leg injury prevented him from finishing the game. The highs are so high and the lows are so low, that I guess no matter how much I'd like to become full-time fan, I can only take football in small doses. Lets hope there is not a lot of crying this afternoon when Ukraine goes versus the blood-thirsty, elbow-throwing Italians.

Go Portugal!!!

Portugal (1) ~ Netherlands (0)

My apologies to the Dutch!

Anything to get out of doing my mid-term and packing up for my move!

Everytime I watch a match of the World Cup the announcers always bombard the viewers with random facts and statistics that to me, as an amateur football fan, seem way out of left field. I decided, out of pure frustration with these silly scenarios that the sportcasters create, that I would write some wacked-out statistics of my own.

1) Germany has never advanced to the final four, on non-European soil and when cheap American Budweisers are downed by their team's rival's fan's mothers-in-law's cousins during teatime in London.

2) Mexico has only ever scored 2 goals in the second stage of the World Cup, except that time when 50% of the other team had serious constipation.

3) Its the first time in 40 years, Portugal has advanced to the second stage of the World Cup in which one of their team members is a young, hot, Prince-William look-a-like, not from the mainland.

4) Ecuador has lost everytime that the majority of their fans do NOT participate in the wave, sing the national anthem and buy expensive FIFA merchandise.

5) The longest distance a player has ever slid across the grass while other team members were celebrating the wrong goal in their second game, was 5 feet.

6) The Brazil vs. The African Brazil (Ghana) game will be the first time a South-American team has played against an African team which, within their own continent, is considered to be equal of the other team in that other continent.

Retribution At Last!

This has been a really bad year for me, and yesterday I said to myself, "for all of the bad things that have happened to me, there must be some retribution coming soon. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, I must be at least close!" Well, retribution is coming in the form of a bigger apartment! The tenant of the original apartment just wouldn't quit, so my realtors (God bless them) worked their magic and got me an apartment, on the same floor of the same building, with a bigger lay-out, better views and the same original price. I was blown away! Basically, I just got an upgrade. Now I can resume packing with the knowledge that I actually have an apartment (an even nicer one to boot) to move into! Thank you kharma!

My World Comes Crashing Down

This is a really bad day.
 
For one, my beloved uncle died this morning at noon.
 
Secondly, the tenant of the apartment I was going to move into July 1st now doesn't want to move out. So I'm apartment-less.

To add to that, its crisis after crisis at work and I can't seem to catch up. And I have a midterm exam this week and a final exam next week.
 
::sigh::

The Cup Overfloweth With Opinions

I have a lot going on right now. I'm going to moving into my first apartment in a few weeks; I'm in the middle of my grad school summer session with a mid-term right around the corner; I'm working like a dog at my job trying to catch up because of the time I lost during my vacation. But even with all of this going on, my main focus still remains on soccer and the World Cup. It's all I can think about and all I'm interested in. I allot most of my time to packing, studying and working but I've got a serious case of soccer-on-the-brain. Here are my thoughts on the World Cup so far (Disclaimer: I'm not a professional sports fan):

Germany-4 ~ Costa Rica-2 : Can someone say "hometown advantage"?
Poland-0 ~ Ecuardor-2 : I was mesmerized by the Polish goalkeeper the whole time.
England-1 ~ Paraguay-0 : Probably one of the most boring games, ever. ::Yawn::
Trinidad & Tobago-0 ~ Sweden- 0: I loved the fact that T&T were so happy with their score!
Argentina-2 ~ Ivory Coast-1: Eh.
Serbia-Montenegro-0 ~ Netherlands-1: It's interesting that Serbia-Montenegro is no longer one country. I was rooting for the dudes in orange. Go PSV Eindhoven!
Mexico-3 ~ Iran-0: I almost cried when all the Mexican players at the end went to hug the goalkeeper who's father passed away recently. What a touching tribute!
Angola-0 ~ Portugal-0: This fascinated me because I have family that was born in both Portugal and Angola. But I'd rather ogle at C. Ronaldo from Portugal anyday!
Australia-3 ~ Japan-1 : This is nothing to what Australia will face with Brazil. Good thing they have a 3 point advantage!
USA-0 ~ Czech Republic-3: I watched this at a bar with a bunch of USA fans, but I was rooting Czech all the way! I'm so not a good American.
Italy-2 ~Ghana-0: The Italians have really good hair. I wonder what conditioner they use?
South Korea-2 ~ Togo-1: I'm embarassed to say, I didn't even know Togo was a country!
France-0 ~ Switzerland-0: France isn't as interesting this year. Shame.
Brazil-1 ~ Croatia-0: Doesn't surprise me that Brazil won.
Spain-4 ~ Ukraine-0: The two countries rhyme! I love it.
Tunisia-2 ~ Saudia Arabia-2: I wish I could say I was interested in this, but I really wasn't.
Germany-1 ~ Poland-0: See my comments below in my last entry. Poor Boruc.
Ecuador-3 ~ Costa Rica-0: Wow, those Ecuadorians have lots of energy!
England-2 ~ Trinidad & Tobago-0: I missed this one. I wish I could have seen Rooney in action.
Sweden-1 ~ Paraguay-0: I think I was in panic-mode at work when this game happened.
Argentina-6 ~ Serbia-Montengro-0: Wow! Argentina swept the floor with those poor Serbs.
Netherlands-2 ~ Ivory Coast-1: Go Orange! Go Orange!
Mexico-0 ~ Angola-0: As exciting as watching grass grow, but gives Portugal an advantage.
Portugal-2 ~ Iran-0: Go Portugal! It's your birthday! This is my favorite game so far!
Czech Republic-0 ~ Ghana-2: What the...? How the...? Huh?
USA-1 ~ Italy-1: Brutal, complete with actual blood. Emotionally draining, but USA impressed me.

Issa/Boruc

I have a soft spot for soccer players, especially those who struggle to make it to the World Cup only to be harshly ignored by lady luck. Last time, it was Pierre~Issa. A Lebanese, South-African born, French-raised soccer player who played for the South Africa team in the World Cup in 1998 and 2002. I thought he was beautiful and graceful. He was sleek and tall and his movements across the field looked more like ballet than sport. In 1998, he tried to intercept two shots on goal from the French only to have the ball slip over his foot and into the net both times! And because he technically was the last person to touch the ball, he was counted as responsible for the other team's goal. I don't know how, but he made it to the 2002 World Cup only to get an injury during his first part of the first game and had to sit on the bench while he watched his team get eliminated! My heart yearns for him, because this is his career, his passion!

South Africa didn't make it this year, but now I long to comfort someone else. A certain Artur-Boruc on the Polish team. He's one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen. I set eyes on him and I thought to myself, I must be dreaming, I didn't think they came this handsome. I did some research on him and found out that he's a very successful goalkeeper who's played for clubs in Poland and Scotland. But being a goalkeeper must be very difficult, especially since every goal the other teams scores is basically a result of your mistake! Ouch! And my heart went out to him when Germany got a goal in the 91st minute of a 0-0 game. He looked absolutely devastated. This may be a beautiful game but the highs are high and the lows are terribly low and its more than just a game that's at stake.

Below are some pictures of Boruc for your viewing pleasure. Sorry ladies, he's married (shucks!). But if you want to ogle at him some more go to is official website!

Boruc3

Boruc2

Borac

Beautiful Game

Once every four years, something amazing happens. No, it's not a break in the time-space continuum but it's a phenomenon that is almost equally astonishing. For one month, I am glued to the television watching nothing but sports! Not just any old sport, but the beautiful game - soccer. Or, to call it by it's true name, football. Also, it's not just any old football game, but the World Cup. I, who abhor watching any type of sport for the other 3 years and 11 months in my 4 year cycle, became infatuated with football. Athletic men, from around the world, join together to run around a field and kick a ball around, and I'm entranced. There's the thrill of knowing the one goal can change the entire game. There's the international aspect of seeing representatives from so many different countries all in one place. And the most important part, there's the feminine-hormonal surge in me which swoons at the sight of slender, athletic men drenched in sweat and running around in shorts that reveal just the right amount of perfectly sculpted leg muscles. And, if they are running fast enough, their uninforms cling to their bodies revealing their amazing shapes. Their outrageously gorgeous model wives and girlfriends are no where to be seen, so the fantasy is kept in tact. In just a few minutes, another game starts, so off I go to drool over the beautiful game.

Salut!

I've decided that this poster will be the main focal piece in my new living room. Yes that's right, I've got a new living room meaning I have a new apartment! Yay! I will be less than 2 miles from work and only a hop skip and a jump away from school. Most importantly, I'll be at a distance from my parents who are still making plans to control my life while I'm away. Its going to be a great opportunity to become truly independent. I'll learn, mostly the hard way, how to be solely responsible for myself. I still see myself running back home for certain things such as mom's home cooking, our home garden complete with flowers, vegetables, fruit and herbs and my dad's mechanical expertise. I also don't want to give up my bank, my hair stylist, my dentist, my chiropractor, my aesthetician and my eye doctor. So I'll be doing lots of travelling home. But I do get to say goodbye to Monday morning/Friday afternoon commutes and paying outrageous amounts of money at the pump. I'm both excited and nervous because I know I have a lot of growing up to do! My move-in date is July 1st and I'll keep you in the loop on the details of the new pad!

Book Expo

Last Saturday was truly an unforgettable day. I woke up at 4am-ish -- which should be a crime by the way -- got ready, got on a bus and then got on a plane to D.C. Besides my disabilitating fear of flying, I was super excited. For one day, I got to go to Book Expo America, the biggest event in book publishing. It's a convention held every May (sometimes June) when book publishers and other business create elaborate booths in a grandiose convention center to show off their wares to booksellers and other folk. Authors and remainder buyers swarm around the booths like hawks hoping to court a publisher or two. It's all shmooze and all excitement. When I arrived at the Washington Convention Center I was in awe! I got to wander around for a few hours oggling at other publisher's goodies before going to my company's booth for "booth duty." My job was basically to handsell our titles, pass out free goodies (something Book Expo is famous for) such as galleys (pre-publication copies of books), tote bags, postcards and catalogs, and answer as many questions as I could. It was so great to see so many people excited about the industry. The whole experience reminded me why I'm in this business: because I truly love books. And being around so many other people who've dedicated huge parts of their lives to books, only made me more proud of my career! I still can't stop talking about the experience! I have made a Yahoo! Photo Album for you to see some pictures from my trip. Please enjoy.

Back for Good

I really needed a hiatus from everything and work on getting some issues resolved. So now I'm back for good. When I have some time, I will write a proper post. For now, I will just highlight some important things that are going on in my life:

1. I'm back in school, taking a class I like on a schedule that works for me.
2. My chiro sessions ended and now I don't have back and neck pain.
3. I'm slowly coming to terms with my dog's death, although I'm forever traumatized.
4. I went to Washington DC on Saturday to go to Book Expo America! And I saw celebrities! Pictures and details to come.
5. I think I found an apartment close to work. I will probably apply for it today.
6. I have a full week vacation coming soon. Finally!
7. I was a victim of identity theft. Again! Argh...I can't wait to catch up with everyone and get back to blogging!