KristelinTokyo's Xanga

The best of Italy...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:58:18 GMT

I have a serious case of procrastination and extreme exhaustion. For the past few months I've been so freaking tired. I've gone to the doctor a millon and one times. FIrst for a fracture in my foot, and then for my voice, and then for my tiredness, and then for my lungs, and then for a horrible cough. Tomorrow i'm going for my throat/voice again. I've had my blood tested and just about everything else. They're not sure why I'm so tired all the time, but I'm going to the gym today to see if it's a lack of exercise that has me so freaking tired.

This past Thursday was my 27th birthday. I had a great time. It was a lot funner than last year's birthday and 25 too. We all went out for a family dinner on my actual birthday; Becky, Jeannette, Drew, Jordin, and Kelly joined us too. We laughed and ate and celebrated my birth. It was wonderful to be with all the people that I love in this world on a day that always makes me feel extra special. After dinner, we went next door to an Irish pub for drinks. Oh and Mei mei came from Michigan. She got to join us for the very end of dinner and all the drinks. She's a keeper for coming... ain't no way I'm throwing her back :).

The party continued for two more days. Friday we went out for Happy Hour and to a bar with Beck, Cynthia, and Amy's friend Liz. Saturday we spent the day shopping and sight seeing, before getting ready for my Karaoke extravaganza. I love karaoke! It just makes me so happy to see people enjoying life and feeling like rock stars! My favorite part was singing group songs with the whole bar. The best songs were, Lean on Me, The greatest love of all, Mr. Boombastic, and jojo singing a high pitched John Legend song. The whole place cheered for her because of how badly she did. It was hilarious! The night ended with like 15- 20 of us heading to Sutra for some dancing. I'm still so tired from 4 days of partying. Perhaps next year it will only be dinner or a cupcake!

Now on to Italy... I never wrote about the italian portion of my trip and I just have to. After changing our route between which cities to visit and in what order to visit them followed by a dozen or so different train times, we finally decided on leaving early in the morning and heading to Florence first. We were so pumped to be heading into Italy for our collective first time. Some 45 minutes into our train ride, a sexy Italian guy got on the train. At first he was just standing there, then he got this phone call and started chatting then arguing away. Although I could tell he was arguing, the fact that he was doing it in Italian made it one sexy argument.

After a while, I asked jojo to get up and look at him since he was standing behind her. She got up and looked and when she did he lowered his voice. I guess he thought she was looking because he was being too loud, when really she was admiring his sexiness :). After an hour or so of relishing in his beauty it was time to get off the train. Of course Eve and Jojo packed like they were MOVING to Italy, so we held everyone up as they got all there bags together. They exited first and I followed. As I attempted to pick up my one suitcase and carry it off the train, Mr. Beautiful reached over and said, "leave it there, I'll take it, " in perfect ENGLISH!

I about died. He spoke to me, he really did. He carried my bag off the train and then off he went. We had to connect to another train. I smiled the whole way to the other platform thinking of how lucky I was to have had a sexy Italian help me with my bag. After standing on the new platform for 10 minutes or so, who did I see standing off to the side... you guessed it... Mr. Beautiful!

I wasted no time, shoot when was I ever going to be in that perdicament again? I walked right over to time and asked him (while showing him my ticket) if we were on the right platfom and he said yes. After he was done with his cigarette he came over for a chat... yummy! We found out that his name was Marcello, 28, and a lawyer from naples. We talked about where he was coming from and some how got onto the topic of music. We asked if they ever played bachata out there and he responded with the lyrics of a famous bachata song. We laughed and held back from jumping on him after that.

He helped us get all our bags on the train and find our seats. As we walked into the train, I just looked at the girls and mouthed, "I love him... I love him.... OMG I love him,"it was hilarious. He ended up sitting with Ev, because Iwas too shy to sit next to him. We ended up walking over to them and chatting with him some more. Here's how it went,

K: Here's my sister's card, call us or email us if you come to Rome

M: Your sister? really? How many of you are there?

K: There are 5, and you

M: We are 5 too, what number are you?

K: I'm number 4, you

M: Me too. When's your birthday?

K: The 16th of April, yours?

M: 16th of August... wow

Then we said our good byes, because we were pulling up to our stop. As we said bye he was frantically writing something. He hugged us all and gave us two kisses (mmm hmmm about died then too) and then he gave me a piece of paper... with his number on it!!! ( I love him... I love him!!!)

We spent a day and a half in Rome admiring the legendary city and eating some of the best food I've ever tasted. The pasta was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I inhaled an entire plate of pasta... in less than five minutes, it was just too good to let any of it go to waste.

I called and emailed Marcello and we made tentative plans to meet up in Naples. I didn't think I'd really go down there alone, but it was a possibility. After he offered for me to stay over night, I knew there was no way I was going to go. I told him the most I'd do is go down there for a few hours, perhaps a meal.

He ended up calling and we made plans to meet. Jojo and Ev were petrified, but they also thought it was ridiculously romantic to go to Naples for a date with such an amazing man. So they gave me self defense tips and a black berry and wished me well. I headed to the Roma Termini train terminal, bought a ticket and headed 2 hours south of Rome, to Naples alone!

To Be Continued...

Peace, Life, and Love,

Kristel

Wayyyy over due!

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:07:54 GMT

I know it's now February, but I'd like to document the rest of the trip. My memory is a good one, so it's still sort of fresh :). The final four days in Monaco consisted of a lot of Evelyn-Kristel time. We did everything (not that there was much to do) together. Most of our days went something like this, wake up, eat, head to supermarket, eat, walk, talk, walk, talk. Our last day in Monaco was by far our FAVORITE. We had a lovely dinner over looking all of Monaco (not that it's that big) with Jojo and her coworkers. We had delicious food and dessert. I had the BEST pineapple tiramisu under the sun, well come to think of it... I've never had or heard of pineapple tiramisu, but I will tell you this... I am a HUGE fan of it.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel. Evelyn and I decided to join Jo's boss in the casino, while jojo called it a night. We started out at the blackjack table and that's where we met Paolo. An older Italian business man that not only had a ridiculous amount of expendable cash, but a whole lot to say about black people and Obama too. He was beyond racist, but some how enjoyed my company. I followed him about watching him gamble and he smiled and told me stories. He won 700 euros on one hand at the Poker table... I damn near jumped for joy and it wasn't even my money. He ended up taking us to another bar near the hotel and treating us to several drinks. Evelyn and boss man came too... I'm not crazy enough to go alone.

Bossy man got a little bebido and started dancing and acting a fool. He had us dying. He started smacking my behind and bending me over, a few notches above inappropriate, but hysterical. We all walked back after a few hours of laughter. We all decided to go back into Jo's room to see if she was awake. We knew she probably wasn't but we had to try... when we walked in she was sleeping under a blanket on her bed, she jumped when she saw me and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Bo. She yelled so loud and shook in fear... I laughed until I honestly almost peed my pants. As I ran to the bathroom, I heard the laughter. On my way out, I saw Bo and Evelyn talking when all of a sudden, Evelyn tripped and fell into a suitcase. I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. I so wish I had that night on tape.

In the morning we woke up very early and headed out to catch our train. I helped Jo do some last minute things for work and then we were hauling a$$ to get to our train. We were leaving Monaco and heading to Florence, Italy... woo hoo. A life dream coming to realization, there's just nothing like it.

Peace, Love and Life!

Kristel

Bye bye Barcelona, hello Monte Carlo...

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:51:47 GMT

Not having internet has delayed my entries...oops. I'm currently in Monte Carlo, with my sister and my sister's friend Evelyn. We've been here for a day and two nights. In the short time I've been here I've seen over 10 Ferraris and several Bentleys and Porches too. This place is insanely wealthy and far from my normal life, but it sure is pretty. The weather has been amazing too. We went to the beach today. We didn't swim, but we probably could have. Tomorrow is a full day of sight seeing. We're going to see the Palace, and the Museum, and maybe the aquarium too.

I spent the last part of London sight seeing and hanging with Mr. YKW. The last three days were the best. Not only did I see some great sights, watch the NBA game, and meet up with his family, but I spent nearly every minute with him. We made a deal that when we're in the same city we can act how we feel, act like we're together. I'm all for it.

My London favorites were:

Shopping at Harrods, Tower Bridge (seeing and walking over it), spending time with Mr. YKW, the bread, the KABOBS!, the fashion, Picadilly Circus, the accents, and trying things at the supermarket like Greek yogurt with honey...beyond delicious, and hanging with Jojo and her crew.

* Oh and having VC and DW (two All Stars) acknowledge me was beyond memorable...and flattering :).

After London, I got on a flight to Barcelona. Mr. YKW came all the way into London to meet me for the hours before my flight to say bye and help me with my bags...too sweet. I landed in Barcelona and headed for the train station. A cab to my sister's hotel was about $40-45, so I figured, I'd take the train, because the net said it would be like $4 bucks and 25 minutes. The price was right, but the timing and comfort of it all was way off. I had to lug my 50 pound bag, and 20 backpack, up and down stairs and down the longest transfer routes I've ever seen on public transportation. I was drenched in sweat by the time I finally made to the hotel 2 hours later!!! I don't know what I was thinking.

By the time I got there, the reception desk people were waiting for me with a note and directions. They brought my bags up, I changed my drenched tee shirt and then off to La Barca de Salamanca I went. When I finally got there, Jojo and co. were happy to see me. We dined on the best paella I've ever had. I had half of a huge lobster on my plate, and I devoured every piece of it, minus the shell of course. We drank sangria and ate ourselves merry.

After that we headed back to the hotel. The hotel is beautiful, way nicer than the last one. Only thing that was off was how big and centrally located it was. In London there wasn't much around so we got to see and interact with everyone ;) more. I did get to see and say hi to C Paul and Pajec too. P even asked me what floor I was headed to...lol. Oh and I got to see Eva Mendez at Heathrow Airport...too freaking cool.

In Barcelona, I got to see and do most of the famous sights. I started out at Picasso's museum, which was dope, and chilled along Las Ramblas too. Evelyn and I did everything together. After the museum, we walked around the neighboring streets. We got to this huge plaza where there were dozens of people, swat cars, and cops. We didn't know what was going on, then all of a sudden we heard this huge explosion. We screamed so loud. I ran around the corner and she ducked. We were really scared, but no one seemed to care..then we realized it was a demonstration and that there was nothing to be alarmed about. It was straight out of a movie, one a lot like Vantage Point...so not cool.

Barcelona faves:

Tapas (batatas bravas, and the cheese!), Paella, the Beach, Picasso's work, Gaudi's work, Sagrada Familia, and shopping at Zara's with Evelyn...(so should have gotten that last coat, but I'm not crazy!)

We did a lot of sight seeing and partying in Barcelona. I enjoyed it there, but it doesn't beat London...no way, but maybe London has a little more to offer ;). I'll be enjoying Monte Carlo for the next four days and then off to Italy we'll go. I can't wait to upload the pictures.

Peace, Love, and Life!

Kristel

I'm backkkkkkkkkk

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:41:44 GMT

Oh how I've missed my blog. So sorry for not writing for so long. I was in China this summer and xanga is blocked there. I promise to put up my China posts soon enough, but for now I'll write about my current location. I'm in London!!! I love it here. My sister is here on business, so she gets a free hotel, which means...I'm all over it! I've been here since Wednesday and I'm so in love with this city.

Ahhhhhh I love it so much. I have so much to say about it. I left Wednesday morning at 7am. I had so much to do the night before that I didn't get any sleep...nothing...zero. I was beat. I got on the plane and went right to sleep, by the way Virgin Atlantic is amazing. I did however wake up when the lovely flight attendant said, " would you like some toe mah toe juice?" I started smiling and I haven't stopped.

London is so beautiful. I love the mix of the new and old. I've seen so much in just three days. Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament were my absolute favorite. So beautiful. I have so much to share I don't know where to start...ah. I guess the beginning is best. I'm staying with my childhood friend Alex. He's been living here for 3 years. He went to Law School here and now he's a lawyer! He lives in the dopest apartment ever. It's three floors and it's insane. The television is huge...and it moves, you can tilt it towards yourself...sick!

On my first full day I was ready to see and do it all. I made plans with Mr. YKW. I was nervous as hell to meet him. My heart was in my mouth. I was so nervous I got to our meeting spot 2 hours early. I got there and headed in a general direction. Some guy asked me for a lighter and I said no. I asked him if there was anything worth seeing around there. He was like, are you serious. We exchanged our stories and then we took me on a hour tour of the area. People in London are super sweet!

Then I headed to see Mr. YKW. I was soooooooooooooo nervous. I was pacing and sweating a little. Then I heard, " Kristel," and all the nerves went away. It was like old old times. We spent the whole day together and we didnt talk about the break up at all. For all of you that don't know...we broke up exactly one month ago. The distance was just too much for him. I'll dedicate a blog entry to that in some time, for now I'll stay on London. I've seen him every day since I've been here and it feels just like it did when we were in Japan. I won't go too into detail, but tonight I got all the answers I wanted. We're not together, but I he still loves me. (Private blog about this to come...so sign in or ask for permission to read it...remind me Picadilly Circus).

I'm here for another three days. Then off to Barcelona I'll go...woo hoo.

Peace, Love, and Life!

Kristel

Tokyo...home sweet home

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:54:24 GMT

Ahhh it's been a few days. On my first full day back in Tokyo, I spent the whole day with Tomas and my fireman friend. We met him in Akihabara for some delicious tempura at Tenya.

Does it not look delicious!?! We enjoyed every bite. After lunch, we headed to Asakusa for some shrine viewing and snack trying. We even had time for someeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....Purikura!!!

I'm seriously obsessed with it. I've mentioned Purikura before, but just in case yall don't remember. It's the picture booth "sport," that ends with adding computer graphics to your shots. We had tons of fun together.

The next day I went back to one of my old schools and it was great. The kids were surprised and happy to see me. Here are some shots of that....

( My bad girls...who are ridiculously cool)

( This lil boy fell in love with Tomas...too freaking cute!)

( Some more students)

At night we went bowling with all my buddies who are still here. I brought prizes for the winners and treats for everyone! Oh and the top scorer won a toothbrush. It was all meant to be funny, but it was great for competition :).

( Me and Wen)

(Part of the crew)

I will write the rest tomorrow. Im beat! Remind me if I forget about the wedding celebration, Harajuku, and dinner with mimi.

Peace, Love, and Life!

Kristel

P.S. Tomas takes 2 hours every morning to get ready! I"m not even kidding. I told him I was going to tell the world..and well I'm starting here. Spread the word!

I'm back in Tokyo!!!

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:35:56 GMT

It feels great being back in Tokyo! I feel like I'm home. My adventure began Tuesday morning. I headed to the airport with my parents and my brother. I was filled with excitement to be heading back to Tokyo. Until I got a phone call. I applied for this amazing job last week. I really thought I had it because the head of the executive committee called me personally to tell me my application was excellent and that one thing was missing from my application . I couldn't believe he called. I was psyched with the possibility of getting it. Then he called me minutes before I got to the airport to tell me he was sorry, but that the applicant pull was larger than any other year and that the competition was fierce :(. I was devastated. Getting it made so much sense to me...I really thought I had it. When he said I didn't get it my heart broke into a million little pieces. I didn't cry right away, because I didn't want my parents to think I was sad about leaving, but boy did I cry later. I cried to my travel buddy Tomas. I cried and cried and cried. He reassured me that there's a reason behind not getting it and finding out I didn't get it the same day of my trip. He said God is in control...not me and well he's right.

I'm over the rejection. I now have to get back on my game and searching for my next opportunity. I more than anything want to work in Europe, but it's so difficult. I need to find a way. If anyone reading this has one...please let me know. I'd go just about anywhere in Europe, with my top three being Spain, England, and Italy. Ahhhhhh.

Anyhow, I'm back in Tokyo and loving it. I'm staying at my old place and everything feels so right. I saw a bunch of my old roommates already. Tomorrow I'll see all my friends. We're all going bowling. I can't wait!

Tomas is seriously struggling with the jetlag. I laughed sooooooo freaking much. He knocks out in less than 5 seconds whenever he's sitting. He's sleeping right now. I've been up since 8:30. It's amazing how different I am here. I'm such an early riser out here. Well maybe I'm assuming that a bit too early on the vacation. Let's see if I stick to my early morning routine. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I'm in Japan!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!

Peace, Love, and Life!

Kristel

We're in Canada!!!

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:20:19 GMT

Time is flying by!!! I haven't written in weeks...gomen. Since the last time, many things have happened. I stopped working at the hospitality firm, I started working with kids again, I was in a wedding, and now I'm in Canada. I'd love to recap it all, but I don't have pictures of a lot of it just yet, so it's going to take me a bit.

Right now I'm in Ontario, Canada. I've been here for just about a day. It's been years since my whole family has gone on a vacation together, so we had to make it happen before I left for Asia, which is in 3 days!!! We left Friday morning and arrived last night. We went to Niagra Falls today. It was beyond beautiful. We took a ferry ride that took us up close and personal to the water...spectacular to say the least. Everyone had a great time. I"ll add those pictures in a few hours. We're here until Monday morning. I'm hoping we get back early because I haven't packed a thing and I have tons to do before I leave.

( Me, my sisters, and my niece Serena jumping it up!)

Other than packing I'm all set with my trip to Asia. On Tuesday I leave for Japan. I'm there for a week and then off to China I go. I haven't confirmed a place to stay just yet, but I'm sure something will come up soon enough. (Katerina, do you have Han's number?) I found out on Monday night that I was out of empty pages in my passport and the only appointment available was in Philadelphia. Tuesday morning I got up at 4:30am and took a 6:05 train into Philly to get the extra pages added in. Philly is nice. I was back in the city with enough time to apply for my Chinese visa, which I picked up on Thursday. Now I can legally travel to China.

I'm not at all nervous about my journey out east. I'm ready to get on a plane and experience something new. I love being around my family, but I need the freedom of the world. I can't wait to get back to Japan and see my buds and I can't wait to experience China. I've never been there. I've been studying Mandarin...I can't wait to use it when I get there.

My buddy Estela got married last weekend.

( She looked amazing!)

( Shout out to the bridesmaids!)

We had ourselves a ball. It was an emotional day for me. Anything lovey dovey makes me cry these days. I miss Mr. YKW badly . I can't wait to see him. I spoke to him today and it MADE my day. We talk regularly, but I want to see him yesterday!

Peace, Love, and Life!

Kristel

Changing gears!!!

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:52:57 GMT

I am the biggest loser ever. I took my road test today and I FAILED! I totally forgot to change my gears for the final part of the 3 point turn. I've done the damn 3 point turn dozens of times. I even did it twice this morning. Then I EFFED up on the test. I was so angry. I couldn't believe I made a mistake I've never done before. I would have felt better if it was anything else, but the 3 point turn...that's so stupid! I have been driving for the past month a few hours a week. I'm completely comfortable behind the wheel and I wasn't really nervous today.

I didn't tell anyone I had the test today, so that there wouldn't be any added pressure, but sadly my little theory didnt pan out the way I intended. I'm still pissed. Everyone keeps saying it was just my nerves, but I think that's ridiculous. I made the dumbest mistake!!! I know beating myself up isn't going to change the fact that I FAILED, but for some reason saying how dumb it was over and over is making me feel better...lol...well not really, but I'll tell you all this...I WILL NEVER FORGET TO CHECK MY GEARS AGAIN!!!

I'm going to practice for the rest of the month, but I won't take the test until after I get back from China. I promise I'll pass it then. It's just RIDICULOUS that I failed. I was SO ready. Or was I? I guess I wasn't. :(.

STUPID TEST!!! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Peace, Love, and Life!

Kristel R.

P.S. Next time you're on the road...remember to check your gears!!! Don't reverse when you're supposed to go forward!

It's been nearly 2 months!!!

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:11:01 GMT

I can't believe it's been this long. I so miss my blog. I have to get better at writing, even though I'm not abroad. Since the last time I've written several things have come up. I've started working. I was going crazy with all the free time, so I had to do something about it quickly. I did sign up for the driving classes, but not for Salsa because my mom wanted me to go to Puerto Rico and she said I could learn there.

So I'm temping at a Hospitality firm, that places people in every area of the hotel industry. People who work in hotels make BANK!! This one hotel manager was making $365,000 a year!!! I was like DAMN! I'm working on this huge HR project. The gig was only supposed to last two weeks, but it ended up being 4. Which means that I'm not going to Puerto Rico. Nor am I going to England. The prices for the flight SKY rocketed for the month of June. They were cheaper in May, but Mr. YKW already had things planned for the time I wanted to go out there, so I'll have to wait. I'm dying to see him. I truly am, but the distance is building the ultimate anticipation to see him. I swear I'm going to trample anyone standing in between us, at the airport, the first time I meet eyes with him again.

I also booked a job for the summer. That's the reason why I'm not working at a permanent place yet. I got into the same program my sister did last year. I'm going to teach English to high school students in Shanghai, China. The program is dope. They're paying for me to fly to China, with a week long stop over in Japan :)))), my housing costs, and for food too. I couldn't resist not going. Another adventure in Asia... I can't wait.

After China, I have a few possibilities. I'm applying to every opportunity under the sun. I applied to something in Spain and I'm working on one for Korea too. I have some interviews lined up and a list of temp agencies too. I feel much better about being home now. I had so much free time that I was starting to get really anxious about EVERYTHING. I need to be busy at all times.

So in the last 6 weeks, I've gotten to chill with my parents, friends. and make new friends too. My buddies at work are hilarious. Me and one of the girls laugh a LOT. We just have to look at each other and we die laughing. I love those types of friendships. I feel like I've known her for a long time and it's been barely 2 weeks. She and the others are definitely keepers.

Lastly, my business idea in underway. I don't know what's going to happen if I go away, but I presented it to a business consultant and she's really impressed. She thinks it's GOLDEN!

Peace, Love, and Life!

Kristel

I miss my blog...

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:16:40 GMT

So I've been home for exactly 2 weeks and things are kind of blah. When I left Japan I had to get a round trip ticket, because it was WAY cheaper than a one way ticket. So my return ticket was for today and no I didnt use it. I tried changing the date, to a later one, but it was a use it or lose it ticket :(. I woke up at 1 pm today and I was sad. The thought of not going back made me really sad, but then I thought about it...if I really want to go back...I can. Money shouldn't keep us from the things we want to do.

Other than that, Mr. YKW and I are doing very well. We talk all the time...nearly every day( we've missed two since I've been back). I miss him so much. I've been pretty good about the distance, but on about 3 different occasions the sadness was a bit overwhelming. The weekends are the hardest. We spent nearly every weekend together in Japan, so when I'm home alone on a Saturday it gets to me. I went out on Friday night with a bunch of friends. The music was okay. I didnt dance at all. At one point I looked around and noticed all the men that were there and how I didnt want ANY of them. I only wanted one guy to be there. Then I realized that the last time I was in a club I was with him. That was enough to create a lump in my throat. I avoided the sadness for as long as I could until my sister looked at me and said, "why are you crying?" I had just been tearing silently, but once she said that I was BALLING :(. I miss him, but I know our love is R*E*A*L and I'm just hoping that time really does heal all things.

So where to next? I have no idea. For some reason I feel like an opportunity is here for me. What I need to do is find it fast. Not paying rent is a luxury, but not having my own space is really affecting me. I'm growing a little sadder every day. I'm trying to keep myself active though. I'm signing up for driving classes and I start my salsa lessons this WEDNESDAY! How cool is that?

Here are some pics from my birthday...pics from my welcome back dinner are on the way. Dropping my camera in the ocean was all bad!!!

( Me and my birthday party...minus one my cousin, two sisters, and then my brother came)

(They made me ride a bull!!!)

( Then they sang to me :) )

This is one pic from my welcome back party...becky send me the rest...thanks.

Peace, love, and life!!!

Kristel