ohai beijing!

My final goodbyes to Xi'an were lovely. I got up early and headed to the Small Goose Pagoda, located a bit outside the city walls. The walk was long but I enjoyed passing through the early morning activities in the streets- smelling breakfast wafting through open windows, seeing vendors setting up shop, hearing children chatting on their way to school. This is my favorite time of day, when a city or place wakes up.

I'm going to try to end all of my travels with a visit to a temple or place of worship, not because I'm religious (I do believe in something, but I just don't know exactly what yet), but because I like the atmospheres of such places. They are always peaceful and calming, and I find that immersing myself and absorbing these vibes give me a sense of closure and fond farewell with these cities as I leave them.

The Pagoda stood at 15 stories. There were plants growing in cracks on the surface of the building and the steps leading up to it were worn and slightly crumbled. I climbed and wheezed up a winding staircase that wrapped up the interior of the holy tower to see the view from above. Unfortunately, the view was limited by smog, which is absolutely awful in Xi'an, but I was able to see the surrounding garden and park areas in which the Pagoda stood. Once back on the ground, I walked through the various buildings and structures, all preserved from the Tang Dynasty, I believe. I don't think I could ever grow tired of these buildings. I overheard another tourist complain that they all looked the same, which baffled me. Okay, I admit that they may look similar, but these structures are so, so, SO detailed, and it's in the details where they are so drastically different! I wanted to tell the tourist to pay closer attention to such things (and to slap her for being an unappreciative idiot), but she had disappeared into a nearby souvenirs shop.

The garden area was lovely, with a large pond and bridges, many stone pathways cutting through grassy stretches, and trees that seemed to muffle the chaotic streets just outside. I settled for a bit to write and sketch in a cement paved area dotted with several small circular tables, elegantly engraved of stone, each surrounded by matching stone stools. Two sets of brick towers marked the area, with eroding stone roofs and green plants peaking through the tiles. Their faces were engraved with Chinese characters that, from the distance I was sitting, reminded me of trails of water running down a window on a rainy day. I really liked it there. While sitting here, I also met a boy from Mongolia and I helped him with his English. He was very sweet and would not stop asking me questions about the United States.

Then, 11 hours on a train later, I'm here in Beijing. I'm waiting to be shown to my room. The hostel is nice, and the location is pretty killer- I'm literally a 10 minute walk from the Forbidden City and from Tian'an Men Square. Can't really beat that. Oh, my room is ready! I'll write more later about Beijing adventures!

smog is sooo in right now.

Xi'an is admittedly not quite what I imagined. I knew it was going to be small, especially in comparison to ginormous Shanghai... but I had expected a much more traditional-looking town, full of history and old architecture everywhere. Xi'an is really just your average emerging city. It's cramped with people, smoggy and full of malls and more KFCs that I care to count. There are some lovely patches of history scattered throughout the area though. Yesterday I went to the Muslim Quarter, which was a popular market area during the time of Marco Polo. Store signs were wooden and painted, and the buildings were dark and old with tiled, pointed roof tops. The activities in the streets felt old too- people selling dried fruits and nuts out of baskets, vendors yelling prices, the constant murmur of shoppers and rusty bicycle wheels whirling in the streets. I wandered there for a bit before walking further south to check out the Bell Tower and the City Wall. The Bell Tower is at the center of the city and today acts as a busy roundabout. What it is at the complete center of is a wall that surrounds the main part of the city. And around that is a park that, in addition to a roller rink, featured many hilarious safe sex ads.

I also found the loveliest street near the south east part of the wall called the Ancient Street. To get to it, you walk through an old gateway that must have been brightly colored in its heyday but has now faded with time, but it has lost none of its elegance. Once through the gateway, it's a different world, an old world. Even the air smelt old and the cobble stones under my feet kept echoing the countless steps that had walked there before me for years. The streets are lined with traditionally-built 2 or 3 story, narrow buildings. They have worn, wooden window panes, clay tiles that curve with the roofs, and hand painted store signs hanging above sagging doorways. It does have a run down look, but there's such a charm about it, like it has a secret to tell you, or some hidden treasure deep within the walls of the buildings. I spent a good 2 hours there, just walking around, trying to absorb the age around me while becoming more and more aware of my own youth.

Then today, I went to see the Terracotta Army with a very nice German guy that I met in the hostel. Rather than pay the extra 100 Yuan, we navigated the bus system ourselves, which ended up being very easy. (Travel note: Never completely trust what hostel workers tell you- in most cases they're just trying to make something seem much more difficult to do on your own so that you'll pay them extra to do it for you.) The Terracotta Army was so amazing. Here's a quick sketch on the background: It all started with a very, very paranoid emperor, Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China at around 200 BC. Before his death, he commanded the creation of an army of over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, all made completely out of terracotta, to scale and with intense detail (down to the hair and the ties in the clothing!!). In addition to all these warriors, he also commissioned figures of acrobats, attendants, musicians and others to be made. He wanted to be well prepared for his after life. There are three sites total and the first one discovered, which is also the largest, was found during the 70's when some local farmers wanted to dig a well there. Instead of water, they found an arm (I think?) of one of the warrior statues. Wild huh??! Can you imagine being that farmer? "Oh, hey, I'm thirsty and so are my crops, I'm gonna dig for a well riiiiiiiiiiiiiight... Here! Oh, what's that? An ARM?! Made of TERRA COTTA?! It looks so WARRIOR-like!" You'll have to excuse me for geeking out just now. I just visited the site today so it's history is still in my system.

And that's all for now! Time to sleep!

last days in shanghai

So on my last full day in Shanghai, although I tried my best to avoid it, I had my first solo restaurant meal. It wasn't so bad... until I was seated at the only available table, which was incidentally equipped for 6 people. So not only was I alone but I had 5 other empty places of people that obviously weren't eating with me. Le sigh. It also didn't help that while I was eating, 3 different groups of 5 people came into the restaurant, but of course couldn't be seated because one person was taking up the table that they needed. Lovely. Needless to say, I ate fast. On a brighter note, the restaurant was located in a lovely area of town. It's a series of little shops and eateries crammed into a labyrinth of alleyways called Taikang Lu. Rich suggested I go there, and I'm so glad that I did! You really don't notice it off the main street. The entrance looks like every other alley way, with colorful laundry lines extending across from windows and AC units dripping onto the crumbling brick pathway below. But after a few meters, you discover the first tiny, indie shops and then it's a completely different place- I love places like that, places that encourage exploration. The buildings themselves felt very old and had a somewhat deteriorating look to them, but they had a certain rustic quality that was charming and aesthetically pleasing. There were shops for everything, and it was a delight to get lost in the maze of alleys. In between shops were old residences and it was also nice to see some of the locals out and about. I'm sure this feeling wasn't shared on their end very much (this area was pretty busy as well)... But, I'm sure they like making business off us visitors.

After that, I tried to walk to Jing'An Temple, but I had forgotten that one block in the streets of Shanghai is about 3 to 4 times the length of an avenue block in New York... So I made it to the temple, finally, just when it closed. Fail. But I did get there the next morning, on my last day. The temple was beautiful. As you entered, you came to a square courtyard, surrounded by the 4 main buildings. In the courtyard was a type of tower/statue structure decorated with many dragon figures that people threw coins into for luck. And along side that was a mini, iron house of sorts for burning incense. It was drizzling when I went so the mist combined with the burning incense made the whole experience much more solemn. Walking up the steps to the main building, I was immediately struck by a flash of silver. Inside was an enormous, silver Buddha statue. I walked into the temple behind some visiting monks and looked on in awe at the statue. I eyed it upward and when I reached it's eyes something kind of froze, as cheesy as that sounds. I ended up staring at it for a good half an hour. It felt like it was looking in me and through me and I hadn't felt so spiritually moved like that in a long time. It was a good way to end my trip in Shanghai.

The train station, was another good experience to end my trip in Shanghai, but a different type of good. Good in the sense that I think I can handle anything now after that train station! With the chaos, the crowds and crowds of people, and most information in Chinese characters, it's really a wonder that I made it onto my train at all. But I suppose I don't give myself and my survival skills enough credit. With some help from a very nice Chinese couple, I made it onto my train and discovered it to be a sleeper and not seated. The mystery as to why the ticket was so expensive was answered! (I had gone to the train station before to buy the ticket myself, wanting to see if I could manage it, and came away with a ticket costing three times as much as I had budgeted for, EEP!) In the end I'm glad that I accidentally bought a sleeper ticket- it was much more comfortable for the 11 hour trip. That and I'd never been on a sleeper train before! I was excited like a little kid, and even more so because I got top bunk! YES! The other 5 people crammed into my compartment didn't get my enthusiasm for being squeezed all the way at the top, where I could really barely sit up. But I loved it! I felt like I was in a fort! Complete with snacks and a book to read! And I had to awkwardly climb up some ladder step things, so it was like a tree house fort! Yay forever! But anyway, yes, the train ride was cool.

And now I'm in Xi'an. But I should get out of here and go exploring! I'll report on Xi'an later! Ta!

so i'm moving to denmark...

You're probably confused and wondering how my being in China could possibly make me want to move to Denmark. Well, I went to their pavilion at the World Expo and fell in love! I keep falling in love these days (sorry, Alex! At least they're all with countries?) but I can't help it! So, allow me to explain this new infatuation:


The Danish pavilion is white and cylindrical in shape. The outer walls have holes in them, adding to the open and airy feel of the entire pavilion. In spite of its clean and modern design, two adjectives that I commonly associate with being cold and not welcoming, I felt embraced by Denmark as I walked into the building. There are multiple floors that blur together because the walkway is a ramp that gradually curves upward and circles up the structure. Along the walkway, there is bench that wraps and twirls around and, this is the kicker, a bicycle lane (!!!!!!!!!!). Visitors are encouraged to borrow a bike and to cycle around and through the entire exhibition, which I TOTALLY DID! This is meant to reflect the extremely bike-friendly attitude of the Danish and how they are pursuing a more bike-inclined society as a means of becoming a greener city. Walking up the the structure, the walls offer information on Denmark as well as a series of short silent films and blown up photographs that present Danish life. The films are beautiful and I watched each of them twice, marveling at the cinematography and the content. I will try to find them online and post a link because I think everyone should watch them! In the pieces presented, it is very apparent that Denmark is an up and coming country in the green and eco-friendly world. They are transforming major highways into bike only highways, they are creating more park spaces, they are converting to wind and water power, they are experimenting and are arguably ahead with green architecture... it's amazing and very inspiring! I feel like Denmark has its priorities in order (I also read about their health care and education systems- so great!) and, as someone from the messy United States, who can blame me for wanting to live there, honestly? So yes, needless to say, the Denmark pavilion was my favorite pavilion. It made me so happy to be there! And it helped also that it was there that I had my first full conversation in English since my arrival in China. I was starting to get lonely and homesick for English, a feeling I never really expected to feel for the language, and bam! There he was! He was a Danish boy who was interning in Shanghai and thought to help out with the Expo as well. We never even exchanged names, but for the 30 minutes that I talked to him, I felt so comforted and no longer isolated and alone.

It's amazing how important language is and how crucial it is to feel understood. I've always been spoiled in the past with my travels- I've only ever been in countries where English was common or I at least never had any problems finding someone who did speak English. But here in China, that is not the case at all. There are some English speakers but they are hard to find. I would go sometimes for hours and hours without ever talking, instead resorting to gestures and facial expressions as to avoid the awkwardness of trying to talk. To compensate for my lack of speech, I've been writing a lot. I've been journaling and writing letters and postcards, which has been comforting, but it does get difficult being isolated by a language that you don't understand and that doesn't understand you. But it's a good experience to be sure, and I'm glad that I'm experiencing it now.


Anywho, back to the Expo. Even though I went for 2 days, I still didn't get to see all that I had wanted. But I am content over all with my experience and what I did get to check out- Denmark, the Philippines, Oman, Vietnam, Korea, China, Switzerland, Belgium, the EU, Indonesia, Brunei, New Zealand, Spain and Africa. Yea, I would say I got around to enough. I can't go into detail on each of the pavilions, as that would take FOREVER, but here are some general comments. It was amazing and interesting to see how each of the countries presented themselves, which features they emphasized and what the pavilions looked like. Some, such as Switzerland, stressed their work at becoming more eco-friendly with lots of information on their goals and steps to achieving them. Others like Indonesia focused on their history and culture, showing traditional instruments and weapons. Each pavilion was so different from each other and it was such a great thing to see them all grouped together in one place, all represented together in Shanghai. I really do love the idea of the World Expo and I'm so glad that it exists. It encourages interactions between countries and it is a reminder that although we may be physically far apart, we are tied closely together by our humanity and our love for life and culture. At least that's something that I like to believe.

So yes. The Expo was excellent and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to see it. I hope to get another opportunity in the future! But anyway, must dash. Time for more adventures in Shanghai!

shanghai. is. awesome.

This will be a short post as my time on the internet is limited, but I just wanted to say that SHANGHAI RULES MY FACE OFF & I LOVE IT. Seriously. This place is great! I know, I know, I've only been here 2 days, how could that be possible. We barely know each other. My relationship with Shanghai hasn't been long enough to call it love. But I am in love. It may be unrequited (Shanghai probably has higher standards than me) but it's still love.

Shanghai is truly a city of lights. I think it's completely necessary for any visitor of the city to take a tour of it at night time. Everything is bright and colorful! It's amazing! And it's not cheesy or gross like how Times Square can be sometimes. Shanghai manages to make the bright lights and neon colors classy. Good for you, Shanghai. I spent all day at the World Expo today, and I sat for a better part of the evening on some stone steps that overlooked the Huangpu river. And then I was dazzled. I mean, the previous night I went to the Bund to check out the views and those buildings were lit up as well, but the view from those stone steps... oh man. So beautiful. Even the boats were dressed up in their best lights! From cop boats, to personal boats, to huge liners, they were all dolled up in colored twinklers, matching the scene on the other side of the river. And the bridges changed colors too!

But anyway. I have to cut this short. My internet time is running out and I need to get some rest. I'm planning on hitting the Spain, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden pavilions tomorrow. I'm gonna need my strength. Goodnight, world!

a reintroduction to the philippines

So, this is not my first time in the Philippines but my second. I came here last year with my family on Christmas break for 10 days, during which I CLIMBED A VOLCANO NBD. But anyway, this time around feels different and I feel like I'm being more observant of the way of life here. A few things in particular stand out to me.

1. The driving. There are your standard stoplights and designated driving lanes, but outside of the more urban areas like Makati (the financial district, a baby New York really, complete with a Starbucks on every block), drivers and motorists don't seem to consider it law or necessary to follow and obey them. The dotted lines and traffic lights are treated as gentle suggestions instead, and drivers and motorists do as they please for the most part. Cars will swerve and dance in two lanes, cabs will run red lights into steady traffic to pick up a passenger, small buses will make left hand turns from the most right lane and almost crash into multiple motorists and babies in the process... And, to makes things more exciting, throw in a couple pedestrians and road vendors weaving through the traffic! Oh Philippine streets- how you delight and terrify me.

2. The malls. Pinoys LOVE their malls. They are everywhere. And they are huge. (And that's what she said.) Last night I went to the Mall of Asia with my aunt and her friend and I was completely overwhelmed. It is the 2nd largest mall in the Philippines and the 4th largest in the world, with 4.2 million square feet of consumer wonderland. Gah. And, a part of that 4.2 million is, of all things, an ice skating rink? I guess Jamaica does have a bobsled team... You'd think with all these malls (especially with three within walking distance of the condo) and the wonderful, wonderful exchange rate that I'd be a shopaholic by now. But I'm not. In fact, I'm all but completely turned off by the idea of shopping. It's just too overwhelming in those madhouses. It is, however, very fun to people watch in those places. Except for when I see gross, old white guys macking on young Filipinas. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww forever.

3. The music. So much of the music blaring from cars in the streets and playing in stores are popular American songs... but re-sung by, I'm assuming, Asian singers. They sound like karaoke sessions recorded with decent home recording equipment. So I have heard Asian versions of "Party in the USA," "O.M.G." and "In the End," among others. Asian Linkin Park is awesome/silly/hilarious/I'm-so-glad-they-exist.

4. The food. Filipinos eat a lot of food, all the time. Really. They are food machines with black holes for stomachs. But who can blame them really with such great food! My taste buds and I have been having a splendid time trying the various fruits and treats that are special to PI. I've had egg tarts, lanzanes fruit (such a fun word! It's kind of like lychee), sinigang (traditional PI dish), chilled taho (another fun word! Made of soybeans and eaten with syrup)... YUM! It's all so derrricious!! I'm afraid of coming back to the United States looking like a plump, round dumpling. But I shall be a happy dumpling. Until I try to fit into my old clothes. Wah. Oh, and still on the note of food, one thing that I love to do in foreign countries is to explore a local grocery story or outdoor food market. You can learn a lot about a country from the types of fresh and packaged food that they sell. I like noting the differences in varieties, products, packaging, and brands. For instance, they have CHEESE icecream here. I bought a little container of it today out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised. There were cheese chunks in it, which was a bit weird, but for the most part it was pretty tasty. Also, all their pasta sauces are in in bags, which I found amusing. And their green peppers! They're so tiny!! Three green peppers here is the equivalent of one green pepper in the states. Fo realz. Their food is tiny like their people! And yet they all eat so much... It's quite amazing really. Oh, and one more funny observation: at the McDonald's, you can order a chicken drum stick with rice or spaghetti (where the sauce is banana ketchup). Cool.

But okie. Enough blogging. I have to cut my auntie's hair now! Love, peace and adobo grease!

P.S. This is just funny:
Free Tang when you purchase Pillsbury hot cake mix! Sign me uppppppp.

jet lag, you are so lame.

So I woke up this morning feeling a bit off, but I couldn't quite place what was the matter. I felt sluggish, my head was swimming, my eyes hurt, and my joints ached. The morning was spent in a sort of physical funk that started affecting the rest of my being and it was only a by the afternoon that I managed to mobilize and get a move on. I dragged myself out of my aunt's condo, thinking that the fresh air would do me good and that all I needed was a distraction to perk up. JKLOL.

I am jet lagged and my body is having difficulty adjusting to being here. Sometimes the answer, my usual answer, to jet lag is to carry on and ignore it- it'll go away eventually and sometimes it helps to psyche yourself out of it. Other times, like now, it is best to just mellow and relax. I've never had this problem before when I've traveled in the past, so I was completely surprised when I started to feel faint and a bit sick while walking outside. Boo. So I'm back in the condo and I don't intend to leave for the rest of the day, or at least until I feel a bit better. Don't worry though! I'm quite all right. I just need some time to adjust to things. So I shall mellow, drink some green tea and plan for the upcoming countries, which is something that I need to do anyway.

This disconnect between my mind and body is really something to experience though. My head, ignoring the occasional moment of, "Uhh I'm in Asia? Oh I'm in Asia!", has pretty much settled into this new environment, but my body is confused and keeps protesting the time difference and the change in lifestyle. And there will be moments, like now, where my body feels ready to collapse in sleep, but my head is chipper and recognizes the afternoon sunlight outside. I should do yoga. That will probably help. I tried meditating yesterday, but I only ended up falling asleep, which didn't help my efforts to adjust my sleep cycle. So yoga it is. And if you, dear reader, do not practice yoga and/or have not tried it, you should!! Yoga is absolutely lovely and healthy, and I can't thank my sister enough for introducing me to it. It can do wonders for you, if you let it.

And that being said, I'm off to do some yoga. Namaste.

P.S. I guess I broke my promise of a more interesting blog post. To make up for it:

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

good morning FROM THE FUTURE

I'm sitting in my aunt's condo in Manila, where it is so wonderfully air conditioned (or "air con-ed" as the Filipinos would say). It's a balmy 84*F in Manila, which I don't really mind, but it really is strange to me to have summer weather during September, which for me translates to autumn, scarves and cold breezes. Yea, I'm not going to be getting much of that here, which is sad because autumn is hands down my favorite season. Ah well.

My aunt's condo is small and cozy and reminds me of something you'd find in the financial district of New York, except probably 10 times cheaper for rent. It feels weird to be sitting here. I really still can't believe I'm here. Well, I suppose I have a good 3 months to get used to the idea, but I certainly hope it sinks in well before then. Waking up this morning was confusing though. I felt very disoriented and was alarmed to see someone hovering over me. I totally forgot where I was and it didn't help that my eyesight is blurry without my glasses. So, what I thought was a menacing wizard killer with a floating orb of death (yes, a floating orb) was actually my aunt with a plate of breakfast (rice, eggs and fish!).

I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do today. Actually, no I'm not. I have more than enough things to do before I leave for China in a week. I need to get immunization shots, book hostels in China, figure out my trip itinerary for China... China China China. And shots so that I don't die. So re-word: I'm kind of at a loss as to where to start.

And by the way, can I just say that after years of being spoiled by great Wi-Fi in the United States, I have turned into a whiny complainer of the internet here. Or lack of really. I've been having problems everywhere, and every time I start to throw a mental tantrum, I realize how ridiculously spoiled and bratty I'm being. Wah wah, I can't connect to the internet. WAH. My having an IPhone certainly hasn't helped this dependency and need to be constantly connected either. I think this break from the world wide web might be good for me. It'll bring me back to earth and keep me from primarily living an electronic existence. This does clash with my desire to keep in touch with everyone though... Whoops.

I feel a bit lost. Okay, not a bit. Very lost. I'm sure I'll find my feet in the upcoming days, but right now it's all a big foggy. (Or should I say smoggy? Oh boy is it smoggy here!) But I did just book my hostel for Shanghai! YAY! I know that probably seems like a very small accomplishment (anyone who's computer and internet literate with a credit card can book a hostel online) but I've finally made a step in my China planning! So yay! I am excited! And I will dance to express that! But not right now. I'm in a coffee shop and I don't want the other customers to think, "What is that crazy Korean girl doing?" There is also at least one cop at most establishments and eateries, including this one, and I don't fancy being arrested or the like on my first full day of my Asia adventure for disturbing the caffeinated peace.

And with that said, I should get back to planning and figuring my stuff out. I promise that my next post will be much more exciting than this one. Promise! Sending you all my love from Asia!

why does everyone think i'm korean?

Yea. I don't get it.

So I'm in Korea now! Yippee! My body feels confused and wants to sleep but there's so... much... daylight. My first flight was pretty uneventful and I sat next to man that reminded me of my dad, except much older and very worn from divorce. It was pleasant enough talking to him until he started telling me horror story upon horror story of unlucky travelers who always either were kidnapped, killed or both. And he concluded every story with, "And you're traveling by yourself. Tsk tsk. Be careful!" Don't need to tell me that twice. I didn't pack my glittery American flag t-shirt, and I don't fancy taking strolls down dark alleys, so I think my chances of kidnapping and murder are not as bad. Or at least I am actively taking steps to avoid such fates. Okay, I'm going to stop talking about this because it's depressing.

This all still feels very surreal. My mind keeps going in and out of focus whenever I start thinking about this trip, and how it's officially started. It's weird looking around and not seeing many ethnicities outside of the Asian variety (a fellow American traveler exclaimed to his companion, "Where are all the other white people?!" Needless to say, I loled), but I suppose that's something I'll have to get used to. I also keep looking at the circular logos for Korean Air and seeing the Pepsi symbol. I think I'm just tired. Aaaaand my computer is about to die so I'm going to cut this short. I'll write more later when I finally land in Manila, which will be on September 15th at 11pm. Whew. That's a long way from now. Well, one cool thing about that, at least to my friends in the states: I'll be writing FROM THE FUTURE. So cool.

Well, ahn nyung hee ke se yo (bye in Korean)! It's interesting because to say goodbye in Korean, it either translates to specifically address someone in a place where they are staying and you are leaving or someone who is leaving a place where you are staying. Ohhhh languages! They're so magical! I need to sleep.

P.s. The photos, by the by, are of the traditional Korean lunch that I ate on the plane. I loved that it came with an instruction card. And the chili paste came in a tube that looked like toothpaste. I wanted to save it for future pranks (it could totally pass for cinnamon toothpaste) but alas, I fell asleep and they took my tray away. Wah.

i lied!

I'm posting again from California. Here is my backpacking backpack!!! YAY!!!!!!!!! And now I really should get back to packing. Okay, byyye!!!

i love postcards!

I really do! Every time I'm somewhere new, I get an itch to send at least 5 of them. And I usually do. It's become a pattern for me to spend about a third of my budgeted souvenir money on postage and cards. It's a bit ridiculous, but I can't help it! There's something so whimsical and old fashioned about postcards. Snail mail has become such a thing of the past, and the only things people get through pony express nowadays are credit card offers with 0% interest for the first 6 months, scary bills, or court summons. Those are not fun things to get in the mail. But postcards are!! Even if it's illegible I would still prefer the untidy scrawl over perfectly printed letters in those lame e-postcards. Whoever invented those is LAZY. And lamer than the e-cards themselves. Shame on you. So, that all said, if you want a postcard send me your mailing address!

I leave tomorrow afternoon. CRAZY. I still remember a few months back when I was panicking over a blank calendar that I had to somehow fill with travel dates and destinations. Now I'm panicking over remembering to pack everything or at least most things that I will need for the next 3 months. 3 months. 6 countries. And I don't even know how many cities. AHH! I'm going to Asia. I'm going to Asia! I will look like people and they will look like me (so, it'll be like living in San Jose)! I will eat amazing food and probably get sick at least once from street vendors but I won't regret it because it was SO GOOD! I will look monsoon season (yes, monsoon season) in the face and laugh (or nervously cry if I get caught in a bad storm. I really need to learn how to swim...)! I will love the currency exchange rate, so much, so so much! And I will buy all the seasons of Mad Men on dvd for pennies! Pennies!! YAY ASIA!

All right. I'm pumped. Like Arnold Schwartz. Just not scary or Austrian. Not that Austrians are scary (I happen to know many lovely Austrians). Just Arnold is. Especially in Jingle All the Way. I digress. I should really get back to packing and preparing, y'know, seeing as I leave TOMORROW. Gah. My next post, unless I procrastinate some more later, will likely be written in Asia, so until then! Peace out, Amuricah! See you in December!