Room to Think

You know, it's pretty impressive when you can manage to create a 7 letter word with 5 vowels in it. I don't know about you, but many-voweled words remind me of lost lands in fantasy stories where magic still exists and mystical creatures thrive. I'm probably wrong about this, but I can't be proven wrong until I see for myself. I must visit the Aeolian Islands to find a dragon. or a will-o-the-wisp. or a wizard. or beautiful elusive maidens washing their hair in waterfalls or something. Or maybe I just want to go because of this: and this: and this: So....it's true they're the touristy islands. They're the hot vacation spots. But I think next friday I'll go into more detail about which island holds which secrets...should be fun.  =) But I feel bad for making you read so much yesterday, so this post is strictly for looking. Happy Florence Friday!

Hey-o! This is my first post of the new year and I'm attempting to get used to a "working person's" schedule. [read: getting up at zombie hours of the morning, rushing through the beautification process, skipping breakfast, scraping the frost off my car, stressing out while I wait for it to heat up, and waiting in an hour of traffic just to get to work on time. After work, I wait in traffic to get home, enjoy what little free time I have between all the activities we have going on, and go to bed at grandma hours of the evening, just to do it all over again...all for unpaid experience and a shot at a really fun job.  >.<  I'm a sucker, yet again.] It's 11:30pm on the first Friday of 2013.  (yeah, I typed 2012 first.  I hate getting used to new dates!) and there's a strong possibility I'll be getting up early (read: 5am...that's BEFORE zombie hours!) to attend one of FIRST Robotics' Kickoff sessions. I've never been to one, and cu...

So...this post is about awesome friends. Mostly because I got the content from this post from an awesome, awesome friend of mine, who also happens to enjoy daydreaming about Italy. Except that he wants to go back to live there...I think I only want an extended stay. He sent me this link the other day. 100 Things to Know if You're Going to Italy click on it. It's gigantic for a reason. You know you want to. I haven't gotten through the whole list yet, but #84 has pretty much established that I'm not going to be marrying an Italian man. I'm also probably not going to get married in Italy. "#84: Purple being the color of Lent, it is considered a color that brings bad luck. Avoid the darker purple hues for evenings at the theatre, and it's definitely a forbidden color at weddings!" Evidently, I need to brush up on my Catholic "What Not To Wear". A few of my awesome friends over here would be stunned  if I didn't have purple ...

I've been busy updating resumes for the last week, trying to find a job that I feel qualified for, here in the states...hopefully this is the job that'll pay for Italy. Hopefully. So far, my efforts have been focused more on the tech businesses (ehem...Microsoft). I still dream of working at Google Seattle...but I combed  through their jobs pages and could not find anything I could even remotely hope of getting an interview for (they need a lot of engineers, and a lot of business people). I think it's just a matter of timing my entry right. Also, I'm not hoping for my dream job now. Just one that I find intellectually challenging (and thus, fun). So as I'm completing my resumes, I begin to wonder 1) What the heck I'm going to write for today's Florence Friday, and 2) what on earth would I put on a resume in Italy? So a quick google search leads me to this page , which I copied and pasted to my Italy tumblr so I could find it again.  Nevermind that ...

So remember how I left you off with the delicious amount of birthday desserts I have to choose from in Italy? Here's one more: the Zeppole Courtesy of seriouseats.com This fried feast is filled with ricotta cheese, and I guess is often confused with France's delicious beignets. I think it can also be filled with fruit. Bottom line, I think I would like to try this thing. I think Italians know how to throw a party because they get so much practice as they grow up. They know they have to front the bill, and they know that their party will be as big as they want it. When I was growing up here, I learned that Filipinos kind of do things the same way. If you're going to throw a party, don't ask your guests to help you cook. They're there to enjoy the party you are throwing. (of course, if they're properly raised, your guests will offer to help, and, as a proper host, you decline and say cooking is no big deal...They can insist, and you can decide from...

Tanti auguri (aka "happy birthday"...I think)    Okay, so I know that last post of mine was super long, so here's a nice short one to make up for it. The topic of this post came up today because this week I turned 23! I was casting about for post ideas when I realized that my birthday celebration might be different in a few years.  From my understanding, birthdays here and there pretty much center around the same things: food, friends, and family. The biggest difference between birthdays here in the states, and abroad in Florence, is who pays for the celebrations. Here, people take me out, pay for me, and shower me with gifts and well wishes. In Italy, I'd still go out (or stay in), people might bring gifts, kisses and well-wishes, but in the end I, the festeggiato, pay for all of it. Now, I'm not saying what I think of that just yet...I think in the interest of my new sleep schedule, I ought to be in bed now, so I'll save the rest of the p...

Manarola, third of the Five Lands Another Friday is here, and I'm ready! Today's Florence Friday is a follow-up on the Amalfi Coast.  We're going to learn a little more about it's cousin to the north, Cinque Terre. Also, I have an embarrassing admission to make. The first picture in my Amalfi Coast Blog , is actually a picture of Manarola. >.< See how confusing this is??? Cinque Terre is probably the coastline I laid eyes on first in my google searches, as it is much closer to Florence than the Amalfi Coast is. This map is particularly helpful to me...what with my need to learn basic Italian geography before I head over there. >.< **also, Milan isn't on there, but from my hotdog pizza post, I know it's more north than Venice is! =) Like the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cinque Terre National Park), and it literally means "The Five Lands".  These five lands are the five villages along the co...

Cinque Terre! NOT the Amalfi Coast! Whoops! I've never posted here about the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana), but it's one of my favorite places to post on my Italy Tumblr . I love the colors of this place...granted, this particular picture is edited to increase vibrance, but I'd love to take a picture like this for myself one day. The Amalfi Coast is in Southern Italy, actually at the Southern tip of the Sorrentine Peninsula. It's actually listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site . Most of their commerce is related to tourism, since there's only one road in and out of the area. Because they're listed on a coastal cliff there isn't much room for agriculture, unlike the rolling vineyards of Florence's Tuscany. However, they are known for their limoncello liqueur--because they can grow lemons, known as "sfusato amalfitano" in terraced gardens along the coast. More exciting than booze, though, I found out that the Amalfi people ...

As requested, I'm going to make an attempt at bringing Florence Friday back. I was running out of pictures and the energy to research more, so I just let myself fall out of it. Unfortunately, I lost a good chunk of you dear readers, and I want to bring you back too! In the last few weeks, I heard a story about a woman from Milan who was visiting the States. When she was asked what her favorite Italian food was, she kinda squirmed a little and said, "Well, I'm from Milan. We're right on the border. But I actually really like pizza." "Great!" we said. "What kind?" And here, she sort of blushed a little and said, "Well...being so close to the border of Switzerland and Austria and all...you're going to think this is weird, but, my favorite pizza has hot dogs on it." Yep. The exotic Milan woman likes HOT DOG PIZZA. I couldn't believe it. So, like any good internet fiend, I turned to my good friend GOOgle(images). ...

Today's Florence Friday   is a simple video I came across in my "research".  That's right people, I'm posting on time this time. That's not to say that I'm not WAY behind in my homework, or my job search, or episodes of my TV shows, or hanging out with all my friends, or redoing my resume for the 71st time.  I just can't seem to focus on anything right now.  I researched Search Engine Optimization last night for a workshop I'm teaching this morning, but I'm using the data this blog has generated so it's only fair that I give you all a post.  =) The video?  It's called "Venice in a Day",  Venizia en un giorno . (I wonder how capitalization is in Italy...do they capitalize all the words in a title?) And it's beautiful. Hope all your Fridays are sunny like today!

Today's post is about money! Fifteen years ago, on December 16th, 1995, the word "euro" popped up on the map, terrifying coin collectors all across the globe. Four years later, 17 countries switched over to the euro in January of 1999, and by June 2002, those currencies completely passed out of use.  They became what I would call "dead money".  (and no, I'm not referring to Fallout. =P) I am one of those coin collectors.  My auntie used to be a traveling nurse when I was younger, and she'd bring me money (my favorites are coins) from each of the countries that she had worked in. I still have it all.  And I have it organized.  =) I actually think I have a bill of 1000 Lira from my uncle, although I could not tell you why he had Lira after coming over from the Philippines.  >.< Anyway, one of my concerns when I travel abroad is obviously going to be the exchange rate.  From what it sounds like, the change over to the euro was smoo...

All right everyone.  Finals are over, and despite my new effort to get to bed at a decent hour (as my new schedule doesn't enable me to sleep in until noon anymore), I suppose I can pull out a Florence Friday that's more of an update.  It's about time.  =) In my last Florence Friday, I told you all that 2 of 2 emails that I sent out after Mr. Franco's response to me have been answered. Since my letter to Mr. Franco was so carelessly responded to, I decided not to put too much effort into the email to his superior in Washington D.C. Mind you, I just copied and pasted his name from somewhere else. I didn't even make the effort to insert that special symbol over the "a" in his name. I actually don't know if Mr. Carlo here is Mr. Franco's superior--in fact, I'm almost sure he isn't.  But just because I emailed someone in D.C. sure made me feel like I was contacting Mr. Franco's superior.  =P I did, however, give Mr. Carlo the...

Happy Florence Friday Everyone! This is my last post as part of the class--I'll continue posting on a regular schedule (fingers crossed)--and in it I'll detail what my final project for this blogging class is going to be. In essence, I intend to make my very own travel guide to Florence, and ultimately, Italy.  In fact, the book will be in two parts: I'm currently working on the first half: The travel guide.   I'm compiling a list of important dates  (like festivals , religious holidays, and special days that Museums aren't in operation) I have a map of the current locations of my favorite Italian car manufacturers. (based on my last Florence Friday post ) I have a basic map of Florence and Tuscany   It will most likely be folded-in, accordion style. (preferably with a star for my home, and a star for my school.) (More stars will pop up over the time I'm there too, I expect.) A map of transportation locations  busses, trains, bicycl...

So...it's 2am and I just got into bed after leaving a wonderful party with some friends who don't hang out nearly often enough.  =)  I hope you all got home safely!  =P You know the rule--I haven't gone to sleep, therefore, it's still Friday, and I'm still doing Florence Friday, despite being rather exhausted.  My exhaustion spawns from the upcoming week, and all the things I need to finish for classes, not necessarily from the wee hour at which I am writing.  But that, dear readers, is a rant for another time.  Maybe I'll even include a list. For those of you who know me, you know that I got into cars because a boy I liked liked cars--I've acquired quite a few passions because of boys--specifically, this car.  The Lamborghini Gallardo.  I'm quite fond of it in orange, but I believe Jeffo would prefer his as a shade of white (it's a specific white, I can't remember), though he doesn't mind looking at it in other colors as well. H...