reading. reading. reading.

now that i take bart to work - i spend 2 hours a day reading books! i have read more books in the last 3 months that the last 3 years, i swear! i am running out of books to read (i know that's really not even close to being true)...does anyone have any good recommendations? these are the books that i've read in the last couple of months:

the nanny diaries (mclaughlin/kraus) - my current bart book. my friend gave this to me a couple of years ago and i tried to read it but lost interest within the first chapter! now that the movie is coming out, i thought i'd give it another try.

time traveler's wife (niffenegger) - a great love story. maybe i was slow or tired but it took me a while to grasp the time traveling concept and understand how the past, present and future intertwined in this novel.

something blue (griffin) - i picked this up after i finished something borrowed. this book continues the story of one of the main characters from something borrowed. a quick chick lit read.

something borrowed (griffin) - looked like a good easy chick lit. i got instantly hooked and finished the book in one weekend! cute storyline.

middlesex (eugenides) - great book! the timing was perfect since greece was the backdrop and some of the references were familiar since i was just there. i never thought i would be so captivated with an hermaphrodite!

the devil wears prada (weisberger) - i just wanted to get something whimsical and light to read. since i work in retail, i thought i might be able to relate to some of the 'fashion' stories. also, i saw previews of the movie and wanted to read the book first. i really liked the book and even though the movie was slightly different, i really enjoyed the movie as well.

eat, shoots and leaves (truss) - i read great reviews about this book and thought i'd give non fiction a try. i really really can not get into non fiction. i fell asleep almost every day trying to read this book.

shopgirl (martin) - i bought this book because it was only $3 at the book store! after i bought it, i actually think j lent this to me a couple of years ago. shopgirl is a novella so there really isn't anything to complain about.

power of one (courtenay) - this was a book selection from my book club that i actually never read, oops. it's an inspirational story of a young boy succeeding despite great hardships growing up in south africa.

book of dead (preston/child) - on many best seller lists. it was a good mystery novel but there were way too many characters to remember. in the first few chapters, the authors must have introduced at least 20 different people! technically part of a trilogy, but i read just this one and have no interest in reading the other 2 books.

kite runner (hosseini) - seriously, my FAVORITE book. maybe it's because the characters live in the bay area or the familiarity of assimilating in america. i empathized with the characters and learned so much about afghanistan as well.

freakonomics (levitt/dubner) - interesting concept and theories. seriously, i really tried non fiction again. i read 2 chapters...and that was about it.

if anyone wants to borrow any of these books...just let me know and i will mail it your way!

another one bites the dust...

one of my planners resigned last week - he's going back to school. i guess the long hours at work will begin again. anyone know anybody interested in merchandise planning position???? PLEASE? just when i feel like i can make some progress in driving change, i have to get down into the nitty gritty again. oh well...

how adorable

last month we took a family trip to south lake tahoe. here is a picture of my adorable cousins, a and k, playing a round of golf with their uncles. the backdrop of the snowy mountains are just gorgeous!

yummie mac and cheese

s and i had dinner on saturday with his sister and her husband, c and m, at this funky richmond restaurant, q. q is known for their comfort food and they have amazing macaroni and cheese! the lamb shank that i had was soo tender, the meat just fell right off! the green beans and mashed potatoes were a nice compliment to the lamb. the red wine sangria was delicious - dare i say, almost as good as andalu's sangria. the apple crisp was a bit disappointing, not as light and fresh as i would have liked. all in all, i'll go back but will just skip the dessert!

another year older

it was my birthday this past weekend and the most exciting part is where my husband takes me to dinner. every year s treats me to my favorite restaurant, gary danko! i'm impressed every time we dine there - the atmosphere is warm, the wait staff is incredibly attentive and knowledgeable and the food is just extraordinary!! i always have the best dining experience at gary danko.

i can't believe another year has just flown by! this past year has been full of amazing experiences and challenges.

i think one of my biggest revelations is understanding my role as a 'wife' and how to develop a strong marriage while still identifying with my sense of independence. s and i have been married for 2 years and together for 8 years! it's so easy to get comfortable in the relationship and to take each other for granted. marriage is hard work. whether it is conflicting schedules, career ambitions, habits (good or bad), financial stability or in-laws, these are all things that are a work in progess. they continually evolve as we get older and our priorities shift. the key is communication, compromise and never go to bed angry! =)

financially, i'm coming to grips with my somewhat senseless spending habits. i finally feel a sense of accomplishment in my savings and creating a fiscally responsible budget. getting started was by far the hardest hurdle. now that i have a good foundation, i only want to keep saving and saving!! s thinks i'm a bit obsessive now.

professionally, i was at g for over 5 years. however, with the disappointing business, constant change in the leadership team and lack of accountability, it became too difficult to be happy at work. the company that i once loved working at and had so much passion for was diminishing. i recently found a new "home" and believe this will be where i'll be for many years to come!

so, for this upcoming year, i have 2 major goals. however, i'm keeping them to myself until i accomplish both of them!

btw - i have a wonderful husband!! he surprised me in the morning by making me breakfast in bed! =)

i'm turning into a cream puff!

i'm so obsessed with cream puffs now! last month, the first beard papas opened in san francisco! it's deadly because they are located on mission street between 3rd and 4th street - only a couple of blocks from my work!!! i've already had them twice in the last week (of course i had more than one each time)! they have flavored cream puffs (e.g strawberry, green tea or chocolate) but stick to the original vanilla cream puff! if anyone wants to try them - let me know - i'll certainly go with you!

back to the real world...

today, i started a new job!

after many years at g, i decided to leave the company to take a break to mentally and physically refresh myself. i was very particular about what kind of position i was looking for and the type of company i wanted to work at. i really think i found everything that i'm looking for at this new place. it's a smaller company with some amazing, talented and passionate people. i think i will have incredible opportunities to learn, grow, be happy and feel supported.

however, it's such a different transition to go from being at a company where you've built 5 years of relationships, credibility and comfort in processes and tools to starting all over and being the new kid on the block. i felt so helpless to not know such simple things such as where is the bathroom, the printer or even the closest starbucks?

other than the discomfort and nervousness about starting at a new company, my first day was fantastic!!! the company has a really great focus on making their employees happy and recognizing their contributions. the people seem down to earth and really focused on an appropriate work/life balance.

i really do think i've found a good home for my career. =) i hope this isn't just my honeymoon phase!

planes, trains and automobiles (and boats)!

now, i'm finally settled at home. trying to get the laundry done, stock up our refrigerator and catch up in current affairs and celebrity gossip (of course).

it's always exhausting to vacation in europe - as you want to travel to as many countries as you can. there is just so much to see and do!

5 cities, 3 countries...
total time in transit - 55 hours
total miles travelled - 13,850 miles
short videos taken by s - 97 videos
snap happy - 643 pictures taken

there are some great pictures that i need to still post as they are from the other cameras. there's a couple of hilarious videos as well.

these countries are so different than the ones that i went to for my honeymoon. each city is spectacular in their own distinct way. however, if i had to rank my favorite european cities, it would be as follows:

florence
rome
mykonos
santorini
budapest
prague
paris
athens
london

mykonos - final stop

on our final destination, we took a super jet from santorini to mykonos. again, once we got off the boat, we looked for a hotel from one of the many many solicitors. we decided on this small family-run hotel for only 15 euros a person!!! seriously, what a deal. i know, you might think there is definitely shady about that but believe me, the room was great and clean and the family was incredibly nice and helpful.

mykonos is known for their amazing beaches and party atmosphere. in mykonos town, some places stay open 24 hours!! it is definitely a different crowd from santorini as that was a more romantic island with couples/honeymooners and older people while mykonos is filled with young vibrant party-goers.

umbrellas and chairs on the beach

view from the docks

windmills

j and me with the town behind us

santorini - breath taking views

when we were planning our travels to the greek isles, we took a risk by not booking any accommodations. yes, so not my personality huh? many of our friends had mentioned that once you arrive at the port, there are tons of solicitors of small hotels at incredible prices (e.g. 15-30 euros per person!!). it sounds shady but everyone said it was completely legit. since we were still traveling before peak season, we decided that we were going to take the chance and go with one of these hotels.

in santorini, we decided to stay at the northern tip of the island, oia, known for their amazing sunsets. it's not near downtown, so definitely less crowded and more peaceful. tip - if you want to go to the beach, don't stay in oia. since you are virtually at the end of the cliff, there are no beaches!! if you want to lay out, your only option is your hotel pool.

on an unfortunate note, while in budapest, i got a couple of mosquito bites. well, one mosquito bite got infected (how does that happen?) and swelled my entire lower leg!! i looked like i had no ankles! i had to take antibiotics - which meant no alcohol for me. =(

view of oia - isn't it just gorgeous?

s and me over the cliff

one of their typical famous blue domed churches

amazing blue waters along the red rock cliff - see no beach. what's funny is that they claim that there is a beach - to the left of the yellow dock and right of the red boat! that is not a beach and there were jelly fishes everywhere!

different view of white houses with windmill

watching the sunset - at 8:30pm!!

love this shot - looks a bit mystic with the sailboat huh?