Saturday, November 25, 2006

foreign [fawr-in]
of, pertaining to, or derived from another country or nation; not native
Synonyms include; derived, estranged

Buongiorno mi amici!!!

i cant find the freakin symbols on this dang italian keyboard so please pardon my grammar. i just had an espresso and i am HYPER!!! i'm punching the keys like no one's business and i'm having the hardest time looking for the apostrophe and the letters on this keyboard are fading so at first glance at it i said, THIS KEYBOARD'S IN ITALIAN! loser, i know...

so anyhow, this is Day 8 of our wonderful, beautiful journey through switzerland and europe. So far we've taken about 4,000 pictures between me, cile, pat, grammy and seong. we haven't really encountered any "problems" per se... except for our flight getting cancelled in Zurich and having to take a train, running up and down train platforms searching for the next train we had to hop on and wondering if we'd gotten on the right train number cuz of course the signs are either in swiss or italian, and people getting kicked out of a first class car, maneuvering through the streets of venice, which is the most (pleasantly) confused that we've ever been, all the while carrying our luggage; and then trying to look for a place to eat breakfast at 8 in the morning and realizing that Italians don't open a darn thing until about 10, searching for a grocery store in Florence in the rain at night. "Dov e che un supermercato? a destra? a sinistra?e longtano?" when we get to the market, it's literally the size of a blockbuster video! and you gotta pay for grocery bags here.

italian is a fun language and i've been the unofficial italian-speaker since we got here with some help from Chef. (THANKS TO LEIA FOR THE AWESOME PHRASEBOOK and my KUYA LANCEL AND ATE JANE for the "learn italian in 75 minuti" cd, which i used during morning commutes before the trip). Anyhow, we both realized that if you speak something really fast, it sounds like you know the language so that's what we've been doing, saying little phrases really fast..."Scusi, dov e il bagno? (wher's the bathroom?)...Grazie! (thanks!)...Prego! (You're welcome!)...Mezo kilo, per favore (Half a kilo please)...Ha ve te medicina per allergia di pelle? (Do you have medicine for skin allergy? - Seong got a rash from some sweet pea lotion. ops!)...Ha ve te basilico? (Do you have basil?)" and other words and phrases that have been getting us by.

we've been non-stop since we got here. driving through Italy is CRAAAAAAAAAAAAYZEE!! props to Seong and Pat who are the only two on this trip who drive a stick.

oh my goodness, i've been drinking wine every single day, sometimes more than 2 or 3 glasses, and on thanksgiving day i took a shot of SOMETHING and i was like whooooooooo gone, but since we were at the apartment, i fell asleep before my heart started beating in my head!!! thankfully i haven't done anything yet that i regret...have i? hahaha!!!! I DON'T REMEMBER!

okee dokee folks, i know you may think otherwise, but we do miss you all..okay maybe just me. hahaha!! jk! i will be home in about 5 days so i'll tell more stories when i get back.

until then...ARRIVEDERCI!!!

Monday, November 13, 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
ATE CYN-CHA!!!
ecstasy [ek-stuh-see]
rapturous delight; an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden, intense feeling
Synonyms include: bliss, delight, elation, ebullience

CONGRATULATIONS ANN & RYAN!!!





Friday, November 10, 2006

HAPPY VETERANS' DAY EVERYONE!!
haha...just kidding...
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY IYA!!!
Today you don't have to clean your room. Go have fun! You can clean your room after...hahaha!
anticipate [an-tis-uh-peyt]
to expect; look forward to; to think, speak, act, or feel an emotional response in advance
Synonyms include: expect, assume, await, count on, forecast

I haven't blogged in a while because why? Because we've been helping Ann & Ryan prepare for their big day!! It's this Saturday ALREADY and I cannot believe it! From printing out programs, to placing labels on cd's and cd cases, to figuring out seating, we've been inching our way up to November 11th. I CANNOT WAIT!

We've been talking about and planning for this day for so long that we're all just as anxious as can be. "Anticipate" doesn't suffice to describe the feeling. It's excitement!...Actually, THAT doesn't even do it justice. Anyhow, I'm excited because I GET TO BOSS PEOPLE AROUND AGAIN! hahaha! Just kidding. I just can't wait to hold my clipboard again. I tell you, that thing has powers. It's like a signal calling on all vendors. Videographers, photographers, florists, church wedding coordinators, etc see me holding a clipboard and they assume I must know something so I become "Info Desk/Ring Master" in the circus that is a wedding. I love it!

And then a bunch of us are leaving for Europe next Thursday. Have I done anything remotely related to this vacation? Aside from trying to learn Italian, no. My suitcase is still in the garage, my winter clothes (because Andrew said it was 36 degrees in Lugano, Switzerland) is still in storage bins and my memory sticks are still full. I'll worry about all that on Sunday.

For now there are more important matters...Ann & Ryan, a toast to you both!!!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

streak [streek]
a spell or run; an uninterrupted series
Synonyms include: line, stream

There's nothing like sitting in the living room, eating breakfast and talking about basketball with my dad on a Saturday morning. I was out last night for an evening of wedding preparations galore for Ann & Ryan's big day (in T minus 6 days!!!) so I wasn't able to watch the game with my dad. Aside from car-related activities (like washing, waxing or vacuming in the garage), watching basketball is bonding time for father and daughters. Who needs sons when you've got one daughter to hi-five every time Kobe hits a seemingly impossible shot and another daughter who sleeps and eats basketball 10 months out of the year?
I was catching up on my TiVo'd shows this morning when my dad sat down on the piano bench. "They won again last night!" he beamed. And then the bball chatter began. We talked about how Kobe is the veteran at 28 years old, how the young guys are taking over and that because of such a youthful group, the team is playing at a faster pace, etc. We talked about LeBron James and how he kicked Tim Duncan and the Spurs to the curb last night, how the Clippers should've won against Phoenix and how Miami got rocked by Chicago. I had to laugh when my dad walked back to the kitchen. We talked basketball for 20 minutes and I loved it.

We're so excited for this year. I realize that to call just 3 wins in a row a "streak" may be a bit presumptuous, but 3-0 to open the season (Turiaf for MVP, Chris? Still on Vladrad? Hahaha!)? C'mon! What fan wouldn't be excited? I feel like this team is brand new! As soon as Kwame Brown and Chris Mimh are back, it'll be even crazier! Here's to a new season!!!

(photos courtesy of ESPN.COM





  • Happy Birthday, Chef!!!