Fav Thing: TravBuddy.com June 5, 2008

Hi, my name is Monica and I’m addicted to TravBuddy.com. Whew, it feels good to type that out load. But seriously, I’m so addicted! My friend Brian told me about it like a week ago and ever since I’ve checked it obsessively! It’s basically facebook/myspace for travelers and I’m loving it!

I know what you’re thinking –Really, Monica? Another social networking site? YES!!!! Let me tell you why. I’m headed to Europe tomorrow and I’ve already made plans to meet up with a group of girls in Madrid and watch soccer! I also got an invitation to go drinking in London which I only said no to because I will have teenagers with me. The people on the site are welcoming, friendly, ready to meet people and ready to travel. What else could I ask for in an online community? Oh, that’s right, the ability to smile at cute people. TravBuddy.com has it!

So take your happy self on over to TravBuddy.com and be my friend and smile at me! :)

Top 10 Reasons to Visit Taiwan!!! May 24, 2008

Brian & I headed off to Taiwan to see the sights & watch Baiyi get married! We had such a fantastic time!

Here are the Top 10 Reasons You Should Visit Taiwan!

1. School Girls give you flowers if you wander around Ximending
   
2. You might get a “white girl discount” at the Jade Market when you buy the GORGEOUS jewelry
   
3. Who knows when you’ll stumble across a beautiful temple
   
4. They are as obsessed with Hello Kitty as you are!
   
5. Make your own paper at the SoHu Memorial Paper Museum
   
6. Walk across the Danshui Lover’s Bridge
   
7. Indulge ALL your senses at the Shilin Night Market
   
8. Easy to understand bathroom signs
   
9. Go to the top of one of the world’s tallest buildings
   
10. THE FOOD!!!!!
    
    Cuttlefish balls
    
    Steamed Buns
    
    Square Ice Cream Cones
    
    Yummy Dumplings

There are many other reasons to visit like the hot springs and watching one of your friends get married! Isn’t Baiyi gorgeous?

Check out all the pics:

Taiwan with Brian

Fav Thing: Austin Airport May 5, 2008

For those of you that don’t travel much you should make you way to Austin. Even if you don’t leave the airport you get a real feel for the city and that’s what makes Austin’s airport my favorite!

It’s just the right size — small enough that you can walk across the street to get your rental car but big enough to have live music and lots of food & store options.

As for the food, you won’t find a McDonald’s in this airport and I love that! It feature’s Austin’s finest, Salt Lick BBQ, Amy’s Ice Cream, and Mangia Pizza.

The shopping is full of Texas pride! You’ll see a lot of burnt orange and longhorns. :)

And last, but definitely not least, you’ve just landed in the Live Music Capital of the World! And the airport doesn’t forget that with live performances every week day!

This is what an airport should be, convenient and full of local culture! Nice work Austin-Bergstrom!

Listening in Voices April 20, 2008

When you read something a friend wrote you, do you “hear it” in their voice and with the way they use words? For example, my friend Alana says ‘perhaps’ with a certain inflection that is unique to her. Tonight she wrote ‘perhaps’ on my facebook wall and that key word triggered me to read the wall post with Alana’s voice in my head. It was so much better to read it like that!

I realized it usually is a key word that my friend uses that really brings in their voice. Then I thought, huh, I might just be weird. Am I or do you do this too?

Jesus Loves Me April 13, 2008

A while ago, I was walking through downtown LA making my friend Brian listen to a pity party for me. I was whining, complaining, feeling icky and like nothing was going right. About that time, a homeless woman literally hit me in the back, looked me in the eye, and said “Jesus Loves You”.

Wow, what a lesson. I am so grateful that Jesus reminded me that he loves me when I needed to hear it most. It was an unconventional way but hey, it worked! Now every time I start to have a pity party for me, I remember that Jesus loves me. Lucky me!

BTW, Jesus loves you too. Hopefully you won’t need to be hit to be reminded. :)

Fav Flight Search Site: Kayak.com March 28, 2008

Kayak.com is the best flight search out there. Period. When you search, it searches all the different sites and brings you back a mega list in an easy to read interface. Then, Kayak starts to really shine with its awesome filters! You can choose specific airlines or airports. You can tell Kayak you want to fly between certain hours. You can tell Kayak that you only want an hour layover. You filter to exactly what you want and Kayak shows you. Try it, you’ll love it as much as I do.

Where to Go in Europe? February 14, 2008

I’m headed on a European tour this summer with my cousin and her Girl Scout troop! Here’s a map of the tour:

The part that I need your help with is where to go after the tour is over. It ends on a Wednesday in Munich so I want to spend the rest of that weekend somewhere but I’m not sure where.

Here’s what I’m thinking (in no particular order).

1. Budapest
2. Prague
3. Madrid
4. Berlin
5. Somewhere in Italy

Where would you go?

Top 10 Places to See in the World January 16, 2008

So, what’s a girl to do when she’s heartbroken? If she’s this girl, get on a big ol’ jet airliner! Lucky for me, BootsnAll just published their Top 10 Destinations for Independent Travelers in 2008!

1. Kathmandu, Nepal — Before I went to Peru, I toyed with the idea of climbing Mount Everest. Ha! I’m over that but I’d still love to see Nepal.

2. Placencia, Belize — I could do this in a weekend. In fact, anyone want Memorial Day weekend plans?

3. Petra, Jordan — Indiana Jones, anyone??? This is one that I’ve wanted to go to for a while but haven’t quite made it.

4. Palermo, Sicily — Not so sure about this one. It seems wonderful but I think I’ll wait & take my kids (later, when I have them).

5. Queenstown, New Zealand — This is on my short list! But I want to go in their winter so I can board!

6. Imet Gogo, Ethiopia — I actually had a car service driver from Ethiopia once. He was really cool & got me to eat Ethiopian food which was actually excellent. I would visit.

7. Chiang Mai, Thailand — a Night Bazaar with bargain crafts and fashions and hotel rooms start around US$5.00 per night?? I’m so there one day. Probably not this year but you never know.

8. Marrakech. Morocco — Who doesn’t want to go to Morocco after seeing Casablanca (the best movie ever)? And there would definitely be a stop in Casablanca.

9. Budapest, Hungary — I’m going to Europe in June & have a couple of extra days. I was thinking of going to Prague but perhaps Budapest instead. Hmmm….

10. Buenos Aires, Argentina — Strangely enough, I got the overwhelming urge to go to Buenos Aires on Sunday, right after my break up. I’m going to get to work on this . . .

This list works nicely with my top 10 places to go which are:

1. London, Paris, & the Alps — I’m doing this in June with my cousin Danica & her Girl Scout troop. Should be entertaining.

2. Prague, Czech Republic — Ever since Sydney Bristow went there, I’ve wanted to follow. However, I may switch to Budapest since I’m an independent traveler.

3. Buenos Aires, Argentina– I’m not really sure what is drawing me here but something is.

4. Egypt – Pyramids & Camels. Enough said.

5. Queenstown, New Zealand — A center for adventure tourism & cute boys with accents?? Hello!

6. South Africa — I’m highly in need of a safari and some shark diving.

7. Great Barrier Reef, Australia — Diving to see one of the most beautiful underground scenes in existence is so on the list.

8. Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Gotta do this on properly BEFORE the husband & kids.

9. Somewhere in India — I’m not sure exactly where but most of the people I meet from India are so fascinating. I want to go see this place!

10. Taipei, Taiwan — I have friends that live here or have lived here so I’d like to see it. I might get a chance to go to a wedding there this year but we shall see.

So that’s it, I’m planning my 2008 travel and #1 & 2 have already made the cut. I’m honestly trying to figure out how to go to Buenos Aires & still work enough. Exciting!!!

I Like Big Butts! January 11, 2008

I won $100 singing karaoke at my company holiday party singing (well, white-girl rapping) Baby Got Back by the brilliant Sir Mix-a-Lot! My victory was in the Funniest category! Hee.

In honor of my victory, here’s a little Baby Got Back trivia for you: (all from Wikipedia)

• It was ranked the 12th greatest one-hit wonder by VH1.
• It was ranked the 6th greatest song of the 90′s by VH1.
• “Baby Got Back” reached number 1 on the United States’ Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks in the summer of 1992, replacing Mariah Carey’s “I’ll Be There”. Madonna bumped Sir Mix-a-Lot out of #1 with “This Used to Be My Playground”.
• “Baby Got Back” won a 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
• On VH1′s Greatest Songs of the 90′s, Sir-Mix-A-Lot joked that he was “the dancing turd” during the music video, in which he is on top of a huge “back”.
• The anchors of ESPN‘s Sportscenter on many occasions open a Milwaukee Bucks highlight reel with the pun “I like big Bucks and I cannot lie”.
• In the Friends episode The One with Ross’s Inappropriate Song, the only way Ross and Rachel could get their baby daughter to laugh was to sing this song.
• In the Futurama episode A Fishful of Dollars, Fry starts playing Baby Got Back in front of Leela and Bender. Leela turns off the music and tells Fry, “You can’t just sit here in the dark listening to classical music.”
• In the Simpsons episode, Two musical scores are present, first Huey Lewis‘s I want a new drug and then Baby Got Back. Dr. Hibbert performs it

Happy Holidays from Cedars-Sinai Medical Group December 18, 2007

Today I received this lovely “holiday greeting” in the mail from my medical group:

Come treat yourself or a loved one to a cosmetic dermatology procedure
from Cedars-Sinai Medical Group Dermatology Department.

Look refreshed during this busy festive season. Sparkle at holiday gatherings. Bid adieu to lingering sun spots and worry lines. Rid your legs of visible veins to show off in that holiday dress!

We are offering a special promotional rate of 20% off your first treatment.

Is my MEDICAL GROUP really trying to wish me happy holidays? Um, no. They are trying to make me feel bad about myself in order to spend money that I don’t have at Christmas on cosmetic procedures I don’t need. Let me just list the ways in which this annoys/humors me:

1. Treat myself or a loved one — when did botox become a treat? I can hear the children now, “Mommy, can I have a botox treat?”
2. Look refreshed this busy festive season — ok, are they missing the busy part? Chemical peels take time to recover so am I supposed to sit around not busy during my busy festive season?
3. Sparkle at holiday gatherings — are glitter injections the new rage?
4. They did succeed in making me check out my legs to see if I have visible veins. I do not. Thank God, otherwise I’d have to rush to get a treatment before I could put on a dress! Oh the shame of having veins. They only SUPPLY BLOOD to my entire body!
5. Also notice that everything is a”holiday”. We wouldn’t want to offend the Jews or the Christians. However, I did receive this after Hanukkah.

Now, maybe I’m overreacting but I’m really annoyed by this. The holidays are a busy festive season and I certainly don’t need my medical group pimping themselves for sales at this time. Actually, I don’t ever want my medical group pimping itself for sales. I think it’s just wrong.

I’m also going to guess that NO ONE outside of LA gets “holiday greetings” like this. Ah, a special holiday joy of living in the la-la land of the fake.