fly.

upcoming trips that i hope to attend.. money is issue. time off? i am not too worried about.

1)
the vegas. sophia's 25th bday and i have been graciously invited. first week of november. copious amounts of drinking? dancing? im already there.

2) london. to visit my friend, shani. it's her last year there and ultimately the last year i can go and have free accommodation. and i want to see the eastern part of europe before i turn 30. YES.

3)

harry potter land and disney world. my X birthday is coming up. and i need to celebrate. magic kingdom? sorting hat? OH MAN. my youth is slipping between my fingers. i think experiencing these things when we're a bit older is kinda fun. it gives a new experience than what i did when i was younger..

.. and so the saving begins.

sure thing.

Even when we're down to the wire, babe
Even when it's do or die
We can do it, baby, simple and plain
Cause this love is a sure thing

im such a sucker for slow jams...

just a dream.

i tried and failed horribly at writing travel posts. le sigh. but in all fairness, i was too busy having fun? getting off with new friends and exploring the cities. YES! haha

so you know how when people travel abroad for a period of time they come back home and feel/act differently? well, when i left for my euro trip i said to myself that this wouldnt happen because im not one of those people - those people who go off to "discover" themselves. it seems a little bit odd, non? even as i type it im laughing.

but the truth of the matter is, is that i did. i came home a little bit different. a little more wiser. a little more smarter. and most definitely a little more stronger (not physically... although i did walk quite a bit if that counts?)

theres a bunch of little discoveries i made about myself this month but i think i'll just hone in on one. i learned that im quite a stress case. as carefree and easy going as i seem to be, when it comes down to it - im a bit of a freak. i had this nasty habit of needing to know what time it was constantly and i always wanted to be doing something.. i liked to be preoccupied and i enjoyed the hustle and bustle of life. and it bothered me because i realized that i had no idea how to relax. i mean, when people say relax the image of sleeping on a beach comes to mind - margarita in hand, obvs. and ya, i guess thats a form of relaxation but i couldnt really close my mind; my mind wouldnt stop thinking about work, drama, boys etc.

it took me three weeks but it finally happened. i learned how to relax properly. i stopped trying to make to do lists of the days events and i didnt ask for the time as much. i ate when i was hungry NOT because it was time to eat and i slept when it was dark.. or maybe even when it was daylight (i like to live dangerously). i learned that i really shouldnt take things so seriously. it is what it is. its been my mantra for some time and sadly for the last little while i havent been following it.

three cheers for self reflection? three cheers for adventure? three cheers for finally understanding what it means to calm the fuck down.

Europe adventures: Athens

Athens. ATHENS!!!!!

There's this place called plaka. Its one of the oldest places in Athens. And.. I'm in love. The cobble stone walkways, the buildings on either side of me with unique windows, the food that gets me full off 5 euro when in reality is worth so much more!! I like. It's relaxing and there are tourists everywhere. It makes me laugh. I rarely hear the English language. Its like people are here from France, Spain, or even other parts of Greece.

You know the acropolis and all those old rocks you hear about? Ya. I visited those. It's pretty sweet considering these rocks have been around for a while..like 500BC. It's kind of a trip. Insert giddy art history major happy face.. Now. I saw one of the many statues of Aphrodite. She's my gave greek god. Which is strange cause she's the goddess of love.. And is associated with the color, pink (in north American adaptations of this Greek goddess). Both things I do not particularly enjoy. Har har har.

Like I've said before.. It's hot. Like really hot. So hot that I end up chillin in my hostel for a period of time to avoid the heat. My shoulders are starting to peel. Im less pretty with this happening. Rage. And wearing pants is no bueno. I attempted to wear leggings this morning for our trip to the ancient agora and such. Ya. Big mistake. Leggings and an oversized tee is classic marzperez but when I'm here.. Oh man. It's just not happening.

Last night we had to share a room with a person. You know, typical hostel style. I got scared. It was a boy. Who I'm sure is very nice but dude. When you arrive at midnight when I'm about to fall asleep.. Ya. Youre gonna freak the crap out of me. I'm just chilin in my bed and bam! Door is open. Hahahaha I was like ummm hi?! Cause really what can yo do. I also chatted up some people in the lobby. Ugh. I never realized how socially inept I am. Hahaha!! I forget what it's like to have a conversation with a person without me asking what size they need or if they need help with anything. Hmm.. Clear indication that I work far too much.

In any case, goodbye Greece. Thanks for all the calamari, tzaziki, and spinach pie I could consume in three days. Now, itslia.. Here we gooooo!

Europe adventure: santorini

Sigh. This place is just as awesome as I had expected. It's so quiet and relaxing. Which is totally not what I'm used to. I think it's the fact that the are not so many clocks around. I keep wanting to know the time. But why? Silly marzperez. I have no where to really be!

Anyways, five days on this beautiful island and I could probably live here.. I feel like I will be saying tha a lot. The people her are so incredibly friendly it kind of scares me. Oh.. What? Haha. People are nice? Not as nice as here. They always check if you're doing okay or if you need anything. That's customer service at it's finest.

The entire island of santorini can probably be done in two days. With a car. Or in my case, an atv. Hells to the yes. I rode an atv around town. And I looked hella good doing it... Oh. I'm modest too. Haha in any case. We got lost a million times but like I said... People here want to help.

The great thing about traveling abroad now would have to be the fact that I can tell we aren't the only ones. I see travelers everywhere and yes. We all stick out like sore thumbs. But it's cute. It's like a little connection we all have. Par example, ang and I were psyching ourselves out before the cliff dive. A group of other travelers our age were near us and just started to encourage us. And then! Small world again a little boy and his mom from the BBY started to give us friendly words as well. Needless to say, we jumped. And it was the best thing ever. The water destroyed my hair but I didn't care. Jumping off a cliff in santorini was a MUST.

Last days today and we are spending it relaxing by the pool and then catching the sunset at oia at night. Oia...omg. When you think santorini you think blue roofs and houses built on hills..just like the postcards. Yea. I saw it at night and I'm super pumped to see it in the late evening.

Next up: athens!!