I live vicariously through myself.

28 Things About Me

Posted on May 9, 2013 by travelingmango

1. I’ve been to 21 countries.

2. My goal is to go to 30 countries by my 30th birthday.

3. I can tell peoples age and maturity level by the reference they make when they learn my name. Usually movies or TV Shows…the common ones are The Little Mermaid, Friends, and Super Troopers. Older men say the first Bond’s girl. There is one reference no one has ever made… I’ve often thought the man who makes it, will be the man I marry.

4. I am obsessed with the smell of lemon scented cleaning products, especially dishwasher soap.

5. I’d like to go to all 50 states, I’ve got 13 down.

6. Nothing about skydiving scares me. I’ve done it twice & thought nothing of it. On the other hand, the thought of being trapped under a blanket, or going through long tunnels petrifies me. I think I’m claustrophobic, and crazy.

7. I got my first tattoo in Phuket, Thailand.

8. People often debate this with me, but I strongly believe that you can only be in love once. I mean true love. Once in your life. I don’t believe you can fall out of love. If you’ve been in and out of love 4 or 5 times at any age, it’s not the real thing. True love is eternal, and it transcends everything.

9. I was a vegetarian for 7 years!

10. I eat more than anyone I know. ANYONE.

11. I’m Spanish, Italian, German and Mexican. Born and raised in Mexico, California lover. Also, I’m certain I was Thai in a previous life.

12. 4 years ago I quit a fabulous corporate job in the heart of San Francisco, leaving my downtown loft apartment to resist being a 9-5er and explore the world. This was the best decision I made in my adult life. I backpacked the world for 8 months. The things I saw and experienced changed me forever and led me to where I am now, in a job that is nothing like the corporate life I was trying to escape.

13. I met my best friend on the first day of middle school in our P.E. class…every country song reminds me of her, and the year we lived together was one of, if not the best year of my life. She is certain she was Vietnamese in a previous life… We’ve probably been hanging out together for lifetimes

14. My Mother is the healthiest and most well read person I know. My health appreciation and my very first book came from her. Probably all of my good habits are due to her. She’s my biggest supporter, my very first friend.

15. My brother has told me that I am one of his mentors, even though he is older. Not sure if he knows he is one of mine. We’re so different in so many ways, which is why I think we complement each other. Seeing him become a dad is one of the most amazing things I’ve gotten to see.

16. I am an SF Giants fan.

17. Spanish television makes me feel at home.

18. On the very day I finished my trip around the world I met a Salvadorian and half Mexican half Japanese girl, I don’t think we had any idea all the crazy things the 3 of us would do together. Still two of my closest friends to this day.

19. I want to go to a place where people act like they do in all those Southern movies like Steel Magnolias or Fried Green Tomatoes! (minus the marital abuse)

20. I daydream about traveling so much that I forget places I’ve seen and things I’ve done are real. I look at pictures to remind myself.

21. I love the rain. The sound and smell of rain makes reminds me of places I have been to.

22. The beach is my favorite place.

23. Running is my escape.

24. I listen to books on tape on long drives.

25. I try to meditate every day.

26. I’m anxious. I hate this about myself.

27. I write, a lot. I’d like to read something I’ve been written at an open mic night.

28. I love my family and friends, close and far, beautiful memories flood my mind of our time spent…The most important and biggest part of my life.

Posted on April 16, 2013 by travelingmango

When I was in high school one of my favorite classes was ceramics. I loved everything about that class so much, that in one semester, I was in there for two class periods a day. Ceramics, a long with other art forms was my meditation before I knew to name it that. Running also became my meditation, but first it was art.

When I look back at the most difficult and sad times in my life, there were few things that completely blocked out negative feelings of pain or stress and ceramics was always one of them. In that room I felt safe, and filled with positive energy.

When I was in college I read a Gloria Steinem book called ‘Revolution from Within’ it still is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. Among many things she talked about the importance in learning to heal yourself. She encourages to dig back to things you used to love when you were younger and do them, do them for the rest of your life. That concept never left my mind. She made the point that when as children you spent time drawing, or dancing you did it out of pure joy. When you become adults you stop doing those things because you have “more important things to do.”

Since reading that book I had made it a point that I would look for creative outlets, and have been meaning to do ceramics again. It’s been years, too many years, a decade I think…but I finally signed up for a class at an art center by my house. I’d never done wheel throwing because it scares me, so I forced myself to sign up for that class. I went last night for the first time and felt so happy to feel clay in my hands again. Just as I suspected, the wheel is pretty difficult, but I wanted a challenge.

I can’t wait to learn new things and hopefully continue a creative outlet that will flow into other aspects of my life.

Foto Friday

Posted on April 5, 2013 by travelingmango

The first trip of the year is here! Off to Hawaii this month!!!!

It’s the First of the Month – April

Posted on April 1, 2013 by travelingmango

New month!

March was good to me, these were my favorite things about it:

Had really good food such as but not limited to : Red Curry from Nois, Kicking crab, Titos Taco’s and Tommy’s Sushi!

Had the pleasure to catch up with old friends, got to visit one in particular whom I hadn’t seen since running track with her in college. We both ran hurdles together in San Francisco. It was great to visit her hometown and catch up and learn about her new life.

Spent lots of quality time with my family, telling stories, watching Claire, eating and laughing as usual. My brother managed to successfully spill part of one of our meals together on our new carpet, thankfully I had already had seconds.

Had so much fun playing miniature golf & playing arcade games.

Kiyomi and I went to a hiking half dome class offered at REI. It was a really cool experience, and we learned a bunch of new information.

Hiked Bishop’s Peak.

Reading this month: Finished 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Steven Covey and read Siddhartha – Herman Hesse. I also listened to 2 audio books: Safe Haven – Nicolas Sparks & No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency – Alexander McCall.

Goodbye March!

St. Patricks Day in El Salvador

Posted on March 31, 2013 by travelingmango

This year I spent St. Patrick’s day with my family eating a delicious vegan meal from a Buddhist temple nearby.

Often my holidays are a bit eclectic and random, but always fun. Although I’ve been to Ireland, my most traditional St. Patrick’s day actually took place when I was in El Salvador a few years ago… I was traveling alone through Central America. I left Honduras on a bus that left 7 hours later than it was supposed to. I was already a bit worried about my time in El Salvador as the capital averages 10 murders a day in gang related activity, and that’s where I was first headed.

In the bus crossing Honduras – El Salvador border.

I arrived to the Capital when it was dark and took a cab to a hotel I got from Lonely Planet’s Central America on a ShoeString. As the cab is dropping me off into this dark almost dead street, the hotel I was planning on staying in is closing the front with a huge barred fence. I run over and ask if they have any rooms left. It happened to be the night they had just elected a new president, and the lady looked at me like I was crazy. She told me her hotel and anywhere else around was overbooked. After seeing my panic and knowing I had nowhere to go she offered me a bed at her home for $12, she lived right behind the hotel. I ended up staying there since I had no other option, and was on my way the next day.

The room I stayed in.

I left San Salvador, the capital and made it to Perkin. At this point of my trip I was so tired and started to feel lonely, Perkin is a small town, so I knew my chances weren’t high of making friends, but I was praying the hotel I was going to stay in had television. I got there after a long trek of dirt roads, and the hotel was in the middle of nowhere. It was nothing like the city though, it was out in a beautiful untouched area of El Salvador. This is where all the war museum stuff was, which is why I was determined to make it here. I hiked like 100 steps to the reception, surrounded by beautiful trees and a huge wooden area to sit in and eat. I got a room, and then had to hike up another never ending trail of steps. There was no TV, but it was a beautiful room, and a hammock outside of it. I wrote in my journal as I did almost every day of my travels and realized it was St. Patrick’s day.

Besides maybe during college St. Patricks day has never been that big of a deal to me, mostly just a big drinking holiday, but I sat there remembering good times spent with friends on various years. Watching Boondock Saints with my roommates one year. Going out to all the Irish bars in San Francisco, the streets flooded with people the year before…etc. I decided despite my sluggishness to go down to the restaurant to celebrate on my own for old times sake. I ordered a glass of red wine and neapolitan ice cream. There was no one around besides the people who worked there. As I was almost finishing a group of people came in all dressed in green and ordered a round of beers. I chuckled to myself, and went up to pay my bill, I didn’t feel brave enough to befriend them. As I was going up to pay one of them came up to me and asked in funny sounding Spanish “de donde eres?” We started talking and he soon realized I spoke English, so we switched to that. Him and his group were all from Ireland, working in El Salvador doing civil engineering. I went back to their table and met the rest of the group. There was a family with them, who was staying at a hostel nearby with two children. The whole family was doing a 10 month trip around the world and homeschooling their children during it. I ended up having one more glass of wine with one of the females in their group who was there for the peace corp and asking about her experience here. They were all so loud, and had green stickers all over them which kept on getting moved around. It was such an interesting brief little break on my trip. Watching them go through beer after beer and chatting in their loud Irish accents reminded me I was right where I was supposed to be.

Mango in Europe

Posted on March 12, 2013 by travelingmango

A few days after I graduated college I got on a plane with one of my close college friend’s & her family to Europe. I can’t actually quite remember where the plane stopped first, but I remember traveling for over 24 hours, two or three stops on a plane and 2 train rides later we arrived in Wales with very swollen feet – in what looked like a Harry Potter village. This was my first time experiencing jetlag, as all my other travels had only been in the US, Mexico and Central America. My friend and I were so disoriented and confused for our first day or two there, but we were young and couldn’t complain about the long exhausting travel hours, since our flights were only $700 round trip. Her parents had traded in one of their timeshares somewhere, and used it in Wales. So many people asked me why we were going to Wales, or ” where the hell is Wales?” or “wait Whales? Will there be dolphins too?” I figured by people’s questions that it wasn’t too popular of a destination for a recent college grad, but again the flights were ridiculously cheap, I didn’t have to pay for lodging, and I would be going with my good friend after serious wanderlust had set in from finishing school.

I’ll never understand people’s comments, this place was one of the coolest places I have ever been to. I’ve always been a fan of destinations that aren’t too “popular” I love going somewhere you feel is still protected from dumb travelers. The couple of weeks we spent here were so calm and fun, totally different than anywhere I had ever been. Laugharne, was a calm little village, literally everyone knows each other. There is one pub which we frequented, a castle,a cemetery and Dylan Thomas’ home. The views in our cabin were phenomenal, and the large body of water below rose and dried out every day.

We also visited Cardiff which was a very cool popular college town, a lot more touristy with lots of international visitors. In our trip we also went to London and did all the typical big city things, double decker bus, London bridge etc. In Wiltshire, which is also in England we went to see Stonehedge…which had unfortunately just recently been fenced off because tourist had started to wear the rocks down.

Our last stop was Ireland, where we drank in awesome pubs with the locals, I believe in a city called Kelly, stayed at bed and breakfasts that made you feel you were in a movie – the cutest little hosts would set u up in their rooms. It was so cool. Ireland was breath taking, I have never seen so much green in my life, everywhere you looked you saw beautiful mountain tops. I like watching movies with Ireland as their setting, because I am always reminded of this trip.

Giant chess set near our cabin in Wales.

Met some guys who were camping who attempted to take us out on their little boat. Currents were crazy though!

London Eye!

Laugharne, Wales

This is a famous park in London. Apparently if you hang out at this fountain for one hour, no matter who you are or where you are from, it is so famous you’re supposed to see someone you know! (we didn’t stay that long)

Playing a drinking game at the pub in our village.

Castle.

London

Stonehedge.

Guiness Factory.

London bridge is falling down…

My this is proof Crystal and I were at Stonehedge shot.

Regatta during a day festival in Wales.

Drinking cider like the locals!

Travel on!

work fun…

Posted on March 11, 2013 by travelingmango

customer at club : hey do you guys have any shot specials for bottle service?

me: no, I’m sorry, we have a great bottle service special which I can see you have taken advantage of, for $150 a bottle tonight, but nothing as far as shots

him: well you do a lot of false advertisement.

me: oh. um…what?

him: I have screen shots of your clubs facebook saying a number of lies. Free before a certain time and $100 grey goose bottles, so the least you could do is give me a shot special.

me: oh um..

him: (continues talking) I mean listen, I am 27 years old, I don’t really care about a little bit of money…but…(trails off)… anyways, are you the manager of this place?

me: yes I am.

him: like the general manager?

me: yes

him: of this whole place?

me: yes

him: well who owns this place, a banking group?

It’s the First of the Month – March

Posted on March 1, 2013 by travelingmango

Like I did last month in reflection & in welcoming a new month, here are my favorite things about February.

Spending a lot of time with my niece who is so alert now. She babbles trying to tell you stories and stays awake for so long demanding all of your attention.

Sensory Deprivation tank excursion.

Hiking Quail Hill Trail. Short but very pretty local hike.

Going to the butterfly trails in Pismo. So many monarch butterflies surrounding the trails…the coolest part though is looking up at the top of the trees at what looks like leaves, but when seen through a telescope is hundreds of butterflies hanging upside down from branches. So cool!

Visiting the Long Beach Aquarium on Valentine’s day. I had a 2 for 1 pass from a mailer at work. We went at the perfect time, so it wasn’t too crowded. The sea horses, and jelly fish were my favorite until we got outside to the sharks. Touching the shark and mantaray’s after being too scared to had us laughing. The sharks were very grainy, but the rays slimy and very playful. Fun day.

I got to run the trail behind my new home a few times this month. I am both thankful that after being injured for so long that I am able to run often now, and that I have this awesome trail next to me to do so in.

February was a busy month for work, but very productive. In having to have some uncomfortable meetings I feel like I learned a lot & made much needed progress in a number of departments. Additionally we had our first RAW Artist event which was a really cool art/music/fashion event – a breath of fresh air – different than most nights we have had in a while. All our staff including myself was very happy to work and it turned out to be a very profitable night.

I haven’t finished yet, but my read this month was “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

Goodbye February, let’s see what you have for me March.

The Best Day Ever with Stanley Kubrick

Posted on February 28, 2013 by travelingmango

LACMA currenty has a Stanley Kubrick exhibit. I’ve always loved the movie the Shining, so I was ecstatic to go check it out. Everything was so cool, movie posters, old pictures – A Clockwork Orange display, Full Metal Jacket memorabilia etc… but ofcourse all my favorite things were the things in the Shining.

Chris Burden. Urban Light Installation.

Levitated Mass. LACMA’s giant rock.

REDRUM!

Sensory Deprivation Tank Update

Posted on February 28, 2013 by travelingmango

What a weird experience.

My friend and I headed up to Venice beach for our excursion. I’ll start off by saying I had a couple of things that were not in my favor. It was a freezing cold day, so I went into this whole thing already freezing. I was also kind of fighting getting sick, so not feeling too well.

When we first arrived the guy who I believe owns the tanks was there with his sunglassess on, even though it was dark. He was pretty funny. Talking about how it’s good to try new things, but not jumping off of plane – he would never do that. I asked if he had done the tank many times. “What are you crazy? me? no!” and then started laughing. His assistant, or maybe his son was sweeping up some sand while the tanks cleaned. He had us read and sign some stuff about the cleaning process of the tank. Then as we saw minutes pass by he started to tell us that they’re never on time “that’s our motto!” He explained how to put on ear plugs to prevent the salt from staying inside your ear, yet when we couldn’t get them in all the way he said they didn’t help anyway.

We each had our own room, in which you have a shower. They ask that you shower before you enter the tank. I will admit I was afraid I would feel claustrophobic, but the tank is HUGE. It looks like a money safe, but a few feet taller than the average person, and just as long. About 5 feet wide. The cold factor affected me as I got in. The hot shower didn’t help warm me up and the salt water in the tank is luke warm.

The rest was just strange, getting used to floating, every time you breathed you would float up higher. Your arms/shoulders felt heavy with the pull, so you have to move around and figure out what is comfortable. I finally got comfortable by putting my head back so far my eyes were almost submerged. You start seeing things and imagining sounds or other things. After I don’t know how many minutes I realized I didn’t know what to think about anymore. This is when me getting sick didn’t help. I decided to focus on my breathing, the way I do when I mediate normally, but it was hard to breathe.

I jolted out of something a couple times, and it’s hard to say what it was. All in all, it was a good first experience. I have a better feel for what to expect now. From my research it takes a few times to feel comfortable, so I am looking forward to going back and exploring my mind more (on a warm day).

Afterwards we continued on our hippie journey and ate at Cafe Gratitude with a couple of friends. If you’ve never been here, everything on the menu is named something like “I am beautiful” or “I am humble.” When you tell your server what you want he/she repeats it back to you “you are humble.”

Fun day.

I am grateful…

I live vicariously through myself.

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