Such a Heavenly View

Over the weekend, my sister, her husband and I attended the Rise Festival in Jean, Nevada (20 minutes from Las Vegas). And I tell you, it was one of the MOST magical moment that I have ever experience in my whole life. Even Vino, the husband, said "Honestly this was way magical than my honeymoon!" (errr...)

Despite the event was completely disorganized and kinda poorly executed (people didn't get their lanterns & yoga mat, unable to bring outside food, no strollers for kids, and not to forget the HORRIBLE transportation issue), we 3 had an amazing, breathtaking experience. Inspired by the annual Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand, RiSE worked for a year to finally get this event approved and going on in the States. I hope with the logistic incident that happened, the creators/owners can work it out and do this festival annually.

Blue skies all around, this girl was happy.

The event was set in the middle of Mojave Desert, on a dry lake bed in Jean. Pretty neat.

Torches with yoga mats and folded lanterns ready to be written on (for your wishes and prayers)

The ambiance and vibe was very calm and chill, my sister and I couldn't help but to do a yoga pose in the middle of the desert. You just had to :P

This was a wish card. You write your hopes, dreams, prayers on it as you were to write it on your lantern, so you don't forget them. Writing them down on paper and on lantern was pretty emotional. Vino got really emotional and started to cry. I noticed people all around were doing the same thing.

Excuse my weird voice going OMG OMG, but seriously, it was mindblowing. People were cheering, screaming, clapping and actually BAWLING when the lanterns went up. If you have watched Tangled, definitely it reminded me of it. 

Seriously the photos can not justify the event. 

Seriously, it looked like the stars exploded behind me.

I really do hope they fix the problems and let this event become an annual thing. I would go again in a heartbeat! Or better yet, go to Thailand and experience Yi Peng. Whoa, another Travel BucketList!

blessed,

Rima

10 Things I Want To Do Before I Die

I read this article with the same title one day, and it prompted me to make my own list. Of course I have my own bucket list. This is more like a travel bucket list. I think everyone should have one, huh?

(in no particular order)

1. Witness the Northern Lights

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I think the moment I see this in person, I would literally burst into tears. Being a huge fan of night skies with stars and lights, this amazing nature phenomena will definitely give me the chills (well, literally. It's cold up there in the northern hemisphere). Iceland or Finland would be the ideal goal for me, even though you can see it in Alaska, Alberta in Canada, even in Norway.

2. Drink crazy amount of beer in Munich during Oktoberfest

This is the Pillow in Munich for this years Oktoberfest. Pretty much robbing my dream. Him and his coworkers decided to do a last minute trip prior to my arrival to Switzerland. Good job on making me jealous. Anyways, as of next year, this will be an annual trip, apparently. And yes, I will be there.

3. Jump off a cliff into the Ocean

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I cliff jumped before and it was thrilling. But that was in the mountains. I want to jump in to the ocean. Where else than in Santorini, Greece.

4. Ride a Camel in the Desert

Again, Rob stole my dream. This was in Morocco. I want it to happen there or even better in Egypt while seeing the Pyramids.

5. Watch a Champions League final game in Wembley Stadium

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This is actually, of course, a goal for both of us. Would love to see our favorite team(s) to play, but nevertheless, watching a final game at one of the biggest & famous stadiums out there would be such an honor.

6. Swim with wild Dolphins in the Ocean

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Yes, I did played with a dolphin while I was in Bali and it was cute and fun. But what I really want is go on a boat and actually find a pod and actually see them swimming in person. Even better... to swim with them. And apparently you can do that in Oahu, Hawaii.

7. Milk a cow and make cheese somewhere in Switzerland

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I really do hope this will happen later on when I reside in Switzerland. Driving around Switzerland with Rob, I've seen green grass hills with happy cows just chillin'. Luckily, there are some farms that you can volunteer at. This should be fun.

8. Road trip USA or driving up the Pacific Coast Highway

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With USA having so much land, who doesn't want to go on a good ol' road trip? Pack up my bags, fill up the tank and let's go. Or if going to all 50 States is a bit too much, driving up the PCH, from Cali to Washington would be a great alternative.

9. Light one in Amsterdam

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By "one", I mean a joint. It's one of those silly ones that is not a big deal if it never happen. Mind you, I am anti-illegal-drug. Since Ms. Mary Jane is very controversial, you may want to see it as an illegal substance or as life changing drug, I don't care, I'm not here to judge. I have never lit one, but this is one of those weird goals where if it was to happen, I want it to be in a cool place (sorry, Colorado & Washington ain't one of them in my list).

10. Volunteer at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand

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Ah, elephants. They make me happy. Ever since bathing and riding one in Thailand, my heart grew so much love for these giant yet funny creatures. My dream is to actually do this one day with my future kids. Elephants are great examples on how animals do have feelings & emotions, just like human beings.

So these are the things that are on my list.

What are yours?

Things I Love Monday: Grand Canyon

Oh hello there. I hope all of you had a great Valentine's/Presidents Day weekend. I know I did. 

First off, I thought my Le Creuset was my Valentine's Gift (yes, I like to preselect my gifts early) so when he surprised me with this little blue thing below on Vday night, I was surprised and utterly happy (and of course I had that "every kiss begins with Kay" jingle in my head)...

We decided to celebrate Valentine's with a road trip to see the good ol' Grand Canyon. We both never been there before so this was super exciting for us. The driving not so much, but we made it there safely. We left like at 5.30am. Since we were heading East, of course we were greeted by the Sun rising up, blinding our eyes.

Spot the PillowMan.

Of course had to pull over to do a photo-op with the Arizona state sign.

Then after driving for a gruesome 7+ hours (we stopped twice for food and gas), we were welcomed by the majestic Canyon. Literally we were in awe the whole time. The pictures below don't do justice. You must see it for yourself!

Since it was free entrance during Presidents Day weekend (yay), we went back the next morning before heading back home. We saw some Moose passing by. 

So we drove towards east of the Canyon and saw more awesomeness.

We also stopped at some empty land just to act silly.

We stopped at Phoenix to grab some food before heading west on I-10 and of course it was a full moon, so little Rima stopped and said a little prayer and drove back home, while Rob was sleeping away.

 It was a quick yet fun trip. We haven't roadtripped in a while (last time was to Milan, Italy), so it was nice to be able to chat and sing along to our favorite songs, eating junk food, sightseeing, having fart competitions (true couples do that, mkay) and just plain enjoying ourselves. I thank God for sending me an awesome man in my life.

I love you, LuguMan. I know we are the master of cheese, so I thank you for replaying our 2014 song over and over again. I'm not tired of it.

xoxo,
Rima

12 Things

Hello Bunz. Today while laying in bed, I decide on this beautiful hump day to reflect on my 12 goals of 2013. 

1. Attend a Baking/Bread Class.
2. 30 days Work-Out trial.
3. Volunteer at an Animal Shelter
4. Watch a live soccer game
5. Try a new crafty skill
6. Attend a Bucket List Concert: Bon Jovi, U2, Coldplay (can't get enough of them!), Celine Dion, Jay-Z
7. The Color Run in Los Angeles
8. Make/Bake a Pie
9. Take more pictures with my film cameras and create an album
10. Swim with the Dolphins
11. Dare Devil: Go Bungee Jumping
12. Take a picture with Ariel, the Little Mermaid

Not familiar with 12 Things? You can read about it here; For my last Revisit: 12 Things, click here; 2012 12 Things: here; For my Bucket List: here

8 out of 12. I can say that I am pretty happy to be able to accomplish 8! That's 75% of the list :) Yay. *pats back* Awesome.

So it's already mid January of 2014. Yes, I do have goals in mind but have yet written it down. Now it's time.

12 Things of 2014

Complete ProBaking 1 & 2 at The New School of Cooking

I start school tomorrow and could not be excited. A new chapter!

Enjoy Coachella 2014 with my friends & brother & The PillowMan

Tickets have been purchased and the only thing that we're working on is a place to stay. Prices are ridiculously high, even if we split the cost. We are hoping for a miracle hahahaha...

Travel abroad to somewhere new

I think this will be like an annual goal. Who doesn't want to cross out a new place to visit each year? This year I will be going to Brazil (PillowMan was there last year) so I couldn't be more excited! Not only that, we will be joining the world for the World Cup. It's going to be insane!

Lower my debt by half or more

Now this is a work-in-process. I am dying to be debt free. Who doesn't? I wish I can win the lottery and BAM erase every single debt I have. Grrr.

Do another 5K

I love doing 5Ks because for me it's doable. Hahaha... The Color Run is coming up so I am thinking on signing up again... and maybe some other ones too. They are getting creative now!

Ride a Hot Air Balloon

I've never been on one so this was added to the list. We have a winery town not too far from our area where they do Hot Air Balloon festivals (in Temecula). There are deals all the time on Zozi.com or GroupOn that gives out deals for balloon rides and wine tasting at the same time. I might need that buzz for that height!

Celebrate my 30th Birthday

Oh yes. The big 3-0. It's coming in April. Coachella is one of the ways of celebration but I also want to celebrate with my family and close friends. Don't know how or where, but we will see went it comes by.

Plan a weekend getaway with my Family (Chimichanga included)

Well, this was supposed to be in December (vegas!) but my mom got severely ill at the last minute, so the trip had to be postponed. The thing is we don't know when. Haha. It will happen.

No Social Media Sabbath/Saturday

I started this last Saturday (Sabbath = Friday Sunset to Saturday Sunset) and it was nice. I tried to stay off of my computer/phone/iPad as much as I can during the time, well with the exception of phone calls/texts. I seriously got so much tasks done, it was fabulous. With our daily lives so occupied with the cyberworld, we kinda lost touch with our real world. There are so many things beyond the internet. It's time to back to the real world.

Own a Le Creuset Dutch Oven & Make Boeuf Bourguignon & Coq Au Vin

I've been dying to own one. And 2014 will be the year to own one! Hah! And I will cook my first meal with it with a classic (or two) French meal. Yum.

Hang out with Kiki Peter because I miss her dearly (which means... Paris!)

Kiki Peter is one of my best friends back in High School. She understand me and I understand her. I miss her so much. Only got to see her for several hours while I was in Paris. She lives in Paris so I have a reason to visit Paris. Which means, I need to find a cheap flight to Paris.

Make my own Cheese

I love cheese. I can't deny it. I remember seeing a DIY kit at William-Sonoma and I heard on how easy it is to make! I purchased my kit and now I just need to find a local farm where I can get fresh milk :)

Well that's all of my 12 goals this year! Let's kick 2014 in the ass and make these things happen :)

xoxo,

Rima

Revisit: 12 Things

Not familiar with 12 Things? You can read about it here :)

For my last Revisit: 12 Things, click here.

2012 12 Things: here

For my Bucket List: here

As a reminder... Here are the things I want to accomplish in 2013.

1. Attend a Baking/Bread Class.
2. 30 days Work-Out trial.
3. Volunteer at an Animal Shelter
4. Watch a live soccer game
5. Try a new crafty skill
6. Attend a Bucket List Concert: Bon Jovi, U2, Coldplay (can't get enough of them!), Celine Dion, Jay-Z
7. The Color Run in Los Angeles
8. Make/Bake a Pie
9. Take more pictures with my film cameras and create an album
10. Swim with the Dolphins
11. Dare Devil: Go Bungee Jumping
12. Take a picture with Ariel, the Little Mermaid

I just realized... I skip November for 12 Things. Hahahahahhaha *evil grind*. Oh well, Life happens, eh?

As I look in to my list, I can say that I am pretty proud. I crossed out number 5!!! I indeed tried a new crafty skill... 

Lo and behold... Rima is carving her own stamps!

I had so much fun doing this, it was kinda therapeutic! I lost track of time to the point I realized I had a headache. I'm already browsing for new carving tools and some blocks to carve. 

So I did 8 out of 12. Not bad at all. I feel kinda great accomplishing more than 50% of the list. Woo hoo.

Did you accomplished anything on your list?

xoxo,

Rima