Happy Weekend

Hello! Grüezi! Guten Tag!

I am still fighting the jet lag (9 hr difference!) and I was texting the Pillow regarding his bet.

The bet was made while having beer at this fun beer garden, Frau Gerold Garten, a walking distance from his apartment, by his coworkers. They shook on it. It was witnessed. We all went "WHOAAA". The bet was for him to wear his Lederhosen to work on Friday. And he delivered.

I'm so proud of this man. I probably wouldn't do it. Haha... After he shook on it that's when he realized, "Oh man... I didn't think about the train ride!" because he takes the train to work. If only I was there to witness it. 

Anyways, happy weekend. Even though I work this weekend while Rob is in Munich with his coworkers for Oktoberfest (hence the Lederhosen), I know I'm gonna be with fun coworkers tomorrow. #moneyonmymind

Now that picture makes me want pretzels and beer.

xoxo,

Rima

LDR

So when I saw this someecard the other day last week, I chuckled (well Facetime to be exact). Because this would be my life for the next year or so. 

The Pillow has officially left the country. It was a sad day for me this past Saturday. Or actually started on Friday. I spent time in OC to finalized his packing, emptied out his room, said goodbye to his roommate, Dave and actually sold his car. We went to CarMax (best decision ever. Painless!) and I can tell from his eyes that he was sad to see his first car go (who he named Anna). He got kinda sentimental there, and I could tell that the move is hitting him hard. Last week staring the weekend was like a "farewell" week. We had dinner with my family one night, followed with his cousins, then the rest of the work week, he had dinners/happy hours with his work buddies. But I felt his sadness (he doesn't really show his sadness much) this Friday when we parted with Anna. 

One thing that I will miss for sure is this. Holding hands in the car. It's this little thing that he does when we're on the road. He sometimes randomly kisses it. I just feel the sense of closeness when he does it. 

Another one is this. Being silly and taking weird selfies while he is asleep. He hates when I do this. He hates it more if I share it to the world. Tee hee... but I can't help it. 

So after going to church and saying bye to some of the members, we loaded up the car and head to LAX. My chest felt heavy. I really just wanted him to stay. But I know that wasn't possible. After checking in, we walked towards the gate and said our "see you later". He said, "you're not going to cry right?" By that time, my eyes were getting watery. And he gave me a big hug & a kiss. I just quickly said, "Bye..." and walked away. By that time, tears were rollin'. I didn't even look back. Right when I got in to the car I texted him saying that I want it to be brief because if it wasn't, I would've probably hugged him to the point of not letting go with full on snot face. So I cried a little bit more in the car, drove to McDonald's and had some fried. McD fries heals temporary pain #truestory

Then of course Supermoon decided to show up over the weekend. I love Full Moons so if only I was able to enjoy it with Rob. So instead, as usual, I say a prayer. I prayed for him and I. I prayed that this LDR will be a great thing for our relationship. To strengthen our bond. We're strong, but I desire to be stronger. I prayed that he will be okay there, especially when he barely knows anyone besides some coworkers. I prayed for his health, since I'm not there to take care of him. I prayed for him to still be awesome. I prayed. 

So today is Day 2. I have his old college t-shirt next to me. I do miss him. Thank God for Facetime. We set a Facetime date (9PM here, 6AM there) to do every day. WhatsApp/Voxer & Facetime will be our BFF.

Have you dealt with LDR? Any tips/suggestions? #TheStruggleIsReal

xoxo, Rima

So...

Remember that little poem I did a while back?

I do have an exciting, nerve wracking, kinda sad yet happy news...

See the picture above?

Zurich Apartments.

The Pillow forwarded me the above email because he is moving to Zurich, Switzerland!!! In 2 weeks...

Which means... This little Bolu girl of yours will be moving to Switzerland too :)

But not until next year :(

Which means the dreaded long distance relationship. #wompwomp

I did LDR a long time ago and it was hard. But then again that's when I was still in High School. Fast forward a billion years later, I think I can handle that. The good thing is that either one of us will be flying in/out to see each other. I will probably be heading to Swiss in September/October to see him and check out our future apartment :)

Can you imagine? Me in Switzerland? I get to pursue my dream to become a Professional Yodeler and Yodel around the Alps. Jk.

Well, this past World Cup pilgrimage with Rob in Brazil was our 3 year celebration and a mini See-You-Later kinda trip. He is currently in Zurich and won't be back til Sunday. Even so I won't be able to see him til next weekend :( then after that he leaves the weekend after. 

So this year will be a challenging one. I can see lots of travel in the near future, but I would rather be right next to my boo any given day.

ZOMG, I'm going to be an Expat! 

xoxo,

Rima

Feliz Aniversário

3 years of amazing times.

Thanks for the 6 years of dating and 3 years of "serious" dating... if that's a thing.

love you boo

Oooh Yes...

So yesterday I dropped off #TheTravelingPillow at LAX. And yes, he left to Europe. I accompanied him when he checked in with Lufthansa. What was awesome that he got upgraded to First Class (I was like, "is this life?") because of his milage status with United Airlines. Must be nice. He was oblivious about it, while I did listened to the clerk saying "First Class this First Class that"... It even said on his ticket, which he thought it was just FIRST for boarding in to the plane. When he finally boarded (I was on my way home) he was like, "You were right!! I got upgraded to First Class!!!!" *cue Excitement*

I wonder how it is to fly first class. Anyways, this time I wasn't too sad saying goodbye to him... Because I, myself, am catching a plane this Tuesday after work at the same airport to see this little Pillow of mine. Matter of fact, I already packed my suitcase... #anallyprepared. But I won't see him til Thursday evening.

I will be flying to Zurich first and staying, airbnb-style, at some random Asian guy's living room for a night, and will be roaming around Zurich alone and then catch a train down to Neuchâtel, where the Pillow is working.

Then for the weekend, we will be driving up to Lucerne and then Milan, Italy. Then to Geneva and then I fly back to LA, with a long layover in London, where I got my ticket for the Heathrow Express and Double Decker Bus Tour. Woo.

This is gonna be a tiring week but it's gonna be all worth it! Can't wait!

He didn't like me taking that picture. Oh well, boo. You're dating a blogger.

Can't wait to share pictures. Follow me on Instagram to see pictures of this vacay :)

xoxo,
Rima

I got 99 problems... (Revisit: 12 Things)

but a ______ ain't one.

You can fill out the blank yourself ;)

This past weekend I got the opportunity to witness awesomeness... in a form of a duo, 2 amazing Men, colliding in the name of music.

Yes people, I saw Jay Z and Justin Timberlake for their Legends of the Summer Tour at the Rose Bowl. And I tell you, it was legend... wait for it... dary.

It was a sold out concert and my oh my the energy was stellar. They performed for 2 hours, nonstop, together and solo. They did great mash-ups of each others hits, it was just super brilliant.

Bonus: I was able to see my childhood BFF, Trish, for quick moment. We haven't seen each other in ages due to our busy lives. Our parents were friends since ancient rome and we both used to hangout as babies. We cool like that.

This last panorama picture was pretty cool. For their last song for their encore, Jay Z asked everyone to get their cellphones out to illuminate the stadium. They closed the concert with Forever Young, dedicating it to Trayvon Martin. That was pretty awesome.

Of course being a fangirl, I recorded some clips for y'all to enjoy... (mind you, please ignore my annoying fangirl asian voice... tryin' to rap)

So this was a personal bucket list of mine to see Jay Z. Homegirl went cray when he did Empire State of Mind. I kept on holding Pillow's hand during that song. Of course I love me some JT. Rob, in the other hand, still can't stand JT's voice. I still giggle when he brings that up. Which means... I cross another list on my 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

Another thing to cross out was number 8! Yes! I made pie!!! Apple Pie to be exact. It came out awesome. I don't know if number 2 is ever gonna happen. I am that lazy. BUT, this Bikram Yoga is opening up soon by my house. And I love Bikram. Sweat.It.Out.Sister. I can't believe it's the end of July. Holy Schmolly. Any goals that you accomplished this month? Share! moonbeams, Rima (linking up with Peacoats & Plaid for The Collective Monday)

Don't Worry

First, hit play and enjoy the tunes.

People worry, right? That's pretty much human nature. But if you make that worrisome feeling become your obsession and inhibiting your life, then some thing is wrong.

You're hitting that prime age and haven't found your right man/woman? Don't worry!
Your boyfriend/girlfriend turned out to be a dick/bitch? Don't worry! They are not worth your time and feelings! Take a long hot shower, wash your hair, cry it all out, get a tub of ice cream and then sleep (this is Rima's solution dealing with her personal stress)... Things will get better! Breathe in and breathe out. Be thankful that you're still living.
Your job is not compensating you what you deserve? Don't worry! When the right time comes, it will! You just have to be patient!
Your boyfriend hasn't proposed to you yet while all of your friends are married with kids? Don't worry!  (this is my story, people.) God will make things all beautiful in His time.
You're stuck in a dead end job and not chasing your dreams? Don't worry! Start planning your future and chase that dream! (this is my story, too!)

Every one has their own worries and problems. It all depends on how you handle it. I'm pretty amazed and proud of my beau, the Pillow. He's one of the smartest and hard-working person I know. He's still young for his current work/position/career, but he achieved so much in the past 2 years of his current job. Not only he works about 12-14hrs/day, Monday-Friday, he is in school completing his Law degree, and at the same time traveling all over the world (as part of his job). AND, not one complaining word he's ever said to me.

Meanwhile, I'm the Whiny Queen. Forever and for always. I think that's why I'm sane. He keeps me sane. He brings up the positive side of any negative thing I bring up. He helps me seek the better option. He always remind me to not worry.

So just like what Bob Marley said, "don't worry about a thing."

moonbeams,
Rima

Happy 5 years to Us.

5 years ago, someone kissed someone and the following day they both went out on a date and watched Iron Man and had fish tacos and Coronas.

5 years later, someone kissed someone and when out on a date and watched Iron Man 3 and had Tapas, a Bellini, a Mojito & a Caipirinha.

Yes. The Pillow and I celebrated our 5 years of being together over the weekend, starting from our first date. It was a "friendly" date back then... or I should say "hang out". We started sllllooooooooooowwwww... Took our sweet time to finally make it official (that was like 2-3 years after our first date)... But being crazy me, I count our first hangout first date to be the Beginning of Rima & Rob.

Anywhoo... We watched Iron Man 3 at the Grove in LA. Who said that you can't be in love with 2 Roberts? Evani would understand.

via tumblr

Plus how FIERCE was Pepper when she smacked that bad guy with her Morphed Self. HAWT. Super loveeee the movie. It was nice to see Tony Stark's acting a little human at the end. And I was giddy when I saw after the credits, "Tony Stark will Return". Aw yea. I hope for realz. I can't wait til Avengers 2 starts.

Since we both miss Barcelona, we decided to dine in for some fancy Spanish food. We head on over to SLS hotel in Beverly Hills and ate at The Bazaar for some tapas and cocktails. 

Food was delish. That avocado ceviche roll was to die for. Yum. The ambiance was lounge-y like... so you are surrounded by the young (or old) Hollywood people and of course the Kardashian-esque crowd (if you know me, I am not a fan). They also have a dessert lounge which we just browsed around after dinner because we were just plain ol' stuffed (the dessert at the Patisserie looks awesome). The service was good and the decor was unique.

Caipirinha was made at table side. Pretty awesome.

The place was filled with pictures and old books

Now my ONLY complaint about SLS Hotel was their Valet service. For $14, you would expect some great service, right? NOT! It was a Valet from hell. Ok, waiting for your car to come, let say, for 15 minutes, should be fine, right? How about almost 2 hours?!?! Yes. We waiting for Rob's car to come for almost 2 HOURS! 2 effin Hours. It was almost 2 AM and we haven't gotten our car! Yes, I know it was crowded as fuck, but then to find out that the Valet Duder said that they couldn't find our car because there was a glitch in the system is pretty ridiculous. Homegirl here was not happy. Plus, it's not like we live close-by Bev Hillz, ja kno. 

Valet Duder felt so bad he gave our $14 back. Whatever. Rob felt bad he told me just to sleep on the way home. Haha. 

via tumblr

Anyways, these 5 years has been great, PillowMan. More to come, eh? Love you.

moonbeams,

Rima

Can't Wait...

For Iron Man 3.

I know most of y'all have seen it. I haven't.

Neither has Robert aka Pillow.

Of course I can't wait to see this Robert hovering my eyes in the movies... in his suit.

Why the wait?

We're gonna watch it on May 18th. Just in time to celebrate our first date's anniversary...

Exactly 5 years ago, we watch the first Iron Man... Followed by fish tacos and Coronas. And a light headed Rima and our second kiss. (Yes, we had our first kiss before our first date. We cool that way).

And from what I've heard so far this is the best Iron Man movie... and Pepper dies? asdjfa;lskdfj someone spoiled it. I don't even wanna know if it's true or not. HUSH!

Also, I can't wait for the day when my Robert does this...

Yes, people... You can love 2 Roberts at the same time... at least in my case... and Evani's.

xo,
Rima

This baby ain't going nowhere...

What baby?

This one, you silly...

Yes I have a new baby and it's red. 2 weeks ago, the Pillow told me that he WILL get me a stand mixer for my birthday (he keeps on calling it a "blender". Oh men...) because I've been hinting him (more like bitchin' & complaining) of me wanting a new one. My current KitchenAid is 11 years old and is bound for retirement. Sadly I did not threw a partay for it, it just went straight to the box and stored in the garage.

Now this phresh red baby is standing gloriously in my small kitchen counter waiting to be used. Oh girl, you will be used.

A little FYI, this is KitchenAid Pro Line Mixer. It's 7 qt (!!!) and uses 1.3 Horse Power speed. Take about major baking here. It can make 14 dozen of cookies in one setting. Now that's what I'm talking about.

I was debating for the Professional 600 but when I saw the ProLine, I was like haaay.

I can not wait to try this new thang and get all cray in the kitchen.

Madeleines anyone?

xoxo,
Rima

PS: Thank you, Mr. Pillow for being so caring and knowing what I REALLY want. Well, there's another thing that I really want. Starts with a R, ends with a G, and rhymes with Bling. Holla.

Mini-Series: The Panoramic Pillow

And you're like, WTF?

So during the vacation, the boyfriend and I decided to create a series. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably would know what "my" series is. Stay tune for that one, non-followers.

I would like to share you this series: The Panoramic Pillow.

A little FYI: I call my beau, the Pillow. He's fluffy and comfy like that... TO LAY ON. Anyways, I'm an iPhone girl. And you probably know about the Panorama feature that the iPhone has... Get it now?

Be prepare for some Multiple Pillow-ness.

Beau, sorry. I just had to share our awesomeness. He's a private man, you know ;)

At the Plaça Reial, by the Las Ramblas, Barcelona

The pool top of our B Hotel, Barcelona

At the MNAC, foothills of Monjuic, overlooking Barcelona

Barcelona's Arc the Triomf

At a nearby restaurant from our hotel, Pura Brasa

Barceloneta

Notre Dame, Paris

At the Lourve

Inside the Lourve

In front of Chateau Versailles gates

Inside of Chateau Versailles gates

Inside the Chateau

By the Chateau's garden

At the foot of Sacre Coeur, Montmarte

Yeah, we mastered the art of doing multiple Pillows in one panoramic picture. Silly, huh?

Til the next series!!

Tea & Madeleines,
Rima