Oh hay!

It's been a while. I know it has. I've been working waaaaayyyy too much to the point I am slightly hating my job. It became more like a routine. I feel like I live in the ER. I wake up, get ready, work, go home, sleep, repeat. 

Seriously. Even the doctor that works a lot in my ER thinks I am working too much. 

Then one day while getting a massage (yes), I had an epiphany to volunteer again. I miss helping people who genuinely appreciate your care and help (if you follow me at work in the ER, you will see how ungrateful most of the people are in there. Too demanding). My time in Honduras was amazing and I want to experience it again. Hence, I decided to do it again but this time with United Planet to Peru. Why not combine my passion of helping people and travel at the same time? I started a GoFundMe, so any amount of help will sure do help.

Also, I am finally following another dream. Travel Nursing. I have been wanting to do this for the past 5 years but always chicken out. The fear creeps up whenever I want to go for it. Then again during that massage (I tend to think when the masseuse works on my back), I thought, "Rima, it's now or never!" I will be moving abroad soon and probably will have my license inactive during the time so I think now it's the time to do it. So, God willing, I am planning to do travel nursing from May - July! I am excited. 

I can't wait to edit and show you pictures from Iceland! Also, I went to another new city for me in Switzerland, Basel. I was lucky enough to check out the Basel Fasnacht (their version of the Carnival) and it was fun. But let me share you this picture of Rob & I in front of Hallsgrimkirkja :)

  

I miss him! I won't see him until April 5th! We will meet up in San Francisco and then will rent a car and plan a road trip down to LA. I can not wait.

:)

Rima

Those small moments

When you were exiting your plane with your beau, hand in hand, and you're listening to this one song and isolating that moment in your head, which made you smile so big because the song reminded you that you're so lucky to be loved by him.

Then he caught a glimpse of you smiling  and asked, "What's up? Why are you smiling?" And you just smile more and say, "Oh nothing..." And realized how happy you are to spend an amazing time with him and can't wait to spend the rest of your life with him... Thanks to that one song. 

Now every time I hear that song now, that little moment pops up in my head, walking down the airport in Basel, heading to the baggage claim, hand in hand, and it makes me smile so wide. Small intimate moments like that makes me happy.

Oh and that song was John Mayer and Katy Perry's "Who You Love"

Gosh I miss him.

- Rima

.......

.... mmmm....

i don't have any desire to post anything.

zilch. zero. nada. nein.

gonna take a hiatus.

need to find inspirations.

i think it's because i've been too busy working (it's getting dull and monotonous).

i think it's because of me and rob being far apart. my weekends consist of either working or seriously lounging at home. since he's been gone, i have become a true homebody. 

i will still be active on instagram. it's a lot easier than blogging. point, click, post.

au revoir, blog land. i will be back. hopefully better.

- rima

And the next trip is to...

ICELAND!!!!!

I seriously can not contain myself. At first I was hesitant to change my itinerary, but with some convincing from The Pillow (oh thanks love), I was like, "F* it! #YOLO". If not now, when.

Well I will be only there for a 4 day weekend, then followed with my original plan of going to Zurich. One thing is that I have multiple layovers, including one-nighter in Oslo, but hay, enjoy it while I can, right? Plus I love Heathrow Airport.

Our main goal is, of course, to see Aurora Borealis. I am really hoping for a view, even if it's for 5 minutes. I will probably cry.

Now time to buy some snow boots. I guess an investment since I will be using that in Zurich too!

eeeeek.

Rima

And just like that...

I just booked an impromptu trip to Zurich again. 

Being in a long distance/overseas relationship is hard.

You miss your lover yet circumstances is in the way.

The Pillow was supposed to visit me in February yet his work schedule is crazy. He had to postponed his trip :(

Meanwhile, I already arranged my work schedule for his visit. #fail.

Then an idea came up. #dingdingding

"Oh hay, girl. You got the time off and you got miles to use... Then why don't you fly out to Zurich?"

And just like that, I just booked my flight out to Zurich for February.

This will be my first international trip for 2015.

Well, this upcoming Tuesday was supposed to be it, to Jakarta... But it got cancelled because of a death in the family. And I'm claiming it on my travel insurance. Let's see where that goes. I'm already expecting major loss on my ticket and hotel. Has anyone dealt with claiming on travel insurance for cancellation? #lesigh

Anyways, I can't wait for February. There is a chance that Rob might have a travel assignment while I'm there (not sure where, most likely somewhere in France) and he told me that I can tag along. Yaaassss...

Isn't it crazy that I miss being in a plane?

zoom.

Rima.

12 Things/Happy New Years!

Oh my. Happy New Year 2015! Whoa can not believe 2014 just flew by like crazy. Facebook has this thing now that it gives you what you posted a year (or two) ago when you update or post something on your wall. And just like that I remember I celebrated New Years in Cancun last year! Crazy. My 2015 celebration was filled with friends, Joshua Tree in the cold, Beers & Fireball, eating like crazy, sleeping on the floor, road trip to Vegas and watched Justin Timberlake, eating like pig at Wicked Spoon Buffet and a 6 hours drive back from Vegas. Mind you, I was sick as well. I apologize to my friends for making them sick :(

 team Joshua Tree

Team 20/20 Vegas

Anyways, New Year means New Goals. In my case, it's 12 Things. 

Before I head on to 2015, I wanna recap last years. 

2014

Complete ProBaking 1 & 2 at The New School of Cooking

Unfortunately, when I passed ProBaking 1, my school got popular and decided to revamp the program and merged 1&2 together. I asked what if I want to just complete ProBaking 2, they said they can't since it's a new program now :( But I did for sure had a really fun time. I love that school and highly recommend it! I don't mind actually repeat the whole program again since now it's more professional now! 

Enjoy Coachella 2014 with my friends & brother & The PillowMan

And yes indeed I enjoyed Coachella!

Travel abroad to somewhere new

Now this was majorly accomplished. I visited: Cancun, Mexico; Maui, HI; Grand Canyon, AZ; Scottsdale, AZ; Brazil; Lake Como, Italy; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Interlaken, Thun, Boltigen, Switzerland. 

Lower my debt by half or more

fail

Do another 5K

fail

Ride a Hot Air Balloon

fail

Celebrate my 30th Birthday

Yup, I hit 3.0 and couldn't be happier by celebrating it with a surprise trip to Maui from the Pillow followed by a surprise visit to my birth hospital and a surprise dinner with my sisters, all coordinated by the Pillow. He is such a keeper :)

Plan a weekend getaway with my Family (Chimichanga included)

fail

No Social Media Sabbath/Saturday

Now this lasted only for a couple of weeks. It was good, but seriously my habit of just grabbing the phone needs to lessen. I really need to unwire myself from the digital world. Luckily I'm interested in reading novels again!

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

I was happy when I found a steal on a Le Creuset dutch oven at Marshalls. So far that thing is like the to-go kitchen stuff at home. I have yet to make Coq Au Vin.

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

Sadly this almoooossstttt happened in October. Ticket was purchased and all but unfortunately Air France's pilots went on a strike, canceling my trip to Paris. I was so bummed.

Make my own Cheese

fail

So I only managed like 5ish out of the 12. Hahaha... #fail. But oh well. I was too busy living. Rob was in the process of moving towards the mid year, and I was busy trying to keep myself, well, busy. 

As for 2015...

Learn how to Meditate

with a lot of things going around in the world (tons of negativity), I find it nice and calming when I drive alone, no music, just talking, venting to God. I truly want to learn how to meditate properly. Or at least to my own standard. 

Pay Tithe

This is something I struggle personally with. Money has always been a tight and "urgh" subject lately, but I know if I'm diligent, the Lord will bless me. #letsgo

Visit a new place: Iceland

Ever since Walter Mitty and being amazed with the Northern Lights, this has been an obsession. Must.Happen.This.Year

Be Healthy

A little FYI: I have been sick for a month. I just went to the Urgent Care today (at the plea of my mother) and I even got a chest xray. Thank God I don't have Pneumonia, just a sinus infection with a nasty cough. This flu season is rough. Please stay healthy. Also, I just want to be healthy in general. I think a 30 minute walk with Chimmy everyday should be reasonable, right? #getonit

Learn German

With the move of the Pillow to Switzerland, it kinda reinforce me to learn one of their national language. I wanted to learn German when I was in Junior High. Rob got me a Fluenz program for German. I need to start using it.

Unclutter: donate or sell

I vow every weekend to start cleaning up my closet. Either I donate them or sell them via Ebay/Etsy/Poshmark. 

Get a Physical Exam

Something that I've always wanted to do. Since I kinda ignored this in my 20s, and this young body ain't getting younger at all, I guess I should start focusing more on my health. And find a good Primary Doctor.

Volunteer

Anywhere.

Bake something new every month

So far my favorite thing to bake is bread (funny thing is that a lot people ask me that question), but I would like to venture out more this year. Suggestions are welcomed!

Enjoy California

California is a big state, and I know I have taken it for granted, especially being born here and living here for the past 13 years. I hope to drive up the PCH soon. 

Move to Switzerland

New Land. New Life. Can't wait.

xoxo,

Rima

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from us, Rima & Rob. 

And we love cheese.

xoxo.

#bolugoestoswiss: Boltigen

Mkay. Last month when I went to Switzerland for Rob's birthday, I was able to explore a little bit more of the land of Cheese. I got to hit 3 more new places! Today I'm going to share you one.

For his birthday, Rob rented a chalet by the Swiss Alps, in a small little quiet town name Boltigen. The area was nice, green, peaceful and so pretty. The cows were seriously close to us. 

Peaceful, right?

Well, not so peaceful on Rob's birthday eve. We were drunk. SUPER drunk. And LOUD. First, let me show you the Chalet that we rented.

Cute right? Now, we got there late Friday night. The area was pitch dark, so Rob and I had a problem looking for the chalet. As I waited in the car, Rob was searching and actually knocked on the door of the neighbor. Once he found it, he approached me with a weird face, "Uh, we are about to get cozy. All 11 of us!" I was like, "why?" "Oh you will see!"
Now you see the chalet above, right? You see that the left half and right half have different windows/curtains. We both found out that we aren't staying in a "whole" chalet. We were staying in a half chalet. The left was our place. And the right is our neighbor. Meaning: WE SHARED A WALL. Meaning: THEY WERE FUCKIN PISSED AT US FOR OUR LOUDNESS for the whole weekend. And we all didn't know realized until the next morning. One of Rob's coworker/friend said Hello to the neighbor in the morning and she gave him the nastiest stink eye. Oops.

Our shenanigans:

See this fire stove thingy?

This chalet was built in the 1600-1700s. Meaning, no central heater. So drunk Rima spent 2 hours trying to build fire. All I did was made ashes because the woods were damp -_- So yes, 2 cold nights indeed.

 Lots of screaming

 Oh yes. Lots of more screaming and drunk screaming and table banging. Thanks to a whole bottle of Absolute Vodka, Patron and unlimited bottle of wines. Crazy.

Neighbors were piiiiisssseeeeddd...

It was not a silent night!

The half chalet was actually pretty small. I'm surprised all 11 of us were able to get cozy. Whoever owns this chalet really maximized its spaces to the tee. Mind you, only 1 bathroom, which includes a mini room for the toilet, a shower and a tub, with a curtain dividing it from the kitchen (yep) and a door to the dining room.

Rob in front of the entrance 

Hallway entrance to the chalet, leading to the kitchen

The kitchen. The stairs leads to upstairs. Behind Laurence is the curtains to the bathroom. To the left of the kitchen was my room, pictured below.

This was the biggest room in the chalet. The door on the left there leads to the dining room.

 The dining room was right NEXT to the wall that we share with the right half of the chalet. And yes, this is the table that we banged on all night. Door on the left leads to the bathroom.

Fun fact: The tub doesn't work. And all 11 of us wanted to use it together as a hot tub. Not pictured is the shower.

 This door is so ancient. It was hard to open.

Rooms on the second story.

 

 

 

To the people of Boltigen: Sorry for disrupting your quiet night.

Yet, we had so much fun #sorrynotsorry

xoxo,

Rima

#bolugoestoswiss: Zurich

Ah Zurich. Z-Town. Future New Home.

After going back twice a month apart, I can say that I am in love with this town. From roaming around the posh Bahnhofstrasse, being amazed by the 3 churches, enjoying the view from Lindenhof park, or just getting lost in translation at Coop & Migros (their supermarkets), the town is plain amazing.

View of Zurich from Lindenhoff

Zurich HB Train Station

Be prepared to be swooned by posh brands

 

The 3 Churches: (l-r) Grossmunster, Fraumunster & St. Peter

The 3 Churches in the gloom

Even Zurich has their locket bridge!

Lindenhof Park

Zurich Yacht Wine Tasting! 

The French guy on the left is Jeremy, Rob's coworker. Expert in wine!

There is such more than this to Zurich. Pictures can't justify!

Tips:
* If you're planning to be there for 1-3 days, get the Zurich 24 or 72 hours pass! It's worth it. It covers intercity trains, cable cars/trams, busses, water taxies AND museum entrances.
* Zurich is very litter-free. You will see recycle bins and trash bins everywhere. Near markets, the bins are segregated into types (i.e: wine bottles, beer bottles, plastic, batteries, etc).
* When you go shopping for groceries, it's smart to bring your own reusable bags. They do supply plastic bags, but they are the thin, cheap ones that rip easily. Also you bag your own groceries.
* Sunday is considered "resting day" and if you're stuck with no food or in need of emergent groceries, Zurich HB's ShopVille is open 7 days a week. I warn you, their Coop/Migros will be jam-packed with people!
* Go grab some to go food, a bottle of some brewskies, and head on to the Lake. Bring some extra bread and feed the swans and ducks. Entertainment for days... yet so peaceful.
* Thirsty? Carry around an empty bottle and refill them with waters from any fountain around town! They are drinkable! Oh and super fresh!

I was in Zurich last year and was really impressed with this amazing town. Who would've thought that I will reside there next year?!

More Switzerland towns coming up!

Tschüss,
Rima

December.

I can't believe it's already at December. We are at the edge of 2014. In 30 days we will say goodbye to the good ol' 14 and say HAAAAAY to 15. Honestly, I think (and I know a lot of people do) that this year went by waaaaaaaaaaay too fast. Like literally, I felt like I just celebrated New Years 2014 in Cancun in the comfort of my hotel bed while Rob was passed out sleeping fighting his hangover jetlag from Asia.

This December will be a little busy. I will be working like a maniac. Putting a lot of hours in the ER. You seriously will get a kick working in the ER during the holidays. This article in the Huffington Post really sums it up on what I'm and will be dealing with in the ER during this month. Oh what joy. 

Another joy that I'm having is that I'm making some little extra cash by baking some brioche. I had 3 orders this past weekend and now I have more lining up! Yay. Seriously, brioche is the best bread ever. 

Some sad news (well, for me) is that I won't be able to The Pillow this month. Or next month. I won't see him until February and it's slowly torturing me :( Yes, he still does send me daily selfies (as requested and it's actually a series) and we Facetime as much as we can. It's sad that I won't be spending the holidays with him. And I've been listening to sappy Christmas music (cue Blue Christmas, Baby Please Come Home and All I Want for Christmas is You), so it's not helping. Le sign.

Oh well, let's celebrate December and end 2014 with a bang. I won't be traveling this month *womp* but I'm excited for January when I visit the motherland for 10 days! Woo.

Bisous,

Rima

The Christmas Tag

So I was browsing around (according to The Pillow, browsing around is my favorite pastime), and I read answers of the Christmas Tag on Milk Bubble Tea. It's the end of November (for crying out loud!) and I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit.

this was my church youth's Christmas Gift Exchange. Theme: Villains of Christmas.

1. What is your favorite Christmas Movie/s?

I have 2! Love Actually (I watch this annually), Bridget Jones's Diary & The Holiday. Rom-Com setting in Christmas season? Yes, please.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Well, since my family don't really celebrate Christmas, but when I get gifts, I open it whenever, usually in front of the giver.

3. Do you have a favorite Christmas memory?

Not really. Depending on my schedule, I sometimes join my family at Grandma's and we just feast and chit chat and watch TV. Quality time with family are always precious. Also my first Christmas with The Pillow. I was working in Laguna Beach and headed to his apartment for our fun dinner (consist of rice, cucumber and rotisserie chicken. Super fab!). This was in 2010.

4. Favorite festive food?

Baked goods. Any one of them. 

5. Favorite Christmas gift ?

Rob gave me my first jewelry gift, a heart necklace. He's so sweet.

Christmas 2010

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

Cinnamon & Pine!

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?Watching Love Actually under the blanket while drinking something warm... or wine!

8. What tops your tree?None. We haven't had trees since I was a little girl. If I had one, I want bunny ears.

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
Honestly I don't remember. I probably begged for a bike.

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?Spending time with the people who I care and love deeply. Eating great food while catching up with friends. Being thankful that Jesus was born (even though I don't believe He was born on Dec 25th) to forgive me with my sinful ways of life. Listening to Christmas songs while baking. Giving back. Cuddling.

1 more month til 2015!

- Rima