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

Thankful

I am thankful for... / Saya bersyukur untuk... / Ich bin dankbar für... 

• My family (Dad, Mum, Otin & Chimmy). Without them, I won't be the person I am today.
• My beloved amazing man, Robert. I won't be the person I am today, seriously. He makes me really happy.
• My job & work family. They brought out the best and worst of me. They taught me how to be true to myself and discover who I really am. A coworker of mine told me today, "Rima, when I'm sick, I want you to be my nurse." I asked why. She said, "Because you are such a nice and amazing nurse."
• My sisters. Without them, I won't have the backbones and supports I need to carry on with life. All 5 of them give me the wisdoms, guidance, and strength to just live. They are my rock.
• My baking talent. It keeps me sane. I find peacefulness when I'm focus in the kitchen. The smile and joy that I see when people consume my baked goods enlightens me.
• Distance. Even though I find it very difficult and tough, the distance that I now have with Rob really challenges our trust, loyalty and love to each other. It makes our relationship really stronger and better than ever.
• The opportunity to travel. The world is such a beautiful place. Coldplay serenades, "We live in a beautiful world. Yeah we do, yeah we do..." I agree 100%. 

• My friends. New and Old. They make my life so colorful. It is so awesome to have friends in many, many places.
• My faith. If it wasn't for my faith, any temptations and tribulations that come my way can destroy me. I may not be the best and perfect SDA out there, but I know what's wrong and what's right. I try not to judge others because that is not my job. God has blessed me with many great things, even I know I don't deserve it.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I had to work and it was great because us at work decided to do a potluck and celebrated with our work family. 

Stay grateful.

xoxo,

Rima

Long Drive

"Drive a little slower

Not ready to go home

I rather stay with you

We can take the long way out"

Jason Mraz

When I heard this song for the first time, instant nostalgia. 

It reminded me of my early dates with Rob. You know the thrill, our early talks & giggles, flirty smirks, hands "accidentally" brushing each others, you get the gist. Literally every car ride after our dates, I secretly wished it to be longer and longer, I rather spend the time with him rather going home early. 

Then those car rides turned in to road trips, from along California to all over Europe. 

The song is on constant repeat, and I miss him dearly.

Le sigh.

- Rima

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

Fatheads

Looking back at my Brazil pictures (which I will share once I am done sorting them out!), one moment that always makes me go, "YAAAASSSSS" is when Rob & I carried Messi & Di Maria (of Argentina WC Team) fatheads during the Belgium vs Argentina at Brasilia. 

me holding Messi and Rob holding Di Maria in Estadio Nacional, Brasilia.

We were kinda like celebrities for a day. Tons of Argentina fans wanted to take pictures with us, we were on the jumbo screen for a couple of times and even the Press Photographers kept on signaling us to pose and take pictures with these Fatheads...

So one day, during sleepy time in Sao Paulo, I started googling "Argentina Fans Brazil World Cup"... and low and behold I found this picture...

credit: AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd

Then next thing you know I found out that they used these pictures for several news posts...

Univision Deportes & Fox News.

I woke Robert up and went, "HAHAHAHAHA WE IN THE NEWS" Even he was giddy (he rarely gets giddy). 

So for that game, it was a success... We brought the Messi Fathead to the Holland vs Argentina game in Sao Paulo but Mr. Security guy prohibited it. We were bummed... Esp when Argentina won the game via Penalty Kicks. 

Oh well. We had fun. Good thinking on my Boo for bringing these Fatheads. 

Thanks Kinko's for having fast printing service (btw, this is not sponsored by them).

I can't wait to share more about Brazil!

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

I love my Man

Not to sound cheesy, but I really do love my Man aka the Pillow aka The Traveling Pillow aka Kuma-san aka Robert.

He planned a surprise trip for me as a gift for my 30th birthday... and I didn't know my destination until I got to LAX. He was throwing me off with annoying hints for at least 2 weeks. Even when we got to LAX, he was throwing me off by bringing me to the departing tv monitors and saying, "OK... the trip is... you pick the destination!" I was like, "uh, no... I don't like this! That's not possible! How are we gonna book it?" blah blah blah (mind you, I was fighting food poisoning at the same time... I was getting body chills. Sickness? Yes. Excited? Hell yeah. Combo of both? Not that great). 

Then he went, "We're going to Maui!"

And I tell you, my body was literally shaking for reals. Shivering to the max. The combination of excitement and illness collided. Even the TSA guy looked kinda concerned. 

Once I get the time, I will share some more pictures of Maui. 

The Road to Hana and the search for the Red Sand Beach (nude beach!) was awesome.

Wait for it.

xoxo,

Rima

ps: thank you, babycakes (I know you hate that word), for the birthday getaway. I started my 30s with a bang. We both needed some time off from work (esp you!) and we created tons of memories (and inside jokes!) during our short trip to Maui. Now we can cross off Hawaii off our list :) Me love you long time.

Happy Birthday, PillowMan

And we're the same age now :) Yes, the Pillow is a little bit younger than me by months and he is my first boyfriend to be younger than me. He may be younger yet he is very mature. 

Gosh I love you.

"You put your arms around me and I'm home" - Christina Perri

We couldn't celebrate on the day of the birthday (I was off but he had to work) so we decided to spend some time in Los Angeles over the weekend. It's nice to spend some quality time together with your other half in another place, out of each other's comfort zone. Being local tourists is a fun way to explore your city, and also a cool way to explore your love between each other. 

We had dinner at Water Grill on Grand St on DTLA. The vibe is chill yet classy. Mainly seafood, the food choices are brilliant (if you love seafood), from oysters to lobsters to fancy fishes. Oh and the wine list is exquisite. Crazy. The service was good and our waitress is so cute with her squeaky voice. 

The Pillow's appetizer. I hurled.

Meanwhile, I chowed down a nice bowl of Clam Chowder. Seriously, this thing was business. So good.

I ordered Fish & Chips and it was yummy, while Rob ordered Halibut.

We also had brunch at Pete's Cafe & Bar on Main St in DTLA. I really love the art deco of this place. Tall ceilings with black & white pictures of Los Angeles hanging on the walls. There is an outdoor patio too if you care to enjoy the street views of DTLA.

I ordered Santa Barbara Smoked Salmon Benedict that was AMAZING. The combo of the smokiness of the salmon with the creamy hollandaise sauce plus the melted egg yolk was phenomenal. PillowMan liked it a lot. 

The Pillow ordered Coconut French Toast. I didn't get to taste some (I was crying inside because I have been bad by eating bread the night before; going GF here...), he said it was delicious. It look delicious to me. Damn.

Then we decided to walk around downtown. Enjoying the nice fall breeze. It's pretty awesome to see the "quiet Sunday" side of Los Angeles. Seeing old buildings always fascinates me, making me think on the history of each building. 

Angel Knoll's/Angel Flights, home of that famous bench from (500) Days of Summer. It looked pretty dead because of the no leaves due to Autumn.

Pershing Square.

I'm glad that we were able to celebrate The Pillow's birthday. We were this close on not celebrating at all because he was supposed to be in Switzerland again for work. At least we celebrated one of us's birthday together this year (we didn't celebrated mine because he was overseas this past April).

Well, my Boo, thanks for being you. For being in my life. For being an amazing person. Happy Birthday.

xoxo,
Rima

Joyeux anniversaire!

I'm a woman of many celebrations. I love to celebrate small things. Oh and yes the Pillow & I have 2 anniversaries. Why? Because we can ;)

Unfortunately for this celebration, he's workin' in the ever so beautiful Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and I'm stuck in ghetto-fabulous Colton, California.

Well we said our "happy anniversary" speech via Voxer app. It's all good.

I can not wait to see him next Sunday. I'm gonna pick him up at LAX. I'm planning to make a cheesy poster, haha, if I have time.

Thank you, LuguMan, for being there for me. Pokes and Kisses.

xoxo, Rima

Love is Love

source

Love doesn't care what gender you are, what race you are, what sexuality you are, color of your eyes, what car you drive, what financial state you're in, what your nail polish color is... (you get the point)...

Love is just LOVE.

source

I have several people close to me in my life that are gay and lesbians. They are human. They have feelings. They have the right to live and to be treated equal. They are sharing the same air that you breathe. They can be your doctor in the clinic. They can be your nurse in the hospital. They can be your bus driver. They can be your daily Starbucks guy. They can be your father, mother, sister, brother, cousin, uncle, aunty, grandma, grandpa, son or daughter.

They.are.human.beings.that.have.rights.

Today was a good day for Love.

moonbeams,
Rima

Happy World Vitiligo Day!

I suffer from vitiligo. Ya know, those painless, itch-less white patches on your skin. I've had it since 5th grade.

Apparently today, June 25, is World Vitiligo Day. As a Vit girl, I'm showing the world what I have.

A lot of people are not aware of this skin condition. I even had medical doctors and nurses asked me if I had a burn. Yes, these are medically trained people. In the beginning I was like, "WTH" but then I thought it's my time to educate them. I'll be like, "Ya know that Michael Jackson skin disease..."

Mine is mostly on my chest, front & back of neck, my arms and on my face. I do cover-up with Dermablend. I've been using them for over 10 years. Seriously, if you need a cover-up, let's say for Tattoo, use Dermablend.

I'm not ashamed to be born with this. It's part of me. On instagram, I've seen a lot of beautiful people with vitiligo. Yes, maybe like 10 years ago, I was pretty ashamed and inferior of it. I fear that no one will love me for the way I look. Thank God I grew out of that fear and I have a Pillow to cuddle with (ok on weekends).

One day I will walk out of my house without cover up. Esp on a lazy day. hohoho.

Happy Vitiligo Day!

moonbeams,
Rima

Super Moon 2013

I'm a moon freak. I thank Sailor Moon for that. I even have a Crescent Moon tattoo.

Seriously, it's not a banana.

Anyways, I almost forgot that this weekend was Super Moon weekend, so little ol Rima got all giddy when she saw how bright the moon was on Saturday night.

It was bright yo. So in celebration of Super Moon (I'm making an excuse), the Pillow and I had wings. 

It's never a bad idea to celebrate an occasion with wings. Who doesn't love sticky, garlicky, saucy fingers lips to smooch on. And I found a new favorite drink, Red Stag & Coke. It's like Cherry Coke, with booze. Can't say no to that!!!

Then again, I craved for the moon. So today, I drove around town to witness Super Moon rising up in her glory. So went to my old college, Chaffey College, since it's up in the foothills of Cucamonga Peak.  Pillow had to head back to OC, so I took my furry boyfriend along with me. He was excited. He kept on farting.

Here I give you a mini-tour of Chaffey College.

Chaffey College is full of bunnies. So as I was leaving, a little bunny decided to pop up and show who's boss.

We had a very long staring contest. Chimmy won.

Then I drove around again waiting for Le Lune to show up, I ended up at Victoria Gardens. There... the Super Moon finally show its beautiful face.

Even Chimmy was happy. He, of course, expresses it by farting. It was a long ass drive home.

I was really happy watching it rise. Woo.

Happy Super Moon!

Moonbeams & Bunny Kisses (ZOMG WHAT A COINCIDENCE!),

Rima