The taxi driver occasionally glanced at the road as he swerved around the hairpin turns and played chicken with oncoming traffic on the narrow highway; most of the time his eyes were fixed in the rearview mirror at my face, while he waved an arm about, emphatically describing to me Balinese life. He pointed… Continue reading Bali’s Magic and How I Got My Groove Back
Tag: reflections
When Tragedy Strikes at Home: An Expat’s Point of View
Living halfway across the world, you would think I’d feel somewhat disconnected from my country. That the happenings there would suddenly feel dim and distant, like they were no longer a reality in my own little bubble of life. To an extent, they do; since I’m not surrounded by American media, and 99% of the… Continue reading When Tragedy Strikes at Home: An Expat’s Point of View
Near death, new life, and getting ready for Korea
Last week, my step brother died. It’s a fact he was excited to hear about. *** When it happened, I was sitting at my parents’ kitchen table with my head in my hands, trying to digest the events of the last few days. Vignetted memories surged through my mind of the smiles, the laughs,… Continue reading Near death, new life, and getting ready for Korea
Guns: And That Time I Got One For Christmas
It all started in 2011 with a recurring nightmare. The dream manifested itself each time within a different scenario, but it always ended with someone shooting me in the neck: an angry man in the grocery store parking lot; a disgruntled ex-roommate; a serial killer chasing me around my house… Granted, it was not as… Continue reading Guns: And That Time I Got One For Christmas
My New Year’s Non-Resolution
I’m not much of one for New Year’s Resolutions. First of all, I’m a little late on the uptake to be posting about my resolutions, seeing as the date is what it is; I almost decided to resolve to post twice every week, but I’ve clearly failed at that already. Making a New Year’s Resolution… Continue reading My New Year’s Non-Resolution
My 12 Kickass Moments of 2012
December sort of snuck up on me. One minute it’s New Years Day, and I’m regretting that one (or seven) glasses of wine from last night; the next minute it’s summer and I’m celebrating the inevitable act of aging another year by riding around on a surrey like a 12-year-old; then all of a sudden… Continue reading My 12 Kickass Moments of 2012
Stuck in Limbo
There have been more tears this week than I care to admit. It would be easy to blame the tears on the Connecticut tragedy, as that truly did upset me on a very deep level, but that was really only one dip in the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been riding lately. The end of the year… Continue reading Stuck in Limbo
Prioritizing Priorities: An apology and explanation
If you’re a consistent reader of Kaleena’s Kaleidoscope (giant Heimlich squeezing hug of thanks to you!) you may have noticed I’ve been mysteriously… absent lately, cropping up periodically only to post half-inspired little ditties and photos. I have been violating the first gospel of blogging, which is posting consistently and frequently. So smite me down,… Continue reading Prioritizing Priorities: An apology and explanation
European Memories: The Birth of my Wanderlust
In browsing through old photos on my computer, I came across a file of pictures I hadn’t looked at in ages. As I scrolled through, a wave of memories surged over me–each as vivid and colorful as if they’d happened yesterday. I didn’t expect the memories to be so clear, especially since I can’t usually… Continue reading European Memories: The Birth of my Wanderlust
That Time I Ate Wilbur: A Pig Roast in the Philippines
As we near the quintessential American holiday of Thanksgiving and my facebook news feed brims with statuses of thankfulness and “how the hell am I going to cook this turkey” fears, I find myself wondering if this will be my last Thanksgiving celebration in this country for a while. Since I’ll be moving to Korea… Continue reading That Time I Ate Wilbur: A Pig Roast in the Philippines
Taking risks and why I’m moving to South Korea
Risk: “Exposure to the chance of injury or loss” I always considered myself a “risky” person in life. I enjoy jumping out of perfectly good airplanes; swimming to the bottom of the ocean; rappelling down steep cliff sides; gallivanting through third world countries alone; hanging upside down on a rope in aerial class. Everyone always says,… Continue reading Taking risks and why I’m moving to South Korea
7 Things I Love About My Commute
Desk jobs have a tendency to make you feel fat. Well, actually, they have a tendency to make you fat, which in turn makes you feel fat. It’s a vicious cycle. Recently, however, I decided to put an end to all this fatness business and be all hip and trendy with a “standing desk”. I… Continue reading 7 Things I Love About My Commute