The Traveling Year

I am a huge fan of traveling but in the past few years it had been mainly back and forth between San Francisco and home to visit family. There were a few random trips here and there for fun but with my schedule and finances I wasn't able to travel as much. This year I've decided that I need to get away more, especially since I have not been to that many states on the eastern half of the United States. Being in New York, many states I haven't been to can be simple weekend trips away. Already on my travel plans this year:

January - Los Angeles, California for work
February - Philadelphia, PA
March - Orlando, Florida for work and Budapest, Hungary
April - Los Angeles, CA for my nagymama's memorial servicea and LA for work
May - I was hoping a weekend trip away somewhere, possibly DC/Boston
June - Charleston, South Carolina (new state!) and Nassau/Freeport in the Bahamas (new country!) for my family vacation/first cruise!
July - Some friends and I were talking about a road trip, hopefully this goes through
August - Back to California for my best friend's wedding and hopefully a side trip back to San Francisco
September - Back to California again for my cousin's wedding shower in Malibu
October - Back to California again for my other good friend Laura's wedding in Paso Robles
November - Austin, Texas for my cousin's wedding and possibly wherever my sister is to spend Thanksgiving with her, if not too far back towards the west coast
December - Back to California for Christmas

Hopefully some new states in addition to South Carolina and the Bahamas.

A Tale of Two Cities

So it seems like every time I tell someone where I grew up and lived before moving to New York, there is always follow up question along the lines of "where do you like living most/do you like NYC more than the others?" So here is a tale of the two three cities that I have lived in:

Los Angeles, CA

Growing up outside of Los Angeles, I never considered LA my big city. We would often go to LA for fun, visiting friends, etc. so whenever someone asks where I lived I always say about an hour east of LA. LA is so spread out with all of its suburbs that it has and always will be confusing for me to know what people actually consider to be LA. Perks about LA is that it is close to the ocean, big venues and different types of food to name a few. Biggest annoyance about LA is having to drive and the traffic that is there. Working for 9 months in LA after moving home from San Francisco, driving to and from LA for work at NBC was the worst part.

San Francisco, CA

Moving to San Francisco for college was terrifying yet exciting since I had never moved before. Once I made friends, joined Phi Sigma Sigma and found a job, San Francisco really felt like my new home. It was a change in the sense that San Francisco was more condensed than Los Angeles which made exploration easier. Having a car helped at times, especially since public transportation did not run 24 hours (except one bus and the occasional subway). Having friends that were born and raised in San Francisco and the Bay Area also helped in finding/knowing things about the city that I would have never come upon myself. Turning 21 in San Francisco was also a huge bonus as the nightlife in San Francisco is always happening in all neighborhoods of the city. In addition, the variety of cuisine to choose from in San Francisco was amazing. Being a person who is not picky, I was in love with the options to choose from.

New York, NY

Given the opportunity to work for NBC in New York City was the greatest opportunity I could have been given. Although really scared and anxious to be moving from California and the West Coast, I was excited to start a new chapter in my life. Making friends and finding a place to live was tough but finally by the end of the summer I had a place to live, activities to do outside of work and a great group of friends. Even though this is the largest city by far in which I have lived, I feel at home here. Although I don't make it to every neighborhood in the city, I try my best to try new things as much as I can especially since a majority of the public transportation here runs 24/7. New restaurants, neighborhoods and things to do are always on my plate which makes for a different day everyday, my preference. Here's to many more years in New York City.

Random Things About Me

Many thanks to my sister giving me something to write about.

1. What is one thing you regret doing/not doing?

One thing I regret doing was moving home right after college. I always thought what if I stayed in San Francisco and continued working while trying to find a "real job" and/or applying for graduate school at SFSU. There is always that feeling of sadness and regret when you leave a "life" behind. But looking back I am glad I took the opportunity to move home, save some money and get a temporary position that led me to the job I have today.

2. Do you have any tattoos? Of what? And where?

I currently don't have any tattoos. My sister and I have talked about getting tattoos together for over a year now and still have yet to follow through. Maybe one day..

3. If you could travel anywhere right now, with an unlimited budget, where would you go?

London/Scotland/Ireland or the Caribbean. I've always wanted to visit the British Isles and will one day get there. Something about the history and heritage I also have there makes me eager to visit. As for the Caribbean, who wouldn't love tropical islands? In June I finally get to go on a cruise with my family to the Bahamas for 5 days and I am super excited!

4. Early bird or night owl?

That's a tough one. Honestly it depends on the day, my life varies from week to week and thus my being out and/or up late. During the work week I try to be as much of an early bird as I can to have a productive day. On the weekends, depending on the plans I can be a mix of both. Either way need some coffee/food before 10am or I am not a happy camper.

5. What is your favorite activity for stress relief?

Funny story, my friend Ilana and I were just talking about stress relievers this morning. Since moving to New York it has been all my social sports league activities (kickball and team trivia). The simple joy of playing kickball like in elementary school years always is a nice stress reliever from a long work week. Trivia on the other hand is at the beginning of the work week also making for a nice break as well. Being able to spend a couple hours a night with friends having fun is always a good stress reliever for me. Finally I have signed up for the gym at work (a great deal compared to other gyms in the city), which will be a great stress reliever as well. I miss running and working out like I used to when I was in college. The convenience of having a gym to go to at work will make this a lot easier to get back into.

6. Childhood hero?
My childhood heroes were always my teachers and once my mother was a teacher she became a more important hero in my life as well. Throughout the years though, my heroes have changed. Now they are my family, friends and colleagues who have made an impact/impression on me with how much they have taught me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

7. What is one item from your life bucket list you'd like to get done this year?
One thing I am planning on getting done this year from my life bucket list is to participate in a 5K. The Color Run is the race I am aiming for, to be held in NYC in August. Many of my friends are actively involved in running 5K's and other misc races. With their encouragement I plan to train and prep myself to complete this 5K. Wish me luck!

8. The worst place you've ever been to?
The worst place I have ever been to (that I can remember) was Niskayuna, NY last June for a work training. Despite the landscape being gorgeous with green rolling hills and trees, it was the last place I wanted to be. Not only was I curled up in a hotel room on my birthday while it was pouring outside, there was nothing much to do outside of the training. Not somewhere I would like to be again, especially on my birthday.

9. What is your favorite fruit?
I love kiwi's and strawberries. I am a huge fan of all fruits though.

10. If you could go back to college, what would you major in?
If I could go back to college I would major in BECA (Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts). With the passion I have for working for NBCUniversal, I feel like BECA would have been an awesome major to pursue. I changed majors 3 times while in college, which I feel is average for most students as they take courses and begin to realize what they truly love. On that note, I would go back and try to pursue my biology/pre-optomotry degree that I had originally had in mind.

11. Dream job?
To be honest, I can not tell you what my dream job would be as it changes everyday. Working with the Environmental, Health and Safety Department has opened my eyes to a different aspect that one wouldn't automatically think of when you hear "I work for NBC". I truly enjoy this work and may pursue further education in this field. Who knows where life will take me.

The Little Things in Life

They say to cherish the little things in life and I totally agree. As I was on the bus this morning listening to Pandora on the way to work, I was thinking of all the little things (quirky, silly, simple, etc.) that I enjoy:

• Making it to the bus stop right before the bus shows up (not running to catch it)
• A relaxing night in with friends doing absolutely nothing
• Free coffee/juice at work (some mornings just wouldn't be the same)
• Spontaneous free meals
• Sunflowers
• The smell of fresh baked cookies
• A comment that makes my day

The Art of Communication

So as you can tell, I'm not a great blogger. I'm not exactly 100% sure why I even started blogging. Part of it has to do with the fact that I use to write in high school all the time when I was editor in chief of the newspaper. Once that stopped and I was forced to write about certain topics in college, the joy of writing what I wanted dwindled away. Now that college is over and I have the time to write about what I want/feel, the joy has started to return. But after so many years of not having much freedom in what I could write, coming up with ideas to blog about becomes difficult.

Holidays Update

It's been awhile since I've written, with the end of the year and holidays upon me I haven't had much time to write.

The Secret Santa exchange among all of my friends was an amazing way to start the holidays. Celebrating the holidays and finding out my Secret Santa was something I'll never forget. After much anticipation I was excited to find out that Val was my Secret Santa. I got scrap booking stuff that I really wanted, as I have been meaning to start scrap booking my adventures with BDHOF (on my to do list). Tom surprised us all and gave everyone their own gift as well. Thanks Tom for my new Rangers shirt (that actually fits unlike my free LARGE shirt my dad gave me)! We ourselves surprised Tom as well with a few gifts in appreciation for all that he has done for us over the past 7+ months and many more to come. Ilana, Christie, Ann Marie and I started thinking and got creative/personal. Results: a puzzle of Tom and Diego (his adorable dog), a few dog toys for Diego and a home made photo collage of all of the events/memories we've had with Tom. I love making gifts, so seeing the happy smile on Tom's face when he opened his presents made it all worth it.

Spending a week in California with all of my family including my grandmother from Hungary was the best present I could ever ask for. I haven't seen my grandmother since 2007, so being able to spend some quality time with her and the rest of my family was amazing. We even had Christmas dinner on the patio since it was a warm 80 degress on Christmas Day.

In addition to spending time with family I was able to see a few friends that I haven't seen in what seemed like ages. Franco even suprised me when he showed up at Tony's birthday at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was great to see him as well as Tony, Kris and Eerin. Always a good time catching up with old friends, especially in person.

What a great holiday season this was, here's to many more.

Tis the Season...

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la...

Can't believe it's already Christmas again; it feels like just yesterday that I was living at home in California celebrating this joyous holiday season. This year though, even though there are endless amounts of Christmas lights and decorations throughout the city, it hasn't felt like Christmas was upon me until this past weekend. A friend invited us to a Holiday Happy Hour with a Toys for Tots drive through the US Marines. Being able to celebrate what I call the official start of the holidays with the amazing group of friends I have here now was the best way to celebrate. After what seemed like the worst and longest week I've had since moving here, I was excited to see everyone and celebrate the holidays since I had not seen everyone in over a week with family visiting the prior weekend. Even though not everyone was there I was excited to relax and have a great night out.

Tomorrow 13+ of my friends and I are having a present exchange (Secret Santa) for the holidays. It is always fun to keep the present a secret and get excited for who choose your name. I love getting and giving presents to others and being able to see the joy on their face when they open the present for the first time. It is the best part of giving a present.

I am so excited to be going back to California in 9 days, time has flown by. I have lived in New York for 7 months now and haven't been home since, it is crazy. Going home is even more exciting since my grandmother from Hungary will be here for the holidays. Most of us haven't seen her in 3+ years so it will be nice to have the whole family around for Christmas. This year we won't have to sing our traditional Hungarian Christmas song on speaker with her, we will be able to sing it with her in person.

Here's to the holiday season and the many memories to come.