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The Bronx Zoo

Can we talk about how cute this is?
Go here. Seriously. It is only $15. The baby lion cubs are to die for. The main attraction? The gorillas. They have the most insane gorilla exhibit I have ever seen and me and the boyfriend DIED. I took literally almost 300 pictures. What is so great about the sanctuary is that they charge an extra $3 for it but at the end you get to choose a place in Africa or the United States where all $3 will be donated to help gorillas or local people. I chose to have my money donated to local jobs in the Congo. Enjoy a gorilla feast for the eyes-

mama. She puked in her hands and ate it like five times. Gross. We also saw he have sex with papa...
Funniest face ever?
So relaxed...
Fishing for apples... the little girl was precious. She would sit at the edge and then cross her arms and protect herself from the splashes.
Amazing photo courtesy of my boyfriend

Thanks for an awesome day Bronx Zoo

First Guest Post!!!

I am SO excited to start this series of guest posts about travel. I've been reading some great stories from people and can't wait to share!! First up we have a story about traveling to the Australian Outback! This post was originally posted on a blog dedicated to travel throughout Australia- please go visit for more fun adventure!http://randomramblings-rie.blogspot.com/2010/04/down-road.html. Without further ado; enjoy!

Down the Road

While traveling about the Australian Outback, I became rather use to seeing this exact scenery over and over for days on end. The vast, relatively untouched landscape is literally broken only by the stretches of road which allow you to traverse the natural wonder. The isolation from most things man made is a welcome break and a unique experience; however, I found it also raised some interesting problems. Namely, these were how to obtain food and fuel as well as accommodation for when the never-ending expanse of bitumen (aka blacktop) became too much.

Luckily, truckstops appeared on the horizon just often enough to keep the petrol tank full and the engines running. These oases not only offered overpriced food-items (such as $5 ice creams that were a welcome expense in the dry heat), but also, random "tourist attractions" to attract your business. While the attractions were unnecessary--let's be honest, where else am I going to take my business?--they were surprisingly entertaining after hours spent sweatin' it out in the vehicle while driving in a perfectly straight line. For instance, I clearly enjoyed this little beauty..."look, I'm a 'Buffa-roo,' too!"

Fuel and food taken care of, nailing down a place to sleep at night became priority numero uno, but the options were rather limited. A few of the truckstops offered overpriced one-night camping, but a better option was available for adventurous souls. The better option I'm speaking of was of course roadside camping. As well as being free and legal in most places, "bush camping" offered amazing views of the setting and rising sun, AND no chance of being annoyed by pesky neighbors at the next campsite over.

I did learn a few things from my adventures in roadside camping. Primarily, while you won't need to worry about the noise from passing cars, you should in fact be prepared for the occasional road train to thunder past. Don't worry though, you'll likely just mistake the experience for a minor earthquake and slip quickly back to sleep. Similarly, don't bother with bug spray as the mozzies aren't too annoying in the Outback; rather, invest in good lightweight, long-sleeve shirt and pants, and a fly net because those blasted flies are hell. I'm not talking your run-of-the-mill, American housefly. No, no, no, the Australian Outback offers disgustingly persistent "sticky flies;" so named for their intense desire to adhere themselves to any mucosal membrane, or in their absence, anything moist. It's awful...seriously. Also worth taking along are the following items:

-Reliable hand-cranked torch (erm, flashlight). Because I imagine there would be nothing worse than a 100% pitch black potty break at 2am.

-Shovel and biodegradable toilet paper because a potty break at 2am without a shovel and tp would be worse than a 100% pitch black potty break alone...my mistake

-Well-stocked first aid kit just in case.

-A comfortable sleeping bag and padded mat, or if you're less adventurous, an easy-to-pitch tent.

-Extra food, water, fuel, just in case...again :)

Along with things that should definitely be taken along, there are a few things to just not bother with at all. Actually, only two come to mind. Firstly, don't bother pulling your mobile phone out of the vehicle, you won't get reception, and you won't need it as an alarm as the sun will wake you up early. Don't kill your battery for nothing. Secondly, don't--AND I REPEAT...DON'T--watch "Wolf Creek" before you head out on this adventure. It will only mess with your head.

So excited...

My new series of travel blog posts starts tomorrow! Our story comes from an awesome adventurer and a warm place... stay tuned for tomorrow!

In the mean time I went to Boston last week overnight. Here are some do's and don'ts

DO

*spend some time getting to know the transportation system there. Cabs are spendy and things are usually pretty close. Subway it up. Or walk, it's a beautiful city.

*walk the Freedom Trail. You'll probably run into a lot of school kids but everything worth seeing is along the trail. Leave some time for exploring the North End and little Italy. Nice stuff.

*Take a commuter train to Salem and spend the afternoon basking in the history and touristy goodness. A very fun adventure and a short, cheap train ride away.

*Stay slightly outside the city.. its cheaper and there are a lot of ways to get into the city.

*eat some chowda. I had some great clam chowder at Union Oyster House... oldest restaurant in America.

*chat up the locals. They love their city and talk and talk and talk.

DON'T

*take cabs... geesh.

*act like you're too good to play the tourist. That is what's fun about Boston and there is so much rich history... I got so lost in it all.

*come thinking Bostonians are rude people... they are really nice!

A few faves and upcoming goodies.

I am so bad at remembering to do this regularly... but I decided I would compile a list of things that I like and recommend. I've tried a lot of different beauty products from everything from acne to perfume. I always like to see what works for other people so I thought I would post mine.

MAKE-UP

Clinique is always the way to go. I have a motto to never buy drug store foundation... my skin deserves better and cheap stuff just flat out looks worse. I have never been disappointed in clinique but my favorite has to be Even Better (super fit is good too). It really does make your skin look better over time! And clinique always lasts forever. Worth the extra money (and SPF).-

for face lotion I also go to clinique- I have combination skin that is sensitive and acne prone. Their Dramatically Different face GEL is perfect. My skin is hydrated, glowing and does not get oily or break out. The regular lotion is too heavy for me. A tube of the gel is only like $12. Moisture surge is also good. Again people... invest in your skin, clinique does skin so well.

For lips, I hate lipstick but still want a little color. Clinique has a great and timeless color that is a hybrid lipstick/gloss... it goes on smooth and looks perfect on literally everyone. Like you've eaten berries... dont be afraid of the name Black Honey... its not dark or heavy. It comes in a tube too but this consistency is so good...

For eyeliner I use Almay intense i-color liner for blue eyes. It has a little bit of sparkle and goes on nicely. The price is also great. I use this product almost everyday as a basic liner and it has lasted me a long time and holds up well. I really like that its not too intense but really compliments my eyes. Smashbox makes a really pretty cream eyeliner is a pretty chestnut brown color that looks sensational with blue eyes.. I don't own it though cause its a little pricey.

For eye shadow I use a variation of cover girl shadows and clinique. I have a smokey eye kit from clinique and I use the Country Woods 4 color kit from Cover Girl for a pretty glowy, natural look. I layer it over my absolute favorite eye shadow Laura Mercier metallic creme eye color in a tube- Platimun color. Its actually a gold toned shadow and it goes on really pretty. I spread it lash to brow and then layer some darker shadow in my crease.... very pretty and great for summer.

For mascara I usually use clinique- any kind you're looking for is good, long pretty lashes is a nice and natural look but my favorite is High Impact in brown black. I like a more natural look so this is great stuff in brown/black. They have a new one called High Lengths that I will probably buy next.

I bought some cheap Rimmel mascara at target the other day and surprisingly I really like it. The brush separates lashes really nicely but I find that it rubs of under my eyes sometimes which I don't like. Make-up needs to stay put. Other wise it looks pretty.

For blush I have two that I like. One is a good cream blush that looks much more natural than a powder and clinique makes a great one. So does Laura Mercier but Clinique is cheaper. I like all the colors but especially the peachy one.

Right now I'm using a powder that has a little shine. Its called hot mama but its a little too pink for me. I can only use a tiny bit. The packaging is darling but for the price I'll buy the clinique next time.

For a bronzer I use and really like Benefit's Hoola powder. Its not orangy or sparkly and it is very subtle. It gives the face just a small hint of color.

One thing I love about Sephora is their brand. I only buy fun stuff from their brand but I love their mini nail polishes. They are cheap and come in fun colors to experiment with. My favorite though is their glow powder in Rose. It comes in other colors but this one offers a really nice subtle glow. I sweep it around my eyes and high on my cheeks. It looks so lovely.

One great thing I use to highlight the bottom on my eye (lid and tear duct) is benefit's guilded liner. I can't find a picture but its basically just a highlighting stick.

These are the make-up products I use regularly. I have some other stuff that I use for going out but this is my day to day routine. I like a natural glowing look and these products provide me with what I want. Now hit Sephora and explore!

Travel... the best part of the year.

Alright so I'm going to introduce a new chapter of this blog that I hope will continue to grow. Travel is one of my favorite things and I like to do it as much as possible. I have a lot of travel planned for this summer and really can't wait for the journey to begin. I've been planning all this since February. Because I have a decent amount of experience planning travel on a budget I will do some blog posts about this and the best way to take a vacation without spending too much. My first tips will be:

1. Never jump on the first deal you see unless you have experience with a certain city and know something is an outrageous deal. Google search deals and search the travel websites for where you're going. A lot of places offer package deals and websites like priceline.com allow you to bid on rooms and you can save a LOT of money. This allows you to either stay in a hotel for cheaper or stay in a nicer hotel for the a better price. Spend some time searching.

2. Buy the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die in the USA and Canada. This is a great book to get if you want to travel across America. It provides a lot of inspiration for small town stops and must see attractions. They also make this book for the entire world but I don't have it. I bought the USA one for my road trip.

3. Create a budget and decide what kind of trip you can realistically afford. Maybe just a day trip to the beach with some friends is in your budget but that doesn't mean you can't make it awesome. Use yelp.com to find the best places to eat, research museums in the area, take your camera and have fun.

What I hope to convey is how important getting away is. You learn so much about yourself when you're dropped into a new place and I'm always amazed at how different places are. I will be doing another post about my road trip soon but I will share the locations and where I'll be traveling this summer:

May 13/14 Boston, short spa trip (groupon.com!) to rejuvenate before summer session.

July 2-5 Portland, Or for some time with old friends.

July 5-7 (tentative) Seattle, WA to visit grandparents with family.

July 7-22 Eugene, OR to spend time at home with my parents and old friends. There is no places like Eugene in the summertime!

July 22- July 31 Los Angeles CA to visit friends, family and my boyfriend before my road trip. Side trip planned for July 23-25 to Las Vegas, NV for my friends birthday.

July 31- August 18 ROAD TRIP! We'll start in Scottsdale, AZ and spend August 1st exploring AZ. We will then travel to White Sands National Monument in NM, San Antonio for 2 days, New Orleans for 2 days, Vicksburg MS for 1 day, Memphis TN for 2 days, Little Rock AK for 1 day, Sayre, OK for one day, Santa Fe NM for 2 days, the Grand Canyon for 1 day then back to Scottsdale. The next day I'll fly back to LA for a quick visit and then its back to NYC for the next school year. I can't wait!!

Coming to Terms...

i die for this duckling.
This blog is decidedly going to be about me now. And that does not mean enslaving myself to recording weight loss attempts... makes me avoid it like the plague. I will update major milestones but for now I just want to post things that are fun... girly things, travel stuff, fashion stuff and teaching stuff. I want this blog to be a jumble of my recommendations for every person and my ideas for things. I feel happy about this. Here is my start-

I love art, I've been moved to tears by a painting.

I am not sure I like the East Coast very much, people are so different.

I miss the South even though I've only been twice.

I am not arrogant, but I know I am very smart.

I am highly opinionated.

I value people over everything else.

I live for new experiences and travel is my greatest joy.

My goals in life are really really big... but I'm excited to say that I'm on the right path. This is NOT a blog about a girl with big dreams who never goes out and achieves them.

I am in love with my boyfriend in a wonderful and comfortable way.

I would not have believed you a few years ago if you had told me I would be getting a masters at 23 and at an Ivy League school.

Life can change so fast. I've learned to be prepared.

I love vintage and have had an obsession with antiques since childhood. It is my dream to someday have a house that combines modern and antique. I think it makes a whimsical aesthetic.

I love animals of all sorts but have a special affinity for these (especially babies)- gorillas, ducks, dogs, bears and meerkats. I also love my domestic feline Stephen. The San Diego Zoo is paradise.

I would love for you to read my blog and cheer me on. :)

This is the funniest picture I've ever seen. He was begging a zoo keeper for jelly treats.

and this one...

and of course baby Frank...