Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays

Home. An idea so elusive to me as of late.
Where is home?
Familiar faces that warm my winters when it's too dreary to go out,
singing by the baby grand piano
as the seductive smells of a home-cooked meal wafts from the kitchen to the living room.

I guess you can tell I feel homesick. My mind wanders to the house projects left unfinished, my clothes, books, and things that left in the drawers and friends that I have not enjoyed the company of for months. And this has been only my 2nd Christmas away from my immediate family.

Then again, even if I was with them, this holiday season still feels different.
You see, I'm not quite sure where "home" is at the moment.

They say home is where the heart is.
My heart feels left behind at my small, cozy, cape cod in the east coast filled with 17 years worth of memories, community and friends.
However, that isn't home anymore. I am adventuring my new chapter of life in Texas. And if home isn't Texas, then the next possibility should be where my parents and sister currently life. However, that doesn't seem to be how "home" works. And it's not for lack of trying. I celebrated Thanksgiving in California this year, but somehow, it lacked the familiar, enveloping, comfortable sense of home.

But, I can't help but feel a little selfish with these musings.

A couple of months ago, I volunteered to help clean up the home of a lady whose house had burned down during the devastating Bastrop fire. She made it out with her life and her dog while every thing that she held dear went up in flames. Nevertheless, she knew what was most important. It wasn't this house where she spent decades in. She even commented how this fire wasn't as bad as when she almost lost her child to an illness several years back. Then, as I worked, my head kept repeating the verse that tells us to store our treasures in heaven where moths and rust can't destroy. What mattered most isn't the physical things in this life - a house, clothes, books and even your geographic location. Let's add on to that lesson  the most recent catastrophe where over 1,000 lives were lost and hundreds of homes washed away in my home island in the Philippines. Such a tragedy.

Things like that can definitely straighten your perspective.

I start to think.... I may not be in a familiar place that I can call "home" (and my heart still mourns at that thought), but I do have so much more - shelter, clothes, a good job, people who love and care about me.
I am so blessed.
And when I look back at how I got to this situation where I am far from "home", I recall that this is what I wanted - freedom, adventure, something new and something exciting.
As long as I am safe, secure and have the love of people that matter most to me....
then I know that when I am ready to stop wandering the world,
I'll truly know where "home"is.

SCORPIONS!!!!

Guess what I had to what I had to wake up to on a Monday morning!?!
Okay, maybe my title sort of gave it away.. but AHHHH! 


I may be brave about a great many things. However, something that always gives me the creepy crawlies are spiders and, as I recently learned from moving to Texas, SCORPIONS! Until this morning, I only encountered one scampering across the kitchen floor last month. Of course, in an undignified fashion, I jumped on the chair I was on and screamed. Thankfully, my uncle killed it and when he mentioned that it must have come in with a bunch of stuff he brought in from outside, it relieved me to think this must be a one time thing.

So, explain to me why there was one crawling up my bathroom wall on the SECOND FLOOR! And it completely matches the carpet, the bathroom tiles, the bathroom rug... everything around me! If it wasn't on the wall, I would have completely missed it! Ack! Definitely something I will not get used to being in the desert!

To make matters worse, my aunt had told me that the tenants in their former home had even mentioned how once was once crawling on their ceiling, upside-down, above the bed!

Thankfully, this morning, I managed to hold myself together and not scream at 6 in the morning. Somehow, I managed to breath and find a long thing to hit it with. I had to try 3 times before getting it since it had crawled that far up the wall! I don't think I hit it hard enough to kill it, but it landed in a bucket of water. Poor thing drowned in the water.  Okay, maybe not so poor since it still gives me goosebumps to remember the incident.

dead scorpion in my bathroom

Okay, I'm gonna stop writing about it before I get an anxiety attack! haha. Guess I'll be saying extra prayers at night and looking around my room before turning off the lights now. Let's just hope they do not come out from the vents since there happens to be one right above my side of the bed!

Barton Springs! Brrr... Refreshing

 This post is for Rina, my favorite and very missed voice teacher!

As promised, I made it to Barton Springs for a swim! This place was listed as one of the things you can do for affordably, which was indeed true at only $3 per person. The neat thing about this pool is that it is spring fed and the temperature is always at about 68 degrees.  This sounded perfect to me considering how Austin's average temperature had been over 100 since I arrived!

I ended up going for Labor Day and funnily enough, that was actually one of the colder days! No joke. There was a cool breeze and it must've been around the high 80s that day for a change. This temperature made me even more excited for a fun day and even prepared for the event by making my first pasta salad. It was supposed to be a neat picnic day.

Unfortunately, food is not allowed! Boo. It probably has something to do with the fact that there are endangered salamanders who live in the pool. That may seem kinda gross, but this was a natural pool, so what can you expect? There were also tons of greenery growing in it, so you get more of a "lake swimming" feel than pool. I think that was one of the coolest traits of the pool.

Even though I ended up having to sneak pieces of my food in my mouth when no one was looking, it was a super fun time. The sun was nicely shining down and once you jumped in the water, you can enjoy just how brisk (read: COOOOOLD!) it was. Very refreshing.

The best part about the whole thing was the people watching you get to do. I almost forgot that in Austin, it is perfectly legal to be topless. That's right. Topless. I definitely remembered this rule though after seeing some women take advantage. Who likes tan lines right? Haha!

In case you were wondering, no, I did not do as the locals did on that aspect. But I did go sunblock-less and paid for it the next few days! Ouch!

Make new friends with a walk and fish fry!

Yesterday was the Stop Child Trafficking Now 5k Walk in Austin. I was up at the crack of dawn, per usual, except for the fact that it was a Saturday! Feels almost sacrilegious. But, this sacrifice was worth it since SCTnow is a great organization and I wanted to start getting active in the community in general.

I arrived just after the start of registration and sat on a ledge to wait for the rest of the walkers to arrive. After relaxing for a few minutes, my eyes caught the sign of where my church was supposed to congregate. But, instead of heading over, I stayed where I was. Honestly I didn't feel like heading over. There were no seats by the sign. And even more than that, I didn't know anyone over there.  

noob = newbie

Well, I barely know anyone in Austin. The last two months has been all about creating new relationships, which, as fun as it can be, is exhausting! (I have a lower social limit compared to the rest of my immediate family). However, when you move to a new town, it is essential. Back home where I had lived for about 20 years, I have a whole network of friends from various communities that I had been part of in those years. It is so easy to hang out and, most importantly, they know me and still think I'm cool (well, more or less)! Fortunately and unfortunately, this noob has to brave the social world to create the community that I am used to having.  (But of course, in the case of this walk, it didn't stop me from at least waiting for the one person with whom I was acquainted before heading over to the rest of the unknowns.)

Of course, as intimidating as it is to be in new social situations, they are usually rewarding. The 5k went by quickly as I learned more about my new friends from the small group that I joined. It was also a perfect opportunity to enjoy the beautiful neighborhoods that were part of the older section of central Austin. Then, afterwards, we spent a lovely brunch together, complete with a carafe of mimosa.

Here I am at the walk

To continue the trend from that morning, I also joined a gathering by one of my coworkers. She was having a fish fry and I had never heard of, let alone gone to one of those before. I know, it's obvious from the name that a fish fry is a party where the group fries fish. But, who was I to assume such things. 

For my first fish fry, I thought it was a lot of fun. Her boyfriend caught the fish himself from Lake Travis since they lived so close to it! They had set up a propane tank and grill on the parking lot to prevent burning the already dead and dry grass in the drought. And we just sat on the curb, drinking wine, chatting and generally enjoying one of the few cool nights in Texas since I've arrived. Again I was able to spend time with some very fun and interesting people. There was one even someone who had also moved from the town where one of my good friends lived in New York. That was a neat coincidence. 

Over all, it was a great weekend of doing new things and meeting new people. And this Sunday, my first priority should be to take a break from being social... maybe after church. :)

106.5 Keilah Radio

Ever since my experience with the Spanish language in Peru last year, I have been wanting to learn more and become fluent. Though, NYC has a large Latino population and I was accustomed its presence, Texas seems like NYC on steroids with regards to its prevalence.  To me, this is one of the advantages of being in a state that borders Mexico. This fact was exciting since I could practice my comprehension more easily with a larger variety of radio stations.

By happenstance, I was surfing the radio one night and found a station with a soothing, slow song in Spanish. I realized that I was able to understand everything more easily, especially compared to the standard reggaeton songs played by my previous favorite Spanish station. This was already exciting! Then, as I listened closer, I realized that the words were talking about God. I had just found the Spanish Christian station and yay! the words were intelligible!!!

So now I have this ritual. When I am driving on my way to and from work, I will play the station for two reasons. 1) The soothing music is helpful to calm my mind. 2) I get to practice some Spanish skills while stuck in rush hour traffic. And of course, I actually do enjoy the songs that they sing.

One that I heard (and was very pleased with myself for comprehending) is a song called Soy Tu Hijo by New Wine. I thought I'd share the words and youtube video with you. :) Then you can practice your Spanish as well!

Soy tu hijo y me amas
eres mi padre y quiero honrarte
tu eres todo el ser que adoro
y a tu lado me siento seguro
dame un corazon de un padre
y enseñame como honrarte
Abba Padre quiero ser como tu

soy tu hijo tu me amas
eres mi padre y quiero honrarte
cuando clamo tu me oyes
y es por eso que tanto te amo


dame el corazon de un padre
y enseñame como honrarte

p.s. For the longest time, I couldn't figure out what the name of the station was. It sounded like another Christian station called K-Love.  That didn't make sense since the name already existed and I thought my comprehension/hearing was going bad. I'm glad to figure out the real name and that I'm not completely awful in my comprehension. lol

The Triangle

Today was one of those days when I had every intention of relaxing at home after a long day and lack of sleep, yet somehow, it felt like the last thing I wanted to do. Heaven knows why because last night I ended up falling asleep late and then not really sleeping well at all. This is mostly due to my new routine of waking up at 6:30 in the morning to do my part time job.

So, I found myself pondering of a fun new thing I could try out tonight. I decided on checking out one of the open mics at Kick Butt Cafe. That place brings a twinge of nostalgia since my sister did a gig at each venue back in March and I was absolutely missing her! Now the quandary was whether it should be the comedy or music open mic. Well, as hilarious as watching amateur comedians can be, I did not feel like going all the way to the location by Airport Blvd, since it'd pretty far from me. So, music open mic it was, which meant going to the KB at The Triangle.

I got a kick out of this image I found when image searching triangle!

Now, The Triangle is this pretty nifty place in Austin where Lamar and Guadalupe meet to form the tip part of the Triangle and 45th street is the bottom. It is full of fun little restaurants and cafes where you can relax with good eats and beer. It also has a nice green lawn that adds to the charm of the place. I am very envious of those who own lofts there and are able to be a stone's throw away from these areas. The atmosphere of the area is also more yuppy-ish, which I kind of life simply because it reminds me a bit of certain areas at home, and I am definitely a little homesick.

the actual Triangle

Anyway, the open mic was.. okay. Honestly, those things are always a hit or miss depending on the artists that play. I was not there for most of it since dinner was first priority and KB did not have quite what my stomach was looking for. Then, when we arrived, the artist performing was way too.... out there. haha My friends were debating whether it could be construed as new age. I just thought it was funny, but not necessarily in a "I'd like to hear more" kind of way.

However, I have enjoyed my evening and thought I'd just share this little tidbit.

Kolache!!

Today, I discovered the amazingness of kolaches!

My part time job had a board meeting today. When they finished, my boss came up to inform me that there were kolaches in the break room, in case I got hungry. Up until then, I had never heard of that word before. So of course, with a very confused look on my face, I said, "kolaches?" She thought my confusion was due to a curiosity of why there were kolaches available to be eaten and began to explain the breakfast meeting. However, still confused after her explanation, I sheepishly asked, "Umm... but, what are kolaches?"

It was explained that they are apparently a tex mex type of pastry, which is why I had never heard of them before. And I'm pretty sure many of my friends back home have no idea. At first when she described them, I thought they were more of a danish. But when I said this out loud, she said, "Well, sort of like a danish," but not very convincingly.

So, being very curious and hungry, I went over and heated one of these mysterious pastries.

They were amazing! Of course, I didn't have breakfast. But I got one with ham, cheese and jalapeno and I  loved it! If you are into yummy bread and savory meat... or even if you're into yummy bread and sweet fillings, you'll love it too (since it comes in that form as well)!  Too bad I didn't take a picture, but here's one I found on google image search.

Okay. The end.

Dos Batos

Who knew an evening froyo run could lead to finding a yummy taco place?

I know this is a random post dedicated to a taco joint. But I thought the taco was good enough to deserve a shout out. Also, for some reason, I've just been craving tacos! That night in particular, I was especially susceptible since in my attempt to eat less junk, I didn't eat nearly enough to satisfy.

Anyway, the place is called Dos Batos.  I thought it was closed at first since it was a large space that was empty of customers. Inside was cool mural with a ninja in a desert filled with cacti and a guy with a "Mexican hombre"look in front of pretty pink sakura trees.  This guy has a picture of it on his flickr. On the other side was this giant blackboard that spanned the width of the wall. It had some amusing drawings describing what was on the menu, including a very well blackboard drawn bottle of "Mexicoke". Haha! On top of all their sterile white tables were vases with REAL flowers in orange and yellows. This was the most awesome part because there were a lot of tables, yet they thought it was important enough to spend for real flowers! :)

But enough of that, I should describe their food!  Well, the tacos are all wood-fired, which definitely added this delicious smokiness to the food. I ordered the pirata, and just the thought of it right now is making me crave the uber-juicy sirloin steak.  Hmm... I think this probably means that it's time to find a legitimate dinner.

Hill Country Riding

the ride with my jacket on top

 One of my favorite things about living in Austin rather than the more popular Houston or Dallas, is the fact that there are rolling hills in the area instead of the typical flat. Therefore, areas of Austin is part of the aptly named "Hill Country" in Central Texas. I was able to experience more of this beauty and some of the few lush greenery that still manages to exist in this drought-infested state while going out motorcycle riding for fun (and not for function as riding in the Philippines often is).  ^_^

The ride began in San Marcos, which is a cute little town between Austin and San Antonio. There are apparently some outlets there as well. I didn't see them, but definitely have to add that to the checklist sometime. 

I took some pictures while we waited at the H.E.B. for the other riders. It seems the tubing is pretty popular in San Marcos because there were a lot of signs for where to get tubes. Or well, they like to write it as "toobs", which cracks me up every time I see it (which was a lot). 

Too bad I couldn't take pictures when riding since it's difficult if you're trying not to fall off! I have to admit, I was jealous of the other ladies with comfy seats in the back of Harleys. Apparently, I must earn my stripes before enjoying that privilege. Riding a crotch rocket is apparently something for the 20-somethings to do. 

We drove for about 4 hours. From San Marcos, we drove through a place called Devil's Backbone, then the town of Blanco and Wimberly. Then we headed down Purgatory Road and completed our ride with a scenic ride through Canyon Lake.  That last part was my favorite drive since the road followed the river and crossed at some points. It was also surrounded by trees which gave us protection from the sun. 

Our final stop was for ice cream at Freddy's Custard in New Braunfels.  Fun as it was, I'm definitely good on the whole riding thing for a while. Reece is always uber-safe and insists we wear jeans, leather jacket, sneakers and a full head helmet in 105 degree weather! I know it's a good thing, but it was for sure HOT!

I'll end this entry here, but before I leave, here are a couple of fun pics below:

This sculpture amused me at Cafe Java.

Indeed, why not? Slogan at Max's Wine Bar

Bat Crazy

Did you know that Austin is famous for its bats?

Okay, maybe you knew.  However, until last week, I had no idea. The Congress Street Bridge that spans Town Lake is home to over a million bats!

So since I found this out, I have wanted to see them. The first attempt was last Sunday, after discovering this fun fact. We trekked from Longs Center when the symphony finished, and hoped to catch the tail end of something. But sadly, we were disappointed.

Throughout the week, I started to notice random things that would indicate how Austin is like the "bat capital of the world". First there was a flyer handed to us called Symphony BATS for young professionals who enjoyed classical music. Then around town would be a logo with bats or some other type of reference which I never noticed until now.

Thankfully, I only had to wait an entire week before I got to see them. One of my friends from NYC had moved here recently as well, so we first to kayak and see the tiny cracks under the bridge where the bats lived. Then, we headed over to join the exodus of people who crowded on the side of the bridge to watch the phenomenon. I was able to take a quick video using my phone. :)

Isn't that neat?

I guess my Austin bat curiosity has now been satiated. So, what else does this city have? As long as it's cute and doesn't bite, I'll be all over that.

It's a family thing

Some of my friends are under the impression that I have family everywhere....  okay.. maybe that's true. At least, it's very true for Austin. In general, I think emigrating is just a reality of Filipinos. Therefore, many of us end up at random places around the world. Also, we are so big on family that we continue to count blood relation beyond the typical American limit of first cousins.  Honestly, it's really been a blessing having family here. Knowing I have this support takes the edge of this venture.

Even though the idea behind moving was to try something new and be more independent, it is a lot easier in theory than practice. I didn't fully appreciate "alone" til I found myself in a new city, having to adjust not only to a new culture (trust me, down here is a whole 'nother world) and getting used to 3 digits of HOT!!!!


 Now, the cool thing about meeting and spending time with family is that you realize some of the quirky traits that you find in with own family members display themselves those distant relatives as well. Considering which side of the family I have settled in with, I am not surprised at all that I somehow end up being part of this:

Yes, folks, this is a band picture. It's amazing how strong the music gene runs in my grandpa's side of the family. And actually, we happen to have our first gig this Saturday (that's how I got roped into this venture ^_^).  It is pretty awesome to be able to do something familiar and comfortable like music, especially when there isn't really anything I'm doing here that's familiar.

And at the same time, being with family also teaches me something new. For example, during a family gathering, I will hear 3 different Philippine dialects: Bisaya (my native dialect), Tagalog (which I only learned til 2nd grade) and Chavacano (which was never taught to me, but can understand because of my Spanish studies). It was pretty trippy the first time I heard all of them because they sort of just jump from one to the other depending on who they're talking to. Definitely keeps me on my toes if I wanna know what's going on!

Also, my 8 year old cousin is teaching me how to...

Although, when a young boy can move his hips better than I can... it might be time to throw in the towel. :)

That is all for now.

Austin Things

The last week and a half, I've been trying to get into some groove of life in Austin. Since I am still in search of a job (anyone need a social worker?), mostly getting in the groove consists of meeting fellow Austinites and spending time with them doing things Austin-y things. Honestly, I'm being facetious with that statement since after almost 4 weeks here, I am still not sure what an Austin-y thing to do is. Mostly, I categorize it as something that I am not able to do back home in the Northeast or something that relates to Austin being the Live Music Capital of the States.

So, the other weekend, I went out to do "Truck Things" with a new friend who just bought a truck. Not really sure what "truck things" are, but I found that it consists of off-roading and kicking up a lot of dust.

After our fun truck things, we cooled off in the river/lake. (Of course it was blazing hot that day... like every day!!!)

This past weekend was yet another Austin-y adventure. Friday night, I headed downtown to dirty 6th, to catch a Bluegrass/Blues-y rock band play on one of the rooftop bars. From there, I got a good view of the "owl" on the Frost Bank building. (Just disregard the two red lights in front of the owl building).

There was more music to be had on Sunday when we headed to Longs Center to watch some of the players from the Austin Symphony play string renditions of hits by Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and Elton John. It's a good way to get some softcore classical music into the lives of your average citizen. We laid out some mats on the ground to enjoy some fruit, wine, good music and an amazing view of downtown.

So for sure, I am enjoying some of my time in this city. Still uncertain of my future down here, but as they say, try to appreciate the now and the time that you've been given. Maybe tomorrow everything will change and you'd regret not giving it a chance.

The Mean Streets of Austin

mean streets of Cusco, Peru

Actually, the streets of downtown Austin are far from mean. As sketchy as some areas can seem, I have walked down my share of shady streets in New York City. Then again, this is the ignorant boasting of a green Austinite who thinks she can handle anything after NYC… or well, edit that… handle anything after Cusco! (Maybe that might help my rap sheet.)  Anyway, I have no idea what the crime rate is around here. Probably would have been smart to find out, lest I learn it first hand.

If there were a time to experience the more precarious side of the city, it would have been last night. I went again to the Tuesday night “Just Love” event for Gateway. (I’m pretty happy to find out what it’s called, even though I still can’t describe exactly what they do.) I still cannot really explain last night, especially since I arrived late (a drive from southernmost Austin takes 23-30 miles to go anywhere fun). From what I gathered, it was about the idea of belonging and being chosen. We had to remember those awkward gym days when everyone would get picked to play, except you.  (Yea, we love reminiscing on those days! *sarc mark)

As unfortunate as those memories were, it helped take us to a mindset where we can see some of God’s people that have been overlooked, or needed to feel like they were important enough to be chosen. It was apparently one of the hottest nights in Austin (though honestly, when has it been not the hottest night in this place!!!!). We got 2 bottles of water and were mandated to walk downtown and give the bottles of water to someone who may need to feel that sense of being chosen.

We began our walk and realize there weren’t that many people walking around downtown. In my head, if it was indeed that hottest night, most probably opted to stay indoors. It wasn’t until we walked several minutes that I spied some people taking shade in a tree by a parking lot. The sun was already low in the sky, so honestly, that tree wasn’t doing much to keep the heat at bay. So we headed over to do our Samaritan thing. I thought, okay, we’ll just hand them over and then keep going. But of course, God always has other plans.

I was in a group with 3 guys and one of the people started chatting them up. The man that I gave my water to also started chatting with me apart from the others.  Now, I don’t really like the “I’m a helpless female” excuse. But, I have to face facts that I am kinda tiny and can easily be overtaken.  So, it was not a comfortable situation at the beginning, especially after he made inappropriate comments. However, not wanting to be rude, I kept chatting, all the while fighting with my “flight” instincts.

Honestly, at the end of this experience, I can’t give you a very sunshine and rainbows moral of the story. It wasn’t that I came out of that with a fresh faced perspective that I have lost all my discomfort with being in those type of situations. I can honestly say though that it was a surprisingly more pleasant experience that I would have thought. And the more moving part to me wasn’t the majority of my time spent chatting with the man. It was actually with a woman who had just been sitting there until I was introduced to her. She and I come from different backgrounds and experiences, but after a short time of talking, I felt a connection, like she and I had a shared inner struggle.  "I'm just trying to get my life back together," she said as she told me about her man walking out on her and losing her will to care.

I guess it was in that moment when I took to heart the message from tonight, about feeling that sense of not being left out. My only regret is that combating the discomfort of facing the man kept me from reaching out to her earlier. Nevertheless, it is good know what's your kryptonite. Maybe next time I'll remember to keep my eyes set on the overarching purpose instead of just my emotions.

The stars at night...

Nothing brings people together like some a song and dance! 

photo found on this neat free stuff site

Thursday night was a fun, relaxing evening. I joined some hundred Austinites over at the Hillside Theater in Zilker Park to watch their free summer musical, Footloose. The ground was pretty hard and the grass was dead. We're in the middle of a drought after all. However, there was a merciful breeze throughout the night. I have to admit it was pretty neat to sit there on a towel with my picnic food, watching actors sing and dance with other people from the community. What I loved most was the small twinge of belonging that I felt there amidst the crowd. Always a good first step to being in unfamiliar territory.




Since I'm about to start my 3rd week in this place, I'm happy that this caterpillar is slowly coming out of the cocoon of isolation. Definitely, need to find more things to do like this and for sure ones that are free!  Seems like Austin has it's fair share. I even found a site that I linked in the above picture, which seems to have a number of free things in general. I'm excited about that.





After the time at Zilker, I did some star gazing around the bend from my house. This is definitely the part that I am loving about this place. STARS! In my head, I keep hearing, "The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas."  Thanks, Sheldon Cooper.

(Only Big Bang Theory fans are going to get this, lol)

From less than an hour of partaking in that age old pastime, I was able to see 3 shooting stars! It's pretty amazing. Back home, since I live 15 minutes out of New York City, that is quite the rarity. Sadly, I was in a salty mood and didn't feel like making a wish on any of them. Since when I have I ever not wished on a shooting star? Missed opportunities for sure. Can't let the realistic, grownup wannabe win out!

Anyway, even though there have been some fun adventures, I still feel my heart calling for home. That always brings me back to a very lonely place in my emotions. How did I manage to move to Honolulu, last time? You'd think moving 5,000 miles away would be more difficult? 

But then again, maybe this is the difference between 22 and 28-year-old Faye. Nevertheless, I always welcome the chance at seeing another side of me when faced with different situations. I just hope I'm brave enough for whatever other challenges await me.

Chocolate-covered Bacon

Yes, you read that right.  

THIS!!! Complete with powdered sugar. Ew...

But, let me start from the beginning. The other night, I spent an evening at an event with a church here called Gateway. This is the second event that I've attended so I'm still getting used to it. The way they worship is completely different from my more traditional sensibilities, which has definitely been challenging my comfort level. The people I've met though have been really nice, so overall a good experience so far. In this particular one, we shared something that has challenged us in the last two years. During the course of our conversations, we were able to see connections with some of our life experiences and prayed for each other. This was especially awesome for me considering the turmoil that I've been feeling since my move here. 

I know, many of you are like.. turmoil? But didn't you want to move to Austin?  

Yea. But just because it's something you want, it doesn't mean that you cannot feel the negative after effects of being in completely unfamiliar environment. As much as I wanted out of the east coast, I knew the ins and outs of being there. Not to mention, a support system of girlfriends and guyfriends etc. who I could just call up for a chat or a drink or whatever. Here... I'm still the noob.. learning the ropes while I have the added pressure of being unemployed.  That's a lot of overwhelming pressure. Argh!

Anyway, so I get to chat with fellow Christians and prayed and it was good.  Then.. we went to the after party, if you will. It was at a place called Frank where they specialize in... guess.... franks, duh!

Actually, I think my bratwurst did look like this.

After eating our yummies and downing them with cream soda (that did not taste anything like cream soda), one of the other members who was acquainted with someone at the table offered us his last piece of chocolate-covered bacon. Not one to say no to new things, the table split little pieces of this new gourmet delight (apparently all the rage in New York!?!  I must've missed that memo!) . Turns out.. I really didn't like it. But hey, to each his (or her) own.

Though I wasn't a big fan of this.. it had me thinking that there may be a life lesson in this creative mixture. I mean, I loooove bacon. And I uber-love chocolate. So why do I dislike them together?

toothpaste + orange juice

Well, in life, you can combine two awesome things like bacon and chocolate, but they don't necessarily blend well together. I know, wow, Faye, so insightful! But really. Think about it. Imagine those two things that you absolutely love individually and imagine what if they were combined? Sometimes, it would turn out of be friggin' amazing. Other times, ehh... not so much.  

So, you're probably waiting for a more concrete example that I can share with you. Hate to burst your bubble, but I don't really have one. Not one that I can share. And really only because I cannot verbalize it yet. All I can add is that these two awesome things that you put together... they may look good on the outside, like this bacon-y, chocolate-y goodness.  However, when you take a bite out, it turns out not as awesome as you first thought. Again, like in life. Some things looks really appetizing on the outside and you cannot wait to get a taste of it. But then once you do, it can be something you completely did not expect and perhaps a little disappointing. Okay, maybe sometimes a lot disappointing (just imagine how I felt after taking a bite out of that bacon!). 

I guess in the end, as they say, be careful what you wish for. And for the record, I'm not saying that all these depressingly morose life points I've been sharing are particularly true to my situation now. For sure, it isn't all lollipops and roses. But, it is definitely exciting to have a chance to recreate a life that I have always known and hopefully shape it into more of how I would like to live. Honestly, as much as I dislike the cons of moving to a new place, I definitely try to think of it as a good challenge. There are goals that I have set for myself while I am here. And it is also an opportunity for me to get rid of all my crutches and codependencies. Most importantly, it gives me a chance to really learn the meaning of faith and trust in God's will. I mean, what better way than when you feel completely defenseless and alone, right? :)

Sometimes, we all need to close our eyes and throw ourselves off the proverbial (please not literal) cliff to see what you are really made of.

Lost in Austin

When I originally wanted to start this blog, I wanted to name it "Lost in Austin". Yes, it isn't the most original sounding. But, it wasn't because I was being corny and discuss how I am now a wanderer of this new land, hoping to find the meaning of it all. Nope. It is because I am a Jane Austen fan and some time ago, there came out a movie called "Lost in Austen"that I happen to love! The movie is corny, but I don't care. I will not call it a guilty pleasure because there is no shame and no guilt involved with how much I love watching it.


But I digress... (And FYI, sadly that blog name is already taken, hence this blog name instead).

So here I am in Austin, Texas. Why Texas!?! I ask myself that a lot since, frankly, several months ago, I was one of those people who would not have been caught dead here. (No offense, Texans.) But, back in February, as my future post-grad life flashed before my eyes, all I knew was that I wanted OUT of where I had been living for the majority of my life. I wanted something NEW, something DIFFERENT.  And since I'm pretty much a year and a half away from being 30, darn it.. I needed to do it now!

Well, new and different is exactly what I got. I've been in Texas for a week now and there is definitely a lot of adjusting to do. For example, I never realized how big of a snob I was until I got here. Typically, I'm the type of person who is open to anyone and everyone, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt and tries not to judge harshly without knowing the person and the situation.  For some reason, I seem to have it in for Texas, and I didn't even know it! Constantly I have to fight myself not to judge everyone. It's like I'm on the defensive and I have no idea why. (Sorry, Texans!)

However, before you shake your head and send evil glares my way as you mouth "damn liberal yankee".... I am not really a yankee.. nor am I completely liberal. But I guess that's not the point.  The real important message to my honest disclosure of that fact is that I am aware of how completely unfair I am being with all that "judge-iness", especially because I know and continue to meet some pretty awesome people who live in Texas. So, maybe spending a chapter of my life in this lone star state might help improve my point of view. At the end of this stint, I will be even more open minded to a fault that you can put me up for sainthood!  Though, I guess some people would say I'm sort of cheating is Austin is the most liberal city in all of Texas and many Austinites are people who have relocated from other states. But we gotta start somewhere, right?