Finis.

This crappy year is almost over, yay!!!

Don't get me wrong, there were many many things that I love about 2013 (this blog being one of them), but overall it has not been the best year, and although I am grateful I'm still here, healthy and semi-productive, I miss 2012. Big time.

So, yeah, don't mind if we move on to the unknown, potentially exciting 2014.

And naturally, I have to have my New Year's resolutions, right? Well, yes. Don't we all? But I have something better: expectation v. reality.

THE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS THAT I SHOULD HAVE AND FOLLOW THROUGH.

1. Lose 50 pounds and get a bikini body.

Realistic resolution: just don't gain any more weight. No one needs a bikini body. If you are bold enough to wear a bikini then you should just walk around in your underwear like a Victoria Secret model all day e'eryday.

2. Get engaged!

Realistic resolution: go on a date. That's just.... that's all I can ask for. 

3.Write a book.

Realistic resolution: just follow through with this blog until the end of the journey (A.K.A. September 2014)


4. Get a job that pays over 50k.

Realistic resolution: just work. You will always have Burger Boy.

5. Get a new car!!!

Realistic resolution: don't even. At least you will be in the habit of walking places. And you hate traffic anyway.

6. See all of Europe!

Realistic resolution: manage to see most of the UK. Hell.... just manage to see London again.




Hey, ya'll, Happy 2014!! It's gonna be a good one, right?

You can't spell Christmas without C, R, I, S

It's DA most wonderful time of the year!! Oh, to think, I have just finally gotten used to writing 2013 and now it's almost over! But it's Christmas, my favorite holiday in the history of the universe!!!!!!

And this one's special, isn't it?

It's truly a bitter-sweet Christmas. On the one hand, I have all the memories... the cooking, the wrapping, the carol singing, the praying. The whole celebration reminds me of the one person who started it all, who passed down the traditions, who is not around anymore...

And it hurts. We all want grandma to be here. It's amazing how I can look at the picture from last Christmas and see her, completely healthy, making tamales, embracing her grandchildren. And now she's not here. Yet I can feel her. She's here--I feel her presence during the rosary, the caroling, etc. She's around. It's hard, but at least we have that consolation.

With an aching heart, all I can do is remember, wipe the tears, and smile, knowing that she is having a blast up in heaven.

It's also a special Christmas because the distance that separated me from my family was shortened momentarily for the holidays. And being far puts everything in perspective. And it seems like it's all new. And it's freaking awesome.

Love... it's a funny thing, uh? Absence makes the heart grow fonder. The media, the culture of death tries to tell you what love is--and yet, deep down, we all know, WE ALL KNOW, what love really is. It's not a thing about satisfying your own desires, a selfish thing. It's a death. A death to your own wants and needs in order to give, to grant, to sacrifice. It's the wanting to give those people you love what they want, to see them happy. It's what the world would absolutely deem as madness. It's beautiful and holy and crazy. It's a small passion, a small crucifixion.

But the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom.

A lot of stuff happened, it's true. Some died, others barely made it out with their lives, others got sick, others got healed, we lost a lot financially, we gained a lot spiritually. And through it all, it's God who remains the same: faithful, constant, loving.

Also... my week at home has really put things in the UK into perspective--and I can see that the greatest and most powerful reason for my going over there is the friends the Lord had reserved for me. You know who you are. You have shown me kindness, you have made me laugh, you have helped me in my journey of faith.

Ria--- Thank you for being you, mini dictator! You are a shining star and I love your self-confidence when you dance... remember life is God's great dance floor.

Anna--- you have the most wonderful laugh! Never change, you are a joy giver!

Irene--- keep on loving Mama Mary and trusting in Jesus. Love you, brownie!

Elena--- ah, you awesome girl you. God rejoices in you. I see Jesus in you.

Clare---  Wonder Woman! You are beautiful, smart, and faithful to the Lord!

Bhanu and Raja--- I love you guys. Thanks for taking care of me, for making me laugh so much, and being so... Indian! I will try to be nicer (can't make promises though).

Elizabeth--- I hope you know how utterly BEAUTIFUL you are, as made by Big G himself!!

And everyone else who is not mentioned here--- thank you for being a part of my new life!
And to all those here at home and back at my other home, you know what you mean to me!

Merry Christmas.

At last...

AND IT'S NAME IS..... LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I finally went, ya'll!!! And it was GLORIOUS, just like I imagined it to be.

We left on the 11:42 train from Durham with a ridiculous amount of suitcases. We shifted and shifted seats until we could get one of those train tables with four seats. Well, there were five of us, but the non-brown person (who shall remain nameless) sat alone---segregation at its finest.

He's not racist, you guys. He's Eastern European. He probably just hates all the other Eastern European ethnicities,  right?

Anyway--we got to London after three hours of contemplating the English countryside and playing some stupid card game that no one cares about and it's stupid because I was winning 'til I wasn't-- YOU SUCK HOW DARE YOU!

We got to King's Cross Station and waited for a friend of a friend (who we were going to stay with--don't judge, I am poor... but this will prove to be a bad idea later).

I guess I should tell you people's names, so you understand this narrative better:
Turban, Little Girl, Honey Boo Boo, Grumpy Cat.

Grumpy Cat left us at the station because he was meeting his old school friends. So that left only the brownies. Honey Boo Boo has a friend who lives in London, with whom both him and Turban were staying and I was going to tag along for one night. The first night, however, I was going to stay with my dear friend, Little Girl.

Ok--Little Girl gave me permission to use her real name--Irene.

First stop was Honey Boo Boo's friend's dorm, where we left our stuff. We found out that this nice American student named Chelsea had let us borrow her room while she was home for the holidays. Chelsea, I don't know you, but I already love you.

Then we went to eat Indian food--good stuff. Basically we had the Indian version of burritos: "rolls"

Then I was asked "so what do you want to see?" Really? You are asking the person who has never been to London. Sigh.... let's just say that I was given two options and I picked the wrong one: we walked for over an hour, through Oxford street (which is holiday shopping Pandemonium) to Hyde Park (which, at night, is basically just a landfill for all I care). Why did we come to Hyde Park, you ask? Well, because of "Winter Wonderland", a Christmas carnival. SERIOUSLY? Like the Christmas carnival they have in every single city in the Western hemisphere. Like Kemah Boardwalk any day of the year.

Cristina I, queen of the Texas Republic, was not impressed.

I'm not going to lie--I wanted to cry. We were wasting precious time at a theme park. I could have been looking at Buckingham, Big Ben, Tower of London, etc etc (so I guess I DID know what I wanted to see but wasn't vocal enough about it *facepalm*)

Well, at least I got to see thousands of people walking in packed streets and awesome Christmas lights. Yay.

At the end of the night, Irene and I hopped on the "tube" (underground metro) and went to Northeast London to stay at her aunt's place. We had an amazing bed and I was treated so very kindly. It was great. Also, chocolate mousse. We stayed up until late talking about God, the Virgin Mary, home. It was nice. Love ya, Rini! 

DAY TWO

Wake up, get ready, breakfast, hop on that Jaguar (YES A JAGUAR, OMG). Get on the tube.

By the way, I became an expert on the Tube because... well, let's just say Irene is not very tube-savvy. But don't fear, remember I traveled to San Francisco alone with my 14 year old sister with no smart phone but only a map--- I am like the Sherlock Holmes of maps....or something.

Let's do the run down:

1. St. Paul's Cathedral. WOW TO THE WOW TO THE WOW. Huge. Gorgeous... or so I hear, because you have to pay 15 pounds to go in there. So, be satisfied with the outside of it.

2.  London's financial district from afar--no time to stop to see thieves and bankers.

3. The Tower Bridge--you know, the one where they hanged the olympic rings from. Yep.

4. The Tower of London. DUDE THIS PLACE IS AWESOME. If there is anywhere in London you need to go, this is it. History of England right thurrrr. Anne Boleyn is buried here (because Henry had her killed here!). Oh, and they have THE CROWN JEWELS here. You know... the Queen's crown and stuff. With the gold and diamonds and precious stones. And the scepter and the golden spoons and the royal robe thingy. You can't take pics of this, of course.

5. Trafalgar Square. OH WOW. What a place!! There are giant lions, and pretty buildings, and carol singers,and a cactus-looking Christmas tree. Fun fact: I tried to climb up to ride on of these lions and it went very poorly. An Indian who shall remain nameless tried to help and only succeeding in getting a very concise grasp of my arse. Lucky lad. 

Indian Sandwich. Also, we have the same coat.

I tried to climb up there... yeah, didn't work out.

6. BIG BEN! This was the moment when I almost cried. To think... how many years did I dream with this moment? To come to London, to see Benny (lol). Take it all in!!!!!!!! I wish it were human-I'd totally marry that guy.

7. London Eye: or, boring ferris wheel that only I wanted to get into. We didn't. $$$$$

8. Westminster Abbey was closed. But I did take a killer pic with its facade. LOL

9. BUCKINGHAM PALACE---yo yo yo, Harry!! I know you are in there. I'm finally here, darling! Let's get married! OH... guards? why.. no.. I... ok, ok, I'll leave...

10. That awkward moment when you get lost in London for two hours, then you go to a horrible Turkish restaurant, FORGET YOUR BAG FULL OF SOUVENIRS THERE, and panic when you get back to the room. Luckily, they had it there when I came back. I was so grateful I didn't even tell them their food sucked.


Anyway, it was sooo much fun. Next time I'll have to actually go into places. But for one day, I'd say it's pretty good.

And then the next day...

Goodbye, Michaelmas Term!

'Tis done, suckers!!!

Sorry, I am just overly excited about the fact that this Michaelmas term is over!!! I have survived the first 10 weeks of my masters---yes, it was only 10 weeks, don't judge me... I have stopped calling it "the semester" because, really, let's face it... a weight loss program takes longer than a term in a UK university.




So, after a horribly stressing last week (which is why I haven't been writing much), I have finally finished writing  all my assignments (not proud of them, though, I don't think it's been my best work).

I wrote a paper on gender roles in the literature of the Fin-de-Siecle---- basically just me talking about gayish relationships for 11 pages.... no room for research (yikes).

Then my other paper was about materialism and spirituality in Gaskell's North and South (mind you, one of my favorite books). That was probably my favorite one that I wrote.

Lastly, I wrote about endings and the journey of desire in Pamela (also called THE MOST BORING BOOK IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND).

You know the best part of this? None of these actually count. They are not giving me a grade.That's motivating, huh? NOT. That's BS!!!!!!! Why bother working hard, right? Yet, you know me, my over-achiever little mind can't let go, so I spent hours and hours on these papers.

Now, the paper that did count, my research proposal, was actually... really... bad. And I'm scared. But what can I do? I tried as best as I could (right...). It's done, no regrets. YOLO.... or, in this case YOFYMO (you only fail your masters once).



But either way, God got me through these two incredibly hard months. Gracias, Big G! What a time this has been! I can't see how I would have done it without Him.


Well, anyway. So I finished the term, and of course I partied. HARD. I went to a party at Ustinov (one of Durham's colleges) and danced my socks off! It was so. much. fun. I melted. No, really... it was super hot and I was wearing a Christmas jumper.

Then on Saturday I went to Newcastle and went crazy shopping. PRIMARK is my new favorite store. Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There goes my student loan.... yikes.



We are off to London on Monday morning! And then I'm homebound!

I gotta pack, xoxo!

I guess I should tell you how is it going?

Well, well, well. It seems like I have tended to speak rather introspectively these last few weeks and have quite forgotten to actually tell you about my life here. My apologies for that.

Since, you know, I love making lists, why don't I start you off.

1. I have a social life!

 I actually find myself constantly 'engaged' to do things, including watching Hunger Games: Catching Fire in a fancy cinema in Newcastle... alone. But really, I have tons of things to do, which I guess explains why--

2. I suck at being a student!!

Maybe it was that I spent a whole year and a half without doing any homework, so I am rusty. Maybe I'm just a lazy bum now. Either way, this master's thing might not have been such a great idea. But hey--I live in England, yeepeeeeee!!!!

3. Chutney!

It's this thing like jam but it has everything you can think of. It's one of those flavors that you find so repulsive you can't help but to love, like olives. You just want to over-stimulate your gustatory glands (and your gag reflexes). You may call it masochism but--wait, yes, yes it is. 

4. Fish and Chips!

I love the stuff. I mean, I am obsessed with it. With some vinegar. And ketchup. Long live Bells!! (This segment is brought to you by Bells--they promised me a lot of free F-n-C).

5. Daniel Castellano!

Pfff, I wish I could add that to my "to do list." Eww, TMI. I would never objectify Danny. I would only honor him with a marriage proposal--if he were real. On a forreal note, though, I am obsessed with this guy. He is literally perfect for me: hyper-masculine doctor with a big heart. Did I mention he only has his priest over to dinner twice a month, tops? Move over, Darcy!! If they cancel the show, in the words of Kelly Kapoor, 'I will kill myself.'

God is so, so good.

6. British words!!

Yes, I have picked a few up: lovely, rubbish, jumper, cheers. But don't ask me to 'talk with a British accent'. It's been two months, genius. I talk as Texican as ever.

7. I am a footballer.

I have joined my college team for intramural. I do a terrible job at looking like I'm trying to get the ball. But I have fun. And we did win.... once! It was glorious, like the good old days--except we always use to lose in the good old days. I guess I just have bad luck with teams. Or maybe I'm the problem...

8. I have taught Indian men how to make Guacamole.

Yes, they are pretty proud of it. And so am I .

9. I got a railcard and I look super cute on the picture:

That's right, gentleman. If you like it then you should probably put a ring on it (do it, a whole nation is praying for it).

10.  Have given up on the kitchen.

They don't want to wash their dishes in two days? Fine.

 They wanna turn the white stove brown with filth? Sure, go ahead!

 They want to throw vegetables on the floor? Be my guest.

  I am not a mother. And none of them are my husbands, so why should I give a damn? Oh, that's right, because IT'S FREAKING DISGUSTING! But quiet, control freak. There are things that you cannot control.

11. England is a breath-taking, beautiful place.

Heck, so is Scotland. I can't wait to see more. And you too, Ireland, you gorgeous green you.

12. And you thought you sweat a lot in Texas?

That's because you haven't walked three miles in the cold while wearing layers and layers of clothing. It is horrible! I have to change like twice or three times a day to avoid a chill!

13. Have been blessed with some amazing friends!

And I am ecstatic about that because the Lord never fails me! He promised and, sure enough, there we are.

14. Cute babies wrapped in warm clothes, blankets, etc.
It is the most adorable thing you will see. It makes me want to---well, you know... get a puppy or something.




15. SNOW!

For five minutes, but it was soooo glorious. I turned 12 years old in an instant. I was laughing like a fool. I was cupping my hands together, trying to catch it. You get it.

Though I'm sure I won't be so happy the moment I start falling on my butt on the icy roads. Brace yourself, coccyx.