Christmas Market

It's been awhile since I've touched base, and written here.

I've been writing. Putting together drafts of several short stories that are at present a mess.

Since I've written here, I've been busy putting in hours of English teaching, and acting on the stage. The latter is very important, after having finished M. Gladwell's book Outliers,  his words about putting in your 10,000 hours of practicing something till you are master of something (be it computer programming, playing the violin, or acting) have stayed with me. So ever since then, I've put in as many hours as I could into acting, and have been busy with the Bear Educational Theatre (http://www.thebeartheatre.com/) and StageStars (www.stagestars.cz).

Now Christmas is approaching and I wanted to write briefly about my visions and sights and experiences of my second Christmas here in the Czech Republic.

That was two years ago that I visited Czech Republic for Christmas, and I knew that once Christmas season rolled around the corner that I could once again stroll about the charming Christmas markets that dot the capital, and take a whiff of the scent of cinnamon and svařak (mulled wine) in the air, maybe enjoy some trdenlník (a delightful cinnamony pastry) together with horka medovina.

The winter so far has been fairly mild and kind, but of course I'm probably speaking too soon. It isn't January yet, after all!

But today was sunny over at Kladno, where I played two shows for the Bear. I swear it must have been up to 10 degrees Celsius today.

And oh, the visions of Christmas markets everywhere, I can't get enough of it, and it makes me pine for someone I can hold hands with, but at the same time I enjoy being alone at any one of them, just strolling along, looking at the Christmas wares, the handmade angels, the gloves, the klobasa, the home-made lavender lotions and other delightful things.

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, with the twinkling lights, and the giant fresh Christmas trees in the middle of everything, staring happily down at us, proudly standing there all bedecked in Christmas finery.

Going Back

The truth is that I've gone slightly wayward and have attempted to put up two other blogs, and just ended up confusing myself. Someone close to me has suggested that instead of blogging left and right and hoping to get some internet traffic that I should just focus on writing the book I want to write.
So I'm just trying to explain why it is I have disappeared from here for a while, missing the entire August altogether to update you.

And that's why.

I've tried opening a new blog, something about a Filipina Abroad, and now barely remember the password, the email address, and the blog address, after one entry.

Not that I've stopped writing.

I write, when it's nearly the close of my day, like right now. Always around 22:00 or 23:00.

Just when the world has gone quiet, before I shut off for the night, since I need to continue my day job, at least one of several part-time jobs I currently hold just to keep my life interesting.

I write.

I have three files I add to when I can, one about dreams, one about a family saga, and one a diary for my thoughts, since sometimes it's just faster to type away at the keyboard than write everything by hand on my pretty notebook.

I write. Sometimes on the metro, to describe people, or just to write down how I feel, which is always something I've done ever since someone gave me a Hello Kitty luxurious notebook when I was 9 years old, and I haven't stopped since. There have been years when I don't write as much, but I have never stopped.

I hold Malcolm Gladwell's chapter on the 10,000 hour rule next to my heart, the last chapter I've read so far from his book Outliers: The Story of Success.  About how it takes roughly 10,000 hours, or 10 years of keeping at the same thing before you can achieve mastery, perfection, or at least get good enough that you can start producing some really good stuff.

So in effect, I've come back to acting, almost by default. The message was not about how much you can earn from something, but about doing, and doing, and doing something over and over again, until you get really, really good at it.

What else have I had at least a few hours of work on but acting?

Next comes the writing, which is a hobby for now, something which came to me as a work opportunity a few years ago which I turned down. So I will write, when I can, at the close of the day.

As for acting, well. I'm glad to have found an acting post with a little theater group, and one that I can make a living out of. I think that is important, and in an ideal world, don't we want to making a living out of what we love and enjoy doing?

I would also love to go back to broadcasting, as I had done in the last three years, as a radio announcer, as the voice of TV and radio commercials. I quite loved that.

But until then, I can't be resting on my laurels, telling everyone how I miss it, and how I wish I could be doing it again. So the work isn't there. Not in English, not in the Czech Republic, not yet, not today.

But the acting is, in some way.

I also hold some phrases close to my heart from this book I encountered called Who Moved My Cheese? - something about how you roll with change, and instead of resting on your laurels, thinking you're all special and everything, that one ought to embrace new things, no matter that they may be humbling. Doesn't something new stimulate us, make us feel younger, when we're learning something new? So this is what I'm telling myself, as I embark on a semi-new chapter in my life this week.

I've said goodbye to the bookstore I work for, because I need to do other things. I need to be spending my time acting, performing. I need to spend my time pursuing my life's passions, devoting hours to doing these. Not shuffling books around or sending emails or organizing people. I need to write, because that is another passion, another great pleasure.

I need to act, I need to perform, I need to be in front of an audience.

And so here we are.

That's all I wanted to say for now, I guess. Blogging's good too, until I have enough for a book.

It's good practice.

I am considering changing the title of my blog, without having to create a new one, or try to remember the information on the new one I tried to create a few weeks ago.

I am considering writing about food, since I love food, and can't stop photographing my cooking as well as the food I eat when I'm out. I wont be an expert, and no chef and talk about fancy cooking terms, but I do love food. That's something I am toying with. I'll send you a food story soon, try it small, and let's take it from there.

Rainy Summer Weekend

Summer hasn't quite arrived as it should, as we are on the last days of July, when it should be sweltering, blistering hot here in Prague. Instead we have rain, and 14 degrees Celsius outside, completely overcast, wet asphalt, and I can't even go rollerblading.

The weather is just a reflection of my mood today as well, as I veer from at times content, and happy to hear the rain pattering on the roof, happy to be indoors, under a roof, and dry - to at times quite sad and pensive about what I've left behind in another country and how best to deal with the novelty and the curve balls of today.

It reminds me of the monsoon season in Manila, when you can be trapped inside your car, rain pelting down your car's little tin roof, happy to be safe and dry inside that little automotive shell for the time-being.

Reminds me of the first days of school in Manila, in June, just when the monsoon winds come in, bringing in torrents of rain, a deluge, and everything wet and cool, finally, from the oppressive heat of Manila's April and May.

Here in Prague, the locals and other expats complain that summer hasn't quite gotten started yet, and in fact, we got even far warmer days in spring, when it was May.

Strange times.

And here you and I are, just chattering on, not really knowing if anyone really bothers to read this, but maybe one day I'll find a good writer's fate as Julie Powell has, or maybe not, and I'll just keep chattering away, just for the sheer pleasure of words and jotting down my thoughts.

Away from home, and as my husband lies in the bathtub, a recluse for the next two hours, enjoying his alone time, I find I might as well enjoy mine, and explore my hobbies, as he has so critically and off-handedly remarked to my lack of those thereof.

Well, at least I like to write, and isn't that a hobby?

Many thoughts, and facebook and it's litte shout-outs and mini-posts no longer quite suffice, everyone fancying themselves the next reality celebrity, fancying that whatever they have to say is so witty, and requires remarks, and all I can do is scroll down the newsfeed and comment affectionately on comments of old friends, find out what they're doing, pretend as if we were sharing these little things over a glass of beer at a pub somewhere in the heart of Manila on a drizzly, humid, warm evening.

I would say I wouldn't even blog, and sometimes that is limiting as well, if you figure that the 10 or 15 people who bother reading what you're writing know you personally, and you aren't hiding behind some alter-ego really, or some pseudonym, then what do you do if you have to say something politically incorrect, or something alarming about lesbian thoughts or lusting after men you see on the street? What then?

You will be politically incorrect, and people who are close to you who expect you'll live the proper kind of life will check on you, and then of course it's better to just say nothing, to police your thoughts, and edit yourself.

But then again what kind of writing is that?

I'm just saying.

Sometimes it's just better to write to yourself, whether it's in my cute new little Liebermann diary that my friend Alexandra gave to me as a gift, with thick, cream-colored pages that are so delicious to write on, feeling the weight and the thickness of the paper at my fingertips. Or just on my Mac, typing away at some obscure Word file that nobody else will read.

But sometimes knowing that someone else will be reading, whether it's someone I know, or a complete stranger, might also inspire something quite different, like now.

Sometimes knowing that you have an audience can help steer your writing as well.

But here I am, I suppose, just rambling on, it's a rainy summer weekend in Prague, and I'd rather be indoors than brave that 14 degree Celsius wet cold outside, wet and uninviting.

In the middle of the square

It just hit me. Wenceslas Square in Prague is like the equivalent of sitting in the middle of Madison Square Park in New York, or Herald Square park on 34^th & 6^th next to Stella Adler School of Acting.

Pigeons and all sorts of people – mostly tourists – a couple of crazies going through the garbage.

Anticipating this morning since yesterday was daunting, felt almost like it was going to be impossible. I reminded myself about that saying that when all seems impossible, you just try to live life one day at a time, and you’ll manage. And manage I have. I survived the class I had to teach this morning – the first Film Club class I had to teach – (I had to be at the school by 7am to get the teaching materials and make it to the class some 30 minutes away that started at 8am) -

And suddenly my 16:00 class is cancelled but I still get paid for it.  How great can it get.

It’s mid-day, and the middle of the square is just too enticing for me to pass up.

So here I am basking in the sun, Renee Olstead playing on my ipod (you need a soundtrack to life, right) sun shining, staring at passersby, and just enjoying surviving what I thought was gonna be an impossible morning, and suddenly finding my afternoon free but paid for.

Rest.

Sunlight and warmth and good weather.

Couldn’t have put me in better spirits.

Even if I’ve only got 50 crowns in my pocket at the moment.

In the middle of the square

It just hit me. Wenceslas Square in Prague is like the equivalent of sitting in the middle of Madison Square Park in New York, or Herald Square park on 34^th & 6^th next to Stella Adler School of Acting.

Pigeons and all sorts of people – mostly tourists – a couple of crazies going through the garbage.

Anticipating this morning since yesterday was daunting, felt almost like it was going to be impossible. I reminded myself about that saying that when all seems impossible, you just try to live life one day at a time, and you’ll manage. And manage I have. I survived the class I had to teach this morning – the first Film Club class I had to teach – (I had to be at the school by 7am to get the teaching materials and make it to the class some 30 minutes away that started at 8am) -

And suddenly my 16:00 class is cancelled but I still get paid for it.  How great can it get.

It’s mid-day, and the middle of the square is just too enticing for me to pass up.

So here I am basking in the sun, Renee Olstead playing on my ipod (you need a soundtrack to life, right) sun shining, staring at passersby, and just enjoying surviving what I thought was gonna be an impossible morning, and suddenly finding my afternoon free but paid for.

Rest.

Sunlight and warmth and good weather.

Couldn’t have put me in better spirits.

Even if I’ve only got 50 crowns in my pocket at the moment.

Sunshine in Prague

I just came back from a one-hour walk in the park nearest me. Delicious. Just soaking up the sunshine and all that Vitamin D, and it just feels amazing. I take it that there will be just a little over 90 days of mega-sunshine left, before the weather starts getting chilly again, and overcast, and the days start getting shorter.

Right now we are on the cusp of a great summer, and I just realized that Czechs (and other Europeans who live in a place where there are four seasons) view the spring and summer as I would being on the beach - walking around half-naked, brazenly rejoicing in the sunshine and kind weather. After all, here in Prague, half the year is spent under overcast skies, gray everywhere, and 10 degree (Celsius) weather. That's not kind, although I suppose anyone who's lived here all their lives are used to it, and it has its charms of course, like that mulled wine I keep talking about, among many other delicious Czech traditions.

But now I see these Czechs in their tank tops and shorts, rejoicing in the sunshine, soaking up the warm golden weather. I thought I would do the same today, and so I did.

Rejoicing in the sunshine and warm weather.

I like it so much that I think that's the end of this blog for now.

I'm heading for the showers, then I'm taking my books with me and doing my work and reviewing (for the classes I'm teaching in English, and the classes I'm studying for as a student of the Czech language) outdoors and going back to that park.

Nothing like this sunshine could make me feel better.

Sunshine is marvelous.

And maybe a taken a little too for granted in Metro Manila.

But in Prague, I marvel. I marvel at the sunshine.

Of food and other photographs

I think I would really like to devote one blog entry to photos alone, sort of like a photo essay of my favorite photos or photos of my favorite things in the last few months  ...

So here it goes ...

 Mrs. Polar Bear at the Praha Zoo in March

 My Czech language school - Charles University, Prague

 Fooood. Kachna (duck) with classic knedliky and red cabbage on the left, and potato wedges and chicken skewers on the right.

 Our favorite tomato soup in break pocket, with a glass of red wine, and my beloved Hruska (Pear) juice! Yummmm.

 How my cooking looks like at home, here a pasta dish.

 Another pasta dish I made! I use fresh tomatoes 90% of the time when I'm cooking pasta or any other tomato-based dish.

 Horsies at Old Town Square - very beautiful but touristy place

 More touristy sights at Old Town Square.

 Thease cakes were tempting me! They're so pretty, it's not even funny! A common sight in Prague.

 This sepia shot was taken in Stare Brno (Old Brno), about 170 kilometers away from Prague.

 Kraslice, or Easter eggs, specially hand made. You will be amazed. These are all real eggs, with only the shell intact, and totally hollow. How on earth they made little eyelet cut-outs of the white and pink one in the photo is beyond me. World class handicraft, if you ask me.

 A field of gorgeous flowers in Munich, taken during our visit during Easter weekend.

 Misters Horse and their human companions, taken at Marienplatz in Munich, if I remember the plaza's name right.

 Beautiful Mrs. Swan posing for my camera on the outer grounds of Nymphenburg Castle, Munich.

 My first-ever baking! That's a Strawberry Icebox Cake on the left, and Chocolate Chip Cookies on the right.

 Lunch! Yummy!

 More lunch out!

 This here above is my own cooking. Well, not the bread. I just mean the scrambled eggs. Hee hee.

 Fresh tomato bruschetta I prepared for myself ...

Lunch out again!

And just like that.

And just like that, it's suddenly the 23rd of May.

Just like that, and in two days time, I would have been in Prague an entire 90 days already.

It feels as if I had just auditioned and just gotten cast for Prague Playhouse's You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown!, looking ahead to the six short weeks of rehearsal we had before us.

But just like that, eight weeks have passed since, and already, we've concluded our six-and-something performances at Male Vinohradske Divadlo.

I just realized that I am not sure if my blog is viewable to the public, and I hope it is, because as I write as therapy for myself, there is something about having an audience I do not know who may find themselves either nodding to what I'm saying, or at least strongly disagreeing to it, so long as there is an audience out there sharing my thoughts and experiences with me.

The spring is already yielding itself to a warm and golden Prague summer, and for the first time this weekend, I found myself stepping out in my flip-flops, and oh what joy. I hadn't stepped into my rubber slippers since I'd left Manila in February!

The possibilities are endless, as I find work, and find myself holding down two part-time jobs while I try to pursue my dream career of announcing/acting/writing.

The possibilities are endless.

Why be held down with only one thing, just for the sake of stability, but forgetting your dream, or giving up that which God designed you for?

And just like that, just a mere snap of the fingers, a mere night's sleep, and suddenly, it's the 23rd of May, and only seven days to my 31st birthday.

There. I've said it, what my real age is. 

And I don't know if there are maybe only five people ever bothering to read what I'm writing here, or if I'm lucky, and there are 15 other people reading this, but at least maybe we don't know each other, and I can admit that I am about to go past the number 30.

But the possibilities are endless, and no, it's not a typo when you see me repeating that, because it's true, the possibilities really are endless, and I think you find that out when you take a gigantic leap of faith, find that out when you leave a nice career behind in a place you've known as home all 30 years of your life, pack up, and go try your luck somewhere else completely different, to greet the lure and the promise of the Unknown and Adventure, and to be with the person you are committed to spending the rest of your life with.

One can be an actress. Or an announcer. One could have been a one-time model, or a part-time writer. But one can also become a book-keeper, or an English teacher, and who knows what else is out there for you.

The possibilities are endless, and who is to know what will be truly right for you, the best fit, unless you go and try it?

I hope you don't think I'm just rambling on here. Perhaps I am steeling myself, as I face uncharted territory, and make a new life for myself in a place far from home, and make this a new home.

Let's post photos in our next blog entry and just stare at food.

Thankful

Well, just like that, the First of May has come and gone. It was my husband's birthday this Labor Day, while I went off to rehearse for Prague Playhouse's upcoming musical, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown.  Why don't you come round and watch the show?

Here's the link -

http://pragueplayhouse.com/charliebrown/cast-crew/

Anyhoo, so here we are. Three minutes past midnight, 02 May 2011.

The early spring flowers have come and gone, replaced by the wild blossoming of purple flowers all over trees across Prague and Munich, the latter in which I spent my Easter weekend just a week ago.

Husband snoring in bed, desperately tired and fighting the flu on his big day.

My birthday coming up in 28 days.

And just like that, it's been more than 60 days since I arrived in this beautiful and old city.

Where do I begin?

Today I had a moment, while standing backstage at rehearsal, waiting for my cue, when I realized that life is not so bad after all.

Sometimes, I think I'm just too hard on myself, you know?

But to be transplanted and to find yourself in a completely different country on the other side of the world, and to find yourself working your life's passion still, 60 days upon arrival, is really not so bad.

Yes, so I'm not Julia Roberts, Box-Office-Queen.

But here I am, working with other dedicated actors, working to create something, and what we're chiseling away at is actually coming together, beginning to show some form.

Not only that, but my husband takes care of me.

I worry for no necessities in life - paying rent, a roof over my head, food on the table - nothing of the sort.

Sometimes I see people in wheelchairs getting on the Metro, and this also reminds me about how good I've got it.

All I worry about is how I'm going to get my hands on that leather jacket I "need," or what job to look for or take on because I "need" to "occupy my mind."

But how God takes care of me, how my faith is so deep and so strong that I won't have to worry for life's basic necessities, that they fall at my lap, and all I have to worry about is how best to occupy my time to be the best person I can be with the time God has given me.

Checking In

Quite happy to get my first comment on my poem, "Just This," from a couple entries ago. Thank you, Frozen Lipstick, for sending me a verse back! I was happily surprised to find that it was my poetry that stirred someone enough to comment, rather than all my babble and fluff about food and sights and Prague! Haha.

I hope you didn't find my article about food in Prague (Gastro Tourism) such a mouthful (no pun intended!), and that you instead find it helpful and entertaining so that you know what to look for when you get out there on the streets of Prague. Or if you just want to travel and eat vicariously through me, that's okay too.

Anyhoo, while I was perusing my photo collection, I realized I also have enough photos to write a story about my cooking here in Prague (yey!), so that's coming up soon. I'll tell you about my weekend activities too, from mini-golfing, job-hunting, to geo-caching, and other little things I might be forgetting right now.

So, just checking in for now. I don't know who's out there reading this, but I like to imagine you're out there, sharing these stories with me for one reason or another, and I"ll be back with more food stories. 

Surprised to find I'm more a foodie than a fashionista ... Hmmm ....

Gastro Tourism

Since I started this blog on Prague, I've been taking snapshots here and there of places I've been. I think I'll devote this particular story to the tastes I've had in Prague - from just hanging out in a cafe while reading The Little Prince, to great Czech eats at a resto, or what to chow down on with a Czech beer.

Right then. First snapshot is of one of my favorite day-time hangouts - the coffee shop.  Or more precisely, one that's called Coffee Heaven.  I hear it's a Polish brand, and I've seen it pop around in Prague as well as in Krakow, so it seems like a pretty successful, European version of Starbucks.  That cup you see in front of you is cup of either Orca or Turtle Latte, a member of their series of Orientalni Lattes, really delicious, kind of like a Chai Tea Latte meets a Cafe au Lait. Nice. It's a great place to spend hours in while reading, thinking, planning the rest of your life in a new location, or waiting for your hubby. The wait staff's pretty nice, they clean up after you, and don't wonder why you're still there hours later, since it really seems to be a place welcome for long conversations, or study sessions.

Next photo was taken in a place called Colore Kavárna, as the photo suggests. It was a place my husband and I stumbled upon while walking away from Václavské Náméstí (Wenceslas Square), and it looked so inviting and just what we wanted for the evening. Now, being a newbie in Europeanland, I have to say cafes such as these are a great novelty for me.  In Manila, I have tried and tried to find a place just like this, but to no avail. I'm talking about cafes that are quiet, laid-back, but also serve alcoholic beverages, even alocohol-infused coffee. What if I want my latte with a hint of Irish Cream, after all, right?

I've tried suggesting this to Filipino baristas who work at Seattle's Best or Starbucks, and they just stare at me funny.

You'll forgive for not remembering precisely what we ordered, but I believe that is a cinnamon latte to the left, and a glass of Hot Apple with Rum on the right.

 Ahh, now below is a place I well remember, and my husband and I have decided that it's definitely one of our favorites.  So much so that we've been there twice in two weeks already!  The photo below was taken in a charming little pub called U Maleho Glena, which means "By the little glen."

Check out their webpage at http://malyglen.cz/en.

Anyhoo, the photo below shows our first two glasses of tmavé pivo, or dark beer, from Czech brand Bernard. Now, it's not as sweet as my favorite dark Kozel, but it goes down nice, easy, and subtle, and still is full of that caramel scent that all dark lagers are known to have, which is why we order them time and again.

 What else will go with your dark lager but a traditional Czech sausage? This is one of my favorites, which the Czechs call Klobása s horčící a křenem.  In plain English, that's a spicy Czech sausage with mustard and horseradish sauce.  Nice and simple, it's a Czech favorite, and also distinctly Czech a dish, if you ask me, so better try some.  Another must-try on the menu is another characteristically Czech dish - the Smažený sýr,  or Fried Cheese, usually served with a side dish of potatoes made any way you like. My Czech husband prefers your good ol' hranolky, or simply put in English, French fries.

 The thing with ordering the klobasa though is that that might not be enough, and you'll be hungry again shortly after.  We tried this baguette below that they had on their menu with olives and cheese on top.  Another nice, simple, but great choice. Sometimes, it's just gotta be that way.

 In fact, I think that's why we liked U maleho Glena so much - everything was just so laid back and simple, from the food, the vibe of the place, the surroundings. The pub is just the right size, not too small and not too large. I know that sounds rather vague, but I don't want to get into technicalities, like how many people can fit there. We just really liked the place, how there were couples and small groups of people huddled over their beers or smažený sýrs, there was a relaxed atmosphere, and the place was clean, made of wood and slightly old-fashioned. Just the right mix, not to mention the music was great. If only my husband and I weren't so boring, we'd stay up till past midnight to see the jazz show that goes on below. For now, we enjoy coming back to our favorite pub every weekend, just watching the people, enjoying our klobása, and drinking our dark lagers to celebrate our health.

 Well, my next photos say that we have to move along and talk about other things, so shall we?

You can see that these are daytime snapshots, and I thought it would be funny to show you my Czech Step by Step book, along with my script for Charlie Brown, all on the same table with my favorite drink of all time - just a plain Káva s medem, or just simply, "Coffee with Honey."

 We're at my favorite Illy Cafe in Prague, and I've found that all Illy cafes differ from one another, since all they have in common is the technology and the coffee, but that's it. It's not like your Starbucks, Coffee Heaven, or even McDonald's, where everything is standardized and exactly the same no matter where you go.  This particular Illy branch is my favorite, because of the way the place is laid out.  I dig the lighting here, the windows, and especially what's on their menu.

 So you see above, how my favorite Illy Cafe looks like. Charming, isn't it? Again, another of those plentiful European cafes that serve alcohol together with their coffee, if that is your preference. I've noticed the Starbuckses and Coffee Heavens probably won't do this, which is why I like these non-standardized, almost independent cafes for the charm they lend to the notion of sitting quietly at a cafe, with Bailey's Irish Cream and latte in hand.

 I feel like this food and drink story is getting lengthy, so let's move on to capping off so we can both go off to eat! All this talk of food is making me hungry.

 The photo at the top was taken at a resto called Hybernia.  You can check them out on their webpage - http://www.hybernia.cz/.  Just click on the English flag to view the page in English! In the photo above you can see our delicious bread basket, my order of Kachna s červeným a bílým zelím a s bramborovými knedlíky.  In English, that's "Duck with red and white cabbage and potato dumplings." On the right is an order of spicy potatoes and chicken on a skewer, the skewered dishes being their specialty. I'm not sure why I couldn't find it online, but you'll see it on their real-life menu when you go there.

 We were really happy that weekend, so we had rose wine to go with the rest of our meal!

 Last weekend, the spring weather was really amazing, so we set out for the park next to the water, and ate at this charming little resto where they served tomato soup in a bread pocket.  You might say it's a much lighter version of soup in a bread bowl. Charming little dish, and washing it down with a glass of wine, or our favorite Toma pear juice, gazing out at the perfect spring weather, was just heaven.

Wasn't I just talking about smaženy sýr awhile ago?  Here's a snapshot of one of them with potato wedges! A total classic and favorite if you want to sample Czech cuisine, you better have one of these if you've only got a few days in Prague. If you have as much time as I do, you get to sample everything else, of course.  But for now, you can head to U Jindřišske véžé, stare at the Alfons Mucha art on the walls (he's one of my favorite Czech artists), and order yourself one! Bon Apetit! Or as they say in Czech, Dobrou chut!

Just This

Just this. Cold temperatures, and constantly people-watching at the square,

Learning how to dress for spring.

Just this. Taking the tram to some random stop, and gazing at all the historic architecture that passes me by, jaw agape, in awe at the wonders of old Prague.

My husband.

Being on the other side of the world.

Experiencing my first spring, after experiencing the late winter.

Seeing the sun and marveling at it.

Being able to walk around the park in sweater and purple tights, and gazing at the golden daisies, the birds celebrating the sun,

The chocolate Labrador scratching himself on the grass in joyous celebration, that, yes,

It is spring.

Just this.

Being away from home, far away.

Being in an altogether different world,

Despite the hardships.

Budget.

Looking for work.

Desperately holding on to the notion of where my heart is,

Refusing to give up,

Refusing to join the masses, the forces, who are making a living out of what they hate.

Where my heart is.

Where is my treasure?

But just this.

How wonders never cease.

Geocaching with my husband on a cold Saturday.

Seeing the polar bears swimming in the zoo.

Holding my husband’s hand while walking down the park.

Just this.

Away from home.

Somewhere completely different.

Somewhere where there are cobblestoned streets,

And buildings that date back to 1342.

Just this.

Away.

Finding spring.

The beauty of not knowing where tomorrow will take me,

And where I will be six months from now.

Seven months from now.

Eight months from now.

A year from now.

Life is an adventure.

Spring Awakening

So this is what they call Spring Awakening.  Now I finally know what it means.

Having grown up in the sweltering heat of Manila, Philippines in the middle of humid Southeast Asia, the notion of frost and winter slowly yielding to a green spring were rather alien to me.  These are things I only encountered in movies.

Sure, I'd experienced my first winter the year before this one.

And yes, I'd travelled to the Southwestern states of the USA during April or May, so I've felt what spring feels like.

But for Little Miss Tropical Me, already considering myself rather "frozen" in the 26 degree Celsius waters off Boracay Island in January, this first quarter of 2011 was a new experience. 

Having arrived in the late winter this year, I was impatient for the day winter would finally end and I could shed off my thick winter coat.  Every other week seemed like an empty promise from the skies.

And today, on the first of April (and no, this is not an April Fool's joke), I decided to go for a jog around our neighborhood, and trot around the sprawling park and open space right across from where my in-laws live.

Now I really know what they mean when they say "spring awakening." The daisies are coming out, little buds are sprouting out of the grass, the sun is shining, and grandmas and young mothers with their babies are out in the park. Nothing beats this.

I saw a handsome chocolate Labrador rubbing himself on the grass, young mothers with their baby strollers in tow, walking around leisurely, retired folk sitting quietly on benches, the occasional couple snuggling up close to one another. 

I saw the daisies, and the birds coming out, and I felt connection.  It was like an epiphany, nothing I'd ever felt like.

Then I realized why God gave me winter, each gray day impatiently waiting for the stubborn winter to finally turn into spring.

Today was golden, it was green. Skies were blue.

I was in love.

This is my first spring.

And it is magical.

Horrifying Cluster of Consonants

Of course, I'm borrowing the phrase "horrifying cluster of consonants" from Lída Holá, who wrote Czech Step by Step, which I acquired earlier this week during my first day of Czech language class for beginners.

Naturally, I'd already much earlier noted the strange collections of consonants in words, like the word for today, "Thursday," čtvrtek.  Or the name of the river that runs through Prague, Vltava. Or even the word for "today," dnes.  In the summer of 2008, my first time here in Czech Republic, and well in the middle of my graduate studies in English and its relationship to other languages, I was busy taking note of these words, remembering academic books on what are acceptable strings of letters in one language relative to another.

My Lída Holá book has listed two particular examples that boggle my Anglicized mind - strč prst skrz krk (which means "Put your finger in your throat.") and vzcvrnkls (which means "Did you flick up?"). I have to glance down at my book to spell these out properly, and we aren't even on the subject yet of pronunciation.

I don't think this particular story has any sort of conclusion, and I may have just been rambling on, chatting with you about my new language's "horrifying clusters of consonants." Not to mention the daunting seven cases which I only vaguely remember encountering as I pursued my master's degree in English Studies, Language.  Something about more than just the nominative case, but the genitive, locative, even vocative case. You don't need to know all the gory details, unless you're an English teacher, or an English major, like one of my former classmates.

Let's just say that since English has such a strict word order, we don't need so many inflections in the language. Or is it because we've lost the inflections (which we used to have in Old English) that there has to be such strict word order, that's a chicken and egg question I suppose.

I hope you don't think I'm complaining about the language. Well, I suppose I'm sort of complaining about the arduous task of having to learn such a difficult language, but that's all part of it.

But certainly, isn't a word like vzcvrnkls worth sharing?

It's almost as good as that anecdote about that American businessman who was in the elevator with a bunch of Filipinos, somewhere in Manila. And as the elevator kept stopping at every floor, every time the doors opened, a person about to get in the elevator would ask the elevator operator:

Bababa ba?

To which the operator would say, Bababa.

And this precise exchange happened on every floor.

Passenger getting on: Bababa ba?

Elevator Operator: Bababa.

The American was astounded that Filipinos could communicate with only two letters. Haha!

Of course, if you're a Tagalog speaker, you know that the passengers were just asking if the elevator was going down, and that the operator was saying that yes, it was going down.

In fact, if you're a Filipino, you've probably already heard that joke before :)

I don't know if I told it well, but I thought it was a nice cap off to my brief tale about strange clusters of consonants in the Czech language.

Big Week

I've been back in Prague for a little over 30 days. And going into my fifth week here in Prague, this week I would say is a pretty big week.

This week marks the start of rehearsals for Prague Playhouse's production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown! where I have been cast as Peppermint Patty. This week is also the start of my Czech language classes, which cost a little more than we would like, but that's life.

I have to say I am glad to enter a new month where I will have the opportunity to talk to other people (besides my husband) in English. You know, one can only get by for so long with a handful of stock Czech phrases at the mall, gym, or regular commute around the city, before going eventually a little crazy.

I discovered that during our first reading for the play that I was already beginning to develop dysfunctional habits borne from 30 days of isolation.

One won't really notice at first - after all, I go out every day, either to the mall for some window shopping, or to buy groceries, or work out at the gym. Sometimes a longer commute out to meet my husband, and have a cup of coffee together, or a snack or drink out.

But when I really think about it, who have I been speaking to?

Just you, whenever I get to write (and no wonder I'm on facebook so often, when I know next to nobody here at the moment), and my husband. I see his family once a week, but they speak Czech, and not English, so in the end, we're still conversing through someone else's translation.

And what do I really say to people at the gym or the mall, besides the usual "Dobry den"(Hello) and "Dekuji" (thank you) and "Nashladano" (See you or Goodbye) or how-do-you-spell-it.

So this week is a big week for me, as two new things begin in my life, and I have - finally - my own activities where I can actually engage in casual conversation with other people because we have a common goal, and we know the same language.

It's gonna be a big week. I've got high hopes for this one.

The Art Scene in Prague

Not that I'm about to embark on a heavily-detailed account of the art scene in Prague, which will take me years of constant research and Czech language lessons to decode, since the art scene is incredibly rich in Prague!

Why one of my favorite stories to tell is that I walked past a theater where Mozart himself played, and it is still intact. Mozart!!! Can you imagine that?! The architectural history of this city is nothing short of astounding, that I better not get ahead of myself. Let's focus and go back to the tale at hand.

I was just going to tell you about my two brief glimpses of the performing arts in Prague.

Some of our good friends treated us to tickets to the ballet of Othello at the Narodni Divadlo (that's National Theater to you, folks) a few days ago.

Now, I tell you, of all the times I'd been in Prague, I've watched two operas (Aida in the summer of 2008, and Carmen in the winter of 2009-2010), and one other ballet (Swan Lake).  My husband, old soul that he is, is quite good at this stuff. 

I have to admit that though I find these forms of art incredibly beautiful, there are a few ocassions during all 120  minutes of it that I tune out every now and then.  I am from a Broadway generation, used to my Hairspray and Cabaret, Chicago and Glee. 

Othello was great though, not once did I lose concentration (I don't know why that happens to me during Swan Lake), and I was completely drawn in to the story and the characters' journeys, desires, and emotional turmoil.

Maybe it helped that I once saw Othello back in my alma mater, the University of the Philippines, about ten years ago. I was so in love with the story, the cast, and the director (Tony Mabesa).  

Last summer, I briefly worked on the play for my summer term at The Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City. 

So bottom line is, it always helps to watch a ballet or opera loaded with a lot of information, or some information! The more, the better!

Now, I have to admit, I'm no ballet or dance expert, but it seemed to me that some of the choreography wasn't your traditional kind. There were some moves that Desdemona, Othello, or Iago did that seemed almost modern, sometimes breaking the line, with flexed feet instead of pointed toes. 

I kind of found it refreshing, and different, kept me on my toes! No pun intended ;)

The only complaint my husband had (as well as some folks I realized I knew in the row behind us) was that the ballet was a little too short. All of 75 minutes total, when we're usually in there watching shows that last for 120 minutes.

But I quite enjoyed it, although Youri Vamos, the choreographer and director, took a few liberties and edited out some parts of Shakespeare's story. Some were probably apparently needed for dance - instead of a hankerchief, Othello gave Desdemona a large white scarf. 

However, they also cut out the part where Emilia steals the kerchief from Desdemona, which later on leads to Emilia's discovery that she has also betrayed Desdemona thanks to her gullibility and trust of her husband -- this is another subplot altogether, and in the ballet was simplified, skipping over Emilia, and having Iago be the one to hand the scarf to Cassio's lover.

Iago was brilliant, his choreography incredibly different, almost grotesque-looking to communicate his dark character. I also really appreciated Roderigo, whose frustrations and irrational infatuation for Desdemona was so clearly communicated in his solo appearances and pas de deux with Iago, very clear execution of the message!

Of course, I think we all loved Desdemona's and Othello's pas de deuxs, from the classical courtship, their sensual lovemaking, and especially Desdemona's violent death.

Set design and costumes (Pet Halmen) were just right - I loved how the bare set and the varying shades of the moon communicated so much to the tone, and atmosphere of the scene, bringing more of Shakespeare's words to the dance in another medium.

Since I hardly watch ballets, just seeing the precision of the opening number, with the chorus dancing the exposition for us, drove me to tears. Ballet is so magnificent, so exact, so beautiful. You just can't help but appreciate and be moved by the fruit of such hard work and incredible discipline.

Am I already rambling on? I better come to a conclusion then.

Seeing Othello as a ballet at the Narodni Divadlo was a terrific experience, a great way to spend an evening in March, when winter's just about ending, and slowly, almost reluctantly, giving way to spring.

As for the second thing I was going to tell you about when it came to the performing arts in Prague, I just wanted to tell you that I've been through a series of auditions, and one of them has borne fruit, and I'm so excited! I got cast in Prague Playhouse's You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, the musical, and will meet the cast this weekend! Shows are in May of this year, so watch out for it!

Still hoping for more auditions, more opportunities, and I'll go to every single one of them, and hope that I get to keep performing here and making a living out of what I love to do. 

A Feast Fit for Gluttons

I was just telling a friend that writing is both really good therapy and companionship for a young expatriate who just moved to Europe and doesn't yet have much to do.

When we lived in Manila a few years ago, it was my husband who was the expatriate, and how the submissive, polite, always-smiling people of my country kowtowed to him, this white man. It's always the case. Call me politically-incorrect, but it's true.

Now, a few years later, I suddenly find that I am the expatriate.

How new and strange.

Today marks our fourth weekend together since I arrived in Prague.

Discovering daily what newly-wed life is like, from the everyday mundane things, to the tiniest of daily routines that no one really notices, except yourself. It is both a study and a pleasure, as I dissect my new life, like looking at a favorite piece of art for hours and hours.

We spent this Sunday with his family, dining at a luxurious Brazilian restaurant in the heart of Prague called Ambiente. Here's the link, in case you're curious: http://www.ambi.cz/

Oh my, I never quite realized the joys of ordering a steak rare or medium rare until now, or sinking your teeth into the tenderest of meats, succulently and artfully prepared with the most carefully selected array of spices, bite after bite, slice after slice of sheer carnivorous heaven. 

No wonder so many people pay so much for Wagyu/Kobe beef.  This is what it must feel like. 

Biting into a slice of meat has never felt so good, so orgasmic.

Wait a minute, I don't think my short, generic descriptions of meat heaven and nearly-orgasmic bites of meaty morsels will be enough to paint the picture for you entirely.


Here's the link to the Brasiliero menu -

http://www.ambi.cz/ambi_brasiliero_menu_eng.php 


My favorites from the starters were the fabulously creamy (yes, creamy), melt-in-your-mouth Nigiri Sushi, while I believe my favorites from the churrasco rodizio were the beef with Parmesan cheese, the hump from the Brazilian bull with herbs (although in the resto, they said it was a bull from Uruguay?), and even the fabulous grilled pineapple.

Now, I know, I know, if you're from the Philippines like me, where pineapples are abundant, and incredibly sweet, maybe this is nothing special. But I never thought I would be moaning in ecstasy when I bit into slice after slice of that warm, grilled pineapple. 

A perfect complement to all our meat, I found, was also the fried banana (not to be mistaken for the Filipino bananaque, which is just as good, but that's thicker and coated in more sugar) that was served as a side. Rolling in sweet food ecstasy.

To accompany our scrumptious, three-hour, eat-all-you-can meal, we ordered a 2005 bottle of  Boscato Merlot from Brasil.  Many of us also had a glass of variations of the Caipirinha.  To help us eat even more, a few shots of pear vodka (Hruskovice) here and there, and the occassional shot of Brasilian rum (three years old) and Guatemalan rum (13 years, nice).

Cap that off with a banana and passion fruit mousse over crumbled-over shortbread for dessert.

And off to our third geocache for the weekend!

Vyborne!

This Saturday's Mini-Adventures

Right then, let's get started, and let's see if I won't wax poetic while writing impromptu, while my husband languishes in the bath, and I entertain  myself with Chilltrax and writing.

Not avidly inspired by anything in particular, as I get most times when I find myself sitting in a cafe for hours, nursing a warm cup of coffee, watching people.

But yesterday was great, I got to audition for my first theater production/musical/play here in Prague (in English, of course).  That marks my third audition/casting for my first three weeks here since my arrival. Not bad, I say. A good beginning. I have no idea if they'll cast me, or if they find me any good. But I had fun, and each time I come from a casting (for TV commercials) or audition, I'm on a great adrenalin high, kind of like the way you feel after getting off a roller coaster.

Maybe all performers like performing because they like the adrenalin rush?

By the way, my husband and I just embarked on this new activity called Geocaching. We started on Friday, where he found his first geocache, and on Saturday, he forced me to find the second one. I was so scared, but I found it, and it was so exhilirating finding one!

Never again will I look at cities, or Prague (where we have begun geocaching), the same way again. There are so many secrets that the city holds, thanks to such a game.

You can look it up here, in case you would like to know what it's about -

http://www.geocaching.com/

In my words, it's sort of where the old-fashioned scavenger's hunt meets today's GPS technology. You have to be linked online to find these "caches," and then go off in the real world to find them!

There are quite a great many "caches" to find in Prague.

And since I'm from Manila, we thought, just for fun, we'd look up my city of origin online to see if there were any caches hidden there. There are five of them in Manila :)

Of course, it will be a while before we set foot in Manila again, but I think we'll look for at least one cache in each city or country that we find!

We capped off the day's activities by visiting the Orchid exhibit at Botanicka Zahrada, by the Prague zoo.  I'd been eyeing these beautiful orchids and other blossoms since my first days in Prague - they are sold everywhere! We'd had a lot of visits to home-building shops like Ikea and other shops like it, for one. Even at the malls, there was always at least one flower shop selling potted plants and flowers, and I found that I loved to look at them. I wanted to take one home with me.

Last weekend we caught sight of the Orchid exhibit poster, so we decided to make the trip this weekend.

The flowers were great, and I'd never seen so many different orchids as I did then! There were tiny miniature orchids, each the size of a dime, there were funny Lady's Slippers that made me think of those carnivorous plants that devour ants that fall into their holes.

They were smart enough to have a little orchid shop outside, and I got to browse to my heart's content.

Finally, we went to the home-building shop near our home, where I got to stare at more orchids, from the baby ones that were just growing and more affordable, and the larger ones in expensive glass vases.

I've decided to be responsible and look up orchids and how to care for them first before buying one.

We have a lot of indoor plants at home, and I'm finding that if I can't have my cat with me, or get a pet just yet because we don't know where in the world we will be a year from now, that having a flowering plant might be a great activity for the time being.

A New Chapter

After my blog about snowboarding and greeting the new year 2010, I wasn't to write online again until 2010 was coming to a close.  I eventually had to fly back to Manila shortly after my New Year's adventures in the mountains of Slovakia (though I was able to try cross-country skiing as well in Czech Republic before the winter ended), and went back to my life in warm, sweltering Manila.  And prepared for a three-month trip to New York City that summer of 2010.  

Interestingly enough, I never did write a blog about my Big Apple experiences. But I had enrolled for acting class that summer, and I found my nose stuck in a book everyday, reading one play, and then another.  I wrote little snippets in my notebook that time though, when I had the time.

But here we are now, 22 days after having arrived in Prague for the 3rd time, and this time, for the long-haul (to borrow words from my casting director, who used the phrase to describe my stay).

I have only one more flashback left, and it's not from too long ago. They are my first set of reflections from when I landed here in Prague for the third time.  This was written on the 26th of February 2011...

Just a few quick thoughts of outstanding impressions, as I begin a new chapter in my life, begin this marriage that has been waiting to start since three months ago when we P and I were wed, and finally beginning our lives together in his home country.

     First, a few thoughts about food - oh,  I enjoyed the main meals on both flights.  The first was Bangus (milk fish) in Adobo (a vinegar and soy sauce mix that is a Filipino specialty) butter, and the choice I made on the second flight was Mutton Curry. I couldn't help it, I was headed to Europe away from Asia, I had to make as many Asian culinary choices as I could. Not that Prague doesn't have Asian cuisine. The world is now so small, I can just go down the block from our flat in Prague to a Chinese restaurant. But it must be a mental need for it, and I loved my Asian food choices on the plane. Never understood people who complained about "bad airplane food that taste like cardboard," because I do enjoy my airplane food, in their cute little compact cases, all hot and steamy and flavorful. I quite enjoy it!

     And then there was setting foot at the Prague Ruzyne Airport, and the sight of familiar things from my last three months of living here last winter greeted me - familiar signs like the Relay shop you could find at every train station (kind of like your 7-11 or Mini-Stop), or the pub with a large Pilsner Urquell (a popular beer brand in CZ) over it - just made me feel like I was coming home, to my second home. This was no new, strange place, but a place I had been to before, and it felt strangely like home somehow.

I was finally going to be with my husband, and how sweet that was to me.

Yet I admit that as the plane began its descent down to Prague, I tried desperately to put down in words just what I was feeling, which was a contradiction of emotions. There was sorrow at leaving so many things behind, a life that I had known all thirty years of my life, yet the excitement and joy of beginning this new chapter of my life which had been waiting to begin. Really hard to describe, and I am afraid that despite my love for words and talkativeness, that I cannot quite find the words to describe how this feels. Although at the NAIA airport back home in Manila, I finally fully realized why they say that "parting is such sweet sorrow."

     Because it is. There is nothing like parting which shows you how greatly you are loved, and how greatly some people who you love so deeply love you back. I never embraced my little brother (who's not so little since he stands 6 feet tall) while crying before, but I did. There is a great well of emotion that just opens up as you say goodbye. Even though you know it's not goodbye forever, but just for now, till we see each other again on my next visit.

     I am jetlagged and have been awake since 4.44am , Prague time. Now it is nearly 7am, and the late winter sun is finally rising, and I think I will conclude this little essay, and go on beginning this new chapter of my life.

Looking Back, Part 5

My flashbacks nearly complete, and I can soon go back to looking forward and writing in the present, there are still a few more incredible experiences I wrote about as 2009 gave way to a new year.  Something about doing something for the first time in your life:

Lesson in Winter # 2:  How to Snowboard and Celebrate New Year in Eastern Europe

This was about my first time ever experience on a ski slope!!!

Snow boarding.

Ahh.  Well you see, K had it in mind that I ought to try some snowboarding while the rest got on their skis, and he got on his own snowboard himself - only because during Day 1, there happened to be a spare snowboard.

We ended up renting a pair of snowboarding shoes for me.  They're these gigantic, stiff monstrosities that make you walk funny, but they are specifically built to be strong around your ankles so that they connect to the snowboard, giving you better control.

First lesson was key, it was about how to fall.  You are going to fall when you try snowboarding for the first time. Or the second time.  Falls are a part of it, so K had to teach me the basics of falling.  When you fall, fall on your butt, feet up in the air, hands close to your chest.

This was key, because I did find myself in the next two days on occasion falling on my hands, and the impact of falling, and my body weight falling on my wrists was quite painful! Ouch!

The rest was learning how to man that board, at least as basic as you can get.  First was to know how to break, which meant going on your heels, so that one side of the board would be scraping the slope, the snow, the ice, controlling your descent down the hill. 

To maneuver yourself in the direction you want simply meant pressing your weight on the right foot or the left.

I discovered by my second day of snowboarding that you, just like the skiers, have to sort of make this S-shape as you slide down the slopes, following the curves of the mountain, as the slopes curve from left to right.

Day 1 was actually okay.  We were utilizing only about 30 meters of the entire 2.5km slope, just walking up and down all afternoon trying it.  Not too demanding for a first timer who's never been on a ski slope, never done any winter sports, and never snow boarded until that day.

I was quite elated, and excited that I tried it, and managed thirty meters.  By my last ride down that tiny sliver of slope, I didn't even fall once :) 

It was not until Day 3 of our trip (Day 2 was spent at this magical thermal spa in Porprad),  that I nearly killed myself on the slopes of Tatransky Lomnica.  This time, P and I got a full pass at the slopes, which meant we had access to all 2.5 km of the mountain, as often as we liked.

Erm. Not good for a new snowboarder.

Attempted the ski lift.  Was terrified. Of everything. 

The heights, the freezing cold, my snowboard strapped to one foot, and bracing myself for the landing that took ages to come.

By the end of that afternoon we did discover that that slope at the very top was a more advanced slope - for the  ... well - advanced.  Not for beginners.  However, P kept insisting on playing Marine Colonel with me, and we actually traversed that difficult slope three times together.  The drops were steep, and just getting off the ski lift was designed so that you actually skate gracefully off the lift and straight down the slope.

Not I.  I couldn't maneuver myself at all, and each time I tried I fell flat on my face, at the risk of the next skiers arriving behind me hitting me.

There was also something about the weather conditions that didn't make this high slope the best one that day - there were many parts of the mountain that were of ice, rather than snow.  I found myself falling on this hard ice countless times that day, and it was so, so, so painful I could barely bring myself to get up and finish the slope.  By the third try, I was so terrified I was nearly paralyzed with fear, but I kept going, just to finish the 800 meter advanced slope.

By the time we got to the bottom, my nerves were shot, and I had to sit down and asked to P to go on without me for the next one.

After a 15-20 minute break, still sort of shaken, I braced myself and prepared for another ride.  I was relieved when P suggested we try the lower slopes, which were 1.7km long, but were less steep, they were for beginners.  The first drop for me was difficult, as the basic slope intersected with a difficult drop that I nearly fell into, I was so scared, and had such trouble controlling my board towards the left to avoid the steep, 35 degree angle drop, that I took of my snowboard and went on foot for 8 meters just to avoid that scary drop.

The rest was actually fine!!!

By then, it was already getting late, and we only managed to get through the basic slope twice that day.  But it was better, and it was a good way to end my second day of snowboarding.

I was a beginner after all, and a beginner's slope was really ideal for me.  On my second day, I was only beginning to learn to master the board, learning how it worked.  On baby slopes that were sometimes nearly flat they were almost like plains, I felt I finally had control of my snowboard:  when to break, when to make an S shape to the left, when to allow my board to go to the right, as you follow the shapes of slope.  It was good.

Ahh what a relief.

Day 1 was the last day of 2009, and what a great way to cap off my last day in 2009 by doing something I'd never done before:  Snowboarding.

And that's about where my story ends, and what a pleasure it's been recounting my impressions of the first few days of 2010, with all the experiences I went through. 

It has felt like quite a special way to greet the onset of a new decade, because I had done several things I had never before done in my life during this New Year's weekend.  I had gone and stretched my limits, stepped outside of my comfort zone by going snow boarding, stepping into a thermal spa with my head exposed to temperatures close to freezing point, partied with 23 Polish people, and traveled to the Slovak Republic.

What an interesting way to kick off 2010.

By Day 4, Sunday, third day of January, it was time to head home to Prague and bid farewell to cozy Poprad.

Happy New Year, everybody!


Here's to Doing Something For The First Time.