cravings: freedom from unhappiness, worry and all negative feelings. laughter and smiles.
repercussions: distance from others.
treatment: escape. a new start. the silver lining.
current addiction: coco.
background: i love animals – no question about it. always have, always will. all types. well except pigeons and seagulls of course – those annoyingly gross rats with wings. growing up, we had a few pets in the family, but none that i would call my own. for the past few months, i’ve been really wanting to get a puppy. and after seeing a picture of my little coco [chanel], i fell in love and couldn’t wait to bring her home. she was the most adorable little pomeranian chihuahua i ever laid eyes on. when i went to pick her up, she got so excited she peed on me. hahah. ohboy – i should’ve known then that i had a super pee-er on my hands. but i definitely did fall in love with her right away. she was not only ridiculously cute, but super sweet and playful. that’s what’s so amazing about puppies – the unconditional love they have for their owners. i call her my little human b/c she’s always bouncing around on her hind legs and sleeps on her back – like a little human. 
while i’ve only had her for a month now, it’s probably been the longest month of my life. you see – miss coco caught parvo, a deathly virus that has no cure b/c it continuously mutates every few years. thank god the vets at all animals emergency hospital & irving street pet hospital were able to treat her symptoms and helped me nurse her back to health. now she’s back to her hyperactive self and i have her scheduled to start all of her vaccinations next week. then she’ll no longer be under house arrest and can go out and enjoy her runs around the park again. i know she must miss them. and i know it’s probably a bad habit for her to have, but i do let her sleep on my bed at night. i feel that after all she’s been through the past month, she deserves it. and as long as she remembers that she can’t pee on mama’s bed, she can stay.
cravings: to see coco happy and healthy and enjoying life. and potty trained.
repercussions: complete abandonment of the social life. no longer can i be the free social butterfly jumping from one happy hour to another, one function to another. as soon as i can leave work, i have to rush home to check up on my little baby. being in a perpetual state of worry for another life. her life is in my hands – i’m responsible for her happiness and health. it’s huge. but i’m more than happy to take it on. she’s lucky i love her. because boy, is she a handful.
treatment: quality time with my little baby after work and on the weekends.
photographic evidence:
the picture that sold me.
week one - before she peed all over the bed and i had to throw it away.
week two - the lazy bumm.
current addiction: yosemite.
background: okay – i know. it’s been a number of weeks since my yosemite trip, so this post is a tad bit late. but – better late than never ya? so here goes – i joined a large group of friends on a weekend excursion in yosemite recently and ohwow – it was probably one of the most amazing camping trips i’ve ever experienced in my life. we drove over friday night and as we were entering the park, we looked up and the sky was just absolutely breathtaking. you could literally see the milky way and trillions of sparkling stars. i could not believe how ridiculously gorgeous it was. we were the last vehicle to arrive, so we pitched our tent quite quickly with much help from the lovely richard and crashed. a few hours later, we woke up to prepare for our hike. the majority of the group ventured off to conquer half dome, but james, richard, alexis and i took the panorama trail instead. our approximately 10 mile hike [due to numerous detours] was out of control. the highlights were looking down into the valley from panorama point, playing in three different waterfalls and seeing a million baby squirrels and lizards. and of course, the wonderful company truly made our hike a great experience. everybody was so open to everything and didn’t complain one bit. finally making it back to the campsite was like making it back home after being out of the country for a year. it was so nice to get out of our dirty clothes, pop open a few beers and start prepping for dinner. james seriously made about the most amazingly delicious chili i have ever had the pleasure of tasting. it was just out of control perfect. it was a nice night of good food, drinks and merriment. the next day was definitely one of relaxation. the entire group went off to another mini waterfall and played in the water all day long. it was a perfect ending to the weekend. oh nature – you are so insanely gorgeous and just never cease to amaze me with what you can do with a few rocks and some water.
cravings: staring down into the vast valley full of crazy rocks. playing in the amazingly gorgeous waterfalls. staring up at a dark sky completely blanketed with stars. james’ chili.
repercussions: 10 mile hikes leave this out of shaper in some serious pain – i did not leave the bed for a full day b/c i felt like an 89 year old grandma. damn rusty joints.
treatment: a quadruple date weekend trip to the valley in a few weeks. and for this hike, i promise to sufficiently stretch before & after, as well as bring enough water. i cannot wait!!
current addiction: traveling.
background: i’ve always loved traveling. being able to visit different parts of our enormous world is always a refreshing experience. and the journey’s a great deal of fun as well – whether it’s a nice relaxing flight or rowdy and hilarious road trip. just wandering around a new town and experiencing an average day there is always a highlight of any trip for me – chatting it up with the residents, grubbing on the local flavors and taking in all the sights. now if only i could somehow join anthony bourdain’s sweet gig and get paid to travel around the globe, tasting each spot’s marvelous creations and learning about its culture and traditions. oh if only.
cravings: the urge to experience different countries and cultures through food, sights, music, architecture, history and so much more. to venture outside the comfort of my bubble and explore all that is foreign to every single one of my senses.
repercussions: the usual story – time and funds. hours spent on planning and money saved for trips.
treatment: next trip booked – london, barcelona & venice from october 31 – november 14. asia next year. and continue to travel the world.
current addiction: escape.
background: not gonna sugarcoat it – these past few months have been a tad bit pretty rocky. the constant ups and downs have been draining the life out of me. and at times, i just want to run away from it all. to just get away and not have to deal with it anymore. but too bad dealing with life’s troubles isn’t quite that simple. even if you’re lucky enough to avoid it for a little bit, it’ll still be waiting for you when you decide to go back to reality. if only it were like sunshine of the spotless mind, where i could simply go to the doctor and have him erase all of the unwanted parts of my memory. maybe it’s just time for a change. it’s probably been that time for a while now, but it’s just taken me this long to finally come to terms with it and confront it all.
current addiction: running.
background: running has always been a great outlet for me – i used to take evening runs during times when i was super healthy and in shape and whenever i was going through any emotional overloads. there’s something about the cool wind combined with the pumping of my arms and legs, music pumping on my headphones, that quickly relaxes me and helps clear my head. it’s a great way to release physical and emotional baggage. during high school, the school track & lake merced were my courses of choice and when i lived in berkeley, i frequented the clark kerr track and college avenue. unfortunately, once i graduated and started working, running was unfortunately pushed to the wayside. however, today was different – jennifer and i went to golden gate park for a boot camp session and not sure why, but the instructor never showed. so we went for a nice run in the park instead. it was great – the weather was beautiful, i had a great running partner and it was a nice first day on the road to getting back in shape.
cravings: the refreshing breeze, calm mind and quickened heart rate.
repercussions: none that are negative. none whatsoever.
treatment: get back into running on a regular schedule.
current addiction: gifting.
background: i’ve always been the type of person that would much rather give gifts than recieve them. there’s just something about finding those little things that are so ridiculously fitting of a particular person and then seeing their face light up when you give it to him/her. it’s awesome. but once in a while, it’s nice to be surprised with a gift of your own. and that’s exactly what happened to me last night. in the form of a new laptop! whee! and last weekend, it was tickets to bfd and wec.
cravings: the desire to return the kindness.
repercussions: the longing to drop everything and simply play with my new toy.
treatment: hunt for the perfect return gift.
current addiction: netbooks/smartbooks.
background: with one of my clients having a huge netbook/smartbook play, i’ve read hundreds of articles about the space within the last few months. there are the purdy fashion-labeled ones, but also the more durable and functional industry ones. i’m torn. there seems to be so much on the market right now, but they all offer different things. and i want one that has it all – super portable, low-power, aesthetically pleasing, runs MS Office…
cravings: an energy-efficient, super sexy net/smartbook that fits my lifestyle.
repercussions: headaches trying to figure out which netbook is most suitable for me.
treatment: just freakin choose one and buy it already.
current addiction: tennis.
background: purchased a new tennis racquet at sports basement the other day and have been having a great time breaking it in. growing up playing sports since the moment i could walk has definitely helped me live a pretty healthy lifestyle. and it’s all just so ridiculously fun. volleyball in high school. yoga & running in college. but after i graduated from college and started working full time, it’s definitely been a struggle balancing it all. picking up tennis again is definitely a step in the right direction though. it’ll be nice to regain some of the energy i’ve lost over the past two years. i’m super excited to get back in shape. especially since summer is rapidly approaching.
cravings: the endorphins that rush through my brain when working out. the great feeling of living a healthy lifestyle.
repercussions: tennis elbow.
treatment: regualar tennis matches at my favorite courts in russian hill, overlooking my beautiful city.
