New Job

I have been at my new job for almost two months now.  Specialty Coordinator is my official title.  If someone asked me what I actually do, I couldn't even begin to describe it.  Is that weird?  I work with a surgeon.  She's pretty intimidating but she's great at what she does.  People always ask me if I like my new job.  To be honest, I can't really tell.  Some days, I'm extremely busy absolutely no time to even eat or pee. And other days, I'm super bored with nothing to do.

The great perk about this job is that the hospital qualifies me to apply for the loan repayment program.  Granted, of course, that I stay for two years.  If I actually get approved for the loan repayment, it just might be worth it for me to keep this job.  Who knows, in two years, I just might learn to love it.

Do you like your job?  XOXO

Croatia + Turkey - a synopsis

Just got back from vacation and I'm already having withdrawals.  To think that this trip almost didn't happen.  We were originally supposed to go to South Africa this year but a picture of Plitvice Lakes sold us on Croatia.  Istanbul was an extended layover because we flew with Turkish Airlines.

Traveling through Croatia was like a dream, a step into the pages of a fairytale.  Walking the streets of Istanbul was like stepping through the pages of a really well-written and well-illustrated history book.  Although the trip was exhausting, it was well worth it.  This trip is definitely one for the books.

Hvar, view from The Top Bar 

Hvar, view from the Fortress 

Dubrovnik, view from "The Red Keep" 

Dingac, Peljesac Peninsula 

Istanbul, inside Hagia Sophia

Istanbul, Topkapi Palace at night

Istanbul, inside Hagia Sophia

Istanbul, grounds at Topkapi Palace

I would definitely go back to Croatia.  Maybe visit other parts and stay a bit longer in Hvar.  As for Istanbul, or Turkey for that matter, it deserves a separate trip all on its own.

Has the travel bug bitten you yet? XOXO

Where to Eat Update

Remember this post?  Well, I'd like to cross Talde off that list.  Ate there, loved it, would like to go again...  As much as I'd like to write a full review, I didn't take any pictures (surprising, I know) because I gobbled everything up as quickly as I can shove food in my mouth.  Best thing I ate? Probably the Blue crab fried rice.  Runner-up would be the chicken wings.  I also like the pretzel dumplings but it was a tad too salty.  Again, I wouldn't mind having a repeat of that foodgasm.

Now I really wish I had taken pics.  XOXO

Decisions, decisions...

When I was in nursing school, all we heard was "It's great to be a nurse because there's so much you can do (career-wise)".  And it's really true.  You can do bedside nursing, outpatient nursing, home health, clinical office, research, etc.  Or you can go my route and go for your master's and become a nurse practitioner.  Nursing school prepared me for a lot of things - what to do in an emergency, how to take care of sick people and basically being able to think on your feet.  It did not prepare me, however, to make life decisions.

Sure, I'm in my early thirties (yikes!) and should be able to make these kinds of decisions but it's still so scary and it still shakes me to my core.  Somehow making the decision to switch to nursing and move to New York feels like an easier decision than the one I am faced with.  I always say how much I hate New York and that I can't wait to move back to California.  It should be an easy decision to just move back but somehow it's not.  I am scared about the job prospects in California.  I would only move back pending a great job offer.  BUT, does that mean I shouldn't apply to jobs here in New York?  Does that mean I should just wait it out?

All these questions are making me ill.  My stomach is in knots.  Why is it so hard to be a grown-up?  Maybe I should focus on studying for my boards instead of being distracted by life choices.

XOXO

Random Thoughts

- It seems like the secret to being a successful blogger is to make time to blog.  I guess that's the secret to success - making time to do whatever you love.

- The secret to passing the boards? Not procrastinating.  Which I am currently doing. Watching True Detective on HBO. Kiddies, don't try this at home

- I'm having Costa Rica withdrawals.

- Costa Rica got me thinking about my life.  Will I be able to give up all material urges and live a simple life and be relatively stress-free.  It's pretty tempting but it's also a hard task especially since we (Americans) have been raised to go for the gold, the American Dream, whatever that means.

- Working on a new project.  But first, let me pass my boards.

xoxo Happy Monday!

Travel Bucket List - Updated

If you "follow" this blog, you might deduce that I love to travel.  I love discovering new places, eating lots of new food and knowing more about different cultures and their ways of living.  Because life is not always how we want it to turn out, I decided to make a travel bucket list - places I'd love to visit before I die. This is not in any particular order - more like the order they popped into my head.  I haven't researched any of these places as extensively as I usually do so this list is not set in stone.  Regardless, these are where I want to go for now.

1. Canary Islands
2. Maldives
3. Thailand
4. Santorini (ok, all of Greece)
5. Italy - Positano, Florence, Rome, Venice, Vatican City
6. Siem Reap
7. Forbidden City in China
8. France - Lourdes, Paris,
9. Costa Rica March 2014 (yay!)
10. Peru
11. Argentina
12. Spain - all over, not just Barcelona and Madrid
13. Croatia - I can't believe I left this off the original list!!
14. Morocco


I will post this every year, adding new places and taking off ones I travel to.

Do you have a bucket list?  xoxo

Quick Updates

Back from gorgeous Costa Rica and I couldn't be more sad.  Costa Rica exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to go back.  Pics will be up soon.  I'm just waiting for the other girls to upload the ones on their phones.  Yes, we all forgot our cameras but thank goodness for iPhones.

Back in NYC now and back to studying.  Also back to exercising.  I wasn't really working out in Costa Rica except for the two hikes that we did.  I did eat healthy, mostly seafood and fresh fruits, BUT I also consumed more alcohol this past week than I have in the last 6 months.  No bueno.  But, like I said, it's back to working out.

Still banned from sweets for Lent.  FYI - no sweets does not mean no sugar.  It means no desserts or pastries.  At least that's how I qualified it.  No meat Fridays is tough not because I eat a lot of meat (I don't).  I just always forget it's friday and sometimes I end up eating chicken or get a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks (I love the new ham and cheese one).  But today is Friday, so I'm going to try to avoid any meats.

Have not bought shoes yet although I am quite tempted.  I'll wait tip I'm done with the boards to see if I truly deserve a new pair.  Also, I'm saving up for my next trip.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a great Friday!  XOXO