Food

If I am 100% honest with my self, half the reason I enjoy my life is food. Since I was little, I was the type of kid who would answer "lunch" as my favorite thing about school. In college, I would sit in the cafeteria for hours, and now as an adult I look forward to meals as the highlights of my day.

It's a good thing that I have similar minded friends. When I worked at 825, we would call each other and ask the same three questions everyday
1. Did you bring lunch?
2. Want to go out?
3. Hungry?

If the answer to the latter was no, then a time was set. And after that setting, it seemed like time would slow down significantly. After lunch, there was nothing else to look forward to except going home..and Dinner.

Dinner out is one of my favorite activities. It gets expensive and if you really think about it, it is the dumbest way to spend money. Especially because it becomes such a catch-22. The more you eat out, the fatter you get and the less attractive you look in new clothes, therefore you do not spend money shopping, but on more food. I have had many such situations at Tysons' Corner, where I proceed to have 5 guys and Cold Stone Creamery as a consolation prize for not having bought anything at the mall.

The reason I brought up the topic of food is because it's one the things I am looking forward the most and the least about this trip. I am definitely excited about the oodles of noodles and sauces and spicy things I will be eating. I am also looking forward to $1 pad Thais on the street and to losing 20 pounds without trying. I haven't decided if I want to eat bugs yet. I don't know how I feel about the exo-skeleton. Specially if there are antennae in there. But I tell myself I have to. It's part of the experience, and I will need protein. They also have dog meat, which I think I can definitely handle, as long as there is no substantial evidence of where it came from. If it was furry once, it should be good later. Right? Except for the tarantulas.

My first post

I leave for Beijing on Sept. 12th. I already finished packing even though I still have to buy two more things from my list: allergy medicine and a good pair of flip flops. I have owned many pairs of flip-flops in my life, considering I grew up in PR, but none so comfortable that I could walk for 4 months straight in. I suffer from hot feet. Once my feet were so hot at a wedding, I poured my ice water under the table to cool them (not my own wedding! :))

My backpack was supposed to only be 22 pounds. It is 28 pounds. I don't know what to take out. I feel like I need everything I packed.

I don't want to get malaria while I am there.