The Sweetest Misfortune

The famous warm salt water pool @ The Hollywood Roosevelt

Hello! Hola! Oi! Mar7aba! My wonderful friends! How are you? How has life changed for you since I last wrote to you?  On paper, it’s been quite long since January of this year and in living life, it seems only but a never ending week! As you may have read, I welcomed the New Year in Palermo, Sicily and then went off to Spain. Since then, I’ve done a bit of travel--mostly domestic and in a span of a month and a half. I’m sure I went a little mad and I am still optimistic! I went to New York City with friends in March and then to Santa Barbara. This was followed by Hollywood/ Beverly Hills, where I made it a point to indulge! I stayed at the Hollywood Roosevelt and was glued to the pool area...with it’s salt water warmness, wouldn’t you be too? I’m not ashamed to admit, that I had champagne for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course, there were more social gatherings I attended, to the point where I felt somewhat famous. Come on, can’t a girl dream?!

Roses & Champagne @ The Ivy, Beverly Hills

Then I was off to Baja California, Mexico in early April! I went to visit the babies and kids at the Door of Faith Orphanage (DOFO), whom I first met during my solo adventures of 2015. I have learned much from them and I am constantly impressed at their optimistic views and studious work ethic. These kids and all the kids of the world give my life purpose and fuel my dreams to achieve great things--to contribute to change the world for the better, not for myself, but for them and for you! Soon after, I jetted to Seattle and back down to Santa Barbara once more. Do not fret, I am now home--in the Bay Area! I am thinking, perhaps a quick visit to Amsterdam for Memorial Day weekend? My financial advisor, aka my Godfather, says I need to slow down and save that money for school. He’s got a point, but wouldn’t it be lovely to admire the last of the blooming tulips in the Netherlands?!

A doodle of mine, inspired by one of my fav online comics.

A dream of mine has been to live in Europe for a while (France and Spain top the list) and even pursue a higher education. There are many university choices and I’ve visited a few campuses last year during my Euro summer trip and I was impressed. I’ve even enrolled in online courses at HEC Paris, beginning in a few weeks and I am excited to see how that turns out. Among all this excitement and movement, I have had to come face to face with my innermost feelings and even doubted my main philosophy in life--that we make our own destiny. Do you ever feel as if life gets mundane and you begin to ponder the true meaning of our existence?

It also doesn’t help that I wear my heart on my sleeve and ill-fated romance has the strength to bring on another layer of the blues. How I ask the Moon to relay my message, Si me das a elegir, me quedo contigo. Porque te quiero y te amo...solo deseo estar a tu lado. “ If you’d let me choose, I’d stay with you. Because I adore you...I only wish to be by your side”.  Alas, it’s easier to tell others about going from tragedy to triumph...I feel that we are destined for greatness, even if it’s not with one another in particular. These days, I have found solace in Abraham Lincoln, as I’ve been reading Lincoln’s Melancholy , and to read his tribulations makes me realize that I will see better days...in a way, melancholy periods are the sweetest misfortune for me. I am able to better ponder the wonders of the universe and it grants me a sense of compassion, unlike that of others.

A note, to myself.

Lately, I keep myself entertained with numerous activities: I’ve been studying Artificial Intelligence, with an emphasis on machine learning @ Stanford, here in Palo Alto and I am fascinated by it and our own human brain--now if I could figure out how to use more of it! Hahaha! And how could I forget to mention, I am still kicking ass (or getting my ass kicked, depending on who I’m up against) at Muay Thai and American boxing, 3-4 days a week from 5:30am-6:30am. I think I’m at the level where I could seriously injure someone, not that I would ever want to, but I can defend myself well. Which, I’d like to update you on the incident that happened last year in March...the main culprit was found guilty of aggravated assault and is responsible to pay restitution to me (thousands of dollars incurred because I was taken to a hospital that out-of-network...which I hope to one day help fix and bring equal healthcare to my American people…). This was an unforgettable experience and I don’t think I would have reacted any different if it happened today. I made my jiu-jitsu coaches proud, that’s for sure! 

Well my friends, I must get going now, as there’s much to do and to study! Thank you for taking the time to read about my thoughts and adventures; I’ve always been much better at expressing myself in writing than in speech and I thank you for your support. Please continue to stay sane and humble and I hope to see you soon! Certainly, you will find me in Bolivia and Brasil in the next few months, cruising on a little motorcycle...or perhaps lounging around the beaches of Greece? 

Butterfly days in Los Angeles