oh what a night!

Good Morning !!! =D

Today is, yet again, another breathtaking day in Roma. It's pretty hot outside and I can't wait to head out to the beaches sometime very soon. Most likely after finals are over wahoOO!

Yesterday night was yet again another epic night with cast of RENT. It was our "Joanne's" birthday aka.. Mary Rose Rideout and I was in charge of making sure things went perfectly. The night started off with a dinner at a wonderful place called Isola di Pizza. So delicious and our waiter was fabulous. He was a blast and we had so much fun singing happy birthday with him. =]

Next up we went to the Banana Republic, which is a bar! Not a clothing store haha. There we got our first sets of drinks and of course got the birthday girl her fav... cape cods. This was then followed by tequila, tequila sours, cosmos dropped into tonic water and much more =]. Yes we were a wild bunch, and I don't think anyone there will ever forget us. I must say, if anyone gets a chance to stop by here, please do. They have great drinks, the servers and bartenders are lovely . My favorite one was Lavigna and she sure can make some delicious drinks for you.

Following this, we were supposed to bake a cake but seeing how we took so long at our other destinations we had to head over to the romantic part of the evening early. =] We headed up to Giancolo Park to celebrate at 2:28am. Unfortunately things went wrong a bit and we couldn't find each other on the hill. Nonetheless, we broke open the bubbly and laid out on the grass looking up at the stars. I'm sure we sang "tanti aguri a te" over and over and over last night. The plan originally was to stay up there until the sun came up but...unfortunately we got a bit cold so we decided not to stay out there till midnight but we managed to hang out there until .. about 5am. =D

We then managed to get a bit lost as we headed towards my apartment, but thankfully we found our way back in decent time. We easily could have stayed up to watch the sunrise on my balcony, but everyone knocked out so fast haha. Plus we all have finals to study for, and some people had class the next morning too. Once again, it was a bed for four and of course breakfast was served in the morning. This time around it was chocolate chip muffins and we baked a cake to take to school later on muahahh. Delicious!

We've decided not to post up most of those pictures but I'll try and and get a few decent ones up for you to understand how awesome the night went. =]

Despite the beautiful weather, I must now be a good student and do some studying at school. Finals will definitely be no bueno seeing how our professors never seem to give us study guides until 2 days before our final exams. =P Thank you JCU.

Con Affetto,
Jen

long overdue updates

It's been absolutely forever since the last time I had blogged .. for that.. sry! Things have been so crazy with the play, insane nights of partying after the play, Earth day performances, big projects for school, and finals week. Things have basically been nuts and I'm totally bummed the semester is wrapping up in such a hurry. I did manage to go out two days ago and "get lost" throughout the city. It had been a while since I took time to walk aimlessly into the abyss of Roma. I decided to do so around the vatican area. It's quite nice and I found the CUTEST stores along the way! I loved it and the weather was amazing. Plus , I found some super cute anchor earrings for 1 euro! wahoo!!

Updates about the play,..

It went really well and although I was half naked in front of so many people, it didn't even matter. I did manage to flash everyone with my left cheek (no not on my face) on one of the other two nights that I wasn't performing. I did a tango dance and my partner's hands pulled my dress up as I sunk towards his leg for our ending pose. Erg.. oh well. The embarrassment only lasted for 10 minutes after when I found out. I realized that I possibly just added to the show and made it that much better.

My night as Mimi was unforgettable and I had such a fun time acting with the cast. One thing our Roger (my lover) said after the shows were over was... " I feel like I fell in love with each of the Mimi's each night". Awww what a sweetheart. He did get to kiss all three of us at one point or another. I'm sure that was exciting. lol We all really have become such a close cast and I think these people really ended my trip here in Roma well. We see each other everyday now and I love it.

School updates..

I should be doing some work right now.. but I'm blogging haha.

Actually one interesting update is that I apparently made a big boo boo. For those of you that saw my pictures on the roof of JCU.. ugh.. I shouldn't have posted those on facebook. Apparently a faculty advisor saw them and I'm supposed to be in big trouble. Lame. 1.5 weeks before the semester is over and I get to meet in the Assistant Dean's office this upcoming Wednesday. I hear the guy I'm meeting with is cool but meh, who know's what will happen. I'll be sure to update you on what happens after my meeting. who knows..

Any , I must get back to the ton of work that I have to do. Toodle loo! I'll blog to you all soon <3

Love Mimi

We're just a few days away from the show date. Our cast soon found out what "hell week" meant to the fullest. There were tears, yelling, frustration, and a lot of singing. It's crunch time and all I can think about day and night is RENT. I love this play and it makes me cry everytime .. no joke. Sometimes when I watch the cast perform I tear up.

Last night, some of our cast ran out to have chinese food together. We had a great time talking, laughing, and reminiscing about moments at practice. Everytime I look at each of them I think about how much I'll miss seeing them everyday. They all say they don't miss the states. I don't blame them. Italy is another world with a complete different lifestyle of working to live instead of living to work. My friend MJ was right. Reality is a bitch sometimes. I know I'll be leaving for home soon, but Rome will always be here. I'll be damned if I don't come back in my lifetime.

To my cast... "life goes on, but I'd die without you..."

Love,
Mimi

Rent rent rent rennnnnt rent!

It's been a long day at practice and things were nuts for a while. Near the end we finally were able to  be pretty productive. I can't wait for tomorrow's practice. It should be even better =] We'll have a set for the show finally! yay!! Today was did get to meet our band that will be playing during the musical. Thankfully they're amazing and quick learners lol!

Here are some random shots from today:

This is Ximena.. one of our Maureens 

we're not gonna payyyy ...

side practice .. yes we're pretty close

no comment. lol

*applause*

The show is getting closer and closer. I can't wait to see how things turn out. I must say, getting closer to these cast members makes me think about how much I'll miss Roma when I have to go back home. sigh.. oh well.. even more of a reason to have a blast with them while I can. =] I know we will the night after the show is totally finished!! WAHOO!

almost show time

It's the weekend before the show and we're finally having productive practices!! yay!! It seems like there will be plenty of people in the audience.. probably because it's free and there will be some "drinks" for those that attend lol. I'm just glad I'm feeling a bit better and not coughing as much. That would have been a disaster. To be honest, I'm actually looking forward to the show for once. =]

It looks like I'm the only one who will be in the apartment this weekend. I'm pretty sure everyone is out and about in other parts of the world, which is fine. That just means I can practice at home too.

Speaking of home, I got the cutest email from my boss at Yojie's and it sounds like I'll definitely have a spot when I get back home! Yay!!! I'm so stoked that she wants me to work in her restaurant again especially since I'll need a job when I get back. Plus they're such a nice family to work for. Hopefully my regulars have been getting postcards that I've sent to them. I'm pretty excited to see them all again =].

Anywho, I've got to get back to some work before practice today! =]

Ciao ciao!

Switerzland updates!

It's a beautiful and sunny Wednesday afternoon in Roma! I finally was able to upload photos from Switzerland today and fill you all in about updates from the trip and more! First off here is the link in case you want to check out the album. There are a few pictures that I couldn't get up because of a problem between my iphoto and lightroom program that I have to use for class. Grr.. it basically deleted some of my pictures. Either way... here are the rest: SVIZZERA!!

We did actually DRIVE this time ! YAY! Yes we had to rent an automatic but oh well! We had to drive in the Alps so having a stick shift would have been terrifying. Especially if I had to drive . Our flight was terrific and we enjoyed the beautiful view of the Alps down below.

Even as we were leaving,  swiss air provided screens for us to view the actual plane taking off! It was awesome! Plus they not only gave us muffins and drinks but ALSO swiss chocolate!! After arriving at the airport we were totally stoked and began exploring Zurich. Unfortunately things in Switzerland were closed due to the Easter holiday, but If you ever want a city to go shopping in, Zurich is filled with stores left and right. Also, instead of going to get some fondue like we wanted to , we opted for Hooters hahaha! It was my first one and I'm thrilled to say it was in Zurich even if it was totally overpriced lol. The city was fairly easy to navigate around, and I learned how much the Swiss love to be organized. The city is so beautiful and orderly. Plus all of the buildings were mixed and match in colors and designs, but in a weird way they all added something beautiful to the city. Also Lake Zurich was fantastic. We were kind of tired so we napped under the swiss sun by the lake.  Also along the sides of Lake Zurich were plenty of great parks and rock stacks. It sure did seem like someone had a lot of time on their hands...

this one is sooo legit though!! 

I did some old people watching and got a great shot of this couple =]

It must be nice to know that they get to wake up to the view of the Alps everyday haha. It really was a beautiful sight. After exploring we headed back to the airport where we decided to stay for the night. We didn't really know where we would park our car to sleep so we decided to just try tomorrow. The stay in the airport wasn't that bad, but when these drunk German speaking guys came along.. oh it was horrible. We were so pissed cause they were a hot mess and just sooo loud. Either way they eventually left, and we continued sleeping on the bench with the four blankets I packed. The next morning... we met our hostel number two!!! 

THE CAR!! =D 

Man o man we had the best time driving through Switzerland. It really didn't take to long to get from place to place and made a ton of stops for photos. This was our first stop in the countryside:

Here are a few others!!:

And yes the water is this blue and clear all throughout Switzerland. Amazing!!! ( I stuck my foot in the water)

Taking the scenic route through a car was totally worth it. It was nice to know that we could leave and stop whenever we'd like. The only thing we had to really worry about was where to park the car because there really is no such thing as free public parking in Europe. We made do though with what we could find. We also stopped by a grocery store along the way to save money. Besides, it was cold enough at night to just leave your food outside to keep it cold. We had 4 blankets and were still cold haha. 

Our trip basically wrapped up in the Jungfrau region which was the area with some of the higher mountains in the Alps. There were a few waterfalls and one we couldn't access because it was in a mountain that was closed for the holiday. We also wanted to take a lift up to one of the mountains. Unfortunately it was raining at the time, and we figured it wouldn't be that worth it with all of the rain and fog that was surrounding the mountain. Oh well, maybe next time. There were plenty of little towns we passed up and Bern was the last city we saw. Yes it was just as empty as the rest (people wise) but I'm sure it's beautiful when it's booming. I picked up some tea that was kind of pricey but check out what they put inside:

I was pulling petals out of my mouth for a good hour haha. It was kind of cool though to have inside my cup =]. 

We found a few more cool things. We decided we had time and played a bit of chess. Yes, Nick won but I assure you it was a long game that was really good and intense.

PLUS it was lifesize .. well almost. lol They had these "game boards" scattered along the city. We thought it was amazing that no one stole the pieces. Pretty cool huh?! 

So to sum it all up, our trip was filled with driving, spontaneity, walking, chocolate, pictures, and little sleep lol. We had a great time along the way and saw some pretty cool things, people, and places. We found out driving in switzerland was doable and totally opposite from driving in Rome. Also if you want to camp out in Switzerland, it's totally affordable and worth it to do so instead of paying for expensive hotels. Finally, learn some German before going. You can get by but it makes life easier if you can speak some when asking for food or even pronouncing streets that are 20 letters long... I'm not exaggerating at all lol. It was a tough weekend and I'm not a bit sick but I would highly recommend anyone to go and experience this mind-blowing country. You could probably explore the entire thing in a week and a half! With the crazy sports they offer, it's expensive but I'm sure you'll make do like we did =]. 

swiss and RENT thoughts

It's officially Friday morning and I'll be leaving for the airport sometime in the next few hours. I'm leaving from FCO airport in Roma to Zurich, Switzerland. I'm so stoked. I hope it'll be a good weekend. I planned this trip with my classmate Nick. We decided not to book hostels and we're driving the whole time. =O Yes we're nuts. Wish us luck as we drive through the Alps!! =D

I know it's going to be pretty cold there so I'll be packing plenty of blankets. Hopefully we find someway to shower though. Ew. No shower for 3 days =P. We'll see what happens and I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures while I'm there. We're hoping to hit up around 5 cities from Friday till Sunday.

Before I head off to bed I just have to vent a bit. I just got back from practice for RENT and I'm not gonna lie, I was embarrassed all throughout practice. I heard myself on a mic today for the first time and omg I wanted to cry. We are going to be using headset mics and the pack that we have to strap onto ourselves is kind of a trick to keep on. I'm so nervous and so far out of my comfort zone that after I saw my outfit I wanted to call it quits. Of course I won't do so because the show is in two weeks, but my character calls for someone who can be stripper sexy. In that oufit?! I can't do it. I basically have a bathing suit looking outfit that is pleather (black) in front and just pink netting on the back. Now when I say back.. I mean including my butt. I'll probably be wearing like boyshorts but iono. I felt like such a 5 year old with little frills on the front of the outfit. How can I be sexy and look like a 5 year old! So embarrassing. Lets just say the other two girls are pretty well endowed and have different outfits from me...  Also the pleather shows like everything. I think for the first time ever, I thought to myself.. Jen you have to go on a diet. I don't remember when I was so embarrassed physically, vocally and mentally all at the same time.

I walked home in the dark after practice and I couldn't help but think how my director always says that if we laugh on stage, it's because we're embarrassed. If that's the case, I'm going to be rolling around laughing. sigh. Hopefully things work out. I just don't want to make a mess of myself and especially in front of a crowd. I'm the only one without vocal training which sucks to the max. What did I get myself into...

Spring Breakizzle

Hello!! It's Tuesday night and I decided to blog, as promised, about my Spring Break adventures!!! yahoo!! Here we go:

Rome - Barcelona:

The plane ride went well, but the airport itself is kind of far so I was prepared to take a shuttle to the center of the city. Seeing how it was like 2 in the morning, I decided to take a cab. Home girl decided to totally rip me off! 14.95 euro for a 4 minute cab ride? No way! Meh, I was too tired to argue. Note to you all and myself... figure out pricing before getting into the cab. It works in your favor for sure. The hostel was a bit hard to find but I ended up getting there thanks to a guy on a balcony that helped me out. The hostel ended up being pleasant and the people were phenomenal! They were so kind and chill. If you ever go to Barcelona, I would recommend them for sure!! (Backpackers BCN Hostel in Barcelona) After checking in and checking email, I headed straight for my bed which felt like heaven and great just to be there safe. The next morning would be full of exploring.

I met a hostel mate of mine named Jessica Cortez and we ended up exploring together! We checked out some Gaudi art, which is nothing like what I've ever seen before, and we headed out to Las Ramblas. There we were able to visit the central market that was like heaven. Fresh fruit drinks for 1Euro and even lunch with some champagne was served inside along with the fresh fruits and veggies! Further down Las Ramblas there were street performers and the port of course which is apparently hopping at night time. I definitely will have to explore there when I get back to Barcelona in June! Instead of going to those mainstream clubs, my buddy Josh and I went to this hole in the wall club that someone told us about. It was small and fun but dayummm I got soooo drunk. Let's just say , I've never woken up and not remembered parts of my night before. *shakes head* I soon remembered stepping on a broken bottle the next morning after looking at my feet. gross.

The rest of the trip was chill in Barcelona and I decided to miss my flight to Madrid. I decided it was worth it to stay in Barcelona and catch the bus the next day. Unfortunately, they were packed . My next option was the train, and the only seats they had left were 1st class 200 Euro seats. NO wwayyyy Jose! Josh and I considered driving to Madrid in the rain. We both wanted to cry as we ran around trying to locate other options. The finally went to the airport and found a flight straight to Morocco. Great decision. We congratulated ourselves with an oreo McFlurry. lol.

Barcelona - Morocco:

Marrakech is absolutely a gem. We stayed in the Medina though which isn't the prettiest but it's the way things used to be which is always a great thing to experience. Not exactly the cleanest place but hey we kinda expected that. Basically the city is split between new and old. We experienced more of the old because new town is more like things we see all the time like McDonald's and nice restaurants.

On our first night there we arrived after being overcharged by our taxi driver who handed us over to these two "guides". Apparently they were drunk and took us to our hostel. Hot damn I was scared. They could have led us anywhere. Especially since they knew we weren't from the area nor did we speak a lick of Arabic or French. We eventually got there and were greeted by a man named Juseph. He was the sweetest thing and even paid those "guides" to leave us alone. He also makes amazing mint green tea. nom nom nommmmm.

The next day we spent plenty of time in the Souks of the Medina which is basically a HUGE marketplace that has tons of clothes, bags, shoes, jewelry and more. By day there are a ton of shops and by mid day some of them transform into food places. Definitely watch out when taking pictures though. EVERYONE and their moms will ask you for money. That is not an exaggeration. We got our first taste of Moroccan food and it was pretty awesome. Fresh cous cous, fruit drinks, and pastries. It was a bit hard asking for things though since we didn't speak the language. Either way we got through. We asked a neighboring table for help.

The next morning we proceeded off to our sahara adventure. It was a long drive but the view was beautiful as you can see from my posted pictures. I rode my first camel ever and was totally sore after the trip. We had dinner and show that night under the sahara sky. There was perfect weather and what made things cooler was that there was nothing in sight all around our tents. I loved it.

The next day we returned to Marrakech ready to do some more exploring and grubbing. We had a wonderful time aside from those annoying "guides " that wanted to help us so we would pay them. We were so frustrated with them that we made up our own language called "douche" and spoke gibberish to each other so they would leave us alone. It was pretty funny I might add. Aw good times to remember in Africa.. =]

Marrakech - Madrid - Valencia:

I loved Valencia. This was probably one of my favorite parts of Spring Break. It wasn't full of tourists and it was sunny just like back at home. After a day or two I already felt familiar with the city and the weather was so nice that I literally felt like I was back in California with avocados galore! The central market was delicious and you could smell the strawberries for 10 minutes after walking away. We spent the next day at the beach and had dinner seaside. We chowed down on the best muscles I've ever had, some calamari, salad, some potato dish, seafood paella, and dessert. Oh! But before that we had a sunset sailing cruise for 1hr and a half with champagne. It was cold but we had a fun time.

Another great idea that we carried through with was to rent out bikes for the day and bike around the city. There is a park that runs through the city and we rode our bikes down that way all the way to the science and arts center. There we visited the Oceanographic center,which is like an aquarium, that had lots to see and a dolphin show at one of the stops in the arena. This area was packed with modern designs, and the little pools of water they had around the area were breathtaking. Valencia is a great city to explore in especially if you're on a budget. I would highly recommend that you pay it a visit. Plus it only takes 15 minutes to get to the beach from the center of the city!! Oh and you have to try horchata there! It's so good and you can order things to dip in with it!

Back at home...

it was nice returning back to Rome. It was surprisingly hot and sunny outside. It felt good to be back at home and I must say, after going to a place that was like a third world country really makes you thankful for a warm shower and clean clothes. =] Spring break was a ton of fun.... expensive... but it was memorable. The camel didn't let me forget. I couldn't stretch for 3 days. haha.