Cambodia

I recently booked a trip to head to Cambodia and cannot wait. I am going to visit my good friend from college Daniela Papi and am beyond excited for the adventure that awaits. Daniela has been living in Cambodia for about the past six years running her organization the PEPY Ride. It is an amazing thing she has been doing and the work and dedication her team have shown is a model for all of us.

I have never been to that part of the world and so very interested to see what it is like and how my reaction to everything will be. I am psyched for the views, the people, the food, just about everything. I know the level of poverty over there is shattering and I am hoping that I come back with a whole new perspective on things. Looking forward to learning a lot about Cambodia and about myself.

Viva Cambodia!!

The Secret in Their Eyes

Recently I saw one of the better films I have ever seen. Unfortunately this movie is not in the theatres anymore, but for those of you with Netflix or access to a Blockbuster DVD machine, I am sure this movie will be coming out soon. The movie is The Secret in Their Eyes and it is an Argentinian film. It is a bit of a tough one to describe and I will admit, I was a little lost when the movie started, but once you get into it, this movie is truly one of the best you will have seen in a long time. In 2010, this film won the Oscar for best foreign film and definitely this movie has subtitles if you were wondering. Really amazing performances and a story that will have you guessing till the very end. The Secret in Their Eyes is a crime thriller which spans over two decades and keeps you thinking the whole time about what is truly going on. There is a scene in this movie that Roger Ebert commented on and I agree, I have no idea in the world, how they shot it. The scene takes place in a soccer stadium and is one continuous shot that seems almost impossible the way they filmed it. Definitely see this movie and for sure see it more than once. My favorite film of the last few years....

Wrath Arcane

Wrath Arcane.....cool video of Sean Bilovecky who started the line. Hands down still my most favorite clothing line out there and the coolest clothes that you can buy. Soon they are going to totally blow up and be everywhere.

Super Duper

Home. Owner. I finally did it and bit the bullet. I bought a place here in the city and could not be happier. It is a change as I am living on my own for the first time, but definitely a nice needed change of pace for me. I live in a loft building and there are about 108 units in the place. It is seven floors tall and I am on the seventh floor in a one bedroom. It is a good deal as I don't have anyone above me and it also allows me to have a skylight in my bedroom. I have a very cool patio off my main room and it looks west with an unobstructed view to basically Iowa. No buildings taller than mine west of me and so the views and sunsets are awesome. I am just pretty psyched and so can't wait for the summer and all the fun that will bring. Looking forward to having everyone over to see the place at some point soon.

Ireland and Italy Reloaded

Can't wait as tomorrow I am heading to Northern Ireland and then eventually Italy. I am flying to Dublin and going to spend about four days with my cousins the Gallaghers. They live in Northern Ireland and so cousin Mark is picking me up at the airport and then we will make our way north. Can't wait to have a great time out that way! Then on Tuesday night I make my way to Lucca, Italy for Dominic and Sheila's wedding. What a great time that will be as the big day is going to be on Thursday at a ceremony in downtown Lucca. Dom and Sheila are staying at my cousin Jim and Katie's place in Aquilea and it is going to be quite the party. Looking forward to hanging with my college friends Brian and Chris as we are all going to be staying together with my cousin Jim at his apartment in Lucca. Talk to you when I get back!

New book to read

Yesterday I picked up my copy of The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. This is the third installment in the Robert Langdon series and after heading over to Borders to get the new book, I headed to the coffee shop to begin the read. I must say, much like the others, it is a page turner. I am about 45 pages in and already I am hooked into whatever is going to happen over the next 500 pages or so. I am staying away from Amazon.com so I don't read any reviews and have anything spoiled for me. Should be a fun read. As for coffee shops, those of you who know me, know that I do not like coffee. So I went to Intelligentsia and had a hot chocolate and a chocolate chip scone. One thing I do love, I do love chocolate and cannot stay away from it. The only thing better than chocolate is peanut butter. Put them together and.......yep, the best.

Good luck to everyone reading The Lost Symbol, interested to hear your thoughts if you are just starting out.

Sunday night......had a good weekend and saw a couple of films. On Friday I checked out "In the Loop" and today I saw "Inglorious Basterds" with my brother JP. I would highly recommend both of these films, even though both are totally different types of films. If you like "The Office," then you will probably like "In the Loop." And there are some seriously amazing lines in this film by Malcom Tucker who is played by Peter Capaldi. He is Scottish and just hysterical. As for Tarantino's new flick, I liked it a lot. Some really good dialogue and in typical Tarantino fashion, he makes this a unique film that only probably he could create. The performance by Christolph Waltz will for sure draw some Oscar attention.