#I showed up 45 min late without coffee and he made me go get myself coffee lmao

[highlyillogicalandroid]

Me texting my boss when I first started this job: Omg I’m so sorry, I’m going to be 10 minutes late. The bus is stuck in traffic.

Me texting my boss now: (already 40 min late) By the way, I live on this bus now apparently

[teenwriterforall]

Up In The Stars Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Captain McJerkpants

If the Cooper mansion looked like a palace from outside, then the interiors were heavenly. How rich would someone have to be to live in such a place? There was a pool, which the stream emptied into. At least a dozen rooms, two living rooms, a HUMONGOUS library (I could get lost in that place forever), 3 kitchens and that's just one side. I swear, these people won't need to think twice before buying the state of Rhode Island, and still have more money than your average family.

"Oh, wow." I said looking around, while Em went to find her mom. Will stayed with me, putting the groceries on the little coffee table, in the sitting area outside the main living room.

"So, Amanda, right?" He said smirking, well aware that he was saying the wrong name.

"It's Allison." I said, obviously frustrated.

"Okay Efforia."

"Its Allison."

"Of course, Efforia, that's what I said. Plus, isn't it too late for ugly people like you to be out?"

He said leaning across the wall. I know what he meant. Everything about me screamed socially awkward. I was in PJs, a sweatshirt and bunny slippers. People like me aren't supposed to be out after 9 o' clock apparently. I mentally scoffed at this idiotic stereotype. What is wrong with 'people' these days?

"Uh uh, too bad you can't photoshop your ugly personality."

Did I overreact? Probably. But the look on his face? Priceless.

" You speak a lot Efforia." He said, finally regaining his composure. He was smirking, but his eyes were confused, as if debating on why I wasn't ready to start shouting "All Hail William!" by now.

"Why so confused bro? Put her heart on fire yet?" Em came back, half disgusted and half amused at her brother. "Ignore him, he is Captain  McJerkpants. " She said sneering at her brother.

I looked at Mrs.Cooper at the back, and it was clearly visible where Em got her good looks from. She must be at least forty or fifty, but in all honesty, did not look a day elder than 25. Radiant, glowing skin and warm grey eyes. Emma looked like a little version of her mother, except Emma's hair were red and Mrs.Cooper's were brown like her son.

"Ah, you must be Allison from the Rivera household. Good evening dear."

Yup, that's me, weird Allison Mrs. Cooper. Sorry to bother you but my mum has run away somewhere and I am not even sure if she has actually spoken to you about my dinner but I am here like a beggar.

Of course I didn't say that to her face.

"Good evening Mrs. Cooper. I hope my mum has spoken to you-"

She waved a hand in front of me. What's with this family and their obsession of cutting me when I'm  in between of my sentences?

"Please don't call me Mrs. Cooper. It makes me feel old, and trust me, I feel old enough. Margaret would do just fine, though I really prefer Meg. And yes, your mom did talk to me. Nice lady." I scoffed at that. "There you go, there is soup, broth, rice and some pie for dessert. Hope you like it. Which school are you planning on attending?"

I looked at the lunchbox in her hand. So, my mom hadn't actually expected dad to show up.

"Thanks a lot Meg. I will be attending Woodland Heights."

"That's great. Maybe you and Emma can walk together tomorrow."

Emma shot me a sad smile." I would love to mom and Allie. Unfortunately, Dylan would be picking me tomorrow. He needed to discuss a few things."

I shook my head to convey that its okay and that she should go ahead, she looked at me gratefully and exited the room. I bowed politely to Meg and turned to leave.

"Wait Allison dear. William will walk you back. Its too late for you to go alone."

Yay, me. Note the sarcasm.

"No way." Meg gave him a glare, so he groaned and came forward to escort me. Someone teach this guy a few manners.

We walked awkwardly to my house. I mentally began to curse the 5 minute long route. If we had been normal neighbours, it would be right next door and this person won't have to accompany me.

"That's a nice outfit to go out in."

"You're a nincompoop, you know that?"

"Nincompoop?!" He said laughing. Actually laughing without that ridiculous smirk. "That's a low blow man." I rolled my eyes at him. How was it possible for someone to be that annoying?

"You're Noddy."

"Noddy? Like that cartoon character? Huh, no."

"Yes, genius, but it is also a synonym for jerk."

"Whatever nerd, but you will always be Efforia."

"What does that even mean?"

He shrugged and ran, and I ran after him breathlessly. I will admit it, I am not very good at running. This Noddy. I laughed internally at this nickname I had made for this idiot running in front of me.

"Ew, shouldn't have had done that, you have sweat now." I flushed embarrassed and cleaned my face of sweat. I turned towards my house, debating on whether to thank him or not. I decided in the affirmative, but when turned, he was already gone. Jerk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I groaned as I heard a knock at my window. Hold on a second, my window?

I turned to look at the time. 7:30 am. Oh, crap I am going to be late on my very first day. Last night, after having dinner I had gone to bed, not bothering to wait for dad. I must have overslept or something. I rushed to get ready. Within 5 mins, I was out of the bathroom changed into jeans and a hoodie. Great outfit, right? I didn't care, it was comfy. I snuggled myself in the oversized hoodie, and rushed to get some milk which I warmed. I wasn't in the mood for coffee so decided to drink it as it is. I went upstairs to grab my bag, when the window seemed to knock again. Exasperated, and a little scared, okay a lot scared, I went and opened it. That's when I see jerk looking at me with a glint in his eyes and stones in his hand. He was pelting at my house with stones at 7:45 in the morning. Great, school hasn't started yet and I have already got my very own personal bully.

"What do you want Noddy?!" I yelled at him.

"Gotta walk you to school Efforia!!"

Jesus, when is that man going to get it into his head that my name is not Efforia?

"What makes you think you can walk me?"

"Do you know the path to the school intelligent?"

Noddy's got a point.

Begrudgingly, I went down. My fate seems to be against me.

Who am I kidding? It always was.

                                                                                     *

Hello Readers!

A good lengthy update.(Okay, maybe not that lengthy) Above you would have had seen the picture of the kind of place I imagine Emma and Will living in. The first two chapters are kind of fillers, an introduction to the main characters and their personalities. The actual story would start from the third chapter. I hope you liked reading this though. Sorry if it was boring. Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to my friend Uddeshya, the original Captain McJerkpants (haha, he is really nice though).

I will try daily updating. :)

Peace out!

~Yours, Author

[mylifesocks-blog1]

My 4 Biggest Travel Fail

Is there any traveler who doesn't experience travel fail?

It's just that I intentionally seek and choose to write about the good experiences of my travels. And between experiencing the first snow, eating endless waffles and snorkeling with Nemo, it's not a hard choice at all. But a friend's question got me thinking about sharing my travel fail here in the hope that maybe you can relate, maybe we can bond and get lessons from it. Or maybe you can judge me for being travel-stupid. Whatever it is, here is my top 4 travel fail and the lessons from it:

1. NOT LIKING THE PLACE YOU TRAVELED TO

Unlike most of the places I deliberately chose to travel to, I chose Vietnam because it's close by and lots of travel writers rave about it. There was never an intrinsic pull and I was waiting for it to surprise me once I reached. It didn't *Insert Nelson's Ha Ha! laugh*. I went with a group of very close friends and had a good time with them there, but still, I didn't like Vietnam, not even after sailing through Mekong river. After sipping drip coffee for three days in a row, I was so ready to go back. Vietnam, I could do without it. 

Lesson learned: Don't travel to a place that doesn't "ping" you from the inside. It might be the obvious choice for others, but if you are not feeling it, save your travel fare for some other places you feel called to visit.

2. MISSED THE FLIGHT

I am always running late, not proud of it and I’m working my way to reduce it as much as possible, but this time, there’s no doubt I wasn't at fault. The flight was at 8.15 AM and I reached the check-in counter by 6.50AM. It's not unusual, but this time, apparently everyone else had checked-in. Since I was late, by a max of ten minutes (by rule, the check in counter will be closed 90 mins before the departure), the check in counter lady refused to check me in. I tried to reason with her so much that I was on the brink of tears, but she wasn't in the mood to show a single drop of compassion. I had to buy another ticket for a flight that left 45 minutes later than the first flight. When I crossed the waiting room at 8.20 AM, I could see my actual flight was still waiting to be boarded. Gah! I want to hate that up tight Air Asia lady, but stopped myself, because at least I am going on a vacation.

Lesson Learned: Despite past experiences and successful last minutes, check in stories, come to the Airport early. You can have a pre-holiday drinking session inside on your free time, once you’ve checked-in.

3. VISA DENIED

It's very rare that I am scared by an authoritative figure. If anything, I am known as a rebel, be it my boss or teachers, but there is a group of uniform wearing people that I am truly scared of, the immigration officers. This unfortunate story happened six months ago when my boarding pass was torn up in front of my very own eyes (I am being a little dramatic here, if you couldn't tell) for not having a valid visa to lay over for two hours in an airport in Australia before heading to our travel destination, New Zealand. Who knew that we need a visa only to lay over in the airport? I certainly didn't. And to find out two hours before flying, it felt like a death sentence to my travel dreams! Anyway, it happened, which I declared as the worst day of 2014. I went back fighting tears and dragging my luggage which seemed to be heavier now that I was dragging it back home. Hulk cheered me up with coffee and, later that night, booze. At the end, we managed to exchange it for a direct flight and reached Auckland two days later. Phew!

Lesson Learned: If you think I am going to conclude the lesson to check on lay over visa, it's wrong (because of course, that one is obvious). The lesson I learned is to have someone try to cheer you up when you are feeling super sad, who cares enough about your happiness to stay up all night to sort out the problem while you were passed out after drowning your sorrow in cider, matters. It matters a lot, more than going to New Zealand itself.

4. LOSING STUFF

It has been well established in this blog that I am not good at keeping track of my things, especially the random ones. My mind works in an orderly manner and nothing else, which is why I have a travel checklist, and also why I always check my passport like 15 times before I reach the Airport, but still I lose things. I already made my peace in losing small things here and there while traveling, but the hard part is when I lose something precious or when I have this strong feeling that I have lost more things during my latest travel.

^^ Last picture taken of said Kindle.

Among the things I have lost, the most memorable one was my Kindle, which I went to  so much trouble to get for myself for my birthday, years before Kindle was even a thing in Asia. I loved it with every fiber of my bookworm being and I left it on the flight back home from Japan. I didn't panic at first, as I was sure I would get it back. I called and emailed Delta immediately, and after a few weeks of unsatisfactory response (they said they couldn't find it), I came to terms with it. My first eBook with 35+ self-help collections inside it were gone forever. I only wished that it made the person who took it into a better person after reading it. He or she has my self-help blessings.

My craziest moment of losing something was when I realized I couldn't find my passport when I reach the immigration counter. I ran back to the arrival gate and begged the stewardess to let me in because I think I left my passport in the back of the airplane seat (where I left my Delta, same place, different journey). Fortunately, she was kind enough to let me (and I must have looked like a crazy lady) inside the flight again and collect my passport. Retrospectively, it was a minor incident, but imagine if the flight had flown somewhere. I would be stuck in the airport, Tom Hank's, The Terminal style.

Lesson learned: Pack less, pack specific traveling items so you can remember easier what you bring every time you travel, check all your VIP stuff thrice every day and lastly, never, ever keep anything inside the back pocket of a plane seat.

Now, tell me, do we share some travel fails? If you have a story of your own, please share in the comment below. I would love to know that I am not the only one who has these kinda blunders. Btw, with all these fails, I still think we travelers are blessed with the chance to experience this gorgeous planet from many different angles. Don't you agree?

Ps. Read more about Why Wellington city is another city I didn't care much for.

Story above was first published as Travel Fails on the ForeignGeek blog in 2015.

[dearmybts]

Almost Is Never Enough |Part1|

Word Count: 2.8k

Genre: Angst + Smut + Fluff, Bestfriend AU! Min Yoongi!

Summary: What happens when you fell in love with your best friend and make him confused with your confession? Will he return your love or will he run away?

MASTERLIST

|Part 2| Final

I can still feel it. The sweat that he left behind coating my neck dripping down to my shoulders. His soft wet hair sticking to his forehead as he slouched into my arms. His scent mix with cinnamon, cigarette and the alcohol he still holds in his hand. His frame like a tower collapsing as his chuckles vibrate.

“Yoongi. Are you ok?” My arms reaching forward to hold every inch of him I can.

“I’m fine Y/N! I’ve never been better…” he slurred as his lips pulled upward revealing his gummy smile. The smile that I love so much. The smile that makes him look so innocent, the smile that light my world up even on a gloomy day. 

“You’re drunk Yoongi. Come on let me get you some water.” I dragged him in my apartment before he dropped down to my steps. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came to see you because I missed you so much” He spread his arms wide for me to come in and embrace the place I used to feel safe in. 

“Yoongi. You know you shouldn’t be here… You know how I feel about this. It’s the third time this week” I scoffed as I pulled his shoes off and take the can of beer out of his hand. I walked past him before a hand grabbed my wrist.

“…and you know how I feel about you. YOU KNOW IT Y/N SO WHY ARE YOU DENYING IT?” His head hangs low as he screamed. His voice cracked a little sending shiver down my spine. 

“Because you don’t love me! You don’t. Stop forcing yourself… Stop telling yourself that you love me when you don’t Yoongi! Stop being so selfish!” I yanked my hand away from his grip and walked to the living room. Tears threatening to come out my eyes as I tried my best to be composed. I told myself I wouldn’t cry anymore. It’s been three months. 

Three months of sorrow and sadness. Three months of laying lifeless in my bed and crying myself to sleep. Three months without Yoongi. Without his pale arms wrapped around me comforting me. Without his laughs echoing in my apartment. Without his shoes scatter at the front steps. Without him making noises at the crack of dawn trying to make me breakfast and without his warmth warming me up in the winter morning. 

~

Yoongi and I met in our freshmen year of college through mutual friends. He never speaks a lot or tries to make conversation but he always gave me the comforting vibe. It took me by surprise when he asked if I wanted to hang out. Nothing special, we dine at a local Diner down the street by campus and he didn’t try to impress me or tell me about how cool he was. 

He was quiet but careful, the things I fell in love with. He didn’t try to be funny on purpose, he just was. His dry humor with a hint of straightforward attitude made me laugh harder than I ever did. He told me about his hometown, his hobbies, and his passion for music. 

His gummy smile was showing often throughout our conversation and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He’s beautiful. His jet black hair parted on his right side exposing just enough skin underneath. It looked so soft and fluffy and it was. His eyes squint every time he smiles and his ears turn red every time our hands “accidentally” touch. 

Yoongi came into my life like a storm swooping me under my feet. He was like the new drug that I quickly became addicted to. I wanted to spend all my time with him. And I felt like he feels the same way. We hang out a couple more times until we were completely comfortable with each other. He comes over to my apartment and sometimes stayed the night. 

We became best friends, we knew everything about each other. We understood each other like we knew one another for decades. He was my other half and with time my heart beats for him. We have moments when we would just stare at each other and no one has ever been so perfect in my eyes. It started with a conversation but now we’re standing still in between the friends and lovers line. I’m scared to step over the line and I’m scared to tell him I wanted more. 

I don’t want to lose him … I don’t want to lose his warmth that he comforts me within some sleepless nights. I don’t want to risk being turned down and risk whatever this is. I locked all my feelings away in my heart but he is my heart. He always finds a way to pump it back again. It’s frustrating to feel this way for the last two years.

I tried to get over him because I know he doesn’t feel the same way. I tried going out and meet new people but no one attracts me like he does. I tried having boyfriends but it never last, maybe they sense that my feelings were empty. I didn’t want to lose the only person I care about but you can’t always have what you want.

~

*FLASHBACK*

“Tae what am I going to do?” I whine to my friend as I run a hand through my disheveled hair.

“Y/N. How many time am I going to tell you this? TELL HIM LADY!” his eyes bulge out emphasizing his frustration. 

“I’m pretty sure he’s into you as well by the way he always looks at you” Taehyung folds his arms in front of his chest as he slouched on the sofa nodding his head.

 “.. and what if..?”

“No what if!” Tae cut off my sentence of the doubt before I could finish.“For God sake, it’s been like 2 years. If you don’t tell him soon someone will swing by and scoop him up and you’re going to regret not listening to me.” 

“I know but I’m scared… You just don’t understand” I let out a sigh as I feel the anxiety and stress taking over at the thought of Yoongi being with someone else. Someone who’s way prettier and smarter than me. 

Tae rolled his eyes as he grabbed his coffee bringing it to his lips. “It’s impossible to talk to you. I just want to throw a lemon at you!” he scolds as he fixed his hair. “Lemon… lemon. OMG LEMON!” I jumped up out of my seat as I panic to pack all my stuff.

“Y/N calm down. Yes, lemon. I will throw it at you but I’m not doing it now so why are you panicking?” “It’s not that Tae. I promised Yoongi I would come over today to make a Lemon pie with him for his mom. She’s visiting!” I quickly explain to the confused boy. 

“Tae I have to go. Thanks for the coffee, love ya bye!” I ran over to the other side of the table to give him a goodbye hug before running off.

I look at the clock and it’s 3:45pm. I’m almost an hour late. I supposed to meet Yoongi at his apartment 45 minutes ago. I can already see the raging smoke coming out of his ears. I quickly enter the elevator and walk to his apartment. With a bag of lemon in one hand and a spare key.

 Yoongi gave me a spare key to his apartment because sometimes I would be worried sick when he’s working on his music and not answer his phone. I open the door with excitement and enter until I heard laughter as I close the door. The laughter was mixed with Yoongi and a girl…

“Yoongi?…” I called out. I walked towards the kitchen clutching tightly on my now wrinkled up lemon bag. 

“Look who’s finally here.” Yoongi scoffed at me and rolled his eyes attacking me with his sass making me laugh a little. He then greeted me with his bright smile. He was covered in baking flour and cream all over his body and on the tip of his nose. 

Besides him is a girl. She’s also covered in flour and cream. She was gorgeous. Long slick hair and a cute small face that was half the size of mines. Totally Yoongi type. I couldn’t help but felt a little insecure. What were they doing before I walked in? They were playing around? Maybe a little too friendly? I stood there awkwardly as the air starts to feel thicker around me.

“You were supposed to be here like 45 minutes ago you dummy.” Yoongi glared at me as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What’s your excuse?”

“I know I know. I’m so sorry Yoongi. I was with Tae and we were drinking coffee and then I lost track of time and I’m just so sorry. I know how much you wanted to make a good impression on your mom.” I apologized as I look at him and then her and then back to him.

“Yeah yeah. I was so desperate Lisa offered to help me. She lives 3 floors above and she saw how frustrated I was so she offered to lend me a hand.” Yoongi laugh echoed through his apartment aching my heart a bit. 

I should be the one helping him and that frustrated me. I know it’s my fault and I couldn’t blame anyone but It still hurts. Seeing him so happy and playing around with another girl beside from me reminds me that he doesn’t belong to me. He never did…

“Lisa this is Y/N and Y/N this is Lisa” He introduces us. I gave her a small smile and she did the same. 

“Well…um do you need me to help you with anything?” I asked awkwardly.

“No, we’re almost finish” Lisa answered as she gave me and smile it almost look like it’s telling me to go away. Yoongi just stared at her with loving eyes and I feel like I can’t breathe. This could not be happening. Yoongi should be looking at me like that, not at her. Yoongi should be standing next to me, not her. I should be helping him making pies and not her. I feel pathetic, I couldn’t confess to him and now I can’t stand seeing him with someone else. 

“Alright. Then I’ll leave it to you guys.” I gave Yoongi a smile as I drop the bag of lemon onto the table.

“Y/N we’re still hanging out tomorrow right?” he spoke in what felt like an eternity.

“Yeah of course. I’ll talk to you later” I waved at him then tried to exit as fast as possible. I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to erase the threatening image of them together. I wanted to think that it was nothing and it wouldn’t escalate to anything but I just couldn’t. With a girl like Lisa, Yoongi would be happier. 

*Ring Ring*

“Hellooo” Taehyung cheery voice contrasts with my gloomy one.

“Tae what am I going to do?”

After 45 minutes of me ranting about the incident that made me seemed pathetic, he finally spoke up. 

“I told you so” He taunted me through the line of signal. If he was here in person, I’m pretty sure I would smack him.

“Tae this is not the time” I scoffed making him chuckles.

“Out of all seriousness, you should really confess to him. If you don’t you might really lose him for good. From what you’ve said she’s a real beauty”  

What he said was true. If I don’t tell him now I might never have the chance to. I can’t risk losing him.

~

I walk around in circle biting on my already bitten nails. The nervousness tapping on my back as the anxiety takes over. 

“Deep breath Y/N, deep breath” Talking to myself “What could possibly be the worst outcome? Yoongi call me a creep and never talk to me again and I’ll never step out of this apartment until I’m old and alone” the thought out loud made my knees weak dropping me to the ground. Covering my ears with my palms to deafen out the noisy thoughts and paranoid voices in my head that keeps telling me that this is a bad idea.

*knock knock* he’s here…

I walked to the door to greet a cheery go lucky Yoongi. He seems to be in a great mood.

“Hey Y/N” He gravitates towards my body to give it a tight squeeze. “I have big news!” He walked past me towards the counter to drop off the snacks for our little movies night.

“Yeah? What is it?” I said nervously.

“I got myself a date!” Yoongi cheer in triumph. “H-huh?” Was all I could let out.

“With Lisa, the girl you met yesterday.” Yoongi looks at me with a wide smile on his face. 

Somehow I can’t seem to mirror his as my smile falter slowly. 

“That’s great,” I said as I try my best to force a smile for my best friend, the man that I love. 

“Y/N what’s wrong? I know that face” He closed the distance between us as he grabs onto my forearms with a concerned face.

“Nothing Yoongi. I’m just a bit tired” I avoided his eyes contact turning my body toward the snack laying on the counter to unpack them.

“Alright. I wasn’t going to say it but you’ve been acting really weird lately…” He let go of my arms and I can feel him staring intensely at me.

“You Think so?” I continue unpacking the snack.

“I know so. What’s wrong with you? You haven’t talked to me that much. You barely call or text and now you don’t even tell me what’s going on in your life.” He raised his voice in frustration.

“Yoongi it’s really nothing,” I assured him as my voice shake a bit but it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Y/N look at me” 

I kept my body facing the other way holding in my tears as much as possible. I don’t want him to know. 

“Y/N LOOK AT ME!” He’s now screaming grabbing onto my wrist and forcing my body to turn.

“YOONGI LET GO!” I struggled to try to escape his grip.

“NOT UNTIL YOU TELL WHAT YOU’VE BEEN HIDING!” He held onto my wrist tighter than before.

“Please let go… please, I can’t tell you” My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes threatening to escapes.

“IM TIRED OF YOUR BULLSHIT Y/N. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO SELFISH?” His eyebrows furrowed as his chest heave up and down.

“Fine! You want to know? I’ll tell you! You’re the one that’s being selfish because you just wouldn’t leave me be. I’m not trying to mess your whole life up or this friendship up because of Yoongi…” Tears felled down as I look in his eyes sincerely. 

“I love you. I’ve love you for a long time. I’ve love you beyond our friendships. I wanted to be with you. Every second, every moment of my day. You make me so happy and I’m scared. I’m afraid that this day may come too soon and you don’t feel the same way and you’ll leave me…”

He looked at me with his eyes widen and I knew it’s over. This friendship. Me and him. 

I looked away as I’m scared to how he’s going to react and what he’s going to say.

“Y/n I don’t know what to say…” He let go of my arms and take a step back.

“Nothing. You don’t have to say anything.” My head hangs low facing the wooden floor of my apartment.

“I-I I don’t know… You know I-I have a date with Lisa and I’ve never… I can’t think straight right now. I need time. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Y/N” He backed away slowly before turning towards the door. 

A moment later I heard the door closed and I just snapped. I dropped to the floor and curled myself into a ball and cry. I just let it all out. I let all my tears streamed down my face damping my shirt in seconds. I needed this. I needed to let out all the frustrations, the emotions, the love I have for him out. I covered my face as I cried and shake uncontrollably. 

I knew it would end like this but I still told him. I still let myself fall deeper. I still let myself love him and care for him. I still let myself get tangled in a ball of emotions and get hurt. I have no one to blame but myself. Even so, I still can’t let go of the love I have for Yoongi. I could and I probably should but I chose not to.

To be Continue…

[lovinglunaxxtothemoonandback]

What a blur...

Well...this post to you comes from my new living room in North Carolina..and what a blur it’s been! 

Wednesday: We had a great NJ Day. My friend Jenny was off so we spent the day in downtown Point Pleasant. Luna was a handful but we enjoyed walking around the stores. The teacher supply store was giving a 25% off discount so I did really well. I also got a NJ outline necklace at my favorite PP store Stella e Luna. We ended the day with iced coffee and pizza..good times. It was also Kory’s last day at his NJ store so we had a fun game night to celebrate

Thursday: We visited my grandmother and ran some errands before going home and finishing up packing. Packing Luna’s room was really hard, I was crying. We created that room for our little girl, and it’s grown up with her..leaving it behind was hard. I can barely even remember Thursday honestly, just working continuously to get stuff done.

Friday: Loading day! First thing in the morning we dropped Luna off with her sitter. Well first we picked up flowers for her. Luna was very excited to be there. Then it was on to picking up the truck. It was starting to rain and I was getting nervous. Kory took the truck and I ran to target to get a new litter box for the cats going with my BIL. Kory beat me home but waited for me and Jenny to get there to help him back the truck into our spot. When he backed it in and opened it up I started to panic..it didn’t look nearly as big as I expected. Once my BIL and his friend showed up we started loading. Luckily, there was no more rain but damn it was humid. Bringing everything down from the second floor apartment SUCKED. After about 3-4 hours though, everything was loaded. And I mean EVERYTHING! It all fit!!!! I couldn’t believe it. We even had room to spare to pick up the things at my aunts house. Anyway, we treated the guys to pizza then said our goodbyes. I ran to the store to get flowers and a birthday cake for my aunt, then I picked Luna up from her sitters and that was REALLY hard..I was crying. We’re going to miss her a lot.

We met Kory at my aunts and relaxed for the evening. She cooked and my cousin came over with her kids and we had a cake for my aunts birthday. It was a nice evening. But then anxiety started hitting me and I couldn’t sleep AT ALL. Took me a couple of hours it was awful.

Saturday: Woke up to my aunt letting us know there was a massive storm front coming and a tornado watch. In NJ...cool. It didn’t wind up being too bad and cleared up pretty quickly. Once it cleared up with left Luna with my aunt to go back to the apartment to clean and return the keys. It took 4 hours and it was AWFUL. I was a sad to leave but then they were obnoxious in the office (saying they would charge me for the rubber pool pass bracelets I pack...bite me) so it took the sadness away. 

I was exhausted when we got back to my aunts and it was chaos there. Luna was exhausted, she did a lot with her cousins and she was being straight up nasty. I kept trying to remove her from the situation but her cousins kept following and it was terrible and I was so tired. Luckily I finally got her to lay down with me for just a few minutes to talk and relax and my cousin put her kids on their screens so it would be quiet and everything was better after that. Kory showed up and it was time to load up the stuff at my grandmas house. My moms dining room table was being stored there and we were taking my grandmas patio set. It was super heavy and our friend helping us move was coming a lot later than expected so it took a lot to get it on the truck but we managed! Finally everything was loaded (we fit EVERYTHING expect 2 of the 6 patio chairs which we can bring down when we visit for christmas). We hooked the tow dolly up to the truck (my cousins husband had arrived luckily) and tried to get Kory’s car up...but it wasn’t working. His car sits too low and it was destroying the bumper. So it was decided that my car would have to be hooked up and I would have to drive his to NC...GREAT!!!! Cue panic attack..you guys know how you get used to your own car the idea of driving someone elses car that far is nerve wrecking. Plus my car has apple car play which makes using gps really easy..plus its a hybrid..just ugh. My car went up on the tow dolly without a problem and we just switched stuff around. 

We ordered chinese food (fun fact, my first ever meal and last ever meal as a NJ resident were both chinese from the same restaurant!). My cousins were so sweet, they bought Luna “going away gifts” (even though she just had a birthday). They got her a big Elsa doll and a mini Else castle with the characters. Perfect for the car! Kory had to go pick up our friend (who was running late) it was nearly 9 and he wasn’t back yet so I put Luna to bed myself. Her cousins were SO SAD to say goodbye (Luna didn’t really understand why). She was exhausted and went down without a peep. Kory showed up and we said goodbye to my cousins. We kept the emotions away for the kids. Not long after it was time for bed..it hit me how scary everything was and I was crying in bed. Took me a long time to fall asleep again.

Sunday: The day arrived! Alarms went off at 3am (yawn) and we got moving. My aunt woke up and made me coffee (yay). We loaded up the cars, got Luna out of bed and said our goodbyes. That was super emotional, my aunt and I were both basket cases. They’re coming down in November though..just a few months away. Luna woke up and was very excited for the trip..I gave her some melatonin and prayed she would fall back asleep. Not long out of my aunts development, she did. We stayed behind the truck for about 30 minutes until I couldn’t take the slow speed anymore and sped up. Around 5:30 Kory called me to see how we were doing (they had stopped for gas and to switch drivers). Luna was still asleep and stayed asleep until nearly 7!!! By then we were in Virginia so we stopped at the first rest area for a potty break (I had to pee SO BADLY but refused to stop as long as she was sleeping!!!). I got us situated and started Luna’s “gifts” (I picked up a bunch of cheap stuff from the dollar tree and wrapped it) every 40 mins or so I set an alarm on my phone and she got a present. It was great, kept her really well behaved. 

Our next stop wasn’t long after the first but I wanted to get gas before we got off 95 because 84 doesn’t have as many options. I took an exit and got gas at the first gas station I saw..my first time pumping gas ever (hello Jersey girl here!!). I couldn’t figure it out, Kory wasn’t answering and I was trying not to panic. Luckily I figured it out soon..stupid pump made you start pumping before paying..lame.

Back on the road! I wanted to stop at a rest area around 11 to get lunch together (we had sandwiches in the car). I missed one at 10:45, figured there would be one soon but no luck. Nearly 12 I couldn’t take it anymore so we stopped at a Pilot with a dunkin donuts right off the highway (figured I could use caffeine anyway). We pottied and I got coffee then Luna jumped in a giant puddle before I could stop her and was filthy and soaked and needed cleaning and changing. This was the start of our downfall. Finally we got back on the road with only 2 hours to go. Luna was set up with lunch and a movie. Surprisingly, she fell asleep in front of her movie (NEVER HAPPENS). We hit our first traffic of the trip (accident) but she slept through it. Less than an hour left! We were definitely getting testy with each other but we were almost there! When we hit the local highway I was giddy with relief. When we pulled into the neighborhood I legit started sobbing I was so happy. When we pulled into the driveway I just laid my head on the steering wheel and cried for a minute. 

Kory and Jamie showed up with the truck and 40 mins after us (they made really good time, they stopped a lot more than we did). We went to get lunch then came back and unloaded. Despite having less people (and me being basically useless because I felt so sick ) and Luna being underfoot we were done in just a couple of hours. I don’t really remember much else about that day, I was so tired. I slept so well in my own bed.

Monday:  Errands day! Pick up the modem (took forever), to Lowes to get parts needed for the dining room table, to the grocery store for stuff for an epic brunch. By noon we were finally eating at our dining room table and it was DELICIOUS!! Then I put Luna in her room for quiet time and unpacked the rest of the kitchen while Kory and Jamie took the truck to get the washer, dryer, BBQ and lawn mower (YIKES money being spent). When they got back the hooked up the washer and dryer and went to return the truck. They came back with food (we didn’t have time to BBQ) and it was time to bring Jamie to the airport. I was sad our last bit of NJ was leaving us. It’s going to be okay though. Kory had to stop by his new store so Luna and I picked some stuff from Target. Another exhausting day.

Tuesday: Kory’s last day off before going back to work. We did a little bit around the house then ventured out to toys r us (about 35 mins away) to finally spend Luna’s birthday money. We got a play house and little pool for the backyard. There was also a home decor store called at home..it was basically a homegoods on steroids..we couldn’t even get through the whole thing! We we’re starving by then and got a last hurrah meal and steak and shake..shakes to go and everything. When we got home Luna went into quiet time and we relaxed. When she was done Kory mowed the lawn then we put together her house and the patio furniture and had our first family bbq. It was delicious and just perfect. I’ve been wanting to have our own backyard for a looooong time.

Today: Kory had work :( Luna and I still ventured out to walmart and the dollar tree (using gps to get to walmart haha). It was a very slow, long, lonely day. I got some stuff done around here and set up Luna’s pool and we had fun. Hoping to make friends soon..it’s awfully lonely here. But we’re still enjoying the house and the area! Today I got an email from my new boss with our specials and lunch schedules so we can make our class schedules. It’s super weird seeing my name on the schedules..and very exciting and nerve wrecking! She also texted me to let me know that my classroom is ready so when Kory has off next week I’m going to go in and start bringing stuff in!

[sarmtravels-blog]

Day 6, Samui and Phangan: the motorcycle diaries

Thai expression of the day: kop kuhn ka. It means thank you 🙏🏼

Click here for pictures from Samui and here for pictures from Phangan!

Had a late start to the day (6:30!!!) but stayed in bed for an hour and a half. It was pouring while I was still in bed but when there was a break in the rain, I decided to venture back into town. Of course, once I got 1/3 of the way there, it started to torrrentially downpour but it made more sense to keep going. I found a quaint little open-air café and sat down for some avocado toast. For the 30 minutes I was there, it wasn't raining and  I think every mosquito on the island took a bite of me. When I left to walk back, it began to pour AGAIN. Soaked, itchy, and disheartened, I walked back to the hostel. I checked out so I could start my say and I chatted with Leah and Lucas from Germany over a cup of coffee. Ethan and I rented motorbikes, but I made the rookie mistake of saying that I had never ridden before and the guy freaked out. I assured him that Ethan would teach me, and I bought insurance for 200 Baht.... just in case. The entire rental cost 400 Baht ($11) for the whole day. After a bit of practice with and without Ethan around the hostel, I was ready to ride. Keep in mind, motorcycles are in my top 10 biggest fears. They're incredibly dangerous and people who ride them tend to do really dumb things. Nonetheless, I knew I had to try. I rode alone and Alex rode with Ethan. We rode about 20 minutes to a beach, through busy roads and small villages. I was horrified but adrenaline was on my side. When we got the beach, Ethan and I went for a swim, but the security made us stop because the waters are so incredibly rough. We took a long walk up the beach. After 15 minutes or so, I turned back and they kept going. I found a stray dog and, for the sake of facing fears, I pet it and we ended up running along the shore together. It was kinda romantic. Post-doge, I walked back to the village, leaving my motorcycle where I had it parked next to theirs, hoping they'd realize I was still in town when they got back. I found an Israeli restaurant (הנקודה החמה) and I felt at home and relieved in a sense. I ordered in Hebrew- that's always fun. Motor biking was so scary but this lunch felt comforting. All of these Thai islands are suuuper Israeli I ran into them walking back to my bike. We biked about 10 more minutes to another beach and then they wanted to keep exploring. It was 14:20 and I wanted to make a 16:00 ferry to Koh Phangan, so I decided to bike back by myself. Almost got into 2 accidents but there is very little comparable to that kind of thrill. Quick pit stop at the bank and then I headed to the hostel. I changed out of my clothes and walked with my ginormous backpack to the street to hail a taxi. I was really lucky I found one. He brought me to Big Buddha Pier and I arrived with 10 minutes to spare. The guy taking tickets hit on me.. IN HEBREW. But I shut him down... IN HEBREW. It was really funny. I ended up with a group of Brits- particular, next to Ollie. Because of the storms, the waves were insane and the boat was rocking at insane angles. If I hadn't taken dramaMine, it would have been game over. From the pier, I walked to the hostel (~4 min) in heavy rain and when I got to reception, there were a bunch of other people. Davin, the owner of the hostel, was super friendly and cool about the rules. His main mission is to get people to make friends. This island has a total party culture which is really intense but amazing and chill as well. The hostel offers events every night in addition to street parties. I spoke with some of the people who checked in with me and then found Nate in the common area. He was with Evan and Georgia from Florida. Turns out Evan is a Spanish Jew from Miami who did HSI and worked at CJ, so naturally we knew all the same people. Davin showed me to my bed in the 41-person mixed dorm, and it turned out that I was meant to share a queen size mattress with his brother. However, his brother isn't usually around and I have yet to meet him... Me, nate, Evan, and 2 other guys went to get some dinner. All of a sudden, Tom and Lexy from Israel joined us. I instantly recognized Lexy Grant as someone who went to camp with me and my college friend's cousin! Small works for smaller when we went to the hostel and Maya Lewis, an old camp friend, was there. It was a nice reunion :) After we'd eaten, we spent a few hours playing drinking games in the street. I spoke to everyyyyybody! The thing to drink here is a bucket, which is basically any mixed drink you want spiked with Red Bull. (Plot twist: the Red Bull they have here is the OG red bull that's illegal in the US.) I taught everyone Flip Cup and Slap Cup and I watched some beer pong. The table was super close to the speaker so it was really hard to explain. I met a few guys (Bobo, Yves, Martin, Andy) from Sweden, some Argentinian guys including an Argentinian pro basketball player, a couple of people from England (notably: Lettie), and more. There was talk of a Waterfall party and pool party. The pool party was free so th hostel consensus was to go there. Me, my Swedish buds, and Lettie went to 7/11 to get snacks and then we got a free cab to the  pool around 23:30. When we got there, it was not poppin. We jumped in the pool to get things started which kinda worked, but Lettie and I were not having the most amazing time. Around 12:45, we walked back to the hostel. A bunch of people were heading out the pool party at that point but we were set on staying in and saving energy for the next two days. [caption id="attachment_306" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Swedes poolside... this was candid :)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_308" align="alignnone" width="2448"] Lettie found a cute dog outside 7/11[/caption] [caption id="attachment_307" align="alignnone" width="2448"] They bought 21 "Cheesies"[/caption] Back at the dorm, a few people were asleep. Next to me was a British guy sleep talking/singing/moaning who woke himself up. Leti and I had a grand time talking to him and messing with him when he woke up. I took a shower because I stunk to the high heavens, and got in bed to write for a bit. My innermost thoughts:

It's gonna be tough to keep up the party for 3 days but everyone here is incredible and has the best mindset, I can't even write down all the names and counties of people I meet because there's so many

I'm still in shock I rode a bike on my own. I've been so afraid of them for so long but now all I wanna do is ride again...

I feel like I didn't capture everything as well today but I'm happy I did what I did