Memories, Like the Corners of My Mind

There are times when I get all caught up in the day to day, that I forget how much fun we've had through the year. Being that we are on the eve of a New Year (and a new decade), I put together a little slideshow recapping the best moments from the past 12 months.

Here's to the best of 2009 AND all the blessing waiting for us in 2010!


(music by: Karrin Allyson - Samba Saravah)


HAPPY NEW YEAR! I've got a feeling... that tonight's gonna be a good night.

Let's start getting real...

I was just thinking about realistic resolutions in the new year, when it dawned on me that there are so many things I don't make time to do, that could be added to my list for 2010.

They may seem small, but over time I'm sure it will be noticable.

Make the bed everyday.

Take more pictures.

Use the video camera.

Write a letter.

on the brain

What are you hungry for?

dreams.
success.
life.
adventure.
freedom.
passion.
love.
romance.
the unattainable.
happiness.
fulfillment.
peace.
prosperity.
joy.

on the brain

why is it called Boxing Day, if it has nothing to do with the actual sport or the physical act of boxing something up?

save the planet! save yourself!

I'm a big fan of technology that not only helps the environment but yourself. I just came across this brand new iPhone application that brings the latest Seafood Watch recommendations directly to you.

Now you can make sustainable seafood choices easily, at a time when the world's oceans are severely overfished. Your seafood choices make a big difference not only on the environment, but on your health and well-being.



click here to download the iPhone application

Impossible not to miss...

From Ocean Beach in San Francisco

:::insert collective sigh here:::

I know the first day of winter was only yesterday, but I already miss the warm California weather. Can I come home now?

on the brain

Having one of those days when all I can think about are California beaches and being back home.

Is it spring yet?

Happy Birthday Guadalupe!

Just last weekend all across México there were fiestas (parties) throughout the country in honor of the patron saint of México La Virgen de Guadalupe. Typically in México these celebrations are of grand scale and surpass the Christmas holiday traditions celebrated in the United States.

As a kid, I never had an opportunity to partake since my parents only took us to México a few times when we were on Christmas break which was usually after December 12th. This year in the village my father grew up in (Xothe, Hidalgo) many of our distant relatives reunited for the annual celebration. With the advent of the internet, photo albums and videos have now popped up online recapping the event, and it really goes to show how modern technology is bridging the gap between nations across the miles.

At times I've felt bad for not keeping in contact with my family, but now with the internet it helps me feel connected to the country of my parents origin. I've included a video clip (posted online) of the church where my parents were married. In the clip is some brief footage of what appears to be the pre-party planning.

What's even more ironic is about 2 minutes into the video my uncle who lives in California appears for a brief second.



Who would have thought... that from more than 3000 miles away, I would be sitting in my living room watching an anonymous video with footage of my family from the west coast, while they are on holiday in a different country. Now that is awesome!

3 Words: I.L.O.V.E.Y.O.U.

new UK single from Cheryl Cole featuring Will.i.am. This version is actually the Japanese edit with a faster BPM for the dance scene in Japan. I enjoy this cut a little better than the original video, since it has some what of a story line.



Artist: Cheryl Cole featuring will.i.am
Title: 3 Words

Make sure to also check out the Steve Angello remix which is definitely a floor filler.

from the Doppler Five-Million.... WEATHER WATCH 2009

yeah this one's gonna suck. BIG TIME!



FML.

on the brain

How long is a light year, exactly?

on the brain

Am I a horrible person for not putting out the Holy Family this year?

Stained

Taken at Baltimore's Pennsylvania Station on our way back to Maryland for the Thanksgiving holiday.

on the brain

Pondering the meaning of life and a better way to build webpages. Damn you WYSIWYG editors!

I did it!

Go me!

So in a previous post here and here, I kind of went on a tangent about all the things that I hoped to achieve in 2009 and sadly I only managed to accomplish one. Don't judge! It's actually a good one.

I finally went back to school! Okay maybe it's just culinary school and not like Harvard, but aren't you proud? Jeez... and I thought pleasing my parents was difficult.

So you know, I am VERY excited about the future and you just mark my words. We're going to be doing big things in 2010 I tell you.

...you just wait and see!

The Best of 2009:

For some reason when we wind down each year and try to determine what was the best (or the worst), we focus on celebrities, songs, movies, books, you know mostly typical stuff. I thought you might get some amusement out of the best keyword searches that brought people over to visit my blog. My favorite of course being “third nipple dream”, and “fiber one poop”… hey I’ll take site traffic anyway I can get it baby.

So here it is, the BEST worst keywords that brought site traffic to insearchoflily.com.

1. help a squirrel out
2. life in the 1500's
3. ""with the bath water""
4. ""dirt poor"" ""great depression""
5. third nipple dream

my battle with abstinence

I’ve decided to abstain from reading any more celebrity gossip in 2010. I could write some ridiculous list of New Year’s resolutions, but who are we kidding? You know I’m not going to the gym. I’m a culinary student for god sake! You won’t be seeing my ass at the gym for another 6 months (not until right before I need to fit into my nearly one-size too small wedding dress).

he's going to marry me!

I had to take a minute to get sappy for a second because it just dawned on me..... HE'S GOING TO MARRY ME! You're probably thinking... hello?... don't you know this already?

Well duh! yes of course I know this, but it's the feeling that sometimes overwhelms me. How can you describe knowing that you have a complete sense of peace in your heart because the person you love, loves you back equally as much. You see I'm home alone for an entire week... AN ENTIRE WEEK! That is like an eternity in a relationship, and I'm not worried about him being gone for so long, but I just really honestly miss him every single day. There are moments when I read or see something and I know I can easily text or call him to talk about it, but it's just that inability to lean over and look at him that reminds me of how much I love him.

There is a reason why they say "absence makes the heart grow fonder", it's because it's TRUE! I don't normally get all corny like this, so you'll have to pardon the intrusion.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

You’d think that it was just yesterday….

This morning as I woke up and realized how freaking cold it got, I noticed another burn on my arm. It got me thinking about how many culinary scars I’ve acquired since starting school and can you believe it’s already been 10 weeks since I started? In retrospect it might not seem like much, but my program is only 40 weeks. That’s like a quarter of the way done!

Okay maybe it’s a small milestone, but wow I actually survived culinary school this long and we got to make cake too! See the reason why I reference the cake part is because the day that I came to the school to do an audit (that’s when you get to sit in a class as a visitor, while deciding on which school to go to) well the second level students were working on pastry. At the time I was beyond impressed and kept thinking to myself that I would never be that good, and my home cooking skills wouldn’t cut it in a professional setting. Dude… I was totally wrong. Have you seen my work lately?

Aside from the cuts and burns, I think I’ve done some pretty awesome stuff so far. This weekend I’m going to put my skills to the test and work in the restaurant our school runs (L’Ecole). If you happen to be cruising through SoHo on Saturday, come grab a bite. I’m hoping they let me work the grill because there is nothing more exciting than playing with fire on your first day.

In the meanwhile; for your viewing pleasure I’ve included a couple of snapshots of my latest work (and scars).