Hola from Buenos Aires

Awww...it's our last day on this 10-day tour of ours through Rio de Janeiro, Iguacu Falls and finally Buenos Aires - so much history, it's unbelievable. And the shopping, oh the shopping, we did some major damage to our pocketbooks as the $1 = 3x 1 peso wahoooooo! ;) Adios for now!

Greetings from Rio de Janeiro

Ana and I are having the best time here in Rio de Janeiro! - the food, sights, smells, beautiful men, shopping, blue, yellow, green, soccer championships, clubs, dancing all night, drinks, beer, bbq, favelas, our hotel in the Copacabana, our guide is wonderful, pictures, lots of pictures - love it, love it, love all of it. People think we´re totally local - everyone is friendly and they leave us be. Obrigada, RIO!!

Taking Off to Brazil and Argentina

Well, I am off on a 10-day tour of Rio de Janeiro, Iguassu Falls and Buenos Aires from September 20-30. I can't believe Ana and I are actually, finally going - a dream come true! We've been planning this trip for about a year now, and when we bought our tickets in June, we thought September 20th would never get here. Time sure flies by, and 3 months later, here we are packing away, Brazilian VISA in hand, cameras ready and eyes wide open for an experience of a lifetime, leaving everything behind, way behind.

How Did He Know?

I had a very surreal, unexpected experience at a uh...theatre here not far from my place last night with my friend Roman, a place where there were only men, no one that I thought would be interested in me because they were all of the other side. I was safe, or so I thought. I was the only woman in this place, men turned around as I entered the hallways sort of shocked to see a female roaming their hallowed territory, quite strange, normally intimidating but for some reason, I didn't care. The performing birthday-suited dancers were ultra hot with god-like bodies; I admired them from afar because I thought they were of the other side as well, unattainable by all, especially me. Nope.

One Brazilian beautiful specimen of a man, one of the dancers, propositioned me. What are you doing later? What? - I didn't notice him talking to any of the other attendees - are you serious? Yes with penetrating, mesmerizing eyes through the glass of his after-show glory. Oh I don't know, completely taken aback...hee hee...uh...I don't know, I don't think so...Why not? He wouldn't let me drop his gaze... Because I'm a good girl - yeah right, Roman said - making a halo sign over my head and flapping my imaginary wings. No, he said with happy mischievious eyes that reminded me of two men in my past simultaneously sending my body into a flurry, he said that I'm not an angel as he made devil horns on his head with his fingers and then playfully pointing at me. Me? - of course, I knew better, I know myself. What do you mean, how could you tell? He said that he could see it in my eyes, in my face.

After he showered off and changed, unbelievably gorgeous, that sweater and perfect body, the Brazilian led me through a blur of a labyrinth to a place where only wild fantasies live. Heated start, talked, told him I'm going to Rio on Tuesday, he's not of the other side at all, an architect student from Sao Paulo raising money for his future, mind over matter...I lost all resistance, ooo, what?...what the hell was I doing, safe, way surreal and unimaginable, a beyond unexpectedly fine night as I enjoyed the ride, a haze of a dream and one that I would never forget.

I Made It Through

What a week...woo. ER, tests, answers, I'm ok...a 3-hour dinner on how my work was going to be evaluated...evaluated, grueling, one after another, bam bam bam a slight to my confidence, learned a lot but completely exhausted, drove home in a stupor...friend came to visit, mixed blessing, unexpectedly surreal night, funny how life is...back to back visits, report on report, up til midnight one night writing them, didn't feel like writing a blog at all til now...great people to work with, realized I made some good solid connections with them, turned out some great reports, think I won back some of my credibility, possibilities...time to myself now, email from GG, a little confused by words lost in translation but I have faith that all is just fine...tired, sleep, bed....zzz....good night.

My Sweetie

GG's emails don't come to me as frequently as I'd like, but when they do he has uncanny timing when I need his sweet words the most. His sweetness comes across so loud and clear and tangible and palpable and... :) It's like he's right here, and although I wish for him to be right here by my side, his words and love wash over me and fill me with something I've never felt. Friends wonder why I'm being so patient with him. In this world when love is so disposable, it's easy for me to see the real thing somehow this time, no joke. What I feel, what I remember, what I see - it's all worth it and I will hold on with patience that is of uncharted territory to one named Maile.

Excerpts from "Defying Gravity" a la "Wicked"

...Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down...

...I'm through accepting limits
'Cuz someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But til I try, I'll never know
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down...

...Unlimited...

...So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky
As someone told me lately
"Everyone deserves the chance to fly"
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me
Tell them how I
Am defying gravity
I'm flying high
Defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!

Wicked

Connie and I went to this awesome and relateable-on-so-many-levels play last night during the last weekend of their run here in San Francisco.

"No one mourns the wicked" - namely for someone who tried to make my life miserable this week, it'll all come back to you some way somehow. "Dancing through life" - through all the good and bad, dance through it and later you may see why all that happened took place to change you, to shake things up, wake you up and alter your life direction in the end for the better. "Defying gravity" is about going against the grain, breaking out and through, doing the unexpected, reaching beyond what you think you can reach, unlimited bound by nothing. "I'm not that girl" - you might feel this way but maybe you were the right one all along, not everything is as it seems, feel with all your heart and you could never ultimately go wrong. "Because I knew you...I have changed for good...." - I miss you, Mike, but I know you came into my life for a reason, and I'm changed forever for the good because of you, thank you ever so much. I also know in my heart that I gave you something equally special back, I do.

On a complete last-minute whim, we got tickets for lovely "Wicked", and the timing of it couldn't have been more perfect - I was touched, opened and given light through the seeming darkness.

Faith - have it, hold onto it with all your might~*

Practice Makes Perfect

I received wonderful compliments about my writing skills from my work managers regarding my reports and from friends about my blog entries recently - that feels really good to know that I have a strength in this world that is appreciated, valued and valid. Thank you with heartfelt gratitude. Truthfully, having the freedom to let it go and out in these blogs helped bring my writing skills to another level because I was given the space to let my fingers fly on my keyboard without being encroached by my writing content or grammar - just go, no limitations and beauty emits, it's inevitable. So, I encourage everyone to create their own blog, even multiple blogs like I do, and type away, put it out there, not caring who sees because we all want to be seen and heard.

I Feel the Love

My work credibility was undermined by a colleague of mine over the course of the last couple weeks, but today I got answers and confirmations from people who have my back, who believe in me and who took away any self-doubt I had in an instant. Be nice to people and it will come back to you four-fold in an unexpected waterfall of support and respect, thank God for that, my saving graces, I am forever grateful and will give back again and again. I learn the hard way, I bang my head into walls trying to break through, and I'll fire back when nudged too far. So, look out!

Flight Patterns - Los Angeles

9/1 Southwest flight # 1311 leaves OAK 3:30 PM arrives LAX 4:45 PM
9/6 Southwest flight # 1320 leaves ONT 7:00 AM arrives OAK 8:10 AM