September 11
September 11th, 2010 | 1 comment
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To the faces I’ve never seen
And the names I’ve never heard
I bow my head, shed a tear
To pay respect with a prayer I hope you hear.
Life After GMAT
May 19th, 2010 | 13 comments
GMAT Round One is complete. While I spent the past week in full tunnel vision mode as I prepared for my GMAT, here are a few highlights that went down in the travel blogosphere that made me all warm and tingly inside.
My guest post, Six Slick Ways To Stash Your Cash, went live on Twenty-Something Travel. Here I offered a few not so traditional ways of hiding money when you’re on the road. For the gents, I recommend putting it in a thermos, a guidebook or even your boxers. There’s this really cool pair called stash boxers with a pocket sewed on the inside over the crotch area. I personally like to hide my money in a hair roller, a padded bra and pads. Yes, pads as in sanitary napkins. You should head on over to Twenty-Something travel to get the unabridged version. It’s much better than this one.
Alisha from SoSauce gave me my first interview on SoSauce’s blog series, Travel Talk. So I guess if you’re looking for some background info on who the girl behind A Pair of Panties & Boxers is, you should mosey on over there for a gander.
Last but not least, I’d like to thank Candice for giving me a much needed tequila toast on her blog Candice Does The World. I quote:
Monica Wong of A Pair of Panties and Boxers – As if the name isn’t intriguing enough. This girl does it all; she works full-time, volunteers, blogs her face off, studies for her GMAT, maintains a social life…and she still cranks out great material. Check out her sunrises and sunsets photo series from around the world.
She makes me sound like a machine. (Which I am not by the way.)
So what did I do the day after I took my GMAT? I cleaned my room. Yup – 6 hours of moving, organizing, dusting and sneezing. When I was done, I couldn’t see the difference. Maybe I didn’t do a very good job of it.
As far as my GMAT goes, I did well but not great. So knowing me, I’m probably going to take it again later this summer. But I won’t worry my oddly shaped head about it until after I come back for Honduras which is in about…oh 2 days, 11 hours and 53 minutes since this post went live.
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I Brought Home A Boy
May 5th, 2010 | 47 comments
Image via wallpaperstock.net
When most people come back from abroad, they bring home souvenirs, receipts, admission tickets, a tan and maybe even an extra 10 pounds. I, on the other hand, brought home a boy. He lived in Queens before moving to Boston for work. I live in Brooklyn. We are both New Yorkers but we had to go half way around the world to find each other. Ironic.
Life before studying abroad in Shanghai consisted of school and work. Life after studying abroad consisted of more school and more work. Way to live, right? It wasn’t until I left the States and got my nose out of the books that realized there was more to life than these four walls. Living abroad was the first time I really had a life because as far as I could remember, life was always school and work.
The time I spent abroad was also the time I met my first and only boyfriend. If I hadn’t gone abroad, I’d probably be the only 20-something year old girl who never had a boyfriend. Sad but true and I would probably be too busy not having a life to care.
Traveling gave me a chance to live and it removed this filter I had over my eyes. I saw things clearer. I understood things better. I became happier. I felt livelier. I use to see the corner office as something to strive for but now, I see that I would only be settling. Aside from bringing home a boy from my travels, I also brought home a new me.
What have you brought back from abroad?
The Lost Girls (Part 1)
April 21st, 2010 | 8 comments
Reading the first few pages of The Lost Girls by, well, The Lost Girls, was a little eerie. The book is about the adventures of three friends, Jennifer, Holly and Amanda, and their “unconventional detour around the world” but it was a little haunting how parallel their lives were to mine before they became The Lost Girls.
It was as if I had written the book, or at least the first few pages, and had no recollection of it. The Lost Girls worked in same city, the same industry and even with the same clients as I did. They asked the same questions I’ve asked myself a thousand times.
“Is this it? Is this life? Is life working a 9-7, getting married, buying a house with a white picket fence and having 2.5 kids? Is this the norm? Should I follow the norm? Why should I follow the norm?”
These girls took this journey to gain perspective and to find the answers to questions they never even asked. In the beginning pages of their book, I see myself as the younger version of them. I haven’t read past the prologue yet (the NY Times crossword took precedence) but I’m curious to see if my around-the-world adventure will be anything like theirs.
Stay tuned as I share my thoughts and bits and pieces of the book, The Lost Girls. If you’d like to get your own copy, please visit www.thelostgirlsworld.com for more information.
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I received a free copy of The Lost Girls but this is not a sponsored post. These thoughts are strictly and subjectively my own. No compensation of any form is going toward my grad school tuition.
I’m Guest Bartending In New York City!
April 12th, 2010 | 12 comments
Image by Michael van Emde Boas
I’ve been volunteering with FXB to promote this year’s World AIDS Orphans Day. On May 7th, FXB Action Network is bringing together young professionals to raise money to help AIDS orphans around the world. The event will be hosted at Overlook Lounge in New York City. I will be guest bartending that night. So for all you heavy drinkers out there, ahem Chris Richardson, bring your behinds to NYC and drink up the bar for a good cause!
We’ve reserved the entire second floor and the outdoor patio. Your $15 donation will earn you admission to the event and ONE FREE DRINK but it can also:
- Pay for a child in Rwanda or Uganda to attend primary school for the first time in their life by covering the costs of school fees that they would otherwise be unable to afford
- Provide uniforms to AIDS orphans in India, so they can attend school with the other children in their community
- Purchase basic school supplies like notebooks, pens, and reading materials for children in Thailand.
There will be $5 drink specials all night. You’ll also get a chance to win prizes like:
- One hour of open bar at the Overlook Lounge for you and 9 of your friends!
- Free registration for a co-ed sports league and post-game parties at NYCSSC. Join a Kickball, Softball, Ultimate Frisbee, Flag Football, Bowling, or Inner-tube Water Polo team!
- A one-month membership to New York Health and Racket Club, includes use of state-of-the art cardio and strength training equipment, indoor lap pools, sauna, steam Rooms, whirlpools, jacuzzis, group fitness and spinning studios with over 600 weekly classes, and racquetball, basketball and squash courts. Plus, access to yacht, VIP Beach Club in Westchester and Doral Arrowwood Golf Resort!
- Designer purses, exotic jewelry, SwitchFlops, and more!
By purchasing a ticket, you are helping FXB change the lives of AIDS orphans and children in need around the world. Reserve your ticket now and be entered for a chance to win free registration with NYCSSC!
Come out. Show your support. Have fun and help change the life of an orphan left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. We can even turn this into a NYC tweet up! I hope you all can make it. I’ll see you at the bar.
Place: Overlook Lounge
Date: May 7, 2010
Time: 6PM to whenever
Location: 225 East 44th Street
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FXB is an international non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the needs of children affected by AIDS and poverty. For the last 20 years, FXB has worked around the world to empower AIDS orphans and vulnerable children, their caregivers, and the surrounding communities. FXB is currently working with communities in China, Myanmar, Thailand, India, Brazil, Colombia, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda. Visit http://fxb.org/ to learn more.
World AIDS Orphans Day is a grassroots campaign to draw attention to & advocate on behalf of the 15+ million children orphaned by AIDS, founded by FXB International and supported by a network of partners.
