I want to ‘Go with Oh’ to Prague

Due to unforeseen circumstances , this post was not finished before the end of the contest, therefore it has not been entered. However, I still feel it should be posted for travelers who may find the content useful.

When I saw a post for the "Go with Oh" blogging competition on world traveler Connie Hum's blog, I knew I would enter regardless of what the prize may be. Competition requires that bloggers choose a city from the listed 10 destinations and create a wish list of 5 things they'd most like to do or experience in that city. I didn't even have to finish reading the list of cities to choose Prague. Although the winner of the competition will get free accommodations on 4 cities in Europe for 1 month, the experience of writing about Prague is already a treat in itself. Now I have a reason to sit in front of my computer and daydream about Prague!

Prague is on most people's bucket list. Although I've already had the privilege of visiting the city twice, I still dream of going back from time to time. I can't really pinpoint exactly what captivated my heart to the city but I can only compare the experience to falling in love at first sight.

If I ever get to visit Prague again, I would like to experience the following:

Body After Baby (Part 2): Belly Dancing

You can read Body After Baby Part 1 here...

During my first belly dancing lesson, my mind was bombarded by one question...

DO YOU HAVE JOINTS THAT I DON'T HAVE?

But let's start at the beginning...
I went to class 10 minutes early. There was a hip hop class still in session. I was beyond nervous. I was afraid that myself esteem would suffer after walking in and finding out that I would be the oldest and fattest one. But that's totally not the case. All that worrying was for nothing.

The first thing I noticed was a little girl sitting in the corner playing with an ipad. I scanned the class for the little girl's mother. It could be anyone in the class. They all looked to be in their early 30's and at least one of them is a mom. Whew! I was instantly relieved. While they are all very fit moms in their 30's, I was just happy to know that I won't be the only one exposing a tummy with stretched and wrinkled skin.

The previous class had already ended and I still haven't seen any signs of other students coming in. There were 3 people ready for class: me, another student from the previous hip hop class and the teacher.  I haven't experienced the same level of anxiety since my last piano recital some 17 years ago.

"There were supposed to be 8 students total, but I guess they're a no show." The teacher announced.

What? What? What? Just the three of us dancing in this studio full of mirrors? There is no where to hide! I was totally expecting to be able to stand at the back of the class. As I started to panic a little, the teacher started the warm up. Hm...that doesn't look too hard. I can do that. After the warm up ended, the teacher started teaching the choreography for the dance. That's when my self confidence hit rock bottom again. I looked at myself in the mirror while doing the moves and I cringed. I looked like I was mimicking the walk of an ostrich. I wasn't sure what kind of dance class I was in: belly dancing or locking. That's how awkward my moves were. I avoided looking at the mirrors and concentrated on observing the teacher instead. Much better.

At the end of the class we were able to put our moves to the music. Although my moves were not even in the same planet as being perfect, moving to the music felt great. Exhilarating! I was smiling! So who cares if I looked like a flopping ostrich. I'm having fun!

Before leaving the class, the dance teacher stopped me and asked "where have you been taking belly dancing lessons?" 

"No where. I've only taken a couple of classes 5 years ago, before I had kids." I answered.

"No way! You have kids? You look so young! You haven't been taking belly dancing lesson regularly? I can't believe it. You dance so well!" Teacher commented.

"Thanks, you really don't have to say that, I still plan on coming back since I've already paid my tuition in full. Don't worry. But really, thanks for those kind words and encouragement anyway." I said sincerely.

I walked out of class a lot more relaxed, more confident than when  I walked in. 

What I learned from belly dancing class (besides the belly dancing)...

• Once you take the first step, the rest is easy.
• It's not about how you look, it's about how you feel. 
• To be young at heart.
• Be more positive, things are never as bad as they seem.

Body After Baby (Part 1)

With Hollywood's recent baby boom, I can't help but notice the topics on most magazine covers: "How Kourtney Kardashian lost the baby weight" or "Gisele Bundchen's body after baby."  All I see is how flat Jessica Alba's abs are one month after having a baby or Victoria Beckham getting back to size zero eight weeks after giving birth. Even more outrageous: several Victoria's Secret Angels were famously known for getting back on the runway only weeks after having a baby! It's as if there is some kind of competition to see who can lose the most weight in the most freakishly speedy manner. Don't get me wrong though, this is not a debate on whether celebrities should or should not lose so much weight in so little time. I just purely want to point out that this topic of "losing weight postpartum" must be a big enough of a concern to most women to have the celebrity moms grazing the covers of popular magazines with with their svelte postpartum bodies. I'm sure with all the casting directors, critics, and paparazzi breathing down their necks constantly is more motivation than any of us "normal folks" will ever get to lose the baby weight. They just don't have the time to take it slow according to the one pound a week recommendation by doctors. Yeah sure they have the personal chefs and trainers and nannies to look after their babies while they work out but Personal chefs and trainers can't lose the weight for them. They still have to do the work just like the rest of us. In a way, they deserve to look great after the hard work they've put in. I mean Jessica Alba hit the gym two weeks after giving birth, Beyonce's fitness regimen starts at 5AM, Kate Hudson works out daily for 3 hours, Jennifer Lopez works out for 45 minutes to 2 hours 4 to 6 days a week, etc... Not to mention most celebrity moms are fit prior to getting pregnant and worked out for the duration of their pregnancy. Now how many of us can even match half the effort they put in after having a baby? I know I couldn't. I had tons of excuses for not exercising after having a baby.

Excuses, Excuses

• I just had a baby. I need the rest
• I'll lose weight from breastfeeding
• It's too hot to exercise in the summer
• Breastfeeding is too time consuming to have time to exercise
• The baby kept waking up at night, so too sleep deprived to exercise
• Ha! This is my favorite: my husband will love me no matter what I look like. 

Horse Meat: To eat or not to eat?

Horses have played an important role throughout history. During the turbulent periods, many wars and battles were fought on horse back. During peaceful times, horses were used for transportation and leisure. Horses were hunted by the indigenous people of Argentina and Chile after they were introduced by the conquistadors during the age of exploration. Mongolians have a long history of utilizing mare's milk as a beverage as well as making alcoholic beverages and cheeses out of it. Even Napoleon's army was said to have eaten the meat of horses that died in battle. But times have changed. We now see horses as friends, as pets, as an animal with a soul; we humanized them. Horses now live in ranches and are better groomed and maintained than most household pets. Their status have been elevated to healers as "Equine Therapy" became increasingly popular in helping individuals with emotional and psychological issues.

Sitting at a fairly touristy restaurant in Ljubljana, Slovenia, clutching on to the above precedents, my husband and I stared at the menu listing "horse steak" for a long time. The menu lists the size of the meal and the price, so you know how much money you've wasted if you don't like eating it, but It doesn't tell you what it will taste like or how it will affect your conscious after consuming it. Another 10 minutes of small talk went by between the two of us, the whole while avoiding the subject of horse meat, I guess we were both waiting for the other to give in and make a decision. Finally, my husband can take no more of my beating around the bushes.

New Year's Resolution 2012: Buy Less to Have More

My new year's resolution for this year is to spend less money on materialistic items and use that money saved for creating interesting life experiences instead. Definition of interesting life experiences includes but not restricted to: Tango lessons for me and the hubby, kung fu lessons for Tato, music lessons for Allie and eventually more family trips. This will mean spending less on Clothing, shoes, toys, gadgets, and other nick knacks that are good to have but I don't need. This is going to be more difficult than I thought when my favorite online shops (Shopbop, Revolveclothing, Endless) offer free worldwide shipping. I know this "living on less" or "Less is more" topic have been heavily discussed in magazines, on the internet and on blogs but adapting my life to it is harder than you think. But I'm going to try my best to stick to it. I will!

Why I'm doing this
Ever since I started traveling frequently, I noticed how light I've packed no matter where in the world I went. I never pack more than 3 outfits whether I'm going on a weekend trip or 3 month long trip. Not once during these trips did I need something that I didn't pack. That's when an idea hit me: I can live with A LOT less!

With a goal of living less in mind, I started doing some research online. This is what I found....

First Impressions of Budapest

As the train pulled into Keleti Station in Budapest, I felt a surge of adrenaline rush. The station is no ordinary Eastern European train station; it is an enormous architectural masterpiece. I stepped onto the platform and it felt like I was transported back to a time where train travel was ideally romantic. We were herded by the crowd towards the exit of the station. We tried our best to blend in with the crowd and pretend like we knew where were going. It was difficult because we couldn't stop marveling at the surrounding architecture. Walking through the city to our hotel feels like walking through a giant open air museum. Every building looked so grand. It is exactly like what Frommers said about Budapest: "It is a feast for the eyes". 

From Zagreb to Budapest by Train

Glavni Kolodvor Train Station Zagreb

The early morning walk to the Glavni Kolodvor train station in Zagreb was pleasant despite the fact that it was 4AM in February. We were a little hesitant concerning the safety of walking at such an ungodly hour, but the owner of the hostel we stayed in assured us it would be absolutely safe. He was right. Our walk was pretty uneventful. There were a few people walking on the streets who seemed to pass us by without even a second glance. We took the 4:56AM train from Zagreb to Budapest. It was a 6 hour train ride. We almost didn't make it on to the train because we got on the wrong train! Luckily, we realized it just in time and ran towards the right train before the doors were closing.