The IceBlock [26]: Dreams & Loss

What I wanted to say, I can't really say anymore, because the post published right before this one was completed yesterday. I guess what I can say is: this IceBlock post is the first full post that I'm writing after finally moving to California.

Yup, after more than eight years of wanting to leave New York and move here, specifically, I finally did it. I finally made another dream of mine a reality. I finally accomplished what I truly believe is the most difficult goal I ever set for myself.

I left New York on March 9th and was blessed to have my mom's company until the 13th, the day she had to fly back. I considered that my first official day here in southern California, for the purpose of living and not for vacation.

This is my second week away from family, my second week to finally really start my life. To think the hardest part is over is naive. I guess you could say that's why I'm writing this post.

The IceBlock [15]: Nikki's Back

Hello hello. I mentioned it here and there, but never officially announced that I would be leaving for California between the 2nd of August and the 12th of August. I had Internet access this time around, but let's be serious: it was not reliable enough to post anything (and probably wouldn't be able to support any picture-uploading on top of that). So I've been gone, happy and gone, and now I'm sad and back, but it always works out that way unfortunately. I am happy to be with my family again, and I'm excited to be back on here, but I miss my boyfriend and I miss being in the city that I hope to live in someday. Aaaand, above all, I detest being back in New York City. But that's a story for a different day.

Mainly I've been gone because of my trip, and I thought that this time around I would at least, at LEAST, post a picture or two from each of the major places I went to. That's what this post is about, besides announcing that I'm back. So it won't be super picture-heavy (at least not as picture-heavy as it could be), but I hope you enjoy the ones that I do include. With that being said, let's move forward.

The IceBlock [5]: "Nino's Asylum" and California

Hi everyone! I was trying to make a habit out of alternating between reviews and "life" posts, but I wanted to save this session of The IceBlock for today because today, my trip to California is officially a week away. :)

First though, I'm excited to say that I'm finally writing again! I'm working on my short story that I dreamt up after leaving the hospital in July, which I have temporarily called "Nino's Asylum." It's coming out differently than planned, and I can't even say how close or far I am from the end (which scares me a bit...), but isn't that how it usually works out with writing? I figure those kinds of things shouldn't matter anyway, as long as the story is getting put down on paper - literally. I think I'd be further along if I was using Scrivener, or ANY word processor for that matter, but instead I've stuck to writing this one out by hand. I wanted it to indeed be a short story, since I have a habit of writing way more complex (and therefore lengthier) plots, and was hoping that writing by hand would limit me since it's much more tiring and a mess to edit. Ha. =P

The IceBlock [2]: Weight Loss ((Rant))

Hi everyone. I have two different reviews planned (one that's finally a book) so stay tuned for that. But today I've just been feeling down again.

Last year when I studied abroad in the Netherlands I went from being 130 lbs to 145 lbs within the months of May and June, because that's when my jeans stopped fitting me. I am 5'3'' if that gives any perspective, and I went from being very slim (though not at all 'fit') to being on the chunky side. This was the first time in my life that I gained weight and I'm still not sure why the sudden change occurred. My metabolism used to work at an incredible pace - so quickly to the extent that I could eat junk food every day and not gain a pound. But now, with a much more controlled (though not perfect) diet, I find myself gaining weight in a heartbeat.

The IceBlock [1]: Digestion & California!

Hi everyone ~ I decided to come up with a new section, The IceBlock, where I pretty much talk about what's going on in my life, much like a diary of sorts. I thought I'd number them for the hell of it too, just to see how many I can rack up. :o

I didn't post yesterday because I was quite busy with food shopping and cooking with my mom, all while dealing with digestion problems! I plan on talking about this in more detail later but, in a nutshell, I've been dealing with hormonal imbalance since I struck puberty. One of the first ways I tried to combat it was homeopathy, because I was terrified of all the side effects that come with birth control (which I ended up on anyway as of Decemberish 2010).

In the end, homeopathy seemed to do nothing for my hormonal balance, BUT it did manage to make my stomach very sensitive to all kinds of things thanks to the many diets it entailed. Now I'm almost always visiting the bathroom after eating small amounts of packaged chocolate snacks, chips, 'outdoor' food, and candy. Yes, most of it is junk food so that can't be a terrible thing, but like every other person in this world I have cravings and I cannot satisfy them without getting sick afterwards! -_-