A viajar...

A comprar pasajes se ha dicho...para Lilly y para mi :)

Llevo tiempo deseando unas vacaciones largas para visitar a mis familiares y amigos que he abandonado por estar working. Me parece que un mes completito de viajes me vendra bien.

Lilly se quedara en PR con sus primas Maya y Paulina (y las vecinas con quien hace coro). Y yo visitare a algunas personitas en PR antes de irme rumbo a NYC (Desibar y Chewning here I come!), Philly (al jangueo con Nando y Aaron), DC (cause I miss GW & great friends.... and I'll prolly end up working out of the DC office for a few days), espero ver a Rafa en DC o lo visitare en VA, y acabare mi viaje por los estados en West Virginia (a ver a mis adorados tios, abuela, primos y sobrinos Roe & Obi!)...despues regresare a PR a estar un poquito mas de tiempo en casa y a estrenar la nueva lancha!

*** Estoy contemplando otra parada en ATL a ver a Laura Mercedes****

Estoy emocionadisima, aunque admito que dejar algunas *cositas* en RD me pone triste y ansiosa....

Regresare pronto a comenzar una etapa nueva en Santo Domingo (si todo sale bn!). Tendre muchos cuentos y fotos de este mes.

A viajar!!!

* Lilly acostumbrandose a su casita de viajes...Eso sera todo un "show". Prozaac pa la Lilly en el dia de viajes.

Dia Mundial del Turismo 2010

Los días de fiesta me encantan. El próximo 27 de septiembre (lunes) estaré de fiesta mientras me paso el día trabajando. Es el Día Mundial del Turismo. El tema de este año es "Turismo & Biodiversidad" - MY FAV! (Yes, I know, soy una tremenda nerda ....y con orgullo)

Aquí esta el website de la OMT (Organizacion Mundial del Turismo) del evento. Me encanta que hay un Photo Contest -en el link que hay fotos muy nítidas.

http://www.unwto.org/worldtourismday/index.php?lang=E

Me encanta esta foto del concurso... en parte porque soy amante de los girasoles

Fotografo: Nikola Fific

Estoy viendo a ver de que manera aporto a la celebración. Luego de que una compañera de trabajo nos recordara de la importante fecha, decidí ofrecerme para dar una presentación de mejores practicas en Turismo & Biodiversidad (veremos a ver si se da). Estoy pensando usar la investigación que realice con un gran amigo y profesor de GW. Recopile la investigación del articulo académico que el publico o sea que me conozco las mejores practicas de memoria.

Aquí hay una presentación chula que dio Stuart Levy de la investigación que hicimos:

Ver la presentación otra vez me trajo muchos recuerdos!!!

http://tinyurl.com/stuartspresentation

...busca la presentación de titulo

Sustainable Tourism Principles Reflected in Award-Winning Practices

de Stuart Levy & Don Hawkins

Y un Resumen Ejecutivo del articulopublicado:

http://tinyurl.com/2dvyb5v

También encontré unos cuantos destinos que estarán haciendo cosas muy chulas para celebrar:

Cozumel:

http://tinyurl.com/2dzu32q (tortuguitas!)

Malta:

http://tinyurl.com/2e72gky

Madeira Islands:

http://tinyurl.com/2bhyklm

Chandigarh, India:

http://tinyurl.com/2fbryhl

Seychelles:

http://tinyurl.com/26r85fv

Daré un update del Día Mundial del Turismo 2010 pronto :)

Trying to feel "Yellow"

I've been feeling Blue lately.

To end my Blue streak I've decided to force myself to feel "Yellow".

The Marketing/Branding person in me can't help but Moodboard in times of need.

I Moodboard'ed to inspire myself to feel yellow.

Anaconda #2

Hace varios meses encontre una culebrota en mi casa en pleno sabado de "chercha" (fiesta a lo dominicano)...una Boa de la Hispaniola de 5 pies de largo. Luego de llamar a un amigo de la Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y una amiga ambientalista que sabe bregar con culebras, le salve la vida a la culebrita (porque si llamo a los guardias la pican en pedacitos) y la llevamos al rancho ecologico de mi amiga en lo que ella la suelta en un parque. Pense que encontrar a Ka la culebra (de Carla) fue pura coincidencia.

...

...

Hasta que despierto esta mañana para encontrar esto en la misma area donde encontramos a Ka:

Anaconda #2 me dejo evidencia que anda por ahi! Tremendo. Ando con la casa hermeticamente cerrada de que cae el sol por miedo a que entre por algun sitio. Por el color creo que es hermanita de Ka. Esta es muchisimo mas larga. Ese rollito de piel al final es bastante grueso. Lilly no estaba muy contenta que se diga y andaba buscandola.

BENTO Post

Note: This is an entry I had saved as a draft for about a month now :( I have not made a single Bento lunch since this post.... sad I know

I mostly talk about work-related stuff in this Blog...but I can't help it, I MADE MY FIRST BENTO lunch today so I must write about it. (Google es tu amigo! Si no sabes lo que es BENTO buscalo)
I've been researching lots about Bento lunches and I've been eager to actually do something with all the research (and PURCHASES - food container, cookie cutters, sushi kit, etc) I've een doing.

So last night I put aside everything and spent 3 hours in the kitchen cooking in the Dominican heat with the dogs bothering me for "treats" (dogS because I'm dogsitting a friend's dog who is keeping Lilly company).

I went ALL out and made lunches for a whole week. Let me just get right to it and show you pictures of my creations:

So I started out by cutting up all my veggies with cookie cutters to use in a bunch of recipes (I'm a vegetarian so the veggies are a must)

Then I cut up a couple of potatoes...let's just say I used the romantic cut rather than jullienne. (the photos are in reverse chronological order, but you get the idea... I cut up the shapes and placed them in these small oven containers. I also made a bechamel cheesy sauce and poured them over the potatoes to make "papas gratinadas") I froze these little suckers and I'll stick 1 the oven tomorrow morning for lunch :

I also made some Animal Shaped stove-top frittatas. I mixed up one egg with some small cut veggies a little bit of salt and pepper and some parm cheese. I placed the cookie cutters on the pan and poured the mix inside each of the cutters. This was a bit of a mess but I'll keep practicing.

I also made some brown rice and indian chickpea daal. All quite yummy. These are the pics of my Bento Lunch :) So proud

In need of energy? Chug some H20

I've always felt that I would be unstoppable if only I had a bit more energy. I have not been able to wrap my mind around how it's possible that someone in their 20's, vegetarian, leading a relatively healthy lifestyle (mind you I could be exercising a bit more), and that has a zest for life can spend the whole day being lethargic and tired.

I have so many ideas, and I want to do so much more than what I'm doing but for some reason being tired all the time doesn't help!

I've tried it all ....

• I've been to the holistic doctor who has put me on special vegan, unprocessed food diets which I'm just too lazy to keep up with


• I've done the yoga


• I've up'd my exercise routines


• and countless others that range from "setting my mind to it" to waking up at exactly 7:35 am so that the sun can inspire me in some special way

To be honest...ALL of the above have worked! So it's not that they don't work, it's just that I can't keep up with the routine for more than 3 days. Yes...this tired 20'some yr old is lazy but internally full of energy that I can't seem to exude correctly.

BUT not to worry my friends... today I have found the solution to my problem: WATER. Drinking more water is something I can do and THINK I will be able to keep up with....pretty simple right? (That's until I find out I'm too lazy to increase my bathroom trips throughout the day)

I can't take credit for coming up with the genius idea by myself. I read this Blog post today after someone Retweeted it: www.seanogle.com/headline.important-trait-for-entrepreneurs

So thank you Sean Ogle, thank you Twitter, thank you @YearAroundWorld (love your tweets btw) for RTing.

I'm off to fill up my bottle of water that has been sitting in the back of my kitchen cabinet for months now.

Hasta Luego :)

PS. Follow me on Twitter! @carlagiselle (I'm installing a TweetMe button soon...If I find the energy to do it)

Following a friends advice

A good friend recently told me I seldom write posts and when I do they are way too long to even read in one sitting. I agree. In my attempt to be a better blogger, I will forget about "updating" and just get right to it...

The DR is growing on me. It's been a bit more than a year since I first moved here (June 12 2009). The first few months were a disaster. I missed DC terribly. I went from having a lovely studio apartment in Dupont Circle, a bike, a rooftop BBQ, and a CVS in every corner to living in my parent's vacation home (a huge house with many rooms in Casa de Campo DR - or as I call it, the Fancy Prison), driving a golf cart, and having to pay a ridiculous amount of money in taxis to even leave the Fancy Prison and see other people. What was previously a walk to CVS now became a phone call, a $400 peso ($11.50US) cab ride and a quarrel with the entrance security guard cause I had forgotten my "Villa Owner" Id.

The DR is now my friend. Having Lilly (my tiny mutt, who is not so tiny anymore and certainly not well behaved), counting on so many great local friends, hosting family and friends that visit and getting to know the country has made my stay anything but boring.

Let's see what happens...October is coming around and that's when my volunteer contract with this project is up. If I get a good offer from my company (I'm definitely done being a volunteer!), I might have to stay and see what else this country has to offer.