spring break: santorini + mykonos

Though it's been more than 2 months since I returned from the Mediterranean, I never get tired of looking at pictures, or planning what I'll be doing next time.

I visited Santorini and Mykonos, as well as Cairo and Istanbul!

A sweet cat near the windmills in Mykonos; walking through Mykonos Town.

Thoughts + impressions

• Greece is very tourist friendly, especially in comparison to Egypt. Not in terms of people, as I found locals who were very interested to talk to us in both countries, but in ease of navigation and how many people spoke English. 
• Both islands are navigable without a tour guide, and the locals are used to giving recommendations.
• People are taking pictures everywhere! It's definitely a bloggers' heaven, as everyone is used to it, and you'll be comfortable if it's your first time shooting in public. Still important to relax a bit though!
• Santorini is quite the leg workout! Especially on the caldera side, it was all steps and our luggage would've been impossible to transport if we hadn't had our Airbnb hosts helping.

Watching the sunset in Oia, apparently world famous!

Must know

• Stay on the caldera side of Santorini, if possible. It's more expensive, but worth it. We saved some money by looking on AirBnb!
• In Oia, there aren't street numbers or names for any of the stores. We met our AirBnb host by the bus stop (there's only one), and they led us there.
• Even shoulder season is crowded! We went in April, and Santorini was still packed. I can't imagine trying to do anything in the summer. On the other hand, Mykonos was a bit too quiet; it doesn't start to fill up until after Orthodox Easter.
• Mykonos is known for partying and bars, and is also apparently very gay friendly - as a cab driver in Athens told us!

Views of Oia.

What to do + where to go

• Sunset in Oia is a must! Try and grab a spot on the castle ruins if you can, but seats fill up fast. We had dinner during, and it was a great view.
• Fira and Oia Village are both great for shopping, though they have more of a touristy vibe. I didn't see any shops that felt very authentic.
• The Oia to Fira cliff walk is said to be worth it, especially at dusk or before sunset. I didn't get a chance to do this, but supportive shoes would be a must, especially as there are many steps and cobblestones.
• Our host also recommended Kamari Beach and Perivolos Beach, which are known for their black sand, but being from California, we weren't as interested.
• Dinner at Amoudi Bay was also suggested, though I couldn't make it down the steps because of a fever and headache. I believe you can go cliff jumping as well.
• Nearly all the restaurants we ate at were amazing! To be able to keep running in such a competitive environment, they would have to be, so it's hard to go wrong there.

Windmills of Mykonos - it was actually quite windy, and much colder than Santorini.

Mykonos Town on the left, and Oia Village on the left. Both were touristy and gorgeous for photos.

Of all the places I visited, Greece was the most picturesque and relaxing, Egypt the most shocking, and Istanbul the most stimulating. I can't wait to hop on the next plane somewhere!

xx

Angelina

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a word I hate

Lots of things drive me up the walls. Humble bragging, not saying "please" or "thank you", and backhanded compliments are some of them. But there is one word in particular that stands out:

"Sometime".

Where I hear it

It frequently comes up when making plans with others; "Yeah, I'd love to sometime". Okay, when is this, "sometime"? I understand using it as a polite way to decline, I'd do that as well. But I can't help but think that it shows a certain degree of indifference, like you haven't bothered to check your schedule, or are shelving in the back of your mind for a second choice.

Of course, taken out of context, my vendetta against the word seems a bit extreme.

Does it benefit you?
I believe that if you'd like to do something, whether it be seeing an old friend, finishing a project, or getting anything done really, tacking on the word "sometime" allows you to put it off even more.

Because when you don't assign a specific time frame to something, you can't hold yourself accountable for doing it. I said I was going to do my laundry sometime, and so what if I didn't do it today? Tomorrow still counts as sometime too.

Then, it can just drag on and on, where you start to reason with yourself, "Well, if I've made it this far without doing it, maybe it's not essential anyways."

But whatever it was, you wanted to do it for some reason! Things don't just stick in our heads just because; they benefit us or those we care about in some way. So really, you owe it to yourself or your close circle, to get on it.

What to do about it
Instead of saying sometime, assign a time frame. It doesn't have to be a date, but "next Friday", "when I get my paycheck", or even "before I retire" would work.

This summer, my list of "sometimes" includes: getting rid of 80% of the clothes I don't want, finishing my sketchbook, and regularly working out. I'm happy to say I've made progress on all of them!

What does your list of "sometimes" include? Do you find yourself using it to put things off as well? How do you avoid procrastination?

xx
Angelina

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life lately: back in the game

I'm finally out of school for the summer, and I'll be back on the blog weekly now! It's been a while, and I'm feeling a little bit rusty, but I'm looking forward to getting back in the routine.

I tend to shy away from writing posts about what I've been doing, because I'm never really sure whether people find my life all that interesting (sometimes I don't), but it has been a while:

Going: to the beach (-each)! We've had a heat wave the past week, and headed out the minute the last class ended. NorCal beaches are always a bit chilly in the water though, so we just tanned and took (lots) of photos.

Watching: a fashion show at Stanford! It wasn't as big as I had expected, but it was still fun to see. I was surprised at how fast the looks went by, especially since we'd gotten there earlier for seats.

Listening: BFD at Shoreline Amphitheater! It was my first music festival, and I absolutely loved it. It was sweltering and humid, but hearing the bands live and being able to feel the bass vibrating was amazing. My favorite was Lucius, and Finish Ticket also had great charisma and energy.

Doing: Being more fit! We took the dogs a couple times up to the mountains, and they loved it.

Seeing: The new exhibit, Living Digital Space and Future Parks, at the PACE Gallery in Menlo Park. We went on a weekend, so it was quite crowded and hot, but I enjoyed seeing the works. Crystal Universe and Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together are great for photo ops.

Trying: Lush! I went to the grand opening of the store at Stanford, and they gave out some free goodies! I've been working my way through Roots and H'Suan Wen Hua, and both are amazing (though pricey!)

Visiting: The Oscar de la Renta Retrospective at the de Young. I went almost the last weekend, and it was packed! I was glad that so many people were interested in fashion, but it also made it difficult to really appreciate his work. I also wish they had models, so you could see the fabrics in motion, rather than simply on mannequins.

Reading: Always Pack A Party Dress by Amanda Brooks. I can never get enough of fashion biographies, and have already reviewed and read a handful!

I've had a great time out there not worrying about driving traffic to the blog or coming up with new ideas to write about, but I'm excited to be back and creating more content. With that said, I'm still a bit dry on things I want to discuss, so let me know what you'd like!

xx
Angelina

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