Hey guys! I've been crazy busy lately. Lots of projects and events going on. July is always a little hectic in my family. We have something like 6 birthdays, and an annual charity event tha we help to organize. So I've been back and forth from the city to the suburbs at least once a week.. Ah life. I've also been contributing my time and putting together graphics for the charity event that I just mentioned (on top of my other work).

BUT, I did have time to put together a little CURRENTLY post for you. Just thought I would share the things I am kind of obsessed with at the moment :)

CURRENTLY WATCHING: Orange is the New Black on Netflix. Can we talk about how good this show is, please? Based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same title, and created by Jenji Kohan (who brought us the fantasic series, Weeds) - we are transported into the lives of female prisoners. It's a truly gripping series, and their are some really strong female characters. I think it's amazing, and you should definitely give it a watch. All episodes are now streaming on Netflix!

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: Coconut Records, "Nighttiming". This album is from 2007. I have played it every summer since then, and still haven't gotten tired of it. If you're a Jason Schwartzman fan (and why wouldn't you be?), give his album a good listen. It sounds like California. Some of my favourite tracks are Nighttiming (the video link features J. Schwartz's brother, Robert - of Rooney or Michael Moscovitz as I fondly like to remember him), West Coast, and Easy Girl.

CURRENTLY READING: Mindy Kaling's, "Is Everyone Hanging Out WIthout Me? (And Other Concerns)" . This book is the best. I haven't laughed so hard in a really long time. I just want to be Mindy's BFF.

CURRENTLY LOVING: Frozen Yogurt. Of any kind. Yesterday I had a banana and coconut concoction. It was delicious.

Hey guys, I am back again! This time I am with my awesome boyfriend, Pedro, who helped me shoot, edit, and choose the photos. We have a WANDERLUST post for you. Part II of our Brazil trip - the amazing Rio de Janeiro!

After 10 days in beautiful Salvador (read about Part I of our trip to Salvador, Brazil), Pedro, Sonia (Pedro's lovely mom), and I headed out to Rio de Janeiro for some sightseeing, and to visit with Pedro's grandmother. Rio is an amazing city full of history, culture, and of course - some very famous beaches!

Unfortunately it rained almost every day for the whole 10 days we were in Rio... So the dreams I had of getting a tan on the beaches of Ipanema were pretty much shattered. Haha. But don't worry - we managed to occupy ourselves and have a great time!

We visited the Sugar Loaf ("Pao de Acucar"), where we took two cable cars between neighbouring mountains and went on a nature walk.

We tried to go up another mountain to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer ("Cristo Redentor"), but once halfway up - decided the 4 hour wait was no way to spend an afternoon (and to be honest, you can "see" the statue from literally anywhere in the city).

We also visited the Botanical Gardens (Jardim Botanico), and enjoyed some of the local nightlife. We listened and danced to samba and bossanova - and heard the samba schools practicing for Carnival.

I disappointed myself as a photographer in Rio. Most of my photographs were of jackfruit or in Portuguese, "jaca", the world's largest edible fruit (which I thought were amazing looking, but apparently nobody eats), AND of monkeys. And that was it. Oh well, next time

Rio de Janeiro. We walked, we saw, we ate, we drank, we absorbed, we learned, we tanned (or tried), we swam, we danced. Rio rocked us. It was a trip I will remember for the rest of my life. I could go on forever, but I won't :P

Rio de Janeiro is such a vibrant city. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, I urge you to take it. I can't wait to see more of the country, and explore other parts of South America. Thanks for letting me share a tiny bit of my first South American adventure with you!

Check back next Wednesday for more of my travel adventures! Who knows where I will stop next.

DESCRIPTIONS:

View from the cable car at the Sugar Loaf (Pao de Acucar).

Christ the Redeemer Statue (Cristo Redentor) through some trees, Pedro & I in an old cable car at the Sugar Loaf (Pao de Acucar).

MONKEYS!!!! With their tails touching! I died (@ the Sugar Loaf).

Mama monkey with a Baby monkey on her back :D (I believe this was on the road back down from the Christ the Redeemer statue), Crazy flower in the Botanical Garden (Jardim Botanico).

View from the restaurant called, Apazivel (apparently Amy Winehouse ate here when she spent time in Rio - so I thought that was pretty cool), in the Santa Teresa neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro. Wish I had gotten to spend more time in this lovely little area.

Jardim Botanico/Botanical Gardens, We stopped on our drive through the mountains, and I snapped a quick photo.

GIANT PALM TREES!!

Pedro making goofy faces.

Me enjoying a caipirinha (cachaca + lime + sugar + ice) at Rio Scenarium, Live band at Rio Scenarium.

Street art near the Botafogo subway station! There was so much AMAZING street art in Rio. I am so sad I didn't take a million photographs of it.