I finally have a visitor! Now what...?

I've been trying to get anyone I can get my hands on to visit me. My grandma visited me for a couple of days in December which was awesome, but getting Matthew for a visit this week was the first friend visitor (and hopefully not the last!).

Was quite afraid of my first visitor getting a horrible rainy impression of Seattle-it was insanely rainy and disgusting on Friday. To top that off, Matthew managed to get trapped in Bellevue while biking around... quite an accomplishment. But provides great forms of exercise. I should attempt this sometime. I did meet up with him for lunch in the International District. Green leaf is one of my favorite restaurants by work now-large portions and something about lemongrass sauce makes me very, very happy.

Friday evening, per Samantha's recommendation, we headed over to Bizarro's. The wait was about half an hour, not too bad for a 'top rated' Friday night restaurant. The thing that sticks out about the place, as can be inferred from the name, is the curious decor. Bicycles on the cealing, odd paintings on the walls, a spider off the chandalier. Quirky to the extreme. It is a type of place you can spend almost the whole evening (we were there for about two hours). I would give it an A+ for fresh bread and oils - magnificent combination and great presentation. I complimented this with a delightful glass of port. Mmmm. The main dish for me was elk. Yes, elk the animal. Whenever I see an animal that I have not tried on the menu, it must be consumed. I will give elk a B. Chewy and tasteful, but not something I would go out of my way to have.

Saturday, for a second time for me, we went over to Wallace Falls State Park. I went on this hike previously in October and loved the waterfalls so decided it was worth a repeat visit. The trail climbs very steeply and through quite an array of vegetation: fields, rain forest, and pine forest. The rapid river gushes several hundred feet below the trail at most points. The falls come in three stages- the middle one being the most impressive. If you are tired, the top falls is not even worth the trek in my opinion.

The middle falls are amazing in their two-teir cascade, and the magnificent view on the valley. We were lucky that the clouds left right as we got to the look-out point. In a matter of minutes, the view of a giant cloud faded into the blue sky, mountains, and cozy valley. Perfect timing. =)

Also great luck with weather - both of the weekend days were partly cloudy and beautiful. A sunset on the coast is one of my favorite things ever. We watched Saturday's from 'Golden Gardens'. 

A day trip that I would really recommend most visitors is to Bainbridge Island. Seattle is famous for it's ferries and this is just a 35 minute ride with amazing views of the city and possibility of wildlife spotting (apparently some people saw sea otters on our trip there...). The trip can be done by car, foot or bus. Both of the times I have gone has been on foot, so I think next time I will bring some other form of transportation to get a better look at the island, but it is great. Quiet and quaint.

And once again, I will make a plug for my favorite farmers market in the city-Ballard farmers market. Sunday mornings. It has all of the things I love most about markets: good mix of food, arts, and produce stands. Live music. Cute shops around the market. =)

And no trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to the Space Needle. Well it could be... but we went up anyways. Great view.

And as I vow to continue documenting my cooking adventures, I would like to give an A+ to the Trader Joes pizza dough. Cheep and amazing. Also adding lots of cornmeal on the pizza peal is essential to success. Still to come: trying to make my own pizza dough.

First visitor to Seattle was, at least for me, a success. Great to see somebody that I have known for a while, and show off what I have learned about the city so far. Here's to many more!

Resolutions

Looked around and apparently I did not make any last year, but I have become more of a goal-driven person in the past year so I decided that setting up some resolutions, or more like 'goals' for this year can keep me on track. I am still adjusting to 'real life', so it is great to have something pushing me forward.

Sooo in no particular order, some goals-edits may come.

• Succeed at work. =)
  
• Visit two new states
• Visit a foreign country (Canada does not count...)
• Do not gain weight+get more arm strength (hey, I'm being realistic here)
• Figure out work/life balance. 
• Keep in touch with all
  
• Figure out how to use SLR camera
  
• Figure out how to do rubiks cube (finally...)
• Boulder a V3, climb a 5.10 (single one is fine!)
• Personal finance management - figure it out
• Finish one of my art projects
• Learn to cook better! (vague but well... a goal)
  

Should I try to do something else this year? What are your goals? Short term or long term?

2010! Start!

Well a couple of days late, but.... Happy New Years!

Welcomed new year at a friends place from a balcony that faces right at the space needle. Great friends, lots of fun and great way to start off the year. =)

So far, great start. Of the recent successes, I would really like to recommend this chicken marsala recipe. Made with Zinfandel wine this time, which was a little too sweet, but still amazing. Also great recommendations for Boat St Cafe. Amazing mimosas combined with mushroom scramble and divine honey/butter biscuits. Wonderful brunch location.

Also, waiting with great anticipation for summer, when I can go on a hike and actually get a view from the top. Though hiking Rattlesnake Ledge was delightful, it is nice to see something other than a pillow of cloud at the top. At least you could see the Olympics from the city yesterday evening and some today. =)

2009, a recap

Before starting the new chapter of 2010 (is it the new decade or not... I could never figure out when it truthfully starts....) it seems best to recap the amazing year that wa 2009. Truthfully an amazing year. =)

NYE

It all started off in Boston. I was there with APO for our National Convention. I got a car-full of people from Maryland to stick around to ring in the new year in there. Unfortunately (or fortunately...) there was a blizzard, and even the fireworks in the city were cancelled. No fear! Had a great night with several thousand other APO brothers celebrating. At midnight we all went down to the lobby and sang our toast song. Amazing. =) New years day was less fun.... driving back from Boston to MD being the only driver in the car. But hey, awesome friends and music make it all better.

Winter Break - Skiing in Switzerland 

From there I enjoyed the wonders of the last of my amazing winter break. Month long breaks in college.... so amazing. =) Main event was going skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland. Week and a half trip with my parents. Such an amazing resort.... you can even ski into Italy! (just be careful to get back before the lifts close...). Also got to visit Liechtenstein and see some more of Germany. Kind of spoiled me as far as ski holidays go. =)

Last semester begins!
So begins the last semester of college. I decided that this semester would be enjoyed to the fullest. Had three days of classes a week, and dropped my physics minor on the first day of class. Taking 'Massage Therapy' and 'Human Sexuality' was much more interesting than 'Thermodynamics'. Sorry. =)

Virgin Islands

Did get to take one last excursion to St.Johns, Virgin Islands for a weekend. Parents were there for a week and I skipped a bit of class to visit. Magnificent beauty - clear blue seas, snorkeling right from the house... just paradise. I'd never gone to a Carribean island before and have been craving returning since then.

Adventures last semester

The last semester was a whirlwind. So many things happening! Spent a lot of it in various adventures with APO, my fraternity. Above is the spring retreat.

We were also lucky enough to get some snow in MD in February-snow days are amazing. Sledding around campus was even more amazing.

And what last spring in DC would be complete without a visit to the cherry blossoms? Such a DC event. So many more things happened in the spring like ski trip to PA, countless visits to DC, random hiking trips, repainting the kitchen, etc. But a small look at them. =) Overall, an amazing semester to finish it all off.

Graduation

And then... graduation! Five years (heh, well... yes) and finally there. It is over. Amazing memories, amazing times. Now on to the next chapter. =)


Summer trip: New Zealand/Australia

With the semester over, I really wanted to take the summer off to travel. Unfortunately (well maybe fortunately), I couldn't find anyone to travel with me. So eventually I just said 'screw it all' and went on a 5.5 week trip to New Zealand/Australia by myself. Amazing decision. It was hard to adjust to traveling alone (I am a very social person) at first, but then meeting people was so easy and it was a blast. Non-stop moving. Above is be standing above one of the volcano craters around Auckland.

New Zealand really won my heart. Especially the south island. This is one of the mountains right next to Queenstown. Almost got to the top of it... not quite though. Somewhere in there, about halfway up the above slope, my sense of rationality kicked in.

From there, it was over to Australia. Starting off in Sydney-one of my favorite cities now. It is like London.... except warm and a beach town. Amazing?

The wildlife in Australia is really something... Kangaroos are really everywhere. Wombats, koalas, camels, birds, emus.... =)

Took a bit of an expensive trip into the middle of the country to see Uluru. It is really a different world from the coast that most people see. The red centre is the heart of Australia. Then I went over to the coast and got my scuba diving certification in Cairns. The tropics were an amazing way to finish off the trip (aka, in the warmth, as I seemed to miss summer...)


July at home

And now... a moment to relax while exploring and saying farewell to MD. That month really made me wish I could just not work forever and explore everything. Made a huge list of things to do and see in MD while I was there, but only got a little done. Still great. Went to DC a bunch, kayaking, finally down to Charlotsville, general friends exploration, packing, Busch Gardens and much more. =)

Thanks here to some of the amazing folk I spent the month with. =) Missing you.


Alaska

Then to a completely different adventure-two and a half week trip with my parents to Alaska. Once again missing the concept of summer this year, but well worth it. The wildlife of Alaska is what really sold me. Well... and the mountains everywhere.

What can beat just walking around a glacier? (I also went ice climbing... that is a fair bit harder though...). =) Really want to return to Alaska - see some of the southern islands, and get up to the Arctic Sea (I know... it is not that exciting when you get there, but I want to do it... we only got up to the Arctic Circle while I was there).


Moving to Seattle

And then the real adventure begins. On a beautiful August morning flew out with the sunrise from DC into Seattle. It welcomed me with open arms. My new home. =) All the fears of moving and not knowing anyone and not having things to do really propelled me to be insanely proactive in all of the above areas. I explore every weekend. Made friends anywhere and everywhere people talk to me. =) As a result... this place feels like home. May the adventures and the amazing friends continue.


Adventures in Seattle

One of the best things about Seattle is the hiking. Just by the city there are so many amazing mountains. 45 min and you're on a great hike. Two and some hours and your mind is blown away. This is Mt.Baker in September.... probably on of my favorite hikes ever. Can't wait until next summer when I can get up into the high mountains again.

Then of course with the snow comes to skiing. =) Have only gone once so far but more adventures will come. Still... the mountains right by the water is really the selling point for me for this city. Just a couple of the adventures-there were many more hikes, a trip down to Portland, a weekend in Vancouver, mushroom picking, concerts, food exploration, farmers markets... etc.

And so-here is to the main thing that has made Seattle a home. The great people I've met. Here's to some of them (well the ones that came out to my b-day). =) And to the rest.

San Francisco visits

Being out west means taking trips down the coast is something that can be done without taking vacation time. =) Took advantage of that twice to see some friends and family down there. Going there really makes me realize how small Seattle is. San Francisco has the most amazing neighborhoods, pretty awesome weather, and a neverending pool of things to explore.

Visiting MD

And then... Christmas has come. Finally, after four months absence, a visit back home to MD. Being away is not so painful in this age of technology-I feel so much more connected to everyone as I can talk to them on phone, online, video chat... it is all there. =) But still great to see home, open presents and catch the remains of the great 2009 east coast blizzard. =)


So recap? An amazing year. As I measure things by travel often the count comes out to two new states, three new countries, and nine countries total. Pretty good I think. =)

Now here's to 2010! I'm excited, are you?

Hello again

Dear Blog,

Sorry for being such a horrible owner. I have neglected to fill your pages with my random thoughts, or at least with my enticing photos. You have gone lonely for far too long. I keep being afraid of touching you and dropping a 500 pound weight on you of all the things I want to say. I have too much love for you to have such a thing happen.

Yet from the ashes you awaken. Awaken in time for the new year. What brings the return? Well a couple of things.

First of all, I should really document in writing the adventures I have here. So many restaurants, hiking trails, walks, etc that I see, and how will I remember what is worthy or not? Memories cannot be trusted. When I return after years, I want to know where I did go and what is good or not. =)

Also, as I've used facebook and twitter to document my life, it has occurred to me that those are very unreliable sources. They are one line sentences that really do not say much about what goes on. Also incredibly difficult to compile.

And then there is my constant awareness of how completely oblivious I am to the intricacies of the English language. Writing is truthfully rather depressing as I realize how minuscule (hah!) my vocabulary is. So many words that should be used but are not. They are just sitting in the dictionary waiting to get out. Yet I am cruel enough not to open the pages and even find out what they are. Instead.... the regulars make frequent appearances.

Well and of course the year is coming to an end. Some people go and head to the gym, some people clean their apartment.... I go and think about all of the places I want to go, and things I want to do. Writing is a motivation factor. Part of the reason for not writing is that I feel like my latest adventures do not compare to my escapades of the summer... yet they do. It is just a different type of an adventure.

And lastly, something that pushed me over the writing edge, it is 'Julie and Julia'. Movies make quite a bit of an impact on me. Heck... I was rather traumatized by 'The Lion King', and hiding behind the covers for 'Transformers' and am currently avoiding continuing 'Arrested Development' because the embarrassment pains me. Movies have an impact. Well.... this impact is quite positive. I feel like I am floating. All is possible. Talk about an optimistic approach to a new year that is right around the corner. So many recipes that can be cooked! So many adventures to be had! It can all come together!

So yes... my dear blog. I have come to grace your pages again. I hope I will not disappear for a while again, at least for a while. =)

For now....

Goodnight, and good luck!
-Olga

Falling in love with Seattle

I love fall colors. Seriously. Adore them. The vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. It is as if the trees want to have one last kazoom, one last show for the world before they go dormant for the winter. And they put on an amazing show.

So I've been all about the colors here. Taking special paths to work trying to walk past the 'good tree' streets. Opening the blinds in the office so that I can see the trees out the window. Dragging folk up into the mountains for the colors...

Yup, this is pretty much me. But I guess that is okay?

<3

Do you feel like an impostor?

I haven't been to many talks that have really inspired me in my life. Ones that really feel like they are applicable to me. One talk that really stuck with me was when I heard Mia Farrow talk in London about her efforts in Darfur. That talk made me want to change my life.... but I didn't. Did not quit the technical track for activism. Yet I do like to think I can make some sort of impact on the world through the efforts of APO, my service fraternity.

Yet one of the panels I went to today at the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing is something that really sticks with me, and I feel like it will continue to stick. It is something I have felt my whole life-I have after called it the 'inferiority complex', but I think that the term that is used here for it is much more applicable - 'the impostor complex'.

Do you have it? Do you feel like you should not be in the role that you are? That you were put there by some chance. That every success that you made was because somebody put down the wrong name... or picked you just because you were the only female... or that it was a raffle and you got lucky. And then every failure is because you were not good enough. That everywhere you are you are afraid of getting 'found out' in that you do not know what you are talking about. That you do not deserve to be there.

This is something that has been prevailing in my life. It has to be a mistake if something is good. One of the questions that was asked at the panel was 'when was the first time you felt like an impostor'. I think I remember the feeling most strongly when I got the audition as 1st flute in 9th grade at DC Youth Orchestra. I did not comprehend that I could be there... I felt like I would get booted off and found out any time. Then there was any leadership positions... why did I get elected to that? Why? How?

The feeling has escalated out of control in the past year, ironically enough as my self confidence has grown exponentially. You go to these job interviews and talk to the amazing people around you-how can you possibly get the job if the people around you are so smart. I went to interview after interview, not believing I can do anything. As an example of Amazon, I was 100% convinced I would never hear back from them. I was shocked when I got the email about the job offer... I did not want to tell people at first in case I got another email again telling me they sent it to the wrong person. It could not be? Then I started to feel good about it only to have all of those thoughts dashed as I flew out to Seattle to look at the company and see that I was the only female in the group of acceptees. Was I accepted only because I was the only female who they interviewed? Why the heck am I here? They are going to find me out when I start working... I will be fired. Even now that I have moved out to Seattle I am afraid to make plans with money, or plans for trips or even buying myself a year membership to the climbing gym because I am afraid of being found out and ousted before that time will expire. When people compliment me on my amazing job I put it down saying 'ohhh I don't know anything, they just hired me because I am female maybe... ', or some other thought going through my head.

But then... who said I was so bad? I see the interview process from the other side now. And it is really harsh indeed. The hiring bar is high. Yet I made it. I made it over the bar. I got multiple job offers. I overcame.

The panel was amazing. It was comprised of women professors, high ups in Google and Microsoft and PhD student and some more (apologizing for my horrible memory). These women explained how they felt like impostors in their life. It is amazing hearing this from somebody so successful. So we all feel it? So it is okay? So maybe you can be good enough?

I find it hard to wrap my head around this.

But I am making this my resolution. Take on the advice that was given. Stop doubting myself. Some of the things that the women mentioned were 'act confident and you will feel confident. Also telling others about your accomplishments... they really do exist! Also diving at what I am uncomfortable at... it can be overcome.

So just a statement to everyone else out there (and pardoning my horrible writing... this is why I am a coder and not a journalist), it is normal to feel like an impostor. But it is not good-and you are not. Look at the amazing things that have happened to put you there. I know I should drink some of my own medicine here but here is to trying.

PS-The Grace Hopper Conference is amazing. Amazon has a large representation here and it was wonderful meeting these amazing women both within my company and in general. So honored to be here, and also to check out a bit of the hot weather of Arizona. =)