Hey everyone! As promised I am showing off my new design and name change around here! So from today on this place will be called Curls & Cocktails! I am thinking I might move it over to a new place soon but I am not sure yet so for now it stays here! I had such a great time figuring out the plans for this one and finding the perfect name! Jenn over Munchkinland designs is seriously amazing and I highly recommend her!

Anyway! Its hard to come up with ideas of what to give away since I am not at home and its much harder to get things mailed. BUT I am throwing in an extra little prize to the winner that I hope to find on my travels this month. So here are the prizes:

I feel like a bit of Oprah’s favorite things going on here…except they are mine of course!

-I suppose these can be used in different ways but the main point was for those with e-readers to be able to buy a book! Haha I live through mine  

I am so excited about this and I can’t wait to see the winner feel free to pass along the message!!!
Good Luck everyone!

So it’s 2013 you say? Well I am finally getting back to reality. I took the bus back from Hong Kong today am all settled into my apartment and tomorrow starts the long haul. I work at the school for the next 8 days and with my part time(extra teaching jobs) I actually work straight through till the 20th of this month. YIKES!! 

But…

That is not what we are going to talk about today. Mainly because I don’t want to start weeping dramatically all over my keyboard while you all prepare for your weekend. I digress….I spent NYE in Hong Kong. It was crazy, frustrating and fantastic. Yep, all three. 

First the crazy: 

-Walking around trying to find our way to the harbor in huge crowds and 4 inch heels, not knowing ahead that many streets would be blocked off from Taxi’s we had to endure quite a walk that we were not expecting! 

-The weather was COLD!!!! Being on a boat in a tiny dress even with a coat and tights does not actually make it any less cold!! 

-The water was INSANELY choppy!! 4 inch heels, rocky boat and alcohol = success of epic proportions 

Yep! A very tall Leprechaun, a Pirate and Zorro all came along too

taking in the view

Joining the boys in the singing

The Welsh boy I work with

The Frustrating: 

-We were led to believe that this boat thing was one of those situations where you get a boat with a bar(attendants) and food. What it actually was? A group of foreigners rented a boat and used all the money to stock up on cheap alcohol. (would have been ok had it not been A LOT of money)

-Because we were misinformed about the above ^^ all we had to eat the whole day was 1 meal and very early in the day and we didn’t find out until were at the harbor rushing to board the boat that there was no food and we had to no time to get any. 

Cheese!

Haha I had just said something completely inappropriate right as the music stopped

SafferSister helping Saffer get her shoes off too

The Fantastic: 

-Ummmm did I mention I was on a boat for NYE in Hong Kong harbor? Oh right…probably a thousand times by now #sorrynotsorry

-I got to bring in the new year with some hilarious people who made me laugh the whole damn night 

-Crossing the border back into China (we spent the first night in Shenzhen) in socks, drunk as can be at 3am. True story.

My favorite picture of the night…5 seconds to the countdown

Pretty awesome fireworks display

SafferSister borrowed me her socks because I did not have any…She is a lifesaver!

I need to steal some of the pictures from everyone’s cameras but this is what I had on mine. I’ll share the rest of the pics from the few days in HK tomorrow!! 

Its that time again. Election day. Now I do my best to keep my strong opinions about politics away from this blog to save myself arguments and offending anyone because I don’t generally enjoy hurting anyone’s feelings just for fun.sometimes BUT I do think its important for everyone to be in the know. Do your research, figure out what is important to you and find out where both candidates stand on it. Don’t take mine or any random persons word for it. Every single one of us has something different we find important so it can’t be as simple as so & so said this person is better or this person is the same religion, the same gender, the same race, the same whatever it might be. Yes I have actually had the race conversation more times than I can count and it makes me so sad.  

Does Religion matter? For some yes it really does. For me not as much because I am not a religious person. another post for another day I suppose. I believe in good moral behavior and that we need to recognize that not everyone in the country is the same religion. Our country is a mess, not just the politicians, the country itself. If the conversations I have been a part of, the social media crap I’ve read, the single-minded comments and posts are anything to go by we all need a shake up and to be taught how to act like educated adults. 

So if I can go through the pain in the behind process that is voting from C.hina you can make some time in your day and vote. I have been on the fence for awhile trying to decide what is the lesser of two evils for quite some time. I took the time to sit down and decide what is important to me, what I think can genuinely benefit the rest of the country and not one particular group of any kind and now feel strong in the belief that I voted for the right candidate. All I can do is hope the majority felt the same way. 

Either way. Don’t just vote because someone told you to, don’t vote for anyone in particular because so & so is doing so. Know what your voting for. 

Be thankful that we live in a country where you can talk crap about a president all over any social media site you please, you can argue in public with someone about politicians and you can vote without being shot at, threatened(egh that depends what state you are in) . Exercise those rights people!! 

See you all on the other side!!!