The following is from DailyOm, a personal development site my friend Liz introduced me to that provides a daily dose of wisdom or inspiration. Â What amazes me is how succinctly the authors can write...
The following is from DailyOm, a personal development site my friend Liz introduced me to that provides a daily dose of wisdom or inspiration. Â What amazes me is how succinctly the authors can write...
Our good friends Andrea and Brian gave me a very cool birthday gift this year – a $25 gift certificate for a loan to give out on Kiva.org, a micro-lending site. Â (Check out this post I wrote...
Can’t think of a much better combo than this: Seize the Day from Newsies set to Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. It has a very old-school cool kind of feel to it… enjoy!
I have the most heart-warming story to share with you today! Â Back in April you’ll remember that Nick and I accompanied the Friendship Home kids to the Water Park (CLICK HERE to read that...
Due to my unwavering love of Sam Tsui, I’ve decided to start featuring a different song each Thursday until I run out of selections or get sick of him. Did you take your ‘Sam...
If you’ll think back to mid-July we talked a bit about Getting Ready to Be Ready. Â The act of writing that post was very freeing in and of itself and I noticed an immediate shift in my...
With nearly 1,000,000 hits on Youtube, Maggie and Lucas Thompson’s video “Minnesota Gurls” is a bonafide viral success. Nothing makes me happier than to see the next generation of...
A dose of Sam per day keeps the doctor away! :)
One of the fascinating things about living overseas is realizing the little things you’ve taken for granted for the majority of your life. Â Many of these realizations are fleeting and merely...
I’ve long been a fan of these flash mob scenes that started popping up on Youtube a year or so ago.  I think you’ll really enjoy this one in Grand Central Station when  200+ individuals...
A little down-tempo number for this rainy Manila day.
Forgive me, I’m feel like a little cheesy High School Musical today…
This is mind-blowing! Â I’ve never seen anything like it! Â Give it 30 seconds, you’ll be hooked…
Friends in India, have you seen this done live?
I’ve noticed that despite having seasons, my body still senses when changes are supposed to be happening (even when they’re not). Â Never is this more true than around the start of school...
As I continue to grieve and make sense of the tragedy that has befallen my childhood friend’s family, I have found immense comfort in Natalie Grant’s song ‘Human.” Â The...
I can’t believe I haven’t posted this one yet for Sam Tsui Thursday! Â This is one of my favorites… I know you’ll enjoy it as much as I do. Â I hope it puts a little bounce in...
On Wednesday night Jenna and I went to our very first Twins Game in the new stadium. Â To be honest, I was pretty sick of hearing all the hype about this stadium and didn’t expect the...
Hello All- I am well aware of the fact that I’ve been a very bad blogger lately. You’ll be happy to know that I am thoroughly enjoying my time here and in classic Sarah Miller...
For those who complain that Sam Tsui does none of his own stuff, I am pleased to present his first original song! Now there’s no reason left not to become a fan… Happy...
Cebu Pacific is the exclusive Philippines airline of Novakistan. Remember when they won our hearts after the dramatic”Kindle Episode” in Shanghai?  Keep the singing, dancing and in...
Just one week before we left for Hong Kong Nick and I were having one of our nightly debates/discussions. Â The question was: Which sense would you LEAST like to lose? Â I insisted that sight would...
Oh man, it doesn’t get much better than this. Sam doing a cover of Sara Bareilles’ King of Anything… be still, my heart!
This will be my third and final post about Hong Kong. Â Today’s post will actually focus on Macau, an island that is a 1 hour ferry ride from Hong Kong. Â Macau is best known as the Vegas of...
One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice– though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your...
In coaching, one of the fundamental beliefs we hold about our clients is that they are naturally creative, resourceful and whole – meaning that they have the wisdom and ability to create...
One of the many volunteer hats I wear is that of Worldwide Recruitment Specialist (my self-appointment title) for the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University (CSB/SJU) in Minnesota...
This is definitely not my favorite of Sam’s work, but it’s a bit different than his other stuff, so I’m sure some of you will appreciate it. I’m crossing my fingers for...
Finally, a little something acoustic. Now this is much more up my alley. Hope you enjoy Paramore’s “The Only Exception.”
It was a joyful week here in Manila.  I had the privilege of hosting a recruiter from my Alma Mater, the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University.  She was only here for 5 days, so...
Seriously, this is too good not to share. In case you missed it, on Thursday Oprah reunited the family Von Trapp for the 45th Anniversary of the movie’s release. I was amazed to...
As many of you remember, last year was a VERYÂ tough Christmas for me. Â After those challenging few days, Nick and I made a pact that we would change things up for Christmas 2010 to ensure we...
Warning: This is not a standard Novakistan post! Â I’m hoping you won’t mind though, as I’d really love to get your initial impressions. Over the past few weeks I’ve been...
This is one of the first Sam Tsui songs that got steady play on my IPOD. It’s called “Down” by Jay Sean. I think you’re going to love it as much as I do… did...
I know I said that sailing past the Sydney Opera House was as good as it gets, but I’m going to have to retract that because the last 24 hours topped it. Â This last day was out-of-this...
After we got done with our helicopter ride, we continued driving south to Fox Glacier where we had booked lodging at a 700 acre working farm/bed and breakfast called Clearwater B&B. Â We had...
Nick put together a 5 minute video of our helicopter ride over the Glaciers in New Zealand. It’ll give you a better idea of what this majestic experience was like. Enjoy!
My crazy travel schedule got me off my usual Thursday Sam postings. Since I’ve been missing him, I assume you have been too! Hope you enjoy this new duet “Just a Dream.”
I’m confident that if Sam knew about Presents for Pinoys, he’d support it too! :) Enjoy this week’s mashup.
If you paid close attention, you may have noticed that Sam Tsui is frequently shown in videos with his friend Kurt, who plays every instrument known to man. I came across this amusing video...
I thought we’d deviate a bit from the norm today (being Sam Tsui’s AMAZING work) and enjoy a little vintage Mariah. I’m pretty sure this song will never get old! Come on, push...
Hi All- One of my favorite annual traditions is to reflect on the year I’m finishing and set some intentions for the year ahead. Â This year I happened to stumble across a really great tool...
It seems fitting that a monstrous snowstorm took out the Metrodome’s roof. Â I wonder if that’ll be the end of the Vikings playing there?? Seriously, watch this clip, it is mind-blowing...
I am well aware of the fact that I talk about my undergrad Alma Maters frequently. Â And some of you may even be thinking, jeez, why doesn’t she just move on from college and embrace her adult...
Hi All- One of my favorite annual traditions is to reflect on the year I’m finishing and set some intentions for the year ahead. This year I happened to stumble across a really great tool...
So as you all know if you read my REVERB post, INSPIRED ACTION is my theme for 2011. I’m done doing things because I should and am doing what moves me instead. Here’s a little tune...
Amazing Grace + Light Show + Techno Music = A Fun Time for All
My expat friend Naomi over at DelhiBound wrote a fantastic post that caught my eye this week. Â It captured the Expat experience so brilliantly that I thought I’d share an excerpt from it...
WAHOOOOOO! Â Presents for Pinoys was a SMASHING SUCCESS! Â I will have lots and lots more photos for you tomorrow morning, but bed is calling my name right now. Â More later… In the meantime...
The night I had been waiting for months to arrive was finally upon us! Â After all the fundraising, all the wrapping and all the transporting, it was finally time to give out the gifts… and...