What a weekend. Lovely wedding, great people. It was a privilege to be a bridesmaid, and despite our hard work, I had a blast. I socialized nonstop, meshed beautifully with a group of people I'd never met before, got adopted by families, stole the heart of a married man, promptly broke it the next day, rubbed elbows with and fascinated rich and powerful people, and had an overall wonderful time. All in two days.

You were charming, handsome, and totally enchanted by me. Had I let you keep talking to me, had I agreed to your playful requests to stay in touch, you would have kept asking for more. Your offer to give me a ride was pure in its intentions, but without a doubt, you were falling in love with me. Somewhere along the way I learned a valuable lesson. It took a long time, but somehow, I learned how to say no. Such power is contained in the word "goodbye"....

Before the wedding, I had my first manicure and pedicure ever.. And it was a unique experience, truly. Not many people can say that a philosopher gave them a foot massage. Of all of the fantastic exchanges I had during my trip, the deepest, most emotional, most insightful conversation happened at a nail salon. Further proof that real beauty can be found in the most unlikely places. My shy Vietnamese wise man gave me advice on life, love, marriage, and the secret to eternal happiness. He prophesized about who I am deep down, and about what my future holds, all, he said, based on the quality he saw in my eyes. "Hold on a little while longer," he told me. "Something big is coming for you. You're going to be something great." I wonder how many rich, snobby women have paid him to pamper them and make them beautiful, without ever knowing that the most valuable thing of beauty at that salon lay inside the mind of the man cleaning their feet.. because they would never stoop so low as to talk to him. He said that no one before me had ever bothered.