television

today one of the most miserable day (weather-wise) of the winter and the first day of the semester.

i've been celebrating this first night of no homework with multiple hours of TV-watching. right now "the office" is on, the episode about michael's return from jamaica and the photograph of jan, and even though i've seen this one at least five times i have to watch and laugh. in this way, it reminds me of "hannah montana" which is undeniably addicting, thanks to my roommate. seriously now, i've tried and you cannot not watch and love it.

this afternoon while working out at the SERF and watching CNN, everyone stopped and pointed at the screen when heath ledger's death was announced. there were lots of high-pitched "ohmygod"s from girls clutching their hearts dramatically. wow, celebrity death causes such a commotion. and we were all just getting over the anna nicole shindig! i was so so amazed when i saw articles online about his death with quotes and pictures only hours after it was announced, which just shows how behind i am when i don't continually remind myself what year it is- the year of apple producing new products (the new skinny laptop!) every other second.

okay, it's ten o'clock. goodnight!

rie y llora

right now i am holding down the fort at scott's house while he is at class. this includes lounging around in his bedroom and catching up on facebook for a couple hours while enjoying his ancient "fan forced instant heat" machine as it warms my bum. i kind of told him (and myself) that while he was gone i was going to do productive things, but really, this is much more fun.

i am slightly tired and sick with a cold. i got back from guatemala saturday night and haven't had much time to "recover." here is a top 10 list of guate highlights to start off the year:
1. my family from last year (elisabeta, vanessa, martin)
2. por supuesto (translation: of course, you would, duh, i hate you)
3. como se dice: shut up?
4. chitty chitty chat chat nights
5. swimming in our underwear in pana
6. que eres... seloso?
7. getting to 2nd base with erin
8. shedding some cynicism
9. re-creating "dirty dancing: havana nights"
10. GUATEMALAN CLUB MUSIC (which i have been listening to constantly even since i got back into the states)

ringing in the new year

good movies seen over break:

27 dresses (A-)
the aviator (A)
stardust (B+)
in the mood for love (B+)
once (B+)
the namesake (A)
juno (A)
i am legend (A)

the return

good things:
*seeing "white christmas" for the first time ever
*planning out break in movies
*raspberry ale in champagne flutes
*the notes that sara leaves for me on the bathroom mirror every morning
*three down, one to go
*running into a friend from freshman year you forgot you knew you had
*wearing the same tank/tee combo for the entire week
*family christmas cards with essay-long letters
*multiple friends coming back into the states
*passing statistics 301
*the joke-y e-mails sent between me and my internship supervisors
*seeing the best in people
*excitement for spending more time in guatemala
*excitement for my semester to travel the world (or okay, maybe just one continent)
*actually, excitement for new's year eve, returning to school in january, and this summer (i have a lot of excitement in me)

dammit

WHY DOES SCHOOL CONSISTENTLY INSIST ON DETERRING PEOPLE FROM WANTING TO LEARN?

slosh

while stomping around in the snow and taking 45-minute chunks of time to walk anywhere in order to avoid death, i've been thinking a lot about the "some people think they are just on earth to be happy" phrase.

this year i've met more people than ever that hate celebrating christmas. however, i cannot help but secretly find warm-fuzzy happiness in the blaring of carols for many hours at a time, electronic dancing santas, and people exclaiming that it's only "x" days 'til christmas!

murder she wrote

for the time being, a day or so, life is back in order. this refers to the fact that life is now actually less "in order" with time to take deep breaths, enjoy the food that i eat, talk with people about things other than scheduling, go to yoga with sara, obtain new reggae music, and damnit, be inspired.

since this semester started, my general feelings and personality have landed all across the board. if i were to illustrate them, they would look like a giant rollercoaster. the twist-y kind where you hang upside down and go all over the place. in other words, the kind that i do not particularly like. i catapulted myself from laid-back to workaholic in about one month, experiencing an initial high (refer back to my "this is the best day ever" feelings), followed by every sort of out-of-place and lost emotion out there. i felt square. i feel square. however, i am now working towards finding that happy medium (or not?) while in pursuit of a graduate education and a fulfilling career. yep, no idea, yet. but it's going to be good.

inspiration

for the past few days, i skipped out on school and attended GreenBuild, an international conference for sustainable/green design, in chicago. at GreenBuild, i got the opportunity to see paul hawken speak and i have to share his speech with you. WATCH AND BE INSPIRED.

(paul hawken comes in about 1/4 of the way into the clip)

news

1. dumbledore is gay
2. japan is crazy

living a baroque life

first of all, i'd just like to say i have a really great playlist going. right now i am listening to "the way i are" by timbaland... and damn, i love this song (grammatical errors and all). it gets me so pumped up.

so, i pretty much just bought two identical pairs of boots online. ah! i wish i could just TAKE MY BID BACK! this major mistake is directly blamed on my lack of eBay experience. to be exact, this is only the second time in my life that i've ever visited eBay. earlier tonight, i found the perfect pair of boots, fell in love with them, and way over-bid on them to secure myself as the winner! however, two hours later... i find a pair of even MORE perfect boots and secure a (more than likely) winning bid on those as well. the more i reflect back on my last few hours of online browsing, even though i'll have to go through the return hassle- it was worth it. if you saw the boots (either pair), you'd understand. and hey, now i have choices! still, i do not think i should not be allowed to use eBay for the first time in a couple years without some sort of practice purchases first.

eBay is one of those new-fangled internet operations that i usually forget about, simply because i only use it in desperate situations (i.e. to find cute parisian boots). scott just got me netflix for my birthday, which was the best present ever, but it is surprisingly difficult to get used to incorporating an internet site (outside of e-mail) into everyday routines (despite the fact that it IS just more movie-renting). in addition to netflix users, the many people who keep up photo sharing sites, display their book recommendations on goodreads, or keep daily blogs amaze me! one of my friends consistently does all of the above, which makes me worship her because she is so connected, up-to-date, and involved.

this week i began my internship. it was fun, funny, great. i cannot express how much i enjoy the people, the work, and the ability to be an intern and get excited about a "real job" before actually becoming tainted by the corporate world of inevitable politics. during each work day, i remember feeling myself slowly enter the post-graduate real world and stray away from my academic center-of-the-universe. it was completely refreshing. this is a good start.

wow, i just realized i never documented anything at all about china. even if it is unproductive, i might record tidbits here just so i can remember what it felt like to live within a communist country and how i would not travel there again for any other reason than to consume dumplings all the live long day.

keep me underneath the mistletoe

lately things have been going my way! i think.

this morning at 10:30am i had an interview for an internship at my dream architectural firm. by 11:00am, i had the job! then, i proceeded to spend the rest of the day gushing about it. now comes the worrying stage and re-vamping (more like creation) of my business casual wardrobe, but i'm still excited! this firm is the kind of place that i've envisioned myself working at for a while now. the building is located in an old brick factory (previously used as a photography gallery) with an open space plan, rustic wooden beams, and minimalistic red doors and white partition walls. the firm is woman-owned, consisting of only six staff, half of which i assumed were gay- just all around very attractive, good humored, intelligent people. so YES! EXCITING! i celebrated tonight by doing a half-assed job on my statistics homework. again, YES! EXCITING!

due to my own little terrifying universe of class and work and clubs, i am sad to report that i have completely lost track of any sort of current events, new music/books/movies, and lots of friends. it's just sad, so sad, that the only new music i know is from television commercials (jcpenney, the cube-y ipod, old navy, etc.). i miss you, oh precious precious free time. actually! my roommate's boyfriend's band (sara, matt, saint radar) has a new CD out, which is pretty much what i've been listening to for the past week. yay go buy! or befriend him like scott and get it for free.

as much as i'm fitting into this current life of organized schedules and pats on the back, i am holding on like hell to each moment of spontaneity and my refusal to join the blackberry brigade (please no). i am so confused (and at the same time, excited) about choosing a good way of life in regards to the upcoming years. the future is scary for many reasons having to do with change, but what scares me the most about "growing up" is the end of growth- you stop growing physically and almost mentally, like not adding any more words into your vocabulary (i know vocabulary isn't my strong suit, but today some kid said the verb "gander" to me, wha?! do people really say that in everyday sentences?). i really really hope to keep growing after graduation and well passed my 100th birthday with hobbies and travel and everything... into an enormously tall and well-spoken person. OK- it's time for bed.

GOOD NIGHT!

echo wall

helloooooooooo! (this is me shouting at you from the other side of a great big tunnel)

i can't remember the last 30-some stretch of a month where every single day i could confidently say: THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER.

singing in my sleep

this last week in august represents everyone doing the "nothing but everything" thing. obviously, i have some time on my hands (ex. actual blog post in over three months, gluttonous television-watching, daily cat naps) but, on the other hand, there are a million and one things to be done before the start of the school year.

lately i am really into non-fiction books: the world is flat, asian-american dreams, bowling alone. right now i'm favoring "bowling alone" over the other two. i haven't had much time to sit down for hours and race through it, but let's face it, that's not my style. it took me about a month to finish the last harry potter book, which technically makes me a slower reader than most elementary school kids. i fully recommend "bowling alone" as a great random pick-up book if you're at all interested in people. it is not one of those pretentious sociology books either, so don't let the graphs and really really small print scare you off.

last night i baked another martha stewart cake, which i did not photograph because it was not worthy. it caused an almost-fire in the apartment and ended up resembling a cream-colored lump of cancer. no matter how delicious that cake turned out (very but what do you expect from pounds of butter and cream?), it was definitely not worth it in the end. while baking my cake and watching "prime" (B), i also began researching grad schools. my only comment is: AHH?!

an ending quote: "it will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber."

for your health

thanks to betsy for classic arrested development youtube videos.

3 must-see movies

notes on a scandal
little children
black snake moan

coldcoldcold

today was a pretty sad mother's day.

this afternoon i called my mum to wish her a happy day, only to find out that both of my grandmas are in the hospital. this makes me want to be home right now more than ever. the idea of preparing yourself for the death of a loved one is so foreign to me. i am such an overly emotional person that i really cannot even think about grandmas and moms without crying.

tomorrow will be better!

to all of you

found! summer project #1.
i am currently obsessed with the art of decoupaging! okay so, my kitchen will never be able to look like this, but i still cannot wait to buy cheap garage sale/IKEA furniture and arts them up.

this weekend i did a ton of moping (being in the state of mope, as opposed to cleaning the floors with a mop, is there a spelling difference here?) and not a lot of work. however, highlights include: splurging on expensive italian cheeses for manicotti/tiramusi, power browsing for summer dresses at the mall for one whole hour, reading more of "blink," and seeing spiderman 3.

i have decided that i really dislike "blink" because it kind of ruined my weekend. it is an extremely interesting book and i respect its intentions, however, it makes my perspective of "the sum of a whole is greater than its parts" very uncomfortable. the fact that scientists have data which accurately predicts divorce rates after observing a couple for a mere ten minutes honestly freaks me out.

spiderman 3 was OK, but definitely not worth $9 and 30 minutes of waiting in line. but wow, i internalize movies way too much. after the movie, i was definitely flying around the parking lot like spidey.

lately i have been in a really bitter mood. however, the funny thing about bad moods is that afterwards when you feel better and look back on it, you have no idea really what the heck you were even thinking.

one thing that i am pretty disappointed about (on a completely different level than the "boo, finals are here" kind of disappointed) is that my really cute spring coat has only gotten out once or twice, since i pretty much slipped into my flip flops and tees immediately after taking off my winter coat for good.

thank god for people who still blog and get me all inspired all over again to keep going. you know what i love most about this blog? the stuff that i write is generally stuff (even this) that i've already told people, so the certain people out there (hi scott) that read already know it all anyway.

how to

LIVE MORE SUSTAINBLY
(compiled by my 601 class- i had to put this somewhere permanently)

*buy local and organic food; know your farmer
(american food travels an average of 1,500 mi before it reaches your grocery store. this means lots of energy/less fresh food. shop at a local farmer’s market/co-op or seek out local products in your supermarket.)
*eat less meat
(reducing/eliminating meat in your diet has health/environmental benefits and prevents the inhumane treatment of farm animals. raising meat/herd animals is more damaging to the environment than CO2 emissions as a whole.)
*grow your own, plant a garden
*reduce waste when eating out and get there without a car
(bring your own coffee mug/a container for leftovers instead of using the restaurant’s disposable packaging.)
*buy a hybrid or share a car
*turn off your car when you’re waiting
(takes less gas to start and stop a car than it does to leave it run for short periods of time.)
*offset your carbon dioxide
(buy CO2 offsets to counteract the greenhouse gases you create, support clean energy, and make a statement)
*buy for the long run, not just today
(reject the throwaway culture to decrease material throughput. why not purchase a pair of shoes that will last you a lifetime? columbia, l.l.bean, northface, chacos, REI all have lifetime warranties on their clothing.)
*buy fair trade
*buy used clothing and household items
(vintage is in!)
*cut down on disposable bag use
(refuse bags for small items. use canvas bags for grocery and other shopping or reuse the paper/plastic bags you already have.)
*skip the bottled water
(tap water usually has the same cleanliness and taste as bottled water and is subject to stricter regulation. avoid the extra packaging, transportation, and plastic used for bottled water.)
*seek out “green” products
*vote with your dollars, buy ethically and socially conscious products
*extend the life of your clothes
(mend your clothes. create new garments from old ones. donate clothes you’ve outgrown.)
*make more gifts than you buy
*scale back your disposable reading
(cancel subscriptions to daily newspapers or magazines you hardly read or share the subscriptions with a friend or neighbor.)
*borrow instead of buy
(get books from the library instead of the bookstore. borrow major household items and offer to share yours.)
*recycle!
*replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents/LEDs
(despite their higher initial cost, they save you money over the lifetime of the bulb.)
*light only what you need
(turn off the lights you’re not using. use a lamp to light the area you’re working in instead of a large overhead light.)
*buy Energy Star appliances
*keep more beer in the refrigerator
(liquid takes less energy to keep cold than air)
*turn off and unplug electrical items when you’re not using them
(TVs, computers, monitors, cell phone charges, and other devices pull a charge from outlets even if they are turned off. plug these into switch outlets and turn the switch off at night. also, unplug these devices if they aren’t being used for prolonged periods of time- like if you’re going on vacation.)
*heat yourself rather than the whole house
*use dishes more than once before washing
(save water and build your immune system at the same time.)
*get your name off ad mailing lists
(do this is at dmaconsumers.org.)
*take shorter showers
(while you’re at it, turn the temperature down.)
*don’t flush so much
(the rhyme goes: if it’s yellow, let it mellow. if it’s brown, flush it down. if you can, get a dual-flush toliet.)
*save paper
(use cloth napkins/handkerchiefs. print double-sided. stock the printer with recycled paper. use blank sides of paper for notes or coloring. send more documents electronically.)
*clean green
(many cleaning products contain toxic chemicals; use natural substances instead. ex: white vinegar diluted with water as an all-purpose cleaner; lemon juice for cleaning copper, dishes, and garbage disposals; 4 tbsps baking soda + 1 qt warm water for scrubbing tile.)
*compost
(create a compost pile for food scraps to reduce the amount of trash you send to the landfill and create rich fertilizer for your garden.)
*incorporate sustainable practices into your job
*live near your job
*learn, teach, educate yourself
*write a letter
(contact your local representative voicing your concern for greater environmental initiatives.)
*share your green practices with others, especially those you love
(if you believe something is important, share it with those you love.)
*get outside, enjoy the environment
*join conservation organizations in your community, volunteer
*vote
*invest in socially responsible businesses or mutual funds
(socially responsible mutual funds/businesses are more prevalent today than at any time in history. vote with your dollar! if you believe in a business or set of businesses, invest in them.)
*micro-lending: invest in others
(lending money for small projects around the world can have a huge effect on individuals’ lives. borrowers will pay you back and you can reinvest or take out your money in the end. check out kiva.org for more information.)
*think about your grandchildren’s children
*love
(practice random acts of kindness. love yourself, your culture, and the people around you. after all, isn’t love the reason you’re getting involved in the first place?)

the destroyed and the destroyers

the frat boys that live upstairs will. not. stop. making. loud. heart attack-inducing. noises. what the heck could they possibly be doing up there that makes that loud of a sound? the only thing i can come up with: they are jumping off 50-story building heights and i am hearing their bodies splating down to the floor. oh, if only.

lately i am obsessed with the OC. i do not know why exactly. maybe because the show ended way too abruptly, maybe because it was praised on TAL, maybe because it is close to the end of the semester/middle of my undergrad schooling and i am looking for any and every distraction. all i know is that i have watched it for the past month or so, constantly getting into debates with people over the show's level of worth/trashiness and the worth/trashiness of television in general. you can guess which side i am on. now, i will fall asleep to the theme song.

insightful things later?

mondays

so, here's what happens.

everyday i write down tiny tiny notes on random corners of notebooks or class handouts about stuff that i'd like to write right here immediately. HERE. obviously, that never actually gets done. then, when i have 5-minute windows of free time, like now, i end up complaining about it. good grief.

i must re-vamp my reading list soon. but for now, i need to (re)read:
heartbreaking work of staggering genius
silent spring
the alchemist
let my people go surfing
bowling alone
the ethics of what we eat

and finish:
the moviegoer
blink