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mom did most of the cooking, but i made:
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. What are you thankful for today?
the past couple of weeks i realized i was thankful for something, even though it wasn't in conjunction with it being thanksgiving--more of a realization. but i suppose on this day, more than ever, i should blog about it to formalize it a bit :D
i really loved living in germany for two years during my graduate studies. but i'm actually very thankful for living in the US--and specifically, california. lately i've been thinking about how lucky we americans are to have what we have available to us. yes, these are "tough economic times" and everyone i know has been affected somehow, but i wouldn't trade two related aspects of america -- consumerism and its diversity -- for anything. the cultural diversity of where i live now, in the bay area, is unequaled anywhere i've been. in germany, there was no way i could get a boba or froyo or sushi all within 10 minutes of my house.
i've been fortunate enough to travel to four continents, and while every country i've been to has its own special and unique culture, only in very few metropolitan areas outside of the US (and, i suppose, only a few places inside the US--but the bay area is most definitely one of those places) is quality, authentic food and goods from countries around the world readily available. i could get wonderful spanish food in spain, but it's hard to get, say, good japanese food. here, i can get good spanish food and good japanese food.
perhaps this is my way of saying i'm grateful that america is america--a diverse nation with immigrants who bring a bit of their homelands to share with the rest of us.
and really, how can you hate a country that loves black friday? even if i don't buy anything, consumerism ftw. :P if i could afford it, anything from anywhere is available in my own backyard (figuratively speaking), and if not there, then online, just a few clicks away.
p.s. i'm also thankful for the SBC! (not to be confused with SBC the phone company, which really, i would imagine few people are thankful for)
i've been thinking recently about things that i take for granted but can't go back to living without. here's a list--which may change at any time! (in no particular order)
- TiVo
- Prius Smart Key
- Rogaine
- Web-enabled cell phone (currently an iPhone, but Windows Mobile was fine, too)
- HDTV
- GPS
- Downloadable music
- IM
blog title courtesy arthur c. clarke.
my heart melted as i listened to keith olbermann, who said this about the recent passage of prop 8 in my not-so-fair home state of california:
i don't know who he is, but he is articulating everything--everything--that i'm feeling now.
it pains me to think that people i know and love voted for this proposition. astonishingly, i even know someone who went to a rally supporting it. perhaps what's just as bad is that i'm not necessarily surprised that they voted this way. i grew up in a very churchy environment, where living christian ideals is paramount. and for the most part, i don't find anything wrong with that.
until it makes people stop being humans and machines of bigotry and preconceived notions and fear. marriage stopped being sacred or sanctified the first time someone commited adultery. or got a divorce.
you can say that gay marriage is wrong or against nature, but who are you to judge that? just let me live my life and love who i want, and be married to who i want. just because chaddy and i can get married doesn't mean that your marriage is any less special or diluted.
i went to the protest march in san francisco, and i plan on going to the rally this weekend. as i said before, people who voted yes on 8, you should be ashamed of yourselves. why do you, who have nothing to lose, take something away from us?
"not myself" by john mayer just came on my itunes. (he's kind of one of my guilty pleasures--not like i really enjoy his music all that much, but sometimes it's just what you need.)
i'm in the throes of a crapload of work and i'm starting to fall into an escapist mood, and the music that's being played doesn't help.
what i wouldn't give to be riding through the great american countryside on a warm summer night on some sort of seat mounted to the roof of a train, wind rushing by, enveloped by the overwhelming peacefulness of it all. heck, i'll even take the inside of a box car, hobo style, watching the tranquil sea of crops or dim shimmering lights from distant towns pass by in the distance. carefree, clickety-clack.
i just started reading a book (i know, me? read? it must be important!) -- a song to sing, a life to live by don and emily saliers (the latter of indigo girls fame, a band that i have loved since late high school--1995!).
in chapter 1, they talk about "songlines" -- one's personal musical heritage. here's my own:
my mom comes from a very musical family, much of it influenced by the church. the majority of my aunts (and my mom) can play piano and love singing. that totally comes from my grandmother. she had a wonderful alto and sang hymns (even when no one was around) all the time. i don't know where my dad his love of music from (my paternal grandmother wasn't really a great singer nor did she play an instrument, afaik), but yeah, he's totally into it as well.
my mom sings very well and used to sing at weddings and at church (she was in the choir). sometimes she and my dad would sing duets--their favorite being "all i ask of you" from phantom of the opera (their most favorite-est musical evar. EVAR!). somehow my brother and i love singing along to songs--maybe because we saw our parents do it so freely? music clearly moved them, and it moves us. singing in the car, i remember my mom would always admonish us to "sing an octave higher" because we weren't putting enough energy into our singing and were kind of muddling through the song. she'd also criticize pop singers, calling them "no-voice #1" (janet jackson) and "no-voice #2" (paula abdul) because they didn't have good enough voices to be popular. they got us to play instruments when we were young, although we both quit way too early, well, i quit way too early. (i wish i had continued with piano.)
music was one of the highlights of going to church. i'd dread going every week, but singspiration almost made it tolerable. to be able to sing in public even with a crappy voice? love it. well, loved it. (as i said, i don't go to church anymore.)
while i listen mostly to pop punk and indie music nowadays, there's no denying the power certain genres of music have on me, and i can always rely on them to get me through tough times. [i'm kinda rushing this post because i have to get going to the airport--NYC weekend!]
from trance (techno) to rent to artists like the indigo girls, pet shop boys, and imogen heap, music has lifted my heart, soothed my soul, and transported me outside of my everyday existence. transcendence, some might call it.
yes, yes, politicians are more talk than substance (i'll believe it when i see it!) and sometimes i felt like i was watching a movie because it sounded so perfectly scripted. he said everything i wanted to hear and more. could hollywood have manufactured a better presidential candidate? one who is charismatic and can draw crowds like a rock star? doubt it. but you know, i think his so-called "celebrity status" is not a detriment. we need someone who can energize us as a people. someone who has the backing of the citizenry he takes on washington. someone who can engage us and make us excited for what we believe in.
yes we can!
Show us your favorite place to relax.
the most relaxing place i've ever been is Český Krumlov in the winter. quiet, serene, babbling river, windy cobblestone streets, a castle, the smell of firewood burning in centuries-old fireplaces...
just thinking about it is calming. aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh! more pictures here.
What's your definition of home?
Submitted by NayNay72
for me, home is wherever you feel like you belong. that belonging fosters a sense of nurturing. this can be engendered by friends, family, the way the city or town speaks to you...
if thinking about this place makes you smile, it's your home.
it could mean that you're not living in your home. i actually caught myself the other day calling germany my home, even though i've been back in the bay area for a year now. odd, eh? but not really, i guess.
here are pictures of the only two places i've ever truly felt at home: tübingen, germany, and chicago, illinois.
How do you react when you're stressed?
Submitted by Deep Thinker
i eat. and boy, it ain't pretty. that, plus lack of time to go to the gym due to the stress level means this month (= a stressy month) i've turned chubby. waaah!!!! i've had cravings for so many things (and filled them all): ice cream, boba, kimchi...unpretty.
oh, and my eczema breaks out, always in the same spots: my forearms right below my elbows where they meet the edge of the desk. and, sometimes, on my upper back. grr!
