i hate it when this happens

groan

Okay, let's lay off the AC for a little while, shall we?!

living my favorite book

Patiently waiting for my connecting flight in philly back to new york.

I tried, but I ended up surrendering to what turned out to be an utterly disgusting mushroom and swiss burger. Washed down that horrible taste with the rest of my watered-down soda while shaking my head in disappointment. I can still taste the semi-cooked mushrooms. Philadelphia = the philly cheesesteak. What was I thinking??

Made my way to the restroom. Took care of business, headed over to the sink, never noticing the other three women in the room with me until the heaviness of their prolonged stares caused me to slowly lift my eyes, meet their priceless expressions through the mirror, and realize that

There was a boy in the girl's bathroom, and that was friggin me.

Bradley Chalkers would have been proud. You Louis Sachar fans know what I'm talkin about.

Truth is so obscure in these times and falsehood so established, that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.

-Blaise Pascal

two things to laugh about

a must-watch

Where the hell is matt?



Gurgaon, India is the best.

the shortest night

Tonight, I danced with strangers whom I will never come across again, to the playful banter of a brass band unyielding amongst drops of rain transforming.

Things are as they should. 

the longest day

Today marks this year's summer solstice, the northern hemisphere's longest day of the year during which we receive the most sunlight and when the sun lingers as long as it possibly could.

I shouldn't overstay my welcome either.

All winter we got carried
Away over on the rooftops
Let's get married

All summer we just hurried
So come over, just be patient, and don't worry
So come over, just be patient, and don't worry
And don't worry

No I don't wanna battle from beginning to end
I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge
I don't wanna follow Death and all his friends

And in the end
We lie awake, and we dream of making our escape

Coldplay - "Death & All His Friends"

ny state of mind

It's been exactly three weeks since I arrived. Unsurprisingly, it feels much, much shorter than that. Time really has no sense here, this urban bermuda, teasing us with these silly trains and cars in yellow so that we might think we have what it takes to figure out the system. Factor in the social mindset which states that by being punctual actually meant that you were "almost late," hardly anyone wins. Cat's game.

Anyway, I think it's time that I put some of my musings about the city onto paper before my brain explodes (or forgets, whichever comes first):

• My timing couldn't have been any more perfect to have come in the worst possible season. Due to the intense humidity, I might have to start wearing deodorant for the first time in my life. 

• Mexican and Korean food (at least in Manhattan) are crap. Everything else, fantastic.

• Working from home has been nice, what can I say?

• I don't think I'll ever willingly set foot in Times Square ever again.

• Before rushing out the door, I always check for my iPod before my keys. And...

• ...it's been suffocating not being able to sing outrageously to a song like I did within the comfortable confines of my car. Sing like no one's listening - yea right, try doing that in a packed subway train. The streets are a little more reasonable.

• There is so much beauty and inspiration here.

• But so much pain, kept silent and hardly shared.

• I saw a kid fall asleep in her mother's arms in the subway today. The kid actually had the most peaceful smile as she slept. Certain moments are by invitation-only, and this particular one happened to be for me. It blew me away.

• Despite Manhattan being one of the most densely populated regions in the world, I'm beginning to understand the loneliness behind it all.

• Whenever I'm in an unfamiliar place, I've still been instinctively gauging the sun's position in the sky or the north star before reading street signs to determine what direction I'm facing. I've gotten pretty squinty-eyed as a result. 

• It's a strange feeling to hear the lonesome sound of my cheering for the Lakers in sports bars that are mostly New England-fan ridden. Odd, I usually had someone to high-five. This must be what a Clippers fan feels like back in California.

• It's true - you can find anything and everything you want here.

Everything you need? I suppose only time will tell. Let's hope it doesn't settle for punctuality.

under the table and dreaming

Dear New York City,

Don't let me go until you say so.

Very truly, 

Your wide-eyed, 

rubber-necking,

forever faithful, 

front-seat passenger. 

my belated

Hey now, it'll sting only for a little while.

Take your kite out and let it dance.

But only for a little while.

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God.

political edumacation

Election Day is comin soon. So learn a little bit about the candidates and see which one closely aligns to your principles -- take the test. Take it, I say!

the christmas truce

(taken from snopes.com)

"SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT"

During World War I, in the winter of 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, one of the most unusual events in all of human history took place. The Germans had been in a fierce battle with the British and French. Both sides were dug in, safe in muddy, man-made trenches six to eight feet deep that seemed to stretch forever.

All of a sudden, German troops began to put small Christmas trees, lit with candles, outside of their trenches. Then, they began to sing songs. Across the way, in the "no man's land" between them, came songs from the British and French troops. Incredibly, many of the Germans, who had worked in England before the war, were able to speak good enough English to propose a "Christmas" truce.

The British and French troops, all along the miles of trenches, accepted. In a few places, allied troops fired at the Germans as they climbed out of their trenches. But the Germans were persistent and Christmas would be celebrated even under the threat of impending death.

According to Stanley Weintraub, who wrote about this event in his book, Silent Night, "signboards arose up and down the trenches in a variety of shapes. They were usually in English, or - from the Germans - in fractured English. Rightly, the Germans assumed that the other side could not read traditional gothic lettering, and that few English understood spoken German. 'YOU NO FIGHT, WE NO FIGHT' was the most frequently employed German message. Some British units improvised 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' banners and waited for a response. More placards on both sides popped up."

A spontaneous truce resulted. Soldiers left their trenches, meeting in the middle to shake hands. The first order of business was to bury the dead who had been previously unreachable because of the conflict. Then, they exchanged gifts. Chocolate cake, cognac, postcards, newspapers, tobacco. In a few places, along the trenches, soldiers exchanged rifles for soccer balls and began to play games.

It didn't last forever. In fact, some of the generals didn't like it at all and commanded their troops to resume shooting at each other. After all, they were in a war. Soldiers eventually did resume shooting at each other. But only after, in a number of cases, a few days of wasting rounds of ammunition shooting at stars in the sky instead of soldiers in the opposing army across the field.

For a few precious moments there was peace on earth good will toward men. All because the focus was on Christmas. Happens every time. There's something about Christmas that changes people. It happened over 2000 years ago in a little town called Bethlehem. It's been happening over and over again down through the years of time.

This week, Lord willing, it will happen again.

speed kills

I just learned how to fold my shirts in TWO seconds, and now I feel so EMPOWERED!

www.fold-your-shirt.com

muy cansado

Just got back last night. There's simply so many pictures and personal thoughts to sort through at the moment. Also, very reluctantly reinstating myself back into the American life again. Did it always move this quickly?

Petén, Guatemala.

hello leo

Don't forget!

rose-colored glasses

One of my earliest memories I had growing up was during one of the summers me and my family went camping. I was about six or seven. I had just gotten one of those off-the-shelf fishing rods from a cheap convenience store, and up until then, I had never touched a fishing rod before, let alone know how to operate one. There was a little lake right beside our campsite, and as bright-eyed kids do, I eagerly ran over to test out my rod and catch some fish.

And as overzealous, ill-prepared kids do, I struggled. I just couldn't figure out how to cast the line. I barely figured out how to attach one of those shiny hooks to the other end. So I just pulled on the line until I created enough slack, grabbed the line by the hook and threw it as far as I could... which turned out to be in the shallow waters ten feet from shore. So I stood, waiting and hoping for the tide to pull the line further out. But of course, that time never came, so I had to reel the line in and throw it out as far as my skinny arms would let me.

I turned around and saw that my dad was behind me the entire time, watching me struggle but never interrupting me to take over. But just before the wave of embarrassment had a chance to settle in, he began clapping his hands and hollering with approval. And he came over and joined me. I understand now more than ever that kids' needs can be simple -- love and encouragement. Basking in that feeling -- whatever it is you call it -- when you know someone is proud of you, has no words. And for reasons unknown, he felt so proud in that moment, and I felt it. Still.

I've yet to catch my first fish and that's okay. Because there's a kind of memory that clings hard enough to remind you that it was once real, and that it was once good.

simple things

A homemade dinner, board games and a nerf gun war can easily top most Saturday nights, no matter how old you are.

Thanks for having us over, cindy and paul!

trick or treat, give me something good to eat

into the wild

I've been on quite a movie binge recently.

Happiness is real only when shared. --Chris Supertramp, Into the Wild

This movie solidified my convictions about going to Alaska even more. One day!

p.s. There are very few things that taste better than cold pizza at 2am.

blah.

Went to the Cal-UCLA game on Sat. Don't really feel like talking about it except that immediately after the game, I got a slew of phone calls and text messages from people I talked trash to for weeks now. That was really jacked up.

National championship hopes down the drain. Still doesn't change the fact that Cal is still the best team in the Pac-10, although our record doesn't show it. Sigh.

From PostSecret... this one made me laugh because it's so innocent.

As a child on my aunt and uncle's farm, I fed a chicken nugget to a chicken. I still feel guilty about it.

Hahah. I would too.

gone baby gone

I just watched "Gone Baby Gone" and now I'm distressed. I can't remember the last time a movie wrestled so much with my morals.


Ben Affleck, who would have guessed.. you're much better off as a director. Just leave the Daredevil outfit in the closet.

because it's friday

This is what happens when you put Star Wars, a trumpet, a dance routine and a deaf ear all in the mix:



Oh yea! Plus a winning attitude.

coffee at 1am

They say that when a door closes, another one opens to you. But to tell you the truth, I don't think that it's even about searching for open doors anymore.

Continuing with the cheesy metaphor -- should these doors never open again, would I manage to find contentment as a man should, or fluster as a child would?

I... I don't know.

I'll have to sleep on this one. Maybe it won't matter by morning. But I'm never that lucky.

Oh, love wash over a multitude of things

Love wash over a multitude of things

Love wash over a multitude of things

Make us whole.

-Sara Groves

second the best

I had to take a screenshot of the latest NCAA polls just to enjoy Cal's highest ranking since 1951. And to also commemorate one of the biggest, if not the biggest, upsets in college football history.. USC losing at home to the 41 pt. underdog, Stanfuuurd. Oh, and UCLA losing to Notre Dame. Lots of newsflashes this weekend.