"Wisdom comes with age" is something I will never doubt after knowing my grandma.
That's all for now.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
new trend
What? Blogging again? That's right.
Maybe this is the best place to blab about what's going on in my mind in terms of my parents moving away. Without further ado...
I'm scared. When I moved out of my parents' place, it was because my mom and I weren't getting along with each other. I left, we had our ignoring-each-other phase, and then our relationship improved a bunch. We both put a lot of effort into trying to accept one another and put our roles (mother/son) first. From that point forward, I always knew I had my parents to look towards for anything I needed. They live like 20 blocks north of my apartment. In a few months they'll be in another country. Clearly living with my brother is in the best interest for us both, but it'll still be weird not having our parents around.
Ever since I started cooking (a little over a year ago), I never actually made a meal for my family. One time I brought over chicken curry leftovers, but just so they could taste a bit of Indian cuisine. Baking, on the other hand, was something they almost expected; back then I felt like I was spoiling them with how many times I brought over banana bread or brownies, but now I feel like I didn't do it enough and have to make up for it. Anyway, tonight I decided to cook for the fam.
I had to pick a recipe that would go a long way (since my dad and brother are human garbage disposals, not to mention how much I can eat if I try hard enough), and something that they don't eat often (Peruvian recipes are 50% of my kitchen repertoire) but nothing too crazy (no curried lentils or mushroom risotto)...so I decided on baked ziti a-la-Mark-Bittman, columnist for the New York Times and national foodie. (Apparently he's won several "Julia Child" awards...what the hell does that even mean?)
The recipe is pretty basic and leaves a lot of room for creativity. I added minced carrots, zucchini and mushrooms, along with Italian seasoning for the meat. Making sure the pasta and the sauce mix well is essential. Ignore the part about letting the meat sit and cook "untouched," as you may end up burning part of it (like I almost did). And I've learned that, with this recipe, the more cheese the better.
I haven't been cooking as much as I used to, and I've decided that needs to change. Also going to make sure I get as many recipes out of my mom's mind as I can over the next couple of months.
Maybe this is the best place to blab about what's going on in my mind in terms of my parents moving away. Without further ado...
I'm scared. When I moved out of my parents' place, it was because my mom and I weren't getting along with each other. I left, we had our ignoring-each-other phase, and then our relationship improved a bunch. We both put a lot of effort into trying to accept one another and put our roles (mother/son) first. From that point forward, I always knew I had my parents to look towards for anything I needed. They live like 20 blocks north of my apartment. In a few months they'll be in another country. Clearly living with my brother is in the best interest for us both, but it'll still be weird not having our parents around.
Ever since I started cooking (a little over a year ago), I never actually made a meal for my family. One time I brought over chicken curry leftovers, but just so they could taste a bit of Indian cuisine. Baking, on the other hand, was something they almost expected; back then I felt like I was spoiling them with how many times I brought over banana bread or brownies, but now I feel like I didn't do it enough and have to make up for it. Anyway, tonight I decided to cook for the fam.
I had to pick a recipe that would go a long way (since my dad and brother are human garbage disposals, not to mention how much I can eat if I try hard enough), and something that they don't eat often (Peruvian recipes are 50% of my kitchen repertoire) but nothing too crazy (no curried lentils or mushroom risotto)...so I decided on baked ziti a-la-Mark-Bittman, columnist for the New York Times and national foodie. (Apparently he's won several "Julia Child" awards...what the hell does that even mean?)
The recipe is pretty basic and leaves a lot of room for creativity. I added minced carrots, zucchini and mushrooms, along with Italian seasoning for the meat. Making sure the pasta and the sauce mix well is essential. Ignore the part about letting the meat sit and cook "untouched," as you may end up burning part of it (like I almost did). And I've learned that, with this recipe, the more cheese the better.
I haven't been cooking as much as I used to, and I've decided that needs to change. Also going to make sure I get as many recipes out of my mom's mind as I can over the next couple of months.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
15th
Epiphany: after spending years of high school thinking that every word that came out of my mouth and made its way into someone's ear or onto some piece of paper or internet page was worth gold, I've become almost afraid of blogging or writing. I've always been a compulsive over-thinker about my writing, but now instead of thinking about how many funny quips I can fit into a LiveJournal post, I question if it's my place to crowd the world wide web with my ramblings. I blame that on pausing my education.
Not being in school is tough. I want to keep learning but right now is not the time. I need patience. I've found purpose in what I do—helping my boss be a kick-ass lawyer and preparing high school kids for useless but unfortunately important college admissions tests—but every day seems like a variation of the same thing. I'm growing but not as fast as I could be if I were studying. The funny thing is that I know what I need to do so I can have less difficulty focusing on both the importance of what I'm doing now and how it's contributing to my long-term goals.
Change is coming. My parents are planning on going back to Peru in October, while my brother and I are going to start living together. It would seem that the time to leave Kibbutz Aish has come. I have so many memories from this apartment, both good and bad, so the change will be bittersweet. Living with my brother will definitely be different, but I know we're going to get along. The quest for a place begins August 1.
I think it's funny that I only blogged twice last year. This is my first post of 2010. So much has happened since December 3, 2009. I took my first mostly-on-my-own trip (went to NYC the week of New Year's Eve) and had an amazing time. I ended the first and only serious relationship I've ever had. I started working full-time. (note: more responsibility is worth being on salary - paid vacation days, paid sick days, paid holidays…it's awesome.) I saw Sound Tribe Sector 9 live. I turned 21.
I learned what it was like to live on your own and be single. I rolled at Ultra. I went to Bonnaroo for the third time and had an amazing experience as always. (Everyone should try 2C-I at least once.) I traveled quite a bit (Sarasota twice, Gainesville five times, Atlanta right before Bonnaroo, New Haven and NYC last weekend) and committed to doing more of it (going to St. Louis, MO next month to visit a friend at WashU and see Broken Social Scene).
Progress.
P.S. This random post was inspired by the soundtrack from A Single Man. If you haven't seen that film already, watch it. ASAP.
Not being in school is tough. I want to keep learning but right now is not the time. I need patience. I've found purpose in what I do—helping my boss be a kick-ass lawyer and preparing high school kids for useless but unfortunately important college admissions tests—but every day seems like a variation of the same thing. I'm growing but not as fast as I could be if I were studying. The funny thing is that I know what I need to do so I can have less difficulty focusing on both the importance of what I'm doing now and how it's contributing to my long-term goals.
Change is coming. My parents are planning on going back to Peru in October, while my brother and I are going to start living together. It would seem that the time to leave Kibbutz Aish has come. I have so many memories from this apartment, both good and bad, so the change will be bittersweet. Living with my brother will definitely be different, but I know we're going to get along. The quest for a place begins August 1.
I think it's funny that I only blogged twice last year. This is my first post of 2010. So much has happened since December 3, 2009. I took my first mostly-on-my-own trip (went to NYC the week of New Year's Eve) and had an amazing time. I ended the first and only serious relationship I've ever had. I started working full-time. (note: more responsibility is worth being on salary - paid vacation days, paid sick days, paid holidays…it's awesome.) I saw Sound Tribe Sector 9 live. I turned 21.
I learned what it was like to live on your own and be single. I rolled at Ultra. I went to Bonnaroo for the third time and had an amazing experience as always. (Everyone should try 2C-I at least once.) I traveled quite a bit (Sarasota twice, Gainesville five times, Atlanta right before Bonnaroo, New Haven and NYC last weekend) and committed to doing more of it (going to St. Louis, MO next month to visit a friend at WashU and see Broken Social Scene).
Progress.
P.S. This random post was inspired by the soundtrack from A Single Man. If you haven't seen that film already, watch it. ASAP.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
past due
Need to start blogging again! I've been procrastinating for too long and thinking too much about starting to write again. I need to just sit down and type away whatever's on my mind—isn't that the nature of blogging anyway?
Currently at work with no boss in the office. Then at 2pm I get to leave to go tutor spoiled private school students so that they don't fail the quarter. After that it looks like I'll be coming back home to pack (light), then picking up my aunt and heading to South Beach for the night. Looking forward to this impromptu family hangout!
OK, at this point I feel like I sound like a moron.
Holidays! I find it hard to explain how much or why I love this time of year. Everything slows down, most people seem to be in a good mood, and most people come home, which means they get to spend time with me--err, I get to see my close friends who've gone away to college. The only downside is the consistently dedicated airtime that Christmas melodies receive in December, because my coworkers like to listen to the radio and no station plays "Mi Burrito Sabanero" or any other non-American tune, for which I'd have slightly more tolerance.
Finally checking this off my to-do list...hopefully a more coherent, if not mentally stimulating, blog post is on the way.
Currently at work with no boss in the office. Then at 2pm I get to leave to go tutor spoiled private school students so that they don't fail the quarter. After that it looks like I'll be coming back home to pack (light), then picking up my aunt and heading to South Beach for the night. Looking forward to this impromptu family hangout!
OK, at this point I feel like I sound like a moron.
Holidays! I find it hard to explain how much or why I love this time of year. Everything slows down, most people seem to be in a good mood, and most people come home, which means they get to spend time with me--err, I get to see my close friends who've gone away to college. The only downside is the consistently dedicated airtime that Christmas melodies receive in December, because my coworkers like to listen to the radio and no station plays "Mi Burrito Sabanero" or any other non-American tune, for which I'd have slightly more tolerance.
Finally checking this off my to-do list...hopefully a more coherent, if not mentally stimulating, blog post is on the way.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
kibbutz aish
Where do I start?
Instead of summarizing the last six months that I haven't blogged, I'll start from where I have found myself at this point.
I've officially begun living on my own, and saying it's the greatest feeling ever is a ridiculous understatement. Family situation got a bit out of hand, and the opportunity for me to move out presented itself, so I took it and ran with it. I was waiting for the right moment, and I didn't wait for long. I moved into a friend's house for about a week; his family was very warm and welcoming, but moving from my family's house to someone else's family's house, I learned, was not the experience my soul was yearning for.
Two of my best friends have an apartment that's literally a block away from my job, and one of them had offered me a place to stay if I ever needed it. From one day to the next, I was essentially moved in. I spent a lot of time here before I moved in "for real," but actually living here is a different, much cooler experience. Needless to say, not having parents to depend on is more expensive, but I can't even begin to express how much happier and at peace I am with my life and myself.
If I think about it hard enough, I realize that I could have moved out earlier. Actually packing my stuff and peacing out was a risk—perhaps one of the biggest, most uncertain risks I've ever taken. But everything has worked out for the better. I've learned so much about myself and about life in the past month, more than I have ever learned in such a short period of time.
Do what you need to do. Do what makes you happy. Don't limit yourself. Don't let others limit you. Money is ephemeral.
You will reach points in your life where you test the strength of your friendships and realize who your "true friends" are (thankfully, I've found them, and while it's hard not to be timid about it, ultimately it is a more satisfying experience). And hey, if you realize that those who you thought were your true friends ended up not being so, why does it matter? It may suck, but the learning experience from it is more rewarding than a façade or an uncertainty.
Learning is important. Educational institutions tend to be full of shit, but rather than dwell on that negativity, it's better to reach a balance with this fact and try to extract whatever good you can from it. In other words, while The System has its cons, there is good in everything. This is my last semester at Miami Dade, and each semester I had at least one inspiring, wise professor who has in one way or another changed my philosophy on life.
Back to educational institutions—the slightly unfortunate reality of life is that most of us need to acquire some sort of academic knowledge and experience in order to do the things we want to do. (Unfortunate because it forces us to buy into The System, not necessarily because there are better, less work-involving alternatives.) But the four-year-college-right-after-high-school-graduation route is not for everyone, and after four semesters I've realized it wasn't for me. Two years at Miami Dade is enough, for the time being. I'm ready to take a break.
Have I mentioned that learning who your true friends are is a great experience? (Rhetorical question.) It took me eighteen years to comprehend the fact that before you find your true friends, you need to find yourself first. In retrospect, a part of me had been trying to do that all along. I don't think humans ever stop learning about themselves, but you have to develop some understanding of who you are before you can even begin to realize who your true friends are.
I wrote a quote in a journal I bought for Fernando a couple of weeks ago, one that I feel poignantly expressed my post-move-out emotions. I'll end here with it:
"If you spend your whole life waiting to be ready, you will forever remain stationary. The very nature of taking risks in life is that we do so unaware, unprepared, and unexpected. But it is through risks that we learn and live."
Instead of summarizing the last six months that I haven't blogged, I'll start from where I have found myself at this point.
I've officially begun living on my own, and saying it's the greatest feeling ever is a ridiculous understatement. Family situation got a bit out of hand, and the opportunity for me to move out presented itself, so I took it and ran with it. I was waiting for the right moment, and I didn't wait for long. I moved into a friend's house for about a week; his family was very warm and welcoming, but moving from my family's house to someone else's family's house, I learned, was not the experience my soul was yearning for.
Two of my best friends have an apartment that's literally a block away from my job, and one of them had offered me a place to stay if I ever needed it. From one day to the next, I was essentially moved in. I spent a lot of time here before I moved in "for real," but actually living here is a different, much cooler experience. Needless to say, not having parents to depend on is more expensive, but I can't even begin to express how much happier and at peace I am with my life and myself.
If I think about it hard enough, I realize that I could have moved out earlier. Actually packing my stuff and peacing out was a risk—perhaps one of the biggest, most uncertain risks I've ever taken. But everything has worked out for the better. I've learned so much about myself and about life in the past month, more than I have ever learned in such a short period of time.
Do what you need to do. Do what makes you happy. Don't limit yourself. Don't let others limit you. Money is ephemeral.
You will reach points in your life where you test the strength of your friendships and realize who your "true friends" are (thankfully, I've found them, and while it's hard not to be timid about it, ultimately it is a more satisfying experience). And hey, if you realize that those who you thought were your true friends ended up not being so, why does it matter? It may suck, but the learning experience from it is more rewarding than a façade or an uncertainty.
Learning is important. Educational institutions tend to be full of shit, but rather than dwell on that negativity, it's better to reach a balance with this fact and try to extract whatever good you can from it. In other words, while The System has its cons, there is good in everything. This is my last semester at Miami Dade, and each semester I had at least one inspiring, wise professor who has in one way or another changed my philosophy on life.
Back to educational institutions—the slightly unfortunate reality of life is that most of us need to acquire some sort of academic knowledge and experience in order to do the things we want to do. (Unfortunate because it forces us to buy into The System, not necessarily because there are better, less work-involving alternatives.) But the four-year-college-right-after-high-school-graduation route is not for everyone, and after four semesters I've realized it wasn't for me. Two years at Miami Dade is enough, for the time being. I'm ready to take a break.
Have I mentioned that learning who your true friends are is a great experience? (Rhetorical question.) It took me eighteen years to comprehend the fact that before you find your true friends, you need to find yourself first. In retrospect, a part of me had been trying to do that all along. I don't think humans ever stop learning about themselves, but you have to develop some understanding of who you are before you can even begin to realize who your true friends are.
I wrote a quote in a journal I bought for Fernando a couple of weeks ago, one that I feel poignantly expressed my post-move-out emotions. I'll end here with it:
"If you spend your whole life waiting to be ready, you will forever remain stationary. The very nature of taking risks in life is that we do so unaware, unprepared, and unexpected. But it is through risks that we learn and live."
Sunday, July 27, 2008
coffee in concert?
I just spent the past half hour talking to Suhong, a 43-year-old woman living in Chengdu, China. She's lived there her whole life and wants to travel the world, and she's trying to learn English. She doesn't know much—and I can barely speak Chinese at all—but I was able to help her pronounce some of the lessons from LiveMocha.com, which is how this all started. There's a 12-hour difference between here and there, but she labeled herself a 'night people' early on in our conversation.
It's 2008. Even the idea of the Internet is barely 30 years old, and today I can log into a website and connect to random people 24 hours a day. I can be sitting comfortably in a chair at my desk, in my room, having a snack and relaxing in my PJ's, and at the same time be talking to anyone practically anywhere on Earth, without a phone and despite a distance of hundreds or thousands of miles. I can actually use the 'net to find people learning English—people who speak languages I'm trying to learn—and exchange 'knowledge' with them.
I think it's pretty easy to forget how mind-boggling the convenience of the Internet really is, considering how important of a role computers play in our lives. How often do we check our e-mail or text message on a daily basis? (Needless to say, I do that a lot, but that's because my iPhone makes it even easier than getting up and checking anything on a computer.) Our society is constantly wired to the WWW. Pun intended.
It's almost scary.
It's 2008. Even the idea of the Internet is barely 30 years old, and today I can log into a website and connect to random people 24 hours a day. I can be sitting comfortably in a chair at my desk, in my room, having a snack and relaxing in my PJ's, and at the same time be talking to anyone practically anywhere on Earth, without a phone and despite a distance of hundreds or thousands of miles. I can actually use the 'net to find people learning English—people who speak languages I'm trying to learn—and exchange 'knowledge' with them.
I think it's pretty easy to forget how mind-boggling the convenience of the Internet really is, considering how important of a role computers play in our lives. How often do we check our e-mail or text message on a daily basis? (Needless to say, I do that a lot, but that's because my iPhone makes it even easier than getting up and checking anything on a computer.) Our society is constantly wired to the WWW. Pun intended.
It's almost scary.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
sábado
Today has been productive. I went to the beach with Ashleigh, ran some errands, and now I'm home sending e-mails and cleaning my room. Tonight might be the first Saturday I stay home in a while. Not sure what else to say; everything continues to be going well! I had to cut my Chinese classes down to once a week because twice a week started getting too expensive, but I'm still practicing and studying daily. (Sort of.) That's pretty much the worst thing that's happened all summer.
I had a really minor accident at the hospital last Monday. Thankfully it was at the hospital and not anywhere else. As I explained it to a couple of friends, I went to war with a patient's medical charts. I won, but the charts put up a fight. You know those rings inside three-ring binders? Never leave them open unattended. Ever. My hand is still recovering.
Classes begin in a little over a month. I really can't believe it's almost August. I've been having a great summer without any academics involved, but part of me wants to go back to school already. Lots of stuff to be done before then, though!
Also, everyone who stumbles upon my blog needs to watch this:
I had a really minor accident at the hospital last Monday. Thankfully it was at the hospital and not anywhere else. As I explained it to a couple of friends, I went to war with a patient's medical charts. I won, but the charts put up a fight. You know those rings inside three-ring binders? Never leave them open unattended. Ever. My hand is still recovering.
Classes begin in a little over a month. I really can't believe it's almost August. I've been having a great summer without any academics involved, but part of me wants to go back to school already. Lots of stuff to be done before then, though!
Also, everyone who stumbles upon my blog needs to watch this:
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