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Tuesday, 20 January 2009

my president is black, my lambo's blue

"America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

inaugeration day 2009.

Wednesday, 07 January 2009

hello 2009.

i feel like i should start writing in this again. forty years from now, i'll probably want to be able to look back and remember the things that happened to me when i was twenty one years old, and the photos tagged of me on facebook way back when just aren't going to cut it. a picture may be worth a thousand words, but a blog entry with no character limit is probably worth a little more.

2008 was a pretty good year.
it had it's ups and downs, but overall i'd have to say it was great. here's a quick, stream-of-consciousness summary: miserable dorm with no air conditioning in august, tight&bright birthday party for spunt and sam, ending some friendships and beginning new ones, becoming bestest friends with levy, always some sort of drama going on - ALWAYS, new relationships, bad luck with cell phones, vanilla vodka and orange soda, green beer day and all the ridiculousness that goes along with it, piercing my nose, getting a tattoo, going to greece!, itasa midwest, taf <3, figuring out (somewhat) what i want to do with my life, getting MUCH better grades than i did as a physics major - ha, extremely brief, random emotional breakdowns, a new apartment and new roommates, my internship with miami hr, the death of my super old school ipod (now i finally have one with a color screen! i'm so high tech, i know), and voting for america's first black president.

even though it's only been a week, i have a feeling that 2009 will be awesome. dare i say, maybe even epic. this semester is going to be ridiculous... the 400 level management classes are only offered on tuesday/thursday so the only class i have on monday/wednesday is individual exercise. HAHAH yes that's right..... i will be going to the rec for one hour on monday and wednesday. since i haven't worked out since freshman year, this could be problematic. but i am making a conscious effort to be healthier starting this year.. if i keep up my habits of eating way too much and never moving, i'll probably die by the time i'm 30. i'd really like for that not to happen, so i'm gonna exercise twice a week. at least that's the plan. eek.

it just hit me yesterday that i will be a college graduate in three semesters, and all i could think was... "HOLY CRAP." i only have a vague idea of what i want to do when i "grow up" and little to no idea of how i'm going to do that. ideally, i'd like to work for a nonprofit organization and help the people the rest of the world has forgotten. unfortunately, given the current economic climate... i don't think this is going to happen. all i want to do is "make a profound impact on mankind in unique and compassionate ways." [big ups to taf for that one.] we shall see though. i've applied for a summer internship with teach for america and i reallllllllllly really want it. keep your fingers crossed for me! :)

i guess that's it for now.

oh, here are some sites/articles i find interesting. maybe you will too.
Foreign Policy: The Top 10 Stories You Missed in 2008
Question Your Goods. Vote With Your Wallet.
Japan's Best Kept Secrets, Delivered.
garfield minus garfield.
My Mom is a Fob
JD Perry's Toothbrush Photo Blog!
TOP TEN PHOTOS: Most Viewed of 2008

Tuesday, 12 August 2008

taf 2008. i am...?

everytime i ran into the infamous tz chen at taf, whether it be during meals, workshops, or just wandering around manchester's campus, he never failed to greet me with a smile and a genuine "how are you?" and everytime i asked him how he was doing, he responded the exact same way - "i am grateful."

i tried to think of a good way to sum up taf 2008, to find my own ending to that enigmatic sentence that was our theme this year, and i couldn't think of anything better than that.

i am grateful.

i am grateful to have been a part of yet another week of unconditional love, hugs, big booty, small group meetings that lasted so long we got kicked out of the union, soft serve, late night ramen, endless amounts of photos, speaker sessions, extremely late nights/early mornings, servant leadership, dances in the union, watching my campers grow in a week, seeing just how much past campers have grown up in a year (or even a couple of years), swing choir, laughter, tears, waterfights, inventing games, strengthening old relationships and building new ones.

i am grateful to see taf's vision being fulfilled. for people of taiwanese heritage to make a profound impact on mankind in unique and compassionate ways. i absolutely see this happening.. from tafers who have "grown up" and are truly making an impact through what they do, to the campers i know are gonna change the world (yes i'm talking about YOU), to the rest of us who are still trying to figure out just how we're going to do that.

i am grateful to be reminded that although people these days can be quite jaded and cynical, there still exists a place where we can go to really be ourselves. to be ridiculously happy, to love unconditionally and freely. a place where you can finally let down your guard completely, and just give in to taflove, and a place for people to feel at home and feel like they belong... especially if they feel like they don't belong anywhere.

to my jh campers: THANK YOU for sharing another week with me. it was EPIC.
to my fellow jh staffers: you guys are truly some of my best friends in the whole world. there's nobody else i'd rather spend sleepless nights with.

so that's about it. i can finally finish that sentence.

i am ... grateful. :)

Currently Listening
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
By Jason Mraz
lucky
see related
if we never taught the stereotypes, would they still exist?

Friday, 04 July 2008

i tried to give blood today, but turns out my veins are too small in my right arm and they couldn't find one. all i have to show for my trip to the red cross is a gross bruise and some coupons for cedar point. i didn't even get a cookie. hmph. i'll try again next week.
st. louis for the weekend!!! :)