Expect nothing. Live frugally
On surprise.
become a stranger
To need of pity
Or, if compassion be freely
Given out
Take only enough
Stop short of urge to plead
Then purge away the need.
Wish for nothing larger
Than your own small heart
Or greater than a star;
Tame wild disappointment
With caress unmoved and cold
Make of it a parka
For your soul.
Discover the reason why
So tiny human midget
Exists at all
So scared unwise
But expect nothing. Live frugally
On surprise.
-Alice Walker
Friday, May 1, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
present for me!
A few days ago, I checked the mail and received a notice that I had not one, but TWO packages ready for pickup. I was so excited! What could they be? My mind whirled at the possibilities. PRESENTS! PRESENTS! PRESENTS! Did Zaya send me another souvenir from Mongolia? Maybe my friends mailed me a belated birthday gift?
It turns out they were my bar prep books. They were so heavy that I had to use a shopping cart to carry them into my room. :(
It turns out they were my bar prep books. They were so heavy that I had to use a shopping cart to carry them into my room. :(
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Marrieds
Meggy is getting married in three months and I'm going to be her bridesmaid. I can't wait!
We met in Chinese school almost two decades ago and bonded over a love of books. Admittedly, my interest stagnated while hers blossomed and matured: she's a published author, in a MFA writing program, wildly intelligent, well-read. Now my lovely friend is my first close childhood chum to get married.
Especially in the last year, there have been a rash of engagements and weddings amongst my acquaintances, classmates, and friends. Everyone seems to be catching a case of The Marrieds. The Singles are dropping like flies. It's funny - I used to think that getting married was a sign of being Grown Up. I used to think that an enormous chasm stood between single life and married life; now I realize it's just a quiet trickle. I think that getting married must feel like a birthday - you expect to feel different but you don't, because when you're really in love, it transcends formalities.
Sometimes, a small part of me feels that I must be falling behind or maybe missing out on something. I'm suffering from Singledom and unlike everyone else who has been cured, I'm missing the antidote. But then I remember how much I want to forge my own way, even if I seem to have meandered off the beaten path. I'm not in any hurry.
It reminds me of a line I read in The Zahir that goes something like: "Love is a disease that that no one wants to get rid of. Those who catch it never try to get better and those who suffer do not wish to be cured."
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Iranian New Year - March 20
I didn't realize that Iranians celebrated their own New Year! I guess you learn new things every day. I received this info in an email:
"Norooz, new day or New Year as the Iranians call it, is a celebration of spring Equinox. It is the most cherished of all the Iranian festivals. Norooz has been celebrated for at least 3000 years and has its beginnings in the rituals and traditions of the Zoroastrian religion. Today, the festival of Norooz is celebrated in many countries that were territories of, or influenced by, the Persian Empire: Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, Turkey, other parts of the Middle East, as well as many former Soviet republics.
On the first day of Norooz, family members gather around the “Sofreh Haft Seen” (seven S’s) and celebrate the exact day and moment of the arrival of spring. A layout of seven items beginning with the letter “S” is prepared in all homes. These items are all symbols of good luck, prosperity and a new beginning.
Sabzeh – wheat sprouts representing growth and prosperity
Seeb – apple representing health and beauty
Senjed – sweet, dry fruits of the Lotus tree representing love
Serkeh – vinegar representing age and patience
Somaq-crushed somaq berries representing color of sunrise
Seer – garlic representing medicine
Samanu – a brownish paste derived from wheat representing sprouting spring
The items placed on the sofreh haft seen represent health, fertility, prosperity, good luck, happiness, strength, and the generation of new life, which symbolize the earth’s new beginning in spring.
In Iran, preparations for Norooz begin with a major spring cleaning of their houses called “Khaneh Takanee”, the purchase of new clothes to wear for the new year and the purchase of fresh flowers (tulips are most popular). Norooz is calculated according to the days, minutes, and seconds the earth takes to go once around the sun, exactly at the spring equinox; therefore causing it to be at a different time each year (March 20 or 21). This also falls in line with the end of winter and the beginning of Spring, when the beauty of nature springs out from the cold winter.
Congressman Michael M. Honda (CA-15th) introduced a resolution in honor of the Iranian New Year into the House of Representatives on March 19, 2009. The resolution recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Norooz, expresses appreciation to Iranian Americans for their contributions to American society, and wishes Iranian Americans, the people of Iran, and all those who celebrate the holiday a prosperous new year."
"Norooz, new day or New Year as the Iranians call it, is a celebration of spring Equinox. It is the most cherished of all the Iranian festivals. Norooz has been celebrated for at least 3000 years and has its beginnings in the rituals and traditions of the Zoroastrian religion. Today, the festival of Norooz is celebrated in many countries that were territories of, or influenced by, the Persian Empire: Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, Turkey, other parts of the Middle East, as well as many former Soviet republics.
On the first day of Norooz, family members gather around the “Sofreh Haft Seen” (seven S’s) and celebrate the exact day and moment of the arrival of spring. A layout of seven items beginning with the letter “S” is prepared in all homes. These items are all symbols of good luck, prosperity and a new beginning.
Sabzeh – wheat sprouts representing growth and prosperity
Seeb – apple representing health and beauty
Senjed – sweet, dry fruits of the Lotus tree representing love
Serkeh – vinegar representing age and patience
Somaq-crushed somaq berries representing color of sunrise
Seer – garlic representing medicine
Samanu – a brownish paste derived from wheat representing sprouting spring
The items placed on the sofreh haft seen represent health, fertility, prosperity, good luck, happiness, strength, and the generation of new life, which symbolize the earth’s new beginning in spring.
In Iran, preparations for Norooz begin with a major spring cleaning of their houses called “Khaneh Takanee”, the purchase of new clothes to wear for the new year and the purchase of fresh flowers (tulips are most popular). Norooz is calculated according to the days, minutes, and seconds the earth takes to go once around the sun, exactly at the spring equinox; therefore causing it to be at a different time each year (March 20 or 21). This also falls in line with the end of winter and the beginning of Spring, when the beauty of nature springs out from the cold winter.
Congressman Michael M. Honda (CA-15th) introduced a resolution in honor of the Iranian New Year into the House of Representatives on March 19, 2009. The resolution recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Norooz, expresses appreciation to Iranian Americans for their contributions to American society, and wishes Iranian Americans, the people of Iran, and all those who celebrate the holiday a prosperous new year."
happy birthday to me
I am 26 now.
I celebrated by snowboarding. I used to tumble down the mountains like a rag doll. Now I carve like a maniac.
The best part about turning 26 is knowing that each year is going to outdo the next. There are still so many good things and good people to look forward to. I want to see my grandma at my graduation. I want to begin my career, travel to Asia, and visit my sister in Michigan. I am looking forward to more snowboarding trips.
I celebrated by snowboarding. I used to tumble down the mountains like a rag doll. Now I carve like a maniac.
The best part about turning 26 is knowing that each year is going to outdo the next. There are still so many good things and good people to look forward to. I want to see my grandma at my graduation. I want to begin my career, travel to Asia, and visit my sister in Michigan. I am looking forward to more snowboarding trips.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
subway
I have a New York story for you.
I'm in New York for a week, visiting an old friend who just moved here recently. While she works during the day, I've been exploring the city on my own. Today I wandered the Financial District and decided to go somewhere else. I ducked into a subway stop and waited on the platform.
I watched as the man in front of me walked toward the edge of the train tracks and knelt down to tie his shoes.
He slipped and tumbled into the train tracks.
People started running towards the stairs because they knew what was coming.
There was no time to react. The train was only a few feet away from him. We could only watch in helpless horror and disbelief as he struggled to squeeze himself against the track edge to avoid the oncoming train. I will never forget the look on his face. The train hit him with a giant thud. Sparks flew. People around me were screaming and crying.
I'm not sure what happened afterward because I found myself wandering the streets in a daze with a wet face. I haven't had time to digest this so I will write more later.
I'm in New York for a week, visiting an old friend who just moved here recently. While she works during the day, I've been exploring the city on my own. Today I wandered the Financial District and decided to go somewhere else. I ducked into a subway stop and waited on the platform.
I watched as the man in front of me walked toward the edge of the train tracks and knelt down to tie his shoes.
He slipped and tumbled into the train tracks.
People started running towards the stairs because they knew what was coming.
There was no time to react. The train was only a few feet away from him. We could only watch in helpless horror and disbelief as he struggled to squeeze himself against the track edge to avoid the oncoming train. I will never forget the look on his face. The train hit him with a giant thud. Sparks flew. People around me were screaming and crying.
I'm not sure what happened afterward because I found myself wandering the streets in a daze with a wet face. I haven't had time to digest this so I will write more later.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
It's the economy, stupid!
As graduation looms closer, the halls of law school are filled with worried whispers and furrowed brows. The economy is scaring the crap out of all of us. Workers are watching their 401(k)s dwindling. Companies are trimming off fat and muscle. Law firms are hemorrhaging attorneys by the thousands. People are preparing for a long winter that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight.
People deal with life struggles in all sorts of ways. Humor is an antidote to misery and misery loves company. My classmates and I joke about starting our own law firms, moving to New Zealand, opening up a laundromat-library-bakery, and using our expensive law degrees to flip burgers. There’s a note of seriousness in all of our wild fantasies but mostly, they serve as temporary comic relief to the harsh reality around us.
The economy is like a hazing ritual gone terribly wrong. Now we're all in it together. But rather than shirking our responsibilities and putting off the inevitable, maybe now we can finally confront our problems head on. Today’s economy challenges us to reign in decades of excess spending and to return to a simpler time. Americans should take the time to look inside themselves and to reevaluate their priorities.
I like a good challenge; I like a challenge that unites us. It just inspires me to work harder. I grasp onto hope. Bad times bring out the best and the worst in us; nonetheless, I always believe the good outweighs the bad. I’d hope that when we find ourselves in dire straits, we can reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves.
I don’t carry any job offers into the hazy future; nonetheless, I am still putting in the time and work and trying to secure employment. Maybe I am naïve, but I believe that there is always a place for someone who is young and healthy and educated and willing to work hard.
Maybe Evelyn sums it up best when she writes: “I have absolutely no answers though I like to pretend that I do… I feel strangely resigned or not particularly interested in being worried anymore, since it’s been done before and bears no real fruit.” http://evelynhsieh.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/the-good-ship-titanic At this point, it’s really too late to complain, to worry, and to bemoan past mistakes. Now is the time to take charge, reevaluate personal budgets, cut back on spending, and get back to what is most important in life.
Of course, I will probably regret writing this when I am forty and still eating week-old spaghetti. Haha!
People deal with life struggles in all sorts of ways. Humor is an antidote to misery and misery loves company. My classmates and I joke about starting our own law firms, moving to New Zealand, opening up a laundromat-library-bakery, and using our expensive law degrees to flip burgers. There’s a note of seriousness in all of our wild fantasies but mostly, they serve as temporary comic relief to the harsh reality around us.
The economy is like a hazing ritual gone terribly wrong. Now we're all in it together. But rather than shirking our responsibilities and putting off the inevitable, maybe now we can finally confront our problems head on. Today’s economy challenges us to reign in decades of excess spending and to return to a simpler time. Americans should take the time to look inside themselves and to reevaluate their priorities.
I like a good challenge; I like a challenge that unites us. It just inspires me to work harder. I grasp onto hope. Bad times bring out the best and the worst in us; nonetheless, I always believe the good outweighs the bad. I’d hope that when we find ourselves in dire straits, we can reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves.
I don’t carry any job offers into the hazy future; nonetheless, I am still putting in the time and work and trying to secure employment. Maybe I am naïve, but I believe that there is always a place for someone who is young and healthy and educated and willing to work hard.
Maybe Evelyn sums it up best when she writes: “I have absolutely no answers though I like to pretend that I do… I feel strangely resigned or not particularly interested in being worried anymore, since it’s been done before and bears no real fruit.” http://evelynhsieh.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/the-good-ship-titanic At this point, it’s really too late to complain, to worry, and to bemoan past mistakes. Now is the time to take charge, reevaluate personal budgets, cut back on spending, and get back to what is most important in life.
Of course, I will probably regret writing this when I am forty and still eating week-old spaghetti. Haha!