Err? What is this thing?
Who knew that Jamba Juice sells "flatbread" too?
Oooh, yummy! Sweet and tart and juicy!
Free Wahoo's on their 21st birthday!
All but the first (which I did not purchase since I had no clue how to eat it) were free! 🙂 Just gotta love when you get a good deal and find free samples.
Sudden commotion on campus!
Another news van outside Ronald Reagan.
Reporting on the Young Hall student stabbing.
It seems that reporters are always rushing. Rushing on scene (or as close as they can get). Rushing to grab interviews. Rushing to report on the latest news!
Sometimes when you just need a bit of peace, the most eclectic set of activities can be the ones that are soothing and therapeutic. They all involve a certain amount of solitude, but have little else in common. Some require heavy thinking whereas others let your mind wander; some are more physically demanding while others are more mentally-challenging.
Take gardening, for example. It’s one of those activities that doesn’t require much thinking, but can be more physical as you forge a bond with nature. You can escape from the harsh noises in our lives and get a little closer to the life around you. It’s refreshing because it’s a change from the typical daily grind and it gives our eyes a rest from the artificial lights that tend to surround us. Growing up in the Midwest, I particularly love wandering around gardens or getting a little dirty because of the connection I get with Mother Nature. It’s fascinating to observe some of the plants that surround us, since most of us barely glance at them as we rush by. Taking the time to breath in the fresh air being produced by the plants, discovering some of the insects that cohabit with them, and really getting to understand where we came from is a great way to de-stress.
Making things can be so satisfying.
photo credit
Another thing I find really comforting is studying in a library. When you enter a place like that, there’s a certain level of silence with just whispers of sound coming from the movements of others studying alongside you. It’s kind of nice to be in such an academic setting, with everyone around you working so hard that it helps you focus too. I find that I need to be at peace to a certain extent before I have the patience to sit down and pore over my work diligently. The good thing is, you can really get on a roll and get a lot done when your focus is just right!
On the opposite end, when you get into the right rhythm for a sport, it’s truly a marvelous feeling. Runner’s high isn’t something restricted only to that sport; in fact, I’d venture to say each athlete can reach a point where the physical exertion of their body is in such peace and harmony that they’ve reached that state of flow. When you’ve hit the ball just right, moved your body perfectly, and attained something you never had before, there’s not much that can beat that feeling. The feeling that it’s just right.
See how fun it is?
So, what’s the activity that gives you your peace of mind?
I don’t know why, but they just fascinate me so much. And no, I don’t really stalk them, though it may seem like it. 😛
Poinsettia. A word I always dreaded come Christmastime as a child. I distinctly remember in first grade when we were learning holiday-themed words in class to be tested on and I always struggled with poinsettia. Christmas was fine, Santa Claus and reindeer and wreath and holly were all too, but poinsettia – that dreaded flower! I mean, they’re nice enough to look at and all, but really, who came up with that name?! Was it in their agenda to make my childhood December uncomfortable and awkward? If so, they were quite successful.
I’ve always prided myself in being an excellent speller. Not the best, but enough to win the spelling bee in my second grade class with the word chimney. Though I wasn’t able to win the overall school competition, I wasn’t that crushed – I never expected to be a prodigy or genius of any sort. I was just a natural at spelling, that’s all. But oooh when I had to spell POINSETTIA the year before, I lost some of my confidence. Perhaps it was because I always had it in my mind that it was “poinsetta” (and thus always got docked on my quiz). In retrospect, it seems such a silly little thing that I should have been able to pick up easily enough, but then again it’s been 16 years since those days.
I guess I’ve learned something since then. 😛
P.S. – Happy 50th to my mommy! 🙂 As I told her, halfway there. 😉
Look what I found in my backyard!
I love that they have these long thoraxes to be grabbed by.
He's looking at you!
I gave him a little saddle to ride.
Hanging off a branch.
I wonder if he can see color.
I gave him a chance to climb...
...and climb he did!
I’m frustrated.
This bad economy has made it very difficult for me to find a job and I’m starting to get impatient. Here I am, at 5 (well, now nearly 8 that I’m posting this…) in the morning, still not sleeping because I’m so angst-filled I can’t. I can only stare at job listings for so many hours a day, day in and day out, before it all becomes a blur and what I want becomes too similar to what’s out there. Let’s not even get into the pain of sorting through the legitimate stuff and the sketchy postings. My parents keep telling me to just get a job first and then worry about getting one I actually want. However, I just can’t do that. I can loosen my desired fields and responsibilities, but I am not going apply for every single job I am close to qualified for. I’d just end up doing something I won’t care about to want to get up in the morning. Plus, no matter how temporary, it’d be a job I’d have to stick with for a couple of months at the least.
I have this terrible fear that if I get started in a position that is too whatever-focused, I’m going to end up doing that for far too long for me to be happy. Not that I need to be happy all the time, of course. Right now the thought of the whole job hunt makes me cringe, but I do it because I need to support myself. I’d love a job that’s a little bit of this and that, touching on many of my interests. I don’t want to get restricted to just one area. Am I being too short-sighted? I’d love to get into some of the areas I’ve worked in, but I also don’t want to drown in them. Also, it’d be great to work for a non-profit, but I will need to learn how a for-profit works. Everything I do now I’d hope would be useful for me in the future as an entrepreneur. And sure, all of the above would be great for that, but what I really want is something in the green space and/or at UCLA. (That’s not all that I’m applying for, of course.)
I don’t really know why I am so stubborn, however I have applied for plenty of jobs that may not fit the bill of what I want perfectly, but would be something I care about enough to work hard at and have enough experience in to make a real contribution. Unfortunately, I’m not exactly hearing back yet. I have experience in a lot of areas, but not extensive in any particular area. I wonder if that’s hurting me. It’s also extremely difficult to figure what exactly is an entry-level job! The job I really wanted I lost out to someone who’s been working for 3-5 years, I believe. With all these people who have anywhere from 1 to 5 years edge on me, how do I leverage myself? The competition these days is harsh and I am always up against people with more/better experience.
On the bright side, I’m going to speak with the boss at my internship next week to go over what I want to learn while I’m there and what I want to do in terms of work. Perhaps she’ll have some useful suggestions in mind. I just wish she could have leads too. I had an evaluation with my manager before she left last week and she gave me great feedback. I also hear a lot of good words from the boss. All of that’s great, but I need it to work for me in terms of landing a full-time position somewhere. I can only work for free for so long. In fact, it’s already been too long and I am itching to have benefits so I can finally get my teeth checked, buy new contacts, and perhaps even get a physical. I also can’t wait to not have to ask my parents to help me out. I’m ready to be fully self-sufficient!
But of course, all this comes at the price of finding a job I can enjoy (at least most of the time), be qualified for, and contribute to in a meaningful way. It’s not fair to a company to pretend I love the position to land the job only to leave them as soon as I can get another one I truly want. I just worry that there are too many positions I’ve dismissed because I couldn’t imagine myself doing those tasks for 40 hours a week. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad I imagine to focus on something that is not my strongest interest. Guess we’ll see as I continue this (seemingly) endless struggle.
I wasn’t going to write a Thanksgiving-themed entry since the holiday hardly felt like one and I don’t like holidays dictating my writing, but I happen to want to write about something that is somewhat related.
Can you fit under that?
As I was driving home yesterday (stuck in afternoon traffic that I’d all but forgotten about until right before I was planning on leaving), there were these big rigs that were right next to me (and nicely blocking the sunlight for me!). I could see under the one directly to my left to the one in the lane next to it and I almost felt as if my car could fit under them. That got me thinking about whether or not someone can lay down on the ground and fit under the lower parts of the vehicle (particularly where the wheels are and under the head).
I recalled hearing about someone who jumped in front of an oncoming subway and pushed the person down there onto the ground. The two of them made it out unscathed because the subway car was high enough on the tracks that they could fit underneath. Or maybe it way just one guy or maybe it was under a train. Either way, you get the idea, right? Well, I was thinking of this in terms of those big rigs and it looked shady. The lowest part looks too far down for anyone to not get caught and dragged along.
Next Thanksgiving, spare a turkey!
Well, it suddenly occurred to me that I was thinking of someone my size. What of fat people? I hope that this is not too insensitive, but obese people would definitely not fit under any of these vehicles! Sooo it goes to reason that if you are extremely overweight and one day need to save your own life by fitting underneath a subway, train, or big rig… well, you’re screwed. Hence, all those people who stuffed themselves full tonight should think again before fattening themselves. Who knows, you might just need to save yourself from getting run over and that extra inch around your waist could make the difference.
And there is my Turkey Day entry. 😛
FREE!!!
Samples are awesome.
Panda and I have been signing up for a lot of free samples and the like lately. We’ve gotten everything from Burt’s Bees Acne Solution to Bear Naked Granola and Cereal (as pictured above). We even have many free full size bottles of shampoo, free candy and snacks, and weekly free food! I’ve created a Google doc just to record all the stuff we’ve managed to redeem (because I’m an information horder like that).
The most expensive food item was probably the Edible Arrangements chocolate-dipped fruit… 9 pieces for me and 8 for Panda. Our favorite was Menchies, which is the awesome version of Yogurtland. They’ve got an AMAZING buffet selection of toppings and flavors, everything is fresh and tasty, and the free samples were HUGE at 12 oz. per person. The most flavorful I would have to say was the Chick-fil-a burgers. We went way out of our way to get to the nearest one, but it was yuuummy and I wish they had a store in Westwood, or at least not 20 minutes away.
