So I'm going to launch my food blog soon. This Xanga's been dead for ages anyhow (so it seems) but I'll still sign on to check subscriptions and such. For now, sorry for being so lackluster and infrequent in my posts...I promise the food blog will be much more awesome and updated =D.
What is it that puts one person on par with another? What could make you more unique than the person next to you? I suppose you each have your own little quirks, idiosyncrasies, strengths, weaknesses, and so forth but then that’s what makes us different. What puts us on the same playing field though? It seems a bit relative to me. You are only as special and unique as you are to other people because while it’s true that no one can be the same, that level of sameness varies by perception of others. To clarify, everyone is different but the degree of difference is subjective. So what makes you unique – how unique you are to others?
How is it that two people can be on par with each other so that a decision between the two cannot be made? Is that even possible? It seems to me that there has got to be something off-balance though. One should be more appealing than the other, more right than the other…relatively. Can you be intrigued with both due to different reasons? Sure, that’s possible. However, it brings in the complication of whether or not either is the right choice. Shouldn’t you wait around for another who possesses BOTH admirable traits of the two? Wouldn’t that be the right person? Why would you waste time on someone who is partially right (in the sense that the person was comparable to another)? Perhaps this is an idealistic notion but I believe that one’s compatibility to another should be quite clear when being compared to another. It could be that admiration and pedestal-placing are fogging up the circumstances – that ought to be fixed, put aside, whatnot.
Though to get back to the point of sameness, maybe the two are very similar. Is it possible to have two very like people dropped on one’s lap then? Maybe neither is very special at all. Maybe both are extremely special. Maybe the decider has no idea, no experience, no way of telling which is more special or more right. Do you think it’s possible? Are either of the two right for the decider if there is even a need to make a choice? I mean…why isn’t it already clear? Discuss, please, while I try to figure out where exactly I stand and how unique I really am…
So I finally enrolled in a writing class this semester. I’ve always thought that it’d be fun to take a creative writing course but never found time in my schedule to fit something to time-consuming. Of course, that is not to say that this is the perfect semester to be taking such a course also BUT I am finally in one! It’s focused on short stories. I’m going to post the first one (supposed to be less than 600 words) that I wrote for the class and you can share your thoughts if you have any of course =]. Thanks! ===================================================
A Glimpse
As she shifted the weight on her feet from left to right, Silvia glimpsed the dim glow of her cell phone through her bag's scant fabric. A nearly inaudible whirring noise swiftly followed, and the bag began to hum with silenced vibrations. Her eyes flitted briefly back to the glow before she met Drake’s eyes again.
“Look, said I was sorry babe. I’ll give you some change for the fare alright?” He reached into his sagging jean pocket and pulled out the debris within. Crumpled McDonald’s receipts escaped his hands as he sorted through the sordid collection to hand over a few grimy coins. Worthless.
She sighed as he sprung back the kickstand and sped off on his bike, swerving between lanes, the sputtering of his muffler polluting the night air. A disappointing sight of bad first impressions.
The bag buzzed again, breaking her gaze. She dropped a strap from her shoulder so that she could fumble her way through the bag. Prize in hand, she stared at the tiny black letters scrolling across her screen. Two text messages. A subconscious short smile flitted across her lips. Nick always knew when.
She continued looking at the screen, slightly unsure about opening the texts, but the hesitation was brief. The abrupt end to the night made her bold, and she let the emotions flood over her once she clicked the green button.
Hey there : ), saw a silver tabby today. Thought of you. It’s been a while. How’ve you been?
Oh sorry if I interrupted your Friday night. Just wanted to let you know I’ve missed you…
Her thumb hovered over the middle button, about ready to hit Reply, when the squealing of city bus brakes sliced through the silence. As it slowed to her stop, she saw the illuminated number on its front. It was the bus home. The driver idled for perhaps a split second before taking her hesitation as refusal and rumbling off. Another one on that route wouldn’t come around for at least thirty minutes.
The next bus to get to that stop, though, would take her downtown and pass by his apartment. She shuffled her feet as the seconds ticked by on her wristwatch. The night air felt crisp, fresh, young, but she needed a storm. Thoughts of tangled limbs and tumultuous talks, wrinkled sheets and wrastled dreams, saucy sessions and squandered emotions all taunted and tempted her. Nick held her hopes and dreams and doom.
Soon, the familiar screech of a halting bus scarred the evening again, and she glimpsed the dim glow of the bus number through a yellowed plastic cover.
I suppose that one of the greatest perks about living in Orange County and particularly where I am in that county is that a lot of people that one might know work at Disneyland. What does that mean? Free admittance! I was messaged on Facebook about three weeks ago while I still at school in NC by a dear friend (Julie) whom I hadn't seen in...oh, 5 years maybe? We planned a playdate for when I got back to CA, and that was to go to Disneyland. Another friend (Angela) came along as well whom I hadn't seen in 3 years-ish. They both had had annual passes before and considering I was supposed to go with some other friends this summer, we all took our time instead of rushing. The awesome part was that Julie knew so many neat things about the park that I didn't and because we weren't rushing around, I got to do things at Disneyland that I hadn't before. I'll share them with you =D!
However, I couldn't avoid getting one of my favorite things ever once we got into the park (Julie's friend let us in and tagged along for a bit until he had to go to work) - Dole Pineapple Whip! It was also one of Angela's favorite things to get also =].
We went on a few rides at a leisurely pace. One of Julie's favorite things to do was to meet the characters at Disneyland and having gone so many times, she had made a few friends as well. We watched the Madhatter's Musical Chairs (which I didn't know existed) before snagging a picture with that wonderfully funny man.
Actually, she was good friends with the Aladdins and Jasmines of the park. Her favorite "Aladdin" happened to be at the park that day so we visited him three times to try and get some jumping pictures with him! Unfortunately, the photographer didn't know the "technique" for such picture types so we never got a good one out of it. I really thought that it'd be awesome to get a jumping picture with Aladdin. Nevertheless, we managed to get some sort of non-traditional one so that was good =]. I'll cross off "meeting Disney characters" from my "Never Have Done at Disneyland" list.
While there, I also met two people who I hadn't seen in YEARS as well. I believe one I hadn't seen for about 5 years and the other, 9 years. It was all quite ridiculous. Something fun we did that I didn't know existed was that one could tour the Innoventions "house" on the lower level and watch the demonstrations the Cast Members did. I had no idea that there were so many random fun things to do in that house. If you're ever in Disneyland, make sure to ask a Cast Member to do a demonstration in every room because there is something spectacular in each! The mirror in the girl's room allows the person to try on clothes digitally =P.
Something that I didn't manage to get a picture of was rowing in a canoe at Disneyland. I never actually sought out where the line was to get in a canoe and row around the little Tom Sawyer Island they have there. It was fun exercise and I made the group of us go twice to "work out the other side" since you actually do row! Julie also told me the wonders of hidden Mickeys around the park so I started keeping my eyes peeled for them - they're quite hard to find if no one tells you about them...
Anyhow, a super exciting part of the day was to discover that there is an annual Food and Wine Festival at Disney's California Adventures! I had no idea - there are apparently chef demonstrations too =O. I wish we had been there in time. Regardless, there was an area where they showcased some small plates that you could buy and devour. I had a beer-battered halibut with malt vinegar that was just heavenly...and I don't like fish! Later in the evening, we also marched on over to Ariel's Grotto to try a rumored appetizer that was indeed there...and delicious as well. I mean, how could you mess up on something so awesome as lobster nachos?
They were scrumptious. The day seemed to end so quickly but we managed to plop ourselves down on a few rides in the nighttime as the crowds were dwindling down; it was, after all, a Sunday. One of my favorite rides is the Jungle Cruise for the cheesiness and punniness of the jokes but man...getting on that ride at 11:50pm was one of the best choices we made. The Cast Members are on their last go-around for the day so just spew silly nonsense that made it one of my most enjoyable Jungle Cruises.
I think all in all, everything worked out really well for us. We always managed to have the most interesting Cast Members around and got everywhere at the most opportune time. It was fantastic! Of course...we didn't forget to make silly faces on the ride cameras =].
Things I did at Disneyland that I hadn't done before: watched Captain Eo 3D, bought a pair of Mickey ears, met Disney characters, took pictures with Disney characters, canoed (twice), watched Madhatter Musical Chairs, searched for hidden Mickeys, went into the Enchanted Tiki room, toured the Innoventions house, locked eyes with someone briefly while walking and felt a crazily intense pang of "connection" (should've followed up on that...*sigh), ate lobster nachos, sat a bar, stayed until midnight, went on a late night Jungle Cruise, watched a trick at the Magic Shop, and...probably more that I can't remember. THUMBS UP for the day =].
Fat. What is that? At what point can you use that to describe a person? It seems to be merely a physical perception though. At which proportion can you call someone that? What needs to be SEEN to be considered fat? I suppose this question arises because two very important people in my life have called me such and while opinions should not matter, the fact that it was an ever-present nagging thought was bothersome. I didn’t think I was but at the same time, I realized that there was some part of me that wasn’t physically satisfactory in their standards. I hate how I come home every break and get accused of being fatter than I was the last time I was home; why do you keep saying this Mom?
I’m not sure I am. I’m not sure I’m not. I do know that I don’t look as good as I used to. It shouldn’t be a numbers game, and I think that’s what my mother has made it out to be. It’s more of a visual thing…and about how I physically feel. I’ve got to work on the visual part though. I don’t actually even know what my weight is seeing as I have been keeping away from the scale. I build muscle easily so…I don’t know how much of the number would be muscle anyhow.
I have been taking steps since January...as subtle as they are. I try to avoid using the bus to get to campus because walking is healthier. I have been substituting a meal almost daily with a salad. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where I even crave salads when I go places or if I haven’t had one earlier in the day. When I got home, I went out and bought lettuce the next day so that I could make some of my own while at home. It’s gotten to that point…and that’s not so bad. I think that I’ve gotten visually better than before but there’s still work to be done.
However…fat? Where is the line? At what point can you use that to describe me? It’s all a physical perception isn’t it?
