Day 59: Joyce vs. Rockefeller Center

Today, I did the MS Climb to the Top event at Rockefeller Center. I did it last year, and it was such a good experience that I thought I'd try my hand at it again. This year was with a little less enthusiasm last year though. Only two of my original twelve members of my team decided to join, and they were having trouble raising the minimum needed to climb; not to mention I just didn't seem to have the time or the energy to train...

It seemed a little tedious to have to wake up so early in the morning just to arbitrarily climb 66 flights of stairs... but... I figured I should press on. When you think about all the people who are afflicted with MS or any other decease that makes you incapable of doing minor things that we take for granted, you can't help but realize that every step we take, every move we make, every single day (I totally sang that entire line to the tune of "Every Breath You Take/"I'll Be Missing You" by Sting/Puff Daddy) is a blessing.

So I am proud to say that I conquered Rockefeller yet again. And this time, four minutes faster than I did last year. WHAT!!!! Not bad, considering I took the escalator pretty much every chance I got! ahaha

The elation I felt when I got to the top is captured pretty well with my cousin/teammate Cheryl, here:




She is soooo gonna end up on another MS pamphlet. :)

Day 58: Am I not justified in saying this kid should be a model?

Woke up early this morning to go with cousins Jen and Gil-bart so we could drop Sharon and Daj off to the airport...

Sharon was all geared up for Guam in a sundress and sandals, with her shades on... which Daj promptly stole so that he could look uber-cool. I love how he has mastered that hardcore, too-cool-for-you, "WHAT" look.

God, I'm gonna miss this kid for the month or so that he's gone...

It's not even just that he's so damn cute... it's that... well...he's one of the reasons I've been able to laugh so much in the past few months. Without even realizing what he was doing, he's lifted my spirits so many times... There was this one time I had had one of those really trying days, and was crying with my face in my hands, and he tapped me on my leg to get my attention. I looked down, and the boy had a plastic black cauldron for a head and he was kind of giggling a little underneath it. It was the silliest thing, and I couldn't help but laugh through my tears. It's kind of amazing how such a tiny person can do so much for you...

It surprises me every time when he just can't seem to stop hugging and kissing and tickling me; and how happy he seems to look when he sees me come through the door. I love that he reaches for me, and not just because I have anything to offer... It's so gratifying... An older person loves you because they choose to love you. Everyday, it's a decision. But someone as young as Daj... He loves you because it's an instinct. There's no other way to be... and when you're part of what he loves... it's one of the best feelings in the world...

Day 57: I'm going to miss my Daji-daj

I haven't been away from this boy for longer than ten days and now he's going to Guam for over a month!! :( I'm going to miss my Daji!!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 56: Snow makes me contemplative

There's just something so cleansing about snow. If you walk outside while it's falling, it just makes you think about stuff. If you're like me, it's a good feeling to be out there, having the snow hit your face and just letting your mind wander...

My cousin forwarded an email to me this morning... she told me that reading it had made her think of me... I can't say I hadn't read it before, but it doesn't make it any less powerful... it's what I thought about on my walk home tonight... There's a part that says, "I believe two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different." People may look and see a sidewalk lined with trash... but to me, I see the lights from the lampposts and how they hit the snow that's covered everything.... I feel like everything is like that. Where one sees an eyesore, the other may see beauty. Where one may see pain, the other may see a lesson. Where one may see weakness, the other may see strength. Where one may see an obstacle, the other may see a possibility. And where one may see anger and revenge, the other may only see love and forgiveness... My astrologist cab driver told me last week that life is not always about being objective so sometimes I need to be subjective. After all, we only live life as we see it...




Posting the email Sharon sent me for your pleasure:

*************

A BIRTH CERTIFICATE SHOWS THAT WE WERE BORN
A DEATH CERTIFICATE SHOWS THAT WE DIED
PICTURES SHOW THAT WE LIVED!

I BELIEVE...
THAT JUST BECAUSE TWO PEOPLE ARGUE,
IT DOESN'T MEAN THEY DON'T LOVE EACH OTHER.
AND JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T ARGUE,
IT DOESN'T MEAN THEY DO LOVE EACH OTHER.

I BELIEVE...
THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE FRIENDS IF
WE UNDERSTAND THAT FRIENDS CHANGE.

I BELIEVE...
THAT NO MATTER HOW GOOD A FRIEND IS,
THEY'RE GOING TO HURT YOU EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE
AND YOU MUST FORGIVE THEM FOR THAT.

I BELIEVE...
THAT TRUE FRIENDSHIP CONTINUES TO GROW,
EVEN OVER THE LONGEST DISTANCE.
SAME GOES FOR TRUE LOVE.

I BELIEVE...
THAT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING IN AN INSTANT
THAT WILL GIVE YOU HEARTACHE FOR LIFE.

I BELIEVE....
THAT IT'S TAKING ME A LONG TIME
TO BECOME THE PERSON I WANT TO BE.

I BELIEVE...
THAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS LEAVE LOVED ONES WITH
LOVING WORDS. IT MAY BE THE LAST TIME YOU SEE THEM.

I BELIEVE...
THAT YOU CAN KEEP GOING LONG AFTER YOU THINK YOU CAN'T.

I BELIEVE....
THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT
WE DO, NO MATTER HOW WE FEEL.

I BELIEVE...
THAT EITHER YOU CONTROL YOUR ATTITUDE OR IT CONTROLS YOU.

I BELIEVE...
THAT HEROES ARE THE PEOPLE WHO DO
WHAT HAS TO BE DONE WHEN IT NEEDS
TO BE DONE, REGARDLESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES.

I BELIEVE....
THAT MY BEST FRIEND AND I CAN DO ANYTHING
OR NOTHING AND HAVE THE BEST TIME.

I BELIEVE....
THAT SOMETIMES THE PEOPLE YOU
EXPECT TO KICK YOU WHEN YOU'RE DOWN
WILL BE THE ONES TO HELP YOU GET BACK UP.

I BELIEVE...
THAT SOMETIMES WHEN I'M ANGRY
I HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ANGRY,
BUT THAT DOESN'T GIVE ME THE RIGHT TO BE CRUEL.

I BELIEVE...
THAT MATURITY HAS MORE TO DO WITH
WHAT TYPES OF EXPERIENCES YOU'VE HAD
AND WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED FROM THEM
AND LESS TO DO WITH HOW MANY
BIRTHDAYS YOU'VE CELEBRATED.

I BELIEVE...
THAT IT ISN'T ALWAYS ENOUGH,
TO BE FORGIVEN BY OTHERS.
SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO FORGIVE YOURSELF..

I BELIEVE...
THAT NO MATTER HOW BAD YOUR HEART IS BROKEN
THE WORLD DOESN'T STOP FOR YOUR GRIEF.

I BELIEVE....
THAT OUR BACKGROUND AND CIRCUMSTANCES
MAY HAVE INFLUENCED WHO WE ARE,
BUT, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHO WE BECOME.

I BELIEVE...
THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE SO EAGER TO FIND
OUT A SECRET. IT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER.

I BELIEVE....
TWO PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT THE EXACT SAME
THING AND SEE SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

I BELIEVE....
THAT YOUR LIFE CAN BE CHANGED IN A MATTER OF
HOURS BY PEOPLE WHO DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU.

I BELIEVE...
THAT EVEN WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE NO MORE TO GIVE,
WHEN A FRIEND CRIES OUT TO YOU -
YOU WILL FIND THE STRENGTH TO HELP.

I BELIEVE...
THAT CREDENTIALS ON THE WALL
DO NOT MAKE YOU A DECENT HUMAN BEING.

I BELIEVE...
THAT THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT MOST IN LIFE
ARE TAKEN FROM YOU TOO SOON.

'THE HAPPIEST OF PEOPLE DON'T NECESSARILY
HAVE THE BEST OF EVERYTHING;
THEY JUST MAKE THE MOST OF EVERYTHING THEY HAVE.

********

Day 55: FOTC was filmed in my 'hood!

So one of the best things I love about my neighborhood is that it's where most of Flight of the Conchords was filmed. Like the episode where Brett and Jemaine discover hair gel. That was MY corner! The shady deli? That was MY shady deli!! And the bar where they always play? That's like, a block away from me! I got so excited when I moved here and figured that all out with one of my roommates... :)

Gotta love New York!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 54: Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down...

Don't know why but today is just such a blahhh kind of day. :-/ maybe it's the rain...or homesickness? Hrmm.









- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 53: When all else fails...

Self-portrait!

Was too tired and preoccupied to whip out the camera today... still am, so... there ya go... hahah

Day 52: Get Yo' Hairdid

I was a hair model today for pin up school. I didn't get paid or anything, I just got to spend a few hours learning how to do my hair in different ways (I'm going to have my hands full experimenting with hair styles for a while) while someone makes my hair look pretty. :)

The pin up thing is still pretty fun. I think I like just looking like a pin up. The photo shoots are cool but I just feel way too awkward sticking my ass out all the time and making that puckered up face. My face is just too flat and weird looking in that pose.

My teacher is pretty freaking cool, and she knows a lot about the whole pin up culture. It's so glamorous and old school...

Here she is showing a comb out...




You'd think with four curling irons, one straightener, and a blowdrier, I'd be done with buying more hair appliances... NOPE. Hot rollers next! :)

Day 51: it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

It was so pretty today that it was hard not to be in a good mood even after so little sleep.

I had dance class again today, which, as expected was super fun! I'm never going to be a dancer, but it feels so good to do it anyway! :)

Afterwards, I went to City Bakery for some happy hot chocolate and ended up taking the ferry to Jersey to hang with my cousins. While waiting for Jen to pick me, I just couldn't help appreciating the sunny day. I saw the sun through my shades and just took a quick shot of it with my iPhone. I kind of like the silhouette it made... Chasing light is kind of fun.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 50: Strange but lucky chances...

Nights out with my friend Rosa are always interesting. She takes me to places I have never been to before, and it always ends up with me meeting new people and even finding things out about myself. Tonight was no different... though the events that transpired were quite fortuitous...

Rosa and I talk a lot; I think it's mostly because we play catch up after weeks of not seeing each other... There's always sooo much we've missed out on in just a short amount of time.

Anyway, we found it quite odd that just after we had been talking about hugs at a bar in Brooklyn, some guy plops down right next to us and has a shirt on that says, "Let's Hug It Out."

Thus I bring to you, Stranger #6: Justin.



He was quite buzzed when he came to talk to us, it seems. Either that, or he has ADD because he must have asked me the same questions over and over again and forgot the answer each time. He seemed nice enough, but since he wasn't exactly sober, I wouldn't be able to tell... but he talked a lot about soupy dumplings and how he needs to eat more Chinese food...

He wasn't the only instance of a serendipitous nature... when I was going home, I had considered getting into a car service limo, but we found a cab just passing through, and it turns out that my cab driving was this very interesting and very intuitive astrologer. He told me a lot of things that seem to correspond with issues I have been dealing with recently... Like realizing that only I can make myself happy, and once I really realize that, everything will fall into place... He told me to declutter my life and start thinking about what is important to me, and when I figure it out, I shouldn't care about what other people say or think. And he told me that I need to develop my intuition more to balance out my tendency to think too much and to not get caught up in the illusions of things... All very interesting stuff.

He wouldn't let me take a picture of him, but I think I'll remember him anyway...

The more I think about it, the more it seems to me that people are starting to cross my paths for a reason...

Day 49: I hate peas

I had Italian style onigiri (rice balls) today and while delicious, found some unpleasantries in them: peas. Blech.

They're such a waste of calories, tasting like pretty much nothing unless you have a lot of them at once...

Have I mentioned I hate peas???


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 48: Symbolic Traffic Signs

Today marks the start of the Lenten season...

Lent usually means giving something up. Like, junk food, cursing, rice, bread, stuff like that... I used to do that, but have decided this year that 1) I can't give up any more food than I already have, and 2) if I gave up cursing, I would probably be more violent at work or life in general. I COULD always follow in my friend Casey's footsteps and give up smoking as a preventative measure... hahah

Actually, I started the practice of giving BACK instead of giving something UP. Basically, I volunteered for a whole bunch of charities like the MS Climb, and the blood drive and writing to inmates and the elderly and stuff... It's nice.

I've also decided to give up my tendency to be afraid of silly things. Like worrying about what other people think. I mean, it's one thing to care about what your friends and family think of you, and quite another to worry about what complete strangers think of you. Take for example when the hot firemen come to visit the office for fire safety stuff... I NEVER look any of them in the eye, because it makes me nervous. And though I'm trying to rectify it, I generally don't talk to strangers because what if they don't want to talk to me? And calling people (especially boys) makes me soooo nervous because I worry I may be catching them at a bad time... when you think about it, WHO THE HELL CARES??? They're silly fears and it is time to start letting myself be who I want, when I want, where I want. It's like, suddenly, I don't understand why I used to be so afraid of being rejected. I've been rejected in what I perceived as the worst way possible, and guess what: I'M STILL ALIVE.

I told this to my manager today at work. And he said, "you sound like a woman empowered." and you know what? I AM. I'm so empowered, I'm shaking my fists and pointing to the sky. I don't really know what that has to do with being empowered, but it feels empowering.

I saw the stop sign on the corner today, and on top of it, the one way sign... It made me think that life only goes one way: forward. It's time to stop and think about how I choose to traverse that road...

Day 47: Once more, with feeling!

It's been a crazy week so far... My grandma on my mom's side, the pillar of strength and heart of our family, had a heart attack on Saturday, and because in all the time I've ever known her, I can't recall her ever being in the hospital, she's had us all freaked out. To make things worse, I am so far away, and I can't just hold her hand, and give her a hug, and just be there and it is making me crazy. If I could without freaking her out even more, I would hop on a plane tomorrow to go home. But she is a worrier, so I will wait a little longer.

Thankfully, it looks like she is doing a little bit better, and everyone in our family is continuing to support her any way we can and keep her in our prayers... It's the best we can do from so far away...

Life... you wake up every morning and it is so easy to take it for granted. To not want to wake up so early and head into work. To just go through the motions of the day, thinking you will always have tomorrow to say all that you want to say, and do all that you want. To complain about the mundane: the traffic, the empty coffee pot, the crappy toilet paper in the bathroom... It's so easy to be so miserable sometimes...

But if you're lucky, you realize that life-every single minute, every single second, every tear, every joy, every ache, every smile-- all of it, is a blessing. There may be so many things to complain about, but there is also so much to be happy for...

My cousin bought me this calendar at the start of the year... 3,650 things to be happy about... I suspect it is because I was having a hard time seeing all those blessings... but... it's a daily reminder. That there is so much to be thankful for, to be happy about, to celebrate.

One of the ten things listed for today was "Listening to music while working."

Something simple, but so joyous. Helps the day go by, and just puts you in a mood. I thought for today, to be thankful for all that life has to offer, I would post a picture I took of myself listening to music and singing to myself at work (everyone was gone for the day). Thank goodness for Pandora! hahaha



It's a random and quite embarrassing, kind of unflattering picture of myself, which will probably make me regret posting this picture up, but whatever. I feel it's candid, and honest, and...actually, it cracks me up. hahah

We all need more laughter in our lives anyway... :)

Day 46: Happy Birthday, Deej!

My new roommate is 27 today... we took her out to Pink Pony and she got to order whatever she wanted and all that fun stuff...

I'm a little too tired to super blog, so I'll just let my roommate's picture speak for itself. :) She cute.

Day 45: Valentines Day

Backblog coming...I'm at Sharon's and Matty sleeping prevents me from blogging on the computer...which I need...

****
Valentine's Day... The supposed universal day of love... I say "supposed" because I spent three years in Japan, and it definitely does not hold the same connotations as it does here in the United States... lots of "obligation chocolates" in that country... but I digress...

Day of love...Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday, and I went to Church. At the end of mass, the priest had all the married couples stand to receive a blessing. I saw this older couple, and how they held hands and it moved me...



...When I think of love, I realize that I was raised with such great examples of it, which makes me an incredibly lucky girl. I've seen and experienced and received so much love that it's not hard to love others in return... And on Valentine's Day, reflecting on the love that I've seen throughout my life amazes me.

I think of my parents...who, after thirty some odd years of marriage, still hold hands where ever they go; who go crazy if they spend more than a few days apart, but keep pushing because they have to; who still light up like children on Christmas morning when seeing each other for the first time after being away from each other for any amount of time; who can enjoy each other's company no matter what, no matter where, no matter when; who are still as much in love now as they were when they were married (if not more).

Their story is amazing. My mother and father were both engaged to marry other people before they met one day, at a mutual friend's party. They both still tell me that they felt a spark at that first meeting, but both of them were in long distance relationships at the time so they just kind of ignored it...

I don't know the timeline exactly, but some time after they met, both their relationships kind of imploded and a year later, my single dad (his ex-fiancee had married someone else) was invited to go with a friend who was going to see this girl who happened to have three pretty sisters. My dad found himself at a house and was surprised to see that my single mother (she had called off her wedding the year before) was one of the sisters that his friend had talked about. And so their courtship began. They were engaged about a year and a half later, and married six months after that.

Together, they raised three awesome chilgren (what? we are! hahaha), and made this life together filled with laughter, love, and adventure... Yes, adventure. They've risked moving to Hawaii, Vegas, and now Korea. Each time, a leap that not most people would consider doing, but something they knew they wouldn't mind, as long as they were making the leap together. My mom says now, even though she misses her dream house in Vegas, she'd take the one bedroom apartment they live in now with their tiny ass bathroom where she can do dishes in the shower and do laundry all at the same time...all because it's where my dad is.

They are from a different generation that most people are really not all that familiar with. They were chaperoned their entire courtship (and it WAS an actual courtship), which meant their very first just-the-two-of-them date was on their wedding night (to Pizza Hut! haha). They never lived together before marrying, which meant they had a LOT of adjusting to do when they moved in together... there are sooo many things that sometimes drives my mom nuts (like, my dad wakes up suuuuper early in the morning, but lounges around til the last minute and then is late for work and stuff) but they both knew that saying, "I do," meant forever, for better or worse, just like their vows said. And they both know that all the bad is completely worth all the good, because they love with all that they are and all that they have. They are each other's best friend, partner, and love. No matter what, it is them against the world.

My parents, through their love for each other, showed me and my brother and sister what kind of love to strive for... They teach me every single day that by loving each other so truly and deeply, your heart opens wider and wider to include everyone else in your life; that when you love, you can never run out, but only have more to give...

It's a different world we live in now; so incredibly different from the world my parents knew...Sometimes, it's so hard to believe that their kind of love can still exist out there among the younger generation... But then I remember my brother and my sister...and their wife and their husband, and the families they've made... and I know that it does. And with God's grace, a little luck, and a bit of wisdom and fearlessness, it will for me some day...

For now, I will just keep opening my heart to keep loving as my parents have so generously and enthusiastically taught me to do...

Happy Valentine's Day... from my heart to yours... :)





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 44: Bollywood Basic Dance Classes -- let the fun and awkwardness begin!

Groupon the website is kind of awesome in that it offers you all kinds of opportunities to try things if you are willing to be adventurous about it. Most of the time, I generally pass on what they have to offer, but every once in a while, a deal comes along that my now curious, try-something-new spirit is intrigued by. By saying "every once in a while," I really mean just this once. hahaha So far, anyway.

This so-called intriguing opportunity comes in the form of Bollywood style dance classes at Dhoonya Dance School. $30 for four classes. Definitely could not pass up the opportunity for something new and interesting. And holy smack, am I glad I joined. For one hour, it was a LOT of fun. The only dance moves I'm capable of doing are the pony and the shoulder shimmy thing. And hey! Apparently, that's like, the basics of Bollywood style dance moves! Of course, I'm not so good at it, but definitely better than if I were in a hip hop dance class (which, to be honest, I would also take if Groupon offered such a deal). I had a great time and talked to a few new people. Next week, I think I'm gonna befriend the one dude whose wife signed him up and swore to him up and down that there was another dude signed up in the class (who chickened out anyway...) Single men, take note, it is majority women!!! And a few of my classmates were really pretty!!!

Speaking of pretty... I bring you stranger #5. My dance teacher Priya.



Even gross and sweaty, she is GORGEOUS. And an amazing dancer. Very good teacher too. I asked her how she got into all this and she told me how she grew up dancing this stuff with her aunts and everything. She lived in the states all her life, but spent summers in India. About five years ago, she started Dhoonya Dance in D.C. and then last year, she expanded into NYC and now lives here full time. I think that's pretty awesome. I met a few other strangers today too, but she was definitely the most memorable. I'm looking forward to the next three weeks, and am considering maybe continuing after this Groupon thing is done. It's a lot of fun and actually a really great workout. I think I may have found something physically challenging aside from snowboarding that I might actually like to do...

Day 43: Brandon turns 28 and Fabio gets a new job

Brandon didn't get to go to Florida like he planned, and although that kind of sucks, we made the most of it today and took him out to lunch AND dinner for his birthday. Also, it was nice to be able to have our lunch crew complete for Fabio's last day at work. I'm gonna miss it the way it's been... Fabio brings in the paper and we all do the crossword, but not until we've all had lunch... It won't be the same...though Rich wants to have "auditions" for Fabio's prime lunch spot.

Brandon's 28 today. Of course, he looks like he just turned 21, which works out for him. :)

...Hrmm... somehow low on words today. But very high on laughter. So this is what life is like now... :)

Oh! Also to note for today: I handed out Jonas Brother and iCarly Valentine's Day cards and some chocolates at work today. It was awesome to feel like I was in the sixth grade and hand out stuff for Valentine's Day. I love that people think I'm cute for doing it and I love that it feels good to make people smile. :)

Day 42: Just another corner...with cars passing by...

May be just an ordinary street scene to you, but to me, it's a part of the scenery the day I started to feel lighter. And everything seemed brighter. And it mostly has to do with what you see...I only wish I had worn more make up and fixed my hair to capture how good today felt...

The snow came down and blanketed the world and maybe after the shoveling is done and all of it has started to melt in the sun, the city will be the same. But today, I am different from yesterday. Today, I get to take another step forward. One with no regrets, and only possibilities...

Day 41: Snow Day!

I woke up to a phone call from Rich this morning telling me that I could go back to bed because we wouldn't be able to get to work with all the snow that was falling outside. My very first snow day!

I've always loved snow. Even before I got to start enjoying it when I took up snowboarding. There's just something so pure and innocent about it. It blankets the world in white to make everything beautiful, and for even just a day, it makes everything feel new, like it's wiped the slate clean and given you a fresh start.

I finished something today that I had been working on and preoccupied with for a while now. I'm finally done, and suddenly, I feel the incredible lightness of being.

It made my twenty minute foray into the outside world to get some food all that more enjoyable...

Suddenly the world seems new again. Even for just a day.

Day 40: Home sick and musing on strength

I stayed home sick today for the first time in months. It was very strange to be doing so. I spent most of my day indoors, except for the fifteen minutes I went outside to get some fresh air. I slept a lot, and talked to my cousin, who thinks I have been half assing my blogs lately. He is not wrong. I have been preoccupied lately, doing and thinking of other things... I will try a little bit harder... starting today.

Being home sick means no interesting pictures of the outside world. Instead, you're going to get a picture of some random object in my room. I have been thinking about writing this entry for a while, and figure now must be a good a time as any...

So I have this ring made of tungsten carbide...




Tungsten Carbide. For those not familiar with it, I furnish you with what wikipedia has told me about it:

Tungsten carbide, WC is an inorganic chemical compound containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. Colloquially, tungsten carbide is often simply called carbide. In its most basic form, it is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed into shapes for use in industrial machinery, tools, abrasives, as well as jewelry. Tungsten carbide is approximately three times stiffer than steel, with a Young's modulus of approximately 550 GPa,^[1] and is much denser than steel or titanium. Tungsten carbide can now be found in the inventory of some jewelers. When used in this application the bands appear with a lustrous dark hue often buffed to a mirror finish. The color is more similar to that of hematite than to that of platinum. The finish is highly resistant to scratches and scuffs, holding its mirror-like shine for years. Although it is possible to inlay precious metals, woods, and other materials, these are less scratch-resistant than tungsten carbide. It cannot easily be melted, with a melting point of 2870 °C, 5198 °F, and a boiling point of 6000°C, 10832 °F.

Like the One Ring created by the Dark Lord Sauron, it is a ring of strength that cannot easily be broken or destroyed. (*Sidenote: Don't you think Frodo could have thrown the Ring into a volcano, ANY volcano and it would have worked? No one would have dived in after it and survived... Guess if he had, there wouldn't be the trilogy...)

Anyway. This ring and its properties kind of remind me of strength. I've been struggling with the concept for a while, and I've been thinking... the idea of strength intrigues me… I think mostly because it is completely different from what I thought it was. I used to think being strong was throwing out everything that had to do with the person who hurt you; being “tough” and acting like nothing was gonna hurt you; being angry because it keeps you from falling apart. But while anger can fuel you, it’s a very thin line to be walking on because it can burn more energy and turn you into someone you may not want to be. In that sense, the situation becomes even sadder because you not only lost someone you loved, but you lost yourself in the process.

I’m starting to think that my version of strength was being able to pick myself up despite the hurt, to let myself experience the pain, to keep that pain from damaging the best parts of me, and to grow from it all. It also takes a lot of strength to keep caring when I have no reason to… and to be true to what I feel is right despite what other people are telling me. And it DEFINITELY takes a lot of strength to still want good things for a person who has caused me pain...

To be strong doesn't necessarily mean that you've never been broken; maybe it means that you're able to start putting the pieces of yourself back together...

Day 39: Mama's randomness strikes again!

Quick backstory: when my mom was visiting last week, I asked her to buy valentines day cards for me to send to my friend Alan in Japan (he's an elementary school/middle school teacher) if she happened to be at the store and came across some. Well, she completely forgot until she found herself back in Vegas at the grocery store... So she thought she still needed to buy them, and that she did. She rushed to the post office right after and sent them my way...

They came in today. Now, while I had been expecting Valentine's Day cards, I DEFINITELY did not expect them to be Jonas Brothers and iCarly themed. I have been sick all day, but could not help but snap out of my sick funk for even just the few minutes that I laughed when I found what was in the package.

My Mom = awesome. I <3 her.


Did I forget to tell you that these Valentine's Day cards come with free posters?? Yup. AWESOME. Now hanging on my wall at work. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 38: Bacon explosion!

In the Rich Shelala household, superbowl is equivalent to Bacon Explosion. No, this is not the spontaneous combustion of Kevin Bacon. It is much much better and more delicious than that. It is bacon wrapped in sausage wrapped in bacon slathered in barbecue sauce and broiled to delicious crispiness.

Colts vs. Saints? Who cares, there's pork products coming out of the oven...




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 37: Sample sale explosion in my bedroom

With the arrival of my new roommate, DJ, comes the renewed inspiration to reorganize my room and maybe do a little bit of pre spring cleaning. It also doesn't help that i've gone next door and Janny and Justin have awesome closets. So tonight, I'm going through my clothes and trying to decide what to keep, what to throw, and all that fun stuff.

So far, I have made the following discoveries:
1) I have a lot of clothes.
2) I like to keep clothes even though I haven't worn them in a while because of my weight gain over the past few years.
3) I now fit into most of those clothes now. Yay!
4) I totally dressed more like a ho back in college. Hahahahah








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 36: mmmm beeeef: it's what's for dinner

My first sirloin at Sparks! It was quite a delicious and interesting experience. We were seated near a fur club and two hookers. Presumably....




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 35: To be fair, Rich likes chocolate

Today is Rich's birthday. We somehow decided that the theme for the day was "fairness." We practiced it all day.

This is Rich having a devil dog birthday cupcake. It looks kind of gross but to be fair, Rich loves chocolate, the cupcake was delicious and it was his birthday, to be fair...




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 34: Urban Dictionary Definition of Joyce...

1.	So... there's a facebook status craze where you type your name in at Urban Dictionary and see what it turns up... I thought it was hilarious when I did it myself and because I am a slacker who didn't take any pictures today, I'm doing self-portrait today (this is me blow drying my hair and taking a picture--- multitasking!)... I thought the definitions were pretty funny and only partially on point... (Definitions 1,3, and 6! hahah) Enjoy the awesomeness! hahaha Joyce
	A Really sweet girl who is perfect for Someone,period.
2.	joyce
	A verb, meaning to lead someone on and then crush his or her heart like a heartless, souless, biatch that does pineapples and your sister.
3.	Joyce
	first of all. if you know a joyce, youre damn lucky. if youre friends with one, youre the luckiest person in the whole world, perhaps universe. a joyce has qualities of an unbelievably amazing person. shes lovable, funny, gorgeous, trustworthy, loyal, breathtaking, sweet, and they are incredibly caring and understanding.
4.	Joyce
	A slang in Bulgarian used for Marihuana
5.	joyce
	look up Pimp, Hustler, Thug,
6.	Joyce
	1. Slang for "Rejoice"- to be extremely happy with over excessive laughter which drowns the crowd in bewildered confusion. 2. Noun - someone who is very hard working and has a very intellectual image but actually poor in street knowledge and common sense. Maybe be a great frustration for many people who attempt to communicate with such a empty-minded, purely innocent, and conceited angel. A typical blonde asian valley girl who may have a strange act of seduction.
7.	joyce
	where u spill/slop something on urself, like food, drink, anything, it usually falls upon the breast of the person

Day 33: If my mom loves you, she will make you shortribs

This is what my coworker Vincenzo knows. And he's not wrong. :)

My mom's shortrib adobo is soooo addictively delicious, and Vincenzo, until today, has only ever seen me, Rich, and Brandon eat them... But since he so enthusiastically made sure he got to meet her on Saturday, he finally got a mommy-cooked meal. My mom now has three (maybe four, if you count Fabio) adopted sons...

Day 32: apple pie baked with love

Those kinds of pie are the best. Moms is cooking up a storm tonight, which means good eats for lunch! Yayer!!!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone