The Number 3 tip on this article was not to worry about spending too much time on Tumblr. I hardly know what Tumblr is, leave alone spend too much time on it. Then the article goes on to say that websites such as Tumblr or Twitter "can be a great way to connect with others and figure out your own interests and aesthetics." (www.huffingtonpost.com). I suppose if it's a sharing website, then one could connect with other people and learn about their own interests and aesthetics. I personally like to look at interesting photos on the internet, usually photos of nature, animals, or sweeping landscapes. I also like candid photos of people and inspirational, uplifting pictures. Now I'm not looking at these photos at 3 am the day before an exam, but I do like to browse through them in my free time. For a long time, I've dreamed of just quitting, leaving everything behind, and travel the world taking pictures of people, animals, and places. Maybe one day when I pay off all of my debt, I can go do that.
Friday, January 4, 2013
New Year's Resolution Updates
I know that the new year is only a few days in, but maybe doing regular updates on my resolutions will help to reinforce my resolve and document my progress in keeping up with things. Two of the resolutions have been helping--eating less sweets and enjoying the silence. They have been affecting my life in positive ways. Just the other day, I resisted eating sweets and when I went to the grocery store, I refrained from buying any fatty/sugary/over-processed foods. I'm quite proud of myself. I also don't listen to music anymore while I'm driving. Instead, I spend the time in quiet meditation and I believe it lowers the anxiety I have about driving.
Something else I resolve to do is to spend less money. To this end, I sat down to thoroughly look at how and where I used the most money. I spent about an hour documenting my expenses over the last nine months of my life and it shocked me to discover how much money I spent on food. After that, I resolved to cut down on my food expenses. For example, now when I go food shopping, I don't buy dairy products or meat anymore. I also keep my purchase of processed foods to a minimum. Fruits and vegetables are less expensive anyway, and much better for my health. This new action has the dual effect of lowering my food costs and inducing me to eat healthier.
I also applied for food stamps this morning and hopefully, that will bring my expenses down as well. Lastly, I was talking to my roommate yesterday and she told me how she shopped at a certain grocery store because it's cheaper. I usually go to the expensive one just because it's right around the block from my house. Maybe I could take a trip to the cheaper grocery store and buy lots of food at once so I don't have to take multiple trips. Buying fruits and vegetables at farmer's markets might help, too. That way, it helps local businesses, brings costs down, and I get to eat better because I eat what's in season instead of food shipped all the way across the country from California or Florida.
Something else I resolve to do is to spend less money. To this end, I sat down to thoroughly look at how and where I used the most money. I spent about an hour documenting my expenses over the last nine months of my life and it shocked me to discover how much money I spent on food. After that, I resolved to cut down on my food expenses. For example, now when I go food shopping, I don't buy dairy products or meat anymore. I also keep my purchase of processed foods to a minimum. Fruits and vegetables are less expensive anyway, and much better for my health. This new action has the dual effect of lowering my food costs and inducing me to eat healthier.
I also applied for food stamps this morning and hopefully, that will bring my expenses down as well. Lastly, I was talking to my roommate yesterday and she told me how she shopped at a certain grocery store because it's cheaper. I usually go to the expensive one just because it's right around the block from my house. Maybe I could take a trip to the cheaper grocery store and buy lots of food at once so I don't have to take multiple trips. Buying fruits and vegetables at farmer's markets might help, too. That way, it helps local businesses, brings costs down, and I get to eat better because I eat what's in season instead of food shipped all the way across the country from California or Florida.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
January 2, 2013
I used to be one of those people who would continue writing the previous year on all of my checks and academic papers well into February. For example, if it's 2013 now, then I would usually write 2012 on all of my documents for January and February 2013. Recently, I've been more mindful of that. Usually, I would have no slip-ups until June or July rolls around and then I suddenly and inexplicably revert to writing the previous year.
Also, I had a conversation today with Matt and I feel as if I'm not myself with anyone. There IS a downside to being too accommodating after all. If I spend too much time thinking about how people are going to react, then they start to worry about how I'M going to react, if that makes any sense.
Or I'm just being too analytical. Am I being too analytical? I'm probably being too analytical. I should just learn to let go. "It doesn't have too mean anything," Matt told me.
More coherent ramblings later on.
Also, I had a conversation today with Matt and I feel as if I'm not myself with anyone. There IS a downside to being too accommodating after all. If I spend too much time thinking about how people are going to react, then they start to worry about how I'M going to react, if that makes any sense.
Or I'm just being too analytical. Am I being too analytical? I'm probably being too analytical. I should just learn to let go. "It doesn't have too mean anything," Matt told me.
More coherent ramblings later on.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
New Year's Resolutions
New Year's Resolutions
1) Practice mindful breathing. I often realize that I get short of breath when I'm anxious or distracted so I will practice regular, mindful breathing in order to reduce anxiety.
2) Write more. I really miss writing poetry, for example. And those goofy, fairy-tale parodies I do every once in a while.
3) Cut down on sweets. I definitely eat WAY too many sweets. I took a good look at my teeth today and they looked disgusting. I'm not sure if sugar is the culprit, but it definitely can't hurt to cut down on it. Also, since diabetes runs on both sides of my family, maybe it would be a good idea to reduce my sugar intake before I develop anything.
4) Spend more time just staring into space. I know that this one is strange, but I really do feel eye strain from so much reading and computer use required for my schoolwork. I resolve that in my free time, it would be better to just stare off into space and practice my breathing rather than surf the web.
5) Work on my cooking/baking. Matt suggested this one. He noticed how I was so enthralled by making French bread at his apartment that he recommended I get into it more. I usually stick to making the same things, but maybe this year would be a good one to branch out.
6) Assertiveness. Or rather, just be myself. I've been monitoring my interactions with people and from what I've gleaned, I act too stilted around others. I'm always afraid of hurting someone's feelings so I don't usually say no. I also spend too much energy anticipating people's needs instead of just asking them what they want, and that doesn't help anyone. This year will be a good year to undo that.
7) Relish silence. Every day, I feel as if I just jam in too much noise around me. Radio when I'm driving. Music when I'm working. Mindless chatter just to make conversation. What's wrong with the silence? Too long I have been using noise to drown out feelings of depression and alienation, of worry and hopelessness. But now is the time to figure out WHY I'm having those feelings instead of just running away from it all the time. As my supervisor would say, "Explore. Explore. Explore." Well, now is the time to do that.
Happy New Year, everyone! I'll write again when I celebrate Chinese New Year. Or Tet, as they call it in my home country. :)
1) Practice mindful breathing. I often realize that I get short of breath when I'm anxious or distracted so I will practice regular, mindful breathing in order to reduce anxiety.
2) Write more. I really miss writing poetry, for example. And those goofy, fairy-tale parodies I do every once in a while.
3) Cut down on sweets. I definitely eat WAY too many sweets. I took a good look at my teeth today and they looked disgusting. I'm not sure if sugar is the culprit, but it definitely can't hurt to cut down on it. Also, since diabetes runs on both sides of my family, maybe it would be a good idea to reduce my sugar intake before I develop anything.
4) Spend more time just staring into space. I know that this one is strange, but I really do feel eye strain from so much reading and computer use required for my schoolwork. I resolve that in my free time, it would be better to just stare off into space and practice my breathing rather than surf the web.
5) Work on my cooking/baking. Matt suggested this one. He noticed how I was so enthralled by making French bread at his apartment that he recommended I get into it more. I usually stick to making the same things, but maybe this year would be a good one to branch out.
6) Assertiveness. Or rather, just be myself. I've been monitoring my interactions with people and from what I've gleaned, I act too stilted around others. I'm always afraid of hurting someone's feelings so I don't usually say no. I also spend too much energy anticipating people's needs instead of just asking them what they want, and that doesn't help anyone. This year will be a good year to undo that.
7) Relish silence. Every day, I feel as if I just jam in too much noise around me. Radio when I'm driving. Music when I'm working. Mindless chatter just to make conversation. What's wrong with the silence? Too long I have been using noise to drown out feelings of depression and alienation, of worry and hopelessness. But now is the time to figure out WHY I'm having those feelings instead of just running away from it all the time. As my supervisor would say, "Explore. Explore. Explore." Well, now is the time to do that.
Happy New Year, everyone! I'll write again when I celebrate Chinese New Year. Or Tet, as they call it in my home country. :)
Matt's Birthday
So today was Matt's birthday. I wanted to go out and do something special, but Matt just wanted to have a lazy day inside. It being his birthday, I readily acquiesced. When I asked him what he wanted to do, he suggested making French bread. Matt had received a Julia Child's cookbook for Christmas and so we spent the day making dough and letting it rise and stuff. Matt and I read through the cookbook and I must admit that I like the way Julia Child writes--compartmentalized and with a touch of humor. She's also subtle when she writes not-so-flattering things as well.
Matt also downloaded the game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis on his computer for me to play. Now that was fun. The people who made the game also did a good job transitioning the music and casting the voices. The guy they got to voice Indiana Jones is named Doug Lee, but he sounds a lot like Harrison Ford. I looked forward to playing it because Matt had told me so much about it and because there were supposed to be puzzles to the game. Apparently, the puzzles were not in my area of expertise. The game requires me to read other people and to figure out what they want. I'm terrible at the kind of stuff (funny how I'm going to be a social worker someday). Matt had to help me out when I became too bogged down and I realized that I have a bit of a narrow view of the world (something my friends have told me for years). It took me a long time to realize that not all puzzles can be solved at one at a time. Sometimes, it's a better idea to go off and solve other things before I went back to the original puzzle. That's my problem right there. I'm too focused on things right in front of me. It does not occur to me that something I learned earlier might help later on. I don't notice things like that. Maybe playing this game could help me learn that skill.
After hours in the apartment, Matt got cabin fever and so we went out to find this game store in lower Manhattan. Matt and I thought that they sold trading card games and board games so we had high hopes for it. It turns out that they only sold one type of game and the entire store just focused on variations of that one type. On the other hand, I did get to play a Lord of the Rings-themed battle.
Truthfully, I was just glad to be out and about. I usually feel confined if I have to stay inside all day, but I did feel bad because Matt was shivering and cold the entire time we were walking around outside. In spite of this, we took a trip to McSorley's Pub where I bought Matt a birthday porter before we headed home.
Dinner consisted of homemade pasta, and we had green tea ice cream for dessert. The French bread turned out really well--all crispy crust and soft, spongy bread. Beautiful stuff. Matt sliced off two rounds for us to eat and we enjoyed it with pats of butter. I really want to get into cooking and baking now. Sometimes, I wish my life consisted of long days just working with my hands--cooking, baking, sewing, gardening, and building things. Maybe some day, I'll do that. Some day.
Also, something interesting came in the mail for me when I arrived home. More on that later...
Matt also downloaded the game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis on his computer for me to play. Now that was fun. The people who made the game also did a good job transitioning the music and casting the voices. The guy they got to voice Indiana Jones is named Doug Lee, but he sounds a lot like Harrison Ford. I looked forward to playing it because Matt had told me so much about it and because there were supposed to be puzzles to the game. Apparently, the puzzles were not in my area of expertise. The game requires me to read other people and to figure out what they want. I'm terrible at the kind of stuff (funny how I'm going to be a social worker someday). Matt had to help me out when I became too bogged down and I realized that I have a bit of a narrow view of the world (something my friends have told me for years). It took me a long time to realize that not all puzzles can be solved at one at a time. Sometimes, it's a better idea to go off and solve other things before I went back to the original puzzle. That's my problem right there. I'm too focused on things right in front of me. It does not occur to me that something I learned earlier might help later on. I don't notice things like that. Maybe playing this game could help me learn that skill.
After hours in the apartment, Matt got cabin fever and so we went out to find this game store in lower Manhattan. Matt and I thought that they sold trading card games and board games so we had high hopes for it. It turns out that they only sold one type of game and the entire store just focused on variations of that one type. On the other hand, I did get to play a Lord of the Rings-themed battle.
Truthfully, I was just glad to be out and about. I usually feel confined if I have to stay inside all day, but I did feel bad because Matt was shivering and cold the entire time we were walking around outside. In spite of this, we took a trip to McSorley's Pub where I bought Matt a birthday porter before we headed home.
Dinner consisted of homemade pasta, and we had green tea ice cream for dessert. The French bread turned out really well--all crispy crust and soft, spongy bread. Beautiful stuff. Matt sliced off two rounds for us to eat and we enjoyed it with pats of butter. I really want to get into cooking and baking now. Sometimes, I wish my life consisted of long days just working with my hands--cooking, baking, sewing, gardening, and building things. Maybe some day, I'll do that. Some day.
Also, something interesting came in the mail for me when I arrived home. More on that later...
New Year's Eve
I spent New Year's Eve with Matt in New York. Unlike what I had planned on doing for years, which was go to Times Square on New Year's Eve to watch the ball drop, Matt and I kept it low-key instead. We had a nice dinner of black bean burgers, snow peas, and home-fried potato skins. Then we had this riveting conversation about whether certain vegetables would taste better cooked in butter or in olive oil (I know, we're weird people). Finally, we went to sleep. At 9 pm. Serious old-man syndrome here. My friends were right when they teased me about sleeping so early.
"Oh, so you want to go home early so you don't miss the early bird special? Well, have fun playing shuffleboard before going to bed at 8."
But truthfully, Matt and I were just too exhausted to do anything. I had a plane flight all the way back to the Northeast and had to drag my luggage through the New York subway. Matt, meanwhile, had been traipsing around town all day buying groceries for that night's dinner.
It's strange, we didn't even think about going to see the fireworks or taking a walk outside to look at the festivities. We just turned in at nine and fell promptly asleep. Matt did wake me up around midnight, and said, "Happy New Year, sweetheart" before we went back to sleep. Later on, he told me that he had woken up because he heard fireworks and inferred that it must have been people ringing in the new year. I told him I didn't hear anything. Figures. I love sleep way too much to even notice fireworks and explosions.
"Oh, so you want to go home early so you don't miss the early bird special? Well, have fun playing shuffleboard before going to bed at 8."
But truthfully, Matt and I were just too exhausted to do anything. I had a plane flight all the way back to the Northeast and had to drag my luggage through the New York subway. Matt, meanwhile, had been traipsing around town all day buying groceries for that night's dinner.
It's strange, we didn't even think about going to see the fireworks or taking a walk outside to look at the festivities. We just turned in at nine and fell promptly asleep. Matt did wake me up around midnight, and said, "Happy New Year, sweetheart" before we went back to sleep. Later on, he told me that he had woken up because he heard fireworks and inferred that it must have been people ringing in the new year. I told him I didn't hear anything. Figures. I love sleep way too much to even notice fireworks and explosions.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Tokyo Godfathers
I just watched the movie Tokyo Godfathers yesterday and I must say, that is ONE GOOD FILM. I've noticed that movie in my local library for years now and I kept telling myself that one day I would check it out and watch it. Somehow, I never did. It wasn't until my friend Vincey mentioned it was good movie that I thought to myself, "All right, I should give it a chance." It was Christmastime and while the movie is not a Christmas movie per se, the story takes place on Christmas Day and so I thought I would give it a shot. Boy, am I glad I did. The film was so good.
Basically, Tokyo Godfathers is this animated movie about three homeless people who find a baby girl in a trash can and they go looking for the baby's mother. The movie follows the people through their many attempts at locating the baby's family and they run into an assortment of characters, trouble, and near-death experiences along the way. I thought the movie was well-animated and the pacing was brilliant. There is not a single wasted scene in the film (none of that filler stuff I hate so much), and there were a few unexpected funny moments. I wish I could make films and tell stories like that.This movie also reminded me of how much I liked to watch films. I've been a little apathetic about watching films recently, but truthfully, they've always been one of my biggest loves. This movie reminded me why--film making is such a unique and multifaceted way of telling a story. That's been my first love all along--storytelling.
Lastly, this film was very timely. I've been depressed a lot lately, but this kind of movie really puts things into perspective. For me, the movie spoke about what it means to transcend your own personal problems because there is something bigger at stake. I mean, here were three homeless people who finally found something outside of themselves to care for, to live for and possibly die for...Here were people who had so many more problems than I'll ever have and they still face each day with a fair amount of resilience. Maybe I can learn something from that.
As people may have guessed, I highly recommend this movie. And not just at Christmastime either.
Basically, Tokyo Godfathers is this animated movie about three homeless people who find a baby girl in a trash can and they go looking for the baby's mother. The movie follows the people through their many attempts at locating the baby's family and they run into an assortment of characters, trouble, and near-death experiences along the way. I thought the movie was well-animated and the pacing was brilliant. There is not a single wasted scene in the film (none of that filler stuff I hate so much), and there were a few unexpected funny moments. I wish I could make films and tell stories like that.This movie also reminded me of how much I liked to watch films. I've been a little apathetic about watching films recently, but truthfully, they've always been one of my biggest loves. This movie reminded me why--film making is such a unique and multifaceted way of telling a story. That's been my first love all along--storytelling.
Lastly, this film was very timely. I've been depressed a lot lately, but this kind of movie really puts things into perspective. For me, the movie spoke about what it means to transcend your own personal problems because there is something bigger at stake. I mean, here were three homeless people who finally found something outside of themselves to care for, to live for and possibly die for...Here were people who had so many more problems than I'll ever have and they still face each day with a fair amount of resilience. Maybe I can learn something from that.
As people may have guessed, I highly recommend this movie. And not just at Christmastime either.
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About Me
- jumira-wings
- Hi, I'm jumira-wings, likely to be one of the strangest people you'll ever meet.