February 2012
2 posts
7 tags
College, Part II
I was at a networking event the other day, mostly for the tasty hors d’oeurves and the opportunity to imbibe free drinks, but figured I’d entertain some awkward conversation so my freeloading wouldn’t be so conspicuous. When someone approached me, I’d hurriedly finish my chewing (lest the silence be deafening) and begin talking mouth full with a load of quiche...
CREDO
1. I believe the next generation is charged with the challenge of gracefully coalescing with a rapidly evolving world,
2. I believe the current status quo in institutional education does not equip us with relevant tools to meet this challenge, nor does it produce the best version of our selves,
3. I believe in devoting our technological resources toward tackling this disconnect, by...
January 2012
4 posts
Thinking.
9 tags
A Manifesto
To those who read the following in its entirety, thank you. This is not intended to be a monologue but a conversation. In an attempt to practice the collaboration I write about, I welcome all comments- positive or negative - because they are the only way to combat my individual bias. Regardless, thanks for entertaining.
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I sit at my computer periodically to...
4 tags
Is it Serendipity, or Life?
Have you ever thought about how certain people entered your life? Not why, but simply how. What event planted the seeds for that life-changing friendship? Partnership? Love?
The answer is often as mundane as, ‘I had no choice. We were forced to work together on a group project.’ Or as awkward as ‘We both really liked cats and were the only ones who had nothing better to do than...
3 tags
Moving In, 2012.
Not for me. On New Years Day, I officially moved to New York. So far, it’s been a dream too good to be true; part of me is just waiting to wake up. Fortunately the Chrysler building proceeds to stare back from the window every morning. For now, I’m still in a sweet sweet dream.
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I came to the city last month...
December 2011
1 post
4 tags
My 2012 Theme Word: Forward
Last year around this time, I dubbed 2011 the year of flight. I meant that in all positive respects. Literally, I wanted to take off and explore more of the world. Metaphorically, I wanted to escape my comfort zone. The overall goal was to not be bound to anything too familiar that limited my potential.
Well, I flew for sure. If 3 months romping around Europe teaching English to Italian kiddies...
November 2011
1 post
3 tags
Thanks for Thanks: Chapter 3
Thanks for the obvious: family, friends, food.
Thanks for the subtle: hard times, resilience, faith.
Thanks for a mobile body and a functioning mind.
Thanks for the five senses, awakening the moment.
Thanks for the carefree existence I’ve been afforded, a luxury not often allowed in this frazzled world.
Thanks for home and all its comforts.
Thanks for art and its ability to...
October 2011
1 post
5 tags
Thanks, for birthday cake: Chapter 2
When my sister Wendy turned 6, she received two unexpected pieces of news. The first was that she would no longer have her own birthday cake. This was heartbreaking, because it meant she’d have to share. As if it weren’t enough that there were already a million other people born on September 29, stealing her spotlight on her special day, she couldn’t avoid this cake-stealer....
September 2011
4 posts
6 tags
Thanks, Across Cultures: Chapter 1
I remember the day I met Jacek Holzwieser. He thought I was someone else, I thought he was just another ignorant European boy.
It’s funny how our first impressions often veer so far from the truth. In the case of Jacek’s and my meeting on that sunny Singapore afternoon, we instinctively gravitated toward our respective cultural stereotypes. As I greeted this blonde-haired blue-eyed...
5 tags
This is not about me. More than 3 months ago, I made the decision to stop blogging because I needed to stop looking within and start looking out. I wrote, “My experiences in Europe will be mine alone.” Now that I’m back, I can truthfully say- THEY WERE. But is that all? Am I crazy to think that 3 months of travel- that’s 88 nights in 21 different beds - being laid to rest...
2 tags
June 2011
1 post
4 tags
This is my last post for a while.
I declare this with all the certainty of an A.A. graduate who soberly vows to never drink while holding a glass of wine. That’s as certain as my certain gets.
Writing is my drug. As with everything, writing is productive in healthy doses but counterproductive in extremes. For the past month, I made a point to write every single day, whether privately...
May 2011
14 posts
7 tags
Life, Post-College →
My editorial on NextGenJournal: ”College, Graduation, and Reality- The Real Education Awaits.”
I understand that others may disagree. Everyone’s college experience is different. But in the spirit of discussion, I’d love to hear your opinion, especially if you’re a college student in another field, about what your college education means to you.
...
Watch
OBSESSED. Wish I had the guts to dance and carouse all around NYC like this. Then again, if I could dance like them, I probably would.
(via girlwalkallday)
5 tags
Perspective
News of the recent tornadoes is devastating and breaks my heart. Mom and I have been glued to the TV, staring in shock and terror at the utter apocalyptic destruction towns like Joplin have experienced.
So, here’s a different perspective. A couple days ago, Mom turned to me after watching a little too much CNN and said (in Mandarin), “Have you ever wondered if our natural disasters...
4 tags
Legacy
I’m not an Oprah child by any means. As a kid, I watched her show maybe once every few weeks but was honestly more immersed in dweeby stuff like spelling bees and beanie babies to care about such weighty topics like self-empowerment.
However take one look at Oprah and even the biggest of cynics cannot deny her far-reaching influence. Her fan club borders on cultish- an empire of people...
6 tags
Lessons from the King
…China King, that is. Alas, my two week stint at Tennessee’s most established Chinese fast food joint has come and gone as quickly as the syrup oozing from its sweet honey chicken clung to my skin…and senses. Off my appetite for an undercover ‘worker’ lifestyle goes, dissipating with the rising steam of the chow mein, which is sure to be gobbled soon by the next batch...
4 tags
Slowly Losing Our Minds →
“The generation that had information, but no context. Butter, but no bread. Craving, but no longing.”
Twitter makes us stupid. Thoughts?
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WatchRemember Calzatura boutique in downtown Gainesville? Almost forgot I was in an advertisement of sorts for them. I stumbled across this video Kristin Giannis, Mike Stanton, and I made back in fall to help promote the boutique that supplied our outfits for GamedayTap.
Mike did all the editing. Kristin and I just tried on clothes- hard life, I know. I remember feeling like a narcissistic fool...
4 tags
Kayden Horwitz: The Time-Value of Wisdom →
kydn:
If you have the option of receiving a hundred dollars today or the same amount in one month, a rational person would choose to receive it today. Money is worth more now than in the future because you can use to it to earn interest in the meantime. The time value of money underlies all our…
7 tags
Tiger Mania
I was a little annoyed with the hubbub over Amy Chua’s Tiger Mom book and never felt compelled to comment. Different parenting styles for different folks, people. Isn’t that called diversity? Don’t we profess to accept that?
The most recent “Paper Tigers” piece by Wesley Yang in New York Mag caused me to roll my eyes once again. So, it was a surprise when I...
3 tags
ode to my mother
This Mother’s Day post comes a day late, but gratitude and love for one’s mother should not be limited to a specific day anyway.
The phrase, “My mother, my mirror- - oh my!” floated around the Twittersphere yesterday. I smiled, because it perfectly describes my thoughts on the evolving relationship with my mother. The more time I spend with Ma, the more I find myself...
4 tags
A Real Education
I mowed the lawn today. To others this isn’t a huge deal but to me, it is.
This is because at home, I’m not one to exert much energy. I come home to sleep, eat, doodle, and follow Mom around. For once, though, I’m here for an extended period of time- not a week or two or three, but several weeks into the unforeseeable future. (Or at least through June 14, when I depart for...
Don't Date a Girl Who Reads →
“You, the girl who reads, make me want to be everything that I am not. ”
April 2011
4 posts
5 tags
If I were to be a writer...
I’d follow the philosophy of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love:
“I created my own post-graduate writing program, which entailed several years spent traveling around the country and world, taking jobs at bars and restaurants and ranches, listening to how people spoke, collecting experiences and writing constantly. My life probably looked disordered to observers (not that...
Question Mark
1.1.11- How can I maintain momentum without forgetting to live in the moment? This is the challenge and opportunity of the year: to create sustainable growth in all areas while retaining a core sense of identity.
It’s funny how quickly we forget our purpose. I wrote this on New Year’s and close to 3.5 months later, I’ve completely forgotten that this is what I’m out to...
6 tags
Charities Turn to Twitter to Boost Fundraising →
My ABC article on using social media for social good. 150 cities raised more than $500K for local charities during this year’s 3rd annual Twestival on March 24, proving that social media is about a lot more than being social. What a joy it was to write this story!
March 2011
8 posts
“I was at the counter and it was my turn to buy a ticket when I reached down to...”
– Lotto winner Mike Barth describes the rather lucky situation that led to him buying the $319 million winning ticket for him and the six other members of his office pool. Still no word on exactly who the 8th unlucky person was who opted out on putting in for tickets that day. (via abcworldnews)
...
Letters
When I go clueless, I look back…in my inbox. Old letters offer a surprisingly candid portrait of my past priorities and desires. They may be outdated, but there must be a reason why I thought certain things in the past.
I have a virtual pen pal of sorts. I’ve never met him, but we’ve found common ground in sharing ideas. It’s been a while since we’ve talked (er...
2 tags
Non-Wisdom
With graduation in exactly a month, I’d be lying to say I haven’t been obsessing about my lack of plans post-college. I am waiting to hear from a couple things I applied for, but the outcomes aren’t really what I’m worried about. The problem is much more deep-set. Regardless of the program, job, or title, and whether I ultimately accept or reject, I don’t know if...
3 tags
Surveying an Unvarnished America →
“America. It can be inspiring and beautiful. It can be dark and ugly. It’s so many things- but it’s ours.” - Lisa Ling, in ‘Our America’
Has anyone watched this show on Oprah’s Network? I haven’t but it sounds interesting. I love the voyeuristic concept behind the stories. Exposing some of America’s most undercover subjects- that’s...
3 tags
7 tags
Twestival - Using Social Media for Social Good
Last week, I tried a social experiment of sorts. Its purpose: to gauge the amount of sway I have on Facebook.
My status on St. Patty’s Day was about a local charity. I encouraged my friends to like it. For every thumbs up, I would donate $1 to the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation- Gainesville’s designated charity for this year’s Twestival.
Within an hour, I had received 30...
Happiness is Overrated →
This article discusses some interesting points about short-term happiness versus long-term well-being.
Eudaimonia should be the goal- not hedonism.
“Maybe mistakes are what make our fate… without them what would shape our...”
– sex and the city
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Thoughts before I embark on a trip with 4 of my best gal pals to NYC. We’ll all be heading our separate ways in a few short months so it should be a wonderful last hurrah.
Four 21-year olds set loose in the city? This could be bad. And by bad,...
February 2011
4 posts
Does the Internet Make You Dumber? →
My brain is being rewired as I type.
Running Tracker
10 miles, 91:10
1271 cals burned
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If only everyday were as smooth sailin’
13 days ‘til go time
LET’S DO IT
“History will judge me.”- Mubarak
Won’t it judge us all? Whether you’re the leader of a country on the brink of revolution or an indecisive soul having trouble deciding what to eat, just remember you have a legacy, big or small. It’s a legacy that you can craft however you wish. If you care any bit about it, ensure that your actions align with your principles...
January 2011
4 posts
“I used to think of myself as a lone agent, who made certain choices and...”
– - Neuroscientist, on happiness
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/17/110117fa_fact_brooks#ixzz1AymjXzB0
Possibilities
For so many, the new year often signals hope and rebirth- and rightfully so. For me, it’s typically the opposite. Anxiety hits. Beginnings have me fretting over what could go wrong, the mishaps that are likely to occur, and the precautions I need to take to ensure nothing bad actually happens.
Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned from 2010, it’s that nothing ever...
December 2010
5 posts
4 tags
My Year in Tweets
As 2010 draws to a close, let the reflecting begin. But hold the traditional “year-in-review” essay. I’ve decided to showcase the past 12 months, 140 characters at a time.
Twitter has exploded as a medium for many: from those posting brief self-glorifying status updates that few may care about to newsworthy headlines that affect us all. (Count me in the former group.)...
“You fight your superficiality, your shallowness, so as to try to come at people...”
– from American Pastoral by Philip Roth