Monday, January 16, 2006

january

is it really january? i've always had good feelings about january. as illogical as it is (because really, each month is just as good as any other), it always feels like the time to cut bad habits, have fresh starts, and get excited about new possibilities.

a few of my closest in the world have been feeling bummed lately. a lot of transition and expectations. what i know is that you guys have more talent and heart than most people out there and it saddens me when you start to doubt yourselves and can't see for yourself how wonderful you are. it's like you're a big bear and you've got these f**king claws...

anyway, i can smell it in the air (and it's not just my bf's puke from his night of drunkeness this weekend) - great things are going to happen this year. watch out world. here they come.

MLK what?

so our university rescheduled all of our classes today in order for us to be able to observe martin luther king day. this meant a break between 11 am and 2 pm with choir ensemble performances, a speech from the mayor and a keynote from Kweisi Mfume (a former house representative, baltimore politician, NAACP president and CEO among many other things).

I thought it was great that if we aren't going to get the day off, at least the school was making a concerted effort to observe the holiday. rearranging class schedules for professors and 1200 students is no easy task.

the ceremonies took place in a concert hall on campus and was also video streamed into one of the major auditoriums in my building as the business school part of the university. what disappointed me the most was that while the concert hall was fairly packed, when my bf and i showed up in our auditorium, there were only about 20 people there (the auditorium holds several hundred). prior and following this was a clear lack of interest from our general student body - complaints more about having to adjust to a new schedule today or not getting the day off entirely - rather than any interest in what Mfume or the mayor had to say or furthermore, thinking about why we're actually observing the day of MLK.

If you think about it, MLK stood for leadership, taking action to make things better in the world, learning to leverage one's intelligence, passion and power to be able to do so and inspiring others at large to make these things happen. and at my business school, a top 3 in the country, we are the very people who are in the position to do this. we will graduate and work in positions of leadership, power and influence. i only hope that we're being groomed for the right goals.

Monday, January 09, 2006

extortion, in n out and finance grades, oh my!

wow - almost 2 months since my last post. i suck. (and have a gazillion thoughts swimming around in my head that need to get out!). it always feel like life is moving fast, there's always something hectic happening and all i wanted was to lie around in my pjs, eat my mom's cooking and watch movies for the break.

regardless, i guess it makes for interesting experiences. had a lot of great/weird/thoughtful experiences over the course of the holidays, some of which were the following:
  • Semi-dislocated my shoulder on a ski trip to Steamboat, Colorado in December. Only movement limitation i have now, it seems, is the ability to play air hockey. i think i'll live. At least now i can do the Chicken again.
  • Traveled around Myanmar with 26 of my relatives on a bus for two weeks. Conclusion? I love my family! They know how to eat good food, grow old and still have fun with passion, and be selfless when it means the most.
  • Mazlow's hierarchy of needs was greatly at play on my 2-week trip to Myanmar. I never thought i would appreciate electricity, a modern toilet, dry clothes, clean feet, hand sanitizer, bug repellent, or In 'n Out SO much.
  • Seeing my parents' old houses, neighbors and neighborhoods, universities was a once in a lifetime experience (it was their first time back in 30 years). for the practical, rational people that they are (not a single tear or sentimental thought came out of their mouths), i know it meant a lot to them.
  • Got stuck on a one-lane road on a rainy, muddy mountain for 7 hours because of a truck stuck in the middle of the road! The solution: dig out part of the mountain and manually carried over rocks so cars can pass. the gatekeeper had fallen asleep and was the one who let all the cars/trucks come up to cause the congestion. what the??
  • My mom got extorted at airport security on our way home. I was pissed and scared and beside myself. But it was $10 which = A LOT to them and minimal to us. I am so lucky and privileged to be who and where i am in the world. and i can't jump to conclusions about the oppression and corruption about a country like Myanmar without better understanding the sacrifices and way of life of those who are forced to live in it.
  • Despite all the madness, i'd go back to Myanmar in a heartbeat. The people are kind and open, the food amazing, and the land and sights breathtaking. two weeks was too short.
  • Family is just like high school. Relatives peg you a certain way (the smart one, the airhead, the baby etc.) and whatever you do, good or bad, reinforces that image to them. Anything that conflicts with that image is a one-time exception. No matter how you grow or change as a person, this stereotype is virtually inescapable.
  • New Year's Eve is overrated. I arrived in LA from the airport, had in n out and fell asleep just after midnight. it was fabulous.
  • This year, LA to me = blackouts, flashflood warnings and a wet Rose Parade for the first time in 60 years. boo.
  • And i now think 30 degrees here back in Evanston is great weather. who am i?
  • Christmas cards, post cards and thoughtful phone messages (even when one knows a person is, say, out of the country and won't pick up) are little things that mean a lot to people.
  • One of my all-time greatest achievements in business school thus far: getting a 89% on my Finance final. it doesn't sound like a lot, i know. in fact, it isn't even an A. but you don't understand how much of a finance jock i'm not, how much i wannabe and how far i've come. yes, i am a dork.

i just vomited a long bunch of things (believe me, there's still a lot running through my head right now) so if you've gotten through all of this, i am v. impressed and feel like i owe you a puppy.

anyway, happy new year everyone! hope your lottery winnings, wedding rings and hot models become a reality this year!