Where slacking is a sport, reading an addiction, and underachievement a birthright
March 25, 2008 at 4:21 pm · Filed under THE PAST (02/2007-12/2010)
This is a papaya. It’s a tropical fruit that makes life worth living here. We have two papaya trees at the house, but they aren’t ripe yet. You cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and fill it with lime or lemon juice. It’s wonderful, and apparantely very healthy too.
This is a papaya tree. They bear a decent amount of fruit, but not an amount so excessive like mangos where they’re falling on the ground and rotting and attracting all sorts of insects, rodents, and the like. In about two weeks, this will become my morning breakfast fare.
For as much whining as I do about being stuck on this rock, there are benefits. There may not be a New England-esque autumn here, but we have the tropical fruits section nailed. Oh, and don’t be afraid to eat the seeds, intentionally or accidentally. They have a sort of horseradish taste.
February 22, 2008 at 1:57 pm · Filed under THE PAST (02/2007-12/2010)
When I started this, I was told that almost all websites/blogs, etc. don’t last longer than a year, that most people start a site, get all fired up about them and write all the time for a month or so, but then they lose steam and end up abandoning them just as quickly.
And what do you know, it’s been over a year and I’M STILL HERE!!!
Granted, I’ve not been exactly prolific in my writing, but given that there is so much mindless drivel online, on television, coming out of people’s mouths, I felt it best to write when I actually had something to say.
Compared with years gone by, 2007 probably wasn’t that exciting. The highest point had to be when, on the first day she was available, we found this really little sprout of a kitten who had four long white legs and little else, and on that day she became Miss Daisy Peanut, our daughter/kitten. She was one ‘experience’ as a kitten, smart beyond belief, able to climb ANYTHING, so shy that Dale and I were the only humans she wouldn’t hide from, always ready to go at 4 am, and the goofiest and most hilarious thing we’d ever seen. Sure, there were times when I’d wish ‘when will she grow up and be a cat and CALM DOWN,’ but it was a wonderful wild ride while it lasted. She IS a cat now, her belly has largely outgrown her legs, she’s a lot more mellow, and we occasionally yearn for the time when she was such a huge source of entertainment.
The lowest part was probably when I got really sick in July and had to have emergency surgery to have my gallbladder removed. There were complications because the stone was so large, my surgeon didn’t speak English well, I couldn’t eat, I got stuck in the hospital for 5 days, it was awful. They made it sound like the procedure was routine and no big deal; I think they inaccurately underplay the organ’s importance, and I don’t agree with that.
We did manage to get ‘off the rock,’ ie leave the islands for a bit. Unfortunately, my hometown was on fire (literally), but the rest of it went well and was all too short. The time when we are able to move to the Pacific NW permanently cannot come soon enough.
On my parents ’Let’s Get Sarah Back On Track’ project, I have held down a job consistently for a year and a half. Sitting at a desk 8 hours a day answering phones…well…it gives me time to do pursue other things that have NOTHING to do with actual work. It could be worse.
So that’s what happened, and I’m still here. And the next time I think of something worth sharing, I’ll post it here…
February 4, 2008 at 12:22 pm · Filed under THE PAST (02/2007-12/2010)
OK, two things happened in January that were just so wrong I was just stunned; they were that far beyond my comprehension.
First, in Kailua, a woman’s boyfriend beats her to death in broad daylight with people watching. The people watching are excused because the guy had a gun and so there was really nothing they could do. I can imagine this scene if I were in it and being all heroic like and running up and kicking the guy in the balls or something, but with gun in his hand, that’s a serious increase of the likelihood of dying in the process. And this is a total stranger. I think if it were a relative or close friend, my confidence wouldn’t wane so quickly at the sight of the gun and the prospect of being killed, and I bet the same for the people who saw this. But the fact that the guy did it in the day? Outside? In public? It’s not as though everyone had their eyes closed so they wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a lineup. By committing this heinous act, he’s sealing his own fate.
And he’s REALLY sealing it. It turns out that the girl he just took the life from is from a big family here. A REALLY big, well known family here. A family who isn’t just going to take the killing of their sister/cousin/aunt lightly. And the boyfriend KNOWS this, hence further sealing his fate. Was this in his head (if I kill this girl, what is the relative likelihood of receiving repercussions from the family?)? Obviously not. I don’t understand how someone can get so mad that they’d be inclined to go kick,hit.strangle, the living hell out of someone to the point of killing them.
Now here’s the second story: A family lives in an apartment. In the apartment, there is an 18 month old boy. The boy’s father is there, and so is the mother’s current boyfriend. Needless to say, people were around. In this complex another guy occupies an apartment. The family has never had trouble with him; in fact, he has even babysat the 18 month old before.
The guy from the other apartment takes the kid (who was playing outside or something), holds on to him, and then throws him from the pedestrian overpass into the freeway traffic below.
No, this is no joke. The highway was closed for 5 hours. This is the one I don’t understand. Even if the guy didn’t particularly like the kid, can’t you see that ’if I throw this toddler over this overpass, he will die?’ I heard in places in CA they had to wire over the pedestrian overpasses because of the number of people who were jumping and opting to end their life that way, and the likelihood is that all of our overpasses will be caged over now too. I can understand people committing suicide this way. I can understand people wanting to throw things over overpasses. I can understand the desire to do some tagging on an overpass. But nonchalantly throwing another human being over? A short time later, the guy even came back to see the effect of what he had done.
This one is entirely beyond my realm of understanding. And even worse, what about the two cars that he landed upon? In a single instant, one person changed the course of many lives. Even though it had nothing to do with those two cars, that ‘what if?’ is going to linger with them for a long time.
But what about the guy? There was talk of his mental instability and whatnot. Regardless, sane or not, what kind of answer can a person expect to receive when asked “Why?” This was cold blooded, but it was also spur of the moment. Reports didn’t indicate he was a serious drug user, perhaps hallucinating that the toddler was Satan and he had to throw him for the sake of all mankind. What’s impossible to understand is also it’s simplicity. Guy gets up, guy gets a hold of a child that’s not his, guy throws child to his ultimate death. What makes this scary is that it seems to lack a motive.
Caroline Myss said that in this new age, many people deny the presence of evil. That there is no duality of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ anymore. She says she disagrees with it. These two occurences put me on her side. While most of the 6 billion or so people inhabiting this planet fall somewhere along the continuum of this duality, there are some, not many, barely half of a drop in the bucket when you think about the overall masses, but yes, there are people who are evil, and yes, they do exist.
Just wanted to let y’all know that everything isn’t always perfect here in ‘paradise.’
December 4, 2007 at 12:54 pm · Filed under THE PAST (02/2007-12/2010)
Well, after months of planning and passing tests and memorizing things, my super-beloved Dale has been installed as the highest ranking officer in his fraternal organization (the one that supposedly rules the world). The fact that HE specifically has been placed in the position is important because he is one of if not the youngest Filipino to hold the job.
The ceremony took place on Saturday, and it is one of much pomp and circumstance (literally-that song was played continuously through the installation). Overall, the event went well and it was a serious, well choreographed yet happy celebration. I was extremely proud to see his hard work finally pay off.
That is, when I saw him. He was quite busy shaking hands and being congratulated.
I knew that when he became the fearless leader of this lodge that things would change. However, I don’t think I was quite prepared for the ‘first lady’ position. I have yet to perfect the ‘air kiss.’ I also have to work on my handshake because mine is quite strong which I’m sure lacks a requisite femininity.
What this event did do was give me a glimpse of what to expect in the next year. In the world, there are introverts, and there are extroverts. Introverts make up about 25% of the population, extroverts the remaining 75%. (Whooo Hooo! I’m unique! I’m in the minority! I’m the 1 in the ’1 in 4′ equation!) According to this great book called Introvert Advantage, this behavior goes all the way to a chemical response. Extroverts are charged by the neurochemical of dopamine, which they acquire from being around other people and active situations. However, introverts are charged by acetylcholine, which they get from calm surroundings, solitude, and one on one interactions. This would be great if it just was what it was, but it’s not; there’s a corollary-when an introvert is placed in a big boisterous high energy situation, it drains them faster than Dracula did his victims. Such was the case the day after this party-I was completely wiped out.
The nature of Dale’s new vocation requires a lot more attendance at social functions, whereas before, his presence was generally optional. I feel like I hold my own pretty well at these functions these days; I used to bring a book or sudoku puzzles, and I haven’t been doing that anymore. We walk in, there’s a lot of hand shaking and air kissing, and then he politely makes sure I’m comfortably seated (with a drink). Unfortunately, in his now exalted position, many people now desire a private audience with him which requires that he leave me, and I’m left at the table. Alone. Without any reading material. I’m not sure this counts, but sitting at a table alone with no reading material in the midst of a big social gathering must be some level of Dante’s inferno.
Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy for Dale. No one is more proud of his achievements than I am, and I wholeheartedly support him in this leadership position. He’s a born leader, and people LOVE him (I think my parents love him more than my brother OR me). These events he takes to like a fish to water. He is entirely in his element. I think it’s just going to take me a couple more events for me to become more comfortable as his 1st lady.
Until then, it’s fake it till I make it and enjoy having the house to myself on Tuesdays…
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