butterfly in the sky...

I heard the saddest news today on NPR while I was driving to work... "Reading Rainbow" will be canceled after a 26-year run (the show was two years my senior!)

It was the third longest running children's program on P.B.S. (after Sesame Street & Mr. Rogers). I remember, as a kid, watching this show everyday after coming home from school. The book recommendations by the kids at the end were the greatest... with that little sound after each book review. Da-dah-dun!

Aside from cuts from funding, it was reported that they also cancelled the show because it only taught kids why to read, not how to read and how it is more important to have programs with phonics and spelling. But I believe that it is just as important. I would've never given up precious "Duck Tales" and "Chip & Dale" time for a lesson on reading mechanics.

*sigh* I will miss you Levar Burton in all your cheesy glory.

sibling rivalry

If I had to pick just one (yes, just one) especially unfair thing in the world, it would have to be the unbalanced distribution of good genes amongst siblings (especially amongst siblings of the same gender where the comparisons are the most blatantly evident).

You see, I don't pity people who have prettier/richer/smarter friends, because that is their choice. You can choose to have uglier/poorer/dumber friends if you really wanted to boost your self esteem. But those people who have such "blessed" siblings, it is rather unfortunate, because it could have easily been you instead of your sister. You do share the same mother and father, but how come she's a beauty queen or the valedictorian? It was just an unlucky draw in the sad lottery of life.


I remember reading "Jacob Have I Loved" when I was in elementary school and feeling all kinds of pity, anger, frustration for Louise "Wheeze" Bradshaw who pretty much gets gypped in every way possible by her beautiful twin sister Caroline. Heck- Caroline even ends up marrying Call, Wheeze's childhood best friend.

I also remember reading "East of Eden" and empathizing with Cal, who yearns for his father's love and attention. Even after working hard and presenting his hard-earned money to give to his father, Cal still remains in the shadows of his perfect, angelic brother, Aron (I honestly couldn't stand Aron and his pious prissiness). I felt so bad for Cal that I wanted to name my first-born son after him. Pretty ridiculous, huh?

Good thing I'm the better-looking and brighter one in my family (just kidding... we're both equally unfortunate). I guess our roles are pretty balanced though. He's the oldest boy (which in a Korean family, means A LOT), and I'm the baby girl. Though our roles are kind of reversed, because I'm the more responsible one and he's more of the 부니기 maker (or in plain english, he livens up the atmosphere).

I notice that even at my work, I do play favorites. I unintentionally give more attention and affection towards the cuter, livelier, more sociable kids. I promised myself that when/if I have children (that means more than one), I will treat and love my kids equally even if its against my natural instinct. But I think that's one of the wonders of having children... to see what they will look/act like. I do hope they are smart, decent-looking, and agreeable though I won't hold it against them if they aren't.

now i know better

I remember learning in my Econ class in high school that "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch."

Yes- the whole deal that everything has a cost. Even if it's only an opportunity cost and not a monetary cost.

So being the pennypincher that I am, I drove 2 miles out of the way of my usual route home to get cheaper gas. It was a whole ten cents cheaper than my usual gas station and a whopping 20 cents cheaper than the one near my house. So, I go there, all excited about the great find, but as I was pulling out the nozzle, I noticed that the pricing on the stand was the same pricing as my regular gas station. I was astounded by this and I double-checked the actual sign to see if my eyes had deceived me. But no- it wasn't my eyes that deceived me, but those sneaky gas sharks. At the bottom of the sign, in small font, it read, "With Car Wash!" I felt so cheated! At that point, I was just going to leave the gas station without getting gas just to spite them, but then I realized that I might as well get gas since I drove out there anyway.

That reminds me also of this one time when I was purchasing movie tickets online ahead of time just to secure seats. But then as I was buying the tickets, I noticed a flashy little button that said "FREE TICKETS!" Of course, I fell for this little ploy. Stupid Fandango (or whatever that website was) convinced me that I could get my tickets para gratis if I only I tried out (not even purchased) one of their advertiser's offers. So, being the naive consumer that I was, I decided to check out ONlingo, this language-learning program (I've always been meaning to brush up on my Spanish). So my "free" trial kit came in the mail later on that week, and I discovered later (in the fine print) that if I kept the kit for more than 14 days, I would have to pay $150 (or I forgot the exact amount, but it was ridiculous). So, I called the place immediately and ended up mailing back the kit. Ultimately, the cost of shipping fees+time wasted+ stress > cost of movie ticket.

So people, don't fall for these tricks. If it sounds too good to be true, then it usually isn't. Oh and ladies- beware: always know that when a guy offers to pay for dinner, it isn't free. If he buys you an ipod or a pretty necklace, those aren't free either. Think twice before accepting! That is my 2 cents for the day. See... that wasn't free either.

librarian invasions

So today is my first "official" day in Library School.

It's funny how I came down this career path... it almost seems like fate. If I didn't go that one social event and talked to that one person, I would probably have never even considered it as my future career- or even knew of its existence. And even after I took interest in the field of Library & Information Science, I still had so many doubts and second thoughts. I even turned my acceptance down initially last Spring. But here I am now... I feel at peace with my decision.

I know people usually think of old grannies with buns and knitted sweaters, but here are some "hot" librarians to break the stereotype (sadly, they're all fictional):

Mary, the "hip," stylish librarian played by Parker Posey

yomiko readman, special agent for the British Library in manga "Read or Die"
"I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am. ... I am a librarian, and I'm going to kiss you, Mr. O'Connell!" - Evie Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) in one of the Mummy movies

Katharine Hepburn in "the Desk Set"

did ya know batgirl was a librarian?

noah wyle was too!

giles from buffy. what a stud.

my second favorite library scene:

my favorite library scene:

rawr.

ponyo

this movie had all kinds of cute in it~ even if there were too many "egg-y" things in it. *cringing*



i've already seen "spirited away" and "princess mononoke"... must watch the rest of hayao miyazaki films!

happy back-to-school day everyone!

got me thinking.

I was sharing with life group yesterday and I mentioned how I hate confrontation, and one of the girls asked me, "are you nice?" I found this an odd follow-up question.
But she explained that most people she knew who disliked confrontation were usually nice people.

I found this particularly odd, because I never really associated the two together. The reason I dislike confrontation, I explained, is because I tend to be a people-pleaser. But with something like people-pleasing, you have to look at the motive behind it rather than the act itself. My type of people-pleasing derives from a discomfort (on my part) of having to deal with people angry/upset with me. So it's not for the sake of others that I want to please them, but for myself. I would think that people who are truly "nice" or kind-hearted would do things for others' comfort, not for their own. So, no... I wouldn't really say that I'm a "nice" person.

you know you're getting old when...

So there's this teenager who comes into my tutoring place ... and everytime he comes in, he in-sah's * to me.

At first, I found it pretty hilarious. You see, I never had anyone in-sah to me before. But then as he kept doing it day by day, I started to take slight offense.

So today, he does it again.

Me: (laughing good-naturedly) You know Tony... you really don't have to in-sah to me like that...
T: But I have to... you're, like, way older than me.
Me: I'm not that much older... How old do you think I am?
T: I don't know maybe 20, 21?
Me: Err... actually I'm 24.
T: (mouths "dayyammm!") You're a whole decade older than me. See? I have to in-sah to you! (bows again before he leaves)
Me: -_-
__________________________________________________
*def (trans. from Korean): greet and bow formally/politely as how you would with elders/authority figures

smexy

gdragon is channeling ziggy stardust/kanye/andy warhol/"king of hearts"/twilight.



smexy pt. 2
I thought this was YEH at first, but I was mistaken.

some credos i live by

1. oversleeping is only a step away from death.
2. never turn down free food.
3. don't put an age limit to anything (whether its crocheting, clubbing, or wearing bows in your hair).
4. you need to live life before you can write about it.
5. always look presentable. you never know when you'll meet your future husband.

an ounce of encouragement for the weary soul:

loner

Seeing a familiar face today made me realize just how lonely my life has been since I started working full-time again. I haven't had one-on-one time with anyone in a while, and it was nice to actually have a long, meaningful conversation with somebody. These days, I have been miss antisocial. The energy has been sucked out of me and has left me bone-dry. At least, I have been growing closer to my grandma... she's a doll. I even painted her nails the other day and she slept in my room like a slumber party!


People I miss (in no particular order):
-Irene Bean: my TKB partner/master (Karaoking is not the same without the Recintoses!)
-Ana Bettina: my roomie I would make beautiful (or err... subpar) songs/music/poetry with... Oh, let's embrace the subpar!
-Natasha: my soon tofu buddy & inspirational life coach
-My Canonites... Shanez: the "Dawn" to my "Claudia"<3, Hec: my stomach twin, Shaz: my little person
(I found my Alf pog while I was rummaging through my stuff, and it made me miss those golden days on the 9th floor... oh was it the 8th? It's been too long, my friends)
-LA boys and Parking Lot (our work-out sessions rewarded with late night junk food are greatly missed)
-My Janes: my homebodies (watching illegally downloaded movies and bummin' round the hometown)
-My other Jane: my fellow bookworm who I could turn to for complaining about miserable states/unemployment/writers block/general cases of hysteria
-My 윤선언니... It's only been 1-2 weeks but I miss living with her.
-My 2 J's.... though I still see them regularly I feel as though it's been a while since we hung out as a tripod... What happened to the magic? =(


It's good to have friends.