I noticed that riding in airplanes makes me into a tv addict. To ease my boredom whenever I'm on those 5 hour NY<-> LA flights, I watch every single complimentary tv show that I can possibly watch (which isn't much if you're flying Delta). In fact, their selection is quite limited and random; also, you can't even skip to the beginning/end of shows, which means you're pretty much forced to sit through that whole episode of Two Broke Girls to get to 30 Rock. But sometimes, this process has some rewards-> I would've never had the patience to get into Community or Parks and Rec (esp since their first few episodes were rather lackluster), but the random episodes I saw on the plane really made me fans (Actually for P&R, I didn't have the will to go back 4 seasons and catch up).
So this time around, I actually caught episodes of Smash and Don't Trust the B**** in Apt 23, which I both loved. In fact, it's funny because 3 of the new shows I'm watching right now (the two mentioned as well as HBO's Girls) all have a running theme in them:
Smalltown/Suburban girl (Karen, June, Hannah) moves to NYC with larger-than-life dreams (broadway star, Wall Street girl, writer), ends up initially struggling to make ends meet (coffee shop, coffee shop, random office job where her boss sexually harasses her on a daily basis) but finds things that are somewhat redemptive to her sad situation (gets cast in Broadway musical as an ensemble member, forms an odd but good friendship with b**** roommate, I don't know what Hannah's redemptive storyline is but I'm sure it'll happen soon).
And another thing that ties their stories all together would be their somewhat supportive, but unconditionally loving parents - mom & dads with big hearts but small-town minds. It's funny because in the episodes I saw this week (at least for Girls & Smash), Hannah & Karen end up going back home to see their families (Wow, are these shows parallel to my life or what?), and as annoying/smothering as their parents may be, their love is what keeps these girls going (regardless of their not-so-ideal situations in NYC).
It's been about 2 weeks since I've been back, but I still miss my family. I've been talking/texting with them almost on a daily basis, and I think they could hear it in my voice.
But despite my pangs of homesickness, I realized I need to be out here. It's almost my 2-year anniversary in NY, and whatever I needed to do out here (though I can't even verbally state what exactly that is), I feel that I'm not finished. As cheesy as it may sound, my NY dream isn't quite over just yet.
5.25.2012
5.12.2012
"Hell-A" to "City of Angels"
It feels good to be in cali again.
Though I do feel a bit disoriented not going back to my beloved hometown - good ol' hacienda heights, I am growing fond of my parent's new residence in LA (or more specifically a small town south of Pasadena). NY living must have really deprived me of the everyday comforts of cali life, because my family has been surprised at my exaggerated appreciation for all the closet space.
The open range of land, the clear multi-lane roads (well in the suburbs), and the kindness towards pedestrians - this all feels foreign now, but at the same time oddly wonderful. I've done a lot of sh*t talking about LA while I was in NY: too much driving, too much sun, too little culture in this lazy, urban sprawl. But I think I've turned my back on LA for too long (approximately 2 years), because I'm slowly starting to recognize the merits of this forsaken city. Four different people said "good morning!" to me while I was taking a stroll with my mom today - unheard of!
I remember I once said I had no definite timeline of coming back (if ever) to Cali. But this trip home is making me seriously reconsider.
But don't hold me to that quite yet... after all, it's only been one day.
-edit- It's been two full days and still loving it. And one of my first thoughts were-> "this might mean I'd have to change my basketball team??" Well I don't like the Lakers, so that means my default team would be the Clippers. Okay, well Chris Paul is pretty hot and their jersey logo has cuter font. Again, don't hold me to this, my thoughts are still a bit premature.
Though I do feel a bit disoriented not going back to my beloved hometown - good ol' hacienda heights, I am growing fond of my parent's new residence in LA (or more specifically a small town south of Pasadena). NY living must have really deprived me of the everyday comforts of cali life, because my family has been surprised at my exaggerated appreciation for all the closet space.
The open range of land, the clear multi-lane roads (well in the suburbs), and the kindness towards pedestrians - this all feels foreign now, but at the same time oddly wonderful. I've done a lot of sh*t talking about LA while I was in NY: too much driving, too much sun, too little culture in this lazy, urban sprawl. But I think I've turned my back on LA for too long (approximately 2 years), because I'm slowly starting to recognize the merits of this forsaken city. Four different people said "good morning!" to me while I was taking a stroll with my mom today - unheard of!
I remember I once said I had no definite timeline of coming back (if ever) to Cali. But this trip home is making me seriously reconsider.
But don't hold me to that quite yet... after all, it's only been one day.
-edit- It's been two full days and still loving it. And one of my first thoughts were-> "this might mean I'd have to change my basketball team??" Well I don't like the Lakers, so that means my default team would be the Clippers. Okay, well Chris Paul is pretty hot and their jersey logo has cuter font. Again, don't hold me to this, my thoughts are still a bit premature.
the last paragraphs of steve job's bio (spoiler alert)
One sunny afternoon, when he wasn't feeling well, Jobs sat in the garden behind his house and reflected on death. He talked about his experiences in India almost four decades earlier, his study of Buddhism, and his views on reincarnation and spiritual transcendence. "I'm about 50-50 on believing in God," he said. "For most of my life, I've felt that there must be more to our existence than meets the eye."
He admitted that, as he faced death, he might be overestimating the odds out of a desire to believe in an afterlife. "I like to think that something survives after you die," he said. "It's strange to think that you accumulate all this experience, and maybe a little wisdom, and it just goes away. So I really want to believe that something survives, that maybe your consciousness endures."
He fell silent for a very long time. "But on the other hand, perhaps it's like an on-off switch," he said. "Click! And you're gone."
Then he paused again and smiled slightly. "Maybe that's why I never liked to put on-off switches on Apple devices."
He admitted that, as he faced death, he might be overestimating the odds out of a desire to believe in an afterlife. "I like to think that something survives after you die," he said. "It's strange to think that you accumulate all this experience, and maybe a little wisdom, and it just goes away. So I really want to believe that something survives, that maybe your consciousness endures."
He fell silent for a very long time. "But on the other hand, perhaps it's like an on-off switch," he said. "Click! And you're gone."
Then he paused again and smiled slightly. "Maybe that's why I never liked to put on-off switches on Apple devices."
5.08.2012
senses heightened
I've always been the observer - I don't say much... I like to sit back, watch, & listen (of course, not to everyone and everything - a person has her limits).
I don't feel the necessity to speak the thoughts that are meandering in my mind, for they seem senseless and often times, superfluous to any real topic of conversation. But that doesn't mean that I was necessarily a person who was highly sensitive to others. Mostly my observations were from a cold distance - like the perfect journalist reporting on hard news.
Living in New York though has somewhat made me more in tune or aware of people's emotions and energy. I have never felt so disheartened, moved, shaken by the things I've seen and experienced - Some of those things which have been sadder, uglier, more frightening than all the things in my past years living in the sunny, warm comforts of Cali. Yet in the darkest of places, there is hope.
The darker the night, the brighter the stars, The deeper the grief, the closer is God! ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
I don't feel the necessity to speak the thoughts that are meandering in my mind, for they seem senseless and often times, superfluous to any real topic of conversation. But that doesn't mean that I was necessarily a person who was highly sensitive to others. Mostly my observations were from a cold distance - like the perfect journalist reporting on hard news.
Living in New York though has somewhat made me more in tune or aware of people's emotions and energy. I have never felt so disheartened, moved, shaken by the things I've seen and experienced - Some of those things which have been sadder, uglier, more frightening than all the things in my past years living in the sunny, warm comforts of Cali. Yet in the darkest of places, there is hope.
The darker the night, the brighter the stars, The deeper the grief, the closer is God! ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
5.03.2012
hiatus
It's been a while since my last post... reason being (and this is bit embarrassing to admit) i just found it annoying/frustrating to navigate on the new blogspot interface- where are all the buttons?! Why does Facebook/Google feel a need to update their "look" every other week- just leave it be. don't you guys have more important stuff to do?
There's nothing more moody than NY weather. These past few weeks, I've suffered the brunt of unexpected rainshowers and surprisingly warm weather. rain, rain go away.
So, I've been reading the Steve Jobs biography, and I just find myself constantly marveling at this man's life - from his family history to his love affairs with famous artists to (above all) his legacy at Apple/Pixar. And it amazes me what a cold, cruel person he was at the core - but then again, geniuses to that caliber are usually not the most warm, down-to-earth people.
The bio does a pretty decent job showing a fair share of the bad with the good:
Jobs was often manipulating and possessed a dangerous charm in order go get his way.
He was a smelly dirty hippie (he believed his fruit/vegetarian diet took care of hygiene).
He was distant to his past lovers, wife, and children (mostly his daughters).
He took people's ideas and called them his own (even after publicly denouncing them at first).
He was a big crybaby.
Despite all his gigantic flaws, I can't help but to respect the man. While reading the book, I literally find myself getting chills when he's developing a new idea or presenting a theatrical product launch. And what I appreciate the most is that Jobs really knew how to craft artistry in technology. Not only were his products a piece of art (I still remember my first ibook - whatta beaut), but even their packaging & their ads were tasteful with a touch of whimsy. Still one of my favorite ipod commercials:
There's nothing more moody than NY weather. These past few weeks, I've suffered the brunt of unexpected rainshowers and surprisingly warm weather. rain, rain go away.
The bio does a pretty decent job showing a fair share of the bad with the good:
Jobs was often manipulating and possessed a dangerous charm in order go get his way.
He was a smelly dirty hippie (he believed his fruit/vegetarian diet took care of hygiene).
He was distant to his past lovers, wife, and children (mostly his daughters).
He took people's ideas and called them his own (even after publicly denouncing them at first).
He was a big crybaby.
Despite all his gigantic flaws, I can't help but to respect the man. While reading the book, I literally find myself getting chills when he's developing a new idea or presenting a theatrical product launch. And what I appreciate the most is that Jobs really knew how to craft artistry in technology. Not only were his products a piece of art (I still remember my first ibook - whatta beaut), but even their packaging & their ads were tasteful with a touch of whimsy. Still one of my favorite ipod commercials:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)