I don't have a fancy car, to get to you I'd walk a thousand miles....
Hands up if you know this song. Then give yourself a belly rub for 1) being born before the '90s 2) still being a Backstreet Boys fan.
Anyway, I really just wanted to get that out of my system, as it's been on repeat in my head for the last week. I really can't tell why, but FYI (or TMI) it makes for a great shower song.
Now that we have '90s boybands out of my head (and into yours), I just wanted to do another post on things I'm thankful for. Because it's the little things in life that keep us civil towards each other and to ourselves:
1) Ice sculptures! - just visited the St. Paul Winter Carnival with some friends, and I gotta give Minnesotans a huge kudos for making lemonade out of lemons. It's not easy living in subzero weather 3+ months out of the year, so it's inspiring to see Minnesotans make the most out of what they have the most of nowadays: snow and ice. Go down to the MN State Fairgrounds or Rice Park between now 'til Feb 6 to see some ridiculously beautiful ice and snow sculptures.
2) Eating at legendary restaurants - Can someone say Mighty Ducks 1, 2, and 3? I just ate at the venerable Mickey's Diner in St. Paul. Epic! and Epically greasy! It's like the Pink's or Katz's of Minnesota, you just gotta be there.
3) Weather Channel Blackberry App - so I know if I'm walking outside to -15 degree weather (face mask on) or 10 degree weather (face mask off). I also love the "Feels Like" feature, because that's what really matters, right?
4) Blackberry Messenger - wanna 'text' your cousin in the Philippines? BBM them! Yey!
5) Backstreet Boys - just 'coz they're still doing world tours (with NKOTB, no less!) when they're supposed to be, I dunno, doing Vegas lounges
6) 2010 Oscar-nominated movies - It's an amazing race this year, and I'm trying to make my way through most of the nominees. So far, I can check off The Social Network, Toy Story 3, Inception, The King's Speech (my pick!), and Black Swan off my list. Looking forward to watching The Kids Are All Right, maybe The Fighter and Winter's Bone. Not so sure about True Grit or 127 Hours.
7) Colin Firth - one minute he's dancing shirtless with a man in Mamma Mia, the next minute he's the reluctant King of England. I mean, c'mon, give this guy his well-deserved Oscar! Needless to say, for the latter.
8) Yelp! events - ah, I can't believe how many awesome events I've been to courtesy of Yelp! and it's just January! I like that our Community Manager puts together these fabulous (and free!) shindigs featuring the best local businesses. Minneapolis is BIG on "buy local," which I highly respect.
9) MSNBC.com - I love this website's interface (big photo of the top news of the hour helps), and it's much more news than nonsense, which sadly is what Yahoo is turning into, in my opinion.
10) SouthLAnd - I realize this doesn't really make me friendly or happy, since it's a pretty violent show. But I do appreciate the rawness and authenticity of this drama, not to mention the superb acting. I love that it's shot on location (actual Los Angeles), and I like that they've created a nonconforming gay character in John Cooper.
11) Smart drivers - I am so happy my friend Chad is such a good driver; two weeks ago, we had a really scary experience driving through a snowstorm when the entire windshield suddenly turned dark and we couldn't see a single thing. Using quick thinking and deft driving skills, he calmly maneuvered the car onto the shoulder and did all the right things to clear up the windshield. Phew! and Thank you!
12) Chapstick/lip balm - 'nuff said.
13) Coffee - 'nuff said, part dos.
14) Earth (The Book) - this was my sister and brother-in-law's birthday gift to me, and I am so amused at this cleverly-written textbook. Premise? Aliens who find this book are introduced to Earth and humanity, long after humanity has been eradicated from the face of said Earth. Awesome read.
15) Hearing my nephew Matthew over the phone trying to take my order - mom bought him a McDonald's kitchen set, and it was just so adorable hearing him mumble things like "french fries?" "cheezzzburger?" or whatever else he was attempting to say.
16) Living Social's Amazon.com $20-for-$10 deal - best Living Social deal ever! Here's hoping Groupon does it, too.
17) Heaters - I really wouldn't know what I'd do without it. I really wouldn't be here if I was without it.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
The enemy of my enemy is my friend...
...so using that logic, someone who's cynical of being cynical is actually quite hopeful.
[Aside: OK, applying that non-logic isn't the point of the story, I just really wanted to use that line as my opener because I've been playing Modern Warfare 2 and it's one of the last lines in the game (I know, I know, I'm so two-thousand-and-late).]
But, 2011 is the year for hopeful; not for the naive, not for the doe-eyed, but for the one who believes that this year will be good, and make good on that belief. (Yes, circuitous writing is all the rage in this house). It's only been a week since I kicked off 2011 in the company of my cousin, my cousin-in-law, my young aunt and her guy, and dozens of the hippest South Asians in San Jose. So now, in a fashionably late...um....fashion, I present a snippet of my 2011 Goals & Objectives:
1) Use my dictionary/thesaurus widget less: I have found myself easily reliant on this amazing, stupendous, breathtaking, sensational tool when I'm chatting with people online, writing blogs, Yelping! or trying to sound like a pretentious snob. I should bust out and memorize the huge list of "Oxford words" that my AP US Government teacher handed out which, to this day, I still possess.
2) Get physically fit by eating right and exercising more: Yes, undoubtedly the top resolution that gets broken the most . But I think if I put realistic success measures (so, no need to look like Jillian what's-her-face), and definable action steps, then it will actually happen. I think this is starting to sound like a 1:30 PM work meeting, eh? In all honesty though, I'm starting off with a pretty good support group, so I feel great about this; it's all about losing the first 5%, then 10% of your weight, then slowly and steadily reach my goal weight through a steady regimen of (mostly cardio for now, but building in strength) exercise and conscious (but enjoyable) eating.
3) Travel: This is what I work for right now (this, and student loan payments apparently). I think I'll be concentrating on the Stateside first, but hell if I find a deal good enough on Travelzoo, I just might snatch it like the 'carpe dieming' travel bug that I'm turning into. I will always be restless to see the world, and having the capacity to do so literally is so invigorating and gratifying. Realistic destinations this year: D.C., Seattle, Chicago (again), Montreal, Boston, Mexico, Florida, Hawai'i, and Italy (here's hoping).
4) Die less in FPS games: There is virtue in playing video games! My life long dream of acquiring an Xbox 360 S last year will make this goal easier to achieve. That, and the fact that my brother lent me his awesome collection of games that will probably take me 3-6 months to get through (now that's naivete).
I've got a couple more resolutions, but the overarching goal is holistic health and genuine happiness, done in the most (in my true style) practical way. I pride myself for being the person people can rely on. But sometimes I'm the least accountable person to myself. I mean, it's common to buy myself trips, clothes, and other stuff. But, sometimes I've evaded 'long-term projects' that will contribute to my well-being (eating healthier, exercising more, etc.) because the results directly impact me, and that gives me trepidation when one of the possible results is failure.
All that said, I realize more and more everyday that I deserve to take on these personal challenges, even when I fail, because living is both the journey and the destination. Or to put it in less "that's deep, maaaaan" terms, life is like a game of Modern Warfare 2: you are enthralled being in the story, admiring the epic graphics and score of the game. You are "Soap" MacTavish, bad-ass Scottish member of Task Force 141...and then you get shot at one (or ten) too many times or get mauled by a Russian Doberman and die. Do you give up? No, you read a quick quote about war or patriotism from Dick Cheney or Zora Neale Hurston, then you're back in the game and you continue to kick ass. And when you succeed and reach the end of the stage, you're rewarded with an elating sense of gratification and a few Xbox Gold points for an epic trick you did. And then you go on to the next stage.
Yes, I just compared my life resolutions to an outdated first-person shooter game. Resolution #5: make more eloquent analogies when writing.
[Aside: OK, applying that non-logic isn't the point of the story, I just really wanted to use that line as my opener because I've been playing Modern Warfare 2 and it's one of the last lines in the game (I know, I know, I'm so two-thousand-and-late).]
But, 2011 is the year for hopeful; not for the naive, not for the doe-eyed, but for the one who believes that this year will be good, and make good on that belief. (Yes, circuitous writing is all the rage in this house). It's only been a week since I kicked off 2011 in the company of my cousin, my cousin-in-law, my young aunt and her guy, and dozens of the hippest South Asians in San Jose. So now, in a fashionably late...um....fashion, I present a snippet of my 2011 Goals & Objectives:
1) Use my dictionary/thesaurus widget less: I have found myself easily reliant on this amazing, stupendous, breathtaking, sensational tool when I'm chatting with people online, writing blogs, Yelping! or trying to sound like a pretentious snob. I should bust out and memorize the huge list of "Oxford words" that my AP US Government teacher handed out which, to this day, I still possess.
2) Get physically fit by eating right and exercising more: Yes, undoubtedly the top resolution that gets broken the most . But I think if I put realistic success measures (so, no need to look like Jillian what's-her-face), and definable action steps, then it will actually happen. I think this is starting to sound like a 1:30 PM work meeting, eh? In all honesty though, I'm starting off with a pretty good support group, so I feel great about this; it's all about losing the first 5%, then 10% of your weight, then slowly and steadily reach my goal weight through a steady regimen of (mostly cardio for now, but building in strength) exercise and conscious (but enjoyable) eating.
3) Travel: This is what I work for right now (this, and student loan payments apparently). I think I'll be concentrating on the Stateside first, but hell if I find a deal good enough on Travelzoo, I just might snatch it like the 'carpe dieming' travel bug that I'm turning into. I will always be restless to see the world, and having the capacity to do so literally is so invigorating and gratifying. Realistic destinations this year: D.C., Seattle, Chicago (again), Montreal, Boston, Mexico, Florida, Hawai'i, and Italy (here's hoping).
4) Die less in FPS games: There is virtue in playing video games! My life long dream of acquiring an Xbox 360 S last year will make this goal easier to achieve. That, and the fact that my brother lent me his awesome collection of games that will probably take me 3-6 months to get through (now that's naivete).
I've got a couple more resolutions, but the overarching goal is holistic health and genuine happiness, done in the most (in my true style) practical way. I pride myself for being the person people can rely on. But sometimes I'm the least accountable person to myself. I mean, it's common to buy myself trips, clothes, and other stuff. But, sometimes I've evaded 'long-term projects' that will contribute to my well-being (eating healthier, exercising more, etc.) because the results directly impact me, and that gives me trepidation when one of the possible results is failure.
All that said, I realize more and more everyday that I deserve to take on these personal challenges, even when I fail, because living is both the journey and the destination. Or to put it in less "that's deep, maaaaan" terms, life is like a game of Modern Warfare 2: you are enthralled being in the story, admiring the epic graphics and score of the game. You are "Soap" MacTavish, bad-ass Scottish member of Task Force 141...and then you get shot at one (or ten) too many times or get mauled by a Russian Doberman and die. Do you give up? No, you read a quick quote about war or patriotism from Dick Cheney or Zora Neale Hurston, then you're back in the game and you continue to kick ass. And when you succeed and reach the end of the stage, you're rewarded with an elating sense of gratification and a few Xbox Gold points for an epic trick you did. And then you go on to the next stage.
Yes, I just compared my life resolutions to an outdated first-person shooter game. Resolution #5: make more eloquent analogies when writing.
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