:: Help our Asian neighbours ::

I think it's important that amid the extensive media coverage on the earthquake in China that we don't forget the cyclone disaster in Burma. The Red Cross estimates that the death toll in Burma has reached 128,000 with 2+ million people affected. The UN also reports that the country is beginning to accept more aid from foreign countries so now is a good time to give.

:: Kill me, please ::

I hate packing. I have, on average, moved at least once a year over the past 10 years.

There are so many things I'd rather do right now - catch up on all those episodes of Grey's Anatomy that I missed, take a bubble bath, finish the ice cream in my freezer, read my novel, shop online...you get the picture.

Must update the blog soon, but in the meantime:

• Just had my last French class today, 2 levels so far. Merci beaucoup.
• My sister, after failing the learner's permit knowledge test once and making me go to the RMV 5 times over the past few months, finally passed her test today!!!!!
• Got a acoustic guitar from my aunt for birthday! Stay tuned for my first album.
• My new physical goal is to first do a 5-k then a half marathon. It would help if I can run 2 blocks without going completely out of breath...
• Gas in Boston is almost hitting $4 a gallon :o
  

:: Believe it or not ::

I went and did something completely out of my league (superstition-wise), something I would never for the life of me imagine I'd do even a few months ago. Tiff and I went and got one of these "red strings" that is meant to somehow improve your love/work life.

So we got there, put our names down and waited (there are different stools to sit on at different stages of the wait, it was very systematic). When I got to the front of the line, the man asked what my zodiac is then gave me three zodiac options to choose from - I had no idea what this meant but one of my options was horse and I chose that simply because I've been brainwashed by my family to think everything horse. For another 399NT, I could add another zodiac to make the bracelet/string more powerful (the analogy I had in my head was the options or add-ons when you buy a car for better performance, or the extra topping you get on your Pinkberry for extra deliciousness). Then the man took out the red string, put the horse jade and a few extra beads on, and set it aside.

Then we moved and waited in another line. When it was finally my turn, I was told to put my hands together, palms up. The woman put my string in my palms, told me to close my eyes and make my wish while she does sort of a spell-casting type of move to the string, and she would tell me when it's time to make the wish again a minute later. I did as told, with my eyes closed I followed and repeated the wish they had written for love luck (how unimaginative of me, I can't even make my own wish!), adding an extra clause to it. I did it again in English, just in case there's a different, non-Chinese-speaking, holy spirit who looks after people living abroad. Then there was so much time and so much silence that I decided, what the heck, I might as well repeat my wish, practice makes perfect, right? Finally, the woman announced that it was time to make my wish again, I did (now for the 10th time maybe), she tied the string on my wrist, I paid, got a business card, and we left.

I contemplated on getting a second string for work/wealth luck, but my better judgment stopped me. I'll come back if this first string works.

The really silly (sorry, holy spirit, I don't mean silly) thing about this is that I'm now supposed to wear my watch on my right wrist because the string can only be worn on the left wrist and having a watch there would somehow diminish the string's effectiveness. I won't complain about having a really fobby-looking thing on my wrist, I don't mind spending an exuberant amount of money on one string that feels like it's cutting my circulation, but if I were to give up a 20-year habit of having my watch on the left wrist, this thing better work. Love better be around that damned corner.


(See below for pictures taken today. This is the crowd on a Thursday afternoon, so mind you, of course it has to work!)

:: How it all began ::

The result of hanging out with Tiff at Wooden Drawer and attempting to be productive (i.e. job search): procrastination, stalking people we've never met through blogs, and the inspiration (which I'm convinced will be short-lived) to start my own. Here goes...