Day 14 - A Non-Fictional Book

Hmmm...I don't read that much nonfiction outside of class. I can't really think of anything...

This one's for you, Alex. :)

Day 13 - A Fictional Book

Any fictional book? I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do with this. Ok I'll pick a random one that I like.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

If you haven't read it, you should. It's good. I wish I knew how to better explain why a book is good, but it's just...I feel like portrays little things in life ways that you might not have thought of. There are a lot of good quotes in Charlie's narration because of who his character is and how he sees life. Like these:

"The fact that one of these ladies was my mom made me particularly sad because my mom is beautiful. And she’s always on a diet. Sometimes, my dad calls her beautiful, but she cannot hear him."

"Sam tapped her hand on the steering wheel. Patrick held his hand outside the car and made air waves. And I just sat between them. After the song finished, I said something. 'I feel infinite.'"

"Sam and Patrick looked at me. And I looked at them. And I think they knew. Not anything specific really. They just knew. And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend."

"And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't."

So there, that's a fictional book.

Day 12 - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

Random, but nothing substantive really tickles my fancy at the moment. So here, have a video!

Day 11 - A Photo of You Taken Recently

This photo was taken yesterday at Nantasket Beach in Hull, MA. I went with Sarah (on the left), Neelima, and Charly. The water was cold and the sun was mostly behind clouds, plus my car almost died and I'm now really sunburned, but it was fun and relaxing anyway!

Day 10 - A Photo of You Taken Over Ten Years Ago

See the resemblance? :P

Day 9 - A Photo You Took

This is one of my favorite photos that I took, mostly because being there was so awesome, and because there's actually a story and some personal growth behind it. I took it from a motor canoe that was taking us across this river in southeastern Costa Rica. We had to cross the river (and many smaller ones on foot) to get back and forth to a BriBrí villiage called Katsi where we were volunteering at this tiny middle school. The BriBrí are an indigenous group that live in that part of Costa Rica...the village we were in didn't even have a high school. But that's another story. This picture is about the bananas.

Every day on this river, workers spend all day transporting bananas by motor canoe from trucks on one side of the river to trucks on the other. If they had a bridge, they could just drive them straight across, but unfortunately that isn't really the government's priority. These bananas end up in our supermarkets, and we never really stop to think about what they've been through. But it's actually really cool that there's a whole story behind such seemingly trivial things as bananas. Or at least I think it's cool. Plus it was just amazing to see the way people live in rural parts of the world outside the U.S. - it's pretty intense having grown up the way I did to think that there are so many people who wash their clothes and bathe in the local river and can't imagine living any other way. Mr. Nardie, my AP Spanish teacher and one of the teachers on the trip, said that an indigenous boy once asked him about our local river, and when Mr. Nardie told him we didn't have one, he asked how we bathed. He couldn't even comprehend when Mr. Nardie attempted to explain showers to him. Basically, being in that part of Costa Rica was a perspective shock, which is one of the reasons I love experiencing other cultures so much.

Anyway, if you want to see more photos I took, check out my Flickr! Yay!

Day 8 - A Photo That Makes You Angry/Sad

This picture makes me so sad and angry that I don't even really want it on my blog. Just google image search "Westboro Baptist Church" and you'll be sure to find plenty more like it to make you sad and angry.

On a less serious note, I tried to find a picture of a child who had dropped his/her ice cream cone, but to no avail. I guess people don't think to photograph that in the moment and then post it online. Which is actually probably a good thing. But if I could find such a photo, it would make me sad too.

Day 7 - A Photo That Makes You Happy

Yes, I know, it's not a work day. But I feel like posting anyway.

Credit: Ricardo González

This picture makes me happy. It makes me happy because I love Alex and Fairleigh, and because it brings back a memory of one of the most fun days of my freshman year. We didn't have class due to a nor'easter that dumped about 1.5 feet onto Haverford's campus, so Fairleigh, Alex, Josh, Maia, Ricardo, and I stole trays from the DC and went sledding on Barclay Beach. Then we found this random table under the snow and attempted to sled with it too. Playing in the snow is basically my favorite thing about winter. That and the prettiness. :)

Day 6 - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

That's kind of a weird way of putting it. I was unaware that I have a fancy capable of being ticked, much less that doing what I want creates a tickly feeling in this...fancy....

I feel like this might be getting dirty.

Anyway.

What so-called "tickles my fancy" today? Ooh! I can ramble about a news story I heard/saw yesterday. I heard it on NPR after seeing it at this link. It's about Ultra-Orthadox (a.k.a. Hassidic) Jews in Israel, which is always kind of interesting. The dynamic between religious and secular Jews in Israel is a whole different ramble, but this article is particularly interesting because it's about how the Ashkenazi Hassidim (the Hassidim descended from Eastern Europe) are resisting the forced integration of their public girls' school with Sephardi Hassidim (descended from Israel, Spain, Northern Africa, and basically everywhere besides Eastern Europe). The Israeli Supreme Court had ruled against the segregation that the Ashkenazi were imposing, not allowing Sephardi girls to attend the school. After forcing integration, the government actually arrested 43 sets of Ashkenazi parents who then refused to send their daughters to this school.

My favorite quote: "Esther Bark, 50, who has seven daughters, said the issue is keeping the girls away from the temptations of the modern world. 'To suddenly put them in an open-minded place is not good for them,' she said."

So this brings up a few things. The first is this discrimination by the Ashkenazi Ultra-Orthodox against the Sephardi. Now as a disclaimer, I'm really not informed about this at all. I don't know what kind of "open-mindedness" the woman is talking about. But I didn't know that this racism existed, although I guess it makes sense since the Ashkenazi and Sephardi have always had slightly different rules based on what their rabbis have said. And don't groups tend to clash when they end up with slightly different rules? I wonder what exactly makes the Sephardi more open-minded or liberal compared to the Ashkenazi.

Also, this is a public school. My reaction is: if you care so much, send your daughters to a segregated private school! And if there isn't one, start one! You have to listen to the government when you're sending your children to state-funded schools. Plus, the school system in Israel is already pretty segregated – there are public Jewish, public secular, orthodox Agudat Israel (partially state-funded), public Arabic, and private schools (source).

My dad's reaction, because he was in the car with me when the story was on NPR, was that the Ultra-Orthodox have always expected to be able to do whatever they wanted on the government's dime. He cited the fact that the Ultra-Orthodox are the only non-Arab Israelis that don't have to join the Israeli Army at age 18, although this isn't true. The Modern Orthodox (only Modern Orthodox women?) don't have to either, although I think that while the Ultra-Orthodox are busy studying Torah during the time they'd be in the army, the Modern Orthodox do community service instead. Bottom line is, I'm not entirely sure what I'm talking about, and I don't think my dad is either.

But my feeling is mixed, because yeah, it's not fair for the Hassidim to expect the government and taxpayers to let them do whatever they want with government money when it's against the laws of Israel or court rulings or whatever. But at the same time, it's a Jewish state. So why is it that the Hassidim have to jump through hoops to be able to practice Judaism the way they want to, and the way that they are miraculously able to in the state of Israel, just because the secular government doesn't agree with it? I'm not saying I agree with it either. But isn't that kind of the point of Israel's existence? Just a thought.

And that said, I still say they should just have a private school, and then the taxpayers wouldn't be funding their discrimination, nor would they be forced to integrate against their beliefs, and then everything would be fine.

And that's my ramble for today.

Day 5 - Your Favorite Quote

I have two. One is cliche but true, and one is just true. They are as follows:

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
-Jimi Hendrex

"Once you've been stung, you can't get unstung no matter how much you whine about it." -The Secret Life of Bees

As for the first one, I see this quote everywhere, but I still love it. It's so true. In my opinion, people/nations/whatever are too obsessed with power and getting ahead. Until we can focus more on being good, fair, kind, compassionate, and loving than on obtaining power for ourselves, we can't really have a peaceful world.

As for the second one, I try to make this my philosophy in life. What's done is done; it's over. All we can do is accept what's happened and try to move on and improve or change whatever we still can. There's no use whining too much over a beesting because complaining about it won't make the pain go away. Although I do acknowledge that a certain amount of bitching or crying can make you feel better about it. But it still won't make it go away, or make it so that it never happened.

Edit: How could I forget?? "Be kind to everyone you meet, for everyone is fighting a great battle." -Plato

So true. I try to live my life by this. There are more reasons to be kind to people, obviously, but we always have to keep in mind that everyone has hardships in their lives, and we never know people's full stories. Who are we to say who deserves or doesn't deserve our kindness?

Day 4 - Your Favorite Book

I think I like Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen best. Maybe it's because I find psychology and the human mind so interesting, or maybe because I think it's incredibly well-written, especially considering that it deals with a topic that most readers won't understand first-hand. But that's the beauty of it. Susanna Kaysen describes what it's like to be crazy, and she does it clearly while still being funny and not too depressing.

Also, fun fact: Susanna Kaysen went to Commonwealth, a private school in Boston where one of my friends went for a year.

Girl, Interrupted was also made into a movie with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. I didn't like the movie as much because you can't reallyget a sense of Kaysen's thought process when you're only seeing the plot. Also there are needles, and I hate needles.

Honorable mentions: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, and Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Day 3 - Your Favorite TV Program

As much as I love Gilmore Girls and The L Word, I think I'm gonna have to go with Glee. Yes, it's corny and unrealistic, and all belief must be suspended in order to get anything out of it. But I'm a sucker for amazingly talented singers and stupid romance drama. Plus a lot of my friends like it, and what's better than watching your favorite TV show with friends?

Speaking of amazingly talented singers, I saw First Aid Kit last night at the Middle East in Cambridge. THEY'RE SO GOOD! They're sisters from Sweden, 17 and 19 years old, and their music is pretty folksy. Basically I just love their voices. (They're also really tall! Maybe it's a Swedish thing?) This link is to a bunch of youtube videos of them - if you like folk at all definitely check them out! One of their openers, Samantha Crain, was also really good. I can't wait to listen to the CD I bought! I got home around 1 last night, so I'm super exhausted, but it was definitely worth it if only to hear them play one of my favorite songs, You're Not Coming Home Tonight.

Ok, now back to work!

Day 2 - Your Favorite Movie

I might get made fun of for this, but I'd have to go with Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

^Basically just sex

I tend to go more for romatic comedies over action movies, but this is a perfect mix of both. And they're just so hot. Come on, I mean, this was the movie where Brad cheated on Jen with Angie. This was the chemistry!

Honorable mentions: Good Will Hunting, Imagine Me & You, The Matrix, The Devil Wears Prada, Loving Annabelle, Pride & Prejudice (the newer one), Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 3, and Pirate Radio.

Only 4 more hours til the weekend...

Day 1 - Your Favorite Song

First of all, I hate "What's your favorite ___" questions, because I can never pick just one. Plus, favorite song is especially difficult for me, since I listen to so much music and get sick of all my favorite songs anyway after listening to them over and over for weeks. And there's also the question of favorite song at the moment vs. favorite song of all time. So I'll just have to answer both.

First, a disclaimer: in answering the question "What is your favorite song," I am by no means attempting to answer "What is the best song." I really don't really give my taste that much authority.

So let's see...as for favorite song at the moment, I currently keep playing a few songs over and over: Folding Chair by Regina Spektor, Hold On by KT Tunstall, Bottle it Up by Sara Bareilles, Us by Regina Spektor. Also Rock and Roll by Eric Hutchinson, Hey Soul Sister by Train, Breakeven by The Script, Something Beautiful by Needtobreathe, and One Day by Matisyahu. They all put me in a good mood and have a decent level of energy. I like laid-back music I can sing along to. Plus, they're all on the CD that I currently have playing on repeat in my car.

Ugh, I can't choose. I think I have to leave it at top 3 then, guys. Folding Chair, Bottle It Up, and Hold On. Sorry I've failed you.

As for favorite of all time... well I'm pretty sure when I answered this question 2 years ago my answer was Samson by Regina Spektor, Closer to Fine by Indigo Girls, and Black Balloon by Goo Goo Dolls. My current opinion: I still agree with Samson. I also really like Both Hands by Ani DiFranco. And Out Loud (skip to 0:37) by Dispatch.

So there, that's my top 3 favorite songs of all time and at the moment. I know I failed at actually answering the question, but I'll just have to be ok with that.

The Very Beginning: A Very Good Place to Start

Yes, I think that was a Sound of Music reference. Oh man, what a good movie. Throwback to my childhood.

This blog is currently entitled "I got bored and made a blog" because that's exactly what happened. I'm working in a law office all summer (again), and I'm bored. I mostly enter numbers into the computer, occasionally getting off my ass to file papers or make copies. This job obliterated whatever tiny intention I might or might not once have had of becoming a lawyer, although my dad still tries to convince me that tax and estate law is secretly fun. I had the idea to start this blog because I came across my friend Peter's new blog and realized it would be a good way to cure my worktime boredom (at least for a few minutes at a time). So I’ll start with what he’s doing, which he stole from someone else, who no doubt stole it from someone else. So, stolen from Peter:

30 Posts in 30 Days
Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie
Day 03 — Your favorite television program
Day 04 — Your favorite book
Day 05 — Your favorite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

It definitely won’t be 30 days in a row…more likely 30 work days, and most likely not in a row. Because I’ll probably forget. So we’ll go by days that I remember to post in this blog. (I’ll just call this Day 0. Don’t want to take away from my future worktime boredom diminishment.)

Hey, maybe while I'm at this whole blogging thing, I'll get to think more about the world. Because while I'm excellent at rambling about myself, I'd also like to ramble about some other things too. But be warned: I ramble. And other than that, enjoy!