tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81756050872415462632012-02-08T11:02:03.767-05:00letters from me to youJiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-41514969653320920192012-02-08T11:02:00.000-05:002012-02-08T11:02:03.775-05:00

Hey you, How've you been over the last week?  Things are getting on alright here.  I have a few more hours at work now than I expected, which is nice.  I still have plenty of time to write and study in the morning.  I had planned to read some news articles in Spanish and Chinese this morning, but I'm having trouble focusing today.  It's been one of those days, you know?  The kind where you try

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-5162691859492835362012-02-05T21:05:00.001-05:002012-02-05T21:16:10.993-05:00

Some weeks ago I had the immense pleasure of dining with my mother, my aunt and uncle, and my two younger cousins.  Although they live relatively close - only a fifteen or twenty minute drive away - I had not seen them for a half year or so.  I guess it goes without saying that needed very little coaxing to follow along to a local restaurant. While we were out to dinner, the conversation turned

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-47881067750177110192012-01-26T16:12:00.004-05:002012-01-26T16:12:59.356-05:00

I know I haven't written you in a while, so I wanted to check in.  The weather's a little dark here, but it's not too cold quite yet - it's a rather balmy 52 degrees outside for a January afternoon.  I've been keeping myself very busy this week, which has left me much less time for studying Chinese and doing laundry than I had expected.  Still, it's been a pretty enjoyable week so far, so I can't

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-36109160941543645162012-01-21T14:56:00.001-05:002012-01-21T15:00:43.836-05:00

So I'm on Month 11 of my job search. I don't mean to be ungrateful, but that's not a call for unsolicited advice.  Taking advice has been exhausting enough every time I've asked for it - several tense conversations with my father come to mind - and I don't think I can absorb anything more at this point.  It's not an invitation, either, for anyone to tell me that I'm lucky to have a job to tide

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-29414445330509637692012-01-10T23:33:00.000-05:002012-01-11T00:25:06.513-05:00

I'm not usually all that into poetry, but every once in a while I feel like sitting down to look up an author or two to see what they had to say.  I say "had" because I'm more curious about poetry that was written when poetry still had set forms that writers tended to adhere to, before people could just spit out a series of words or phrases and call it poetry.  There's one poet in particular that

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-68715233958135600752012-01-08T18:44:00.000-05:002012-01-11T00:25:17.041-05:00

I had an interesting recollection while eating at a local pho restaurant today.  Desperately in search of something to help end my cold, I figured pho would be as good a remedy as any, and so I made the trip down the street to the local noodle place.  After tearing the fragrant basil leaves into my bowl and drizzling sriracha over it all, I took my chopsticks to work - this was the moment I had

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-46628164920752958122012-01-04T23:29:00.000-05:002012-01-11T00:25:22.688-05:00

I don't want to get too complicated or deep on this topic (I leave that to you), but when was the last time you took a moment to appreciate your life?  I don't mean appreciating all the things you've done or the stuff you've accrued - I really do mean your life.  When was the last time you got home and thought to yourself I am so happy I made it home safely and get to live another day.  I don't

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0Laurel, MD 20723, USA39.1426709 -76.86056539.0934109 -76.939529 39.191930899999996 -76.781601tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-37154361945578610062012-01-01T23:13:00.000-05:002012-01-11T00:25:28.448-05:00

I'm not sure how to start here, so I guess I might as well just jump in. I can't very easily explain why I've been gone so long.  A number of developments - both good and bad - have made the last few months the most tumultuous of 2011: my love moved far away, a malicious anonymous letter arrived for me in the work post, I was informed of my impending demotion, and it finally hit me that one

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0Laurel, MD 20723, USA39.1426709 -76.86056539.0934109 -76.939529 39.191930899999996 -76.781601tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-63127414523523759262011-09-30T13:52:00.000-04:002011-09-30T13:52:58.077-04:00

It's been over a month now since I last posted.  This has mostly been because I believed that no one cared about what I had to say.  Honestly, that's probably true.  But I also don't care so much if people don't have any interest in what I have to say.  I suppose writing is a pretty masturbatory thing to do anyways, so maybe the goal shouldn't be to get as many people to read as possible (writing

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-1741573764740258182011-08-25T23:35:00.002-04:002011-08-25T23:37:55.765-04:00

(Part of me chuckles inside every time I say or type "more on" because it makes me think of "moron".  Sorry, back to your regularly programmed blog post:) I'm kind of in the mood to write about relationships. However, since I don't want everyone to be overwhelmed by overkill on one topic, today's focus will shift from food and animals to relationships of a more romantic kind.  Our story today

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-40283282663612842382011-08-24T15:53:00.001-04:002011-08-24T15:54:00.991-04:00

Ever since I started running a few weeks ago I have been thinking more and more about how to keep my body healthy.  Exercise is definitely crucial, but so is eating right.  Joining a CSA this summer has certainly helped - with an ever-changing variety of fruits and vegetables available to me, I feel more excited than ever about eating fresh produce.  My realization yesterday that I would rather

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-27072178682892326262011-08-20T08:29:00.000-04:002011-08-20T08:29:27.398-04:00

I occasionally wonder why I don't just go to sleep when I feel upset rather than causing more trouble.  Sleep truly is the best medicine for a variety of issues, so in honor of sleep this week's Saturday morning cartoon will be our tip of the hat to that great nightly visitor.

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-69918015470713739562011-08-19T23:18:00.002-04:002011-08-20T00:05:27.689-04:00

When I was a young, chubby, pimply student, I used to think very hard about my existence.  I spent countless hours waiting for time to pass as I pondered how I came to be, how I would cease to be, and why I seemed especially aware of my own state of existing.  When I should have paid attention to teachers I stole my time back to contemplate how I could achieve happiness.  And in late night

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-64980265425844230422011-08-17T23:21:00.000-04:002011-08-17T23:21:33.904-04:00

It's been about a week now since I received my new jeans in the mail.  Now that I have them, I don't know why I waited so long to get them.  I'm not so broke yet that I can't afford any new clothes - goodness knows that I've spent plenty of cash on things I didn't really need over the last few months - but it has been far more than a year since the last time I bought a new pair of jeans.  Why the

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-92195669867967352932011-08-13T08:33:00.001-04:002011-08-13T08:34:16.308-04:00

I know it's been a pretty light week for posts, but I wouldn't want to skip only the second Saturday of our new cartoon tradition!  Check out this older penguin cartoon for some pretty good laughs.  Happy weekend, everyone!

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-15570765656428472472011-08-10T16:38:00.000-04:002011-08-10T16:38:57.465-04:00

Happy Hump Day, everyone. It's only Wednesday but I already feel like this week has dragged on long enough.  Between holding the fort while my boss is away, teaching more than double my usual class load, trying to get back in shape, and M and P.D. being away, I am exhausted.  And adding to all of this stress is a slew of social obligations coming up in the next few days, and a persistent feeling

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-86435458415554388852011-08-06T09:22:00.000-04:002011-08-06T09:22:06.417-04:00

From now on I would like to share some of my favorite cartoons with you on Saturday mornings.  I never had the experience of watching Saturday morning cartoons myself, so I hope this will be a good way for us to get in touch with the inner child inside of each of us. Today's episode is from one of my favorite series, Pingu:

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-63885458738713286822011-08-03T23:13:00.000-04:002011-08-03T23:18:19.196-04:00

I remember when M and I first started going out.  At the time I still had a tenuously pleasant friendship with my ex-boyfriend.  Though I had hoped to remain friendly, I could never help being annoyed whenever he would ask if M was better than him in some respect or another, and "annoyed" doesn't even begin to describe what I felt when he would find solace in the areas he did know he could best M

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-87328029091855150412011-08-02T22:38:00.000-04:002011-08-02T22:45:48.278-04:00

In the last several months I have had the good fortune to receive a great deal of sound advice: advice about relationships, family, friendship, job hunting - I've heard advice on pretty much every aspect of my life this year.  Lucky for me that I have a lot of smart friends with plenty of life experience (for the friends reading: no, I did not just call you old). Recently, though, I've stumbled

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-44714532712620611562011-08-01T12:58:00.000-04:002011-08-01T13:10:24.278-04:00

It's a brand new week and I am absolutely exhausted.  I am finally rid of last week's moodiness and ready to be at least moderately productive over the next couple weeks while M is away.  It looks like all those sewing and knitting projects will finally happen! Last week was still pretty productive in its own way, though everything produced has now been eaten up.  Here's a quick look at my

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-56005367836611109592011-07-27T13:33:00.000-04:002011-07-28T16:06:13.102-04:00

I often sleep on the sofa when I find myself upset or troubled, and especially when I feel alone.  No matter what has been on my mind, I have always been able to sleep peacefully on that sofa.  This is not because the sofa is at all comfortable, although I guess it is cozy enough for a worn out three-seater.  I sleep peacefully there because, when I sleep against the back of this old friend, my

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-21109374439516956432011-07-20T22:58:00.000-04:002011-07-20T22:58:31.145-04:00

Today was one of those days. The sun came up too early.  My head hurt from the moment I realized I was awake.  Fussy people impeded me at every step of my day.  It dawned on me that my boyfriend will be sent to some faraway, horrible place very soon.  My boss reamed me out for something insignificant, wasting my time and his.  I ate too many carbs. No matter how gracefully you may deal with any

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-51692676651732316222011-07-15T00:33:00.000-04:002011-07-15T00:43:09.688-04:00

千里之行，始于足下 More often than not I see this translated as "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  As a result I found this piece of wisdom from a rather ancient work especially intimidating.  As far as I knew I had taken the first step a countless number of times, only to find myself wandering and, ultimately, stuck again at my point of origin.  Perhaps I could walk a thousand

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-27411844974834857852011-07-13T23:38:00.000-04:002011-07-13T23:38:58.846-04:00

It's amazing how quickly life can spiral out of control and put you back into the hamster wheel.  I can hardly believe that it has been all of half a year for me to come back to this blog!  I remember having pretty noble intentions of writing regularly and had definitely hoped to build a steady readership, but a lot did happen over the last six months. For starters I realized I was not entirely

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-38585195793295310202011-01-12T00:25:00.001-05:002011-07-15T00:43:38.906-04:00

Honestly, today was one of those days that made me crave something - anything - that would just make me feel that all was right with the world.  After being laid out by a surprisingly tough cough/cold for several days, I thought I would be in the clear to start this week on the right foot.  Unfortunately weather, unexpected work developments, and looming deadlines have guaranteed a hectic week.  

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-33442488428159359622011-01-06T22:46:00.001-05:002011-01-06T23:37:35.551-05:00

I knew last night while preparing for bed that things inside of me were not quite right.  By the time I woke up this morning it was almost too late.  My wake-up call this morning was not the alarm I had set the night before, but the pain of a dry, itchy throat accompanied by the sinking realization that, after eight hours of sleep, I did not feel rested at all! My body has undergone some serious

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175605087241546263.post-54269549212690141612011-01-05T23:24:00.001-05:002011-01-06T10:58:58.449-05:00

The best gift you can give to a loved one is that of a pleasurable experience.  A night in playing board games with my family, tickets to enjoy a night at the movies with friends, a gift card for a first time massage - these rank at the very top in my own count of the best gifts I have ever received.  For this reason I find it hard to understand why people, when treating themselves, don't spring

Jiayihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171893383177964852noreply@blogger.com0