Book 2012: Barefoot in Baghdad

Barefoot in Baghdad by Manal M. Omar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I always enjoy memoirs. I enjoy stories, of people. People who are living out their passions and finding a side of a bigger story most people don't have the privelege of knowing. Manal Omar's Barefoot in Baghdad provided me a personal, emotional story of the not only her life but the life of many admirable woman from Iraq and the world over as well as a number of admirable men who mutually understand the value of women. At times, I wish there were more details of her experiences but enjoyed the story nonetheless.
Impactful quotes:
"Walk barefoot and the thorns will hurt you." It is often used as a warning to those who challenge societal norms. (location 84)

"...you need to understand that we are tired of fighting," Asma said, "That's all I have been doing; it's all my mother did. We don't want to fight anymore. It doesn't mean we have given up. Far from it. It just means we want to find a more peaceful way to live something that may resemble a normal life." (location 1490)
"Years of humanitarian work had taught me that the smallest intervention could set loose an avalanche of unexpected consequences." (location 2405)

"Like so many others, her ability to empathize with human loss had been replaced with political zeal." (location 3574)

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A few other notes:

Manal Omar worked for Women for Women International while living and working in Iraq. This is an organization which I also read a lot about while reading Half the Sky. I'm hoping to use some of my non lazy hours to finally go to the site and register to be a 'sponsor' as I believe the work done through Women for Women has great potential to positively affect change in the world, and in my own heart and mind as I work toward maintaining and fostering an ability to empathize with my human brothers and sisters. (If you look at my post regarding Half the sky, you'll realize I should have already registered with Women for Women...now is the time to act!)

Happy Monday

I just want to say, Happy Monday.
Things are starting off well this week.

3:00 pm and this is what lies before me:

(Typed while enjoying Angel-in-Us cheesecake and a thermos of instant coffee)

Book 2012: Practice Cake

After finishing The Hunger Games trilogy, I really needed something a little lighter and less likely to give me crazy on-the-verge-of-nightmare dreams...not that I didn't fully love The Hunger Games, I did. To the point of dreaming them. And they are not made of sweet dream material.

Anyway, I read this cute and quick story which  reminded me so much of my own high school days in a bakery - minus the cute male co-worker, dramatic and attractive owners, reality TV show, crazy mom and nearly-famous-friends...but you know, basically the same life.

Practice Cake by Dalya Moon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a cute and quick read geared toward young adults/teenage girls. Taking place in a bakery, this story provided me my own memories of high school and the types of lessons learned during that stage of my life. As other reviewers mentioned, there is a great dose of surprise events and I definitely couldn't have predetermined the entire course of events although I was entirely satisfied with the way things culminated by the end of this read.

For me, the quotes and lines that stood out, were lines that I could relate to and found amusing:

"When your eyes are boring, dark brown, nobody comments on how your boring, dark brown sweater matches them." (Location 693)

"Something about me wasn't lovable and Parker found it." (Location 1280)

"They said I was charming, and mature for my age. What they didn't know was I'd run out of clean laundry that morning. Underneath the dressy black skirt I'd borrowed from Melanie, I wore blue-flowered bikini swimsuit bottoms." (Location 1308)

"Her hair was dyed that specific shade of purple-red favored by animal-print ladies" (Location 1401)

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A few other notes:

I primarily read this on the bus to and from work. Each chapter was the perfect length to get me from one bus stop to the next, which was awesome. I really did enjoy being reminded of my days in a bakery and might just do some post eventually on how dearly I loved that first job...

Additionally, this book, as with a few cookbooks I've read recently, got me a bit amped about baking and creating new dishes. That culminated last night in the creation of Orange Creamcicle Rice Pudding - so friggin' divine. Can't wait to share the recipe with you over at 519kitchen !

Also, thinking about playing around with Microsoft Publisher or some other program to create quote-graphics...simply because I'm bored and it'd be a fun way to remember my favorite lines from the books I've read this year. - Hence the big brown square on this post ^^

(Typed having just drank the afternoon cup of water from a special brown bone china mug)

Better than Expected

This semester.
Old co-teaching relationships.
Lesson execution.
Lunch hours.
New co-teaching relationships.
Student behavior.

Each and everyone

Better than Expected

Ability
to give thanks.
to withold complaints.
to laugh.
to enjoy.
to teach.
to relax.
to breathe.
to be.

Better than Expected

30 Days .. This is 27

This is 27 is one of my other blog spaces.

I'm chronicling the years that I can claim my Golden Age, 27.

I'm stepping it up a bit by doing a '30 Days about Me' challenge.

Check it out if you're so inclined.

Let's Talk...Hunger Games

Here's the thing, my brain cannot stop spinning with the rich imagery of The Hunger Games trilogy.

Here's the thing, my heart cannot stop spinning with the rich illusions to history, current events and issues of social justice which The Hunger Games trilogy presented.

And because of those two things, I need some conversation.

With friends.
With compassionate souls.
With book nerds.
With anyone really.
Especially if they've read these books.

I've only finished them within the last 24 hours. And, I think I could start on page one all over again. Except that I lost some sleep due to my often overactive brain, particularly when it's hyped up on fantastic yet disturbing and horrific imagery.

I don't know where I want this conversation to go and I'm not sure I can make a nice, orderly presentation of my thoughts, but I'll give it a go nonetheless.

Katniss. Maybe I should reconsider this post and just blog on specific characters and scenes...but the last thing I need is another ongoing series.

Katniss. I admired her, questioned her, pitied her, envied her, doubted her and needed her. But there was, for me a constant theme that this girl, simply happened to be in the 'right place at the right time' and had the character to withstand the pressure and expectation, although she doubted herself throughout. (This point actually reminded me a lot of Esther and the weeks I spent studying her story with a group of woman back in Laramie). I loved her for that. I loved the author for that. In this way, Katniss became relatable and inspirational.

Rather than get long-winded, I'll mention another aspect that's been on my mind and conclude this with hopes that my friends will engage in a bit of conversation and I can simply just enjoy where this goes, dialoguing back and forth.

The Hunger Games, a sacrificing of children, a reminder of dark days...

"Because something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children's lives to settles its differences." (Mockingjay, p. 375)

...seems all the more worthy of reflection when the world has just begun to campaign Kony 2012. Right?

(Typed while trying to boost my energy with a sweet yellow teacup filled with Vietnamese coffee and sweetened condensed milk)

Book 2012: Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"But I don't know what to tell him about the aftermath of killing a person. About how they never leave you." (p. 67/Location 930)


"Better not give in to it. It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart." (p. 154/Location 2018)
"All around the dining hall, you can feel the rejuvenating effect that a good meal can bring on. The way it can make people kinder, funnier, more optimistic, and to remind them it's not a mistake to go on living." (p. 239/Location 3091)
"That what I needed to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I needed is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that." (p. 386/Location 4917)
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A few other notes:
I read this on the bus, at school, on the couch, in bed and finally finished it on a Friday afternoon at school. I cannot fully process The Hunger Games. But, I'm enjoying the process.

(Typed having recently finished an instant caramel macchiato)

Of Friendship: Water Wednesday's

My overall experience of friendships and relationships would be nothing were it not the family and community I had formed while living at 519.

From welcoming friends in to living with friends who were more like family, 519 is forever and always a place which rings true of what friendship should be and what it can provide.

Our friends, Micah and SaraJane, taught us incredible truths about social justice, living in community, living out conviction, simplifying, resting, intentionality and so much more.

Like how to embrace routine.
Or how to have a quarky, but endearing and ultimately wise set of rules which dictate a routine.

I don't know when, why or how it came up, but one day I learned there was a bit of schedule in our friends daily/weekly routine, to honor them, I will not share many details except that Wednesday was 'Water Wednesday'. For them, this meant watering plants and doing laundry and I suppose any other weekly water-related task.

At the time, I lived in a basement with adequate but not abundant sunlight, so I had no need to water plants on a weekly basis.

But now, I live in an apartment with normal size windows, but still inadequate sunlight, yet have managed to keep a couple of plants alive with a few more recently having been added to the plant family.

Without fail, when Wednesday rolls around, if I haven't yet watered my plants the words 'Water Wednesday' run through my mind and I am not only reminded to care for the houseplants, but of the friends who mean more than word and plant life to this soul of mine.

If you have some houseplants that need watering, why not take care of that on Wednesdays?

(Typed while sipping a rich, slightly smoky black tea from China out of my non-impressve stainless steel tumbler)

Of Friendship: For the Korean Public School Season

I so frequently view my life in terms of seasons. It is one of the reasons I have chose to do tackle my News Years Resolutions in the way I have, 30 days at a time. Because my seasons are always changing and some seasons are good committing to make home-made yogurt or stretch nightly or floss regularly. Other seasons will be better for committing to run regularly or go outside more.

Friendships are seasonal as well. Not to imply they last only a seaon and are over, although that can be the case, once in a blue moon. But some, or perhaps many friendships develop within or during a season and are so much sweeter for the ways they connect one friend to the other in a shared experience of sorts. I have my semester in Spain season friend, my college season friend (which can be further broken down into a number of categories), my summer camp season friends, my building community season friends, my Linford season friends, my expat community season friends. And I couldn't have made it through a single season without each and every one of these cherished friends.

Since returning to Korea in August I began work at a new-to-me public elementary school. The schedule was dreamy. My head co-teacher, not so much. Destructive really. I've never felt so close to mental instability than while working under her headship.

At the same time, I was paired with a co-worker who quickly stood out as a woman with a heart of compassion and love, a healthy dose of boldness and the willingness to tackle tough issues with me.

As much as I hated the last semester of teaching and the ugly relationship that would not mend, this friend, Hyunhee, is worth it. And, she is a primary reason that I survived the semester and that I'll tackle the upcoming semester, even though she has relocated to a new school.

Aside from the numerous qualities which suit her perfectly to being a true and genuine friend which I will one day elaborate upon, she is the friend, the one and only, who will forever and always understand to the deepest degree possible the hardship and frustration I suffered during this 'Korean Public School' season.

I sat with her and her sister at a cafe last night. Helping to sort through some vocabulary and conversations that would serve her sister in her position at a local bank. It struck me that this simple conversation, and the more impressive surrounding conversation and invitation to visit her sister's house near the DMZ, wouldn't be possible if I hadn't relocated, if I hadn't stuck with a job/working situation which felt often to be destroying my spirit.

I remind myself, and will continue to do so, that the pain and frustration, the stupid games being played in this season, are worth it for a number of reasons and amongst the most important, this friendship.

(Typed while sipping incredibly hot black tea from China and nibbling on  an unkown flavor of muffin)

Book 2012: Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Not sure why everyone thinks less of the second in the series than the first. Not sure I enjoyed one over the other. Regardless, enjoyed and devoured it within a day.


"Because sometimes things happen to people and they're not equipped to deal with them." (pg. 31/Location 388)
"There is no danger of an uprising here among the priveleged, among those whose names are never placed in the reaping balls, whose children never die for the supposed crimes committed generations ago" (pg. 73/Location 922)

"Let them go, I tell myself. Say good-bye and forget them. I do my best, thinking of them one by one, releasing them like birds from the protective cages inside me, locking the doors against their return." (pg. 189/Location 2320)
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A few other notes:
I began this book just hours after finishing the first while trying to conquer home-made yogurt. This series is really activating my imagination in a quite profound way and I found that I spent the entire night dreaming I was a contestant of the Hunger Games or living out any other horrendous scene from these books. (Fortunately, I have pretty solid control of my dreamworld, so when things go ugly I would either wake myself up or 'turn off' that scene). Regardless, as expected, these books have really sucked me in and make it hard for me to function as a sociable adult.

Lazy Saturday: Accomplishments

I believe I had a lazy Saturday.
But, I wasn't really lazy.

It felt lazy because there was no pressure, no plans, a few hopes and wishes but confidence that there would be plenty of time to accomplish what needed to be accomplished. And the rest could wait for lazy Sunday.

I love traveling.
I love being home just as much.
It's my secret. Something even myself doesn't fully understand.

Today, I slept into 8:30 - which is incredibly late for me.
I woke to make a cup of tea and write a blog and check email and facebook and those computer related tasks.

I did laundry. Walked Lady. Did the dishes. Showered. Ate a Spent Grain Pancake with Nutella spread on top. Woke up my husband. Swept and mopped the bedroom. Put a few things away...but not everything. Spruced up a frozen pizza with some fresh basil. Walked to the park with my man and my Lady to meet up with friends. Met a new friend. She loves Yoga and traveling. Went to the grocery store (two actually). Made Roasted Pepper and Onion, Almond Pesto Pasta with more fresh basil. Started the 3 hour long process of baking dog treats using spent grains. Did the dishes. Downloaded music from cloud storage.

My lovely herb garden and the days creations

And here I am. Ending the day where I started it, on my blog.
Realizing it wasn't a lazy Saturday, but nonetheless incredibly refreshing and relaxing.

I can't imagine a better feeling at the end of the day.
Rested and Accomplished.

What did you do with your Saturday?

(Typed while drinking my nightly cup of water, but I'll probably have some hot chocolate soon ^^)

Book 2012: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Absolutely enjoyed this, as I was sure I would with all my friends constantly raving about it and getting quite pumped for the movie (now my fingers are crossed the movie will make it to South Korea). Engaging from the outset, fascinating plot line, fantastic heroine, interesting relationships between characters themselves and characters and the government, so much to keep the reader attentive and unwilling to put the book down.

Highlights:

"District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety." (p. 6/location 66)

"So instead of acknowledging applause, I stand there unmoving while they take part in the boldest form of dissent they can manage. Silence. Which says we do not agree. We do not condone. All of this is wrong." (p. 24/location 293)

"Kind people have a way of working their way inside me and rooting there." (p. 49/location 595)


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A few other notes:

I would have read this in one sitting...except I was too anxious to start and ended up reading a couple of chapters on the bus while commuting to work. Then, I almost finished it on a Friday night but let myself be dragged out to a 'meet-the-newbies' party at a smoky bar where a creepy middle-aged man told me I was beautiful and kissed me on the cheek/ear. I should have stayed home. Although, I did enjoy being with my man as he fell into a rare but enjoyable chit-chatty session on the walk home since he'd drank a few drinks. Nonetheless, it felt like one sitting and I'm now trying to convince myself to do some housework before starting the second one of the trilogy...ugh.

(Typed while sipping the remnants of earl grey tea from a brown bone china mug...yeah, it's kind of cold now).

Of Friendships

I have this friend.
She is beautiful.
She is also addicted to blogging, much as I am.
Her writing is elegant, beautiful and insightful.
I love her.

I want to tell you more about her, how our friendship began, how it's played out over the 6 years I've known her and how it's continually blessed me regardless of distance, age, season, etc.

I mention this friend in particular because she has a beautiful way of presenting her friendships through the medium of blogging.

And I want that.

Through her writing and pictures and storytelling, I've gotten to know men and women that are beautiful, bold, brave and boisterous. I can see her happiness and understand how her life is influencing others and how others are influencing her and that brings me a certain joy and contentment that would otherwise be impossible.

Through her writing and pictures and storytelling, I'm convinced she's swimming in the emotions of the moment, filled with gratitude that these people are in her life. I can imagine the supreme joy she receives in remembering and recording these moments and reflecting on these friendships.

And I need that.

I've been toying around with ways to use this space to not only process things on my mind, but to remember the community that is so often on my heart, mind and tongue. To tell those stories even here.

Because I need a place to see them.
Because I need a routine of remembering them...this semester could be lethal otherwise.
Because I need to remember that friendships are real and valuable and that each has given and continues to give me more than I could ever dreamed, even through the distance.

My posts may not be of the same 'in-the-moment' quality as those of my inspiration.
But some will be.
Because I have friends here, in this moment. And I have friends that are in this moment regardless of miles.
And, I have such strong memories of friends that I hold onto in the sincerest of ways.

I don't know exactly what will come of future musings, about specific friends. I'm not sure what order their stories will be presented, for me it's of no importance. I've long given up on ranking the importance of my friends in comparison to one another. I wouldn't be where I am without any one of them, wouldn't be who I am, wouldn't love this life the way I do were any single one removed from my history, present or future.

Dear friends,

I love you dearly and I hope over the months and years you will slowly see how much you mean to me, how you've influenced me and how I truly carry you with me everywhere I go.

Yours Truly,
Melissa

P.S. Blog addicted friend who often writes about their sweet friends, how long did it take for you to know it was you I referenced? ;)

(Typed while snacking on spent grain pancakes, topped with Nutella and sipping Earl Grey tea with milk and sugar from a brown bone china mug wearing a sweet little knit sweater while curled up in my favorite chair which was pulled in off the street...oh how much sweeter it is to blog from home than the school ^^)

Goals: March 2012

March has officially begun. The first of March is a Korean holiday marking the anniversary of their independence from Japan (in 1919). So, we had the day off. And, I didn't worry much about creating the next set of goals.

BUT, I've been thinking about my goals. And I'm quite excited the March means a return to routine (although I'm not entirely thrilled about the work routine) and that means I can be a bit more committed to goals and start trying to bring things into my daily life that I've been yearning and thinking about, so in that sense, March is quite exciting.

I'm feeling relatively solid now on drinking plentiful water, stretching the morning and evening and keeping a gratitude journal.

However, for the stretching and excercise routine, I think I might try out this kind of progressive weekly workout, just to do something different:

So here we go, Daily Goals for March:

• Morning and Evening Stretch with the above workout being incorporated.
• Floss a minimum of 4 times a week.
• Increase awareness of posture - currently, my thought is to conciously check my posture when each school bell rings, that's about 10-12 reminders during the day to align my ears to my shoulders and shoulders to hips, strong core, etc. ... We have some pics from Vietnam in which we both seem a bit more hunchbacked than either of us would like to admit. (If you're intrerested in posture, check out this wikiHow)
• Read a minimum of 2 chapters from the Bible each day - I'm doing this during my stretching w/ the Kindle because it's quite nice for reading and makes me feel like I'm making the most of that stretching time.
• Begin stretching time in child pose - meditate on the Lord's Prayer

Within the Month:

• Write about a minimum of 5days in the travel journal I started for our world tour in 2010 -- REALLY want to get through some of these. Truly considering buying some Ferro Rocher chocolates and eating them one at a time as I finish a days entry...
• Finish at least 5 books toward my 2012 reading goal of 50 books in a year - shouldn't be too difficult as I've got the Hunger Game Series as three of the five lined out this month and so far...I'm engaged, to put it lightly.
• Update my food blog within 3 days of preparing a meal - sound familiar?
• Conquer Yogurt-making...or at least give it a shot.
• Blog more about what I'm processing/thinking -- (i.e. comparisons, individuality, complaints -- things I've been thinkig about lately and would do well to think through)

I also have some other strange little things I want to do, but they don't really fit the 'goals' category, just silly things to occupy my time I suppose and to use up certain beauty items and...to make me feel beautiful ^.^ That is, using some face mask once a week (I keep inheriting these when friends leave the country) and painting my nails once a week. Silly. Girly. Oh well.