29.9.13

Ideas on a Sunday.

Perhaps I should start crafting quotes on pretty paper for my favorites and loves as the scissor, exacto knife and needle are my best friends. After all "Kim" means gold and needle at the same time. Time no time, I can do it.

Some of my favorite literary sentences of all time:


When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained glass windows.

In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed.

-MLK, Letter from a Birmingham Jail

"Your silence will not protect you"

-Audre Lorde

27.9.13

Let's make this happen.

I find it delightfully interesting, flattering, and amusing the things that remind people of me. My good friend Aileen sends me a video of a girl dancing around on a public ferry. She tells me that things like that make her think of me. Punctuating the stagnant normalcy of routine, she dances in their face, makes people smile, or downright uncomfortable. She ignores it and proceeds to dance her way all around the boat. My ex-boyfriend once made me a playlist of songs that reminded him of me, they were for the most part whimsical uppity upbeat xylophone interjecting songs. I'm happy that I emanate that energy out to people when I am at my best.

Laughter makes me happy, but I feel like the last few years have pulled my energy down. Let's make this happen, let's keep the energy up.

---

"Keepin' it "Real(ism)" - ad on bus stop


I love

"my mama told me" songs, because the men singing it are of course listening to the main woman in their life - their moms!

25.9.13

"Dentel, I'm a turtle"

"My home is on my back. And yet I feel the most real home I'll ever have is the space where our roads merged and traveled along together...for a time. Probably I'm wrong to leave."

Oh god that was so adorable!!! My good friend Aline lent me this graphic book to read and it's about a very adorable turtle name "Chunky Rice" who leaves home (not for any reason in particular, but the book hints that he is meant for more than just the small town). But he is in love with a mouse (who can't leave because she is "lowly") name Dentel. Dentel tells him to leave and that's what he tells her while she's sleeping.

He eventually leaves, packs everything up, sails the sea and meets interesting people along the way. I'm not doing the book justice, but I just really like it. In the end, it says "there is no goodbye, chunky rice" as a message bottle she sends into the sea hits his ship.

Which makes me think about my friendship vibe theory, in which when I think about my friends they come back into my life in one way or another because they "hear" me thinking about them.

---

I am on my period. I feel like Chunky Rice.







23.9.13

I say goodbye at airports.

True story. This has happened twice to me which is more than I expected. The likelihood of these events seem minute, but then again when you see where I've been and the nature of my purposeful floating, it's also not that surprising.  I find it rather strange but very appropriate. As I traverse the borders of the unknown, I sacrifice their love. Sometimes I wonder if I sacrifice my own in the process, but in the end of it all, I do what I love and that's what keeps me flying.


Shake off the nightmare.


Little bird have you got a key?
Unlock the lock inside of me
Where will you go?
Keep yourself afloat
Feeling old until the wings unfolded
Caught me a long wind
Where will we go?
Keep ourselves afloat

I caught a long wind
A long life wind
I got to know the sky
But it didn't know me
Got to see the light
And land on top of the sea
And be the bird, be the key
And now the current tells
What the wave withheld
And then the lightning say
Oh where light will lay
Where will you go?
Keep yourself afloat

I caught a long wind
A long life wind
Like a swallow
A night owl
A little chickadee
Sad sparrow
Good morning bird
Good nightingale
I took a deep breath
And caught a long wind


-Feist, Caught A Long Wind

---

Life occurrences build you up and what's magical is that you get to go through it.

Thoughts on a Sunday

I believe in the goodness of my heart.

18.9.13

Hugging it out with life right now.

HUGS.

17.9.13

Come to think of it...

Had I never made the leap to Vietnam, had I never been by myself and single for that matter, I don't think I would of fully embraced my experience in Vietnam like I did. I don't think I would of made the relationships had I came back a year earlier or perhaps missed someone back home. I'm not saying that to find meaning that you shouldn't be with someone, but at the same time, it was the fact that I was on my own, that I had the freedom to be with other people, to build with others and to create friendships. My  mind was focused. At the same time, I won't deny love if it comes my way, but love takes lots of energy. In Vietnam, my love was to the country, to the people, the staff, and particularly to the young girls who live in the deep border regions. That was the type of love that made you realize it can be your life's work and dedication. To see where I was to be originally from, where my mom is from, where my dad is from and the rest of my ancestors before they came from China. And as I dive deeper into the connections and research at Hopkins, I'm returning to the roots that brought me here. What I notice more and more from the Professors and faculty is that they are immensely passionate about their topic and what they are teaching. You can truly tell that they love and breathe it. I can't help but want to be focused on things that I think I should be studying like economics and all that jazz. At the same though, what was it that brought me here in the first place? It was the fact that I think all girls especially those in rural areas should have a chance of reaching their full potential. It was their resilience.

And so I trudge forward.

---

Now, my parents, including my aunt Mommy are going back to Vietnam and I'm insanely jealous. I LOVE VIETNAM and I miss it so. What I would do to return there and do some work with my favorite people.

---

For most of last week, I kept falling asleep with all the lights on. I did this a few times in Vietnam, and perhaps I was so exhausted without my knowing that I flat out knock out in a deep slumber once I decide to lay my body down. This is my admission that I'm exhausted, my mind is exhausted and I must find ways to balance and not make myself so exhausted.

16.9.13

Sunday.



Sometimes, when I stare at my screen before I write I feel like I'm running towards the Ugly waving my sword forward. The pen is mightier than the sword as they say. In this case my sword is my pen and instead of my pen, it's my keyboard. Not as sexy, but hey it will work. Instead of kicking the ass out of my enemies, I instead reflect, heal, and spill my heart out.

touché.

---
My life is a work in progress.
And this is going to take a while, I'm going to feel sad a few times, I'm going to be happy a few times, and I'm also going to feel very very fortunate. I'm in a bit of an incubated circle at Hopkins, school work ties me down, and sometimes I forget to breathe.

I'm going to try to balance this week. This week is like every week, but I'm going to try to approach it differently from the former week. I'm going to exercise at least once, I'm going to not stress out about my quiz and I'm going to spend time with people. I hate saying no to fun things - sometimes I wonder if its really necessary to say no to people. Saying no and staying in means a potentially missed opportunity and I struggle with this idea. Sometimes, I just need to calm down and not think.

Yup, I'm going through heartbreak and it's going to take a while. I was paroling the internet and saw this post from Shannon Holloway which I thoroughly enjoyed. "just because you can doesn’t mean you should"

I'm going to be okay with my decisions and stand firm with them because that's all I got honestly.
---

I'm full of color can you see it? Can I see it?

---

I hear that Paris is a beautiful city.






13.9.13

Thoughts on a Thursday?

Love is sorta this irreplaceable strange weird thing - a perk of being human. And while my heart drives me crazy I can't help but love love, what it is and what it is capable of. It's all really simple you see. I do believe that love finds its ways to creep into your life. I also like thinking about love, past love, missed love,


---

One of the reasons why I loved my time in Vietnam was that it allowed me to spend time with people one on one. We had nothing else to do really.

10.9.13

Bring me back, please.

Please?

8.9.13

Thoughts on a Sunday: Fuck being sad.

And those are my post waking thoughts as my eyes meet the sunrise. Initially, my brain thinks about him, school and other stressors. Then I pounce up and say fuck this shit and start about my day breathing and living. Happier that I am healthier than I was 24 hours ago.

I'm really absolutely ridiculous. I don't know why I take myself so seriously nor do I fully understand why my stress and anxious levels are up the wazoo.


Actually, I take that back, I partially do.

When there are many things thrown at me at once, I tend to crumble into the black abyss of mopiness. Its happen to me throughout my lifetime. I wouldn't call it depression because it isn't. Depression is different. Depression is not something that goes away. I just get mopey and sad about life as any human being would. Usually staying in on Friday and Saturday nights will do it for me. This reminds me that I must incorporate fun into my schedule. I think I've done a good job of it last semester. I would make the time, go out, and not study so hard. I wouldn't give up my social life for studying and it worked out swimmingly. After all there is so much studying that one can really do. I received decent grades at the end of it all with a few A's sprinkled in. There is so much studying one can do. It's a balance between knowing what you have to do to get things done, balancing yourself, and focusing when you need to. Hourly scheduling helped me lots last semester. Saving my Fridays and weekends for social things really helped me. For a girl whose traveled thousands of miles, crossed muddy walkways, crumbled roads, stick bridges, whose gone to the best universities, who wanders around the world, who colors her hair blue, you'd be surprised at how fucking scared I am of everything on a daily basis.

I'm surprised that I still harbor fears of rejection, not doing well, and just general fears as well. Fears of exposure, this wall that builds around you, fears of not being accepted. Those are my fears and they consume me at times. Relationships are difficult for me because they force me to face lifelong fears. I felt it in the previous one pretty hard. I feel that wall that surrounds me and it silences me unable to really expose that inner self of who I am to that person out of who knows what. I felt it many times during my previous relationship, I was holding back and there was something deeper about it but I didn't want to go there. And I think for me to overcome somethings in my life I will probably have to go to that place that I don't want to go and reach deep down inside to let it out. I'm not too sure what it is. I'm being really vague because I honestly don't know what it is. It sorta feels like a cat caught your tongue sorta feeling. This internal push and pull that occurs when something doesn't freely flow. When a bird doesn't fly.

Perhaps I should think of my next lover as my blog. A person to which I can express myself freely and not feel judgement. That's a good way to strangely put it. If I could express myself to a person as I do here perhaps he will be it. I laugh because this is ridiculous but really true at the same time.

I told him to read my blog many times. I don't think he ever did actually.

Actually, fuck lovers, perhaps I should think of my whole world as my blog. A world where I can express myself freely and not feel judgement. This will take some time.

Fascinated with the idea, but not the person.






6.9.13

UUHHHH!!!

I'm so tired of coughing. It has returned. Try going through 8 hours of lecture with an itching cough that won't stop. I coughed during my trip. I cough during class. I cough through the night. I cough everywhere and it's difficult to function.

Fuck.

This is my blog and I'll cry if I want to.

---

On a lighter note I started a job as a research assistant and I'm really loving the opportunity. It is so nuanced, connected, great people and I'm really excited to start it. Out of everything this is what I look forward to doing - getting my hands dirty with literature review.  I will be helping with the Key Populations Project at the Center for Health and Human Rights they conduct research with HIV issues among MSM, Sex Workers and Injection Users.

Lots of things are happening and moving fast. At the same time my illness is putting a pause to it. It's interesting when life moves quickly around you but when you are not physically able or your energy is super low then it becomes exceedingly difficult. Health is so important in life. When you don't have it - you can't live it as you used to. Today I canceled on a friend because I couldn't stop coughing and thought my body needed a break. This sucks. I'm trying to keep my head up but at some point I can't help but feel I may fall and break down. Trying to avoid that or perhaps I am in denial and it has/is already happening. Maybe this is what life is. This up and down roller coaster. This is what life is. Trial after trial which is what brings flavor to life.

Lately, I've been staring at facebook and getting depressed at how great everyone's life is. Then I realize that facebook is stupid. The other day I went to see Nick Offerman perform at a theatre. (It's Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec for those that don't know.) He went on a few rants, or rather his entire performance was a rant with his chuckle that he only does when his character is excited about something. One of his rants was how he was addicted to his phone and how stupid that was. It's stupid and I don't know how to step away from it sometimes. Sometimes I just put my phone away.

I want to feel energy and happiness! I think this school and money stress is starting to get to me and I need to find ways to balance stress, energy and my happiness. Perhaps it is because there are so many things occurring at once, so many people to connect to, that I don't have time to process it all. The support is there. The smiles and hugs. The people. Just need to reach out and be open.

Enjoy the simple things.





3.9.13

Warming up back to life.

I was pretty much falling apart by the end of summer term. My ankle was sprained, my heart was broken, and I was terribly sick. 10 days later, I've traveled over hundreds of miles, flew on a plane, rode on a bus, hopped on a subway, and went on car rides. I won't say that I am completely over it, but time has a way of helping you forget. There is only so much that our minds can store. Let's choose the good memories.














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