happy as a tumblweed

Wokai on CNBC! Via Casey.

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:12:35 -0700

Wokai on CNBC! Via Casey.

How to Get Shot By The Sartorialist. Courtesy of Alex.

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:54:25 -0700

How to Get Shot By The Sartorialist. Courtesy of Alex.

"In the fractal calculus of relationships one finds in one’s life, at the point I find myself in at..."

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:46:52 -0700

“

In the fractal calculus of relationships one finds in one’s life, at the point I find myself in at half a century of existence one sees patterns, motifs, tropes; a chorus repeated after verses of a song, the thing that one comes around to, declaring a core, resolved, truth.

Four denotes an organic wholeness—the directions; the winds; the elements; the seasons.

I did not know it for sure at the time, though I did feel it deeply enough, in my bones: when she died, a fork in my life’s arc appeared with baleful clarity—my path would lead this way, instead of that. It was a bifurcative modality which, when it came to the elements of being in a lifelong partnership, having children, raising a family, all of a sudden I was presented with the necessity of unorthodoxy … if I still wanted all that.

”

- via Lloyd @ The Free Radical

A graphical powerpoint representation of Mitt Romney’s...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:10:00 -0700

A graphical powerpoint representation of Mitt Romney’s worldview on foreign policy from The New Republic. Completely hilarious. Thanks to Alex for the headsup!

Almost done with Week 3 in Germany. Yesterday evening went out...

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:22:40 -0700

Day 1 of the Opernplatzfest. Alte Oper.

Flammkuchen mit parmaschinken, käse, etc

Almost done with Week 3 in Germany. Yesterday evening went out with colleagues, etc. to Opernplatzfest, which is a week long street festival in front of the Alte Oper, or the old opera house. The building itself is under construction currently, but it was such a lovely day for good company, erdbowlebeer (strawberry beer, very interesting), some hefeweizen and flammkuchen. Flammkuchen is like a very thin pizza that you can get with a variety of different toppings such as cheese (käse), parmaschinken (prosciutto?) and argula. I spoke like, four languages within the span of one conversation alone. Being here has really inspired me to take language learning a lot more seriously.

On slightly related note, must stop myself from OD-ing on too much Ritter Sport chocolate.

lookbookdotnu: Noir Frankfurter Allee I want to say that I saw...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:45:00 -0700

lookbookdotnu:

Noir Frankfurter Allee

I want to say that I saw this girl on the subway today, but I can’t be sure.

So, concludes my second full week of work, I think. Have I really been here only two weeks? It feels much longer, for some reason.

Have been a moody mess all week, work aside. Had a wonderful time this evening with a colleague from work though, had German Chinese buffet meal at Der Goldene Wok. It was good but…my god, I miss American Chinese food, even. I will never, ever complain about dining hall food ever again. I even miss that questionable chi. I do like the canteen at work, but one can only have so much salad at lunch.

Am continuously discovering that my Chinese is possibly the most useful skill I’ve encountered here. Tomorrow, I think there’s something downtown called Bergerstraßefest. Hurray for having something to do on weekends! Am happier already.

So I have been trying to keep up as best I can with the...

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:09:00 -0700

So I have been trying to keep up as best I can with the situation in Iran. On Saturday, S-W and I passed by a peaceful demonstration in the middle of the city center plaza.

Picture: Pre-1980 Iranian flags appropriately flanking the Statue of Justice in Römerplatz.

@Flat, Frankfurt. Dead tired from work, but felt much obliged to...

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:06:06 -0700

@Flat, Frankfurt. Dead tired from work, but felt much obliged to post a few pictures from my weekend with Siu-wei. Sat on a riverboat and ate my first actual German meal (had an original Frankfurter with bröt, or bread) and some cheesecake and soup. Walked around the river and ventured into Römerplatz for some ice cream sundaes at an Italian eis café. Was yummy. Found ourselves somehow in H&M, and I tried on a bunch of pleather jackets. S-W got a great deal on a cute white crop side-zip jacket, so adorable. (Siu-Wei, I forgot to get a picture of you in it!)

Of course, I will return the favor and visit you in Göttingen, my liebling <3! Can’t wait!

(via kapi) ZONE OF PAIN.

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:31:09 -0700

(via kapi)

ZONE OF PAIN.

Image is of a computer on the trading floor of the old Frankfurt...

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:12:00 -0700

Image is of a computer on the trading floor of the old Frankfurt Stock Exchange, or Deutsche Boerse.

Recap of Week 1 in Frankfurt:

I think I have reiterated this point at least several times in the last few posts, but my living situation is kind of flipping sweet. I don’t even care that there were hidden nebenkosten, because paying an extra 70-80 euros or so for my situation is not really a huge deal considering just how amazing it is. And that it literally takes, in total, about 15 minutes to get to work.

My work seems pretty interesting, and I think I have so much to learn. I am already improving my German pronunciation, have no problems getting around on most forms of public transport, and am meeting new people all the time!

I love Grunesburgpark, and I love that I can go running there as late as I want, because the sun doesn’t go down till around 10pm, and the area around there is simply adorable and very pleasant.

German chocolate is simply amazing. There is so much hazelnuss.

There is still so much to see! Short term goals: shopping at the Zeil (main commercial shopping thoroughfare), running around the river, clubbing, the Stadel museum, Palmengarten, Alte Oper….

Tomorrow: Siu-wei comes to visit me! Cannot wait!

Day…I lost count, and will stop counting now: @Frankfurt,...

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:38:00 -0700

Day…I lost count, and will stop counting now: @Frankfurt, Germany.

Somewhere downtown outside of Hauptwache U-bahn station. It’s been six days in Frankfurt, two days at work, and today, I just realized that I am tired of quantifying my experience.

My living situation is lovely, I’ve finally got my wireless and SIM card working, the weather is persnickety yet oddly pleasant, and all in all, I think I’m adjusting quite well. Except that I am the only American intern, and the only intern overall, who cannot speak instead at my firm. Will have to learn, quick!

iamdanw: Edge’s Gaming Pixel Poster Day 21: It seems natural for...

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:20:24 -0700

iamdanw:

Edge’s Gaming Pixel Poster

Day 21: It seems natural for me to get up at least two hours after sunrise these days, meaning that I can’t help but feel completely awake at around 6:15am. The light in my flat is so bright and cheerful that I can’t help but feel energized! The image above reminds me of how alien Frankfurt is to me right now, and how difficult I am finding it to orient myself. Also is just sick poster.

Today is also Sunday, and stores here are completely closed. I had forgotten about this last night, when I neglected to get groceries and therefore had to make do with whatever my roommates had in the fridge. Good ol’ reliable tomato and egg recipes, if only I had fat rice noodles, chicken broth, and watercress! Made myself an edible dinner last night, anyway, without managing to poison myself, and am setting the following personal goal for the summer: Try to cook two new meals every weekend, one Asian style and one Western!

Surely I can try to manage this…and also, I know I keep saying I’ll post pictures soon, really, I will!

Day 19-20: Guten tag, Lieblings! Have arrived in Frankfurt safe...

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:53:09 -0700

Day 19-20: Guten tag, Lieblings!

Have arrived in Frankfurt safe and sound! Had some Bailey’s Irish Cream on my Lufthansa flight - what a pleasant flight it was, watched Slumdog Millionaire (am in like with Dev Patel) and conversed with a ship’s captain who has spent 51 years at sea navigating between the Arctic and Antarctic. Can you imagine?

So I discovered that international travel is complicated. Funny story: At the Frankfurt airport, they allow you to take luggage carts down the escalator, but mine was overflowing. I had piled on top my heaviest piece of luggage, which of course went tumbling down the escalator like a clothing avalanche. I could see horror on the faces of the German ladies in front of me, who scrambled to get out of the way as fast as possible and gave me dirty looks when they had reached the bottom. Of course, I apologize profusely while trying to remember how to say “Sorry” in German.

And I owe much to my new roommate Lety, who baked Texas-style corn muffins for me upon my arrival and helped me with my luggage. I love trains already! Will update more on my living and working situation as I get settled, but I will say that Germany and my neighborhood are quite charming. I live in Bockenheim, which is the university neighborhood and it is very Shattuck-esque; will post pictures soon!

Track listed is Germany to Germany by Ratatat.

(via thismightsuck) Day 16-18: Fun in Cambridge. Cooking with...

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:58:19 -0700

(via thismightsuck)

Day 16-18: Fun in Cambridge. Cooking with Diane, sleeping over, partying it up with a no-show Jesus, James, Austin, Erica, lots of girltalk. I am going to miss it! Leaving in less than an hour. xoxo.

(via sade) Day 15: @Home, finally finished packing all my junk....

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:55:00 -0700

(via sade)

Day 15: @Home, finally finished packing all my junk. Went out for last dinner with parents until Thanksgiving at Union City’s Little Sheep Mongolian BBQ. Feel bloated. Flight tomorrow at 11am, plan on taking early morning swim before I leave home.

geesebot: (via homecoming)

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:27:40 -0700

geesebot:

(via homecoming)

The Infinite Summer Project

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:26:46 -0700

The Infinite Summer Project:

baseln:

Read David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest over this summer. Let’s do it.

Might join you on this quest!

Day 14: @Home, couldn’t sleep well this morning and just never rolled out of bed until dinnertime. Despite my best attempts to wake myself up, i.e. running around 7am, I just ended up collapsing as soon as I got back. In other news, had full body massage experience this evening, might go back together for another round tomorrow. I can never relax during massages enough to actually and fully enjoy the experience though, and furthermore, I think my shin splints are coming back. Gross.

This one’s for you, Alex. Thought of you immediately and...

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:20:00 -0700

This one’s for you, Alex. Thought of you immediately and could not resist.

Asics x Gettry Procourt AR "Hamburger" Kicks

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:06:00 -0700

Asics x Gettry Procourt AR "Hamburger" Kicks:

Day 13.5: @Bed. I’ve been looking for nice kicks to traipse around (elegantly, of course) for some time (Diane…) but I think these might be a little bit too over the top. Would Europeans judge me?

The House on Oxford Street: Photo courtesy of Vivian <3 Day...

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:36:00 -0700

The House on Oxford Street: Photo courtesy of Vivian <3

Day 13: @Berkeley, CA. Had a relaxing run around Albany Hill and Solano Ave (song on heavy rotation in my exercise playlist: Help, I’m Alive by Metric) before driving to campus to have lunch with Lucas at Le Bateau Ivre on Telegraph (escargot!) and dinner with my darling Vivian at Platano on Shattuck. Such good food, but my eyes are clearly bigger than my stomach, which got progressively more bloated as my wallet shrank. Also just realized that I always seem to talk about food. What is life but mere moments in between meals?

By moonrise, Vivian and I were walking down Shattuck and Oxford, where we stopped by my dream house since I was 16. One day, I will live here…