tinyninja’s posterous

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11 God Only Knows.mp3 (3411 KB)

Let's be honest.  There is no more meaning to Thanksgiving in America than there is on Valentine's Day, Easter, or even Christmas.  These holidays are all rooted in things worth celebrating, but the rest of their stories often go untold and instead get picked up by large corporations looking to make even more money off of sentimental caring people like you and me.  My family uses holidays as excuses to get together, play games, and consume large amounts of food.  And that's fine with me.  I guess the things that bother me about Thanksgiving are as follows. 

First, the story of Thanksgiving is only a half truth.  Or rather, a façade of sorts.  When you remove that fake front, you see all the awful things that were covered up.  The Native American (Indian) tribe at the feast was actually invited for the purpose of negotiating a treaty that would give land to the Pilgrims.  Also, these same Indians, who a generation later would be killed in King Phillip's War for their "heathen" ways, supplied the majority of food for the feast.  Don't get me wrong, the Indians and the Pilgrims were friendly at this feast.  But that friendship didn't last very long.  As more people arrived from England, the Pilgrims quickly forgot how the Indians essentially took them in and showed them the lay of the land so that they could survive on their own.  I don't need to go into the rest of the details.  Just look at the hundreds of Indian reservations scattered across the country to get a general idea of the events that took place after that "first Thanksgiving" feast.  A less bitter, more informative version of this story can be found here.  It was written more than twenty years ago by a Native American teacher and editor who was tired of the farce.  All I'm saying is holidays are fine, as long as everyone is well informed.

Second, it gives people the idea that they have to be grateful on that day.  What about the other 364 (or 365 in a leap year) days?  It's the same frustration I experience with Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents Day, and the like.  You should appreciate your forebears all the time, except if they were assholes.  Even then, it'd behoove you to just let it go and move on with your life.  But that's fodder for another blog.  The point is, we should be grateful all the time.  That's easy enough for me to say, but I'm still learning to put it to practice.  I've been "funemployed" for six months now, and I've lived in another country for FREE for the last three months.  But I still find ways to show my ingratitude.  I complain about everything--having too much free time, being sore from working out, being so far away from my friends and family.  But you know what?  All of those things can be flipped into something good and positive.  Having plenty of free time gives me the opportunity to research things that I want to do or learn about.  Being sore means that I'm physically able to move my body and build my muscles (and learn an awesome sport at the same time!).  The distance means that I've given myself the freedom and flexibility to travel and see the world.  It turns out that my life ain't so bad after all.

Psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough studied gratitude and its effects on the brain (and thus the body) and published a book about it.  Psychology Today has an interesting article about gratitute here.  When you feel gratitude, you're more likely to help others, exercise regularly, and sleep better, among other things.  One of the first things I did after I quit my job was to start a gratitude list.  I basically write down a few things a day that I'm grateful for, like snuggling with Elphie, discovering Lebanese food, and two little boys whose faces are shaped like mine.  It doesn't have to be anything deep, either.  I'm also grateful for my blue pen and orange juice.  Some people find these sorts of things silly or they feel that they really don't have anything to be grateful for.  As my AP psychology teacher used to tell us all the time, "Fake it 'til you make it!"  The brain reacts in the same way, whether or not you're actually feeling that emotion.  So even if your girlfriend just dumped you for someone more successful and ten times more attractive, a smile on your face will release endorphins in your body and you'll start to feel better.  Fake it 'til you make it.

I'd like to conclude by expressing my sincerest gratitude to you, dear readers.  I write because I'm narcissistic and I love talking about myself, but also because you give me a reason to write.  You actually read it!  It means more to me than you will ever know.  I look forward to coming home (only FOUR more days!) and seeing many of you in person.

The answer is always yes.

As many of you know, Paloma has submitted her resignation to her current employer.  In fact, this Sunday is her last day of work and we have to vacate the apartment by December 7th.  That's easy enough for me to do since I'm coming home (!) on the 3rd, but it's a bit stressful for Paloma.  She's interviewed at several places and recently got an offer from one of them.  But depending on how many teachers she can talk to and how quickly the other places get back to her, she may or may not be able to come home with me.  And since we're getting kicked out, we have to figure out our living situation really soon.  We've been apartment hunting for the past couple weeks and seen a lot of nice places (and even more janky ones), but none of them have fit our criteria of decent price and good location.  The stress of finding a new job and a new apartment hasn't been easy for us humans to deal with, and the cat is starting to pick up on some of it too.  I firmly believe that animals are receptive to our feelings.  The following anecdote will prove my point.

I'm sure Elphie would be happy to have me divulge the fact that she poops pretty regularly, usually right around dinner time (normally around 10pm).  Earlier this evening, we fed her around 10:30pm and were SURE she was going to make her move.  Instead, she started running around the apartment, so fast that she was a mess of gray and brown and looked more like a squirrel than a cat.  We waited for a little bit, but it was time to take out the trash.  So we started to clean out her litter box, and what does she decide to do as soon as her box was empty?  She assumes the position on our bed and lays down five neat pieces of love.  Thanks, Elphie!  (Note:  The bed has been MORE than adequately disinfected since "the incident.")  We REALLY hope it was just a one-time thing.

Lesson:  If your family is going through some major changes, make sure that all members are given a chance to express their feelings.  Trust me...if they keep them bottled up, those feelings will find a way out!

I recently heard this song on a Korean TV commercial, so I'm inspired to share the video with you.  I'm glad Koreans are finally showing some ReSpekt!

       

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Capoeira_Korea_My_First_Articl.zip (2348 KB)

Here's what I've submitted to the editor (?) of Seoul Style online magazine.  I am hopeful that it gets published once the new website is up (some time in December).  You may notice that I stole some of my writing from previous blogs.  Enjoy!

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06 Lost+.mp3 (5061 KB)

A few weeks ago I emailed Beth Greenfield, author of my favorite New York City guidebook, about career advice on becoming a better writer, and an amazing thing happened.  She wrote me back!  The next day, no less.  I’ve had similar experiences with other authors--Dan Levitin, author of my favorite music and neuroscience books, emailed me back within 20 minutes of my first email to him, and Andy Singer, writer and illustrator of smart anti-consumer comics, emailed me the next day.  All three of these people not only replied to my emails, but they also provided detailed answers to my questions and resources for where to go next.  This reinforces the idea that humans really are social beings who want to help each other.  But let me explain why I was moved by Beth’s email in particular.

I was really intimidated about sending her this email because, to me, she was living the life I wanted to lead.  She lives in the best city in the whole world and gets to write about it in Time Out New York, a really cool publication that keeps locals and tourists alike abreast of all the happenings in and around the city.  She contributes to the New York Times.   Check out her Amsterdam article here, also interesting to me since Paloma and I are planning to move there next year.  She travels with her family and she writes.  How does she do it?  The answer is hard work.  That’s generally the answer to everything. I’ll tell you why.

As many of you know, I was a chemical engineer in my previous life.  It was not an easy degree, not by a long shot.  I think the only reason I made it through was because my ex was also majoring in it, so I was somehow motivated by her to keep at it.  The fact that it was the highest paid degree out of college might have helped, too.  Maybe.  And, please believe me when I say I’m not trying to toot my own horn, I was really good at math and science.  Even though the concepts were difficult to grasp, I had enough aha! moments to graduate with honors and get a good full-time job at a big energy company.  Because I wasn’t completely socially awkward and could at least talk to people, I did pretty well there.  I wasn’t the smartest or the best engineer, but I related well with my coworkers and I think that’s why I did as well as I did. 

But I wasn’t fulfilled.  My heart wasn’t in it.  I felt like everything up to that point had been handed to me—my full scholarship to college, my nicely paid internship, and then my full-time job complete with prestigious title.  I was a hard worker, believe me, but I was sort of just going through the motions because that’s just what you do.  But why?  Those of you who know me know that I love to travel.  And go to concerts.  I’m obsessed with good music and good books.  When I was working, I lived for my vacations, and I went to as many live music gigs as I could, even traveling to New York to see Ani DiFranco in her element.  I often spent my lunch hours (and even working hours) researching the best places to travel, dreaming of being anywhere but work.  So, with the support of the best spouse in the world, I quit my cushion job and we moved to Korea to save up for Amsterdam and start a new life. 

I’m both excited and scared about where I am right now because I can literally do whatever my little big heart desires.  So I’ve decided to set up some resolutions for myself.  We all have those things we regret—that pair of shoes you bought last week (really, what were you thinking?), that trip to Isla Mujeres (I paid 40USD to be stuck on a boat with grown men wearing wigs singing awful songs), or that girl you never hooked up with (‘nuff said).  But I don’t want to live life regretting anything.  It really is too short to be stuck doing something you don’t want to do, considering the fact that the universe is like billions of years old (so scientific coming from an ex-engineer, I know).  We’re here and then we’re gone, so we might as well have fun.  (Geez, Amanda, get to the point!) 

So I’ve resolved to write at least two to three posts a week, or ten posts a month.  I want to become a better writer, and what better way to do that than to write!  It’s going to be hard work because it’s not something in which I’ve previously excelled, and I certainly have no official training in it.  But I’ve recently volunteered to contribute to an online foreigner publication here in Seoul to get some “professional” experience under my belt.  I even came up with a pen name, which I won’t share here (because then what would be the point of having it?).  I’ll give it the old “college try” and hope it all goes well.

Nothing in life is easy, at least not the stuff that’s worth doing.  The harder you work at something, the better you feel when you succeed.  I’m sick of hearing people talk about how love is supposed to be easy.  Save it.  Sure, it’s easy to fall in love, but it’s an eicosane harder to stay together.  The same thing applies to your life.  Work it!

I’ll conclude by explaining why I’ve included the song “Lost+” by Coldplay featuring Jay-Z.  One, it’s just a really good version of the song, and it sort of explains how I’m feeling right now.  More importantly, though, Jay-Z is one motivated dude.  He collaborates with all sorts of artists like Coldplay and Linkin Park and makes good songs even better.  That’s on top of putting out really good solo albums.  And, he falls asleep next to Beyoncé every night!  Hello!  So the lesson is, if you work really hard, you could be big pimpin' and spendin' G’s on beautiful women, too!  Or at least put a ring on it.  But seriously, stop reading this blog and get back to work.

Thanks for coming on this journey with me.  This is Tiny Ninja, signing off.

http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/10/19/the-internet-creates-an-era-of-great-writing/

Though I haven't had a chance to sit down and seriously write more of my story, I love reading about writing!  I haven't done anything really new or interesting since the last post.  We've sort of gotten into our own grooves, the details of which I've already described.  I'm somewhat "progressing" in my capoeira classes, and on Sunday I participated in my first public park roda and got kicked in the face...again!  Needless to say, I will continue attending classes so that maybe one day I can kick someone in the face.  Or at least learn how to dodge kicks!  ;o)

It's gotten downright chilly here!  It feels like a California winter, so I'm dreading a South Korean winter!  I hear it doesn't snow much, but it's freezing with a biting wind for like...four months straight.  I'll definitely be looking forward to my trip home in December and especially my trip to the tropical PI in February!

Enjoy the pic of Elphie reading.  It was taken at our old apartment, our first home together as a complete family.  Love and kisses to you, dear faithful readers!

Europeans think of everything!

This is Tiny Ninja, and I approve this message.

                     

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One-Month_Analysis.zip (11744 KB)

Have you ever taken so long to do something that all the information you have seems too overwhelming to deal with?  Well that's how I feel about this post, haha.  We've taken many great pictures since my last real update post, and I had a hard time choosing which ones to share.  And that's why it's taken me many weeks to share them.  Those of you who can see my Facebook page have the advantage because I just basically upload all the good pictures there.  As promised, I've shared pictures of cute animals, yummy food, and good friends (aka Desiree and her mom).

So what have we been doing?  Well, Paloma's got a good routine since she works Sunday through Thursday.  Though her hours are strange, we've figured out how to work around them.  Namely, we stay up late and wake up late.  I've officially signed myself up for capoeira classes.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to go this week due to a virus (cold or flu, it's anyone's guess), but I'm looking forward to my good health.  I don't really have a routine, per se, but I do manage to fill up my time by hanging out with and helping out Desiree, going to capoeira, being tortured by Elphie, meeting new people, playing guitar, and especially reading.  I'm sure you could tell that last part from my previous posts!

On the weekends, we try to meet new people or hang out with Desiree.  She's been nice enough to share her mom with us, which is awesome because her Korean vegetarian food is delicious and she sincerely wants to share her culture with us.  We've gone to the Traditional Korean Village near Namsan with her twice so far, and each time she's made sure to get us involved in arts and crafts and various eating adventures.  And, as evidenced by the photos, Desiree's dogs are ridiculously cute.  We <3 Hugy & Bongji!

I haven't really gained any new insight since my last analysis of Korea.  Or maybe I'm just getting used to seeing guys walk around wearing tight pants and purses, random people in face masks, and short women defying gravity in high heels.  One thing I'm definitely NOT used to is the pollution and smoking.  Maybe the face mask thing isn't such a bad idea, after all.  I should've purloined one of those handy dandy respirators from my old job.  Oh, another thing I should photo document is American copyright infringement here in Korea.  Paloma tells me it's worse in China, but I've seen the Nine Inch Nails, Blink-182, and Smashing Pumpkins logos all get ripped off for non-music purposes.  Makes no sense!  Another thing that makes me giggle is when I see fashion-conscious women in shiny clothes wearing MLB baseball caps with their outfits.  A young woman in an Angels hat walked by me the other day, and something told me that she wasn't exactly keeping up with the American League series.  And she may know where Los Angeles is, but she certainly doesn't know what Anaheim even is.  Oh Korea!

Technology is awesome.  We're going to the tech market tomorrow to pick something up for a friend, and I'll be holding myself back from purchasing something shiny.  I really heart technology.  I would be a lot more restless without it.  See you on Skype!