Ghost Town

It's a beautiful day outside today! It's nice and sunny. The wind's a bit cold but overall the weather is nice. I went for a run today to soak in some of the nice weather. It was nice to be outside and breathing in the fresh air. This morning, I woke up and did pooja and then I wrote a short story. I have posted it on the Paraspar Devo Bhava blog so you can check it out there if you'd like =)

It sucks because with the start of this week, for me it's like the countdown to going back to Philly begins. I am past the halfway mark of my spring break and so now I have to start getting back into the studying frame of mind again. The first week back should be pretty good since that's when my sister is coming to visit!

I just finished watching a movie called Ghost Town. I really liked it a lot. The movie was about a man who can see ghosts and one of the ghosts bothers this man about some unfinished business he needs help with. The story is one of connecting with others and appreciating the people in your life. It reminded me of About a Boy in a lot of ways (minus Hugh Grant's stammering apology..what a cutie!). I don't think anyone can truly exist as an island. People are naturally interconnected and appreciating and valuing these connections is something people should learn to do. From personal experience I have learned that people who are incapable of forging emotional connections hurt the people around them...the people that really care about them. An interesting point in the movie was when Ricky Gervais' character said something about how ghosts have unfinished business not because they themselves feel incomplete or 'unfinished', rather because their loved ones that survived them feel incomplete. Ricky Gervais tells a widow to let go of her husband because until she does that, neither she or her husband will be at peace. It's an interesting concept--that the ones who are still living are the ones that are keeping business 'unfinished'. I don't know if I fully believe in ghosts but I do believe that the soul leaves the body and remains 'alive'. I guess even if you don't believe in ghosts, you still have to live on after the death of a loved one. You have to get closure and let go to the point that the memories don't stifle you. Anyway, I could probably go on a while but overall, the movie was a good one. I really liked it because it was funny and well-acted and definitely emotionally engaging!

Enough for tonight..it's bedtime for me =)

More Reminiscing

Today really was a day full of reminiscing! It started in the morning with my flashback to the trip to India and then later on in the afternoon, I received a facebook message from one of my friends from high school. I hadn't heard from her in a while so it was really nice to get that message. Something she said in the message sent me to my high school yearbook on a wild goose chase. Then, unsurprisingly, I forgot about the reason I picked up the yearbook in the first place and instead proceeded to spend an hour or so looking through all the faces that have gathered dust in my memory. It's funny how many little things can come flooding back when the gates are opened. It's been an interesting day!

We made tacos for dinner tonight so that was a fun time. Before dinner, my family sat around the dining table and we just talked for an hour or so. It was really nice. It's been a while since we've been able to do that without anyone having to rush off for any other obligation. I love being home because of moments like those! I think today was just a fabulous day overall. The morning walk with my mom and then sitting around the table with the family in the afternoon and watching a movie together after dinner really made for a great day =). Wow rereading that sentence really makes me feel like the Brady Bunch...trust me, we're not this cute all the time haha!

Alright, time to get to sleep! I am going to wake up early tomorrow to play tennis with my sister in the morning. Soo excited...it's been a while since I've played! I can't wait =D Good night!

Reminiscing

It has been a good morning! I woke up and did a 40 minute pilates workout. And then I had some yummmy apple cinnamon pancakes! Now I'm going to go to the park for a walk with my mom. I wanted to play tennis but my sister didn't wake up early enough =/ Oh well I hope we'll go tomorrow!

Today my mom wants us to sort through all the stuff in the attic. It is gonna SUCK! But right now I think me and my mom (my mom and I) are gonna go for a walk. I REALLY don't want to do the attic stuff so I suggested the walk. Seriously..the attic will take ALL day and there's not gonna be ANYTHING interesting about it.

One of my friends is going to India and I was just reminiscing about my trips there. It's amazing how humbling going to any third world country is. Every time I've gone, I've come back with a renewed sense of gratitude and motivation to do good in the world. Seeing the people that really need the help and seeing how content they are with what they have (even though it's not much) really makes me think about America's gluttony. We have such a high standard of living that sometimes we find it hard to believe that people can not only live, but live happily, with so little. It's amazing how refreshing a trip to India can be if taken with eyes wide open (not to be confused with eyes wide shut). The last time I went to India, I went on a trip to volunteer with the Red Cross. I went to a random village and with the money I raised here, I sponsored a health clinic fully stocked with malaria meds. The other project that I helped sponsor with the money I raised was a home health care program for young ladies. Those girls were taught skills that would help them find employment to take care of the elderly in hospitals and home visits. There was a ceremony to initiate the program and my mom and I were honored there because of our efforts. What I found amazing was the look in those girls' eyes. I have never seen such innocence and gratitude and satisfaction in anyone's eyes. Those girls had been given a whole new life, with the promise of stability and success (mind you, their definition of success was inherently different than ours). It was an amazing experience and it was definitely one that changed my life.

Ahh gotta go for the walk now! Enough reminiscing for now!

Some thoughts before bedtime

Just finished fixing the computer...AGAIN! It's kinda annoying having to refix the computer so often but at least I get a feeling of satisfaction afterward =)

I started Michael Clayton and got interrupted for hours every 10 minutes soo I didn't get to watch too much of it. Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow! I didn't even get to read that much today. My mom and I had a little argument today but that is resolved. I've learned to sort of avoid conflict when I know my parents are stressed and today I think I got involved in something I could've avoided pretty easily. You could say I was being a 'nosy neighbor' (hahaha if you know what I mean...chances are you probably don't). But yeah so the good thing I got out of the whole episode was that I can let go of frustration or anger pretty quickly. We didn't really have a formal make-up and I don't think we really needed to either. I'm happy and she's happy and that's really all it comes down to, right?

In other news, I've decided to try my hand (fingertips?) at writing (typing?) a novel! Let's see if it ends up being a short story, which is what I can very easily see happening. Today I did some brainstorming and come up with a few different major themes, plots, and motifs to work with. Tomorrow I'm gonna narrow down my focus a little and see where I go from there. I'm really excited about this and I don't really care if it ends up being a short story. Maybe I could make an anthology with all of the ideas I brainstormed today! That would be pretty awesome! It's not something I am doing with the aim of getting published. I think sharing it with some close friends and discussing it over a coffee or lunch date suffices =)

Ohh so what's really exciting me right now is my sister coming to stay with me in Philly for a week! I've been busy planning out what we will do that week and it's shaping up to be a nice week! I'm thinking of taking her to the US Mint, Independence Hall and Liberty Bell because all these years that I've been in Philly I haven't really visited any of those places. Also, we're going to go to the Poe Historic Site and the Mutter Museum. Also the Art Museum and biking on Kelly Drive. I'm really excited!! As for food, (trust me, this was reeeeally hard to narrow down and will probably change a gazillion times before and after she gets to Philly) we're going to Mad Mex (yay cheap!), Little Pete's for some yummy waffles, Pietro's for the pizza, Magic Carpet, and some Thai place (banana leaf? penang?). It's gonna be an expensive but fun week! I can't wait =D

Alright I think I should get to bed cuz since everyone's home tomorrow, I can't see myself being granted any quiet after 9 am. (And these days that's considered early! Ohhh break, how I love you!)

Beautiful Weather!

It's been a few days since I've posted...I don't really know why. I've just been sort of sitting around the house, planning the chores and housework around my TV schedule. It's really a great feeling--making TV the priority of my day. I love spring break. I get to do things I wouldn't normally do while at school. I sleep late and wake up relatively late, watch many hours of TVs and movies a day, read for fun for hours! It's nice to be able to pick up a book that has less academic value than even business textbooks (oh snap!). Also, I've been able to do pooja every morning since I've been home--definitely the best perk of all!

I watched Tropic Thunder last night. I must say, I was disappointed. It's not that the movie wasn't entertaining. I guess it just didn't match the hype that surrounded it. I have had several people tell me that it's hilarious and while it did have its moments, there were some hefty lulls thrown in there. Trust me, I felt the weight of those lulls!

I started my Harry Potter rereads and I decided to skip over Book 5. Umbridge is just about the most annoying character in the whole series and the second I realized book 5 was the one with her, I moved on to Book 6. I'm about 180 pages in and my admiration for J.K. Rowling doubles with every page. Seriously...I don't understand how someone can come up with such an intricate plot. I've written short stories before and the thought of writing an entire novel that doesn't take the form of a memoir is so daunting to me. I don't know how these writers come up with a story that can span so many pages. It's remarkable. I remember when I was in my prime, reading Babysitters Club, I started to write a novel. It was centered on Stacy's character (obviously..she was the most exciting!). I don't remember how long it got to be before I moved on to reading Nancy Drew and left the novel project.

I've been finding some really interesting people on blogger. I usually check out the blogs of note and then expand from there. Some people have such a unique blogging style and it's fun to read other people's perspectives on life. Sometimes, as creepy as it seems, I feel like I really know that person so well from having read just a few posts from her blog. I don't know...I just know that I really like connecting with strangers and fully appreciating how universal some thoughts and feelings are.

Alright time to go outside and soak in some of this beautiful weather =)

Clive is EASILY my favorite Owen

Just saw Inside Man with Clive Owen. I LOVE Clive Owen. Seriously..he's my favorite hot guy haha! He really should've been the new James Bond instead of Daniel Craig. Inside Man was a good movie. Denzel was strong as always. The only downside was that Clive Owen wears a mask for the first half. It was a fun movie though. I can't wait for Taking Pelham (or whatever the Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe movie is) to come out. That looks like it's gonna be good and it reminds me of Inside Man.

Today I decided to reread Harry Potter books 5-7. It's been a while and so much happens in those books that I need to refresh my memory before the movies start coming out (not like they're coming out soon enough but whatever!).

Not much on my mind other than sleep right now....Good night!

Sunflowery Goodness

There's this beautiful website that I came across a while ago that has really lifted my spirits when I am down. It's called helpothers.org and it's a compilation of people's experiences with random acts of kindness. It's a beautiful idea and with so many readers and contributors, there is always something on that site that alleviates my disappointment with the world. I definitely have moments when I wonder where all the good is and I doubt its existence. In those moments, I do some soul searching and ever since I found this site, I read some stories to feel positive again. Witnessing the kindness of strangers like this reminds me that sometimes when things look down, we have to look up at the stars and remember that we're not alone. As Oscar Wilde put it: We are all in the gutters but some of us are looking up at the stars. I really like that quote because it reminds me that I have full control of my attitude, regardless of the situation I am in. It is a message of hope and optimism.

Last night I watched Catch Me If You Can. It was a pretty good movie. I really like how Leonardo DiCaprio blossomed (I know, I know, couldn't I have picked a less girly word to describe it!) into a respectable actor. It's not just his good looks and charm anymore but his merit as an actor. Speaking of good looks, I may go see Duplicity with my sister in a bit. Sigh, gotta love that Clive Owen. More later! Meanwhile, just enjoy the sunflowers!