New Word

Delegant: a fusion of delicateness and elegance that is uneasily captured by the majority of the population, and an honorable adjective bestowed only upon those few whose beauty holds the eye. A term first developed and subsequently popularized by my mother.
Example of usage: "These orchids are so beautiful. I really like delegant flowers."

Casey Anthony

I usually don't follow US news all that closely besides reading stories about politics here and there, but for some reason I've been incessantly updating myself about the Casey Anthony case. Besides being media fodder and constantly seeing it on the front page of so many news sites, the reason I've been so attracted to it is because it really makes me question the utility of our criminal justice system. I don't care, I'm going to say it. That woman is clearly and unequivocally guilty. Put her on the stand. She is going to implicate herself, I am sure, because she knows what she did. She was already inconsistent with her stories when she was arrested. It's hard to believe that not showing any remorse or distraught-ness after her daughter went missing can be equated with emotional trauma from her father allegedly sexually abusing her. Shouldn't 'innocent until proven guilty' be reserved for borderline cases? Even if she didn't murder her daughter herself, the level of negligence is beyond forgivable. And this is accepting the very questionable claim the defense put forth that the little girl drowned. Which I don't.

If our criminal 'justice' system allows a mother who would cold-bloodedly and unflinchingly murder her own helpless daughter to walk free, then I will be very, very disappointed.

Thinking About Food When I'm Not Hungry

I just got back from Bottega Louie and I'm already yelping other places. The monster never stops feeding.

The Circle of (My) Life

Sleep at 3 AM==> Wake up at 11 AM==>Eat/read/write/snack==>Pick brother up from school at 3 PM==>Eat/research/write/snack==>yoga/run/walk Nina==>Eat/do dishes==>Read/write/waste time on internet/chat with friends==>see beginning

This has been my life cycle for the past week or so, but it feels perpetual.

Food as the New Oil in Geopolitics

Lester Brown in Foreign Policy: The New Geopolitics of Food
I don't know how serious the issue really is, considering advocates of political and social issues are true believers in the ideas they stand for and hence will do all they can to sell a powerful argument, but it's still really interesting factual information. Facts are facts, but how impending are the implications is the more important question. As troublesome as Brown makes them out to be? Call me a healthy skeptic. Just as importantly, it should make us think about how, as consumers, we can change our habits for the better.

Awesome Photographic Essay on How Food Explains the World

It Does Make Me Feel Better

kosugesan
but know that once you leave
they will miss you
but will survie
and hope the best for you
and now its your responsibility to do your best for them
away from home
and then eventually you'll come back home
sister will get a promotion at work
brother will want to know hwo to ask a girl to junior prom
and you can then shift your responsibilities
back to being older sister

Me and Marriage

Why am I so anti-marriage? I had a dream today that my dad and mom were getting a divorce. And even though I felt sad, I was also relieved. It makes me a horrible person for admitting this, but it finally meant I would not have to hear their arguing, yelling, and see how they torture each other to no end. The older they get the less they can stand each other, but the older they get the more they come to realize they only have in other in their retirement years. Tragic irony?

Through my mom's experience, which has essentially been her entire life post-marriage, I have come to be very, very scared of spending most of my life with one person. It's such a huge gamble. What if that person turns out to have so many flaws I can't live with? What if I end up hating him? Every time my mom talks about my dad, she starts crying. He has failed as a husband, she's said. Wow. Then I wonder if I want to be subject to that for the rest of my life. Would I rather be alone and unhappy, or with someone and unhappy?

Self-Infliction and Something to Smile About

You know how when you go into an interview and one of the golden standards in terms of questions that are thrown at you include, What would you consider to be your biggest weakness? I can think of many for myself. I should write down a list of my flaws and tape it in front of me, so every time I sit at my desk typing I can glance up and remind myself to be more open-minded, not over-think things, not be lazy, not dither, not waste time, to follow through on self-made commitments, and not mindlessly touch my face when I think (because that causes acne).

I went to my sister's graduation this weekend. It was surreal to watch her walk across that stage and take a pseudo-diploma while shaking the hand of the department chair. She's gone from the little crying sister I used to bully all the time to a strong, independent, wildly smart, creative, beautiful, confident character.

I'm so proud.

That's Heavy

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable."

--C.S. Lewis

Sometimes I wonder if this has become me.

Yeyeahhhhhhh

I need a stress ball right now. An ULTIMATE one that I can squeeze the squishy life out of.

Love of the City, Rekindled

A Pretty Excellent Time-Lapse of North American Cities and Landscapes « Thought Catalog

A reminder as to why I find meaning in being a product of the city. I guess the nature is pretty cool too =p

Munio Candela Soy Wax Candle

My absolute favorite right now. The smell is so soothing, and the soy candle emanates the pungency of wildflowers even when it's not burning. Ah...

Amazon Prime. It's the Best.

Just got a new shipment of books! Now if I only had time to read them...

Victor Shih, Factions and Finance in China

Richard McGregor, The Party

Update on Osama and Mid-day Dream

http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/05/public_opinion_osama_bin_laden?fsrc=scn/tw/te/dc/supportingterror

Although it doesn't completely answer my question I thought it was an interesting poll, and kind of confirms my suspicions that bin Laden is not as influential as he used to be. Of course there are many other countries that aren't included here, probably due to lack of usable data.

On another note I just woke up from an hour long nap (I've been having really strange and unwanted sleeping patterns lately) and an even weirder dream. I was sitting on the toilet in the privacy of my own home and the door and walls were transparent. Not only that but people kept walking in and out freely. I got super annoyed. Who can do their business with someone standing there? I yelled at all of them to leave and they all shuffled out reluctantly.
Then things got even weirder because my friend appeared in my dream naked. Talk about embarrassing. I'm pretty sure I was blushing when I woke up.

Irrational Exuberance?

Many Americans are rejoicing in Osama bin Laden's death and seeing it as a significant blow to Al Qaeda's operations. The media is spinning it as pivotal in the war against terror. Political analysts foresee it as being a big chip for Obama's reelection efforts. Basically, the optimism--though guarded somewhat with announcements that the national security team continues to be vigilant against possible retribution by Al Qaeda--is overwhelming. While I think it's definitely a milestone in helping the US in its fight against terrorism, I find myself wondering how important bin Laden has become to the Al Qaeda movement, especially after reading this article by The Economist.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/clausewitz/2011/05/osama_bin_laden&fsrc=nwl

bin Laden was definitely everywhere post-9/11--on the front of newspapers, magazines, TV channels, etc. Everyone was probing into his background, his origins, how he came to be the number one leader of the largest contemporary ideological movement against the West. But as the years passed, as he became more elusive to military agencies, and the search for him became sidetracked by the war in Iraq, his name faded into relative obscurity, with occasional pop-ups of videos he released of himself denouncing the US and the West. I honestly don't think he made a front page news headline in mainstream media recently, until two nights ago when he was dealt his ultimate fate.

Is bin Laden's death really a monumental blow to Al Qaeda? Or are Americans being prematurely celebratory and equating his death to something more than it should be? I'm not an expert on the matter, so what I say shouldn't be taken seriously. But as someone observing the happenings of terrorists that have made headlines in recent years, it seems like radical Islam has become something bigger than Al Qaeda proper. The Underwear Bomber, the tragic train explosion in London a few years ago, the attempted blowing up of Times Square in New York, are all events in recent years that didn't directly have bin Laden's name attached to them. Terrorist acts led by fundamentalists dot the globe--the mainstream media in the US just don't report them. The Philippines, Indonesia, Central Asia, Western Africa--these are all places where I've at least scanned a news article about terrorism being a security issue. It seems like the terrorist network has organically and legitimately taken on a life of its own. It's surpassed Al Qaeda, and if that's the case then it's definitely carried on, with or without bin Laden.

I think it would be really interesting to see what people who belong to the anti-West pro-fundamentalist Islamic movement are thinking about bin Laden's death. I read an article reporting on comments made in internet forums and there's been a whole range of responses. Some were angry and grieving while others thought that bin Laden was replaceable--'it should be easy,' I remember reading.

I can foresee complacency toward the strength and willpower of the terrorist network now that bin Laden--a symbolic figurehead of the West's worst enemy--has been killed. If it's true, I think that might be more dangerous than when he was alive.

This is What I've Learned After Reading 50 Papers About Exigencies and Miranda Rights

If the police are outside knocking on your door to ask if they can come in and do a search, always say no and tell them they need a warrant.

Don't say anything starting from when you hear the words "You have the right to remain silent..." uttered from a police officer. Don't. say. anything.