its winter!

It finally feels like winter! While downtown has been festive with colorful lights and a carousel, this is the first morning I woke up to frost and a chilling 34 degrees. Not bad weather for the end of December :) I'm also amazed at how beautiful the Olympics are today - it's so bright and detailed.
On more happy news, Judy is coming to visit tonight! She's stopping by for a day on her way to visit her brother. Yay! :)

my new favorite toy

Yesterday I finally caved to my temptation for a labeler. I bought the Brother PT-80 P-touch Electronic Labeling System. Its such a neat little gadget! And it supports a lot more features than I thought it would. I can select various font styles, symbols and framing. Isn't that great? I can add little symbols, and frame my labels with quotes, candy wrappers, wood planks, and banners. Now I want colorful labeling tape. It's so cool :)

holiday fun :)

After missing the holidays in Seattle last winter, I'm so excited about celebrating it this year :) So far, we've had snow in Seattle! This almost never happens, but last weekend there were giant pretty snowflakes falling hard in the city!! Thanks to the storm, we also got in a our first snowboarding of the season at Crystal Mtn. Although it was a bit blizzardly, the powder was amazing. Hmm... Jason and I have been having fun organizing and decorating too.

And... Amy's going to be arriving in a little more than a hour! She's here on a sell-trip for Boeing and to hang out :) It's going to be a fun weekend.

Thanksgiving!

I'm soooo excited to go back to the east coast for Thanksgiving! I'm out of here in 8 hours :)

Community for Youth in Seattle

This past weekend, I got a glimpse of how people end up in cults. Jason and I spent 3 and 1/2 days at a camp on Vashon Island. The long weekend was a launch course for the Community for Youth program. It's an organization which pairs mentors with at-risk freshmen from three of Seattle's public high schools.

The program seemed amazingly organized and structured to help kids. I was so excited leaving work last Thursday. I thought I was there to get to know 25 high school freshmen, and about 29 other adults who wanted to reach out to kids. And I was going to camp!

There were definitely some good parts - being committed, be your word, and participate 100%. I agree they are important values to instill in children. We also spent a few hours on genuine bonding activities - getting everyone over a wall, trust fall, etc. The usual expected bonding exercises.

But there were also some weird stuff. It was subtly negative. For one activity, we split into two groups by gender. Then each group spent a couple hours together sharing traumatic events. We went around a circle and were asked to share a four-minute story about something we kept secret. We were told not to ask questions, and so we ran through 30 or so tragedies in a couple hours. It was all done to "bond through tragedy" to build a community. (Bonding through tragedy were actually the program director's words). However despite knowing intimate secrets about everyone, I didn't feel closer to the group. For me, it was like watching a series of train wrecks but without actually being there. After those couple hours, I felt so utterly drained and depressed.

The last bonding exercise was to "step outside your box." This entailed the program director publicly breaking some students and mentors down to an emotional puddle. The program director told one mentor "you're just a head on a stick - everything is up there (motioning around his head), nothing in here (motioning around his heart)." When the mentor didn't break down, the program director pushed him further. "You're perfect aren't you? You have it all together." When the mentor laughed and said no, the program director asked him to tell us how he's not. It was clear the program director wanted the mentor to share something deeper.

Another mentor was told "you're an asshole." After the mentor admitted to being an asshole, the program director asked him to share how he's an asshole.

Another guy was told "you hate yourself... feel that." After the guy "who hates himself" broke down, the program director said "we just met the real Joe*." Then everyone clapped. At that point, I realized that this was coerced group therapy. And it was not even therapeutic. It was a public humiliation in front of 70 people he just met: 30 14-year olds, 30 mentors, and 10 staff. 14 year old children.

And the program director scoffed when kids asked repeatedly, "do I have to cry?"

14 year old children. This is how they're teaching children to share, be open, and to get to know people. And I felt betrayed. I signed up to reach out to children, who want a role model and positive influence in their life. This was more of crazy version of group therapy. An interesting note is that the program director is a practicing therapist.

When I left Sunday evening, I wanted to get off the island and run home as fast as I could. I had a fleeting thought of "wow, this is how people end up in cults." Although at that point, I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. There were just too many things that sat very unwell. It's hard to tell when you're in it and emotionally drained.

It wasn't until one of the other mentors who left (5 of the 30 left) mentioned the Landmark Forum in her farewell email. So Jason and I did our research. It's frighteningly similar. While it was not as extreme, there are striking similarities. There are even some words the program director said verbatim. The program executive director admitted that some staff attended the Landmark Forum. The methodology is to publicly break people down, so they can be transformed. This is how they build a "community." From my experience, it is emotional abuse used to create a bond. Maybe Landmark Forum works for some people, but it was terrible to be tricked into it.

Here's an article about the Landmark Forum for those curious: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2000-10-19/news/drive-thru-deliverance/full

baby orangutans and gorillas!

Baby orang-utans and tigers
... organutans sleep and cuddle just like people :)
@ Bronx zoo

subway monologue

I'm not crazy
Look at you
Sleeping, reading, eating on the train
And you call me crazy
For living on the train
This ain't no train
This is my home
10 car mobile condominium
I have heat, air conditioning, and bathrooms
Just $2 a day
What's your rent
I ran away from home
Because my wife weighs 389 pounds
If you'd see her, you'd run with me
When I packed my bags
The cat begged to come with me
Do me a favor
Please don't leave the paper when you leave
I've got company coming later

-- Tenant of the A subway train in NYC

its good to be home :)

After a recruiting trip at MIT last week, I've been having fun with my family in Boston and mid-state NY area. Amy turned 21 last week! She's growing up so fast :) I had a really fantastic time hanging out with Amy... having drinks, going out to eat, apple picking, and making apple crisp and sushi! Ah, it'd be so nice if Amy finds a job out to Seattle :) *hint hint*

For the past couple days, I've been at home. Yesterday, my mom and I went to the CIA (the Culinary Institute of America ;) and then watched Kay's tennis match. Kay has really grown as a tennis player! I bet I'd have a tough time beating her now :) Last night, my mom made her specialty pork chop dish. I helped with the sauce, which was made with home-grown apples ;)

Now I'm off to meet Jason and have lunch with my grandmother in NYC. I'm so excited to meet up with Jason. We haven't seen each other for a week - it's felt so long! Anyway, I'm off :)

busy bee

I love to travel, explore and wander around new places. On the other hand, I want to be a homebody - settling into my comfy couch with a good book, cooking a big dinner, and watching a movie. And I'm antsy to figure out what I want to do next in life. Well, it seems September will be for the half of me that wants to get out. And hopefully October will be for my other half.

Last weekend, I had a fantastic time celebrating Hanna's upcoming wedding... and it was great to meet so many fun sweet girls :) Although it's amazing (in a slightly disturbing way) how much attention a group of 15 girls will attract in Vegas. We spent the long weekend sun-bathing by the pool, and partying the night away.


This weekend, Jason and I are heading down to Portland for a relaxing romantic getaway :) I'm excited - I've never been to Portland. Then I'll be spending the next couple weeks in Boston and NYC... this means I'll only spend 13 days in Seattle this month!

Vegas, baby!

In less than 12 hours, I'll be in Vegas celebrating with Hanna and friends!

seattle life

... is good :) It's a perfect-sized city with awesome friends, beautiful backdrops, and fun things to do. But I do miss my family and friends on the east coast a lot. Just this past weekend, I had a sweet time hanging out, rock climbing, ferrying to Vashon Island (twice due to losing my purse again :), shopping, and grilling. I'm so lucky.


Hmm... what else? I'm wrapping up season three of Battlestar Galatica. I don't know what I'll watch after there's no more Battlestar. Maybe I'll actually start reading more :) Any suggestions for more TV shows or books?

Finally, I am so very very excited for Friday! I'll be in Vegas with Hanna and company for a long weekend to mark the end of her single life. It'll be a weekend of fun with girls in the city of sin :)

David Sedaris is coming!

Seattle on October 26th... who wants to come with me?

progress in Africa?

A few days ago, Britain and France announced an UN mandate for a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force to protect Darfur. But unfortunately, the resolution has been modified to appease Sudan (and China). The unanimous vote came after negotiations secured the support of China, which has a veto on the Security Council and strong economic interests in Sudan.

Changes to the resolution:

• The new force will not have the right to disarm the militias and it does not have the powers to pursue and arrest suspected war criminals indicted by the International Criminal Court.

• Deletion of a provision on a threat of "further measures," a code word for sanctions, against rebels or the government if they obstruct a peace process.

I'm still hopeful this effort will bring stability to Darfur, and the rest of the world will continue to push for a political solution.

In other African news... Sierra Leone's UN-backed war crimes court found two ex-leaders of a pro-government militia (Civil Defense Force) guilty of crimes committed during the country's 1991-2002 civil war. A few weeks ago, three senior members of the rebel group (Armed Forces Revolutionary Council) were tried and jailed for 45-50 years. Although the focus should be on rebuilding the country, I'm glad guilty people are being held responsible for their actions.

frackin' seattle traffic

It was unbelievable - I don't know if I've ever had so much road rage. Yesterday, I made the terrible mistake of trying to get on I-5 south from downtown Seattle around 5 pm. It took almost a hour to drive (mostly sitting in frustration) less than 1.5 miles. OMG. So frustrating! Mostly, I was upset at myself for being late to meeting someone. But I learned that it's infinitely better to stay in the middle lane, otherwise you get stuck at a light for multiple changes watching the traffic from the other direction merging in. I also got to read a little bit of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.

I guess it wasn't that bad, and my evening got much better afterwards. The view of Mt. Rainer driving down I-5 is incredible. Seattle is so beautiful. I met a cool guy who I'm helping out with some math tutoring... I bought a cute tank top... Jason made us a delicious dinner... and we started the third season of Battlestar Galatica :)

I love reading

Recently I finished reading an amazing book - A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Ishmael Beal shares a crazy story of how he became involved and survived the war in Sierra Leone. Even though I was fairly familiar with the stories about child soldiers, it is eye-opening to hear someone's experience firsthand. Prior to reading the book, I saw Ishmael Beal give an informal talk; he is a charming, happy 26 year old guy. I am so impressed of how he overcame so much. And it certainly reminds me that I lead a very charmed life.

Other recent reads are Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. Darfur Diaries (the book) is three Americans' experience documenting the atrocities in Sudan. Jen Marlowe does a fantastic job of explaining the political and social factors of the war, and the state of the area today. But most interesting for me, Jen shares stories and hopes from the people they met along the way. I also highly recommend this book - it's light (compared to Long Way Gone), engaging, and not long at all. I haven't seen the documentary yet, but I look forward to watching it soon. Moving onto lighter books, Blink is pretty entertaining. There are curious ideas about how we make snap judgments, gut feelings, and unconscious biases. It's fun and easy to read - good for an afternoon in the park or relaxing plane ride :)

Now I'm reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Yes, it seems to be a very odd book. But what can I say? I think human bodies are interesting, and the introduction is witty :)

awesome weekend

This past weekend was awesome :) On Friday afternoon, work sponsored a team outing to go dragon boat racing, which was sooooo much fun! I really enjoyed the team effort (of 20+ people) required to race competitively. Sadly, my boat didn't do so well... but I guess you can't win it all. I would definitely try it again.

On Saturday, Jason and I prepared a delicious brunch of chocolate chip pancakes and open-face egg, salsa, mozzarella, and avocado sandwich. I did the easy part of making the pancakes. And Jason's latest breakfast creation is definitely my favorite. So after stuffing ourselves, we hiked Rattlesnake Ledge. I'm embarrassed to admit that the hike wasn't as easy as it should be. I need to go gymning more often. Regardless, it was wonderful to get out of the city, get some fresh air, and enjoy the outdoors. I can't imagine living in another city... it'd be hard to beat Seattle's combination of city and outdoors. We then capped off our day with Ethiopian food and drinks with friends. I couldn't have asked for a better day :)

Summer is here!

Right now, its in the mid 90s! I'm so happy that summer is here to stay :) Up until July 4th, the good weather has just been a tease. But since then, I've played tennis, soaked up the sun during lunches, and gone hiking :)

On Sunday, Val and I hiked to Snow Lake. I've had a tiring last couple weeks, so getting out was a much needed break. The hike had a combination of things I love outdoors... incredible views of the cascades, waterfalls, streams, interesting flowers, rocks (I like rocks :), snow, and a beautiful alpine lake. The trail was 3 miles on way with a 1700 ft elevation gain. I'll post pictures to my flickr site soon. Thanks Val for being so awesome :)

Dancing :)

This week, I started Salsa 3e at the Century Ballroom. I took a little hiatus from Salsa, trying East Coast Swing and 1920s dance. The East Coast Swing was interesting, but I doubt I'll try it much more. However 1920s and 1930s dance, which just finished last week, was a different story. The memorable dances were the Charleston, The Raccoon, Peabody, Rabbit, Varsity Drag, and St. Louis Shag. The Raccoon was a funny dance, where the lead essentially bear hugs the girl while doing the Charleston. But the most amusing dance was the Varsity Drag, which looks so funny. If you want to see it, you'll have to give me a few drinks first :) Anyway, I'm glad I'm doing salsa again. I forgot how much fun it is :)

Running start for 2007

After a busy end to 2006, I feel as if I've jumped into another race of doing everything I can. It's crazy that the end of February is the first time I've stopped and caught my breath. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised considering my schedule for the past month and a half. Since leaving Luxembourg, I've spent two weeks on the east coast, 2 weekends on-call, and three weekends snowboarding. Although I've had a wonderful time traveling and snowboarding, I've realized that I prefer a slower pace of life :)

So I'm finally back home and taking it easy; I'm really looking forward to a regular schedule with weekends in Seattle :) To everyone who I haven't spent enough time, let me know when you're free to catch up!

Currently reading - Blink by Malcolm Gladwell