Blast from the Past

Facebook reunited me with a long-lost childhood friend recently. 11 years ago, I misplaced her address, we both moved long distances, then took on our beaus' last names. I had all but given up hope that we'd ever cross paths again. And suddenly, here we are... 'Tho in new places surrounded by new people and likely with different interests, we're still held together by the enduring, albeit dusty, bond that we shared as best friends in grade school then for over 12 years when oceans separated us. Who knows how close we'll grow in the years to come, but this pleasant reminder of our friendship and those more innocent times stirred something dormant in me,...an appreciation for things that have changed and other things that have remained the same.

YouTube rules

This revelation came to me when I first discovered 80s videos on the site, but I'm reminded each time I visit and randomly click on 5-star amateur footage like this one: Talking Cats.

In Others' Words

"...true power has very little to do with what's on your resume. It's about being true to yourself and finding your own voice and path in the world. The way you come to your power is through your life's experiences and knowing who you are... It's passing on what we have learned and creating meaningful change through these experiences." - Maria Shriver, in a 10/15/2007 Newsweek essay

We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For

That was the consistent message throughout the Gamaliel national leadership training for community organizers that I attended last week. Barack Obama was trained as a Gamaliel organizer. A tough program -- complete with boot camp-style agitation -- that truly challenged me to devise my plan to make a real impact on this world. Turning mere rhetoric into action. By the end of the week, we were mentally and emotionally exhausted, but grateful for it. Then we were privileged to be "sent out into the world" by a plenary session with Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (now United Farm Workers) in 1962 with Cesar Chavez and has been fighting for human rights ever since. 77 and still feisty!

As they say in South Africa, "WOZANI!!" - people coming together to fight for justice. Here I come!

Happy Diwali!

...or as we'd say in Singapore, "Deepavali" from Sanskrit (Deepa=light and Avali=row, or "row of lights"). Today is the 3rd of a 5-day festival celebrated by Hindus -- and also Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists -- in India and around the world. Folks celebrate this festive day (and new moon night) with special prayers, new clothes, sweets, visits with family and friends, colorful lights, and fireworks. **FUN!!**

Diwali is significant in many ways, including a time to worship Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, to seek and thank her for blessings and prosperity. One version of the festival's origin tells the story of Lord Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu) returning to the capital of his kingdom, Ayodhya, after slaying the demon king Ravana; and how his people lit oil lamps to welcome and guide him home through the darkness.

A special shout out my buddies SKrish, GBK, and your families!

Heroes / Transformers

And I'm not referring to the popular NBC show or the warring robot blockbuster. I'm talking about true, real-life heroes and life transformers -- the founders, supporters, and workers of groups that are making a tangible difference in this world. Check these out:

Parikrma Humanity Foundation, providing schooling for children living in urban Indian slums.

The Carter Center, virtually eliminating guinea-worm disease in central Africa (among many other projects).

Nothing But Nets, combating malaria in Africa with insecticide-treated bed nets.

GAVI Alliance, improving child health in the poorest countries through immunizations.

Habitat for Humanity International, providing simple, decent places to live worldwide.

Others?

Pagolac

I broke my own rule, and now I'm paying for it. Should've stopped after that 3rd cup of tea, but did I? Noooo, 'tho it was past 7PM, I kept inviting more refills until I had to stop, when my fingers started drumming the table on their own. Now here I am,...helloooo 2AM!

Okay, focus... AT, KH, and I (a.k.a. Wednesday Whine & Diners) tried Pagolac (at 655 Larkin Street) tonight. My two shaky thumbs are pointing way up! This unassuming place blends cleverly into the surrounding Tenderloin with its dirt-stained awning, but gave us a pleasant surprise when we stepped into its trendy high-ceilinged interior accented with demi-bamboo molding.

We ordered Bo Tai Chanh to start (thin slices of rare beef marinated in lemon juice, served with a generous heap of leafy greens and a dipping sauce); followed by Bun Chao Tom (grilled shrimp balls and sugarcane over vermicelli noodles, again with lotsa veggies) and DIY grilled beef, squid, and shrimp, which we wrapped in rice paper (softened by dunking in warm water). AT and I could only aspire to create wraps as "whole" and unexploded as KH's! For Round 2, we shared Gabotom Xao Lang (curry chicken) and washed it all down with Lau Canh Chua Ca (catfish hot & sour soup),...oh, and also more TEA.

They're open only for dinner on Tuesday through Sunday, 5-10 PM (tho' they let us linger 'til almost 11), and it's a cash-only place. Check it out,...and bring me along, too!

A Whole New Meaning of "Open Book"

As I tilt back on my proverbial rocking chair, I marvel at social interactions today... 15 years ago, the only ways I knew to contact someone was to call, write a letter, or walk up to their door. Chances are, considering my personality, I met them one-on-one or in small groups. Today, e-mail is my main social arm. But I've also extended my reach and joined Linked In and Facebook, and am amazed by this extensive cyberworld of social networks. And in the case of Facebook, the phenomenon of uninhibited posts.

I've discovered that, on Facebook, I can view profile photos of anyone who may show up in my random searches, incl. provocative poses of those (mostly women) who really don't care who sees them or know that they live in e.g., Tampa Bay. (Who knew some of my friends share the same names as dozens of others?!) It makes me realize that this age and rampant popularity of reality shows, You Tube, Facebook, MySpace, and personal blogs (ahem) really reveals that we are truly social beings. We need to associate with others, and in some cases, crave affirmation from them. Cyberspace allows everyone -- well, everyone with access -- to be part of an open society, whether you're gregarious, shy, popular, or awkward in the "real world".

But are really we anymore "connected" to others than we were, say, 15 years ago? I can still count on one hand the number of people who really know my life story. But many others can now claim to know more bits and pieces of it than I would have ever imagined before.

C-c-cold...

But I can take it! *gritting teeth* To save energy, we have our thermostat turned down to 55 during the day, whether we're home or not. Well, today's a "work at home" day, so I'm padding around in my furry boots and completely wrapped in fleece except for my head and hands ('tho the latter pair will be retreating into my long sleeves shortly, when I switch to using the headset and voice recognition software to dictate a report). And to save water, I'm now immersing my hands right when I turn on the faucet and finishing the wash before the hot water even starts running. Pretty chilly, but here's to hoping every bit helps.

Pencils Down

That's one of the slogans I saw on a Writers Guild of America picket sign on some news footage. As a fan of a couple of evening talk shows, I'm certainly going to miss the witty commentaries on the day's news for awhile, but I also support the writers' concerns. Plus that extra hour gave me a chance to bury my nose in an outdated Newsweek.

Tobey's New Trick!

I just saw the FUNNIEST commercial:
Mom reading newspaper on couch. Son yells, "Hey, Mom! Check out Tobey's new trick!" Cut to a yellow lab, using his forelegs to drag his butt across the carpet. "TOBEY!!!" Enter Stanley Steemer carpet cleaner.

A Pile of Newsweeks

The current household bane of my guy's existence is the fast-growing pile of Newsweeks that I'm refusing to recycle until I at least speed-read through every page. I admit, I didn't learn the lesson from previous years, when our KQED pledge brought the weekly periodical to our mailbox faster than I could get through them, so I forgot once again to tell the operator-standing-by, "no, thanks, I'll pass on the free subscription". Next time! In the meantime, my personal goal this week is to get caught up,...at least through the September 24th (Greenspan) issue. That means one issue each day for the rest of the week. Ready...set...GO!

Did It!

Uh, Okay Thanks, FB...

Thoroughly amused by Facebook's "unsolicited suggestions" feature in the top right margin of my Home Page. Recent highlights...

"[friend's name]
He only has 13 friends on Facebook.

Suggest Friends for Him"

Leave him alone, I say!

"[friend's name]

Poke Him"

Nevermind that this person is my former Pastor. *awkward*

3740 steps, 6260 to go...

I've decided to hitch a ride on the 10,000-steps-a-day bandwagon to see how I measure up. Bought a cheap ($4.99) pedometer from Target last night and have it clipped to my waistband. This is one of those products where you do get what you pay for, 'cos it counted a violent coughing fit as 5 steps,...(though that may be equivalent in terms of expended calories). To offset the extra "steps" associated with each jarring move, though, I'll subtract about 100 steps each day and take off the pedometer when I'm sitting at my desk. Two hours into my waking day and after tooling around the house and a morning walk, I'm up to 3,740 steps. As I launch into another relatively sedentary workday, let's see if I can complete the remaining 2/3's of my goal in the next 14 hours...