Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Quote of the day: 1/20/11
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes." [Charles Swindoll]
A Reflection on Life and Politics
As long as I can remember I was always taunted by the question "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" I never had any clear ideas about what and who I actually wanted to be. In Kindergarden and first grade I wanted to be a bus driver. I always heard kids around me talking about how cranky and mean their bus drivers were and I wanted to be the coolest bus driver ever so that kids who had to take the bus home wouldn't feel bummed that they had to spend 2 hours getting home every day instead being picked up by a car like all the other cool kids. In 2nd grade I decided I wanted to be a teacher, but that didn't last long because I had finally decided what I wanted to be.. a dolphin trainer! Yes, that was it and I was finally content and at ease.
As I transitioned from childhood to the preteen years, it dawned on me that my desire to train dolphins probably wouldn't pay many of my bills. And so the never ending quest to answer the horrifying question began. I couldn't figure out why nothing was coming to me. Somehow most of the people around me had some idea of their likes and dislikes while I was stuck. I knew I had grown a dislike to science and math and a like for history, reading and writing but other then that I was stuck. I yearned for something that would spark a fire in me. And I wanted something that would not only please and satisfy my desires but ultimately satisfy God and bring glory to him.
When the college application process began, i wanted an answer more then ever. I mean I felt pressure, a lot of pressure.. people kept telling me I had time, but I felt like I needed to know sooner then later and at times I was confused and a bit irritated on why God wasn't give me an answer. I mean here I was, trying to follow His will, but nothing was happening. Senior year I was fortunate to take a Government class with a really inspiring teacher. And the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn even more. It was exciting to go to class, I might have skipped math every other day but American government, now that was worth coming to. I was also able to write for my high school newspaper and for the best section, Opinion. Some days I would walk up in the middle of the night and sit down to type out all my thoughts and ideas that were forming and circling.
Finally, one day, after all the stress, tears and prayers, it all clicked and somehow the answer had been there all along. I proudly declared Political Sciences on my college applications. Politics to me is so exciting and yet frustrating and complex and yet so simple. It brings me to life.
The 4 days leading up to the elections in November, I have watched and listened to over 20 hours of news... and to answer a question I was asked recently, people do in fact still watch the news for fun and I applaud all of you who do. Nothing is worse then to be uniformed. Here in CA only 55% of people came out to vote. 55? Those brave men and women who fought long and hard for the right to vote would be ashamed to see that we are not using such a priceless and wonderful gift. Regardless of whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green Party, etc, its better to stand for something then for nothing. Adolf Hitler once said "How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think," and sadly he has a point. Sometimes the government gets away with things because we let them. We find time to go to the movies, yet not the polls; we find time to watch Jersey Shore yet not the news; we find time to read People magazine, yet dont even pick up the newspaper laying in our driveway.
The more I learn about politics, the more I realize how much respect I have for politicians. I can only imagine how much pain, stress and hate mail they go through on a daily basis. I couldn't have a bumper sticker last on my car for more then a few days without getting stolen and that was regarding only one issue. They have to deal with anger on thousands of issues and yet know that no matter how hard they work to find a solution, no solution will ever please everyone. I am not saying that we should let politicians get away with their actions and they should always be held accountable but we should have some level of respect. You don't have to agree or support the policies but at least recognize that being a politician is one of the hardest jobs in the world because in the world of politics there will always be problems and there is absolutely no breaks or time outs; as long as the world keeps turning, politics will live.
I am still full of emotion after all the election stuff. Election Day is honestly one of my favorite days of the year. I am glued to the the TV. People go crazy over the Superbowl, I go crazy over election broadcasting (oh and the World Cup). So many emotions and the suspense of what will happen and the "what ifs" and the "should've, could've, would've." Everything comes out, majestical gains and devastating losses. As my education continues, I grow more and more excited every day. I cannot wait to see what will happen in our government and our world, the good and the bad, the ugly and the pretty. Every day, a mystery unfolds and at the same time starts again. However, I owe a great thank you for my amazing family, friends and leaders who pushed me in the right direction and for their never-ending prayers but I owe my greatest gratitude to my heavenly father, for answering my prayers and guiding me on this crazy journey called life.
LA Hotspot Review: Katsuya
Katsuya opened the door to dining in Los Angeles for me. At first I just wanted to spot some celebrities, take a few pictures and call it a day. Little did I know that I had fostered an addiction to gourmet dining. I thought I would share some reviews, pros and cons of some Los Angeles hot spots. I will keep adding more and more of my experiences.
Review #1:
Katsuya. 2 locations available (Hollywood Blvd and San Vicente). I have only been to the Hollywood Blvd location so if you are interested in celebrity sightings then this is the place for you!) We were lucky enough to "have" dinner with John Mayer and then spotted Chris Brown right outside. Paparazzi is always lurking around the corners because celebrities love Katsuya and I understand why.
Pros: Trendy, lively attitude (even past midnight), quick service (even if its packed but always make reservations!), reasonably priced for LA, open late
Cons: Loud (I dont mind this because it makes the place come alive, but don't expect to have heart to heart talks here), Valet parking is basically your only option, a little bit small
Food: the Katusya signature Crispy Tuna Roll is to DIE for, absolutely amazing, $14 for 4 pieces but without a doubt worth it, Kobe Beef with Foie Gras (super tender, delicious) and the Chocolate Lava cake.
Overall I rate Katsuya 8 out 10 and would definitely recommend it to those who desire to see celebrities, enjoy late night dining and want to get a "Hollywood" experience.
"The feeling is mutual"
Yesterday I posted the following quote on my facebook:
"Never allow someone to become your priority while allowing yourself to be their option."
Throughout the course of the day, I had numerous people tell me that the following quote reflected their lives. Teens and adults alike shared their feelings and poured out their hearts to me. Someone had become the center of their focus, while to the other, they were simply lingering in the shadows. As the day continued, I went back and forth with this idea that at some point or another, each of us has let an individual become way too important. How we would feel during a given day had became a direct correlation of how much (or how little) that other person had responded and/or reacted to us.
Each of us can agree that usually we end up brokenhearted, discouraged and unhappy. So why is it that we build these emotional bonds to people? Even those people who only break us down? Eleanor Roosevelt once said "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." Whether or not we want to admit it, we allow people to pain us. We let them sink into our brain and heart and suddenly everything is blurry.
I'm not saying that we should not allow people into our lives, because we most definitely should. We as humans were made for friendship and relationship and feelings. But I am saying that if we were all completely honest with ourselves we would step back and see that at various points in our lives, we had put too much effort into someone that did not deserve it. Anne Frank, in her diary, made the bold statement of "Despite everything, I still believe people are good at heart." I would have to dispute that statement. I consider myself optimistic but also realistic. The truth of the matter is that people were, are and will be corrupt and unfortunately we will all spend the rest of our lives, weeding through the good and the bad. We will all get hurt at one time or another but we will also heal, learn and move on.
Sometimes an attachment to someone is inevitable, it happens and you have no idea why. I challenge those in this situation to not let someone else get the best of you. I am a firm believer in that 10% is what happens to you and 90% is what you do about it. It all starts in the mind and it can end if we set our minds on other things. Its hard to forget about people and its harder to let go. Yet, no one deserves to live in a foggy, disconnected world. We need to live in this world with a clear mind, making our own independent choices knowing that the people who deserve our focus will never demand it.
"Never allow someone to become your priority while allowing yourself to be their option."
Throughout the course of the day, I had numerous people tell me that the following quote reflected their lives. Teens and adults alike shared their feelings and poured out their hearts to me. Someone had become the center of their focus, while to the other, they were simply lingering in the shadows. As the day continued, I went back and forth with this idea that at some point or another, each of us has let an individual become way too important. How we would feel during a given day had became a direct correlation of how much (or how little) that other person had responded and/or reacted to us.
Each of us can agree that usually we end up brokenhearted, discouraged and unhappy. So why is it that we build these emotional bonds to people? Even those people who only break us down? Eleanor Roosevelt once said "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." Whether or not we want to admit it, we allow people to pain us. We let them sink into our brain and heart and suddenly everything is blurry.
I'm not saying that we should not allow people into our lives, because we most definitely should. We as humans were made for friendship and relationship and feelings. But I am saying that if we were all completely honest with ourselves we would step back and see that at various points in our lives, we had put too much effort into someone that did not deserve it. Anne Frank, in her diary, made the bold statement of "Despite everything, I still believe people are good at heart." I would have to dispute that statement. I consider myself optimistic but also realistic. The truth of the matter is that people were, are and will be corrupt and unfortunately we will all spend the rest of our lives, weeding through the good and the bad. We will all get hurt at one time or another but we will also heal, learn and move on.
Sometimes an attachment to someone is inevitable, it happens and you have no idea why. I challenge those in this situation to not let someone else get the best of you. I am a firm believer in that 10% is what happens to you and 90% is what you do about it. It all starts in the mind and it can end if we set our minds on other things. Its hard to forget about people and its harder to let go. Yet, no one deserves to live in a foggy, disconnected world. We need to live in this world with a clear mind, making our own independent choices knowing that the people who deserve our focus will never demand it.
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