Post-Detox Thoughts and Musings

I completed my first ever detox 10 days ago. It started on November 1 and ended on the 10th (inclusive).

It was amazing! It was restrictive. It was a test of character. Turns out I’ve got solid willpower skills when I want to use them. The thing is, usually I don’t want to apply willpower Let’s go over the detox and my survival of it, then finish with lessons learned and future detox plans.

Why did I detox? I just wanted to feel better, that’s it. I wanted to feel lighter, healthier, to have better skin and and more energy. Simple wants, really.

In October I realized that I will need to drastically cut down on my indulgent consumption of delicious (and sometimes not) and bad-for-you (but sometimes not) things. Plus there have been a lot of visitors and out-of-town guests, which usually requires going out to restaurants and bars.

I just didn’t feel right. I feel bogged down, I feel heavy, unhealthy and not my chipper self. Moreover, with the seasons changing, I wanted to feel as light as possible, since the extra fall/winter clothing was sure bound to make me feel only worse.

So I started researching detox options. And so I found one. I learned that “there can be no dairy, grains with gluten, meat, shellfish, anything processed (including all soy products), fatty nuts, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), condiments, sugar and obviously no alcohol, caffeine or soda.” All right. That seemed challenging enough! Perfect time to stretch those willpower muscles.

The biggest challenge was breakfast actually. I usually have no problems surviving on salads, and I don’t care for soda and most condiments. Giving up alcohol was not a problem either as I’ve done it in the past (there are practical consequences that make it difficult – for example, getting bored at parties when everyone is tipsy and silly. Or declining invitations to open bar events because that usually leads to nowhere go. My favorite is always surprising people when I tell them that I’m not drinking, though. People are not used to young social people not drinking).

Breakfast was a bitch. At first. On day 4 I decided that I love smoothie breakfasts (with Vega and greens plus by Genuine Health were what made them amazing). I am also the kind of a person who eats in the morning (how can you not eat in the morning and stuff yourself silly at night? You’re doing it wrong!), so going hungry till lunch was a pain. However, as the detox progressed, I realized that a breakfast smoothie was enough to keep me going.

I discovered that steamed fish is the best thing in the world, too. Simply steamed with a bit of natural herbs. Bam! I also fell in love with kale all over again.

I blended a lot of green vegetables together. And made very green soups.

I learned that one doesn’t need to eat a lot of food. Moreover, I learned that the many foods that we eat on a daily basis can make us feel pretty bogged down and tired. I had SO much energy when I didn’t eat bread, grains, dairy (biggest culprit, I think) and meat. Night and day.

I now have more respect for a vegan diet. I am considering a plan where I eat vegan several days per week just to maintain that feeling of lightness.

Despite not drinking coffee and having one of the busier weeks at work, I fared incredibly well. Instead of coming home to crash, I would come home and find that i had enough energy to take on personal projects or just work some more. All right! In fact, getting enough rest and taking your vitamins (or greens plus) was better than drinking coffee.

I also developed more appreciation for the foods I took for granted. For example, for some people a steak is a usual thing. Whereas for me a 100% grass-fed strip loin is now a treat on par with lobster. I just appreciate the fancy (and usually bad for you) foods a lot more now. I try to not wolf the food down as fast as I can, but really take the time to enjoy it.

Eating natural and healthy (and in most cases, organic) foods has made me feel lighter, better, more mellow and happier. I lost 5-7 lbs, and I now want to do a weekly detox once a month. Or 10-day detox every two months. I do admit that I had two pretty dark days where I spent the evenings reading menus of various restaurants (from ridiculously indulgent to plain ol’ pizza chains). But I prevailed.  There were only positive consequences of this detox, once you get over the fact that you can’t eat anything you desire.

On Spontaneous Eloquence

“My vocabulary dwells deep in my mind and needs paper to wriggle out into the physical zone. Spontaneous eloquence seems to me a miracle.” – Vladimir Nabokov, Strong Opinions

In May I spent more (than usual) time worried about the words I choose in everyday language. I became acutely aware of the differences in my written speech and my spoken one. I noticed that I had opted out for simple, quick words that popped into my mind like fireworks, instead of selecting the vivid and precise boulders of usually longer and mostly unpopular words. Words that communicated the meaning exceptionally, but words that also don’t spring into action at the slighted fancy of the brain. The words need mining. While I wanted to give them some spotlight, I ended up using the simplest normal words.

The more chipper, satisfied and energetic I was, the more my speech resembled a basic soap opera set. Exaggerating, I’ll even say, my speech was caveman-like! Sentence structure, all sorts of exclamations and exclamation marks. Well, the usual me, I guess, hehe.

Having learned English as a second language, I’ve always paid attention to my vocabulary, words I use, metaphors I create and more. Knowing more than one language makes you appreciate the variety of expressions that already exist and that could be created. Writing was not a problem. Writing allows for apt word selections and swollen metaphors because of the comforts of time and editing options, while speaking in person demands mental dexterity and immediate responses. I also couldn’t understand the incongruence between my written language and my spoken one. What the …!

So I entertained this worry until I ran across the aforementioned quote by Nabokov in Strong Opinions. That definitely relaxed me. Consulting with a couple of fellow lovers of words and letters, I found out it’s not an usual concern. Moreover, it made me consciously make an effort to give some air time to words we sometimes only see in print.

Progress! Yesterday for the first time I noticed that, while telling Meghann a story, I deliberately thought about colorful metaphors to employ. I took the time to summon a lengthier and sometimes even more pompous word where a simple one could suffice. I realized that ever since I consciously made an effort to decorate in-person parlance with more book-like words, I’ve been making some success. Now the only task is to continue to collect and use more of these epic words

Fun Update: randomly searching the web, of course, yielded this paper: “Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly” . I smirked. Tell that to the author himself!

I’d like to say that I believe there is a difference between literary, fiction-oriented writing and to-the-point writing style of the everyday (journalistic, business, too). I just like my goddamn language, so I will savor every word I can.

On the other hand, I, too, was annoyed when students mindlessly employed long words to add potential zest to papers. But never in my life have I discounted someone’s intelligence just because they used complex words. And knew when to use them. More often than not, their speech was also more entertaining, with puns and humor, jokes and various references.

Year-Long Personal Project

On Sunday my friend and the talented photographer Eugen Sakhnenko updated his Twitter with “Working on Atlas – I love this project! I recommend everyone take-on a consistent longterm personal project.” And I thought, Damn Straight!

Then I thought about what my year-long project was. I mean, I had the 2010 strategy lined up and I get back to it every month and review. So that’s a project. In fact, to make sure that I follow my personal goals, I take advantage of the “Future planning” section in my analog planner (that’s right, I don’t use neither Calendar nor notes on my iPhone). Every month has 4-5 lines on which I can write my monthly goals. So far I have achieved every goal, except one. That’s been 14 things that I did. Some are simple, some are literally month-long (like my growing “Go to the gym _ times this month”) and so on. The point is, I set a goal OR a project and worked on that for a month. There are some improvements I could make, but give me a break, I’m learning and already doing a whole truckload of stuff.

But what about the creative side? To my defense, four of my friends and I have started a Photo Club where we disperse assignments to each other and come back a month later with prints of our work. That’s going well, albeit slow at times since we need to accommodate everyone’s schedule.

Then I realized that my creative ish project is the 3-books-a-month. I set out to read three books a month.Why? I like reading, I’ve always done it. Back in high school I’d read a book a week, but university killed that ambition. Now is my chance to read what I missed, to learn more and to improve my own writing. JUST LISTEN TO DR SEUSS: “The more that you read, the more things you will know / The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

I’m at 7 books right now, and have 100 pages to go in my current reading material. Plus, I’ve almost finished another book. So that will be 9 by March 31 (or a few days into April. Don’t be afraid to spill into a new month).

In 3 months I will update with my list of 18 and, hopefully, more Look at me and my S.M.A.R.T. goals. Priceless.

What are your year-long projects, if any? You can start at any time, you know.

I Did It! I Did It! Goal-Tackling.

Before January started, I outlined several objectives for this year. But I also outlined a couple of distinct goals for every month of the year (that job isn’t finished yet as I’m sure something will come up mid-year). Besides two minor goals and one medium-difficulty goal, I decided to really test the willpower waters and wrote down:

• Go to the gym 15x (and work out, duh)
• Do not consume any alcoholic drinks all month

Aaaaand I did it. I worked out 17 times in January, and each session was at least 30 minutes, burning at least 350 calories. The average was actually closer to 500 calories per session. My cardio endurance skyrocketed. I now CRAVE going to the gym. Seriously? Me? also didn’t have any alcohol.

I exercised my willpower, I followed my goals, and I put health above everything. If I absolutely couldn’t work out after work, I went in the morning. The person I was a year ago would say “Is she serious?” “Who the hell does she think she is?” and “Weirdo.” Seriously, I agree. But I also love whom I am becoming. Remember I wrote about wanting to become a gym rat? Well, I’m on my way.

How did turn around 180 degrees and do all this? Good question.

1. It started with a personal assessment and goal visualization. I really looked at where I was in terms of fitness, and then I visualized where I’d like to be.

2. Quantify goals. I put a number on my fitness objectives. Instead of saying that I will follow through with a complex diet-weight training-cardio program, I just set a one simple goal: do as much cardio as you can in the gym, fifteen times, rain or shine. Put a number on it! And track it. I wrote down “Gym #…” on every day that I went. You’ll feel better once you get into the double digits.

3. Give yourself a month. I tried the “I’m going to the gym 4 times a week!” thing and it didn’t always work. We all know that some weeks are busier than others — friend from out of town, conference, business travel, birthdays, events, whatever. Other weeks are meant for vegetation. So try to give yourself a month to achieve your goals. One week I went to the gym 3 times, another week I went 6. Evens out. Same analogy can be applied to the “A book a week” rule. It’s hard to do it in a week, but it’s easier to accomplish the “4 books in a month” rule: some weekends are quieter than others. Give yourself a month.

4. Don’t be hard on yourself. Emergencies and unpredictable situations cause you to skip gym. Sometimes you go out for dinner and can’t work out after (try to work out in the morning in that case). Other times it’s -20C and it’s tough to get up at 6:30am. It happens. You need to do work instead of gym – also happens. Just don’t stress about it. Sometimes skipping gym actually helps you achieve better results when you do continue to work out.

5. That being said, No slacking! You made a promise to yourself. You’re accountable to yourself. Imagine how crappy you’ll feel if you fuck up? …And how you’re going to shine when you do achieve your goal? That’s what helped me with the no alcohol goal. Well, that and saving money, the ability to exercise my willpower and to almost boast that I indeed can say no to a drink and not be bothered by it (by the way, that gets easier as time goes by. What’s another month of total sobriety and not even light intoxication?).

6. Are you doing it for the right reasons? In my baby steps in Buddhism, I became really intrigued by the idea of intent. Whether you’re doing something for a good cause or for the right reasons makes all the difference. With fitness, I looked at why I was doing it and realized that I just want to be super healthy. I want to live forever, I want to be in good condition, and a side-product, of course I want to look my best. With alcohol – that’s a whole other post, really, – it’s more complicated. But the intent was a big theme. Do you really need that glass of wine? Do you need the extra? Do you have to say “yes” to what’s offered?… You get it. The old saga was over.

I hope some of these tips were useful to you. I’m undergoing major, major changes in my life. I like who I am and I love who I am becoming. The world is really becoming a playground and I will achieve anything I set my mind to. You should hear the giant theme of this week, ohhhh boy. But shh, all in due time

With the Vigor of a Jihadist

Enter The New Year, Ebulliently. 2010 started on an absolutely tremendous note. I chiseled a plan. I bit my lip and dived into. I just started doing it instead of thinking about how awesome it would be to have done it. And it became easy.

I started pursuing about 3-4 hard paths. All at once. With the vigor and fervor of a jihadist. The reason I refer to the latter is because with a similar level of passions I want to abolish all my bad habits, negative patterns and so on. Lots of energy and proclamations on my part.

In the attic of my soul I found a mysterious box and opened it. It contained all the will in the world, all the energy in the world, all the creativity in the world, all the compassion, understanding, peace and love. That box flooded the contents of my soul, and I am happy it did.

Back in November I have been setting out a path I’d like to take not only in the new year (this one), but also in a new decade. I thoroughly thought about the person I would like to be and become. I remembered something I read a while back. It went along the lines of: act like the person you want to be. Stop with the planning, just adopt the mindset of someone you’d like to “be”. And then be it.

I’m going to share what I have been doing when this month ends. There is still a week left, I may get derailed completely come Wednesday (slim chance), hehe

What I’m trying to say though, is that the first step to ANY change is to ACT it. Act as if you’ve always done X, act as if Y is what you’ve had all along, act as if B liked you, and so on.

Some of the best outcomes in my life happened when I already (mentally) owned whatever it is I was going for. I said, this is mine, I deserve it. 9 times out of 10 I got it. Some of the best outcomes happened when I broke down large goals into smaller pieces; when I gave myself a break; when I rewarded myself (a.k.a. bread with Nutella after a loooong workout, heh).

There IS enough time in the day! You can make time. You can make the time for everything. The first step is to make a list of things you WANT to be able to do. Make a list of things you HAVE to do. Make a list of things that aren’t as important to have done.

Make a schedule. Record your accomplishments. Keep track of things you did. Monitor the number of sleeping hours, take note of most productive times in the day, remember what made you happy and why you want to do it again.

More than anything, open your mind. You can do anything you want. It’s never too late. And – you are not alone in this.

Stay tuned. I’ve got some announcements to make when January ends.

2009 In Question

Doing reviews (monthly, annual, whatever) is important. The first importance I learned as a child – replaying past events in one’s head exercises and strengthens one’s memory. The best thing you can do when going to bed is to replay the whole day you just had. Turns out a lot of people have difficulty remembering what happened throughout the day (sleepwalk much?). Second important feature of reviews is the strategic aspect. You look at what you’ve done, what you wanted to do and so on and so forth.

Judging from the Twitter and Facebook updates from my friends and their friends, it seems that 2009 was too much of a contrast year. Things were either awfully great or plain awful. Cute note: I remember at least 5 people saying things along the lines of “not ushering 2009, but kicking it out”, “good riddance 2009″ and so forth. Agreed.

While 2009 was a fantastic year in terms of things like graduating from university, landing a terrific job, coming into myself, kicking bad habits and acquiring new and good ones, the year had a lot of stress, strange conflicts and 0 European travels.

While I might remember this year as the year I graduated, visited Harvard for the first time, joined the iPhone cult, realized that indeed I need to pursue my dreams as an author and so forth, I will also not regret it being gone.

I can’t wait for 2010. I actually can’t wait for the Chinese new year, I guess that’s what I really want since that’s when my tiger turbo boost kicks in. Onward!

Quick NYE Post Before It’s All Over

2009! Ima gonna let you finish, but 2010 is gonna be the best year evar. In fact, because I am a die-hard optimist with an agenda, ALL I want to say is that next year will be better (in fact, next year will be better because it’s my year of the Tiger, and I am a ferocious one, so y’all better watch out, make amends or clear path), and you, 2009, were just the “will do sans anything more impressive” year. However, if I compare you to 2008 or 2007 and back, then definitely you were the best so far.

So thanks for being what you were, 2009. You were great in terms of career opportunities, networks built, friends made, randoms tossed, knowledge gained and maturity points earned. If I was even geekier than I am, I’d keep a massive Excel spreadsheet documenting hangover days year after year (you can have the idea free of charge, dear readers), and saying, Oh this 2009 year is good, I’ve been behaving so much better!

Thanks for all, but seriously, get the hell out.

And all the rest of you: please be careful on December 31, 2009. It’s the full moon lunar eclipse.

Best Meal I’ve Made to Date

Or so I and my dinner companion think. I wasn’t afraid to experiment with octopi and peppers. Let’s discuss.

First Course: Basil Grape Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozzarella

I diced white onion and went on to sautée; we needed caramelized onions. I cut grape tomatoes in half, leaving the tiniest ones whole so they burst in your mouth at a later time. Throw in said tomatoes after the onions turn golden and shake the pan a little. Roll large basil leaves and cut them vertically, dispersing over tomatoes and onions as you turn the heat off. Mix them up a little, let them sit, add some pepper. Bring out the highest grade buffalo mozzarella (splurge, it’s worth it!), and slice it up on break it over the tomato mixture. Enjoy! Enjoy it!

Second Course: Boiled Octopus in a Spicy Sauce and Basil Fingerling Potatoes

This actually starts at the very beginning of your cooking ritual – pour a can of chicken broth in a pan, and put twice as much water, start heating it. Chop up almost a whole bunch of cilantro, dice 3/4 of a white onion (large chunks are all right), and put all of that in. Next, I leaped into the unknown by slicing a small red pepper and throwing that in. I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s a tiny light red pepper, just a bit more wrinkly than the usual capsicum, and it’s spicy. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat.

Cut up Mr. Octopus and throw it in. Cutting it is tough, let me tell ya. But persevere. Throw it in the broth and let it simmer for at least 1.5 hours. I took it out at 2 hours and 15 minutes. In the course of this octopus bath you will need to add more water as it will evaporate – I added 4-5 cups extra, and I’m glad I did because that little red pepper set the whole pot on fire (not literally).

In the meantime boil fingerling potatoes (bigger ones sliced in half), and then bronze them in a pan with diced garlic and extra virgin olive oil and a dash of truffle oil. Add basil leaves for extra fragrance. Take out the plate and arrange like in the photo above or better! And enjoy it. Then live to tell the tale

PS. The octopus broth was too good to let go down the drain so I’ve used it to boil wild rice the next day. Guess how awesome my lunch is today

PPS. If anybody wants to hire me for cooking services, or for looking cute while cooking services, or eating and telling the tale services, I’m widely available and most likely ready to hear your ideas

My Mom Asked Me to Pick Only One Word

from this list:

Positive Energy;
creativity;
healing;
wealth;
protection;
love;
intelligence;
strength;
health;
serenity;
growth;
motivation;
harmony;
knowledge;
courage

And this is what I said:

I think growth.

I mean I would pick several ones, but growth is not possible without motivation, strength, intelligence, courage. Knowledge can be equated to growth, so can wealth (like Growing your bank account); creativity is a form of growth, and so is love. I am already full of positive energy, and seek harmony in my relationships; that comes naturally and I don’t see it as something that’s a pinnacle of my essence.

So GROWTH. I’m all about it.

Gimme 15, Gimme 20, Gimme 30

I’ve been saying this for two years now: “When I graduate and have a decent job, I will get a personal trainer to get in stellar shape.” This phrase became especially important when last semester I fell into Pizza Pizza’s trap and final examinations’ pit. Then I spent three weeks aboard a couch in my home base in Vancouver, and you can figure that my lady self-consciousness and body image concerns shot up (LOL).

So in April, my month of taking control and shooting forward through the highways of life, I went and got a membership at Extreme Fitness gym. Reserve your criticisms of this gym, please, I’ve done my research. Roger complained about Extreme, because there are a lot gym rats and avid bodybuilders that it’s not always pleasant to pump iron around them. On the contrary, this ardent drive sparks my own motivations to work out and PUSHHH TEH LIMITSSS. I just love this whole, YEAH! GO! attitude that’s at Extreme Fitness, because it sets my blood on fire.

I got a personal trainer and now love working out. He’s awesome, but many muscles keep hurting for days (although stopped this week). I am in the conditioning stage for another 8-9 weeks, after which I step into the muscle building stage and meet with a nutritionist to develop a proper meal program. On top of training 3x a week, I burn 1000 or more calories a week by running, however, I’ve yet to make hot yoga a definite staple of my workout week. Besides having to adjust a couple of elements of my current diet and burning even more calories, I’m on the right path and feel energized, happy and in control of my own self. *Runs off to the gym*

Art-Enjoying

This is a culture-powered week. I’m all over literature, having dusted off Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice; spirituality, having digged up Rabindranath Tagore’s Sadhana; and plunging back into the art world by going to the Art Gallery of Ontario. I forgot how peaceful walking around art galleries  makes me, I forgot how happy I become finding and looking at artworks that used to make my heart skip a beat during modern art and postmodern art classes. I am going to be buying a $45 student membership to explore the whole gallery as yesterday, for some strange reason, I spent all my time on the 2nd floor of AGO, looking at Canadian art.

I’ve never been a fan of Canadian artists, until in the middle of nowhere, I saw the piece that filled my being with winter joy – “Lake and Mountains” by Lawren S Harris. I fell in love with this painting 2.5 years ago, and bought numerous copies of the postcard. Harris’s work fills me with such sense of calm, respect for nature’s magnitute and childlike wonder that I couldn’t help buying several more postcards. Apparently he was the unofficial leader of the Group of Seven.

On a completely different note, Mary Pratt’s “Station Wagon” instills a sense of hopelessness and despair when you realize that absolution is not possible. Ukrainian-Canadian William Kurelek caught my attention as a sad artist in his day painting images of children’s fun in winter, switching to increasingly religious themes as he converted to Roman Catholicism. I managed to snap a photo of this exciting, emotional and hilarious work of art (see my flickr – thou art Peter and the rock…). Kurelek interested me most with paintings of wide open spaces and small people fiddling about. It’s the details that intrigue here – every person seems to be moving chaotically, yet at his/her own pace. Other pieces: Here, Here and Here (bear!).

You Like Girls? You Have to Know About Fashion Too

“…And that’s the way it is. That’s what I wanted to say.” 1 2 3 4 by Miss Kittin & The Hacker (download the MP3). I’ve grown increasingly annoyed with my wardrobe, as I still possessed 4-5 year old items that I would never wear again, despite my stubborn belief that I might use them. Last month I donated 2 garbage bags full of clothes, and I’m not done yet. My current wardrobe seemed disappointing too, as it represented a cool, eccentric university student look too much; the jackets, winter boots and sweaters were becoming a too old or too cute for my liking. So I decided to buy new pieces in line with the hip, sophisticated young woman image.

On a mission to sync my wardrobe with my new attitude and lifestyle, I randomly stumbled on a Henrik Vibskov unisex black crinkle trenchcoat at Delphic (they’ve got amazing stuff). Luckily it was on sale. I love its lightweight and interesting paper-like texture, metallic tone, and waterproof and windproof features. My interpretation is on the right (the belt makes all the difference), pardon the poor photo quality.

I also found a perfect elongated cardigan online, since the stores had either incredibly expensive goods (Henrik Vibskov yet again), or plain cardigans in boring colors. I found a Grey Ant knit cardigan ($352) at 75% off. More Henrik Vibskov – black stretch twill pant, originally priced at $236, and reduced to $59. If that isn’t great value for wardrobe defying pieces, then I don’t know what is. Can’t wait for them to arrive. Can’t wait for Jeffrey Campbell biz bootie – a perfect flat bootie with buckle detail, – to show up in the inventory, too.

2009 Goals

1. Make health and fitness my top priority
Tactics: personal trainer, planning my meals, scheduled food intake, not eating out, and running regularly.
2. Make fly career moves
Tactics: do my best during the internship that starts in a week, kick serious buttocks in the Industry Analysis class, read literature on Advertising, blogs, meet relevant people and pick their brains, keep up with the hype.
3. Go back to Europe (Czech Republic, Germany and Greece). I can’t wait to go to Greece – parents’ friends have a house in Athens. I can actually see Sparta, Crete and emerge, like Venus, out of the foam. Eat perfect souvlaki and keep Dionysus at bay.
Tactics: save, save save, flight alerts.
4. Start meditating
Tactics: thanks to M for a wonderful introductory lecture. Start slow, practice, dig deeper, take the trash out of my soul.
5. Get through that pile of Russian classics that’s been growing on my floor.
Tactics: read when commuting, read before bed (goes well with #3 goal)

Highlights of 2008

I’m glad the year of the Mouse/Rat is over. It was a tough year, but also a very rewarding one, filled with events, color and life. It was definitely a great one for meeting new people and leaving the dead end contacts behind. It was a year of travels, learning, emotional change of scenery, breaking the habits, and finding peace. In short:

Vice internship, movies with Slava, Barbi, snow angel challenge, high tea, cuckoo New York trip, mad revelations and heartbreaks, the legendary night of the Justice show at the Great Hall, indoor pool voleyball in Richmond Hill with a blizzard outside, Montreal for the first time ever, straight to Vancouver, the return of Dimitri, straight A’s that semester, “I love nature” cottage visit, summer internship, more Montreal, Lemeac, Rajni, Ottawa, Rafael Nadal, gourmet adventures with Roberto, Magdalena’s return, dancing late and coming to work early, Osho, red eye to Europe, constantly ringing cell in Berlin, Baltic Sea, goth party in the bunker, wasp attack, Kunstwerke, Michael and Karin’s epic search for a gallery, scootering in Ibiza, flying, getting lost in the hills with fuel running out, Gaudi, Joan Miro, Catalan people, Faulkner’s Light in August, La Tomatina, Valencia’s paellas, the girl from Jupiter, getting lost in Barcelona with a flight to catch, gloomy London and port, vintage stores in Shoreditch, Strategic Planning, yoga, wonderful professors, wonderful people, PalmsOut in October, jerks stealing my possessions, Vosges chocolate in SoHo, Coney Island freak show, Mad Men, calming down, peace of mind, movie night with dear C.L., playing the tambourine till 4am, BBDO, roommate reunion, blizzards in Vancouver, the return of Scotch, securing that opportunity, The Sacred Book of the Werewolf, light at the end of the tunnel, Russian madhouse, caviar and champagne on New Year’s Eve.

End of Semester Musings

The semester ended on a very positive note. In fact, the last 4 months were the most productive in 2008, most positive and great – except for the strip between mid-Nov to mid-Dec: never again. I established relationships with my professors (3 out of 8 all time favorites are from this term), finally figured out what shape my career should take – accounts in the advertising business or strategic planning, particularly for creative ventures. God knows creative folk need help with directions (love y’all). Last semester was actually the best semester one, school-wise and life-wise. Marks were: A+, A, A- and B. Pretty satisfying, considering I didn’t study for the Int’l Mkt final, and got a B, and I pulled myself out of the B zone in Ethics in Finance. In fact, that class was one of the best ones I took, thanks to the amazing prof Allen Goss.

I leveled out and gained some perspective; I don’t take no for an answer and don’t feel lost at all. I’ve thrown out skeletons out of my closet and become more honest than ever before. I stopped wondering what this person’s and that person’s opinion of me would be if I did this and that. I am my own kind of person, I’ve done my inventory, and I patiently wait to break bread with my nearest and dearest (R, W, H, B, T, R, P, M, R in particular!).

I’m ready to hit the ground running and I cannot wait for the next year to start. Two thousand and hate is over, that ridiculous, cleansing, all-encompassing year, and now it’s time to conquer the next one. All my dreams will come true, and there is not a single thing I won’t be able to claim as my own. Look out, two thousand and mine! Sneak peek:2010 is to explode, considering it’s the year of the Tiger. And guess who’s the tiger here.