What if...?

So as I was making a leisurely stroll to class today in 68 degree and sunny weather I was struck by a thought. I watched as a squirrel darted from place to place digging frantically for what I can only assume were hidden acorns. He never found any. I wondered to myself, what if a squirrel developed amnesia or was struck by a rare form of squirrel alzheimers. I say rare form, because Dateline hasn't done any specials on it lately and I'm guessing it's not that common. Can you imagine anything more frustrating. It's as if you were to go and bury all your wordly possessions like your laptop/car/hairdryer for example in the ground and then not remember where you did. I know all of you reading this would panic at the loss of at least one of the previously mentioned items (for me personally, I would have to say all 3). Eventually you would dig up something, but it might be someone else's sneakers or toupee and hardly the item you were looking for. Do squirrels mark their acorns with special squirrel markings, or will any acorn do? In that case, you gotta wonder if some squirrels just sit around most of the year doing nothing and then just run around digging up all the other squirrel's acorns when they get hungry? That hardly seems fair. This is point when I arrived at my class and had to end my inner musings about the life of a squirrel.

Did you hear the one about the whale in the Thames?

Honestly, I'm surprised the poor whale didn't die sooner from just being in that water. The Thames is like a moving drain for all the filth in London. If you haven't heard about this, check out this article from CNN.com. The pic on here is of all the boats involved trying to rescue the whale.

The beauty that is The O.C.

So I remember a time when I couldn't wait to watch The O.C. It seemed so risque and in touch with the dark/deep melodrama that is the high school experience. Girls everywhere used to gather in living rooms and dorm rooms-- big packs of O.C. loving girls, soaking up Marissa's clothing style and secretly wishing that they too were dating Ryan. But then something happened. It started to become typical. Suddenly Marissa looks overdressed for high school and Ryan borders on being weird. Seth and Summer are saving the show with their too cute for the small screen relationship. I sit there week after week with my pack of girls and wonder what I am doing watching a show that has now dipped below the quality level of Dawson's Creek at its worst during the college years. But then again, it's The O.C. It's tradition now, just like I know that there will always be a Chrismukkah episode and Ryan will punch someone in at least 1/3 of the episodes. The best line recently is when Seth is complaining that everything is going too well within their group and something bad is sure to happen. The doorbell rings and he tells Ryan "Don't answer it. It's probably a flaming bag of crap" Bring back the risque I say and make The O.C. what it should be about... seeing how many times Julie Cooper can marry people and how many times Ryan and Marissa will break up and get back together again.

My air conditioner is on right now....

It's 2:00 am right now and it's 63 degrees outside with a 93% humidity. My air conditioner is on. Something is not right here. JT finally came up to see me in Columbia and here's a gem of a conversation for the blog:

** While talking about some people I know **
Me: Yea, his brother is famous, but he doesn't get too much out of it.
JT: I'm sure he gets some perks. For example, what if I was Britney's Spears sister...
Me: So you mean what if you were Jamie Lynn?
JT: Ok, if I was her brother...
Me: Ok, so if you were Jamie Lynn, continue...

Worth a few hours of your time

I finished reading this book while I was in Sri Lanka. I actually used to wait for the moments when I could take a break from my busy international schedule in order to spend some time getting lost in reading it. Almost everyone I know has either read this book, is reading it, or has it at the top of their list of books to read. The book is actually a quick read in spite of the heavy subject matter. You feel as if you are actually in Afghanistan and living through the scenes with the author. I was also struck by the realism of his perspective of having money/privilege in a third world country. Many of the names could have been changed to the names of people I know and my family members in Sri Lanka. The divide between rich and poor never seems to change in countries like this and every generation has a new version of being rich that the older generation never seems to grow accustomed to. Give this book a read and I promise you won't regret it!

You know what really grinds my gears...?

The packaging for toothbrushes. You practically need a blowtorch to get into those things… why is that? The fancier the brush, the more nails you break trying to get into it. I understand the concept of childproof safety caps for medicines, but what kind of liability are toothbrush manufactures trying to prevent themselves from? Are they scared that unattended toddlers might break into the packages of one of their toothbrushes and poke themselves in the eye? Come on… There’s a better chance that the kid will poke themselves in the eye with one of their safety kid forks. I think it’s time that we take a stand on this issue. Otherwise, I’m gonna be old and ridden with arthritis in my hands from my excessive piano playing as a child, and not be able to brush my teeth cause I can’t open a new toothbrush.

Back from my sabbatical!

I missed you guys too! But I have to say, spending the last 12 days, miles away from ordinary, was one of the best things for me to do. I managed to forget about life in the States, got dropped out of all my classes cause I forgot to pay my rec fee, and managed to buy a new wardrobe cause the airline delayed my dad's bag which gave us $500 inurance money to buy clothes with. As the avaerage clothings prices are between $3-5, you can imagine what we were able to do...

This pic is of my favorite spot to relax when we go there-- it's the back of a hotel called Blue Water. Basically, the routine is to lay on a chair under the palm trees and contemplate life for a couple of hours, walk up and down the beach a bit, and then stuff my face at the buffet :)

Sudha is right, as there was no international drama, but I did learn a few things while I was there:

- I have met someone that takes man-eating to Olympic standard levels, so back off me Sudha ;)
- I nearly died while changing a light bulb there. Always remember to turn off the power in countries with crazy voltages like 220 when changing a lightbulb cause you might die when the bulb explodes in your hands.
- I could eat rice three times a day and be perfectly content.
- Island gossip is mean and spiteful-- the major pitfall of the motherland

Ok, it is now late and I will post later this week with more stories. The airline lost my bags somewhere in DC, so hopefully I will get them tomorrow and make my way back to Columbia so that I can try to get back into my classes....