REVERIES

elucidation: Peace, Tokyo, Japan

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:37:07 -0700

elucidation:

Peace, Tokyo, Japan

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Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:51:52 -0800

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Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:52:27 -0800

Grey

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:50:52 -0800

After being confined by four walls for nine hours (aka: work) I drove, with windows down, by the ocean this afternoon on my way home. I’m lucky to live within walking distance of it and to be able to say that it’s not a rarity to lie in bed at night and hear angry waves hitting the oceans shore.

Today was a brisk fifty-five degree afternoon, the sky was grey, with low lying clouds, creating an almost claustrophobic atmosphere, and the illusion that if you tried hard enough you might be able to reach up and touch it. At certain parts along the horizon the brooding ocean and ceiling of a sky merged into one muted shade of grey.

Most southern Californians would probably hate it, but days like today fill me with glee… rain and grey skies are the closest we come to what others know “winter” to be, so I gladly take what I can get.

theburiedlife: 19 Things To Stop Doing In Your 20s 1. Stop...

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:15:09 -0700

theburiedlife:

19 Things To Stop Doing In Your 20s

1. Stop placing all the blame on other people for how they interact with you. To an extent, people treat you the way you want to be treated. A lot of social behavior is cause and effect. Take responsibility for (accept) the fact that you are the only constant variable in your equation.

2. Stop being lazy by being constantly “busy.” It’s easy to be busy. It justifies never having enough time to clean, cook for yourself, go out with friends, meet new people. Realize that every time you give in to your ‘busyness,’ it’s you who’s making the decision, not the demands of your job.

3. Stop seeking out distractions. You will always be able to find them.

4. Stop trying to get away with work that’s “good enough.” People notice when “good enough” is how you approach your job. Usually these people will be the same who have the power to promote you, offer you a health insurance plan, and give you more money. They will take your approach into consideration when thinking about you for a raise.

5. Stop allowing yourself to be so comfortable all the time. Coming up with a list of reasons to procrastinate risky, innovative decisions offers more short-term gratification than not procrastinating. But when you stop procrastinating to make a drastic change, your list of reasons to procrastinate becomes a list of ideas about how to better navigate the risk you’re taking.

6. Stop identifying yourself as a cliche and start treating yourself as an individual. Constantly checking your life against a prewritten narrative or story of how things “should” be is a bought-into way of life. It’s sort of like renting your identity. It isn’t you. You are more nuanced than the narrative you try to fit yourself into, more complex than the story that “should” be happening.

7. Stop expecting people to be better than they were in high school — learn how to deal with it instead. Just because you’re out of high school doesn’t mean you’re out of high school. There will always be people in your life who want what you have, are threatened by who you are, and will ridicule you for doing something that threatens how they see their position in the world.

8. Stop being stingy. If you really care about something, spend your money on it. There is often a notion that you are saving for something. Either clarify what that thing is or start spending your money on things that are important to you. Spend money on road trips. Spend money on healthy food. Spend money on opportunities. Spend money on things you’ll keep.

9. Stop treating errands as burdens. Instead, use them as time to focus on doing one thing, and doing it right. Errands and chores are essentially rote tasks that allow you time to think. They function to get you away from your phone, the internet, and other distractions. Focus and attention span are difficult things to maintain when you’re focused and attentive on X amount of things at any given moment.

10. Stop blaming yourself for being human. You’re fine. Having a little anxiety is fine. Being scared is fine. Your secrets are fine. You’re well-meaning. You’re intelligent. You’re blowing it out of proportion. You’re fine.

11. Stop ignoring the fact that other people have unique perspectives and positions. Start approaching people more thoughtfully. People will appreciate you for deliberately trying to conceive their own perspective and position in the world. It not only creates a basis for empathy and respect, it also primes people to be more open and generous with you.

12. Stop seeking approval so hard. Approach people with the belief that you’re a good person. It’s normal to want the people around you to like you. But it becomes a self-imposed burden when almost all your behavior toward certain people is designed to constantly reassure you of their approval.

13. Stop considering the same things you’ve always done as the only options there are. It’s unlikely that one of the things you’ll regret when you’re older is not having consumed enough beer in your 20s, or not having bought enough $5 lattes, or not having gone out to brunch enough times, or not having spent enough time on the internet. Fear of missing out is a real, toxic thing. You’ve figured out drinking and going out. You’ve experimented enough. You’ve gotten your fill of internet memes. Figure something else out.

14. Stop rejecting the potential to feel pain. Suffering is a universal constant for sentient beings. It is not unnatural to suffer. Being in a constant state of suffering is bad. But it is often hard to appreciate happiness when there’s nothing to compare it to. Rejecting the potential to suffer is unsustainable and unrealistic.

15. Stop approaching adverse situations with anger and frustration. You will always deal with people who want things that seem counter to your interests. There will always be people who threaten to prevent you from getting what you want by trying to get what they want. This is naturally frustrating. Realize that the person you’re dealing with is in the same position as you — by seeking out your own interests, you threaten to thwart theirs. It isn’t personal — you’re both just focused on getting different things that happen to seem mutually exclusive. Approach situations like these with reason. Be calm. Don’t start off mad, it’ll only make things more tense.

16. Stop meeting anger with anger. People will make you mad. Your reaction to this might be to try and make them mad. This is something of a first-order reaction. That is, it isn’t very thoughtful — it may be the first thing you’re inclined to do. Try to suppress this reaction. Be thoughtful. Imagine your response said aloud before you say it. If you don’t have to respond immediately, don’t.

17. Stop agreeing to do things that you know you’ll never actually do. It doesn’t help anyone. To a certain extent, it’s a social norm to be granted a ‘free pass’ when you don’t do something for someone that you said you were going to do. People notice when you don’t follow through, though, especially if it’s above 50% of the time.

18. Stop ‘buying’ things you know you’ll throw away. Invest in friendships that aren’t parasitic. Spend your time on things that aren’t distractions. Put your stock in fleeting opportunity. Focus on the important.

19. Stop being afraid.

Loved this part of the Closing Ceremonies.

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:02:26 -0700

Loved this part of the Closing Ceremonies.

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Sat, 11 Aug 2012 01:27:39 -0700

a bittersweet month for me

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:37:18 -0700

a bittersweet month for me

Love the excitement and support from the bench, especially Chay!

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:21:09 -0700

Love the excitement and support from the bench, especially Chay!

Most physically challenging sport?

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 11:53:00 -0700

olympicsusa:

Peter Varellas of USA Men’s Water polo

My vote goes to water polo. It amazes me how long they can keep themselves afloat & at the same time make those jumps.

Lookin’ good Chay! Excited for game...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:21:45 -0700

Lookin’ good Chay! Excited for game 2!

olympicsusa:

OLYMPICS DAY 2 (07/29/12)

USA’s Men’s Water Polo gets ready to play game 1 against Montenegro. USA won 8-7.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein

"on living life to the full be thankful. in receiving. in eating. in working. in growing. think in..."

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 13:54:15 -0700

“

on living life to the full

be thankful. in receiving. in eating. in working. in growing.

think in the morning. act in the noon. eat in the evening. sleep in the night.

”

- William Blake (via granolapath)

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Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:51:00 -0700

"I am quiet and full of thought I wonder what the future holds I hear them signing I see myself..."

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 01:40:32 -0700

“I am quiet and full of thought
I wonder what the future holds
I hear them signing
I see myself dreaming
I want it all
I am quiet and full of thought
I pretend to be grown up
I feel laden with burdens
I touch the cloud filled sky
I worry what fate will bring me
I cry for lost memories
I am quiet and full of thought
I understand I cannot turn back time
I say that I have faith
I dream about running away
I try to succeed
I hope it all comes together
I am quiet and full of thought”

- “I Am” | a poem I wrote in high school English class

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Thu, 26 Jul 2012 23:50:38 -0700

mariannephoto: Ewan McGregor

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 20:46:24 -0700

mariannephoto:

Ewan McGregor

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Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:46:42 -0700

Excited to celebrate the 4th!

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:15:07 -0700

Excited to celebrate the 4th!

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Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:13:43 -0700

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Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:50:17 -0700