Friday, December 30, 2011

travel smart


I have been thinking about realistic goals for this upcoming year. This poster seems like a pretty good summation of what I should be trying to do. I posted about streamlining my life and getting rid of a lot of stuff. I've also started thinking about traveling. And how I should be saving money typically used on stuff on travel instead because that's what really makes me happy. It seems that all my goals are related. Have less, do more. I want to be really engaged in every aspect of my life this year and more focused on the things that matter. 

Speaking of traveling, I love this scratch-off map. It's from I Want One of Those, but it seems that they only ship to the UK. Luckily, it seems it's carried in a few other online shops, like Flight 001, which I just found has a location in Chicago. This is, of course, extremely inconvenient, given my aforementioned swearing off of things, but it might be the last thing I buy. Clearly, I haven't decided how stringent I'm going to be with all this yet.

And something else I can't help but chuckle at, because chuckling at things that are taken too seriously or too far to the extreme is way too easy, A Mobile Foodie Survival Kit. In case you can't get your foodie flavors when traveling:


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

streamline

Since being at my parents' house, I've been spending some time going through all my old stuff, particularly the clothes. One of my goals is to streamline my life. It's simple: get rid of the things I don't need, use, or like. Don't buy new things and try to re-function things I have. Try to make old things into new things that I love again. So it makes sense that these pipe bookshelves are pretty inspiring to me. I don't think my creativity or handyman skills are quite up to par. Regardless, it's very inspiring to see what can be done with different mediums.

and then we jumped from the sky

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas! I can't even begin to explain how fortunate I feel this year with my family, friends, and opportunities. I'm on a mad mission to be the absolute best that I can be so that I can deserve it all. One thing I'm working on is being able to focus on what I'm doing (i.e., blogging) without taking way longer than necessary by getting distracted after every sentence I write (i.e., checking my e-mail or looking at pictures of people's pictures of their travels). Of note: I'm on also on a bit of a time crunch because I'm at my parents' house and in order to "gently encourage" me to go to bed early, they have already turned the heat downstairs down. I don't know that freezing out your daughter is gentle in any sense of the word.

Here are some of the pictures from my trip to Miami. I was determined to be a much better photographer of this trip than I have been in the past but I actually managed to regress by going so far as to completely forget to bring my camera. Fortunately, Alex obtained a camera that I could borrow.

I feel that I got to experience some of the less glitzy aspects of the area and see what it'd be like to live there. Last time I went in March (which I don't think I blogged about), my favorite part wasn't the clubbing and bars for which Miami is (in)famous. Rather, I liked going to Everglades National Park and going on a boat tour to spot alligators with my friend Eileen. It was extremely fun, until we ran over an alligator, and our guide reassured us that it would be fine and probably just got further pressed into the mud. Not reassured.

Regardless, this time, I got to eat well and also try a lot of new things (like Blockbuster; I haven't rented a movie since 1999 or something). It's great being in a town with someone who knows it well and, of importance, knows you well. Some things we tried:

1. The Beer & Burger Joint. This place was amazing! Then again, I'm totally a burger and beer kind of person. Alex said he comes here sometimes before going to Allstate Arena for the Heat games. We were the strange pair who both wanted to keep an eye on the game so we sat on the same side of the booth... in a seat meant for one. Edit: I think it may be important to add that in this seat for one, we were not on top of one another, just squeezed in. To make matters worse (or more hilariously better and establish our weird status- always good), Alex accidentally ordered my beer and burger for me since we were planning on sharing them (Hoegaarden and Rogue Dead Guy- or something about a monkey). So then we became the overbearing boyfriend who doesn't let the submissive girlfriend make her own decisions or talk to the waiter.

But, bear with me as I share the menu descriptions of our burgers:

  • Freebird: 8 oz. turkey burger with swiss cheese, sautéed portobello, onion bun
  • Mustang Sally: 8 oz. wagyu, red onion marmalade, brie cheese, sliced prosciutto, brioche bun served with skinny fries.


2. Vic & Angelo's Enoteca. I feel lucky we got to go here as a family dinner! We had the Sicilian Chicken Wings (aka fancy chicken wings), Burrata (insalata), and an Octupus dish I can't find on the menu. Although it was good, I was not the biggest fan of my meal, the Ricotta Gnocchi. But from the brief sampling we did of each other's food, it seemed like the general consensus was that the Rigatoni alla Bolognese was the best. And for dessert, chocolate cake the size of your head. We didn't finish it, but I think everyone pitched in to make a significant dent in it. Chrissy took the following picture of me, his dad, and the cake, and texted it to Alex immediately:

3. Whisk. Cute place. Amazing burritos. Also, all of their appetizers (that we tried) were to die for. The bacon-wrapped, gorgonzola-stuffed medjool dates were perfect.

4. Alex-cooked homemade meals, obviously. I recommend the everything bagel. I'm not sure how keen the chef is on sharing all his ingredients in that.

5. Menchie's Frozen Yogurt was a very bright, almost retro shop that made me feel like we were on a first date, either in high school or the 1960s... or both.

6. Town Kitchen and Bar. Super friendly, solid food. I think I ordered the wrong thing because as we were walking out, we passed by some pizzas and they looked delectable. It was my last meal there.

Also, we went skydiving in Homestead! I wish I had pictures of everybody, but I suppose the pictures documenting my intense screaming that could be heard from those still inside the plane will have to suffice. We jumped from 13,500 feet. It was an awesome experience.

We also went deep-sea fishing. A few people on our boat caught some fish, but we didn't have a lot of luck. I suppose we are just not really fishermen. But it was fun being on a big boat and enjoying the amazing breeze. I kept throwing my arms out. I think it might've gotten weird.


 On one of my last days there, we went to Fairchild Topical Botanic Garden. This place is beautiful. I think we could've spent a lot more time there than we did if we had had more energy and been less hungry. We ended up seeing most of it because a woman in a solar-powered golf cart offered to drive us back to the entrance (it pays to look very lost and confused), but when we were walking it ourselves, we seemed to be somehow walking the same path in a circular fashion.
 Alex knew who this woman was... I think she wrote about Florida so it may be a Florida thing.
 "Oh, here's some aloe vera, I think I should break it open and heal all our wounds. Hmm yes this is probably what it should look like."
 We decided that we need a Bird App so that we can take pictures of birds and it will tell us what species it is. This guy was hanging out outside the greenhouse.
 I honestly don't know why, but I really liked this thing that was coming off a tree. So official that I don't remember the species. But we both spent a long time trying to get an in-focus picture of it.
 There were lizards everywhere. But this guy was our favorite because of its vibrant color scheme. It was funny watching them do push-ups to either mate or scare off other males with their lizard muscles.

This sculpture was called The End of the Day. They make a lot of art pieces and at the end of the day, the artists would have a bunch of scraps. They all stuck them in this pole. We once again had a fun time analyzing a very abstract sculpture, deciding that its commentary was clearly one on the opposition of both good and evil within each person's soul (obviously).

I think some of the most fun moments weren't even these "big" activities we did. But things like... eating cheese and drinking beer. Talking like Spartans after watching 300. Getting a weightlifting lesson one day, playing badminton at the gym the next day, and then being so sore that the only logical way I could move was to run from place to place (like ripping off a band-aid). I don't know if it worked, but I do know that running (galloping) down the hall like an old person was incredibly fun. Things like that :)

Saturday, December 24, 2011

the natural response

Happy Christmas Eve! We don't do anything big, but it does mean a lot of family time. And that means hilarious things my parents say. My dad had a minor surgery the other day and I asked him how he was feeling. His response: "This part doesn't hurt anymore, but this part does... so I'm wondering if they left a pair of scissors in me."

To my mom: "Maybe if you don't know how to say a word, just don't say it. She always makes up endings to words."

Right now they're at CostCo.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

by way of explanation/about me

[image via a-ve-nue]

I spent the day reading blogs. Also reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz) and hanging out with my family members who were loosely watching NCIS. Additionally, I took a nap that came with a creepy dream about being stuck on a plane that was more like a big white room with tables and was doomed to explode eventually. I'll spare you the details.

Reading the blogs, though, got me thinking. There are a lot of blogs out there with very clear goals and writing. It made me remember the days I tried to do that also, as opposed to having somewhat vague posts that I never have enough time to fully think out and articulate properly. I recently decided that I want to update more often because I've found that writing things out helps me organize myself and my thoughts, to some extent. Equally importantly, it helps me remember the things that are happening to me at a much more rapid pace than I believe I could otherwise remember. 

But I also realized I don't have much of a unifying theme for my blog. Both my life and interests are rather scattered and without much of a unifying theme. At one point, I blogged a lot of projects (knitting, sewing) that I was working on. Or I wrote about cool things that I found. Fashion a little bit. But I think within the past year or two, I've moved away from really having much interest in stuff (as in, things acquired by shopping). I don't know how it happened, but I would theorize that it came during one of my attempts to clean my room or closet and being completely overwhelmed by how many things I had (to organize). 

Somewhere along the way, I started caring more about building significant relationships (all relative, probably). I decided to dedicate my very limited budget to traveling as much as I could, new experiences, new food, and the like. The past year, I've been very lucky to work some rewarding part-time jobs as a children's birthday party planner, knitting instructor for kids in Chicago after school programs, nanny, and babysitter. It enabled me to save some money for tuition, but also to explore my favorite city, Chicago, and all it had to offer, as well as travel to Miami (twice), New Orleans, Boston, and Peru. These experiences changed my life and I wish I had blogged them better. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am still working on having a clear purpose for this blog, but until then, I'm going to simply blog about my life. And perhaps to figure out what that entails, I should enumerate a little about myself and what is in store for the upcoming months. I'm a 22-year-old medical student with another semester left in my first year of school. It was a long process getting here and continues to be a journey to keep up with everything (and often involves a long night-before-the-exam catchup sessions), but I get by with coffee/tea and my friends. 

I've fallen in love with seeing things I haven't before and exploring new places, particularly cities, but at heart, I'm a Chicago girl. I know (almost) every coffeeshop in the city and there are a few places that know way too much about me. Usually they see me at my worst level of hygiene and wearing the strangest (read: comfiest) outfits, but still attempt to maintain some semblance of acknowledgment that I'm a human being who doesn't get to sleep a lot and I appreciate that to no end. I just came home from a week in beautiful Miami and am beginning preparations for a month in Poland this summer to learn more about clinical medicine in a different culture by working with doctors from Poland. I hope to begin to learn everything I can about this country, which I honestly had never even really considered going to before. 

I hope to share some of my travels, photographs, and projects along the way and I guess that's the best I can do for now!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

i have left my heart in so many places

Just got home from Miami! The weather was just about perfect, but at least it feels a lot more like Christmas here in the (freezing) cold. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked to, but on the bright side, I did take some. 

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

winter warmth plans

Exactly my plan to stay warm this winter. And yes, I'm going to need the coffee.

wherever we go, there we are.

I have caught the traveling bug majorly within... well, the past 3 years. But especially these past few days. Good thing I'm getting on a plane soon! I'm heading to Miami on Wednesday. I'm extremely excited. I can't wait to be warm again, for one. Tonight, I did some research on Polish cities because I'm going to Poland this summer to live for a month! I am starting to really get into it and into Polish history. I'm also hoping to be able to travel nearby Europe for a week or two beforehand, but we'll see if budget allows. I'm so lucky. More on that later.

[image from getting lost in the world]

Monday, December 12, 2011

paris club

My good friend James and I went to Paris Club on Saturday evening. And by evening, I mean 4:30 PM. Apparently, it is totally an old person thing to do, but there are many benefits to doing this. First, you avoid lines and really, any sort of wait. James and I had tried to come here a few months ago around 7 PM, but ended up being told that we wouldn't be able to eat until 10 PM. Just get here a few hours earlier, and the bar and dining room are your oyster. Additionally, you may find that halfway through your meal, you are informed that you got the Happy Hour special, which at Paris Club is 50% off all appetizers. And finally, you finish eating around 6:30 and by the time you get home, including taking the train the wrong direction the first time, it's only 7:30. Okay, so that's the old person part.

Anyway, this place made me miss Paris. It made me miss the entire past year when I nannied, ran birthday parties, worked at the gym, did whatever I could to save money to travel.

We ordered Escargot Bourguignonne, French Onion Fondue (Gruyere), Chicken Terrine, and Frites Fromage (amazing dip for the fries)- not pictured.



I didn't like the chicken terrine as much, although it was still good. Everything else was phenomenal in taste. Here are a few pictures of us- I'm looking way excited about the escargot that looked like a little mushroom cap. And I wanted to take a picture of James with the Eiffel Tower print behind him. We had a lot of fun catching up after my semester of disappearance.

Sorry about the delay- I am still in the midst of a full-on do nothing recovery session!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

just because i like green

color of the day?
via cogli l'attimo

black coffee morning


Sigur Ros and free coffee (black, of course) at Overflow Coffee Bar in South Loop this morning was perfect. Here's to hoping that you had as pleasant a morning as I did- and a much more productive afternoon!
"Jim is always creating. Like any eccentric artist, he walks a fine line between the rational and irrational. I'm just here to help. With both." So many beautiful ideas and thoughts on The Anthropologist.

Monday, November 28, 2011

one of the many reasons, as far as i can tell, for some countryside living

(via progress: verb)

One of the things I remember most vividly about Taiwan is driving. Whenever we visited, our family would take us on little road trips. "Little" being enough to transform the scenery and landscape around us. The thing about Taiwan is that you can go from ocean, to mountain, to countryside, to city within several hours. I miss it.

but i got you this flower.



So everyone is familiar with this site Feminist Ryan Gosling, right? So awesome and hilarious.

dress for the elements.

So... I have a private Twitter account. What I mean by private is that you have to request to read it and I only have accepted a few close friends (like... 3), some people who used to be friends before I wrote things in it, and my favorite coffeeshop. The reason is that for me, it's just a mind dump. Things that I've encountered and don't want to forget. Words that fall together in a certain way to delight me. And recently I started keeping a running list on there.

Anyway. Every once in awhile, I'll go back and scroll through all my past twitter entries and see what I wrote. Most of the things are little phrases that don't make sense or things people said to me that struck me (usually, humorously). And I mostly don't remember these things being said, but they bring up memories of things I had thought impossible to forget.

Things like:

"You have all been told to follow your dream, but what if it's a stupid dream?"
-Stephen Colbert's Northwestern Commencement Speech 2011

"You know how in elementary school, teachers always split up the two friends who are talking all the time? We are those friends."
-Saad, Oct 4

"Overheard on the bus: When I tell you I love you in my life, you say I love you in my life back."
Sept 21

"'Ask yourself, Can I run in these shoes? How fast? Faye Dunaway never looked so chic as while taking violent turns in her getaway car. Dress for moments like that. Dress for the elements.'"
Dec 26 10

Sunday, November 27, 2011

kicking off christmas?

I spent Thanksgiving with with an old friend's family. We watched Tangled and the TV show Revenge (it's addicting). We spent a lot of time laughing, cooking, and eating together. Now it's time for some studying. Two more weeks of school left! I'm very excited.

This also means it's officially the Christmas season. I painted my nails Trophy Wife by Essie in celebration. If there are a few simple things I like, it's the Christmas season (the entire season, not just the day), colorful nails (I think it may help me stay awake), and cool nail polish names. It's not something I do a lot, because I end up having to do it a few times since I inevitably don't wait long enough for it to dry and it gets chipped and dented somehow. New strategy: paint and then go to sleep. So far the only way that has worked. Plan B: Get disposable income, go to nail salon. Although I feel like that's not something I would really do anyway. Make that Plan F.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

i don't know what it's like to land and not race to your door

I took this picture with my computer at Bourgeois Pig in Lincoln Park today. I worked in a clinic with some patients this afternoon and then sat in a coffeeshop and studied. For a long time. I'm wondering if the rest of my life plays out like this, I think it'd be not bad. Room for improvement maybe. But maybe it'd be a happy little life I could be content with. I'm in the strangest mood, so most of that did not entirely make sense. I feel like I need to sleep, but also think about some things. Early train out of the city tomorrow!

I also realize that I turned a really cute, 18th century-looking cafe into what sort of looks like a dungeon with a really nice selection of tea. But taking pictures with a computer is awkward. I still plan on bringing my camera around. For Chicagoans: this coffeeshop is not my favorite, but extremely cute. I need to take real pictures soon!

Monday, November 21, 2011

she is packing in slow motion

[image from here]

I woke up around 8 o'clock today and got out of bed around 8:30. I have to say, I love waking up early. It's unfortunate that it happens so rarely. I thought about my goals this morning as I knit a scarf in sunny yellow, which made me happy despite the clouds outside.

Clean the bathroom
Do some laundry
Download lectures for today
Organize clothes
Listen to 5 Lectures
Review notes
Turn in exam
Get chili
Write a letter
Download lectures for tomorrow

I think that's it. My oven is on and I can smell that it is almost ready for the pizza that is about to be put in it.

i go places i never would have gone




My friend just introduced me to this website, 1x. These images are the kind of pictures I would love to take one day. The photographer's name is Robert. I also like what he has to say in his biography, "Just at one day I purchased a camera to start a hobby which took me a way from typical habits my job in foreign countries comes along with. So it starts and did grow. Analogue and digital now and still it is a lot of fun! Since that time I do not sleep long and stopped watching TV, I go places before I never would have gone."

Sunday, November 20, 2011

it's the woman who pays

I found this letter the other day online. Apparently, Marianne Brown wrote the following to Kurt Vonnegut:

"In 1989 my husband passed on; I was 36-years-old and left with 3 small children. For some reason I wrote to Kurt Vonnegut and thanked him for his books and his compassion. I did not expect a reply. He must have been a kind man, as he sent this to me within a month of writing to him. I have always wanted to share his kind words. It meant, and still means, so much to me."


And here is what he wrote:

Nov. 30 '90

Dearest Marianne Brown --

It can't be said often enough, "It is the woman who pays." The miracle is that so many can and do somehow. I was in love (still am) with a widow with four kids (two not her own). She somehow raised them all on a teeny weeny salary. I told her one time, "I worry about women." She said, "Don't."

Cheers --

(Signed)

Kurt Vonnegut