stop this train

Sorry to bring up John Mayer yet again, but I was listening to one of my most favorite tunes from him on my commute to work- it's called "Stop This Train". I'm probably an over-emotional person, but every time I listen to this song, I get a knot in my throat. I've probably listened to the lyrics more than enough to build up a tougher exterior so I'm a bit more desensitized...so I don't get all teary-eyed. See, that's why I undeniably love John Mayer (read his blog!)- he speaks the truth about life's nooks and crannies and gives it to you raw:



No, I'm not colorblind

I know the world is black and white

Try to keep an open mind

But I just can't sleep on this tonight



Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can't

But honestly, won't someone stop this train?



Don't know how else to say it

Don't want to see my parents go

One generation's length away

From fighting life out on my own



Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can't

But honestly, won't someone stop this train?



So scared of getting older

I'm only good at being young

So I play the numbers game

To find a way to say that life has just begun



Had a talk with my old man

Said "help me understand"

He said "turn sixty-eight

You renegotiate"



"Don't stop this train

Don't for a minute change the place you're in

And don't think I couldn't ever understand

I tried my hand

John, honestly we'll never stop this train"



Once in awhile, when it's good

It'll feel like it should

And they're all still around

And you're still safe and sound

And you don't miss a thing

Till you cry when you're driving away in the dark

Singing



Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can

Cause now I see I'll never stop this train



My little dog, the infamous "Cookie", is turning 1 tomorrow (stay tuned for an entire blog dedicated to her life thus far! haha) and she's just living proof that life is finite. Dogs have shorter lifespans than humans and even more, their lives are quantitated by a factor of 7 for each year they live. One of these days, I'll have to bid her farewell because she will have lived an entire life- hopefully consisting all of 12-15 years, if not more (in human years, that calculates between 85-105 years old!!!).



My dad always tells me to live your life the best you can because in his words, "One day you'll wake up and be 53". I don't mean to be cliche, but really, life is short, so do all you can now because there will be time to rest later.

P

unprecedented mental tuffness

The first man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since 1980. CONGRATS, RAFA!!! The heart of a champion- grit, determination, and mental toughness. I'm sorry, Roger; you're still the best in the world to me. This will be a day I will never forget- I was woken up at 7: 30 am PST to watch this match (1 set into the match) and 6 hours later, we have a new Gentleman's single Wimbledon champ! See you at the U.S. Open!

Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number

Dara Torres is living testimony that age shouldn't hold us back from our dreams. You go, Dara!

P.S. Where is she getting the money to hire: two physical therapists; two masseurs; a strength coach; a nanny; a sprinting coach; a head coach AND she special-orders food from an organic company in Tampa!

P.P.S. Can I please, please look like Dara Torres when I'm 40+???!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Lats Federer"

Am I trippin' or does Lats look like Roger Federer? I am watching Wimbledon right now and I kept commenting on how hot Roger is...when I suddenly realized that Roger and Lats bear a strong resemblance. Note the jawline and the way their noses kinda snub at the end- more like a downwards snub though- as well as the similarity in their brow ridges.

Or do I just need a stronger eye prescription?

stage fright

So I hunkered down and bought the new John Mayer "Live in Los Angeles" cd at Target today. Mind you, this is the second day in a row that I visited Target just to deliberate over and mentally beat myself up on whether I should make this purchase (for those of you that don't know me, I have continual bouts of indecisiveness and buyer's remorse). I finally bit the bullet and bought the damn cd.

Truth be told, the cd/DVD (Target's special is a double cd accompanied by a full concert DVD) is FABULOUS!!! I'm so happy I went back today to buy it...and luckily, I don't have buyer's remorse right now.

So in the DVD, John Mayer intertwines a documentary in with the concert performance and I found out this fool drives a Mercedes-Benz (not sure what kind of class though) and has a freaking Yorkie! I am exclaiming because I guess I never would have imagined him driving something as frou-frouish as a Benz or befriending a pet Yorkie (a man with a Yorkie just ain't right...it's something for the ladies). You know what- never mind, I guess I should not have expected anything less because John does strike me as a sensitive introvert, so I suppose it's okay. Alright, John, you can be that metrosexual.

As I'm watching this concert DVD, I'm truly inspired to bust out my acoustic guitar, which is what I did when I got home from Target. I was sorta mentally preparing myself for the concert DVD- you know, making sure I still have my guitar riffs down (my riffs only consist of a lines since I'm still quite a novice). It was nice to pick up the ol' Ibanez though since broham bought me a guitar strap so now I can walk around with mi guitarra...let's just say I got a bit too happy with the new addition because I frolicked down the hallway in an attempt to brag to my brother on how good this new strap looks, and I whacked the $hit outta' my guitar! Completely banged the bloody thing on the wall. Okay, I have a depth-perception problem. Long story short- the guitar is okay.

I'm slowly but surely getting over my stage fright though. Last week, my coworker brought in one of his traveling guitars (he has an arsenal of guitars!) and my boss made me bust out some tunes as soon as I came into work. I instantly had an audience of about three guys-one of which is almost a professional musician. Gulp. I would normally back down and find some sort of exit excuse. Not this time. I picked up that baby and started strumming chords and managed to squeak by a few verses of "More Than Words" (Lats knows I still am a bit choppy on this tune...haha). Anyway, my point is that I am going to make more of a conscientious effort to practice my guitar- especially now that I have an inspirational JM DVD- and perhaps put on a show in my boss' office. After all, you don't become a better musician unless you can somewhat showcase your talent- and what better way to improve on a budding talent lest you be in the company of those that will judge you. Criticism is an effective motivator.

Smells like $hit.

While we're on the topic of overseas travel, I wanted to mention something about exotic fruits. Has anyone ever tried durian? I went to the Vietnamese restaurant today for something safe like grilled pork chops over rice (NOTE:I need to be accompanied by a Viet when going to try something new) and an avocado boba when I scrolled down the menu and my eyes lingered over "Durian Boba"...

I heard rumors that this particular fruit really does smell like shit. Obviously it must because why would certain Asian countries ban this opprobrious item? With its thorny outer skeleton and tough cuticle, one would think it came out of a Super Mario Bros. game- so why would someone eat that shit??? I went to Seafood City this past weekend with my mom and strolled by the aisle freezers and saw this intriguing fruit and asked her what the big whoop was...well, she said it tasted really good even if it smells like shit. Like, umm, WTF?! Anyhoo, one of these days, I'm going to take the hit and buy either a shake or the entire fruit itself.

Here are some important tidbits to note about this peculiarity:

*Green to brown, pendulous, round to oblong; covered with sharp thorns
*Capsule, which splits into five parts when ripe
*Each segment contains brown seeds covered with creamy, yellow pulp
*1991: Malaysia: production: 180,715 MT; export: 34,904

The durian "dilemna"

On one hand ...
"Durian (--n.) : The fruit of the DURIAN, having a hard, prickly rind and soft pulp with an offensive odor"
"Some people would rather die than to smell the STINK of a durian."
"Like eating custard in a sewer."
"Overripe cheese, rotting fish,..."
The smell from hell, the taste from heaven."

On the other hand!!
"Give me durian or give me death."
"... the pale yellow flesh had an appealingly creamy, custardlike texture and a very sweet taste."
"Durian, the infamous tropical fruit, banned in hotels and public transportation because of its foul odor, but craved by many who have become accustomed to it. "

NUTRITION FACTS
Component
Per 100 g
Energy
153 cal
Moisture
64 g
Protein
2.6 g
Fat
3.4 g
Carbohydrates
27.9
Beta-carotene
140.0 mg
Vitamin B1
0.1 mg
Vitamin B2
0.13 mg
Vitamin C
23.2 mg

This is gross folks, but maybe the more appropriate thing to do is eat durian while taking a shit. You get the picture.

Happy Eating!
P

Kibbutz Vacation

I was watching the Discovery channel last week and I saw the most bizarre thing on the show- the host was hovered over a dead camel searching for the intestines so he could retrieve the water reserve. He found the section of the-might I add- HUMONGUS intestines, slit it open and out came the coveted "water", which was slurped up just way too ambitiously. How fkn gross is that?! (However, it's comforting to know what to do in a jiffy in case I'm stuck in the middle of a desert and am thirsty as hell.)

This dundee fellow proceeded to clean out the insides of the camel (the rest of the gut lumen, intestines, etc.) and since nightfall was approaching, he said he was going to use the camel's skeletal framework as a temporary hut and even skinned the pelt off of the camel and was using it as a blanket to cover himself to safeguard against the night-preying coyotes!

Which brings me to the topic at hand: Israel, which is included in the Mediterranean trifecta of Jordan, Syria, and itself, has an abundance of camels that you can go ride and kill when nightfall approaches (use it for your source of food and shelter; it's cheaper)...but if you want a less humble abode, you can actually vacation on a Kibbutz and either exchange your physical labor for lodging or stay in a hotel for only a few shekels. Even more, one may even get to score a view of the Sea of Galilee outside your window.

After reading on the history of Kibbutzim, I sorta contemplated the idea of being daring and actually vacation there. You know, immerse myself in some culture and they say that the Kibbutz hotels have contributed to a surge of capitalism in Israel (mind you, Kibbutzim only makes up a negligible percentage of Israel ~2 %!!!!)...and that they even have strayed away from the antiquated eco approach to the living arrangements and adopted plasma screen TV's, spas, massage parlors, etc. I mean, seriously people, what a vacation spot...peace, calm, serenity... HOWEVER, per Wikipedia (safe source, right? haha):

"Israel is quite safe for tourists. There is a risk of violence between Israeli Forces and Palestinian Fighters in the west bank and gaza at any time; additionally, there is a slight risk of further military action between Israel and other countries. Currently the situation makes travel safe. Use prudence if you plan to travel to the Palestinian territories. "

Ummm, yeahhh...maybe NOT.

Late,

P