Life in the City Part 1

I've spent my life in 3 major cities: Shanghai, New York, and now Boston.

In order to survive in any city, you must learn the ways of a City Girl. When I was 3, I was told to bite, then run away from strangers who approach me. I traveled from Shanghai to New York by myself when I was 12. By the time I was 14, I knew how to navigated my way through the subway stations. I had my first kiss at age 16. I am always alert of pickpockets from the corners of my eyes. I love the way the night shines not just from the moon, but from the bright lights of the skyscrapers. I believe jaywalking is the easiest way to cross the street. I take advantage of the fact that no matter how late it is, you can always find a place to eat. As you can see, the city has taught me well. But besides survival skills, the city has provided opportunities to witness some unique...things.

Thing #1: I think the best part of living in the city is the people watching. It's unbelievable how many crazy people there are in this world, and the unthinkable things they will do. The notorious Naked Cowboy in Time Square is probably the best example, strumming away on his guitar in his underwear in the middle of December. (I hear he's running for president now!) Or maybe the mirror lady on Westland Ave., who stares at a mirror nonstop, even when she's crossing the street. Even those mexicans that dogwhistle at any female creature that walks by. It makes me wonder, what are they thinking? Is the Naked Cowboy torturing himself in the cold because he's going through financial issues, or he just likes to show off his buttcheeks? Is the mirror lady self conscious about how she looks to everyone else, or just so arrogant that she can't stop looking at herself? Do mexicans amuse themselves by hitting on teenagers and old ladies alike, or do they think there's a higher chance of catching a fish if they put more bait on the hook?

If you have 10 minutes to spare, sit in a window seat in a cafe shop on a busy intersection, and just watch the people that walk by. Where are they going? Where did they come from? What are they thinking? Of course, you'll never get the real answer out of them. Just let your imagination fill in the blanks. When you live in a fast pace city, sometimes, focusing on other people's lives is the only way you can escape your own, if only for a few minutes.
Part 2 coming soon!

Heart vs. Brain

I'm not crazy. I just believe that there has always been two voices in my head. It's like the angel and the devil that sit on the shoulders of those cartoon characters on Saturday morning cartoons, always fighting with each other and telling you what to do. But being a science major, I like to think of my angel and my devil as my heart and my brain. The heart and the brain are a human's two most important body parts. But if you had to choose, would you rather be heartless, or headless?

My heart is probably the most stubborn organ you'll ever meet. Happiness, sorrow, love, anger, betral, hope, jealousy, relief, resentment, accomplishment. It feels everything. But it will never tell you why it's feeling this way, and there is no way you can make it change it's mind either. The only way to overcome such stubbornness is a remedy that only a few have. This miracle is called Self-Control. Sadly, I don't have any. That's why recently I've been giving in to my heart more than usual. My brain, my conscious, my common sense, is totally losing in every argument. "Do homework!" Nope, sorry, I'd rather play games on facebook. "Get over him already, he's so not the right guy for you." Nah, I still think he's cute. "Confront her!" Um, no maybe tomorrow. I mean come on brain! Don't give up on me just yet! I need you to make me more studious, more reliable, more organized, and definitely more punctual. So please fight for me!

This doesn't mean that I'm saying being heart-strong is a bad thing. Don't be a stoic! Without all those emotions, we would be ice, ice cold. Believe me, you don't want to be ice, ice cold (if you ever met my step mom, you would agree.) Emotions bring excitement to your daily life. When you see a cute boy on the first day of school, and your heart start pounding faster, thats exciting. When you know you would be scared of a scary movie, and yet you watch it anyways, that frightening feeling is exciting. When there's a big, red, shiny button that says "Do Not Touch" in big bold letter, and you can't help but touch it anyways, that's exciting. When you look back on your life, it's the events that make your heartbeat go crazy that actually have a real impact on you.

Poccahontas told us to listen with our heart. Einstein told us to reason with our brain. Who the hell are we supposed to listen to?

The Day We Were Born

It is raining.

What a gloomy way to start out this weekend. So instead of doing homework, we decided to start our own blog. Happy birthday to us! I haven't blogged in awhile, and I realized I still have writer's block when it comes to writing of any kind. I guess it's just something I will never improve in.

So recently, it occurred to me how much I disliked my clock. How does that little watch on your hand determine what you should be doing at this very moment? How are we so sure one second had just passed? If you didn't have a watch, wouldn't you believe me if I told you it is 2:37pm right now? It's pretty amazing stuff. I don't like the fact that I am constantly being controlled by my clock. What right does it have to tell me it is time to sleep, or scream at me in the morning to wake up for class. I feel trapped inside its mechanical wheels. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone on earth had the power to stop time for just one day? For just one day, everything around me would freeze. I would have the freedom to do whatever I want, whenever I please. No need to consider the consequences before acting, no more judgmental eyes following your every move, no fear of what's about to happen next. How nice it would be to just escape for one day.

But then again, running away isn't the answer is it? I believe that there are two voices inside my head. The good guy who tells me what is the right thing to do, and the bad guy that tells me the easy way out of doing it. Of course, the bad guy seems to have a bigger influence on me. I tend to believe what he says, just because he has a louder voice. And he is always telling me to run away. Too much pressure? Escape it. Too many responsibilities? Avoid it. So I hide. I retreat into my shell, and I pretend nothing happened. My friends are always asking me, "hey where were you?" To which I reply, "oh nowhere, just around." Well, I'm sick of hiding. Hiding doesn't resolve anything.

Today is the birth of our blog, and a new beginning for me. I guess this is my epiphany moment. So bring it on world, I'm ready for you!