Welcome To My Planet

To be serious or not

2011-05-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I was drinking wine in a kitchen full of girls (out of a box mind you) debating how important it was for me to be percieved as smart. My friends have loved me and laughed with me, and this case laughed at me because as they said, "Love, you are too cool to be considered a nerd." Even though I swear it's what I've always wanted.

The perks of success? Having every one call you intense and serious. I swear, there was a time when people couldn't imagine that a smile was ever off my face- but can you believe that focus on goals sometimes lets you lose sight on the importance of laughter? Some days, I even feel awkward making jokes. Yes, those awkward "ha ha's" you hear cubicle's away to a joke I tried to tell that fell on the floor, I swear it was me.

Love and Other Drugs- not a movie I wanted for the one night I've had to myself in around 60 days. The serious side says: Oh great Love, you chose a movie you thought would be funny but really it is serious and has references to diseases, not at all laughable. The other side of me says, well Love you did just pay a dollar to watch this. Enough seriousness and on with the laughter- I hope shakespeare once said that.

Yes, those are naked bodies to the left- and one image of the movie that reminded me that if you "don't use it, you lose it". So why am I saying no to dating again?

But seriously, or not seriously, what good is the success when you get tunnel vision. The world is a tough, harsh place, hallelujah Osama is dead and yet I still have challenges with landing a job. Social concerns are important to me but the celebrations and the vacation I have coming up, everything often seems to be stressful. I'm convinced that if I can interview they won't let me walk out that door- and yet, it's the only thing I've focused on.

In the mean time, I've laughed little, loved not at all, and in some ways have questioned whether or not I'll get to any of my goals. I have even turned down a date because it wasn't worth the lack of sleep on a Thursday night - I swear I'm not 50.

The doubt is the worst part of being successful, where you question what you deserve and the worst is when you find someone more deserving than you. When you are down, try thinking about all the people that are more qualified and the struggle it is to walk into meetings with your head held high as if you own that meeting.

I recommend the laughter- it'll cure you of those days where you struggled to keep that chin raised. There will always be those days. Regardless of if you go to work hungover or off a professional success, the days will still great you where your adequecy and legitimacy and critics are there to challenge you. These are challenges and not obstructions.

Laughter is what I always relied on through the tough times, and I swear there is still a sense of humour in here somewhere. Being taken seriously as a professional does not mean changing your personality. After a chief investigator from ATF called me "intense" and "serious" last week, I know I've gotten off the path of what has made me happy. Happiness = success

"Wars May End but Policing Never Does"

2011-04-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

That is, unless there is no money to fund police work. The world is alive with the buzz of tainted breathalizers. A year ago, DC realized their breathalizer system was innaccurate and the readings were tainted. Since this time, drunk driving arrests have decreased by nearly 40%.

Is it because there have been less people drinking and driving?

Surely, no.

Is it because police work has been able to prevent people from getting behind the wheel?

Again, most likely not.

Without breathalizers, police officers can only arrest people who absolutely fail a field sobriety test, and if they do, they are brought to the station for an expensive urine sample (7 times the cost per breathalizer). $75 pee tests have diverted officers from arresting suspected drunks.

The radio commented that it is a good bitter thing to have happen. On one hand: less likely to be arrested, on the other, more likely to end up in a dui related accident. The radio also made it seem like now is the time to go drinking and driving- however smart that may sound to you, DC will get their act together sooner rather than later, (hopefully they will get funding soon), and just think how screwed up your saturdays to come will be if you end up with a dui, or worse, hurting someone from getting behind the wheel. And that pretty face of yours in an accident.

This is one example of many that the police have had to deal with in regards to budget cuts, or the inability to recover from mistakes. The worst that I have found is the meth lab example. Meth lab cleanups tend to fall within the FBI jurisdiction. Federal funds are used to help states bear the burden of cleaning up labs, and as of February- the money well was dry. What this means:

Labs are being found but not being cleaned.
Police are forced to kick residents out of nearby buildings until the lab can be cleaned (or else it is a liability).
The money ran out in February, and now that it is April, the budget has not been passed yet that allows funds to resume the cleanup process.

Crystal meth for everyone? The influx of labs to be cleaned up has grown everyday. So in the mean time, I would advise you to mind the police tape, or urge congress to pass this budget agreement. In fact, the second idea will solve many police issues. Only 6 more months til we have to pass another budget- budget by then? I'm optomistic.

A Nuclear Wasteland?

2011-04-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

With the recent disaster in Japan, I have found many people and agencies calling into question the need for nuclear resources, and do the benefits outweigh the risks. Here, we have an American viewpoint with everything going on in Japan: with many agencies arguing the risk is isolated over in Japan, and should not affect our view of nuclear energy. Today, I would like to present an international perspective of what has been considered and where nuclear research is likely to go.

Nuclear Life before Fukishima
Before this disaster, the US was spending an enormous amount of time, energy, and a multitude of resources to prevent other countries from developing nuclear weapons. Here are some facts:

There are 8 declared nuclear weapon states
There is 1 state that is undeclared, but is considered a nuclear weapon state (Israel)
Four of those states are not governed by the nuclear proliferation treaty (which technically they can choose to use nuclear weapons against other states without provocation, although, they would be persecuted in international courts).
Though only 9 technically possess nuclear weapons, there is a nuclear weapon sharing program that gives 7 other countries access to US nuclear weapons.
Nuclear Plant Accidents:

Radiation Leaks

There are only 189 signatories on the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, which means other countries can develop nuclear weapons if they choose.
Furthermore, a state can CHOOSE to leave the treaty if they would like to develop nuclear weapons.
2010 saw Russia and the US coming together and deciding to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapon, as well as promote a policy of full transparency (a method to reassure other states that we won't like about what we possess, and to encourage honesty and trust with other states).
Despite the agreement that was made, there has been little to no progress to reduce stockpiles. The economic recovery has pushed nuclear controls to the backseat, and it is an international concern. The control of nuclear energy has been pushed to the forefront with the recent disaster in Japan.

Iraq? Iran? Weapons of Mass destruction? despite the energy that goes into the creation, destruction, and prevention of nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, regardless of the form, has serious repercussions.

I would argue that the largest concern is the safety of the weapons and the safety of the facilities. There are weapons lost, some are potentially on the black market (mysterious disappearance of Russian suitcase nuclear weapons), and in the wrong hands, could destroy everything. The lack of control, despite having the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, International Atomic Energy Agency, and the many more agencies: there are not international standards that every state adheres too, and there likely won't be. Besides, who has the right to tell other states what they can do with their nuclear energy, and who would head the agency that would decide? No, the US is not allowed to do that. Nor is any other country. Without a standard, and the lack of control, we have to ask if the contents of pandora's box will ever been controlled.

So, what is the point?

Nuclear energy has done many great things for mankind:

X-Rays- Awesome invention, and without which, more than a few of us would be disfigured with our broken bones.
It's a clean way to produce energy: there are no poisonous biproducts of the energy (such as CO2)
Nuclear waste takes up less room than waste from fossil fuel. It's an alternate to fossil fuel too (which our demand can not keep up with supply).
Fossil fuel industries have had MANY more accidents than nuclear production accidents. The trouble is that fossil fuel accidents do not have as large an impact on the environment as nuclear accidents do.
There is virtually an infinite supply of nuclear energy. Nuclear power is developed from Uranium, which currently is largely found within the earth's crust.
Nuclear energy isn't subject to the market like oil is.
Surprisingly, radiation has been around since the existence of the earth, and in some ways it is beneficial to human help in moderate amounts.

But, this should not distract that nuclear energy is dangerous, and it is important to be educated and have a world-wide perspective for what is going on. We should look at the whole: Nuclear Power Programs, not just nuclear weapon programs..

Japan and the Aftermath:
Today, the disaster at the plant in Fukushimu has been upgraded to be a comparable disaster to Chernobyl. To be frank, that disaster did not end well and I don't suspect that this will either. The control of the disaster has been marred by the continued earth quakes, with some speculation that the quakes will continue for twenty years to come.

Aside from how smart it is to have a nuclear power plant on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the international impact will be significant. Some of the current repercussions include:

Countries are already detecting higher than normal levels of radiation (including the U.S.) which due to wind and other forms of weather, has helped to spread radiation.
Radiation from the plant leaked into the ocean. Though this has claimed to be stopped, we are yet to know the effects.
Milk and food has been contaminated in Japan, though the primary concern is infants. This has countries testing and retesting imports and exports from Japan to ensure it is safe for consummation
In the midst of these awesome economic times, exports from Japan have slowed due to what has been going on, so what about countries that rely upon importing Japanese products? Specifically in the Asian region, the concern for the safety of the citizens is greater, but it would be remiss to say that countries are having to adjust to what has been going on in Japan.

Surely, there are more international repercussions, and many more that are likely to be realized in the future. With 25 years beyond Chernobyl, it is challenging to say that we were more prepared for this situation. In many ways, the two situations are so different, they are hardly comparable. The chernobyl disaster leaked 400 times more radiation than the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. With the recent catagorization of Japan's nuclear disaster, the potential for the same effects is humbling. The chernobyl disaster has claimed as many as 900,000 human lives (depending on the reports you read), sadly, Japan will hopefully recieve the international aid they need to prevent the same outcome. And yet, it is far too soon to tell.

Where do we go from here:
It would be fair to say that the invention of nuclear energy has done more harm than good, and frankly no one knows better than Japan. However, does it make a difference? These disasters cause hesitation. I would like to believe the world will be on recovery for some time due to the economic conditions, the events in Haiti and Japan, and potential other crisees to come. Research will continue, and when the dust (or radiation) has settled, it will more than likely be back to business. There are the people that consider nuclear energy a power, and the effects of Japan will only encourage those countries to obtain the power and potentially convert it to nuclear weapons. With countries possessing nuclear weapons that are not subject to international conditions and constraints (like the NPT), there will be a need for a watch dog figure to have nuclear weapons, on the off chance the "enemy" gets it too. Furthermore, weapons have been found on the black market. Untill all weapons are accounted for, it is not logical for governments to destroy their weapons, but it is logical to reduce their stockpile. I predict that though Japan has put pressure on the US to maintain nuclear weapons in case Japan is attacked (as well as other countries under the US Nuclear Umbrella), they will move away from nuclear power as a form of weapon, and will join the platform for a nuclear weapon free world.

Then again, we have created so many weapons at this point, it is impossible to destroy the information. At some point the battle will not be between states that have the nuclear weapons, but organizations. That would be the scariest reality to come.

Thoughts?

First Step, Capital Hill- Second Step, White House

2011-03-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

The building of buildings, second to the White House.

Two weeks ago, a lowly intern was privileged to accompany the Board of Directors of the International Association of Chiefs of Police to the Capital Building to help discuss law enforcement's legislative agenda.

Yes, even law enforcement has to fight to be included on congressional budgets. The 2011 presidential budget and congressional budget are yet to be decided- and technically the 2011 year began--- uhhhh 5 months ago!

So we are on the verge of a GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN! Last seen when Bill Clinton was hanging out with interns.

Essentially, this means no mail from USPS or work considered "non essential". So I was fortunate enough to help set up for this day, and at the 11th hour I was invited to attend!!! Yes, not all interns are just on the "set up" committee. In preparation for this day, and within all the excitement and last minute details that were to be accomplished, the only thought worth thinking in the midst of the excitement was:

What in the world will I wear? This isn't my first congressional event, and hopefully not my last, but all you need is one major impression (and I was NOT intending on going naked to make that impression).

Conservative but cute, Mrs. O as my guide, and a best friend with a limitless wardrobe, I channelled my inner Jackie and this was the result:

This picture does not do the outfit justice. It was not your average black suit dress, but a warm wool black and white suit with a fashionable coller (which I was instructed that it had to be displayed, and thus my hair was back) designed by the wonderful Ann Taylor. Mrs. O would have approved. Thank you to Ms. Sarah for the outfit and Kate Spade bag!

What would you wear for a day on the hill? More soon!

Guatever!!!!

2011-03-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

Did you know that mayans still exist? Seriously.

It brings me back to the days of sitting in history class, studying how the spaniards wiped out all of the Mayans, and at 25, I've only just discovered they still exist! Trust me, it was like Santa Claus all over again.

Guatemala: Though an exciting place to live (riding a bus can be like playing russian roulette), there is so much culture and color there. The architechture, somewhat influenced from Spain, was beautiful! To the left you see a traditional church in the town of Chimaltenengo. It lacks the grandiose butresses you would find on the Notre Dame, but has a lovely charm, no? Out in front is a boy playing soccer (futbol), there is a wonderful court yard that separates the church from an ornamated park, complete with locals selling their merchandise.

Though the architechture was one of the first things I noticed, I was there for a wedding!!! One of my best friends was getting married :) Amber and Wilfredo met and fell and love, and now they have they cutest child!

It all began a little something like this :) So we were there for a wedding, and though this departs from the theme of my previous political discussions, and despite the economic turmoil in Guatemala, I still can't believe mayan's exist!!! We got to visit some of the ruins, markets, and have the most wonderful wedding (boda :) )

Part of the Mayan Family my friend married into:

These cute girls were running around and peaking through the wedding. They wear typical mayan dress, with tons of colors. The back of their hair had braided colors in it. Absolutely lovely. Check out some more pictures of the trip:

The photo with the E's crossed out means one of two things: this particular photo I believe means no parking. However, there are signs with E's crossed out/pictures of a sombrero hat crossed out, which the Guatemalan's put on their building as a sign that they do not stand with the government. Similarly, there are sombrero's that are painted, or E's to show they are for the government. Interesting.... There are tons of lovely photos, when are you guys going to Guatemala?

Emerging from the Grave

2011-03-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Still with me?

Excellent! The world has surely missed me. I have however been gallavanting around, literally, trying to organize my next few steps in life.

Quick Update:
I've achieved a master's degree! I can not express or explain my feelings about this degree within a few short words, let alone a blog. At the end, I've emerged with new friends, a new degree, surely a few gray hairs, and hopefully for the better. I can update on the degree at a later date.

World travels? Since my last update I have gone to:
France
Poland
Hungary
Italy
Northern Ireland
Spain
Belgium
Luxembourg
Germany
and lastly: Guatemala

If you can believe it, Guatemala was one of the best discoveries I have made. I actually did not have the urge or thought to go to Guatemala. One of my best friends was there working when she fell in love and decided to get married. Hours after arriving back in the states I was zipping up bridesmaid's dresses and trying to decide if orange or yellow looked better. . . . . in my case, it was a lose/lose situation, however, I love her enough to wear yellow! My next post will be on Guatemala.

Since Guatemala (Sept 2010), I've been working and interning with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. In the spirit of being brief, more on that later as well :)

Coming up: Trip to Greece, Egypt, and Turkey

Yes, I've booked a trip to Egypt- but in lighter news, I hear they are closer to creating a constitution. It could be worse, could be Somalia. I anticipate Egypt will be closer to having a government in May, than Somalia will be this year. Stay tuned :)

And I'm back!!!

2009-11-17T03:41:00.000-08:00

Jet sailing around the world, tis the life no?
If that were what I was doing :D But I did just get back from Poland and Ireland- and I wish I knew more ways to say BEAUTIFUL for Ireland. . . . beautiful beautiful beautiful. . . Cutie is to Japan like beautiful is to Ireland

All I can say is GO
GO GO GO
As for Poland, it was an amazing experience- especially because of how much I learned about the concentration camps. It is hard to believe how far people will go to inflict that much hatred, also how much damage humans are capable of inflicting. Overpopulation seldom feels like a problem when we have cases of genocide that exist today. And this isn't over, there is genocide going on in the Sudan and Darfur every day- and more places than that. Even worse is that they aren't hiding it like the Germans did, it's easy to see but out government is unable to do anything just yet. Bills are being put into place, the UN has called for meetings, only time will tell when that genocide ends before the next one begins.

How humbling, to think how privileged I am to not know what it means to have no freedom. I have never been without food, my family is loving, I have had great experiences thus far in my life because I have taken many risks to achieve them; however, I have been fortunate to be in a place to dream those risks and where I want to go.

The complaints that I and most of the people have are small comparatively. It's good for me to see that stuff; the hard stuff, the not easily explained stuff. . . because how else will I create change and goodwill if I don't understand it.

My next adventure will be a little more light- I believe I am going to Zaragoza, Spain sometime between now and January. . . . I have 2 friends coming to visit in December
February I am going to Milan to go to the Venice Carnival that is held every year

Places I still want to go:
Budapest, Hungary
Turkey
Greece
Moracco
Slovakia

I know I am going to spain next summer too for the running of the bulls- so that will be GREAT

Now if only I can get a job to pay for all this :D . . . . and do some school work (agh it's hard to concentrate because you think about all this stuff here- where to go, what to see)

Cheers!

Will it or will it not rain?

2009-10-20T08:12:00.001-07:00

Surely, the day I leave my umbrella at home will be the day it rains. Oh gosh, as I began typing this, it has begun raining! Why I don't stop these thoughts from happening before I jinx myself, I'll never know. . . . .

So, life has mostly been settling in. School is full underway, I am studying/looking for a job/ trying reallllllly hard not to spend money and yet I think I'm making myself spend money more. . . .

Like shopping- it always starts off as a good idea because you have a need, and then you go and you realize there are a lot of things you think you "need". Today's needless item: nail polish remover. Do I need this? No, I don't really need to paint my nails either, but that didn't stop me from buying nail polish . . . .

In world news: Sweden is burning bunnies as a form of renewable energy. . . . .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8309156.stm

Check it out

To be a Radical or Not to be a Radical

2009-10-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here is the project my classmates and I have been given:
We are part of 4 different organizations that are either for/against the expansion of Heathrow Airport (this is a current topic in England right now. The UK agreed to stop carbon emissions by 20% and now they are actually trying to expand the airports in London and add more terminals and runways which would increase the amount of carbon emissions the UK emits).

The four groups are:

The Aviation Commission: You are for the expansion. It creates jobs, will allow more planes to fly to your airport, creates more money for you as well (you own planes and now more people will fly them).
The local police: You are against the expansion but for alternative methods of increased transportation (buses) because the expansion takes away the people that fill the jobs in the community and you would have to increase taxes on the residents to pay for this.
GreenPlanet: You are an international Non-Government Organization that is against the expansion because it creates health risks, destroys the earth yada yada yada (green planet). You have tons of money from donations, are completely successful, and you know people in government (so you have a lot of pull).
CleanAir: A super tiny Non-Government Organization that is against any form of increased transportation (expansions, new airports, extra buses or undergrounds). Think of a radical group that chains themselves to airplanes to stop them from creating carbon emissions. . . . .

Guess which group I am in :D I'm a radical :D Now where did I put those chains . . . .

Honestly, would I have chosen this.... this is not an easy one, and I got put in this group because of where I was the last to get the sign up sheet for the group choices. But this is excellent.

Each group has to come up with a strategy to influence public policy that would benefit their group. The Clean Air radicals don't have money for advertising, only have a few people in the organization, and don't have any links to government to get our word across. OH I should mention that the current government in power is FOR the expansion- lucky for those in the Aviation Group. But that means I will learn the most out of this project, we'll have to be extremely creative to develop our strategy, and look at all kinds of small NGO's and how they were effective.

The easy answer is to bribe Green Planet to allow us to be part of the their committee since we support similar things, but is the easy answer the right one? I will go with no on this one.

Which would you choose? And how could you be effective? This is really interesting if you are into governmental affairs because you really have to follow whichever government is in power and change your strategy based on it.

Things I have learned

2009-10-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Things I have learned while being in the UK:

I look old enough to buy liquor (hoooooray)
I do not look old enough to buy scissors. . . . . hmmmm

The trouble with rain isn't the occurence of it, but the fact that when I have to go to classes, everyone else and I all have umbrellas. I am worried about the life of my umbrella because everyone bumps it when I go to class, it's just a sea of umbrellas. Try moving with an umbrella (without harming it) when everyone else has one. I have almost resigned to put mine down and just hope that I am protected my the sea of umbrellas. Still gets me wet. . . .

I will not get anywhere in a conversation if I talk about "Football". As much as I try to say American football, it just doesn't stick, and ultimately, me and everyone else ends up having two entirely different conversations.

I still haven't had English food. I really want to! However, I have learned they have AMAZING chinese food. Also, the luxury of living with so many different types of students (my apartment or flat has 3 guys from saudi arabia, a guy from Turkey, a guy from Nigeria, 2 girls from the UK, one girl from S. Korea, and one guy from Switzerland) is that we all cook a lot and I get to try a lot of their types of food. The roommate from Turkey and his friends made us all pasta with Ketchup, beef with eggs/onions/yogurt for dinner tonight. Twas wonderful :) Yes, ketchup on pasta and beef with yogurt, you read that right.

Classes are going well so far. Democracy prevailed and I was elected the student representative for my masters program as I was the only one to raise my hand. So without opposition, I won :D Keep in mind, this was how Hitler rose to power, and I must have intimidated my classmates early :D Just kidding should this post ever come public.

Enough for tonight, I will have a political prose tomorrow for you to read and share your opinion on. Thank you for the e-mails/facebook messages on my last political post.

Centralized vs. Decentralized

2009-10-02T04:21:00.000-07:00

In my "Influencing Public Policy" class we were comparing two different models the UK government has used - the Westminster Model and the Differentiated Model.

We split into groups and argued which model is better. Simply, the Westminster model is the older model in favor of a more centralized government, and the Differentiated Model is a more evolved model that promotes decentralized government for the sake of a society that is primarily diverse. Granted, there are many more points to each model, but for the sake of this post- I elected the argument of centralized vs decentralized.

Centralized
This type of governinig is seen more in a capitalist or communist country (ie. north korea, china, etc). And you see all the internal issues there. The governing comes from one place, and it has a top down type of governance ( all ruling evolves from one person, so a president, prime minister, all similar types qualify). The argument for is that information is not lost between each sector and it all comes from one place. It is easier to implement things nationally, there are less government workers to pay for, so it is more cost effective and traditionalists (those against change) argue that if you are looking at a government that meets the needs of the general interest, a central government is better because it looks at the country and makes broad laws that are able to be molded at times of specific situations (simply the government is not as involved with the people, there is less regulation, and the "laissez-faire" concept is dominent). This is the heart of what a centralized government should look like- however if you look at the governments taht are primarily centralized- "laissez-faire" really only truly exists in non-sovereign states (which are building today).

Decentralized
A more modern approach to governing many different types of people. It allows local and regional governments to govern their areas, and leaves the national power to really deal with foreign policy issues and issues that are posed from the regional level. The "for" stance is that this approach is better for the type of world we live in today; where there are many different types of people, and broad laws do not govern the immigrants in a nation. Setting up local and regional governments allow people in specified areas to be governed the way that works for those areas while still adhering to national law. It's more specific to the needs of the different types of people. The argument against is that once you decentralize the government, it looses power, and reversing that authority may not happen. Giving independence to an area may make the area shy away (which is essentially how we get different countries and governments).

If you consider that the ultimate goal of a government is to secure the interests of its citizens (or people within its borders) and to protect them, which government would be more successful?

My answer is that a decentralized government was created in response to a centralized government, and the lack of regulation is what has helped cause a recession. Public policy should not be created as a response to what our government has done wrong, but rather it should be a preventative step. Allowing people to govern themselves could work if their combine interests do not infringe upon the rights of other territories or persons. The reason this does not work is that people are motivated by power, and if why just govern myself if I could govern my neighbor too. Negotiations take place as a form of compromise- sure I will give up my right to these decisions, if you promise to protect me, type thing. And voila- we have a government. Decentralization gives up a lot of rights because more government is involved- but with a diverse crowd, how will anyone's voice be heard. If you look on an international scale, governments give up power to higher treaties (E.U., UN, NATO) and in favor of alliances. Without these alliances, governments will be able to govern themselves until some sort of problem arises that they can not handle. (war, poverty, something they can't fix by themselves).

Centralized governments do have alliances- but if you agree with my stance, then you can see how difficult it would be to help govern a country- say as big as China that is centralized. And expensive.

Thoughts?

From the Majority to the Minority

2009-10-02T03:42:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!
I have finally settled in, and will explain everything that has happened thus- as I have had quite a bit of emails from people wanting to know everything.

I arrived via Heathrow (an hour early) on Wednesday, and took a twenty minute bus to my school (yes, that is all it took :D). To be clear, I am NOT in London, I am in Uxbridge, which is similar to Arlington to DC. The first bit of excitement came when I saw the lines for customs- there are 2: the "EU"- people with passports from the European Union, and "Everyone Else" haha that's me. The line for the EU was nearly 3 times my line, and so naturally, my first moment of being a minority was exciting- until I realized that their entire line went through customs before I even went through half of my line. "everyone else" gets to answer lots of questions. . . . . .

So my mom's friend met me at the airport and she travelled with me to my school. Immediately went to the accomodation office, dropped my luggage off, went to Finance which cleared me to enroll, went to registration, went to the graduate studies office to get my course outline, and made it to my first class at 2 :) After class, I went and registered my computer- and voila. It was just that easy. Nothing- nothing at all- has been easy to get to this place. And now that I am here, I feel as if I am being rewarded ............. or there's a catch ............. it can't be this easy . .. . ... It is though! Everything is done- set up

Let's see, classes: I take 4 classes this semester and 3 next semester. This semester I am taking International Relations, Globalization, Influencing Public Policy, and Intelligence and Non-Criminal Threats. Every single one of those classes are SOOOOOO interesting (I am putting up a political post separate from this, and you'll understand what I mean). To say I am on the edge of my seat is an understatement. I was mad that in my first class I had to sit in the back of the room (I was twenty minutes late due to getting things set up) because all the front seats were taken. My classes do not have tests- and I will be graded on 2-3 different essays per class that judge my intelligence on a given topic. Most of the essay's will be opinion based- where I will have to choose a stance and argue it to death. The trouble for me is that though I can do that (which most of you have been subject to), I cannot help but look at the opposition- it's the diplomat in me, and understand their argument. My goal is to use the understanding of the opposition to prepare me for future studies. Anywho, my teachers are hot too. And beyond interesting. I am surprised by the lack of work. They trust all masters students to take their education to the height of the individuals' ability. With all the preparation mom has helped me with ( ;) wink) I will be able to complete these essays without trouble. I have class almost every day from 9-12, Tuesday no class, my monday class is every other week, and wednesday I have class from 2-5 instead.

English humor is fantastic! I was worried that I would want to mock them or that I wouldn't be able to talk back to them in my american accent because it is funner to speak in an English one- but that isn't so. I am nearly the only one with an american accent, and I am surrounded by dozens of accents. The English do let me mock them- in good fun though haha that's how I have made most of my "chums". They mock me, I mock back. Additionally, I get to say words like compulsory (mind you, spoken without the pronunciation of the o if you want to say it properly) instead of the word required.

Food isn't bad- ketchup isn't good here. Then again, I haven't had a real english meal yet (I have had chinese and generic cheap food). The beer is good. I drank last night for the first time, and unfortunately, it stays with you despite how little you drink. So even though I stuck with beer, this morning was a little rough, and I only had 3!!!!! I made the mistake of challenging some english guys to darts. I was great (they would have happily had me on their team), but my poor judgement came in choosing another american as my teammate (he's odd because he grew up in England but moved to America when he was 12, so he is like a crossbreed or something). We got our asses beat. At least the first two games. The third game I recruited a guy from iran and we won- my american pride is saved :D

I get food at Tesco (it's like walmart style)- and it isn't much to boast on yet. I don't know where I can place food in my fridge yet, so I have only bought non-perishables. And I was exhasuted when I was selecting my food, so I stuck with things I know. American packaging is more exciting- even on the generic stuff. One thing I find abroad is that the packaging generally has a picture of the food cooked and it never really looks appetizing. So you just have to trust it's good. Or atleast trust that it will fill you up- despite the low satisfaction.

The greatest thing about this place is the feeling I have from it. Being able to bounce my ideas off of people like me, and hear their ideas, and to be in a state of constant learning--- it's one of the most peaceful and comforting feelings I have ever felt. It's as if I have just started breathing, when I never realized I was holding my breath. It was worth every bit of frustration and heart-ache to get here. The elation I feel is beyond anything I put words to- words give no justice to the feeling. Thank you for all the support you guys have given me. I couldn't have been here without my friends and family- some of you disagree, but you have helped to shape and mold me to this place. And in a more tangible example- being able to borrow $25,000 from friends and family to bulk up my account so I could get a VISA- welllllll I wouldn't have even been able to leave the country- so thank you.

Today I am heading into Uxbridge to do some exploring and get more than just essential items for survival. I still need books and whatnot- to fill my huge bookshelf :D This weekend I am going to London on Saturday- and on Sunday---------------- FOOTBALL- or American Football if you will. They have told me they will speak "americanese" (pro. like chinese) when they are in America, but here, I am required to speak English. Definitely one of those, "I thought I was speaking English until I went to England" type moments haha.

I have made excellent friends with some English guys, a guy from Norway, and Brazil. They affectionately call me Little Bit..... or yank . . . (short for yankee). I am going to Norway at some point so it's good to have friends from there that can show me around.

Me and Jaimeson are meeting for christmas- somewhere in between England and Japan. We were thinking Russia, kazahkstan, I dunno- we are comparing budgets. But I will keep my adventures updated.

If you have made it through this entire post- Bless you...... hopefully that covers everything. I am not nearly as detailed as amber- so if there is more you want to know, just let me know.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-09-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

The day has finally arrived- after months of planning, stressing, dreaming . . . . I leave for London tonight!! And surely, I will be going from class to class to meeting as soon as I arrive- thankfully the weekend is not far away :)

The month in brief

2009-09-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

This past week has been odd, with a sold car, and I have left my job, I have been left with nothing to do.
In short, my days consist of rereading books, watching movies, playing online games, and playing with my nephew. THe life, no? For someone as active as I, hell is very similar. I jest, it is nice to play with my nephew (beyond cute). Above and below are pictures of him. I lack the education to place them where I wanted, so my paragraphs are written around them :D

In other news:

A shitshow of events has been the latest in my quest to go to England... I will spare the details, and leave you short facts:

1. The government decided they needed extra certification from my school to allow me to get a loan.

2. I was finally able to apply for the loan Aug 24, and everything should go through, though it just hasn't yet.

3. School starts on Monday, and my VISA has not come in yet. I can't leave the country without this- and was supposed to be there 2 weeks ago. Alas, my feet are still planted in the US of A

I have a best friend in my nephew- life could be much worse. This time next week I should be in England, however, it's a weekly echo. But time is running out, so it must come true this week . . . .

"Great difficulties may be surmounted by patience and perseverence" Abigail Adams

"Taller people are percieved to be more intelligent and powerful"

2009-07-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Granted, it must be tough for a person who is 6'4" to take orders from someone 5'4. . . .
Check it out:
Source: Yahoo
There's a growing body of research that finds taller people make more money.
The latest study, in Australia, found that being 6-foot tall brings raises annual income nearly $1,000 compared to men two inches shorter.
"Taller people are perceived to be more intelligent and powerful," according to the study, published recently in the Economic Record.
"Our estimates suggest that if the average man of about 178 centimeters [5 feet 10 inches] gains an additional five centimeters [2 inches] in height, he would be able to earn an extra $950 per year - which is approximately equal to the wage gain from one extra year of labor market experience," said study co-author Andrew Leigh, an economist at the Australian National University.
Other studies in the United States and Britain put the extra earnings at nearly that much per inch.
"The truth is, tall people do make more money. They make $789 more per inch per year," says Arianne Cohen, author of "The Tall Book" (Bloomsbury USA, June, 2009).
There's nothing else physically measurable about tall people that explains the salary boost, however, Cohen explained recently on American Public Media's radio program Marketplace. "They're not nicer. They're not prettier. They're not anything else. But they've sort of gotten a halo in society at this point."
Serious money over time
As the inches mount, the salary continues to, too.
Cohen's number is based in part on a 2003 review of four large U.S. and UK studies led by Timothy Judge, a management professor at the University of Florida. Judge and his colleague concluded that someone who is 7 inches taller - for example, 6 feet versus 5 feet 5 inches - would be expected to earn $5,525 more per year.
Height was found to be more important than gender in determining income (though that claim is debatable, depending on how you analyze the gender salary gap) and its significance doesn't decline with age.
"If you take this over the course of a 30-year career and compound it, we're talking about literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of earnings advantage that a tall person enjoys," Judge said then.
Being tall may boost self-confidence, helping to make a person more successful and also prompting people to ascribe more status and respect to the tall person, Judge said.
Of course all such studies generate averages. A shorter person can certainly beat the odds, and not every tall person is raking it in.
Cohen, who is 6 foot 3 inches tall, says the pay advantage is conferred partly because taller people tend to exude leadership.
"Tall people tend to act like a leader from a very young age because other children relate to them like a slightly older peer," she said on the radio program. "In the workplace, when you're automatically acting as a leader, that's really important when it comes time for promotion."
To some extent, then, the advantage of height may date back to youth.
A 2003 study of 2,000 U.S. men found that their height at age 16 had a big effect on their salary as an adult, regardless of how tall they ended up being. "We found that two adults of the same age and height, who were different heights at age 16, were treated differently in the labor market. The taller teen earned more," said study team member Nicola Persico of the University of Pennsylvania.
Vertically challenged
All is not rosy on high, however.
In her book, Cohen notes that being tall can cost more, from additional food requirements to costlier clothes and the desire for outsized things like high-ceilinged homes. (Interestingly, there's a growing debate about whether obese people should pay for their excess footprint on society and the environment, yet nobody is calling for taxing the tall.)
The average height for American men is about 5 feet 9 inches nearly 5 feet 4 inches for women. In more than a century, no U.S. president has been below average height (the last one was William McKinley, at 5 feet 7 inches, and he was ridiculed in the press as a "little boy," Judge said).
Judge figures the advantages of height today are rooted in our evolutionary decision-making regarding who was most powerful.
"When humans evolved as a species and still lived in the jungles or on the plain, they ascribed leader-like qualities to tall people because they thought they would be better able to protect them," Judge said. "Although that was thousands of years ago, evolutionary psychologists would argue that some of those old patterns still operate in our perceptions today."

Ok, give me like 10 years, and I should be set :D

Don't they say short people are happier? There has got to be something the short people win at :D

Gardenia

2009-07-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

"well, I put so much thought into getting ready
Now I know that was the best part
It's so easy to get caught up in what I'm regretting
Forget what I got from a wounded heart
I'm the one who likes Gardenia
I'm the one who likes to make love on the floor
I don't want to hang up the phone yet
It's been good Getting to know me more " ~Gardenia

I feel like thats a great way to describe life, having a journey but being able to enjoy the moments inbetween; such as making love on the floor :) It's easy to be traditional, but experiencing anothers traditions can definitely open up the mind so to speak.

पास एंड लव

Connect me to your world :)

2009-07-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hello!!

I dedicate this place as a memoir to this unknown journey I am embarking on, and can I finally shout that I am finally on the road I should be on? and what a long journey thus!

If you are reading this, then you most likely know I am moving to London on September 14th for a graduate degree at Brunel University. I will be studying International Relations; concentrating on economic development and recovery.

I can't promise this blog will be as exciting for you as I'm sure my journey will be for me, but I will do my best to document everything worth while for you to learn. Hopefully, if anything is achieved from reading this, you will want to take more risks in life, in order to understand how great it really is. This is my biggest risk yet, so stay tuned; I'll update often, and enjoy :)