Giving

How often do we walk by a street performer and say "I can't give now", "I have no money to give", "Maybe next time"?

If she can give, why can't we?

Elderly

I once encountered a haggard, elderly woman carrying two heavy tubs of salted fish on her slouched back. The foreign tourists around her laughed and haggled, pushing her to lower her prices ever more.

Why? I wondered.  Her meager prices are pennies to your dollars.

Grandmas should be at home... not begging foreigners to purchase her goods. I bought all of the fish for less than USD $10 and told her to enjoy her day at home..

These images remind me of that woman...


How many more years will she be carrying firewood on her back?

What happened to social security?

Wealth

17-year old boy carries 440lbs of coal on his back; each one-mile trip earns him 1 yuan (USD $0.14)

For a few yuan

One yuan at a time... from youth to old age

Schooling
The caption reads: "That day, an English teacher came to our village and taught us our first English phrase: I want to go to school."

This little boy is screaming: I want to go to school! But will he have that opportunity? If he works his hardest, will he succeed against all odds? I don't know.

What I do know is that, someday, I want to open a school for the most passionate learners.

Outdoor classroom

We will continue learning..

Clutching a "backpack" made out of a detergent box, a little girl skips happily to school

Images, and some captions, from Veggie Discourse

Choosing Yale wasn't an easy choice.  It certainly wasn't the most comfortable one.  In fact, it's giving me bad dreams, night after night.  I dream about the loan burden that will be on my shoulders for the next 30 years.  I worry about being alone, and falling into depression.

I guess I've grown more comfortable than I'd like to admit. I've had the same job for almost 2 years, and lived in the same place for over 1 year. I have a nice apartment, drive a car that I love, and own a motorcycle that is incredibly fun.

I see my friends getting married, having kids, buying houses, getting awesome jobs, and admittedly, I'm a bit sad that I won't get to do any of those things for another few years, at least.

But then I remind myself that the world is bigger than just me. I remember the promise I've made - to dedicate my life to public service, to work my hardest towards a better world.

And so, I have chosen Yale for the opportunities that it will bring me.  Classes that will allow me to work at the UN two days out of the week; courses with international "field trips"; projects with world-class faculty.

And I hope that it'll all be worth it in the end.

Source: Online Colleges and Universities

That free ride (for grad) is starting to look mighty tempting..

Track was AMAZING (yes, in all caps!). I wish I could go more frequently; too bad I (might) be 3000 miles away from my car soon. :-/

West Loop Only
I started off a little slow, impeding traffic and barely clocking 2:15 per lap.  I thought I was driving fast... and I would have been... had I been driving on the streets.

But I wasn't. I was free. Towards the end I broke 1:30 per lap; squealing on every curve and half-drifting around those 90 degree corners! I even impressed my passenger! Yay!

Why was it so amazing? Hmm.. perhaps it was the freedom of finally being able to let loose.  I didn't have to worry about deer in the middle of road, blind turns with bikers, or speed limits. I could test my car's limits.  I could test my skills without fear. And best of all? I watched my time prove. Now I know that I can become a better driver with practice.

I ended the day with a renewed passion for driving; and a profound love for my little miata. I hope I can do one more track event before I leave!

What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid? Did you dream of starting a family? Making tons of money? Or perhaps you wanted to become a teacher, or a doctor?

For me, that dream was less concrete; that dream was to make the world a better place for those who are worst off.  Even if I had to work for minimal pay, even if I had to give my life; it would all be worth it.

But the older I got, the more complacent, scared, and jaded I've become. Why work so hard, for so little? Why work for organizations that promise to make the world a better place, but are full of internal strife and hypocrisy? Why not settle for a good job that pays well?

Why not..?

Because I get a nagging feeling at the back of my mind. Because, there were times in my career, where I felt as though I had sold my dreams - and found that it wasn't worth it. Because there were times when I felt so far away from my goals, that I wondered whether there was a point to my life anymore. Because to me, a life without purpose, a life without dreams, is just not worth living.

And now...

Hope has fluttered its way into my life in the form of an acceptance letter. For the first time in my life, my dreams are finally within reach. Not to say that life will be easy from this point on. But no matter how many challenges lie ahead, I will gladly accept it for the chance to serve as a global citizen.

And at the end of my life, I hope to look back and see that I've tried my best, even if I did not always succeed.

Well, at least the getting married / having kids part.

This is a picture of the Citarum River in Indonesia. It's one of the most polluted rivers in the world, and a population of approximately 5 million live around it. [More images here]

It inspires me to work harder. It reminds me of one of my goals: to make the world a better, cleaner place for all. 

What is your desktop background.. and how does it inspire you?

Every time I hear the argument, "marriage is traditionally only between a man and a woman," I get annoyed.  "Tradition" changes all the time.

1691 - Whites only.
1724 - Blacks, with permission of the slave owner.
1769 - The wife is property.
1899 - no more Polygamous Marriages.
1900 - The wife can now own property.
1965 - Contraception is legal.
1967 - Interracial marriage is legal.
1975 - The wife can have credit in her name.
1993 - Marital rape becomes illegal

I'm really excited about the trial attempting to overturn Prop. 8 next week.  Mostly because Ted Olson, a prominent Republican from the Bush v. Gore trials is teaming up with his opponent from the same trial, David Boies. Wow.

Why would a conservative fight for gay marriage?

          -Newsweek

He then goes on to consult with his conservative friends, lawyers, and family and asks: "Why shouldn't gay people have the right to marry?"

The answer?

"I asked them to give me their best argument. They had all sorts of intangible instincts and feelings about what's 'right,'" he says. "But I didn't hear any persuasive response."

Have you heard any "persuasive responses" as to why it is not a legal right?

Remember to watch the trial on Youtube next week: http://www.youtube.com/usdccand

It wasn't until 1967 that interracial marriage became legal in the entire United States. I hope gays and lesbians will find acceptance as well.

When I finish my applications on January 15, I will treat myself to a most wonderful book: The Brothers Karamazov.  It has been on my reading list for a long, long time; but I've never had time for it.  Finally, I will make time - to at least scan the 1,072 pages. I must purchase the book, so that I can mark it up, tear it to pieces, and smash it against the wall as necessary. Gems like this make books worth reading:

- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

I remember reading Crime and Punishment, and feeling so angry at one point, that I threw my book against the wall. I wonder whether The Brothers Karamazov will inspire the same type of passion..

And I remember falling in love with another Russian novel, Anna Karenina. I had a hard time deciding whether I wanted to play Starcraft (I was a gamer at the time, haha) or finish reading.

Have any of you read The Brothers Karamazov?  Did you like it?