“As I set out for Ithaca, I had a long road indeed, full of adventure, and full of discovery…” — There are various translations, and each one provides a slightly different feel, but the meaning nevertheless remains the same. The road to Ithaca was indeed how it is described above.

Today, as I read through each line and verse, I understand it on a different level. It rings as though it were a new creed to live by. Perhaps it should be.

No matter what walk of life you are in, it can have a unique meaning for you too. I hope that you enjoy.

Ithaca
by Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)

Yesterday, the bottom shelf (and the largest) of my bookcase contained an entire row of books and materials for the GMAT. This was even after I had donated three books to a friend. I had books from two different test preparation companies, an extra set of Official Guide books, general admissions books, and finally — the six notebooks that had documented my problem sets, practice exams, tutoring sessions, and everything that you could imagine related to the exam. These notebooks were of great importance in my life for the last two years. This leads me to have some sort of emotional attachment to them, as one were to view old pen pal letters. Well, it may not have that same type of sentiment…Nevertheless, countless hours were put into these notebooks as I toiled through problem after problem, especially through some of the toughest times of my life. Each notebook itself was not the vehicle to get me through 2008-2009, but I still clearly remember it as my outlet and motivation to move forward with things.

Now that I am deciding which belongings go in the Keep or Toss piles, I don’t exactly have the heart to put my notebooks in the Toss pile. Before my exam (and even immediately after), I casually mentioned that I would dispose/burn/recycle/sell anything related to it, but now that I am at that decision point, I choke a little.

From a practicality standpoint, I will most likely never reference them again. Then again, I will never reference my old school work (K-12 and college), yet I still have those at home in California.

What would you do?

“…Selina, sit back and relax.” — I sat intently on the edge of the sofa, conversing like normal.

[Oh, I need to relax. Right.]

The partial truth in the matter is that sofas are deceivingly uncomfortable. Most sofas are designed with style in mind rather than ergonomics. In a time where many of us sit all day at work, having a plush, squishy sofa to plop down upon at the end of a day may seem like a blessing. The sofas that I’ve experienced (even my own) are usually too long for my legs and don’t provide any proper back support. Again, form over function took priority, as one would expect in a living room.

Okay, so my critique of everyday sofa design is not my real reason for constantly being on the edge of my seat, though it does have some merit. Whether I am in a meeting room, dinner table, restaurant, or classroom, I tend to avoid having my back against a chair because I feel more engaged and alert when I sit closer to the speaker and/or activity. It also forces me to maintain good posture, which is important not only for your physical health, but also creating your presence. I know that sounds silly, but really, slouching is not the most appealing body language.

Perhaps if my vertically challenged self would be better suited for sitting on various chairs, then I would be able to sit back and relax a little. But I’m okay with that. On that note, I just caught myself sitting on the edge of my kitchen table chair as I type this entry.

Last week at my local Trader Joe’s, I pointed out to the store associates and manager that some of their produce were not consistently labeled. For instance, the organic Fuji apples I put into my basket had a sticker that indicated that it was from Chile, but the price sign and description indicated that it was from the USA. I am no produce auditor, but I then became curious and spot checked another item, such as the blueberries. Same inconsistency existed. Disappointed, I let the cashier know, who then immediately informed the store manager. Him and I had a brief conversation which consisted of me saying, “I just noticed that your produce is not always labeled consistently in terms of where a product is from and wanted to let you know. Not a huge deal to me (though it kind of is!), but I think it’s important for consumers to know where products are coming from.” The store manager’s rationale was that their produce is sourced from multiple suppliers, which makes it difficult to always have the proper labeling on a weekly basis. However, my comment did inspire them to enable a dry-erase system on their price and description signs so that they can be easily changed on a regular basis. Score! However, this matter may require some follow-up because I came back a week later to get apples and this is what I find:

Their suppliers really do change frequently, but the price label still indicated USA. Sigh.

On a side note, I felt good about catching the Chile/USA apple discrepancy, but at the same time, I was peeved by the fact that the apples were not relatively ‘local’ and had to travel from Chile to get to my grocery basket. I was surely getting pesticide-free apples, but the food miles kind of put a damper on my purchase. Sometimes it’s hard to win.

I adore Trader Joe’s yet have a mysterious-skepticism my because it is almost one of those too-good-to-be-true types of businesses that have amazing and innovative products, friendly staff, and hard-to-beat prices on a variety of groceries. Yes, I tend to always challenge things when it’s too good to be true because I think it’s good for validation and a sense of peace. Not all things that are shiny on the outside are healthy on the inside. There has been some angst among customers and activists about its seafood procurement, but the stores are aiming to phase out unsustainable seafood by 2012. Change is at least forthcoming, though gradually. Interestingly enough, if you look further into the company information page, Trader Joe’s does not boast about being the most environmentally friendly business — it focuses on value and cool products. If sustainability is not part of the vision and purpose of an organization’s mission, it becomes an afterthought. Therefore, I don’t blame them too much, but customer and public opinion certainly plays a role in influencing behavior. Now there’s some food for thought!

This model was probably one of the first upgrades from the old mechanical mouse ball model in the 90s. It is a no-frills mouse that simply works without fail.

Throughout the last five years, this mouse has been with me through thick and thin. I have regularly lost building badges (in fact, I flushed one down the toilet), keys, umbrellas, gloves, lip balm, and whatever else you can think of (maybe my mind at times), but the one thing that I cannot seem to lose or break is this mouse!

Today, the ‘mighty’ Microsoft mouse lives on. Not that I have intentionally tried to break it, but the thing just will not break from normal usage. I almost secretly want it to break so that I can upgrade to a savvier wireless mouse (we all know that cords are a nightmare! The less, the merrier). Modern optical mice are now compact and just plain cooler. I generally follow the mantra of “if it ain’t broke, why fix it,” but I am slowly moving towards relaxing on it for this matter. While I want to be loyal to the device that has never failed on me, I may compromise by using it only at home, and buying a wireless mouse for travel.

The Solution
Did you know that only 12% of plastics bags were recycled in 2007? Ouch. Where do the rest go? Landfills, oceans, sewage, you name it.

Luckily, many major grocery stores have recycling bins for plastic bags. Even Walgreen’s and Trader Joe’s have bins. Plastic bags with the symbol #2 or #4 can typically be recycled:

The best part of plastic bag recycling is that it takes very little effort. We all make periodic trips to the grocery store, so why not take some bags with you on your next trip? It is now habitual for me to think twice about what I throw away and evaluate what be prevented from going in the trash bin. The last thing that I need to see is a tree decorated with plastic bag ornaments due to people tossing them on the street! I know it is virtually impossible to avoid using plastic, but the least we could do is to properly handle the plastic we purchase.

To learn more about plastic bags and/or what to do with them, go to Earth 911. This site will also answer your questions like “Can I recycle XYZ?” and “What do I do with ABC?”

I really enjoyed this innovative arrangement by Jon Schmidt. The songs come from two very different music genres, but this instrumental interpretation is integrated so beautifully that it is seamless. You’ll notice that the foundations of Viva la Vida are introduced three minutes into the piece and slowly becomes the focal point. It’s quite brilliant.

The same concept applies to everyday life. Every action, every word, has the potential to produce some sort of aftertaste, or better known as impact. When you come across a less desirable one, you are left with a feeling of uneasiness, depending on the extent or context of the action(s) taken.

Without going on too much of a tangent, one exception that I can think of is related to my mother’s ginseng soup. She periodically makes large batches of ginseng soup for my family because of its health benefits. To give you a sense of what kind of task this is like, the whole process takes her at least six hours. But it’s not just six hours of leave-it-and-forget-it simmering or braising like you do with a slow cooker – it involves some labor-intensive cleaning, chopping, draining, filtering, and cooling. Not only does it consume enormous amounts of time and manpower to prepare, but it is also relatively costly. What amazes me is that she does this without any complaint (in fact, she is proud that she is able to make it). However, the one catch is that the ginseng soup has a bitter and foul aftertaste despite its noteworthy toil and sweat in the making. I truly do not enjoy drinking it, but I drink it anyway because of its onerous journey to reach my cup. The aftertaste is always far from pleasant (you can see it in my face), but it certainly has genuinely good intentions. She only wants the best for her loved ones, and the best is what she provides.

Not all aftertastes are going to be pleasant, but you learn to recognize the ones that serve you well. For the ones that don’t, then you can simply swallow it down as is and move on.