In my efforts to become greener while traveling, I decided to unplug whatever I don’t use in my hotel room (at least when I’m not there). In the bathroom, I unplugged the hairdryer and coffeemaker, as well as my own curling iron when not in use, which is practically 99% of the time. When I returned to my room last night, I noticed the desk lamp was unplugged, which I didn’t unplug myself. Either the hotel maids caught on to my attempts to save energy, or something else. I’d like to think the former, but either way, it was good to see. From one of my favorite sources, The Green Book :
“Unplug your power: Ten percent of the electricity used in your home is burned by communication devices and appliances when they are turned off! If every U.S. household just unplugged their computers and cell phone chargers when they are not being used, collectively we’d save over $100 million – enough to provide free health care to every low-income child under the age of five in the state of California.”
The little things count.
Posted in: Uncategorized.
As my coworker and I were on our way to dinner, we noticed a young boy and his mother walking right past us. The boy was probably no older than 10 years of age and was carrying a Venti Starbucks cup, and his mother was carrying something to the extent of a Tall or Grande. I had mixed feelings that made me chuckle and raise my eyebrows for various reasons.
- Since it was part of our people watching activity before dinner started, it was funny to see the randomness that we can come across in our daily lives
- The sheer sight of a child consuming a 20 fluid ounce coffee beverage was just astounding. Yup, Venti means 20 (similar to veinte en español). For a brief moment I had an optimistic thought that it could have been hot chocolate, but that didn’t make the situation better either. No wonder child obesity is becoming such a problem in the U.S.
- Just like cell phones, consuming so-called trendy drinks like Starbucks is becoming popular in the younger generation. When I was a kid, the only trendy drink around was Coca-Cola or Hi-C. What an update…
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Recently the topic of ‘going green’ has me quite fired up in a positive, must-take-action sort of way. Ever since I was a kid, I was surrounded by the motto “Recycle, Reduce, Reuse.” It even had a super cheesy jingle that went along with it on TV commercials. This motto certainly still holds true today, but on a deeper level. Going green isn’t about being a tree-hugger anymore; it’s about becoming aware of the immense impacts that we as humans impose on the environment, which all contribute to global warming, carbon emissions, and so much more. Really, we take a lot of things for granted.
There were several specific triggers that raised my sense of urgency this year. All seemed very ordinary at the time, but led me to get a little more enthusiastic about putting things in action.
- Moving: When I came to Chicago in June, transitioning to an urban apartment was an big, yet interesting change. I was highly irritated to learn that we had convenient trash chutes on every floor, yet no recycling bins for the building. I looked up the city of Chicago recycling website, and supposedly all residential buildings of four units or more are required to have a recycling program. Obviously that is not being enforced. So now I take the recyclables to a public collection center just a few blocks away until our building provides that service (not for another six months). Having always lived in a suburb, recycling programs were aplenty. Most local waste management programs made it easy to sort out recyclables with separate colored bins, and then later to single large bins that allowed mixed items. Now we don’t even need to sort! Now that is hand holding. All there is left to do is physically separate trash from recyclables, which doesn’t require much effort or commitment.
- The Green Book: In late June, a friend passed along this book to me since I was interested in the topic and suggested that I pass it along to anyone and everyone. I put our names inside the front flap of the book as a starting list of people who will have read the book. It is really eye-opening for all of us to read. With commentary from celebrity favorites, it is a quick read that gives easy suggestions on how to make a difference. It also provides quantitative facts to highlight the magnitude of all that we do. Numbers aren’t just numbers anymore.
- The workplace: I had a huge dose of training and orientation for nearly three weeks straight. Food and beverages were overly abundant at most hours of the day to get us through those sessions. With all that stuff comes bottles and cans that need to be recycled, but to my astonishment, none of the large training rooms had recycling bins. How can a building that has a LEED Gold certified plaque in the lobby not have recycle bins in these rooms? I really have this uncomfortable feeling every time a bottle or can gets thrown in the trash. Oh yeah, and we have Styrofoam cups in all kitchen areas. Ugh. This year will be a great opportunity to be involved in the office activities surrounding this.
- Sustainable business: This topic is getting a lot of attention in the news, as it should be. It basically refers to the way businesses handle their operations in an eco-friendly manner in order to have long term growth. It’s a win-win for any business in the long run, as well as becoming a standard in today’s economy.
The more I learn about this topic, the more I want to do things. I can even see it as a potential career path to take, but I just don’t know exactly what or how.
I’m definitely not obsessive-compulsive about being so green to the point where I’m using candles in lieu of electricity, boycotting travel on planes, or taking the stairs up to the 20th floor … and we shouldn’t have to go to such extremes. However, I do think there are simple things that everyone can do to make our environment better.
Here’s a simple start: Imagine the number of Starbucks coffee beverages being consumed each day, and most probably come with a paper sleeve. How about we all place our hot coffee cup sleeves in the paper recycling bin instead of tossing it in the trash? Alternatively, you can reuse it for another day. After all, most are made from some percentage of post-consumer recycled materials to begin with, and it doesn’t take that much much to recycle it. It all counts.
Posted in: Environment, Green.
I have had my share of little ailments this year (particularly with my back), and I would like to think that it is not from turning older. The doctors tell me that it was an old injury that never bothered me until now. This is a time when I should be the most energetic, yet I am restricted in various ways for the time being. Being 25 is the beginning of the second half of my twenties phase, which leads me to believe that there is so much more to accomplish before I turn 30.
While I have been thinking about my age lately, sometimes humorous happenings occur that make me wonder if they are coincidental signs or what not. You know, one of those moments where you think, “Did that just really happen?” I had one yesterday morning.
Now, many of you know that my favorite color is white (and the other being green!). I love white because it reminds me of snow, mountains, vanilla, simplicity, and elegance. Despite my fondness of the color white, there is a white that we all dread…
I was brushing my hair in front of the bathroom mirror as I was half awake, feeling like I’d rather be back in bed. After all, it was 6:30 AM. And then I saw it (after a double take). Practically out of left field, lo and behold! A glimmer of white caught my eye. It can’t be! But yes, it was. It was a single strand of white hair precisely in the middle of my hair part. I have never experienced any white hair in my life, and here I was, thinking about my new age for the last few weeks and then getting my first white hair, right then and there. I knew friends that have had random white hairs since middle school, so that made me feel a little better. This is obviously not a life catastrophe, but it just happened to be one of those moments that coincided with some recent thoughts about life.
Well, at least I can say that I always have my identification checked, my university card still works for the movies/museums, and I have been asked if college was in my near future plans 
Posted in: Change, Life.
I’m really alive and kicking in Chicago! And it’s not just Chicago, it’s Chi-caaaago. The Midwestern accent has a little pizazz to it. It’s certainly not a bad thing, but it just makes me chuckle whenever the words ‘pop,’ ‘mom,’ ‘spot,’ or anything with an ‘o’ sound as the emphasized vowel gets spoken. I think Californians are just too normal with our plain non-accented way of speaking
I have been asked what it’s like out here, and honestly it is very similar to any major metropolitan city in the U.S.
Pros:
- Activities – There are surprisingly a ton of things to do here, with something to accommodate everyone. Performing arts, museums, concerts of all genres, sports, water related activities, shopping, top notch restaurants like San Francisco, boutiques, nightlife, and festivals galore (almost one every day of the summer!)
- Living cost – Generally speaking, compared to San Francisco and New York, you get more bang for your buck for housing here. A decent condominium will be much less than other hot spot cities. If you’re a suburbs kind of person, then the lots/yards are much bigger. Trees are abundant as well.
- Public transportation – I absolutely do not need my car here. Sure, it helps for bigger shopping trips like going to Target or Costco, but I’m not in a position to buy a ton of stuff anyway! The “EL” (elevated train) fares are cheap at $1.75 a trip no matter how far you travel, and I hear buses work just as well but are just harder to figure out.
- The “Lake” – AKA quasi ocean Just kidding. Lake Michigan is quite a piece of work being so large. It really does not beat the Pacific coast, but I suppose it will have to do.
- Sports – I’m not a huge sports fan, but it seems like the majority of people who grew up here are very loyal fans of baseball, football, and basketball. Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls…and not to mention the college sports!
- Neighborhoods – Like San Francisco, the city is comprised of various ‘hoods that greatly differ from one another. There’s even one analogous to “the Marina,” and many others that each have a different ambiance, demographic make up, architectural style. Me? I’m living in the ‘up and coming’ South Loop.
Cons:
- Traffic – Downtown is not car friendly at all. The city is just full of honkers like NYC and the highways are congested at random times.
- Public transit – On the flipside, the trains are old and dirty at times. Think of the musty scent of the BART trains…most underground stations have a different kind of musty scent to it that never fails, especially in the summer. Okay, the winter too.
- Drivers – Runner up to NYC in my opinion, people drive like maniacs out here. They are impatient and rude. I think that if there wasn’t a punishment/law for running people over at crosswalks, there would be many more pedestrian hit and run incidents!
- Weather – Cliche because the subject of weather is just boring, the weather is very extreme. People always bring up the deathly cold weather here, but I am more sensitive to the humid hot weather. My tolerance is slowly building…slowly.
A cityscape view from the Shedd Aquarium:
Posted in: Chicago.
Pictures can only say so much (the remainder will be posted later when I receive them), but Japan to me is really…hugely small. Huge on culture, food, fashion, politeness; small people, homes, portions, and small on the globe.
Some highlights:
- Gorgeous scenery both inside and outside of urban cities. I loved hopping on a shinkansen (bullet train) and suddenly being in the countryside. The JR pass saved me! At $236 for the one week pass, it was still quite the bargain.
- Train station food for our snack attacks. The stations are not like your typical subway/BART stations with basically no food; there’s always a mall of food inside where you can get sushi, snacks, drinks, ramen, and anything you can think of at inexpensive prices.
- The abundance of food in general. We got a good tasting of sushi, ramen, katsu with curry, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, tempura, unagi, Japanese pickles, miso soup, rice crackers, onigiri (rice balls), mitsuhashi (cinnamon flavored type mochi things), sake, Asahi, Kirin, calpis. Yum. People never go hungry there, although it appears like some need to eat more.
- School children – they loved saying hello to Americans. They would wave to us and utter a hybrid of “harrooo” and “haallooo.” Very cute, especially since they were all in uniforms and giggled.
- Torii gates. I have yet to see what I think would be my favorite spot in Japan, the Fushimi Inari-taisha.
- Politeness as second nature. Even the airport security staff were polite.
- People watching and profiling. High heels, rock star hair, trendiness, pigeon feet, school uniforms, cell phone usage overkill, noodle slurping, and all that great stuff.
Posted in: Japan, travel.
With the five human senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste), I would say cooking and food involve all five of them, which is why I consider it a form of art. Not only is it a way of life, it sparks creativity, keeps history alive, and brings people closer together. I suppose the same goes for wine, too. We are really very fortunate to be able to enjoy such a vast variety of foods from all over the world and to basically be able to get them whenever desired. It is not fortunate, however, that there are people who simply eat to live and struggle to do so.
Recently I have also been thinking of how taste develops as we age. It is very strange in some ways. The taste curve is almost like a roller coaster. What we have eaten as infants may not have suited our tastes as kids/younger adults, and then may even later be favorable to us as adults. Maybe as adults we have potentially built our palate to be more diverse and experienced over the years. I just find that development unique.
I remember when I was a kid, the only cheese I knew that existed was Kraft Singles…or mozzarella cheese that was on pizza. Culturally and historically, Chinese people do not consume much dairy or cheese compared to others. While my family was somewhat Americanized, Chinese food still dominated and having cheese was rare. I think Kraft Singles really altered my view of cheese in general and it was absolutely disgusting to me! Soon enough college came and I had exposure to more ‘sophisticated’ cheeses like gorgonzola, freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, fresh mozzarella, etc. Then post-college hit and it was all about brie! I did not hit it off with brie cheese at first, and one day it just became yummy. How? I really don’t know, and that is the mystery of taste development!
Foods I also hated as a kid but love now:
- Green onions, aka scallions
- Bell peppers of any color (I picked them off my pizza)
- Eggplant
- Chives
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Avocados
- Cilantro
Foods I hated then and now, still:
- Raw onions (except for in salsa and guacamole), and chunky cooked ones
- Wasabi (anything horseradish)
- Bitter melon
- Durian fruit
- Potato salad
- Sea cucumber
Posted in: Uncategorized.
One word to describe this clip: awesome
There are two types of Internet users, those that use RSS and those that don’t. This video is for the people who could save time using RSS, but don’t know where to start.
Posted in: Internet.
Once in awhile, I find time to catch up on interesting Digg articles, and I never encounter dull topics! Check this out:
DoMyStuff, with an article about it here.
From who knows where, there are assistants waiting to bid on your everyday chores and tasks. From getting the milk at the grocery store, walking the dog, making copies, to anything you can think of, it’s a task that you can pay someone to do. I don’t think I’ve come to the point of being that busy that I need to outsource my chores, but what an interesting concept, huh?
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Often times I feel that it’s hard to keep up with the world. Things keep happening and moving forward like a nonstop whirlwind, with change being the only constant out there. Life doesn’t happen with stillness. Change is a given so that everything can grow and evolve, whether it be for humans or nature. In the large scheme of things, the stuff that goes on everyday is somehow pushing towards a new tomorrow, a new future. Even with the seemingly rapid speed at times, we still need to breathe.
Last week I watched a 9/11 documentary with real footage taken by a guy shadowing one of the major firehouses near the World Trade Center. The cameraman, along with the entire fire squad, were all in the main lobby as the first tower collapsed. It was incredible and emotional.
This week I couldn’t take my eyes off the media coverage of Virginia Tech. Not only was it terribly disturbing and tragic, I just wanted to read and watch whatever/whenever I could. I don’t know why, but I felt like it was the only thing I could do to understand what it was like to be affected.
After a long and pressing week at the office, I just took my weekly dose of escape from the world to yet experience more emotion and drama with my favorite TV series, with this week’s episode being “Time after Time.” Even though it is fictional, there were certainly a lot of real life type of issues that struck me as powerful and heartfelt.
Regardless of culture, I think there are two things (not the only two, but just ones that I thought of at the moment) that bring people together: food and life challenges. Food is a way of life because it is a necessity for survival, it serves as a means of celebration, and it is historical, carrying thousands of years of tradition along with it. With life challenges, humans thrive on social interaction with one another because it provides support and an outlet. Whenever there are difficult times, families and friends gather, thus strengthening the relationships with one another.
Posted in: Challenges, Change, Emotion, Life.
