Moved To Write

Having one of those moments in life when I have to stop for a moment and take a breath.

Too much has happened in just the past 4 months. More changes than I can count on my hands have rendered me speechless.

So I'm taking this time to look inward and reflect. Questions I don't have the answers to haunt me -- The what ifs, the why nots, and the whens.

Should I laugh, or should I cry?

Top 10 [fill in the blank]s of the Year 2010

As we begin our annual ritual of holiday parties (went to my first one of the season tonight, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!), and the madness begins with the pre-pre-pre-pre-Black Friday sales, I thought I'd start a new annual tradition. While the new year is about starting things anew, shedding our old skin, etc., the holiday season is a good time to reflect on the year that is nearly passed by, and to even revisit the emotional highs and lows of the year. Haven't figured out what to call this list yet -- Top 10 Milestones? Top 10 Watershed moments? I'm taking suggestions.

So until I get a really good submission from one of my 3 readers, here is my Top 10 [fill in the blank]s of the Year for 2010:

10. The [Republican] Boys Are Back in Town: Need I say more, other than groan?

9. The Big Heist: The MTA in its inimitable fashion approved yet another fare hike, this time choosing to penalize their most loyal riders by jacking up the Unlimited cards.

8. Big Forecast, NOT: Apparently, the Great Recession is over. So why is unemployment up?

7. Team CoCo Ya!: Conan O'Brien lived through the world's ugliest divorce from the Peacock network. Thankfully, he was able to throw the proverbial pie in their face by beating Jay on the debut of his new show on TBS.

6. Brett Favre Throws a Dud: I thought I'd seen the worst in celeb-athelete misbehaving when Tiger Woods couldn't hide anymore from all his indiscretions. Turns out the best football player of the last decade may be even more pathetic by stalking a young intern.

5. iPad Gets Mixed Reviews/iPhone Get Lifted: Not long after Apple launched the iPad to reviews that ran the entire spectrum from "too soon" to "just in time", Gizmodo [allegedly] committed theft by publishing the details from the new generation of the prototype that hadn't been released yet that they "recovered" from a bar.

4. Glenn Beck Needs to Just Go Away!!!: Need I say more?

3. Chilean Miners: With all the mining tragedies around, I can't believe they all made it. But did we actually expect that someone shut up underground for almost 3 months could actually run the NYC Marathon?

2. The Big Spill in the Big Easy: If ever there were a clear example of how oil is bad for the environment in the short term in addition to slowly killing Earth...

1. The Clueless: Can we PLEASE make it mandatory for EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of the Tea Party to take an American History 101 class??? N-O-W???

And scene...

Shall we try this again?

No excuses, especially since I'm a confirmed insomniac, that I can't find time to type a few lines in my blog. So I'll be doing my best to post regularly yet again.

Got to spend some QT with my new nephew, Brennan Mobius Lee. I can't stand how adorable he is. Was great to see my parents and spend some time with Ken and Sue, but boy, what I wouldn't have given to spend all day Saturday with my little wee nephew.

Woke up Sunday morning with the worst sore throat...and my right ear was completely blocked up. Was supposed to go out to Hamptons to spend some time with Renee and her family, but with a temperature, that was not a good idea.

So ended up spending the day sleeping on and off, trying to care for my sore throat, and ended up finishing my 3rd book in 5 days. Been on a real book bender lately.

Looking at a very crazy week yet again -- work will be nuts after having been away for a week, gotta catch up on yoga, and Ed & Deb's 3rd will be arriving on Saturday. I'm sure I'll be swinging by Ken & Sue's place a few times this week also. At least I hope so. Mom and Dad will be here through the week. Must try to go out east to see Renee and family. Oh, and a high school friend will be visiting on Sunday.

It's going to be a mad mad mad week.

So is 40 truly the new 30?

I spent the whole weekend celebrating my 40th year on this earth, with toasts with family and friends. I went shopping with gift cards I received. I worked out, threw out old clothes, gave away old books. All things so that I could feel that I passed through my own rite of passage. I felt I had marked the day sufficiently, and felt okay with turning 40. I was thankful for everyone I have in my life, and that they all wanted to help me ring in my 40th.

I feel at peace, shockingly, with all things in my life. Yet, somehow, I feel like nothing major is really different. i didn't expect to feel like a different person overnight, certainly. I also didn't expect it to be just another day. Somehow, I thought to myself, things will feel different.

The only thing that's really different is that I can't say I'm in my 30s anymore.

So how do I handle being the same, yet different?

And A New Day Begins...

This historic day compels me to start blogging again. What a night. Until tonight, I had never truly felt the full impact of what my parents did for us when they moved us here in the fall of 1981. And as I watch President-Elect Barack Obama's acceptance speech, I've never before been more grateful to anyone as I feel toward my parents right now. It's all sinking in, and it's more overwhelming than I would have imagined.

My parents gave up everything they had to give my brothers and me a chance to have big dreams and be given an opportunity to have them come true. As a teenager, I carried too much resentment because I thought they would only be happy if we fulfilled their dreams for us of becoming doctors and lawyers. But tonight, I realize what they really dreamed about was to have their children grow up in a country where anything is truly possible.

As I listen to President-Elect Obama repeat "Yes, We Can", I felt the full weight of our parents wishes for us. They wanted nothing more than for us to feel that we are a part of a country that is truly extraordinary for what we achieved tonight.

It is truly the dawn of a new day, not just for this country, but for all children of immigrants whose parents and other ancestors sacrificed so much to ensure that their children become citizens of the greatest country in the world.

And the Countdown Begins

I've managed to let Thanksgiving slip by without even a blip. It was certainly great to see my family. Saw my niece and nephew -- that was truly the highlight of my holiday. What a softie am I?

But now the post-turkey-gotta-get-everything-done-before-12/31 rush is on. Not just the shopping, the cards, the party planning. I mean the rush to wrap up all the things I swore I'd get done in 2007 but never even looked at twice.

As I stare down the barrel of the final days of 2007, I panic whenever I look at my list:

1. Live greener/lessen my negative impact on the environment - I hope I can integrate more of this into my daily life in '08, but thanks to my roommie, I've begun to take care of things like composting"

2. Get back in touch with friends I've managed to let slip in the past few years - You know, the old roommate who now lives in the suburbs, former co-worker who was your twin while you were working together, etc.

3. Purge any unusuable clothing, books, tchochkes. - No comment here.

4. Find a new sport to keep me interested - Yay! This, I got covered with hiking.

5. Re-discover old sports I've always loved but haven't pursued in NYC - I love swimming. Couldn't get me out of the water when I was a teenager. Anyone know a decent pool in NYC that won't cost an arm an a leg?

6. Eat healthier - This I've managed to improve somewhat. Reading books like Omnivore's Dilemma and Fast Food Nation helps a lot!

7. Watch TV less - Does it count if I watch less junk? No, REALLY!

8. Finish the damn book I've been working on for the last several years - No comment.

9. Be a better friend - Well, if I haven't managed to do this in the past 11 months, no hope left for this year.

10. Be more productive so I can have more downtime - Is this one even humanly possible these days without having a personal assistant????

What's your list look like?

Another year...

I can't believe 2007 is almost over. And with the end of each year, I meet another birthday.

I guess I still have the little girl alive and well in me. Even though I didn't want to make a big deal out of my birthday this year, I ended up having a very festive week. For the past few years, I've said no need for a party. And every year the same thing: what starts out as a small get together for my closest family and friends turns into a bash.

This year, due to various scheduling conflicts and those dears who got felled by illness, I ended up with a nice initmate dinner at my place, with big heaping spoonfuls of help from my roommate and family. Thank you, guys!

Also, I was supposed to only make a few lite bites to take the edge off while enjoying wine and sake. Ended up making a huge feast:

o 2 types of homemade dumplings (pork and tofu with veggies)
o Korean-style tempura of green squash, yellow sweet potatoes
o Scallion pancakes with fresh green peppers and dried red peppers
o Stewed daikon radish
o Pan-BBQ'ed beef short ribs

Dinner knocked some folks out early -- lots of food + lots of wine = lots of sleepy guests. Isn't that a good thing?

So after dinner, aftering seeing some folks off, those who were stil standing hung out at J27, where some more friends joined us. But we didn't last too much longer, or so I thought. After just one pitcher among five of us, a few songs sung, and a surprise serenade of "happy birthday" by the bartenders, we decided to call it a night. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was 3 a.m. when I walked into my apartment! I was enjoying the company of my family and friends so much that I didn't want the night to end.

Oh well, there's always the big 4-0 next year.