12.30.2011

Strugglin'




"Struggling is nature's way of strengthening." --LOST


Well then 2011 strengthened the HELL outta me! Here's to the new year (again)!

Oh, and interesting post from a friend of mine, care to read?

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(As I have been sick the last few days, I may or may not have indulged in a LOST marathon. Just wrapped up Season 1).

:)

12.26.2011

Learning How to Un-Plan 2012 (And Ruminations on 2011)

Today was one of those perfect driving days in where the sun warmed up the entire cabin of my car just enough, so that I felt like sunshine was seeping into my achy bones. Which put me in the perfect thinking mood. Of course I had to think about the year that was 2011, as the new year is almost upon us.

2011 has been a headache, a blessing and a life changer all wrapped into 365 days.

The start of 2011 had me buying a one way ticket to Turkey and boarding that plane in March. I put a lot of hopes and dreams into going to Turkey. Surprisingly, my expectations outweighed reality, and I found myself yearning to come back home. Maybe it was bad timing. Maybe I was never meant to go. But what felt right was coming home. So about a month later, I bought my second one-way ticket and boarded a plane back to Cali.

I figured out that changing my mind was my prerogative.
I didn't have to prove anything to anyone, and through this experience, I felt more autonomous than I have ever felt in my life.


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Sitting by the Mediterranean, figuring out life.

Back in California, I had to find myself a job. It worked out that I was employed a month after being back from Turkey. Whether it was luck or divine intervention, I still feel blessed to have gotten a job.

As most of you know, I've struggled with this job, asking myself: is this what I really want? Is this the right path for me? I still struggle with this question.

What I do know is that I am meant to go through this struggle. These growing pains help shape me into the unique being that I am; there is no other like me, or like you, in this universe. And if you really focus on that thought, the struggles almost seem less arduous, as they are a part of the bigger picture: The bigger picture that is Ashley's life.

I've been learning that life is a series of guess & checks. There is only so much you can plan or even hope for. So I think I'm going to start giving up on planning, and even hoping too much. I always feel a bit silly hoping for a 'good year' every time the ball drops on the New Year's Eve, as if that's the only path or emotion in life. Sometimes life is bad, dirty, hard, grungy and full of sorrows. But those too, are all a part of the whole and worth experiencing.

And so, I trudge into 2012 with a sharper intuition, fine-tuned by every mistake I've made, every wrong turn that caused me to detour and every tear that helped shape this being. I will not plan for 2012, but I will leave it open: A blank canvas in where I welcome the good, the bad, the surprising, and the hair-raising. I welcome it all. I welcome life.

So here's to a new year, whatever that may bring.

Cheers, friends.

12.19.2011

Perfectly Acceptable Ashley

It's perfectly acceptable:

  • to have a Sapporo (Japanese beer) while studying, which turned into two beers. Somehow my highlighting got miiiiighty sloppy...maybe not the best studying technique I've ever thought of.

  • to have a Shakira jam fest in your car. I thoroughly enjoy belting out "Underneath Your Clothes," which is not the best song in the world, but so what? It's a GUILTY PLEASURE...except, I don't feel too guilty. Shakira is the bees knees. Don't get me started on the magic that is "She Wolf." Shakira makes me wanna dance!

  • to look like you're working hard while at work, but actually are reading blogs and being sneaky. The best work-time activity! I'm a blog ninja. Er, work ninja? Work blog ninja. Whatever.

And because I never ask (so not acceptable), what's a perfectly acceptable thing you've done this week? Which means, something that's probably not too acceptable, but you make it acceptable. Get it? So tell me...

12.15.2011

A Very Socially Conscious Christmas

Some of you may have already finished your Christmas shopping (good for you!). But if not, I have a few ideas of where to get gifts and give back at the same time:




isanctuary is selling jewelry in support of stopping human trafficking. This is how it works: women who used to be in the human trafficking system are now given jobs with this nonprofit, and given their freedom from the chains that once bound them. I bought a pretty bracelet for my sister through their site, and it came with a note about the wonderful woman who made it (it actually made me tear up). The jewelry is well-made (I can vouch for that). So head on over and check out goods for a good cause!


ONE.org


Ahhh...ONE. I will always be fond of this charity because it prompted Adam Levine to point at me from the stage at a Maroon 5 Concert (I cherish that day!). While ONE gets a lot of attention, it's still a great cause to support as its focus is to stop the AIDS epidemic in Africa. So why not buy a grocery bag from them and give it as a present to your green-friendly friend?

Volunteer!



I have a major soft spot for the homeless. We give so many frivolous gifts to one another (which can be fun), why not also give a gift to someone who needs it? It's so easy to organize your own group to go out and feed the homeless...it's as simple as making a big batch of spaghetti! If you are not comfortable with feeding the homeless, you can even donate to such charities as Everyone Deserves A Roof. There is NO feeling like giving to someone who TRULY needs it.


After buying/giving said gifts, eat some cookies and give yourself a pat on the back for making Santa's Good List...you deserve it!

12.12.2011

The One About My Hometown

I spend so much time posting on traveling, that I don't think I've ever posted on San Diego. I think it's time to showcase my hometown:


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We might have one of the best skylines EVER. Just sayin'...

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Chillin' on the ferry that takes you from the beautiful Coronado Island to Downtown SD.

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We have approximately 4 military bases in San Diego, so you're bound to see ships and planes about the city.

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One of my fave hangouts...Little Italy has fantastic Italian food and art.

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Del Mar (northern county of San Diego) has one of the oldest racetracks in the country. It's quite fun to go to the yearly races and dress in big hats while gambling.

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La Jolla Cove is pure beauty!

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Hanging out in Encinitas where all the surfers go :)


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Palm trees in Cali = classic.

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There is an annual December Nights Festival where the museums are free and everything is decorated in pretty lights!

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Awed by nature!

We have some of the best Mexican food in the country. That's what you get for being a border town!


I think I've made my case in showing you San Diego's beauty. Sometimes I'm worried that San Diego is turning into another LA: it's becoming overcrowded, the traffic is getting unbearable and all open spaces are starting to fill up with buildings, complexes and more buildings. Hmmm...

I still love it so. This is the city I was born in! It will always be my home.

If you're planning on visiting California, I'd urge you to skip LA (or just spend one day there), but make stops in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and of course, Sunny San Diego.

12.09.2011

So What Do You Think?

I found this video highly interesting, and couldn't figure out if I was impressed by this plan the Japanese government has placed on companies, or slightly disturbed by the amount of government control.

On the one hand, companies are kept accountable for what kind of food they serve employees and are forced to think about their employee's well-being. On the other hand, the government is forcing you to lose weight, which could have interesting and/or negative psychological effects, me thinks. It also brings up civil rights, some how...

What do you think?

12.08.2011

Calling All Blog Wizards...

Technical Question...

Can anyone, for the love of God, tell me how to align my tabs to the center (right below my header)?????

Pretty sure I tried to figure this out for a few hours before retreating to a couple glasses of wine and one too many frozen mini pizzas. Oh the horror!

Any tips would be very appreciated. Thanks :)

12.06.2011

Perfectly Acceptable Ashley

It's totally acceptable:

  • to like every song titled "Creep" (i.e., Radiohead, Stone Temple Pilots, and the like...), and to realize that maybe this has some psychological meaning. Guess I'm a creep.

  • to take, ohhhh, 2 or 3 days to put clean laundry away. Which totally clashes with my hatred of ironing. Actually, this might be the reason I hate to iron, because ALL my clothes end up super wrinkly from not putting them away.

  • to do a happy dance when you realize that not only is the Midnight in Paris DVD coming out December 20th, but for some magical reason it is back in theaters. Basically, I am a nerd who gets über excited over certain books and movies. It's acceptable to be "nerdly." <---a word my friend Ali made up. It's also acceptable to make up words.


  • to buy 8 movies off of Amazon on Black Friday...damn those deals! I couldn't pass up There's Something About Mary or Bridesmaids for a thrifty price. Boom-shaka-laka! By getting movies for under $5, I somehow convince myself that I've beat the system and am fighting the man. No, Ashley...you're feeding the system and paying the man...doh!

12.02.2011

Tis the Season to Decorate (And Sing "Deck Da Club")


Simply, decorating with ridiculous tinsel, garland, twinkling "epilepsy" lights (as I like to call them), and evergreen trees in your living room is a load of freakin' fun...

Or as Jim Gaffigan likes to call it, "The behavior of a drunk man."



For some reason the holiday season is an excuse for me to use more candles without looking like I'm trying to have a séance.
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Tinsel and Tree!!



Poor Churro is wondering where the heck his dignity and manhood has gone.

All the while my roomie and I blasted A Very She & Him Christmas, *NSYNC's Home For Christmas, oh...and this:




Merry Christmas, peeps.