Why would someone put Katy Perry on Sesame Street to begin with? I mean, I like her, but she's not exactly a performer for children...
Sesame Street Pulls Katy Perry Video
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
On being filfthy rich
I just wrote this for a job application, so I decided perhaps I should share it with someone else too. Enjoy!
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I remember the first time it actually hit me - how filthy rich I was. I was taking a class on world development problems in graduate school, and the professor was categorizing humanity into three economic classes: under consumers, moderate consumers and over consumers. At the time, I subsisted on $1200 a month, generated from serving as a teaching assistant for the school. I quickly balked with pride. I could barely afford to live, I thought, I am definitely not an over consumer, that’s for sure. Besides half of the world’s population are moderate consumers, only 20 percent are classified as over consumers -- like I really fall into the elite percent.
My self-righteous pride however, was quickly humbled. My professor showed us a chart. “Moderate consumers,” he said, “have a per capita income of $700 - $7500 USD a year. Over consumers make more than $7500, have a diet of meat, packaged foods, soft drinks and consume too many calories. They drive private cars, dress in fashion-conscious clothing, and live in spacious, acclimatized shelters.” Wow. Way to describe me in a nutshell. I looked down at the H&M sweater I was wearing, and the Vitamin Water in my hand. Sure, I got it on sale for $14, and the Vitamin Water was $2 for two at the convenience store, but still...I was completely, unapologetically, an over consumer. I couldn’t believe I had even thought otherwise. I mean, it’s not like I hadn’t witnessed true poverty before. I had been to Calcutta and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Still, until I heard my professor’s description, it never really struck me as so, well, widespread.
As my professor continued to discuss global poverty, the realities of the world became painfully clearer, but it also became clearer why my view of poverty was so drastically limited. “Nearly 24,000 children a day die from poverty-related causes,” lectured my prof. “And the saddest thing is, we never hear about them, because they die in the poorest communities in the world, hidden from the world’s gaze.” Apparently, the poorest of the poor weren’t living in Minneapolis, Minn., or, in any area inhabited by or in close proximity to the world’s richest.
While statistics like this can be discouraging, I find there is a little bit of hope in facts like these. Call it naivety, but I think, if the over consumers of the world really knew about the poverty sharing this globe with them, they would reach out to help. I mean, how many small towns put on huge benefits to help a local cancer victim stricken with medical bills in addition to his disease? From what I’ve seen in my life, a lot.
So that’s why I believe in the power of communication to relieve global poverty. We all have the ability to help out a bit, we just have to spread the word, and sacrifice a few finances ourselves. As I mentioned before, perhaps this is an idealistic view of the overwhelming problem at hand. But what do we have to lose? In the words of famed activist Margaret Meade, “Never doubt that a small, thoughtful group of people can change the world. Indeed, they are the only ones who have ever have.”
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I remember the first time it actually hit me - how filthy rich I was. I was taking a class on world development problems in graduate school, and the professor was categorizing humanity into three economic classes: under consumers, moderate consumers and over consumers. At the time, I subsisted on $1200 a month, generated from serving as a teaching assistant for the school. I quickly balked with pride. I could barely afford to live, I thought, I am definitely not an over consumer, that’s for sure. Besides half of the world’s population are moderate consumers, only 20 percent are classified as over consumers -- like I really fall into the elite percent.
My self-righteous pride however, was quickly humbled. My professor showed us a chart. “Moderate consumers,” he said, “have a per capita income of $700 - $7500 USD a year. Over consumers make more than $7500, have a diet of meat, packaged foods, soft drinks and consume too many calories. They drive private cars, dress in fashion-conscious clothing, and live in spacious, acclimatized shelters.” Wow. Way to describe me in a nutshell. I looked down at the H&M sweater I was wearing, and the Vitamin Water in my hand. Sure, I got it on sale for $14, and the Vitamin Water was $2 for two at the convenience store, but still...I was completely, unapologetically, an over consumer. I couldn’t believe I had even thought otherwise. I mean, it’s not like I hadn’t witnessed true poverty before. I had been to Calcutta and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Still, until I heard my professor’s description, it never really struck me as so, well, widespread.
As my professor continued to discuss global poverty, the realities of the world became painfully clearer, but it also became clearer why my view of poverty was so drastically limited. “Nearly 24,000 children a day die from poverty-related causes,” lectured my prof. “And the saddest thing is, we never hear about them, because they die in the poorest communities in the world, hidden from the world’s gaze.” Apparently, the poorest of the poor weren’t living in Minneapolis, Minn., or, in any area inhabited by or in close proximity to the world’s richest.
While statistics like this can be discouraging, I find there is a little bit of hope in facts like these. Call it naivety, but I think, if the over consumers of the world really knew about the poverty sharing this globe with them, they would reach out to help. I mean, how many small towns put on huge benefits to help a local cancer victim stricken with medical bills in addition to his disease? From what I’ve seen in my life, a lot.
So that’s why I believe in the power of communication to relieve global poverty. We all have the ability to help out a bit, we just have to spread the word, and sacrifice a few finances ourselves. As I mentioned before, perhaps this is an idealistic view of the overwhelming problem at hand. But what do we have to lose? In the words of famed activist Margaret Meade, “Never doubt that a small, thoughtful group of people can change the world. Indeed, they are the only ones who have ever have.”
Friday, June 25, 2010
Waiting
I am at a airport coffeeshop in Denver, CO. I'm here, staring outside at the airport's fake rendition of the Rockies (if you've been here, you know what I'm talking about), trying to kill three hours. I am headed to Orange County this weekend for a friend's wedding - and because I have no money, I could not afford a non-stop flight. Alas.
I have never been to LA, the city I am flying into. Tonight, thanks to the dealings of my friend Dan Edelstein, I am staying in the Santa Monica Motel. I know, it just sounds like the setting for a horror movie. The only reviews I read about it said, "I can stand cheap, budget hotels, but this place is just gross..." Ha. Should be an adventure.
So yeah. I am waiting. Waiting for my flight, waiting for one of the employers I've contacted to call me back. A lot of our lives our spent waiting. At least someone invented the Internet. It sure makes waiting a lot easier.
(Oh, and a special shout out to the Denver airport for having free wifi. Way to go.)
I have never been to LA, the city I am flying into. Tonight, thanks to the dealings of my friend Dan Edelstein, I am staying in the Santa Monica Motel. I know, it just sounds like the setting for a horror movie. The only reviews I read about it said, "I can stand cheap, budget hotels, but this place is just gross..." Ha. Should be an adventure.
So yeah. I am waiting. Waiting for my flight, waiting for one of the employers I've contacted to call me back. A lot of our lives our spent waiting. At least someone invented the Internet. It sure makes waiting a lot easier.
(Oh, and a special shout out to the Denver airport for having free wifi. Way to go.)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Leaving everything, and graduating.
I am a selfish human being. And the other day, I had an experience that slapped my selfishness hard, revealing its raw stupidity.
I have a friend who was a refugee from Burma, she arrived in the U.S. two years ago, and we've been hanging out since. This past week, she graduated from high school. She asked me to come to her graduation, at the LEAP school in St. Paul. Of course I said I would go, but deep down inside, I did not want to attend a graduation ceremony. I was thinking of ways I could skip. How rude.
But alas, I do have some heart, so I went. And as soon as I got there, I realized that this experience was a gift. There they were, 56, students who came over to the U.S., barely knowing any English at all, graduating from high school. Their friends and families were there, so excited and proud. They had come to this new land with nothing, and now, one of their own was graduating from high school, in America. I mean, do you know what these kids had to go through to get a degree? They had to adjust to a new culture, a new language, override the temptations that come from rough neighborhoods, to graduate. I was honored to be in that gym at that moment. It made me realize how frustrated God is with us most of the time. I mean, he tries to give us good things, but we brush them off before we taste them, because shallow, selfish desires like spending time on ourselves seem more appealing.
The scene was a funny one, at LEAP school graduation. It was very typical of what I've experienced from my short times in the developing world. It was definitely not like a suburban high school graduation. For one, people talked throughout the ceremony, there was a constant conversational buzz. I would sit there and scream in my head, "listen to the speaker!" But alas, no one heard my inner thoughts. Additionally, most people came late, with balloons. What's time? Just a number. But even if they were whispering and answering phones throughout the ceremony, when their student walked across the stage they erupted in cheers louder than any you would have heard in Hastings.
Perhaps, its because, this student accomplished a greater achievement than most in Hastings. I mean, I had to go through a couple break-ups in high school (not to minimize those! man, those were rough), not submerge myself into a different culture a million miles from home.
After the ceremony, I went to see my friend. She was so excited and looked great in the cap and gown. This was the best graduation I have ever been to. Accomplishments mean more, the more there is to overcome.
I have a friend who was a refugee from Burma, she arrived in the U.S. two years ago, and we've been hanging out since. This past week, she graduated from high school. She asked me to come to her graduation, at the LEAP school in St. Paul. Of course I said I would go, but deep down inside, I did not want to attend a graduation ceremony. I was thinking of ways I could skip. How rude.
But alas, I do have some heart, so I went. And as soon as I got there, I realized that this experience was a gift. There they were, 56, students who came over to the U.S., barely knowing any English at all, graduating from high school. Their friends and families were there, so excited and proud. They had come to this new land with nothing, and now, one of their own was graduating from high school, in America. I mean, do you know what these kids had to go through to get a degree? They had to adjust to a new culture, a new language, override the temptations that come from rough neighborhoods, to graduate. I was honored to be in that gym at that moment. It made me realize how frustrated God is with us most of the time. I mean, he tries to give us good things, but we brush them off before we taste them, because shallow, selfish desires like spending time on ourselves seem more appealing.
The scene was a funny one, at LEAP school graduation. It was very typical of what I've experienced from my short times in the developing world. It was definitely not like a suburban high school graduation. For one, people talked throughout the ceremony, there was a constant conversational buzz. I would sit there and scream in my head, "listen to the speaker!" But alas, no one heard my inner thoughts. Additionally, most people came late, with balloons. What's time? Just a number. But even if they were whispering and answering phones throughout the ceremony, when their student walked across the stage they erupted in cheers louder than any you would have heard in Hastings.
Perhaps, its because, this student accomplished a greater achievement than most in Hastings. I mean, I had to go through a couple break-ups in high school (not to minimize those! man, those were rough), not submerge myself into a different culture a million miles from home.
After the ceremony, I went to see my friend. She was so excited and looked great in the cap and gown. This was the best graduation I have ever been to. Accomplishments mean more, the more there is to overcome.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Life of the Unemployed
I've decided to start blogging again, because I have a lot of time on my hands. Ah, the life of the unemployed.
The good news is that I just graduated with my master's degree. Woohoo. Just call me Master. Just kidding. The bad news, however, is that my last paycheck was last week, and now I am literally living on a prayer.
This is how bad it is, people. Last week, I went to Savers and scourged through the racks of jeans until I found five designer pairs that people oddly gave away. I then decided to sell them on eBay for some extra cash. My entrepreneurial initiative didn't go too well, I only sold one pair. Consequently, although I made $10 on that pair, it put my total losses at $20. Dangit. I'm going to have to put them up again, maybe lower the prices.
I do have a job babysitting Thursday and Friday. Yes. I have a master's degree and so far the only jobs I can get are the same ones I got at age 13. Let's not dwell on that fact.
I have been applying religiously for only a week now. So far, everything has slammed shut in my face. I have a feeling this is going to be a long road. That is not a fun feeling. At least I can sit by my parents' pool during the day instead of work. Looks like I'm going to be extremely tan, and bored, by the end of the summer....
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Ripped off!
Okay. Why don't I write for Glamour? They totally ripped me off (Ameera -- thank you for generously pointing out their plagiarism)! Ok, so maybe they didn't get it from me but they should have. Read this!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Things Married People Say to Singles
My roommate and I always joke about the things married people say to make singles feel better for being, well single. Though they have good intentions, in reality most of the advice doesn't really help. Don't stop giving advice however, if you have good advice to give. You will know that it's not good advice if it sounds at all like the following list I've compiled of "Things married people say to single people." If you find yourself spouting off any of these lines to your single friends, please, for the love of them, STOP.
1) You'll find someone if you just stop looking.
--Oh really? THAT'S why online dating sites are so popular and relatively successful. Because no one using them is looking!
2) You have to be happy with yourself before you can be with someone else.
--Ok while yes, you have to be happy enough being single that you won't go for any loser that comes your way, I'm sorry, it's relatively impossible to be like, totally happy about being lonely at night, or going on the umpteenth bad date of the year. The only reason married people say this, is because they forgot what it felt like. I'm convinced.
3) If I weren't married, I'd be totally happy being single.
--That is just false. False, false. You're married. How would you know? If you were really that happy single, you wouldn't be married. Just saying.
4) God has to be enough for you
--PLEASE! Yeah, in an ideal world. But God made us for companionship, plus this line makes me feel like I'm a horrible Christian for not wanting to be single my whole life. Don't ever use this line. Thank you.
Now I realize there is a some truth in all of the above lines. And no, being single is not all that bad really. But it will be if people continue to throw bogus lines at me. If I've missed any other lines, please let me know. I am eager to add them to my collection.
Peace out.
1) You'll find someone if you just stop looking.
--Oh really? THAT'S why online dating sites are so popular and relatively successful. Because no one using them is looking!
2) You have to be happy with yourself before you can be with someone else.
--Ok while yes, you have to be happy enough being single that you won't go for any loser that comes your way, I'm sorry, it's relatively impossible to be like, totally happy about being lonely at night, or going on the umpteenth bad date of the year. The only reason married people say this, is because they forgot what it felt like. I'm convinced.
3) If I weren't married, I'd be totally happy being single.
--That is just false. False, false. You're married. How would you know? If you were really that happy single, you wouldn't be married. Just saying.
4) God has to be enough for you
--PLEASE! Yeah, in an ideal world. But God made us for companionship, plus this line makes me feel like I'm a horrible Christian for not wanting to be single my whole life. Don't ever use this line. Thank you.
Now I realize there is a some truth in all of the above lines. And no, being single is not all that bad really. But it will be if people continue to throw bogus lines at me. If I've missed any other lines, please let me know. I am eager to add them to my collection.
Peace out.
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