Don't fear the specter by J. Ridewood

A specter is haunting my life - the specter of growing up. For the last few years, he has appeared to torment me and add inconvenience to my daily routine. He assumes control of my body and forces me into nasty habits and new responsibilities. After one of his visits, I started making my bed in the morning, an activity I formerly viewed as so purposeless that I could not comprehend why any reasonable, moderately busy human being would perform the chore regularly.
But now I like the way my bed looks made up, with the sheets tucked into the sides forming an alluring pocket for nestling purposes. All lame adults probably think the same thing before they climb into bed at night and resume thinking about bills or whatever other concerns they have.
(I also blame the specter for my sudden use of dental floss, the back pain that emerges after I play tennis and the boredom I now have playing video games.)
But while the specter's visits have been intermittent, my graduation in May has been an incessant reminder to grow up and settle into adulthood. This has not been a change I've welcomed. I wouldn't trade the subtle reassurance that comes from feeling like a child for all the sugar farms in Cuba. Acting mature and thinking long-term are things I usually do my best to avoid.
Graduating has almost been like driving into a brick wall at a high speed - only instead of losing a limb or two, I've lost my childhood. Forgetting the tragedy I've suffered, I wake up in the middle of the night confused that my childhood isn't with me. Once I remember I've graduated, I curse the gods for forsaking me and wonder what I could have done to prevent the accident.
Around my graduation, adults of all ages gave me bad advice when they should have been consoling me. "Plastics," I was told on numerous occasions, as if hadn't seen "The Graduate" 15 times.
I much preferred the "Graduate"-esque advice my friend's father, a geology professor, gave me. "Satellites," he said, making me feel like a science fiction version of Benjamin Braddock. But the only thing I've been able to do with his vague advice is spend the last three months wondering if I should start building my own satellite or get satellite television. Neither option seems very fruitful.
The worst advice I received was from someone in my family who compared joining the workforce to a marathon. I've struggled with this analogy. Pheidippides, who, according to legend, ran over 20 miles in one day to announce the Greek's victory over the Persians, died shortly after completing this inaugural marathon. So, using my family member's logic, is getting your first "real" job the beginning of a breakneck march toward death?
But my family member does have a point: Your first nine-to-five job marks your final ascension into adulthood, a marathon that may or may not end in death. Luckily (or strictly from a financial standpoint, unluckily), I've delayed my final ascension by being unable to find a job that makes use of my degree. I've sent out dozens of copies of my resume, secured a few interviews, shaken hands with many people I will never see again and smile until my jaw hurts. No dice. Still unemployed.
Adulthood is a much longer, significantly more difficult process than childhood, and I failed to understand that until recently. Going to college isn't a triumph - it is a fait accompli for many Gen Y'ers. I never doubted for a day in my life that I would go to college. I spent high school filling my time with countless college application-approved activities under the false pretense of getting into "the college of my first choice." My achievements were not always made for their own sake.
But these expectations have done nothing but create more expectations and kill my childhood wonder. As an adult, you have to start at the bottom and move your way up through hard work and luck. Then, when your hair has grayed and you can feign the appearance of someone who has wisdom to offer, you give cliched advice to your younger relatives that references movies from your youth. I can see myself now, asking my grandchildren or nephews if I have ever told them about how life is strikingly similar to a box of chocolates, forgetting in my old age that "Forrest Gump" is a schmaltzy, sentimental piece of crap.
I recently pinpointed the exact moment my childhood died. Early one morning, walking east down 21st Street near the Six Pack, I was returning library books before I was to take an LSAT practice test at Dobie. I had a headache from a lack of caffeine. The only things on my mind were my bank account and job prospects. A cherub-faced freshman in cargo shorts strolled past me with a dopey grin on his face. I envied him yet found myself unable to relate to his exhilaration. Then I noticed one of those signs that alerts drivers of their speed. No cars were on the road, so as I neared the sign, it flashed "0 MPH" in bright, neon-yellow lettering.
It's time to move on. I've become the specter that haunted me for so many years.

woo hoo!

got my first job that is not on-campus and not any odd and random jobs.
It's called Lab Specimen Processor.
Get to stay around the nurses and doctors in the clinic,
see how they treat illnesses and interpret x-rays and lab results.
Look at all the little kids that felt a little better with a piece of sticker.
so cute and this is a very accomplishing job.
there's also an area for promotion.
Promote to Lab assistant technician and Lab technician.
need to show more initiation and enthusiasm to get a promotion.
of course, those pay much better than the processor now. (:

ruined my week-long diet. lost 3 kg and gained it all back.
will start again next week, need more motivation.
read more about house buying, since no one wants to teach me, so i got to do it myself.
Olympics has taken its roll and the opening was a very impressive one.
China came in first in the 4x100 relay medley. surprise surprise.
it'll be Michael Phelps and Nara Torres later at 8:00am Beijing Time.
And weirdly, there's no separate time zones in China, even though it houses one third of the world's population. One time zone, One China. The only thing I can do is to pity those that have the sun rise at 8:00am and set at 11:00pm, built on the assumption that they don't like it.

two more school days and that's all for the summer semester.
more preparation for school in Fall and application for graduate school.
Need to study for GRE and read more about nutrition and cancer.
Return some books and take care of the maturing CD.

Observe the realty market and see the Austin Housing Plans.
Want to buy a house.
Maybe should do a full time job like Kimberlyn, earn her own money and buy her own car. Impressive woman, only a year older. What have I been doing? Should focus more on self-improvement and other more useful things.

(: well, see how the diet goes and everything else. Willing to give up dance finally and do some other stuff. Japanese is coming pretty well, i've started on French and will start on Spanish pretty soon in the holidays. Been walking dogs and brushing cats. Those cats can be mean.
Summer is hot and the weather is burning. clouds are there, but couldn't out beat the carbon dioxide. shall learn architecture a little bit to design and map my own house. I have one year to do that before we buy and own one ourselves.

chinghui

fingertips

When was the last time I looked into the sky?
What color is it?
Blue? Red? Orange? Or a slight tint of brown...?

What is the color of the grass?
Green? Brown? Or a light touch of yellow...?

Is there wind in the summer heat of Texas?
Did I feel it when it came pass?
Do the birds on the trees chirp anymore?
Did I hear them when they called for me?

hmmm...

Recently,
All I heard was the missile testings in Iraq,
the release of hostages from Cuba,
the air pollution in Beijing,
the deadly epidemy of tomatoes
and the debating divorce of A. Rod and his dear wife.

I could hardly lay my eyes on the grass anymore
nor the sky
nor feel the wind.
Did something just get me on my nerves and shut some aspects on me down?

hmmm...

The last thing I remembered was the principles of X-ray spectroscopy.
SIMS, XPS, XRF... surface or not a surface technique.
Those big nouns and abbreviation rose a surge of curiosity,
a whole lot of it, but none in which I can find comfort.

But I do remember something about the sky.
The warm and snuggly sensation,
feels like a cat's belly fur.
Soft, not cold, and cozy.

So what is the color of the sky again?
Let me think... I'm thinking real hard right now...
Oh ya, it's blue with some white things in it..
What are those? Cloth? Cotton? Or bunny furs?
Oh, I remember! C-L-O-U-D, that's how you spell it right?
I think I need to revise my life terms one more time. Before I lose them again in the mazes towards the better.

何謂...

第一,何謂實.
第二,何謂虛.
第三,何謂戀.
第四,何謂離.

生離死別為何如此傷感
全都得歸於熟悉的溫柔
熟悉的手是如此的溫暖,
能毫無費力的穿刺你我的心.
它的穿透力是你連在意識當前都無法緊握的.

熟悉..真的太恐怖了.
有如習慣,
其實他們都一樣.
把你胸前的翅膀牢牢扣著,讓你無法飛翔,無法動彈.
怎麼辦,沒怎麼辦.
你能選擇的只有兩條路,
要不你用自己的爪子把胸前的翅膀撕下一大塊,
然後向上天祈禱,保佑你的傷口能在你飛翔的時候儘快復原,
保佑翅膀上的疤痕會被將長出來的羽毛好好遮蓋.
不然你能選擇另一個出口,乖乖的待在熟悉的框框裡,
假裝自己是隻鴕鳥,
一生注定有雙不能飛的翅膀,
呆呆的看著天空裡的飛鳥,不高興,不爽的時候就跺腳,傷心的時候就埋頭吃沙.


家裡的三隻貓貓被帶回shelter了.
好不容易跟它們混熟了,現在又被分開了.
心裡當然有很多的不捨.
畢竟那三隻寶貝是我跟哥第一次自己養的寵物,第一次如此細心照顧的貓貓.
哥也由此機會對貓貓完全改觀.
貓貓們,要加油.好好的表現,希望你們能夠有個好主人.
愛你們唷.

媽媽留.

2008年

久違的感動,
將降臨2008年.

久違的心動,
將我帶進了新的一年.

久違的激動,
為我劃開了遮廉.

久違的戀愛,
再次打開了新的一頁.

噗噗噗.
讓我偷笑一下.
好久沒有偷笑了,
好久好就沒有因為戀愛而偷笑了

加油各位
今年也請多多指教. (: