Alexia's Adventures

Mmmm...the taste of knowledge

2011-07-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

I've gotten the "books I have but haven't read yet"list down to 34--quite a feat. But of course, I never fail to find even more books that I want to buy or read. I actually got a library card and find myself wanting to go there to see any of the new books they have. I also find my fingers dragging along the mouse pad of my beaten laptop to NPR's Summer Books page. I occasionally wish that my summer class ("lost cities and buried tribes") wasn't a 100-level class and reached up to 200 or 300, just so there'd be more to read and take in.

I bring a book with me nearly everywhere-- work, shopping, a night out (yes, in bars sometimes if the book is small enough to fit in my purse), the movies...I call them my "security blanket." I remember going on a couple "let's get coffee" dates and bringing a book. I would get in trouble with teachers from elementary school to senior year for reading instead of listening to them (although my senior-year English teacher gave me 100 points for it). Sites like this one, this one, or this one makes me a little too keen to pick up a book. Whenever I feel sad, angry, or worried, I stick my nose in a book (which makes my boyfriend ask about it...he knows me well).

In short, I am a wonderfully exact example of a bookworm. Screw your TV shows about crime, doctors, or the Kardashians. None can be as powerful as my imagination, guided by the symbols contained within bounded pages.

So where am I going with this? What's my point?

I have none, really. I just love books so much that I like to brag about it. I think there should be a drink specifically made for book lovers--a wine, perhaps; not too sweet or too strong, and the flavor would change according to the type of book being read. Willy Wonka should start a winery.

"Lignin, the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit, is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin. When made into paper and stored for years, it breaks down and smells good. Which is how divine providence has arranged for secondhand bookstores to smell like good quality vanilla absolute, subliminally stoking a hunger for knowledge in all of us."

Crazy Nature Girl

2011-07-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

Insecurity makes people do crazy things; it's like a parasite that infects the logic within first, then spreads to your choices, actions, emotions, and everything in between. Without knowing it, it gains control of you, like the fungus that grows in ants, and makes you do ridiculous things.

Yesterday, it took control for a little while. It was the effect of the current personal drama, being in debt with not a dollar to my name, having no job but to look for one, and being stuck at home for hours. Mostly, it was the fact that I was unemployed. Borrowing from friends and family just so the collectors will leave you be is humiliating at best. There's a reason why leech has a negative connotation associated with it. I had a headache from all the stress and staring at the computer screen, helplessly searching on monster.com, craigslist, and the local newspaper's classifieds.

So, after months of looking, I was fed up. I left my laptop on a job search engine, got in my car, and drove while the rain was beating the roof of my car. I drove until I reached a turn off into the woods, parked my car and slept.

It was a nice slumber; the sounds of the rain thumping on my window, the smell of wet pines, the uninterrupted, all-alone, in-and-out-of-it naps. It cleared my head--the parasite had receded, and so had the headache.

Allowing that little time for me to be crazy cleared my head. Coincidentally, that's when the clouds parted and the sunlight poured through. Rainbows.

Who I'll be in Five Years

2011-06-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

1) Speak French fluently
2) Living or have lived in France
3) Book is published and was/is on the top seller list
4) Have a steady income
5) Worked for an Americorps program
6) Traveling around the world constantly
7) Ran a marathon
8) Win several major awards
9) Meet many famous people because I am so amazing
10) Expand my book collection
11) Marry a rockstar

Best Quotes from "The Richest Man in Babylon."

2011-06-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

"Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared."

"Will power is but the unflinching purpose to carry a task you set for yourself to fulfillment. If I set for myself a task, be it ever so trifling, I shall see it though. How else shall I have confidence in myself to do important things?"

"When I set a task for myself, I complete it. Therefore, I am careful not to start difficult tasks, because I love leisure."

"A part of all I earn in mine to keep...let it be not less than one-tenth and lay it by...but lay by that portion first...what a rich feeling it is to own a treasure upon which you alone have claim."

"Counsel with wise men. Seek the advise of men whose daily work is handling money."

"That what each of us calls our 'necessary expenses' will always grow to equal our incomes unless we protest to the contrary."

"A man's wealth is not in the coins he carries in his purse; it is the income he buildeth, the golden stream that continually floweth into his purse and keepeth."

"Every owner of gold is tempted by opportunities."

"I urge all men to be in the front rank of progress and not stand still, lest they be left behind."

"Procrastinator...he accepts not opportunity when she comes. He waits. He says I have much business right now...Opportunity, she will not wait for such a slow fellow."

"Men of action are favored by the Goddess of Good Luck."

"A bag heavy with gold or a clay tablet carved with words of wisdom; if thou hadst thy choice, which wouldst thou choose?"

"Help must be given wisely, lest...in our desire to help we but take upon ourselves the burden that belongs to another."

"How can you call yourself a free man when your weakness has brought you to this? If a man has in himself the soul of a slave will he not become one no matter what his birth, even as water seeks its level? If a man has within him the soul of a free man, will he not become respected and honored in his own city despite his misfortune?"

"The soul of a free man looks at life as a series of problems to be solved and solves them, while the soul of a slave whines, 'What can I do who am but a slave?'"

A Rant to Make Your Mouth Water

2011-06-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been having more dreams about food. The setting is my kitchen, and I am making these concoctions that have never been made or attempted--food that is both healthy and delicious. It's the kind of food that has the je ne sais quoi added to the mixture that makes it better than anything else; such a missing ingredient would mean the food would taste mediocre at best, thus it couldn't be duplicated by a restaurant or a company that makes frozen dinners.

I made gluten-free pastries (that taste better than the gluten-full pastries), mini cupcakes and muffins with honey instead of sugar, steak that is cut and cooked to perfection, and a cinnamon hot chocolate made from cocoa that can only be attained in dreams. I could not only see what I made, but tasted, smelled, and felt proud.

I've also been delving a little into the Food Network; most of the cooking makes me gag, since the chefs add tons of butter, sugar, grease, fried food, and so on.

But in watching such shows, I get inspiration. Lettuce wraps, homemade tomato sauce (it was divine with a bit of red wine vinegar!), stuffed eggplant with quinoa...bake, stir fry, even raw. If only I could get my hands on some white truffle, because I saw it on Iron Chef...Oh my God, I can change that by baking instead of frying....Oh, that stew would be even better with some quinoa...

Not that I've ever tried white truffles, but I'm sure they taste phenomenal.

One of the reasons that I love food co-ops and farmers' markets is the wide diversity of food. There are so many ingredients, so many choices, so many flavors that have yet to touch my palette!

Cooking school or having some cooking guru take me under their wing is on my wish list.

Camelback: An Adventure to the Top

2011-06-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

I did this hike back in May, but I do it whenever I'm in Phoenix. For this hike, I did the Summit trail--while it's only over 1.2 miles, it climbs over 1,200 feet in elevation. Plus, try doing it in the hot Phoenix sun. For more info, click here.

P.S. I took these with my cellphone, so no judgments for poor quality allowed!

Just before the strenuousness begins...

A metaphor for life?

I love this part.

After climbing up that section.

What a desert beaut!

This, and the pictures below, were from the top of the mountain.

I got so close to this guy!

Seems a little god-like, don't you think?

Have you ever met a morbidly obese blind person?

2011-06-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

One of my delicious salads I pre-made.

One of my little quests was to be extremely healthy--in mind, body and soul. I feel that I have certainly reached it (or course, there are always more mountains to climb and conquer). In learning about my health, I've learned one very essential but forgotten by society lesson about food. It is a lesson that is so simple to know and implement, yet few people actually practice it. In a way, I feel like I've uncovered a secret hidden in plain sight. This secret could change the American lifestyle for the better; longevity, happiness, and peace of mind would be the norm, instead of stress, time, and money.

This is my discovery:

Few people actually savor their food. For this evening's dinner, my boyfriend made grilled eggplant, mashed potatoes, and ribs (but I didn't eat any--not a big fan of pork). I already knew that my quest had taught me patience in eating my food; my plate that is half the size of others is eaten twice as slow as my co-eaters. I learned this trick somewhat subconsciously--I never really forced myself to eat slow. Rather, it seemed that when I ate healthy foods, my subconscious would unknowingly tell my mouth to chew slower and my taste buds to take more note of the flavors. Conversely, I realized also that I subconsciously stuff my face as fast as possible when a plate of greasy, high-fat and/or obviously unhealthy meal was in front of me. Thus, in a few months, I became someone at the table that eats the least and finishes last.

But tonight, I would do even more. I would be a little monkish in my behavior. I decided that, for dinner, I would close my eyes while I ate.

It was a phenomenally wonderful experience. One cannot stuff their face with their eyes closed, and the rest of their sensors (including the taste buds) enhanced. It wasn't merely tasting; it was feeling the different flavors, spices, and textures within the food.

When I opened my eyes, I saw my boyfriend watching me. He laughed.

"I just love seeing you do that; you get this smile on your face." He said.

"Try it. It's a totally different experience."

He did. And a smile that showed a mouthful of content grew on his mouth. "It's like you can taste all the different flavors in it."

An Unanswerable Question?

2011-06-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

My healthy yet cheap breakfast omelet; eggs, beans, tomatoes, Parmesan, and topped with hot sauce.

When living off of measly paychecks due to being a college student (thus only part time availability and only experience in fields that no one would think of as a career), it's quite a challenge to eat healthy. Whenever I get any money, a dichotomous feeling emerges. I halfway feel like it is a precious and rare gift, but also see that soon, this paycheck will be spent on textbooks, little food, gas and everything else.

I'm sure anyone that lives paycheck to paycheck (with perhaps even surviving a week with about $2 in their account, as I have) has felt similarly.

Money controls the lives of everyone living in America; it dictates our food, shelter, and even water habits. It has the ability to create a gilded relationship and destroy the deepest-hearted ones. It has become an obsession connected with the American addiction of consumption, feeding our wants that have been told to us by suppliers that they are really needs (we need the car, the bigger house, the credit card, etc). Thus, when I got my first paycheck in months which consists of $40, I felt happy to have some sort of job, while helpless to get out of the rat race.

Why is money such a dictator? Actually, why do we let money be a dictator for our lives?

In Atlas Shrugged, there is an entire monologue speech about the saying, "money is the root of all evil," in which the character who is speaking (Fransisco) talks about how money is anything but the root of evil. While I don't agree completely with Ayn Rand, that book is still my favorite book.

A Bookworm's Lament: Part II

2011-06-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

The other day, I went to the local library to get a library card. Walking into the library gave me tingles; the unique silence that only exists around a plethora of books, the smell of the pages that have been touched by countless fingers, and the people you see with deep, well-read eyes walking around, looking for another imaginative escape from the stress of living in a capitalist society. This local library was small, reflecting the town, but it would do.

I remember when I lived in Salt Lake City and the huge library was built. It is quite breathtaking, with 4 stories of books and areas that are rented by retail stores, a coffee shop in the corner of the main level, and a large walkway with many windows for the sunlight to pour into the massive building.

But I didn't check out any of the books in this library this time; like I said before, I had more than enough books of my own to catch up on. So, I went to the small DVD section and got Lawrence of Arabia, Across the Universe, and The Jane Austen Book Club.

My boyfriend and I attempted to watch Lawrence of Arabia last night, but I found myself having a difficult time hearing what they were saying and feeling like it was moving a little too slow. 15 minutes in, my eyes began to close, and my boyfriend stopped watching it and started teasing me after my eyes were shut by softly dragging his fingers across my cheek until I opened my eyes.

I went into the bedroom and read a bit of 3 Cups of Tea instead, finishing the chapter about Mortenson building a school in Hushe village after the village leader, Mohammed Aslam Khan, traveled to meet Mortenson and ask for a school to be built.

The book is good, but I wouldn't consider it the kind of book that keeps me up at night, with my thoughts starving for more. Ah, those books create a sense of nirvana.

A Bookworm's Lament

2011-06-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have two major habits that may or may not be good:
1) I throw out things at random times, and
2) I buy books

To see the effect of the second habit, I made a list of books I have but haven't read yet; it's nearing 40. So here's a rule for myself--no buying books until I finish the current list I have, with textbooks for classes and books given to me being the only exception to this rule.

Right now I'm reading Three Cups of Tea, the maybe-not memoir of a guy that builds one (or several) schools in the middle East. I stopped for a little after news investigation that rings similar to the Million Little Pieces controversy in 2006, but read back again after deciding that the book would still be an inspirational read even if some of the events didn't happen. I'm a lover of inspirational stories, even if they aren't true.

It's quite an eye-opener, this unread book list (located on the left of the blog). I remember when I was moving all of my stuff to begin a new chapter in my life; half of the boxes were heavied with books (granted, I don't have much stuff). My 3-shelf bookcase only houses a portion. Still, I'm jealous of my brother's collection; his apartment has 2 full, approximately 5-foot bookshelves, with books stacked on top, and behind, and even more books under the arts and crafts table in the living room. I remember when I saw a picture of a staircase, with books located under each step...my eyes opened wide and I decided that this would be just one area where my books would be. I might even add little reading areas halfway up the staircase, with sun/roof windows, bean-bag chairs, and a small table with a cup holder. It sounds absolutely perfect.

Ah books. I could (and have) discuss(ed) books for hours; it's the kind of subject that makes my eyes brighten with intense interest. Few people read nowadays, so such intellectual discussions are rare, therefore enjoyed like a vocabulary-flavored dessert. The last one I had was with a woman that was also in the middle of reading Three Cups of Tea, and I broke her literate heart just a little when I informed her of the current controversy. She told me about some books she's read, and I told her about books I've read.

A few days later, at a party, my boyfriend's co-worker asked me if I was the one that lent Ender's Game to my boyfriend; she had seen it sitting on his desk every once in a while. I said yes, and a discussion about how wonderful the book is ensued.

Before those two moments, it had been weeks since a good book conversation occurred. I was getting antsy and hungry, not being able to talk to anyone about the greatness of the written word.

Such is life.