a question of Asianness

If you meditate long enough lots of thoughts pass through your mind and if you sit in a café long enough you hear a lot conversations go on.

As I was writing my paper a couple days earlier, I overheard this conversation amongst Americans. Amongst this group of Americans was a Chinese American. As I struggled to write and as their conversation progressed I heard one of the American ask the Chinese American to speak Chinese. At this point I had to laugh to myself and thought back to how many times in my younger days was I asked this question.

In the past when I was asked this question I would oblige the inquirer from time to time, but it would irk me that they would ask me. Do not get me wrong, I am very proud of my heritage and culture and flaunt it when I can. It is just the fact that it still surprises me when my ethnicity/heritage/culture is called into question. At the same time I am glad to know that people refuse to stay ignorant of other cultures and want to broaden their scope of the world.

From this instance I will ever more proudly flaunt and uphold the traditions of my people. 華人萬歲!!!

writing about writing

As of this week I write furiously to finish a paper, but also in the midst of paper writing I always take time to reflect. This is a confession of sorts.

I will miss being a college student (I know, I know. Again with this nostalgia.) and sometimes envy the life of a writer. Sometimes. Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting with my friend on the second floor of Arch's. She was studying for exams and I was writing my paper and had the impulse to write this blog. So truth be told, (another confession) I'm basically copying my handwritten version of it. But that's beside the point.

When will I have the leisure again to kick back? As I write this I'm slowly eating away at a sandwich, sipping on some tea, and finishing my last bit of frozen yogurt. mmm. Hopefully, when I get to retire despite all these horror stories of my generation in the U.S. who cannot possibly retire because our Social Security has run out or something of that matter.

But in this I realize it is these little things that one must embrace and indulge on from time to time. So go out and eat ice cream, smell the roses, impulse shop (not too much though), jump in rain puddles, etc. etc. These are the things that make life sweet.