tomato, tomato

It is inevitable that in a batch of tomatoes, if one were to go sour and ultimately grow puss and fungus on it, the rest of the tomatoes will go bad as well because the contaminated tomato will have spread it's illness to the adjacent tomatoes.

Is it true then that this may be the case with individuals as well? Could just one mere individual, who is foul and ill-infused have such a profound effect on the the individuals around him that he may consequently alter their initial perceptions, thoughts and sentiments? Could just one person, with a malaise, spread this to those around him? Needless to say, groups are far more pervasive and influential than someone who stands alone, so when this does happen, the repercussions are far greater than one would expect them to be...

In short, are we like tomatoes?

Fashionista Monday brought back, except, it's Sunday.

My much adored fans have been asking whatever happened to my Fashionista Monday blogs...well, in short, I got lazy. I just didn't feel like making fun of fashion outkasts anymore. I felt that I had outgrown casting an individual as a pariah simply because their ensemble was funny looking (at least to me). I felt I was beyond making fun of people and in turn guiding them to where they should be...fashion-wise. This may be in part due to my apathy toward fashion. Frankly, I really don't care what the stars are wearing and which designer won an award this year. It was never really meant to be taken seriously, but what I did not know is that some people really did take it seriosuly, and they actually listened to what I wrote vis-a-vis fashion.

To you, I say thank you, BUT, I never meant this to be a guide. If it is, great !
Actually, the paradox in this whole situation is that I really made fun of people who follow fashion religiously, and are always up to par with exactly what the stars have aligned, (pun intended). If Julia Roberts was seen wearing black lipstick at a gala, there would be 500 girls in like the next day at Duane Reade for the new Revlon Midnight black. If Cam'ron was seen rocking a pink Tee, the ghetto became flooded with thugs walking around in outfits that resembled little pepto-bismol bottles.

Fashion is always nice to have, but when your life revolves around it I think it may become a problem. Spending $200 on a pair of jeans when your last check was just short of $180 post-tax is just sick. ALmost as sick as spending $10 a day on coffee but that's another blog.

But, in the spirit of Fashionista Monday (err, I mean Sunday) , I do have do's and dont's ...

A do and a Major Don't

Winter boots are really cute. Some girls tuck their jeans inside, others roll their jeans up to show off some fur, all in all, a nice eskimo-like way to let the world know that your little toasties are warm. However, some ladies have fallen into a trap I like to call "Space-Cadet Turbo Sheep Warmers". We all know the type. These boots were not made for walking on regular sidewalks, in fact, they were not even made for any terrain on this earth! These boots were made for space. They are sometimes half the size of their owners bodies and look extremely heavy. I've never actually gotten near this specific type of boot, for fear that a rat may run out and bite me if I got too close. Some girls may double-use these as a purse, as they are spacious enough to fit one's cell-phone, make-up bag, keys, wallet and perhaps your organic chemistry textbook.

So today's fashion lesson, unless NASA is sending you up to Pluto anytime soon, let's stay away from the Space Cadet Turbo Sheep boot and stick to simple winter toasties.

When it's over, it's over

I am having the most amazing time living at the dorms this semester, I'm getting nostalgic about graduating soon. I've always been eager to learn and very much intrigued by life and my environment, but my time here is up, my four years are served and it is time for me to go...but I don't want to.

I *wish* I would have discovered dorm life earlier in my academic career. Although, under earlier circumstances the repercussions certainly would have been different, so maybe it's a good idea that I waited...Sadly, until the end.

You don't actually realize the pervasivness of a situation unless taken out of context or worse, until it's over. Sadly, for my case the former came @ the incipient stage of the latter.

I've harbored this insatiable zest for life while living in the city. One thing continuously leading to the next, with no break, like a stack of dominoes, unchaotic and rhythmic yet constantly moving and changing.

Veganism

Okay, so I started a Vegan diet on Monday for reasons I won't get into here. It's surprisingly not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Going vegetarian was a pleasure; going vegan, as aberrant as it is, foments this greater sense of health, happiness and awareness of which I could not even fathom, especially with respect to dining.

A whole new world of foods have been opened up to me, some of which I was familiar with before, others that just continue to dazzle me. I've come to discover a plethora of such nutritious, humane and eco-conscious meals that make me wonder why the whole world isn't in on this fascinating diet.

The health aspect alone should suffice enough to get any human being to latch on. What a wonderful life it would be, if no one had to worry about life-threatening diseases, dreaded visits to the doctor, refills at expensive pharmacies or now, the (U.S) endemic obesity.

Although only at the incipient stage of my new diet, I feel I could not have made a better choice for myself. Deviating from hedonistic forms of dining have only increased my sense of will power and self-sufficiency.

Again, this diet is only temporary at this point and very much inchoate, however, only time will tell if it will last.

until next time,
maya (smile)

THE PACT

I'm trying something new this year, but I can't quite reveal to you what it is. A select few know, a select very few, but that aside, it is a compromise.

I made a small pact, and I'm trying very hard to keep it. This pact, and the promise it entails, requires loads of discipline and humility. I can't say, as of yet, what the consequences are thus far because it is still in its incipient stage, but the closer I become to the day it ends, the more it's moral will unravel.

As of now, it certainly is strengthening me as a person while at the same time leaves me weak. What's more, it sheds light on the self-sufficiency of man yet is still able to reveal his distinct, idiosyncratic, dependent nature.

work = pleasure

All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl.

Except, my work involves play..so, yay! Such a fortunate advantage comes few and far between.
The mandatory committee I had to join for the undergraduate student government is responsible for events that guarantee the students are enjoying themselves outside of academia (it's tough job but someone's gotta do it ;-) . I have, with fellow counter-parts, fallen into becoming an event coordinator almost over-night. Researching different venues, making contacts, visiting places, and networking with night-life connoisseurs, all withing our generous budget.

My 'task' for this evening is checking out The China Club. We are V.I.P guests tonight which means no paying for entry, no waiting in line and possibly...free liquor. We essentially are expected to be there, mingle with people, check out the dj, roam all three floors (including Jade Terrace) and ultimately have a good time.

I think I'm willing to practice until this becomes my forte.

Life is good when your work = pleasure.

Dinner & Wine and then Zzzzz

Okay, everyone needs to know that Christine Mendoza is the best girl in the world. I was at a top-secret private meeting (;-) today and on the verge of dying from starvation when Christine, the wonderful woman that she is, called me to let me know that she was making dinner--and I'm invited.
I've had a bottle of wine sitting in my room for a couple of days with no occasion or reason to open other to just drink in solitute. As a thank you, I brought the wine upstairs tonight. This is the first real meal I've had since I've moved into the dorms. Whole wheat pasta succulently sauteed in a fine garlic sauce with steamed broccoli and peppers was the main entree for the night. As a thank you, I scraped through my fridge to try and find something and brought up some salad, carrots, cabbage & some Vin Rose.
I'm on my third glass, right as you are reading this.
Dinner and wine were the perfect end to my day.
As for dessert, sleep should suffice.

My Acting Break (sorta)

I can think way back to a time when I was just 3 years old and my daddy asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. "A Movie Star!" I'd respond enthusiastically and then give him a bourgeois pose; neck protruding, head tilted, shoulder up, puckered lip and all, as if he were the paparazzi, incessantly taking my picture, in front of the set of my marvelous film.
Indeed he was, because he was behind a camcorder on the deck of our pool, simultaneously my number one fan and director, while I told him this.

Fast forward 18 years later and I'm on camera again! Only this time, at Hunter college. A friend of mine Teresa, who (just like me, will be a famous writer one day) is a film major and needed an extra for her senior thesis. I know, it seems just as minutiae as the former scenario but it's definitely a step-forward. I mean, it's not going to the Oscar's anytime soon but hey, it's not in my backyard anymore either...just at my college.
If that's not progressive I don't know what is. As an ex-aspiring actress, and former (before I changed my mind again) Theatre major, it felt good to get in front of the camera and just be again. Even if my part had no lines. Hell, I was "The Hot Chick". I'm not complainin'.

The art of picking up girls (& later,women)

The fact that boys are immature just perpetuates itself into oblivion. We had an excersise at the dorms the other day in which we had to tell a tale of a scar we had. I picked the pencil wound on the middle finger of my right hand. In the second grade, one of the boys in my class apparently had a crush on me and in order to get my attention, decided to stab me with his #2 pencil. This mechanism obviously worked to a certain extent because I still have the wound for memory and I am blogging about it 15 years later (shit, now I feel old).

My 12 year old cousin Katherine was discussing her day at school with me and told me that one of the boys in her class were saying mean things to her. She asked him why he was so mean to her and his response was that it was only with her. Obviously signs of another crush. Can we please help these boys out? I understand that girls certainly mature faster than boys do but since they are hitting on girls at a younger and younger age they should start training for it at a younger age.

So this goes out to all the boys out there.... stabbing girls with your #2 pencil and calling them names will NOT get them to like you. As for adults, ignoring women all night and not approaching them until you are piss drunk is not a good device in picking them up either. Sober conversations rock, drunken ones are so over-rated.

Hope the lesson helps. Seems right in theory, now go out and practice.