Starbucks Cup 101

Failure’s hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you’re successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever.

--Po Bronson

Slowing Down

You know, it's the weirdest thing. My handicap of bad knees has turned me into a calmer, more patient person. I know this is one of those blessings in disguise. I rush so much. My life was based on how fast I could walk to my next destination, and after that, to the next destination, and so on and so forth. Now, I rather be the last to get off the train since I have to walk slow because my knees will hurt if I try to move any faster. I was the woman who was standing right in front of the doors so that when they open, I was the first one to shoot towards the stairs. And I knew which set of doors stopped in front of which stairs that led me to the exact exit so I could get places faster. Oh, and I don't know what escalators are bc I'm too busy taking the stairs so I don't have to waste time by standing still. Then again, isn't that a definition of a New Yorker - always on the go: places to go, people to see, things to do.

So back to my patience. Walking slower makes me think more, too. I thought that would be a bad thing, but it actually isn't. I get to practice on my positive and in-the-present thinking. I try not to let the negative and the unknown (i.e. worrying over what I have no control over) clutter my mind. This will always be a work in progress, but at least I now have the opportunity (time) to practice instead of being in this constant rush.

I also now walk/shop with music because, why not, I have all this time and there are still songs in my iPod that I haven't given the time of day. I enjoy being alone in my head. I don't know how long this will last, but for now, I like it. You gotta find the silver lining in the worst of situations (in my case it's my slight limp that prevents me from doing some of the things I enjoy), because if you don't, life - as short as it already is - won't look so sweet, and it will probably feel like it only lasted a few minutes. If you're not convinced, then just think "hey, it could be worse..."

Paris... well, sort of

It's Valentine's.  Break out the hair 'do, diamonds, fishnets, smokey eye makeup, and (because of my obsession to go to Paris) all things New York French: Jacques Torres chocolates, Jean Georges JoJo's.

One day I will fulfill my dream of going to Paris, but for now, the closet thing to it was tonight.

Dinner was amazing and the chocolates will soon meet my hips. Thank you, babe.

 

Shadow of the Wind

-by Carlos Ruiz Zafon


Some quotes before my review:


"Reading...is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day." (pg. 484)


"I like to think that life snatches away our childhood friends for no reason, but I don't always believe it." (pg. 484)


"People talk too much. Humans aren't descended from monkeys. They come from parrots." (pg. 125)


"If you really want to possess a woman, you must think like her, and the first thing to do is to win over her soul. The rest, that sweet, soft wrapping that steals away your senses and your virtue, is a bonus." (pg. 132)


My review:
I love this story!! It's been awhile that a book has stirred so much emotion and suspense at the same time in me. It's one of those books where I don't mind staying in on a bright Saturday afternoon just to turn the pages and see what unfolds. The anticipation and excitement this book delivers is comparable, to me, to what Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and/or The Da Vinci Code made you feel when you read a Dan Brown novel for the first time, except this one has a bit more passion between the various characters.


The after-math of reading a book this good is like when you have finished devouring one of the best meals you've had in your life. Extremely satisfied, smiling, and slightly already nostalgic - it's like you want more, but then if you had any more than you were offered, you might ruin the ending. So, the ending was in fact perfect.

Halo

"Nothing is set in stone".  "You don't know what tomorrow brings".  "All good things come to an end".  

We don't know how long something good lasts, but all we know is what we feel at that moment.  We know when we crave it during the most chaotic moments in a day.  A different kind of high, a different aspect to comfort.  You recognize the fight within you is only the realization that you are surprisingly selfless, or that you abandon any guard you said you would put up. 

Random moments of stolen, comforting gestures and entanglements. This is not everyday, but is it there? Go outside, only to look in.

Romanticism is not lost in comfortability (urban myth). It's more like peace is achieved - the (inner) peace of mind between two people.  Inner peace is romantic.  Aren't convinced? Who cares (sucks to be you).  A form of clarity is achieved for a duration unknown to you. You knock on wood, you enjoy and live in the moment - even though it's late and you should be sleeping. It's a risk, but are the rewards greater?  Take out the movie moments.  Is there another level of reality that hasn't reached the credits yet (or ever?).  It's yours. It's private. Inevitable disappointments. Compromise. Frustration. Patience. Understanding. Perseverance. Foundation.  Never Perfection - because that's not real.  Sometimes we love relentlessly.  No explanations needed.

"You're playing that song again?? But it's like your 3rd time...but I can't hear the TV"