secrets for strangers

Good Stuff

2012-01-13T17:53:00.000-05:00

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/what-moving-on-is-like/

I'll be your fin

2011-11-08T23:22:00.000-05:00

from the archives (Oct 22, 2006)... Smoked Salmon, as we all know, has a fungus problem. Lately, it's gotten pretty bad and he has lost his fin. It's very sad to see. Yesterday I was in my room and I went to check up on Rebel and Salmon and noticed Salmon floating on his side. I panicked, but realized that he was still alive. Because he's lost his fin, he can't swim like normal, he can only

2011-09-29T23:16:00.002-04:00

memo

2011-09-29T22:36:00.000-04:00

make it sink insay it out loudput it in ink.a pen, a water tower thattempers the burn, soaks the frenzy(until it runs dry): with the embersline your eyes,to see its senescenceand also its life. learnto no longer needsomething you once needed;let that surprise you and rememberthat restlessness, that rustle and rushin your heart?it means you're alive

"Free"

2011-09-26T17:14:00.002-04:00

the fringe benefits of failure

2011-08-02T00:06:00.003-04:00

the grass is greener where you water it

morsels

2011-07-30T13:55:00.003-04:00

from the archives... p-e-a-s Isn’t it silly, The way I can’t do a single crossword Without thinking of the day you looked over my shoulder While I was huddled over my puzzle And said “peas.” The clue for 65-across was “casserole morsels” And I had no idea what went in a casserole. But you knew and before I knew it, I was smiling into my newspaper, p-e-a-s. When I was a kid I used to help

Stubborn, Happy Bravery

2011-07-19T13:02:00.002-04:00

The Hula Hoop is Good at Girling

i want to feel like this every day

2011-06-25T10:37:00.002-04:00

i feel happy of myself

i would like one of these please

2011-06-09T21:18:00.002-04:00

prelude

2011-06-09T21:15:00.001-04:00

Will you let me learn it? The way it smells in the morning, the way it feels, dry, warm, under my fingers and against my arms. The way it moves when I move, The way it wrinkles, pressed tight, The way it is when things are quiet. Will you let it seep out from your pores, let it dampen your clothes and palms and run down your forehead, leaving a trail that I can follow? Let this be what moves

ode to the lighthouse

2011-05-23T22:42:00.001-04:00

The Rugby Poets Club Presents: "Chariot" by Joshua Bennett from Ralph Lauren on Vimeo.

2011-05-23T22:16:00.000-04:00

2011-05-23T22:15:00.000-04:00

I know what that's like

2011-05-19T17:40:00.000-04:00

Mamihlapinatapai: "A look shared by two people with each wishing that the other will initiate something that both desire but which neither one wants to start.”. -from the Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego, considered the world's most succinct word and considered one of the most difficult words to translate

A Salsa Story

2011-05-13T13:36:00.003-04:00

Last night was taco night and Shadow and Ryan's place, a tradition Shadow and I have celebrated since our days back in Broome Street dorms. It's one of those nights you talk about months in advance, and never plan on a whim. If you're invited to a taco night, you come to that taco night. If you miss a taco night, you know you're missing out on a Core tradition. Anyways, last night was the

she maps everything...

2011-04-28T18:01:00.003-04:00

Her son's favorite burrito joints... "This little map celebrates my mastery of the “My Maps” feature on Google Maps, introduced to me by my son Greg, who also happens to be my webmaster and computer guru. Obviously, he's a huge burrito fan. The text at the bottom("I like burritos") is a nod to Greg's wife Yenari, for whom he is learning essential Korean" Or the New York City Marathon..

2011-04-28T11:59:00.002-04:00

I wonder if I can stay put, if I can rest in one spot,just long enough for you to get hereand find me. I’m floating, trying, butI’m losing my bearings while I play it cool,while I pretend that I’m not thinking of what dress I’ll wear when we have our first picnicof what I’ll order when we stay in and watch a movie. Tether me to this place, where my heart skips at the sight and sound and feel of

portrait of grief

2011-04-04T10:56:00.000-04:00

Jayendra Bhatt was a rickety old man, at least at first glance. He would careen down the sidewalk using his old cane as if it were a prop to make his grandchildren laugh. “He had this funny British-Indian accent,” said Kush Bhatt, 15, his youngest grandchild. “He would say things like, ‘make haste’ when he wanted us to hurry and ‘take heed’ when he wanted us to listen.” Those

2011-03-31T10:39:00.004-04:00

Recently, I got a notice from my building asking if I’d like to renew my lease, something I normally anticipate months in advance as I start making plans for the coming year and all the changes it’ll bring. When it came in the mail this time, my first instinct was to start looking for another apartment on CraigsList, as usual. But before I could crack open my computer, a thought occurred to

Why he writes

2011-02-19T17:11:00.002-05:00

"Linda was nine then, as I was, but we were in love. And it was real. When I write about her now, three decades later, it's tempting to dismiss it as a crush, an infatuation of childhood, but I know for a fact that what we felt for each other was as deep and as rich as love can ever get. It had all the shadings and complexities of mature adult love and maybe more, because there were not yet words

Sibling bonding

2011-02-19T11:49:00.001-05:00

mmmm...umford & sons...

2011-02-17T23:38:00.000-05:00

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP5brJ94uAI

A love story

2011-02-17T20:36:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time, in India... She was in her twenties, he in his forties. She was unwed, the eldest of 10. He was the father of two sons and a sickly wife. They lived across the hall from one another in a small apartment complex, and, sometimes, they would stand in their doorways and glance (shy). Soon, his wife passed away, and a love affair began. Her brothers and sisters would hear her sneak

Super Superbowl ads

2011-02-07T23:20:00.000-05:00

These two got standing ovations in our living room:

2011-01-16T00:21:00.001-05:00

watching you go

2011-01-13T23:12:00.003-05:00

This little girl, she has no idea why everyone is crying. She is spreading a blanket on the ground, crawling on her hands and knees, making room for her tea party, and she is whispering because that’s what her mother told her to do. There is something so essential about this way to die. It’s the essence of what a life is, maybe. Or what death ought to be. Because if you must die—and we all

enough now

2011-01-13T23:02:00.006-05:00

I don’t miss you. when I stopped feeling your eyes on me,stopped feeling your hand on my shoulder,when I stopped feeling your kiss on my back,I stopped missing you.How could I miss you?You came, and you stayedin my breath and voice and thoughtsuntil you left.And now you are finally,finally gone,and I can taste air that doesn’t belong to youand oh, it’s never tasted better.You came to me as soon

2011-01-13T22:48:00.000-05:00

“When I put my hands on your body on your flesh I feel the history of that body. Not just the beginning of its forming in that distant lake but all the way beyond its ending. I feel the warmth and texture and simultaneously I see the flesh unwrap from the layers of fat and disappear. I see the fat disappear from the muscle. I see the muscle disappearing from around the organs and detaching iself

Marcel the Shell...be my friend?

2010-12-26T10:56:00.002-05:00

No words. Just Puppies.

2010-12-12T20:53:00.001-05:00

a roof over your head

2010-12-01T10:32:00.004-05:00

I often say that to live in this city is to love this city, because no one in her right mind would pay rents like these to live in a smelly, dirty, loud, crowded town like this one for no good reason. That's how i know i really love New York-- because i can't bear to part with it. the apartment i live in is just a roof over my head; the city is my home. The NYTimes City Room blog published this

2010-11-28T23:45:00.001-05:00

"I write only becauseThere is a voice within meThat will not be still"— Sylvia Plath

because cool cameras make everything look good...

2010-11-08T20:35:00.004-05:00

my old hood...steps make me taller.

from the archives...

2010-11-08T20:16:00.003-05:00

here is one that really has a hold on me. look at him, lying there with his fingers laced in mine, resting his forehead at the nape of my neck, on my shoulders, my arms, my hands. look at him, his green-brown eyes watching me as i turn and twist into his body. here, he takes my leg and wraps it over him, pressing his chest so close to mine that when he inhales it feels like i am breathing. listen

Sore but Zen

2010-10-25T12:03:00.000-04:00

By Eve Ensler, c/o my yoga instructor "Maybe being good isn’t about getting rid of anything. Maybe being good has to do with living in the mess. In the moment. In the frailty. In the failures. In the flaws. Maybe what I try to get rid of is the goodest part of me. Maybe good is about developing the capacity to live fully inside everything. Our body is our country, the only city, the only

On growing up: a dialogue

2010-09-20T21:11:00.004-04:00

The following is a lengthy excerpt from an email exchange between myself and the older brother (A) and father (J) of my dear friend. I'm sharing it now, months after the fact, because thankfully, I feel like I'm beginning to step out of the terrible puddle I was in back then. I think they've got some really interesting insights, as a brilliant but struggling law student (A) and a successful

The real stuff

2010-09-07T23:36:00.000-04:00

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Read read read:

2010-08-17T23:48:00.003-04:00

This:Then this:And then this:

Oh I just love words

2010-08-16T23:10:00.002-04:00

Here's a little something that's been dancing around the web. Makes me happy:

practice love

2010-06-22T00:12:00.003-04:00

So why not? why not have this crazy summer fling (that will end before summer begins) with a boy you've just met, whose last name you don't know, who whispers to you in French in the middle of the night and rests his lips on you in the morning, his fingers lazily snaked between yours. Why not do it while it's fun (until it's not fun anymore), while you're young and pretty and inexperienced and

Daffodils

2010-03-15T22:23:00.009-04:00

to honor the succulent savior, sassafrass-singing, anti-senescence,sin-inducing, serpentine Springtime...There's a million things I love about this time of year, and it's no secret that daffodils are at the top of my list (they've already flooded my apartment)...but this guy just says it better... his name was Wordsworth, for god's sake... I WANDER'D lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er

2010-03-14T18:36:00.006-04:00

So this is what you do: you tap into that well that you filled up while you could, while the love was pouring over you in a torrent, when you breathed it in deep and swallowed it whole because even though it was unusual it was also very real. And you knew that when a drought came, or just some thirst, you knew that that well would still be there, full, with no expiration date (thank god). So

My First Scarf

2010-02-05T16:37:00.004-05:00

After 3 weeks, I finally completed my very first scarf.It was as satisfying as graduating college, or getting my first job...maybe even more so, because upon completion I wasn't immediately crippled by fear and anxiety of failure...It's a little short and has a few dropped stitches, but it's mine.A few pictures, just to show off my masterpiece

Creativity

2009-12-16T18:12:00.002-05:00

Watch all the way through...

Immortalizing Every Person In New York

2009-12-14T15:24:00.005-05:00

This guy has taken up a very special project-- to draw every single person in New York City. According to the New York Times, the task could take him over 79 years-- if he draws a person every 5 minutes!-- but I think it's worth a shot. besides being an admirable feat, the guy's really talented. ya know, i happen to frequent such spots on a pretty regular basis... draw me! draw me! Look at this

ho ho ho

2009-12-12T22:44:00.003-05:00

santa convention right outside my door...they're already drunkenly "ho ho ho-ing"...it's going to be a long night...

ah, love.

2009-12-07T22:26:00.005-05:00

he other night, i went to the bar across the street. this bar and i have a love/hate relationship because the bastards that loiter outside of it at 3am on weekdays keep me up at night (it's gotten so bad that if i wake up in the middle of the night, i can tell what time it is by the volume of the ruckus outside) and yet, it's the most convenient place to go for a drink. i went there the other

old, old stuff

2009-12-07T22:01:00.006-05:00

was going through the folder in my hard drive that i reserved for "recreational writing," though high school and college etc. (i.e. all the stuff i never had to submit for a grade) and i found some little things that brought back some serious memories. it's times like these that i remember why it's so important to write-- these are experiences that would have eroded into

2009-12-01T13:14:00.004-05:00

ominant, daring, hardly domesticated, indicatively dusky, distant dalliance, annual denouement, darling DecemberIt's the first of December! The only month whose cruel weather is balanced by the warmth that everyone seems to exude as soon as the chill hits. I don't know about you, but as soon as I said my first, "Happy Holidays!" I've been a gonner-- catching myself singing carols aloud (note: i

a good sell

2009-10-29T12:12:00.002-04:00

there's nothing like a good commercial to get the day started...i'm a sucker for the creative, interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking ads that make an impression. it's really an artform-- whether youre selling a brand, a product, a message, or all three, you only get 30 seconds to make it stick. and with all that bad-vertisement that somehow makes it onto our tubes, when it's done

what do you wish would happen by the end of the day?

2009-10-14T18:38:00.003-04:00

one of the countless reasons there's nowhere i'd rather wake up...

Where do you wish you could wake up tomorrow?

2009-10-14T12:22:00.001-04:00

"...Once upon a time, we awoke with a new question on our mind. We didn't quite know what the buzz and bustle of a Brooklyn afternoon would bring. In search of nothing more than some fresh answers, we found a few dreams instead.It's a simple question and the answers can lead us anywhere. So go ahead, ask yourself."www.fiftypeopleonequestion.com

ForamsList.com

2009-10-12T21:33:00.003-04:00

OK, so maybe this is a result of one-too-many Meg Ryan movies (and proud of it!), but I am a sucker for the missed connections on Craigslist. I check them every so often because i totally have this fantasy of being the best friend in the romantic comedy (think Judy Greer, Rosie O'Donnell etc.) who finds The Ad and just knows its meant for her girlfriend and insists that she contact the poor,

lánytestvér

2009-10-12T16:11:00.008-04:00

so i've been house-ridden the past few days, spending a LOT of time on the couch, munching and watching I Love Lucy and Say Yes to the Dress re-runs. If i'm not on the couch, then im in my bed reading Freakonomics or reflecting. yea, thats right, reflecting. at the risk of sounding like a starry-eyed lofty cliche, having this much down time (unemployed, remember?) and being in poor health makes

killing time like its my job

2009-10-09T22:32:00.001-04:00

i'm no good at this unemployment thing. sure, it's given me time to think, reflect, tap my inner yogi, shop, lunch with friends, forget what day it is, nurse some nasty hangovers, wander the streets in this beautiful weather, and relish in a state of general boredom...but it's surprisingly difficult. by tuesday morning i was on the phone with my dad, confessing my anxiety about waking up with

Argg where's me paperback?

2009-10-06T09:10:00.007-04:00

This article got me thinking...Book Piracy?though it's still not quite a part of the mainstream, the ebook threatens to flip the business model for book publishing on its head. the internet has made it even more complicated, and has brought up the question that the journalism industry, torn between online and paper versions, with has been riddled with for years now: how to monetize?i feel like

an evanescent, velvety, vital, visceral vesper

2009-10-05T19:10:00.015-04:00

At sunset I sit on my fire escape, reading and drinking a glass of wine. I love to sit here and look up and down the street. To my right, I can see pretty far past Little Italy into Chinatown. Left, I can almost see the Chrysler building, if I lean over a little bit. The scent of pizza wafts up, four stories high, to where I’m sitting. The smell is a familiar tease now; I’m

Or maybe I should devote my time to this!

2009-10-04T23:27:00.002-04:00

how can i say no?The Bucket Listand This is just too close to home...

shouldn't october be the eighth month of the year?

2009-10-04T21:43:00.003-04:00

open-aired, autumnal, overdue, on-my-own (almost), officially unemployed, OctoberTonight marks my official first Sunday of being "in-between jobs." blah. so now i've got some time to kill! I figured i might as well make the most of it, so i'm going to try to find as many interesting solo (free/cheap) activities in the city as i can.this is what i have so far:1. yoga2. flu shot.clearly, the list

Back in the U-S-A

2009-08-27T12:29:00.002-04:00

I haven't written in so long...I've just been busy readjusting to crazy New York life...I will write more soon. But for now, this---About 6 months ago, this article would have meant little to me...Now, I cannot tell you how much it matters:Madonna Booed in Bucharest for Defending Gypsies

Introducing Cat Contiguglia

2009-08-10T17:31:00.002-04:00

Cat Contiguglia is a friend of mine from Journalism at NYU. She and i used to share cigarettes and conversation in Washington Square Park before classes freshman year. She has been abroad, so i havent seen or heard from her in a while. Until recently, when she showed up in a little newspaper called the New York fucking Times.READI'm just going to say, i am excited, proud, thrilled, amazed, but

Last Day August 6

2009-08-06T06:05:00.000-04:00

Hello loversssssToday is my last day teaching. There is too much going on in my head. My feelings are contaminating eachother-- my happiness is mixed with sadness and my relief is mixed with anxiety, and everything is layerAed around a lump of excitement. I cannot believe this experience is over; the experience of teaching, that is. 2 months have felt like 2 years, but have also flown by. Its

Just a few shots...

2009-08-03T08:19:00.008-04:00

Ive got too many words on this blog. So, here are a few shots from my trips. Theyre taken by my friends/fellow teachers. These are all on facebook already, but because I havent gotten a chance to upload my 500+ quite yet, itll have to do.So for now, a picture for each country: Budapest, HungaryLjublana, SloveniaKomarno, SlovakiaAnd, of course, Prague, Czech Republic

czeching out prague August 3, 2009

2009-08-03T06:01:00.003-04:00

hello lady loves,Im a little sleep deprived. after a crazy amazing two day stint in Prague, Im back to work. I cant believe ill be leaving here in 4 days. But ill leave that subject for another email entirely. this one is devoted to Prague (and dedicated to my dear friend and freshman roommate Vivian).So. I dont even know where to begin. The whole 6 hour bus ride back, I tried to think of a good

can you say guyash party? July 27, 2009

2009-07-28T09:25:00.001-04:00

Hello lovebirds,week two over here in alsobodok. the first week went by surprisingly fast. it was difficult, but brief. definitely tested my emotions and grew me up just a little bit more. im hoping for the next two weeks to follow suit. thats not to say im not having a good time here. i am. i am making friends and my host family is really starting to open up to me. i think the difference between

To my teacher, mentor and friend, Mrs. Kronstadt (Kman) July 24, 2009

2009-07-24T09:40:00.003-04:00

Kmannnnn,Here I am, in my second Hungarian village. After 3 incredible weeks in Csatar, Hungary, I have landed in Alsobodok, a tiny village about an hour outside of Komarno. This has been quite the journey. I was thinking about you this morning while teaching my morning class, and decided i should write and see how you are... And, of course, talk about myself.To catch you up: I started out with a

Also, Alsobodok July 20, 2009

2009-07-23T08:30:00.001-04:00

Hello lady loves,I am in a new village again, just as i was beginning to call csatar home. and to be honest, my heart is a little bit broken. i am homesick for more places than i can count, for more people than i can count. I dont want to be a cry baby, so ill tell you more about it in person, when it doesnt ache so much. this village is very different so imtrying to adjust as quickly as

Village 1: Complete July 16, 2009

2009-07-16T06:47:00.002-04:00

i didnt think i could love this place--these hills, these roads, these vineyards, these people-- in just 3 weeks. i didnt know love could happen that fast. im learning the hard way, the beautiful way, that it can. i just said goodbye to my dear friend anita. she and i spent a lot of time together in these past 3 weeks, despite the fact that we dont speak the same language. but i feel like she

Csak keks, nem szex July 14, 2009

2009-07-14T06:03:00.002-04:00

There is a precious little seven year old girl standing next to me at this very moment, talking to me entirely in Hungarian and I have no idea what shes saying. all I can do is smile and nod and look into her eyes as if I understand. I have a feeling she doesnt mind. maybe she just wants someone to listen to her. So im keeping quiet, and she keeps talking. Its been about 2ö minutes. and shes

sceretlek July 10

2009-07-10T05:50:00.000-04:00

...means i love you. my friends here insist it is by far the most beautiful, poetic word in the hungarian language. indeed, it is lovely to say. it rolls of the tongue more easily than other hungarian words. it feels more like velvet while other words are closer to cotton balls or papier maché (read: üborko, cükorizo). hi pigeon i just wanted to say hi. i was thinking about something lately and i

zűld fa July 8, 2009

2009-07-08T06:44:00.000-04:00

"green grass" hello loverheadsssssyou are such glorious creatures. i love that you are happy and well and taking care of our city while i am away. i must admit, i am beginning to feel the early pangs of homesickness, which is what i was expecting around the 2 week mark (and like clockwork, here it is..). its alright, i only feel it in the moments i am alone and in the quiet, not preparing a

effélététem July 6, 2009

2009-07-08T05:56:00.000-04:00

....that means, "i forgot"i cant tell you how much it means to me to see you in my inbox, whether its for a little update on your lives or an amercan flag (zaszlo amerikai).on friday after school some villagers took me to a tiny village called bazakerretye, about half an hour away from bocfolde. its basically a sleep away camp for people who just wanna kick it in the woods. we went straight to

Kusonom, Scivesen! July 1, 2009

2009-07-08T05:52:00.001-04:00

yesterday i climbed a mountain with some local villagers to my friend anitas vineyard. she is hilarious. were teaching eachother hungarian/english and having a great time doing it. on the way up the mountain we stopped at the mayors house, which he is building with his bare hands, overlooking the village. we took a shot of palinka, a VERY potent liquor (about 50 proof) that everyone makes

I'm Hungary. Not Thirsty. June 29, 2009

2009-07-08T05:51:00.002-04:00

This is incredible. I am in bocfolde/csatar, two tiny villages of 1000 and 500. this is a breathtaking experience. i cannot explain it. the people are so kind and generous. yesterday y host family, after showing me the beautiful APARTMENT i am living in, paraded me around the village and introduced me to so many new things...orchards, vineyards, pigs, the mayor. i was given a very valuable gift

i am alive, i am alive!

2009-07-08T05:47:00.002-04:00

I am sorry. But I have a good excuse: I left the country!In fact, I am still out of the country. So, instead of blogging and trying to catch up, I am going to post the emails I have sent to my dearest friends. For the time being, consider this an epistolary blog.But first, a little background: I am in rural Hungary teaching English. I applied to the program back in January, was accepted, and left

Do Something

2009-06-05T11:25:00.008-04:00

Meet Maggie Doyne.When Maggie graduated high school, her parents let her take a year off to backpack through Southeast Asia... and she never came back.Instead, she wound up in Nepal. While traveling through the region, she witnessed the terrible toll that war and corruption had taken on Nepali children; the country was full of orphans. So what did then- 18-year old Doyne do? She called up her

Ain't just a river in Egypt!

2009-06-04T11:21:00.003-04:00

Nyle was a peer educator at my freshman dorm at NYU. His music video for his song "Let the Beat Build," (yes, like Lil' Wayne's) went viral a few months ago. It's shot all in one take and the sound is recorded simultaneously... watch!

this is considerably less zen

2009-06-03T23:38:00.004-04:00

Who doesn't love Beyonce's "Halo?" I do. Nami and I can't get enough of the song and the music video. While browsing YouTube, I found about a THOUSAND (rough estimate?) covers, in every form you could imagine-- good, bad, fat, thin, young, old, eastern european, acoustic, synthesized, in the bathroom, in the backyard, you name it. Here's the official version with the too-sexy- to- be- true

have some chai when you read this.

2009-05-30T15:51:00.006-04:00

never before, next to nothing, now-not-never, nuanced nesting, new. I am here I promise. Newly graduated, newly unemployed, newly moved, newly many other things. I have finally unpacked my life from boxes and bags and things are finally finding a place in my home. It was a strange, stressful task, physically packaging up my life so that I only had to worry about one thing at a time. Books in one

im here, hello

2009-05-09T14:27:00.015-04:00

I've been negligent. For that, I'm sorry. So much has happened in the past week: Nami and I got the keys to our place (it's official, we have an apartment). Finals FINALLY ended! Meanwhile coping with brief episodes of anxiety attacks about graduation (it comes in waves, I tell ya). Meanwhile coping with my mother in town (she's a handful, I tell ya). I can tell you one thing I haven't been doing

My new place

2009-05-05T21:36:00.004-04:00

Today, Nami and I signed the lease to our new apartment (!!!). I was surprised by how empowering it felt, to sign my name, claim something as my own, to know that I'm willing and excited to commit myself to another year in this place. I feel grateful to know that I can. Just a few months ago, when my future was even more uncertain than it is now (I can hardly believe that), I remember I sat with

I'm still here

2009-05-04T20:39:00.002-04:00

No, I didn't forget you exist, dear blogosphere. I just had some finals to deal with. So much has been going on in my head, I have so much to say. I promise as soon as I get a minute I'm going to spill my guts out onto this computer screen and clickity clack my fingers into arthritis, or maybe carpel tunnel.I'll be here soon!

I think you're an asshole, no lie.

2009-05-01T09:58:00.004-04:00

Case Study: “I Think You’re Fat” By A.J. Jacobs The Writer: Raised in Manhattan, A.J. Jacobs is the editor-at-large for Esquire Magazine and the author of two books. He might be best known for his month-long self-imposed experiments, which are the subjects of most of his writing. He has also written for the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and New York Magazine. In his

It can be done!

2009-04-30T10:18:00.003-04:00

This speaks to me on too many levels right now... From author Elizabeth Gilbert: "Everyone I know who managed to become a writer did it differently – sometimes radically differently. Try all the ways, I guess. Becoming a published writer is sort of like trying to find a cheap apartment in New York City: it’s impossible. And

Home hunting

2009-04-30T09:52:00.003-04:00

So, we found an amazing place-- 3 bedrooms on the Lower East Side, 15 minutes from campus, down the street from our favorite restaurants, exposed brick walls, lots of windows, hardwood floors, within our budget...Nami and I were ecstatic about getting the place-- yesterday we started getting the documents ready, handed over the deposit money......and then our 3rd roommate backed out.Naturally,

I think this is beautiful (and considerably zen)

2009-04-27T15:47:00.003-04:00

Here's a poem that my yoga instructor read to us last night during our candlelit session, just before ringing the gong (I know how ridiculous that sentence sounds, but don't knock it till you try it):The WakingI wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.I learn by going where I have to go.We think by feeling. What is there to know?I hear my being dance from ear

Hello, I'm a girl. That means I need things fixed.

2009-04-26T12:06:00.002-04:00

Check out this post I came across. I don't know the blogger, but she found gold in her library...I can't believe this stuff was ever a part of social norms.

here's one

2009-04-26T10:57:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of Nicole Tung, 2009

family portraits

2009-04-25T18:25:00.003-04:00

Today, the enormously talented and terrifically kind Nicole Tung came over to take some pictures of me and my core (Read: Kaysi, Michalea, Nami, Ari). I sit next to her in class and throughout the semester noticed that she always had some kind of artsy photograph up on her computer screen. When I heard that she had won a national award for her work photographing Albanian refugees in Kosovo, I

Cute poem c/o Daily Candy NYC

2009-04-24T21:53:00.002-04:00

the bologna sandwich theory

2009-04-23T18:25:00.005-04:00

A few months ago I met this guy, R*, at a party. I don't remember how I started talking to him, and I don't remember what kind of conversations we had (thanks a lot, Mr. Merlot and Mrs. Pinot Grigio). What I do remember, however, was that he was surprisingly attentive and far more sober than I. Maybe we talked most of the night, maybe we danced a little, and maybe we kissed a little. Still, most

note to self

2009-04-19T18:55:00.006-04:00

Inspired by one of my heros, Brian Andreas (StoryPeople, ZenBandit), who posted an art piece titled, "Permanent to-do list" I thought it might be interesting to make my own...i wonder why i haven't made one already. I got to thinking, my permanent to-do list would have to be comprised of things i want to do, things i can't help but do, and things i want to keep doing. So, after a few days, I've

Donne be not proud...

2009-04-15T09:17:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the influx of videos; there's just so much good stuff online that I want to share. But last night I was up until the wee hours of the morning watching spoken word/slam poetry (not quite cool enough to know which is right) online. This is very new for me. Now, I've always been a fan of poetry, but mostly the olde stuff (yeah, olde-- Shakespeare, Donne, Keats). The not-so-olde, too (Plath

The significance of 4 am

2009-04-14T18:50:00.001-04:00

It's more than just my name

the science of love

2009-04-12T20:51:00.000-04:00

this makes me think...

watch.

2009-04-12T01:26:00.000-04:00

2009-04-11T23:52:00.002-04:00

Today I was out with my cousin Shikha, who's visiting from Texas, where, from what i hear, everything is bigger. we were having drinks this afternoon (it's 5 o'clock somewhere!) with her best friend, Jas. Over beers, Jas told me about his weekly date night with his friend, Amit...they are two single, heterosexual men who spend every Friday night treating themselves to exciting new cuisine in new

hullo

2009-04-11T12:28:00.002-04:00

A thank you to Amaya for the spontaneous guest post. Seriously, that's what it was: we were hanging out in the playroom in my apartment and I asked, "Amaya, would you like to write a guest post on secrets for strangers sometime?""sure" I handed my mac (Waverly) over to her."...Oh....right now?""um yea."And she just typed that beautiful little bloggity blog just like that, before my very eyes.On

Greetings from thecoolkidlist

2009-04-10T19:17:00.005-04:00

Hello Secrets for Strangers readers, Amaya from thecoolkidlist here. I'd like to share some secrets for all of you, and I feel like I might just be a stranger in this world of Foram's blog readers. I always like sharing secrets because I feel like it connects me to the person that I'm sharing ya know? So when I was first introduced to Foram's blog I love, love, loved the name. Now I follow