I love it when people push me to rethink about the ways of the world. In my own feeble attempt to make sense of the world around me I always appreciate those who remain honest and say what they think, even if it's not considered normal or conventional. Among my circle of friends and acquaintances, I sometimes feel that there are very few dynamic personalities. I can size most of them up pretty quickly and that leaves little room for challenges and growth. Hardly any of them push me and make me think it's possible that I might not know as much as I think I do. Maybe I sound arrogant or maybe I'm underestimating people, but most of the people I know are too simple for me. Let me clarify something though; simple is not always a bad thing. Sometimes you find a simple person who teaches you more than an intellectual will teach you because they don't let bullshit get in the way of their lives. At this point in my life I need an incredible amount of intellectual stimulation. When you're young you need to be pushed and pulled and change your mind about things over and over in order to reach that point where things make sense and you can simply live. You need to make messes and mistakes and fail and you need to find people who tell you the truth, even when it's hard to tell.
"Thinking people change their minds."

If I had to choose between the Chicago baseball teams, it would be the White Sox. Now I'm the type to root for the underdog and some would argue that the Cubs are the biggest underdog in baseball, but I disagree. Here's why:
Typically underdogs are teams that rarely (or never) win. They are teams that have a few crummy players, a wealth of average players, and one great player that is always overlooked by the good teams. They are teams who don't have a cache of money stored up to build the best field or buy the best players. They are teams who can't fill the stands because too few people have the patience to put their faith in them. These criteria do not fit the Chicago Cubs (except for the never winning part). The Cubs have several great players, tons of money pouring in incredibly overpriced food and beverages (which are most stadiums), name recognition across the country, a historic field, and fans that fill the field with obnoxiousness. Therefore, they are not considered underdogs in my mind.
Also, my grandma is a HUGE Cub fan and is always calling me to tell me Derek Lee hit a home run. Ok, Grams. Cubs fans tend to be annoying, but White Sox fans are the Rodney Dangerfields of baseball complaining about the lack of respect.
This is why I am a Red Sox fan.

Someday I will do funny skits on a tv show for a living:
http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O%27Brien/video/clips/late-night-favorites-old-time-baseball-/1036062/

I love Conan.

Here it is...what you've all been waiting for...the conclusion of Euro Trip 2009! (At least pretend you're excited, ok?)

After spending a few days under the gloomy skies of Paris, we boarded a British Airways plane and embarked on a 40 minute flight to Heathrow. (The flight attendant had the cutest British accent ever even though Hannah said she was a bitch.) We arrived at the airport, which I though was extremely empty compared to what I've always heard about it, and got our rental car. Hannah's mom then showed us exactly how NOT to drive on the left side of the road and rammed into a few curbs.
The next day we headed out onto the M4 and through alfalfa fields and English countrysides. After missing the exit to Windsor Castle, we drove around and around till we finally found my favorite part of the entire trip.......Stonehenge! (Yes, a bunch of rocks were my favorite part of Europe.) Now as we all know, Stonehenge is in the middle of nowhere, which is right next to a whole lot of nothing (except an obnoxious highway.) As if the highway wasn't obnoxious enough, there were tourists everywhere. My one wish for the trip was that we'd get to Stonehenge and there wouldn't be a soul in sight. What a disappointment. Despite this fact, the whole atmosphere was eerie and soothing which is right up my alley. Imagine being there back when the druids ran rampant, the full moon shining through the slabs, fog slinking across the fields...
I left Stonehenge with some more rocks for my dad and we headed to Bath, England, home of the famous Roman Baths where the Romans had their infamous orgies. Not too much happened there so I will skip ahead to...
LONDON! This was by far my favorite city on the whole trip. First, everyone spoke English and second, everyone spoke English in British accents. The first night we arrived, Hannah and I decided to go out and experience an authentic London pub. We ordered beer and proceeded to drink it when two guys (one English, Eddie and one Scottish, Sean) started talking to us about the Royal Army, etc. Before the night was over, we ended up getting more drinks at another bar, leaving a kabob on the street for the "tramps", and ending our night at a gay bar listening to a 58-year old, gay Scottish man named "Mother" talk about his conversations with Tyra Banks. Everybody at the bars said they loved us because we were "American and adorable." I'm still not sure if they meant that as a compliment or an insult.
The next morning we woke up bright and early (argh) and went to see Buckingham Palace. It turns out they were having this huge rehearsal for the Changing of the Colors, which is done for the Queen's b-day. All of the guards and horses and knights (I felt trapped in a giant game of chess) were out parading around and in general, wasting time.From there, we went through the cabinet war rooms where Churchill held secret meetings and lived in a bunker. It was like stepping right back in time waiting for the bombs to drop on London. Then it was off to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.We ended the night by taking the Tube (subway) to Tower Bridge and waited for a dinky sailboat to go underneath it. (Note: the boat in the following picture is not the referenced "dink sailboat.)The next morning, we got up early and headed to the Tower of London where we saw Henry VIII's armour, the crown jewels, the site of the execution of Anne Boleyn, and the infamous towers, moats, and torture chambers. I ended up losing Hannah and her family so I roamed around the Tower by myself completing it before they even got halfway through. They decided they wanted to go back to Tower Bridge and I needed some space so I decided to split from the group and took the Underground up to Hyde Park, Notting Hill, and Kensington Palace. I saw the Sherlock Holmes museum, bought an awesome hat at a thrift store, and managed to get lost only once. I walked through the park and Kensington and beat the family back to the hotel where we watched The Queen and started packing for our long journey to the good ole' U.S. of A.
The following morning we got up before the sun to catch our 7:30 flight to Chicago (longest flight of my life-out of all six I've been on) and I managed to score a window seat (but had to get up to go to the bathroom five times.) At 10:30 Central time, we arrived in O'Hare and said our goodbyes, thankful that we could get some much needed space.


My mom and grandma picked me up and I made them immediately take me to Denny's for American food.

Sometimes you actually read something that makes sense!

"It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things
about yourself that you didn't know and may not like.
You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year
or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are
now. You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those
friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the
greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost
touch with are some of the most important ones.What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as
confused as you. You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you
thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and
realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and
that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger.

You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than
usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries
in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't.
One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further
and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward. You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot
figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't
a bad person. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic.
You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and
talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot
seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for
yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now
you'd just like to be a contender! What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it.

We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as
hard as we can to figure this whole thing out."

Sometimes, life is so unbelievably beautiful. It probably always is, but we rarely ever recognize it because we're so wrapped up in ourselves and our "problems" and our emotions. I have discovered that most the time, we go through life and things are just mediocre. Sometimes we can fix that and sometimes we can't. It's those rare moments we live for. Those moments that fill us up and make us feel like we can't take it anymore because nothing has ever felt so good. I don't know a single person who feels that way all the time because if we all felt that way all the time, how would we ever be able to grow and to learn. When things always go right for you, you're never knocked down a few pegs. You never realize there is something in the dark that you might be missing that can make the light so much more than you can imagine having never been there.

I've learned more in this past year than I have ever learned in my whole life. I pushed myself to live far from home not knowing a soul and experienced some amazing things that no one will ever know about. I think going off on your own for awhile is one of the best things a person could ever do. Learning to rely only on yourself is the fastest way to see who you really are. There are things I did in Boston and places I went all on my own that no one will ever know about. They are things that only I can hold onto; experiences only I will ever feel, and there is something comforting about that. It's like a little bit of the world I can hold onto that I don't have to share with everyone else.

I'm quite the sentimentalist trying to disguise myself as a cynic but failing miserably. I just can't do it. It's not me.

"Now will saying "yes" get you in trouble at times? Will saying "yes" lead you to doing some foolish things? Yes it will. But don't be afraid to be a fool. Remember, you cannot be both young and wise. Young people who pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don't learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying "yes" begins things. Saying "yes" is how things grow. Saying "yes" leads to knowledge. "Yes" is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say "yes.""



hmmmm

Paris: a city of gypsies, tramps, and thieves. (Thankfully no Cher)

After we departed from Milan on our overnight train, Hannah and I proceeded to lock ourselves into our sleeping unit and pass out as the train silently slithered through the Alps. It was by far the best sleep I had on the whole trip (which was quite lacking in the amount of time allotted for sleep). We arrived in Paris the next morning where none of us could speak the language. Some slimy Parisian man bought us one way tickets on le Metro (when he was supposed to be getting us day passes) and the weather was overcast. Hello black and white photos.
After walking forever and ever to get to our hotel, we finally arrived (did I mention I was tired?), unloaded all of our over packed suitcases and crossed the Seine to go and see Notre Dame Cathedral. It was actually a very cool place. I love Gothic architecture so it was interesting to see the gargoyles and the flying buttresses. (note: we found the hunchback riding the Metro and singing for change. He is actually a gypsy woman who hasn't bathed since Charles de Gaulle was President.) There were tons of people inside the cathedral taking pictures, talking loudly, and not worshipping in general.After that, we walked along the Champs-Élysées, which I did not pronounce correctly the entire time I was in France. It is French for Elysian Fields or the place in Greek Mythology were the brave and heroic go when they die. I guess they need Gucci shades in the Underworld. We saw many fancy establishments that I will never be shopping at and ended up at the Arc de Triomphe (arch of triumph for my English-speaking readers). For those who are unaware, it is a memorial to french soldiers (ha!) who fought mostly in the Napoleonic Wars. (Special thanks to Wikipedia for the history lesson.) When we got there, dozens of French war veterans were lining up and posing for photos for the American tourists. Here are some of them in their funny hats:
There was a ceremony scheduled so the big bad French police kicked us all out and we had to go to see what everybody and their brother goes to see when they're in Paris. I have so much faith in my readers that I will just show you a picture and let you imagine your own lovely, romantic scenario instead of boring you with my own.
We took a night cruise on the Seine and ate some crepes and took a cab back to our hotel to SLEEP! :] We also watched some of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie in French.
The next day, we spilt up and Hannah and I took the Metro to Sacre Coeur while her family walked around and around and around at the Louvre. I found a passport from Hong Kong and turned it into the lift operator. I'm still waited for reward of good karma thank you very much. I wanted to go see the Moulin Rouge so we walked through the red light district and saw lots of creepy men trolling the sidewalks. Then we went to a cemetery and too the Metro back to the Louvre (which is THE spot for gypsy watching might I add).
After that, we hauled all of our crap into a van and went to the airport, boarded a plane, and headed for merry ol' England!

...to be continued

"We can be as honest as we are ignorant. If we are, when asked what is beyond the horizon of the known, we must say that we do not know."

It's official. I've become agnostic. There could be a God, but then again there very likely could not be, and I accept that. It's a sad and lonely thought but it's also a logical one. I've always wanted to believe that there was something bigger out there than myself and the world I live in but this could be all there is. Maybe everything is just a series of coincidences and we read too deeply into them searching for meaning behind our messy lives. Maybe we experience traumatic dilemmas in our lives that we can't mentally or emotionally handle so we seek out "someone" who can make things right or who we can blame instead of blaming ourselves. It's really hard to look at yourself and realize how little control you actually have over anything. Karl Marx referred to religion as opium for the masses and maybe it is, but life isn't always easy. We all have our versions of opium so what's the difference if someone wants to believe in God? If there is a God, they will find out when they die, and if there isn't, they'll never know the difference. In conclusion: maybe the people who believe in God have figured out that ignorance is bliss? And if you had the chance to know for sure, would you be willing to hear the answer?

I was recently reading a quote from someone about the War in Iraq and it went something along the lines of: “I don’t like war. I don’t have that much respect for Bush. He’s about war. I’m not about war--a lot of people are not about war.” First I’ll state that I did not vote for Bush when he ran for a second term and I did not agree with going to war with Iraq but I can’t stand when people draw simple conclusions without thinking them through. Sure, Bush was not our most intelligent President to run the Oval Office, but I highly doubt that he went to war just because he liked it. I think to him, it was the only way he knew how to protect the country. Therefore, I think the people who are disgusted with the ignorance and buffoonery and make one-dimensional statements like this are displaying the same ignorance they despise.

I made it across the Atlantic and back with only a sunburn, some bruises, and some leftover Euro.

I have seen a lot in the past two and a half weeks. My mind is still buzzing from all of the planes, trains, subways, taxis, buses, and escalators I've been on. Also, traveling with anyone's family, even if its not your own, can be taxing on one's patience.

Italy:
After a long flight to Rome which consisted of a mere three hours of darkness, a layover in D.C. and a train ride from the airport, I was reunited with my friend and spent the day walking around like a zombie at the Vatican imagining kicking the disgusting pigeons through goal posts. After a long night of regenerating, it was off to the sites of ancient Rome. We arrived at the Roman Forum bright and early (in my mind anyway) and proceeded to walk through row after row of ruins. Now don't get me wrong, it was very interesting to see the places where Julius Caesar walked and to stand at the exact location of the Roman senate, but once you've seen one column or sculpture, in my opinion, you've seen them all. After swiping some rocks from Augustus' palace, we went to what was one of my favorite places on the trip, the Coliseum. As epic and grandiose as it seems from pictures, you don't get a real sense of the place until you walk within it's walls. With the hoards of tourists clad in brightly colored fanny-packs, it can be hard to imagine the intense battles and rowdy crowds of ancient Rome, but the history of the place seeps through the holes in the walls that were left during the construction. To the Romans, this was their Yankee Stadium if you will. The place could be flooded to re-enact sea battles and senators had life-long box seats, so to speak. Following the sites of ancient Rome, we wandered up north the see the Spanish Steps and eat some authentic Italian food. The food in Italy is very good, but growing up on food that has been processed and preserved, I noticed the difference right away. Italian food is much more subtle than American food. Flavors come naturally and therefore are much less distinct. They also charge you for water in Italy, which I thought was slightly ridiculous.
The following day led us to the Vatican again, but this time we skipped St. Peter's Basilica and went to the museum instead. Hannah and I sped through the thousands of sculptures, paintings, rugs, and relics to get to the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, when we got there, it was loaded shoulder to shoulder with people drooling over Michelangelo's frescoes. The painting of God and Adam was smaller than expected and after getting claustrophobic, we decided to go sit out in the gardens to wait for her family. When the got outside (finally!) we decided to head over to the Pantheon, which is the oldest dome in Rome. It was one of the best sites on the trip considering how incredibly preserved it was. Upon entering, a rush of cool air hits you and the remarkable circle sky light allows enough light in to cast an eerie glow on the walls. It's amazing to see the craftsmanship that was put into a place built LONG before the use of heavy machinery and computers.At nightfall, we headed to see some of Rome's famous fountains, including the Trevi Fountain. It was more interesting watching black market workers run from the cops than studying the sculptures, but it was such a bella serata that I didn't mind the crowds. The following morning we went to the catacombs which were filled with hundreds of thousands of bones and mummified monks. After that, we hopped on TrenItalia and headed through the Tuscan countryside to Venice.
Venice was nice and humid. After hauling all of our luggage onto water taxis and over bridges and canals, we finally got through the maze of streets and made it to our hostel. The next morning we walked the streets of Venice, climbed to the top of St. Marco's Cathedral, and looked at the famous Venetian masks and glass. We took a ride on a gondola (any boat ride makes me happy) and were taken through the canals by our guide Stephano. Here he is on his cellphone:
That night we went to the water's edge and watched an intense lightning storm before retiring to our entirely uncomfortable beds and making the trek in the morning to the rental car place.
Thus began our experience of being smashed into a car with five people and a ton of luggage. Of course Hannah and I had to sit in back with her grandma and all of the crap. We drove through the countryside till we reached the foothills of the Alps and the town of Calvene where Hannah's fifth? cousins live. Most of them knew very little English and most of us knew very little Italian so there was a lot of confusion, but we managed to get feed and stayed the night for free. The Italians love to eat so we were sitting at the table almost every two hours eating pasta, bread, antipasti, and tiramisu and drink the wine from the vineyard and champagne from Paris. Michaela took us to see some villas and throughout the town and we met the extended family for dinner. Hannah and I stayed in the upstairs apartment of Francesco (the funniest person I ever met who spoke a language I didn't understand) and Flora. After our time there, we drove our rental car to Milan and hopped an overnight train to Paris...

to be continued.