[Previous entry: "wisdom teeth"] [Next entry: "what july 4th?"]

July03,2005

"chubby bunny on one" music: only the soothing sound of the cars whooshing by on the street
mood:

my cheeks totally puffed up today, except it's more like my left cheek because i had two removed on that side. yup, playing chubby bunny without the marshmallows. i wanted to go back to dr. kir today to remove some unidentifiable fragment i found that i cant remove myself, (i think it's a fragment of my wisdom tooth), but his office was closed for the holiday weekend. damit! ergh! but i still went to volunteer at the asian art museum today, met a couple of really sweet girls from the walnut creek area, and just enjoyed my saturday reading a rather intense novel. umberto eco's books require so much concentration and discipline. i remember reading somewhere that in name of the rose, eco purposefully inserted a hundred pages of history just to test the reader's patience, to kind of weed out the weak readers. to an extent, i'm thinking, "what an erudite, elitist asshole!" but then again, his plotlines and philosophical themes DO require intense concentration AND contemplation. it's just always such a long, strenuous (and sometimes tedious) journey to the novel's conclusion. i hope this time, it's more rewarding than the first.

there are so many books i want to read this summer! unfortunately, my list just keeps growing. i hope i wont do what i usually do with my reading lists: start a book, get into about 100 pages, then start another book that happens to catch my eye at borders/library/green apple, and inevitably repeat the cycle. i think last summer, i started around 20 books, and finished only 5 of them during the schoolyear. (well, i did finish several other books that summer that i actually stuck through without "starting" new ones.) i really lack discipline. sometimes, it really feels like ADHD.

so chubby bunny (me) wants a ONE bracelet because this is actually for a cause that i've been genuinely interested in for a long time. okey, screw the bracelet, i'm just really happy (ecstatic!) that people are ACTUALLY paying more attention to the plight of Africa and the Third World. policy debate really sparked my interest in global affairs, and inspired me to learn more about the status quo of other countries, to research beyond my historical interests and actually educate myself about our current world. these days, i'm practically addicted to reading the international section of the new york times and christian science monitor. it drives me to pursue my international goals. and yenno what? i really do have faith in the UN. i believe in diplomacy and i believe that the UN can make a difference. it's just that kofi annan has been kind of a pansy. which is okey! there's hope in NGOs still! >.< unfortunately, i dont know if i have much faith in the G8 summit, the major players of this new world order.

i appreciate the fact that ONE is taking a big step to fight against preventable poverty around the world. i believe we must rid the so-called "dependency theory" and cancel the debt of countries that need help most. i mean, europe still hasnt paid the U.S. back for WWI, and that was for a pointless war. the U.S. isnt complaining about that, so why should any of the First World countries have the right to complain about the debt of Third World countries? and besides....money is human concept....

i'm disappointed at Live 8. i know that raising awareness is crucial, but directly educating the masses and bringing about some immediate change is just as significant and more effective. it's great that so many musicians and celebrities around the globe willingly gave up their time (and monetary greed ;P) for this cause. but c'mon, i highly doubt that giving free concerts around the world actually inspired that many people to take action. at least the bracelet fad raises money for Africa. if anything, the concerts almost detracted from the main goal of Live 8. the concerts in south africa seem almost a slap in the face to those who are actually in need of aid. hungry families dont need concerts; they need food. but i guess, baby steps. we're taking baby steps. at least we're finally recognizing the level of crises in Africa. that's still something. i just hope the world will move the UN agenda forward and actually take the millennium goals seriously.

okey, my medication is kicking in again. i dont think i need the prescribed painkillers, but yenno, just in case i wake up in pain. oy, annoying puffy cheeks. at least i know how i'll look like if i get fat.