11.13.2011

29. call up relatives in india


I have lots of relatives, most of whom live in India. I have 23 cousins and many of them have kids. Not to mention all the uncles and aunts. So it can be a pretty busy affair keeping in touch with all of them. Unfortunately, I have to pick and choose the favorite ones. I haven't kept in constant touch since I moved to the US 11 years ago (wow! has it been that long?)

Very close to 30 days now ....

28. read 50 pages of a book you've already started


I have a bookshelf in my living room in my small one-bedroom apartment. It's almost filled to the brim; earlier this year, I bought a 5-shelf bookcase to replace the one with 3 shelves because I was running out of space for my books. Of the books that reside on that shelf, I've probably read less than half of them. I guess I like the idea of reading, rather than reading itself. Of course, it also serves to validate my intellectual side, even if I might not have one to validate.

I'm finding that my attention span for a book keeps diminishing over time. I'm not sure what it is. I wondered about it today and I partly blame the internet with its ever-growing collection of articles, blog posts and opinions about random topics. Anything that takes more than 15 minutes to finish seems like a burden. It truly saddens me that I don't read as often as I want to.

So I've been wanting to read The Fountainhead since I was told it was the most read book in the history of English literature. Some friends also told me that I 'had to read it'. I've attempted to read it before. I read one chapter and I forgot to get back to it. I felt proud of myself today to start all over again.

You know what I realized during those 50 pages? It took me around 2.5 hours to read them (yes, I realize I'm a slow reader. I read sentences a second time if I don't get them or if they amuse me). How long did it take the author to write those 50 pages?

It definitely seems like a great read. Now if only I could finish it. And finish it in a reasonable amount of time.

11.11.2011

27. donate $25 to charity


I originally wanted to donate to Adrian Fisk, who I first read about in this article. But it seems as though he doesn't need donations (I can't seem to find a donation page on his website). I'm not sure why I thought he did. His project is phenomenally simple, and yet speaks volumes just through the simple idea of one person holding up a white board with words that are on his mind. It's that simple! Yet so, so moving!

So instead, I donated to Born in September, a charity that provides clean water to people in developing countries. 100% of the donations fund a drilling rig. I was born in the month of September, so I suppose I am more obligated to contribute to the cause.

I've always been skeptical about donating to charities. I feel like I need to see the effects of the donation with my own eyes. And I'm not sure why that is. It's a small amount, it's just $25. $25 is not a big percentage of my paycheck. For me, it's a small amount. Probably not for many in this world. 

11.10.2011

26. walk for 30 minutes inside / outside. climb 10 floors up and down.


I walked the entire length of my 14-story apartment building (it was too cold outside). You know what I noticed? The ceilings are higher on the floors at the bottom. I wonder why ...

And I also cooked my pasta, the one thing I usually never get wrong. I changed it up this time by adding some cheese and giving it the bake treatment (which I will do tomorrow morning).

11.09.2011

25. do nothing

24. watch a documentary


During the 2008 Cleveland Film Festival, I checked out this great documentary Bomb It! about graffiti around the world and the sociological effects it had on cities. It looked at graffiti in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Sau Paolo and the different styles of graffiti in each city. It was great!

And so I was pretty excited to check out Exit Through the Gift Shop, of which I'd heard lots of good things. And to top it off, it's narrated by Rhys Ifans, who I'm a big fan of. Even though it's about graffiti and street art, it takes a whole other perspective. While Bomb It! focused on street art in general, this one focuses on today's prominent graffiti artists, namely Banksy and Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash. It was quite brilliant and entertaining. And I love how it changes from a story about these individuals to how art has become so commercial and its meaning and appreciation has evolved. Even though there's speculation about how genuine the documentary really is, it made for great viewing.

11.08.2011

23. take 50 photographs of 8 different objects / landscapes


Ok. So yesterday was a panic attack (I also call them man-periods). It's ok, they happen ...

I vetoed today's dance on day 19.

I love my 50mm Canon prime lens. I think it's fun to play with. These were some of the ones I liked: