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 Back in November, Jasmin asked me to do a photo project with her. I was absolutely flattered and flustered and delighted all at once! I've long admired her photography and never thought I'd actually get to do something with her. So, a few email chains later and some tinkering, we (well, mostly her) brought her project to life, and I am excited to be a part of it. It'll be a fun and challenging 52 weeks as we push each other to look at everything differently. Plus, we live in different hemispheres and time zones, so it'll be fun to publish these posts and see how opposite our seasons are. As I write this, it's about 1:30PM on Saturday here and 5:30AM on Sunday in Sydney. We hope you like it! Without further ado, here is an ocean apart.
—Saturday, January 31, 2009 2 comments An ocean apart
 - Words Theater - The Elements of Spam - Objectified trailer (yay!) - Let me google that for you - The periodic table of awesoments - Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes (O M G) (Previously: Lists, part 19)
—Wednesday, January 28, 2009 0 comments Lists, part 20
 So going along with last night's Office, is Hilary Swank hot or not? It really is a debatable question. And it's absolutely hilarious because I spent almost the entire day thinking about this! I don't know how or where BJ Novak (Ryan) got the idea from, but he wrote a great episode. Oscar's explanation is my favorite. Anyway! I concluded with this after a day of pondering: I think she is very pretty but not hot. (Yes, there's a difference between being pretty/handsome and hot. A person can be both pretty and hot or, in this case, pretty and not hot. Though, can someone be hot and not pretty? Huh, interesting. Anyway, in my head, the "definition" of hot is like... someone who appears on the cover of Maxim magazine or Megan Fox in Transformers. That's sort of a generalization, but you know what I mean. Something like that. In my head, someone pretty/handsome is like... Keri Russell or James McAvoy (yeah, I think he's pretty; I love his eyes). But it doesn't mean they can't be hot. Because I think James McAvoy is hot as well... did that kind of make sense?)
—Friday, January 23, 2009 3 comments Hilary Swank
 Momentous, historic, thrilling. And leave Dubya alone, peeps. He may have been lead astray, he may have made decisions the majority of people disliked... but he's a good man. I couldn't help but notice an incredible look of sadness as he sat there, watching it all leave him. Let him be. Because we are living in extraordinary times now. A new leader, a renewed faith, a lifted spirit. March onward and don't look back. As Vice President Biden said (à la Shakespeare), "Past is prologue." Let chapter one begin! Charlie sums up my feelings the best: "Rock, flag and eagleee!" And the new White House website? Smooth like buttahh. [Old vs. New] (Previously: Yes we did)
—Wednesday, January 21, 2009 2 comments Yes we did, part II
 President Barack Hussein Obama "On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."
—Tuesday, January 20, 2009 1 comment President Barack Hussein Obama
 I sat at the pier, staring off into the ocean. I do my best thinking when I can see and hear the waves crashing, when I can see the ocean stretch to the beyond, when all I can breathe is the salty air. It kind of cleanses my soul, especially in the winter when there's no one around. Just me and the ocean. I often wish I could share these moments with a friend but, I think, these are the moments I more than anything love to keep to myself. Not out of selfishness, but out of knowing that perhaps I can only understand what happens to me then and there. A self understanding, if you will. I didn't notice the flock of birds and until I saw one out of the corner of my eye. The entire flock was sitting along the railing. They were kind of huddled with their necks scrunched down into their bodies. And then they all took off. They looped around the pier, and in one moment during a gust of icy wind, they were suspended in mid-air flowing freely with the wind before landing back on the railing. They kept looping around the pier in a certain rhythm, eventually expanding the formation. I thought they were going to fly into me a few times but they amazingly swung up right before reaching me. I kept watching them loop around, waltzing with the wind as they went. It was beautiful in a weird way; I can't quite describe it. But it was always the moment when they were suspended in mid-air that got me. It was as if the wind had grabbed hold of them before they willingly broke its grasp and continued on their way. A never-ending cycle. So it goes, huh?
—Sunday, January 18, 2009 0 comments In formation
 The first time I saw Pride & Prejudice in theaters, I gasped with almost everyone in the audience when Darcy confesses his love for Elizabeth. And even though I know the story backwards and forwards, I couldn't help but react. The way he just says it, unable to hold back his overwhelming feelings for her—it melted my little heart. The first time a boy told me he loved me, it happened almost the same way. It was unexpected and oddly enough, in a movie theater right before the film started. He looked at me in the semi-darkness and those three words came tumbling out of his mouth. My mind wasn't registering anything except for the fact that someone who wasn't an old friend or family—a boy—loved me. I wanted to say it back, but I grew so shy and all I could do was smile as the film started. The first time I told a boy I loved him, there was no reaction. Only a simple reassurance that we were what we were and nothing more. Our time had passed.
—Saturday, January 17, 2009 The first time
 I had an awful week. But watching The Office made it better. Oh, Dwight and Andy. Now if someone could give me a great big hug...
—Friday, January 16, 2009 5 comments Bad week
 It never feels right to be happy when someone else is grieving. You want to reach out and offer your condolences, but you know they've got their own family and friends to lean on. So I stay away and let it be. It's not giving a cold shoulder or being ignorant to their sadness; it's simply a silent understanding. In time, it'll be okay again. I guess what I wanted to say to him today was: Are you okay? I know it's not the usual way of things, but if you ever want to talk or unload, I'm here to listen. I know we hardly know each other personally, but think of me as that stranger on the bus you start talking to just because. (Maybe I'm too compassionate and caring about people. Is that a bad thing? In some ways I know it's a weakness and at times, a curse. But... it's kind of who I am, you know? It's the wannabe superhero in me. Anyway, I didn't get to say all of those things but I did poke him before he left the office today and he poked back, which was reassuring. I believe in pokes.)
—Monday, January 12, 2009 1 comment In grief, in happiness
"You're real... you exist."
—Saturday, January 10, 2009 0 comments How to say I love you
 Happy New Year! Another year to live, another year to remember, another year to reflect upon. May 2009 bring new adventures, spontaneity, the good, the bad, and everything in between. Cheers!
—Thursday, January 1, 2009 3 comments Happy 2009!
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