Youth Wasted.

As I was walking to the nearby track for my afternoon run, I walked by an elderly man with a backpack on that stopped to catch a breath of air. I asked him if he needed help carrying whatever it was he was carrying, but he kindly refused and we struck up a random conversation. (I'm notorious for talking to strangers. I think it comes to me naturally as my subconsious rebelling against my parents who always told me not to do so.)

He told me that "Youth is wasted on the young." He went on to explain that young people have everything going for them physically; they're in the best health they'll ever be in. Their minds are sharp BUT they lack the patience, understanding and wisdom, which results in such a waste of this precious time in life. They're in such a rush to grow up, that they miss all the opportunites and abilities of the body that a person who's lived & learned knows what they want to do but don't have the body for anymore. Another way of putting that saying is, "If I could go back to (what ever age) and if I know then what I know now, life would be wonderful."

His speech was so inspiring that I totally walked past the track and walked him to the library several streets down. He was living proof that he was enjoyin every day of his life as though they were of his youth; he was 89 years old strong and healthy. My guess before he told me was somewhere in his 60's.

I definitely enjoyed my run today. Youth not wasted. :)

Feeling Old.

I didn't get carded buying wine today. I'm feeling a bit insecure, wondering if I look wayyyyy over 21 already. Having been 21 just two years ago, I was hoping that I'd still be carded for looking questionably in my earlier 20's at least until I turned 25.

To make myself feel better, I'm believing that I wasn't carded precisely because I was buying wine, a more mature person's alcohol. Had I been buying vodka, jagger, or more typically college party hard alcohols I would have been carded for sure.

Chinese Astrology.

With the Chinese New Year almost here, I felt the sudden urge to look up Chinese Astrology and try to piece together what it predicted for my fortunes this coming year. Unlike the Western Zodiac, which is based on constellations and birth months, Chinese Astrology operates on cycles of years, lunar months, and two-hour periods of the day.

So according to the various sites I visited:

丑 Ox (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water): The Ox person is dependable, calm, methodical, patient, hardworking, ambitious, conventional, disciplined, steady, modest, fair-minded, logical, resolute, tenacious. They can also sometimes be stubborn, narrowminded, materialistic, rigid, demanding and nurture grievances. The Ox can attain prosperity and success through fortitude, hard work and natural leadership qualities. Good dentists, surgeons, engineers, and archaeologists. Ox years include 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997. The month of the Ox is Jan 6 - Feb 3, and the hours of the Ox are 1am - 3am.

YAY! OXES MAKE GOOD DENTISTS! :D

Ok, although the Ox's general element is Water, my specific element is Wood (because I was born in in a year ending in "5"). The only interesting thing written about the Wood Element is that is my "Season" is Spring, and "Most Favorable Colors" are green & brown. It gave me my optimal working and sleeping position in degrees, but I don't know how to exactly go about measuring that.

Anyway, I found a Chinese website that formulated a specific analysis of your life's high & low periods based on the numerology of your name, birth time, location, and date. Here's a table I was provided with. Tell me you don't think this sounds SUPER DEPRESSING:

1990 - 1999 (Age 5 - 14) -- Luck against you
2000 - 2009 (Age 15 - 24) -- Luck against you
2010 - 2019 (Age 25 - 34) -- Luck against you
2020 - 2029 (Age 35 - 44) -- Luck with you
2030 - 2039 (Age 45 - 54) -- Luck with you
2040 - 2049 (Age 55 - 64) -- Luck with you
2050 - 2059 (Age 65 - 74) -- Luck with you
2060 - 2069 (Age 75 - 84) -- Luck with you
2070 - 2079 (Age 85 - 94) -- Luck with you
2080 - 2089 (Age 95 - 104) -- Luck against you
2090 - 2099 (Age 105 -114) -- Luck against you

Basically, Luck is supposed to be against me throughout the prime of my life and when I'm at the brink of death. Great.

Aarz Kiya Hai IV.

This is what I found scribbled in my DAT book under some Plant Life Cycle notes:

Roney de aaj humko,
Dho aakhein sujaney de.
Bahon mein le le,
Aur khud ko bheeg janey de.

Hai seeney mein kaid dariya
Vo chuut jahey ga.
Hai itna dhard
Ke tera damaan bheeg jahey ga.

TRANSLATION:
Let me cry today
Until my eyes do swell.
Take me in your arms
And allow yourself to be drenched.

The ocean inprisoned in my chest
Will set itself free.
I'm overcome with so much pain,
That you indeed will be drenched.

Ok, I'm not an emotional mess. Dard-e-Shayari is written in such colorful language, that I can't help appreciate it.

But speaking of DAT books, its time to stop blogging and get back to studying! <3

Aarz Kiya Hai III.

Today, my poet of choice is Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana. He was famous during the time of the Mughal emperor Akbar in the late 1500s. I absolutely love his Hindi couplets (Dohas).

Rahiman dhaga prem ka, mat todo chatkay
Toote se phir na jude, jude gaanth pad jaye.
TRANSLATION:
Says Rahim, don't allow the delicate thread of love (between individuals) to snap. For once it snaps, it cannot be rejoined. And if rejoin it, will forever bear a knot.

Bade badai na karain, bade na bole bol
Rahiman heera kab kahe lakh taka mero mol.
TRANSLATION:
"The truly great never reveal their worth. Nor do those who are truly worthy of praise, praise themselves. Says Rahim, like a diamond, he never feels the need to brag that he's worth millions."

Rahiman dekhi baden ko, laghu na dije daari
Jahan kaam aawe sui, kaha kare talwari.
TRANSLATION:
"Says Rahim, do not spurn the trivial seeing the weighty. When you need a sewing needle, of what use a sword?"

Rahiman ya tan soop hai leejeeaye jagat pachhor
Harikan ko udijan dey garuay rakhee bator.
TRANSLATION:
“Says, Rahim, this mind (body) is like a sieve; sort your friends out through it. Let the light (bad) ones and go (fly in the wind) and carefully keep the heavy (good) ones.”

Kheera mukh te kaatye, maliyat laun lagye
Rahiman karue mukh ko chahiyat eehi sazaye.
TRANSLATION:
"To cure a bitter cucumber, we cut its head off and rub in salt. Says Rahim to cure a bitter mouth we should make use of the same remedy."

Je Rahim uttam prakrati, ka kari sakat kusung
Chandan vish vyapat nahi, liptat rahat bhujang.
TRANSLATION:
"Says Rahim, How will evil corrupt, he who has an excellent character? After all does the sandalwood become poisonous by having snakes lie around its trunk?"

Kahee Rahim sampati sage, banat bahut bahu reet
Bipati kasoti je kase, te hi saanche meet.
TRANSLATION:
"Says Rahim, people will find many many ways to be related to fortune. But only he is a true friend, who stands by you in misfortune."

Cooking Desi.

My cousin's daughter (who is actually like 5 years older than me), came from India a few years ago. With any elder Indian that hasn't seen me in a while, the conversation topic is about my "studies" or about my "marriage plans." Well, I was surprised when the conversation instead started off with:

Cousin's Daughter: So do you eat Indian food?
Me: Uh, yeah I do from time to time.
CD: You don't eat it all the time?
Me: No.
CD: So what do you make when you're in Berkeley?
Me: Pasta, rice, pizza, noodles, and such.
CD: You don't cook Indian food?
Me: No, it takes too much time.
CD: But you do know how right? Make a thurka and all?
Me: Yea, sure.
CD: So you just don't make it?
Me: Nope.
CD: Wait, are you planning on marrying an Indian guy?

Huh? What? How did a simple cooking conversation jump to my marital preferences? How exactly does what I cook correlate with the race I prefer to marry? Well, if who I'll marry was determined by what I cook, my man would be Italian for sure. If it correlates with the food I most enjoy eating, then no doubt, he'd be Thai.

.

So Italian or Thai? I'll have to get back to you on that one...

Analyze This IV.

No, I didn't have a nightmare last night. I did, however, come across a message I had written to my friend about the one I had back in October that I still clearly remember. This was the message:

"Ok, so I fell asleep to Tout Le Monde on repeat and I had the most twisted nightmare ever!! So I was giving a report presentation (that prob came into my dreams cuz of our convo) with Cindy and other classmates in a tent in the middle of the woods. I was the last person of the group to go present and the other finished groupies stepped outside for a min... and got eaten up by cannibals!! we couldnt find the cannibals but apparently they were followin me cuz they'd friggin gobble up anyone I'd hang out with!! and then i was like omg, no more Berkeley/woods life for meeh, i'm going home to SJ where there aint no cannibals!! but this time i'm home juss to see the bones of my eaten family members all around the house!! and the music was incorporated into my dreams, superrr eerie. when i started hearin it in my dreams the "end credits" of the "movie dream" started rollin. HELLA CREEPY. I'm never listening to that song while sleepin ever again!!"

Tout Le Monde:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOKiLHxBmMU