Happy Father's Day!

Today was a relatively sunny day in a string of cloudy, overcast days here in (supposedly sunny) San Diego. And it is also Father's Day!

It's been a pretty low-key day and my father (who never takes a day to stop working because there's always something to clean or fix around our house) has - hopefully - been enjoying himself.

Here are some chocolate covered strawberries I made today to celebrate the holiday!




My dad plays a very unique role in my life. Sometimes I feel most similar to my father than anyone else in my family. Its from him that I think I get my appreciation for things such as classical music and art. I'm more inclined toward creativity, such as my father, rather than methodical and calculated approaches towards situations.

But the trait I most enjoy that I've inherited from my father is my natural pessimism. Now, If I had to classify myself as an optimist or pessimist, I would say optimist. But underlying that cheery outlook on life, is my natural negativity that causes me to always see the worst case scenario that can arise from specific situations. For example, what if I fail my German class? Or, if I'm going on a trip, what happens if I lose a contact lens?
When making plans, I always identify these negatives. And then I worry about these negatives.

Now why would this be a good trait for my father and myself?

I see it as an asset. Because of this natural, underlying pessimism, my dad and I never rush headlong into situations without first assessing all the negatives - and then preparing for them. We clear the path before sprinting ahead. So if I fear I may fail my German class - I study harder. Or, if I'm afraid of loosing a contact lens, I pack extra.

Don't get me wrong. Spontaneity is great, but so is planning ahead (at least within reason).

I'm glad to be my father's daughter. Aside from the excellent parenting he has provided to me over the years, I would be nowhere without this healthy dose of natural pessimism that I learned from him. Love you, Dad!

The early bird gets the cake...or something like that

I woke up early this morning - which is nothing short of miraculous - and the sunlight streaming into my room was pink. Looking outside, the sun looked like a red ball, obscured by the smoky clouds covering the entire sky.

I attempted to photograph this to share with you because it looked so surreal. Unfortunately, my wimpy little point-and-shoot camera is old and refuses to filter light properly. Soon I'll have a Digital SLR, and when that happens I'll be posting tons of photos here to add some color to this blog.

Anyways, the sky is now clear and blue - but ash is falling down and coating everything. My bright blue bike, which is locked up outside, looks like its been spray-painted white.

Aside from me getting up early this morning, something else amazing happened. Are you ready for this? I don't think you are, but I'll tell you anyways: I cleaned my desk.

Now my desk has been piling up with papers and books since the beginning of my school year. For the last 2 months I have not been able to sit at my desk because there have been tons of clothes and notebooks stacked on my chair. I've been doing all my work while siting on my bed (which makes work hard to do, seeing as all I want to do is take a nap). But now, I am proud to announce to you that I am writing this blog post from my desk!

One last bit of interesting news: I had chocolate cake for breakfast this morning! Oh, the joy of being an independent, lazy college student.

I don't know why I felt compelled to eat cake for breakfast... Perhaps it was a way for me to validate my autonomy. Maybe it was to rebel against the monotony of breakfast bagels and cereals. Or I could have been reveling in the uncertain and adventurous side of life. But it is quite possible that it was solely due to the fact that this delicious cake has been siting on my desk for a few days and is the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning.

Life is full of a million opportunities to break free of the ordinary, and by doing so you can find joy and excitement every day. So enjoy your freedom - eat some cake for breakfast.