January 31, 2011

What I did:

• I WENT TO THE GYM!! And here you were, thinking it would never happen...
• Sat in, or heard in, on a couple interviews with Jim for a media intern for Haiti Scholarships
• Met with an old boss regarding possible temporary work at his firm
• Went to CoffeeBean and got some work done on my U visa petition, including working on declarations, table of contents, and filling out the I-918
• Finally wrote out a blog I've been wanting to write for a while with snippets from various books I've been reading
• Wrote cover letter to send fundraising check to All Hands from the Oggi's fundraiser earlier this month
• Tried to crunch some numbers, with negative results
• Did some work on OCHBA dinner committee
• Started editing bio's from HS board of directors

What I didn't do:

• Fill out asylum claim
• Work on small claims
• Upload bio's for Haiti Scholarships, try to find more donors

What I need to do:

• Look for my photography contract so I can review the terms
• Follow up again on OCHBA silent auction donations and sponsorships

What I've Been Reading Lately...

Over a year ago, I wrote about reading series of books, and how it had become a bit of an obsession of mine. Lately I haven't been reading any series of books, per se, but have definitely fallen into a very particular genre of books. For Christmas, Jeff and I each got a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble from his parents. Let me tell you, we are both huge fans of reading, so we were pretty stoked about this gift, and didn't wait more than a day to hit up B&N and find something exciting to spend our money on.

Jeff mentioned I should spend my money on getting something "fun" to read this time, since every book I'd read before then was pretty serious in nature. I tried. But I just couldn't. I went to the Spanish section, where I usual find a good, light-hearted and entertaining read (and I get to brush up on my Spanish). There were several titles that looked intriguing, but not nearly enough so to make me want to spend my Christmas gift on them. I was itching to head back downstairs to the section that really interested me. And so it was that my gift card was used for the same type of "serial" reading that I've been doing lately. I feel the books I'm choosing lately are almost a self-education in a new area of study: I can't afford to pay for a masters in international development, but I'm reading a lot of literature about it, and maybe that's enough for now.

So here's my list of serial reading in international development/non-profit development so far:

It all really started with an ad in the online version of the New York Times for Three Cups of Tea. Jeff will tell you I'm a sucker for advertising. The reviews were great, I bought it, I read it. My initial reaction is to say that it was great, inspiring, moving, entertaining, etc. And I think it was (it's been a while), but I do believe it took me a while to actually get into it. If you haven't heard about this book before, it's the story of how Greg Mortenson started the Central Asia Institute, a non-profit that raises money to build schools in Afghanistan, and now Pakistan. It really is an inspiration of how much one man can accomplish, and a testimony to what a difference education can make.

The first book I bought after I returned from my trip to Haiti was Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder. It tells the story of Doctor Paul Farmer, who I've already mentioned several times in Cielo Azul. With this book I started to fold the top corner of passages or quotes that I liked, or stuff I wanted to research more (but still haven't). Here are a few:

• "'Clean water and health care and school and food and tin roofs and cement floors, all of these things should constitute a set of basics that people must have as birthrights,'" quoting Dr. Paul Farmer, page 91.
• Page 116 describes Dr. PF's writing of The Uses of Haiti, which I want to eventually read.
• "There are more billionaires today than ever before...We are talking about wealth that we've never seen before. And the only time that I hear talk of shrinking resources among people like us, among academics, is when we talk about things that have to do with poor people...Margaret Mead once said, Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world...Indeed, they are the only ones who ever have." Quoting Jim Kim, page 164.
• "Change the world? Of course they could. [Paul Farmer] really believed this, and he really believed that 'a small group of committed individuals' could do it. He liked to say of PIH, 'People think we're unrealistic. They don't know we're crazy.'" Page 169.
• "If one pushes this ology to its logical conclusion, then God is to be found in the struggle against injustice. But if the odds are so preposterously stacked against the poor--machetes versus Uzis, donkeys versus tanks, stones versus missiles, or even typhoid versus cancer--then is it responsible, is ti wise, to push the poor to claim what is theirs by right? What happens when the destitute in Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti, wherever, are moved by a rereading of the Gospels to stand up for what is theirs, to reclaim what was theirs and was taken away, to ask only that they enjoy decent poverty rather than the misery we see here every day in Haiti? We know the answer to that question, because we are digging up their bodies in Guatemala." Paul Farmer discussing his distrust of ideologies, page 195.

Next came Travesty in Haiti: A true account of Christian missions, orphanages, fraud, food aid and drug trafficking, by Timothy T. Schwartz. This book gives a critical look at how foreign aid has really affected Haiti. I think it's a great read for anyone wanting to work in this field, so you know what you're dealing with, and what you want to avoid. He spoke a lot about the effects of food aid, and large NGO's that work in Haiti. With this book, I moved it a step up from folding pages to....highlighting!

• "I came to understand that food aid crashed the local agriculture markets, driving peasants off the land..." (page 47).
• Speaking about what little there was to know about wind generators that had been installed in the early 1990s, and quickly fallen into disrepair: "But it was enough because it is the typical story regarding development all over Haiti: 'It is broken, can't be fixed, and nobody knows anything else about it.'" (page 66)
• "When I first arrived in Haiti...I was enthusiastic. My enthusiasm and belief that I could make a contribution kept me returning despite the hardships, the violence, the coups, and the embargoes. But ten years later I was a different person. Perhaps I was simply burned out...Perhaps more than anything else, by 2000, I no longer was an objective researcher. I was deeply angry at what I perceived to be the widespread fraud, corruption, arrogance, greed, self-interest and apathy that afflicted the entire development community which was, in my opinion, a total failure, serving only to make the poor poorer and the rich richer" (page 216).

Then, per a friendly recommendation, I read The End of Poverty, by Jeffrey Sachs. This book was a little challenging for me, since it's heavy on economics and numbers. Let's just say that in college I took the "economics for dummies" course. It had a lot of interesting information and thoughts on how poverty can actually be eradicated in time to meet the Millennium Goals. Curiously enough, the book I'm currently reading, The White Man's Burden, is a response to some of Mr. Sach's arguments. One of my favorite parts of the book was actually the forward by Bono.

• "More than one million African children, and perhaps as many as three million, succumb to malaria each year...There is simply no conceivable excuse for this disease to be taking millions of lives each year" (7).
• "The rich countries do not have to invest enough in the poorest countries to make them rich; they need to invest enough so that these countries can get their foot on the ladder [of development]" (73).
• "Eliminating poverty at the global scale is a global responsibility that will have global benefits. No single country can do it on its own" (327).
• "American political leaders and the broad public rarely recognize that the U.S. government has repeatedly made international commitments to do much more than the United States is doing, and even less do they realize that the lack of follow-through carries an enormous foreign policy cost" (337).
• On page 350 Sachs discusses the importance of education: "The wider the education, including in social and political principles, the more peaceful, sound, and progressive the entire society would be."

After scanning a few stands at Barnes and Noble, I came across The Rainy Season by Amy Wilentz. What I loved about this book is that it was an interesting way to learn about the historical context of Haiti, including the end of the Duvalier regime, and the rise of Aristide.

• "Haiti's stuck in an uncomfortable position now: the earthquake has opened the country up to all sorts of interventions, speculations, and exploitations, but unquestionably the help is needed. There's very little room for resistance in this disaster. The country's lying there like a rape victim waiting for further onslaught" (introduction, xiii).
• "It took me a little while to realize that if you wait long enough in Haiti, and really not so long, the tyranny and violence is likely to return, and that a people's victory is not always in the end what is seems to be in the beginning" (20).
• "Whenever change is effected without bloodshed in Haiti, it means that an equitable deal has been struck among all interested parties" (129).
• There is an interesting paragraph about the culture of voodoo and it's perseverance despite foreign opposition to it; too long to type out now though :) page 165.
• Page 183 provides great insight to the relationship between poverty and religion.
• Page 267 talks about trees, and how there are many NGO's that want to give trees to farmers in order to improve deforestation, but farmers are weary of planting trees because they can't afford to use what precious water they have on growing trees, trees that are not going to be quick cash returns.
• Speaking to an AID worker about Haitian's that don't support NGO projects because they know these projects fail to follow through on promises made: "'I know, I know,' he said. 'But at a certain point, who cares if they want it? They need it, and they're going to have it. They don't understand. What Haiti needs is infrastructure, and we are going to make sure they get it whether they want it or not'" (284).
• Some of the most sobering passages of Wilentz's book are graphic descriptions of violence surrounding elections.

I then went back to the beginning, and decided to read the sequel to Three Cups of Tea: Stones into Schools, by Greg Mortenson. This book follows Mortenson's quest to start building schools in the most difficult regions of Pakistan. I sadly just realized I didn't highlight much on this one, but I did find it a much more entertaining read than Three Cups.

• "Amid the rush to provide tents, food, and medical supplies, few of the western NGOs seemed to be giving much thought to schools. Based on past experience, however, the militant groups who were busy setting up their aid networks fully understood the power of education under such circumstances" (179).
• Mortension writes about Chritopher Kolenda, and a book written by him called Leadership: The Warrior's Art. On my follow up list.
• "...I am told that there will be roughly 200 children who will study at the school; and that the skills they will learn and the ideas to which they will be exposed may usher in changes--some good, others bad--which no one can foresee" (epilogue, 375).

My last read was The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World, by Jacqueline Novogratz. Novogratz is the founder of Acumen Fund, and talks about how she began developing for-profit enterprises by and for the poorest populations around the world.

• "I began to see what it meant to put into practice the idea of extending basic services as simple as bank accounts that the middle class took for granted to people who are often invisible to those in power" (17).
• "Cote d'Ivoire became a place where just walking down the street filled me with questions about justice and compassion, power and money, and the randomness of where we are born and how much that determines who we become" (23).
• "In this case, well-intentioned people gave poor women something 'nice' to do, such as making cookies or crafts, and subsidized the project until there was no more money left, then moved on to a new idea. This is a no-fail way to keep already poor people mired in poverty" (76).
• "Meanwhile, I found myself frustrated once again by development 'experts' who looked in from the outside and suggested clever solutions that created a lot of noise, distorted markets, resulted in systemic corruption, and accomplished little" (94).
• Somethings to check out: Next Generation Leadership, Three Guineas Fund
• "Patient capital is money invested over a longer period of time with the acknowledgment that returns might be below market, but with a wide range of management support services to nurture the company to liftoff and beyond" (229).
• "That same resilience, however, can manifest itself in passivity, fatalism, and a resignation to the difficulties of life that allows injustice and inequity to strengthen, grow, and solidify into a system where people forget to question until an event or series of events awakens the next generation" (275).
• "They balance their passion for change with an ability to get things done. Mostly, they believe fundamentally in the inherent capacity of every human being to contribute" (277).
• "...scientists are finding, not surprisingly, that the one factor that does bring greater happiness is serving others.." (279).

All in all, I'm quite enjoying my current series. Feel free to send me any recommendations you think might fit in :)

*PS: this is my 200th blog entry. Can't believe I've been boring you guys with my thoughts 200 times already.

Haiti Stories: Presented at the Fowler Museum, UCLA

"Did you dress up for Paul Farmer?" "Yeah, is that creepy?"

So began Abby and my trip to the UCLA Fowler Museum for their conference: Haiti Stories/Istwa Ayiti. And it only got better. The speakers included some of the most fascinating and inspiring people from all walks of life: poets, writers, journalists, photographers, academics, doctors, human rights activists, anthropologists, film makers, and the list goes on. I was honestly star struck.

Damon Winters, a photojournalist with the New York Times, opened with some amazing pictures from Haiti that brought people to tears. I was truly sad when he ran out of time, since it seemed he had a lot more pictures to share.

Right after Damon, Don Cosentino gave an interesting presentation on Haitian vodoo. He shared some great pictures and stories, but most impressive was something that Abby pointed out as he was getting on stage: his cane was black, with red flames coming up from the bottom. Now here is a man I want to buy a drink for, and just hear story after story...

Next up was anthropologist Catherine Maternowska, co-founder of Lambi Fund of Haiti. Her story brought me to tears. She spoke of a baby who had oral and anal gonorrhea after a man cut through her tent, tied up her pregnant mother, and orally and anally raped her. But she also spoke of the compassionate US military personnel who helped her obtain much needed supplies to provide care for these victimes by reporting the materials "lost in transit, unaccounted for." It's insane that she had to rely on conspiring humanists to provide basic materials, since the release of aid materials was/is surrounded by red tape and basically bullshit. But at least she found someone who was willing to look the other way.

Then there was the LA Times writer, Joe Mozingo, who spoke of the increasing responsibility of the media to portray Haiti in its entirety, not only the ghastly stories that create headlines because they're horrific and shocking to us. He called for a focus on the bigger picture, not just the horror of Haiti. I loved his honesty and clarity.

Here's a cool piece another presenter, Maggie Steber, worked on, which are photographs of a whole boulevard in Haiti, kinda cool.

David Belle gave a presentation about the only film school in Haiti, located in Jacmel, which allows Haitian students to learn how to make films and commercials. They just received a contract worth millions of dollars to make commercials for an energy drink in Haiti! He showed several clips of the work Haitian students have done, most impressively a documentary that was presented at the Amsterdam Film Festival. You can check out the trailer here. Please check it out. I'm going to do some research to find out where the whole movie is available...

Claudine Michel is a professor of black studies at UCSB, and she used an interesting phrase in her presentation: "how many cups of revolution..." She used this phrase repeatedly, as in: how many cups of revolution until the little girl in the camps doesn't have to wear a whistle to prevent her from being raped when she goes to the restroom at night? How many cups of revolution until....etc. I might have heard wrong, because I don't know exactly what "cups of revolution" means, maybe someone can enlighten me, but I liked it nonetheless.

I wish Paul Farmer had talked more, but he did have some good thoughts about foreign assistance; basically: good intentions go astray. He mentioned how much rhetoric has been centered around building Haiti "better," and he said we need to build back foreign assistance better also, because there are so many flaws in how it's done. "Good intentions are not enough, actions are what matter." Personal hero.

Bob Maguire, a professor of international affairs and director of the Trinity Haiti program, also had a good quote: "development is not a matter of changing things, but changing people." I think I could write my thoughts about that for a while, but I'm growing sleepy and I'm sure readers are growing weary...

Amy Wilentz, the moderator for the event and author of The Rainy Season, mentioned she was reading a book by Erica James. I believe I have found it on Amazon, and it will probably be my next read once I finish The White Man's Burden, which is proving to be a slow read for me.

This is basically a regurgitation of my notes from the event of stuff I wanted to check out or follow up on; hopefully they're helpful to someone other than just myself.

On a semi-sidenote: when people are given the privilege to address amazing individuals at a conference during the q&a session, they need to save everyone's time and just ask the question so the panel will have the time to fully discuss and answer it, rather than spend five minutes trying to impress the panel with what they've done with their lives and who they are. I'm sorry, but it's true :)

January 29, 2011

What I did:

• Attended an AMAZING presentation at the Fowler Museum with Abby and Christina; took up most of my day
• Applied to a job this morning, although I'm not quite qualified for it...you never know though
• Got some important documents from my asylum client, have to get to work on his petition
• Sent Karin an email with my silent auction updates
• I'm planning on looking for some more job leads tonight, fingers crossed
• Emails and skpe with the HS crew

What I didn't do:

• Go to the gym (duh)
• Any of the other stuff that I'm already days behind on

January 28, 2011

What I did:

• I attended a nine hour symposium on economic reform at my law school. Yep, that took up most of my day
• Responded to a few emails for Haiti Scholarships
• Spoke to one of my immigration clients
• Went to Miguel's to watch the Laker game--it's only been four and a half years in the planning!

What I didn't do:

• I didn't email Karin my detailed update on silent auction donation requests
• All the stuff I didn't do yesterday, including going to the gym....but hey, I'm sure no one is surprised by that one anymore (you might be more surprised that I even care to list it still as something I even intended to do).

What I need to do:

• Apply to a job that was referred to me by a guy that interviewed me for a separate position. Long background story, but actually really nice of him to give me the lead

January 27, 2011

What I did:

• Woke up at 5 a.m. to rescue my mom who had locked herself out of her house.
• Started laundry, emptied dishwasher, cleaned up kitchen (I know what you're thinking: that's just normal house stuff, it shouldn't be listed as an accomplishment...but then I wouldn't have as much stuff to list in my "what I did" column!)
• Followed up on almost all my sponsorship and silent auction requests...who knew it would take me most of the day?! BUT, I did get a 3 night all inclusive stay in Puerto Vallarta added to our silent auction items!
• Emailed our contact in Haiti with Rotary Club to confirm we can start sending them donations to distribute to our students.
• Made some important phone calls.
• Called the therapist on my immigration case; was a little shocked at her response and now have to figure out what I'm going to do about that.
• Called my other immigration client to follow up.
• Worked on immigration declarations.
• Applied to two jobs (yep, you read that correctly...two).

What I didn't do:

• I didn't go to the gym, although I actually had some motivation to do it. Who knew working out at home could actually make you sore? I guess at least those little home workouts are doing something...And Jeff and I went on a good walk before dinner.
• I didn't get to my small claims case.
• I didn't make much progress on my immigration work, but at least I touched it.
• I didn't update the HS website profiles. I have to do that STAT, and hopefully I'll start getting director profiles soon so I can add those as well. I also want to do a quick blog entry for our newly created blog.

What I need to do:

• Everything in my "didn't" list
• Work on some more small projects in the apartment

I'm going to be stuck in a symposium all day tomorrow, so I'm a little frustrated I won't get to much of this stuff for the next few days. But I AM excited for the formal opening of the photo gallery in the law school lobby that I've been working on for the last several months. Hopefully it turned out ok :)

January 26, 2011

What I did:

• Proofread and mailed my very important letter
• Revised Articles of Incorporation for Haiti Scholarships and mailed out bylaws to be signed by all directors
• Called therapist on my U-visa case to request letter of support
• Followed up on a few sponsorship requests for OCHBA
• Worked out at home
• Applied to one job (gotta start somewhere...)
• Abby and I took some stuff to the goodwill, slowly starting to empty out my garage
• Had lunch with Maggie!

What I didn't do:

• Immigration stuff (MUST DO TOMORROW)
• Look for more places to request silent auction donations from
• Revise cover letter for foundation/grant/non profit jobs

What I need to do tomorrow:

• Do some research on wills
• Start working on small claims case
• Figure out how I'm going to pay $300 in bar fees in a week

Another One Bites the Dust

Is my title a copyright infringement? Hmmm. It just occurred to me as I was typing it out; hopefully not, especially since I'm making absolutely no money off of it anyway :)

Anyhow, a while back I wrote about places you love closing down, and sadly Jeff and I have found another one.

One of the first times that Jeff and I had a long and earnest conversation about our religious differences and how that affects our relationship, we were talking about it over a beer and spinach cheese dip at Claim Jumper. Ever since then, it's been our go-to place when we want to have big talks to plan our lives, when we feel we need a nice dinner out, when we just want to be the cheesy couple giving googly eyes to each other across the table.

Monday night was one of those nights. I could tell the second Jeff walked in the house from work. We needed a beer at Claim Jumper. As my title suggests, it was not to be. As we drove towards the entrance of the shopping center, I caught a glimpse of the building in the back corner that usually has a crowded parking lot and people waiting outside. Nothing. I was pretty sure all the lights were out, but figured I had to be wrong. And then, as Jeff was turning into the shopping center, I figured they had to have closed down, because what I saw was definitely not a figment of my imagination.

We drove around to confirm. There was a "for lease" sign outside, and it was pitch black inside. We ended up settling for In n Out because we were starving, but it wasn't what we wanted, and it wasn't what we needed. We had a beer a the UCI pub, and while enjoyable, it wasn't the same. I'm really going to miss driving to our local Claim Jumper, sipping on a delicious Fat Tire, blocking Jeff's spinach cheese dipping, and having the perfect amount of lighting and ambience for pseudo intellectual conversations, not to mention building our castles in the sky. Good by Claim Jumper in Irvine, we will miss you.

Guatemala Update: Ex President Finally on Trial!

It's been a while since I posted any updates on Guatemala, but other than the escalating violence with gangs and drug cartels (which is just too depressing to write about), I haven't come across any crazy news. Until the last few days.

Some may recall my previous entries regarding ex-president Alfonso Portillo. He was president from 2000 to 2004, and in those four years he [allegedly] stole $15 million from the defense ministry, which were originally destined for public funds. After his presidency ended, he fled to Mexico but was sent back in 2008. It's taken over two years, but it seems he's finally on trial. His original trial date was postponed several times because of various legal challenges from his defense team, including allegations that the judge assigned was not an impartial judge.

This is a defining moment for Guatemala and its judicial system. I am hoping and praying that all parties play by the rules, and that Mr. Portillo doesn't get off the hook on some crazy technicality, or the judge rules important evidence is inadmissible for whatever reason she gets paid to bring up. Guatemala needs to prove it can punish criminal behavior, that corruption will not go unpunished. Here's their chance.

January 25, 2011

What I did:

• Spent some good time detailing certain areas of our apartment that I've been wanting to do for a long time (bathroom floor and baseboards, patio area)
• Went to the grocery store for some essential stuff, like toilet paper :)
• Called immigration court to confirm my motion to substitute counsel was granted
• Worked on agenda for Haiti Scholarships board meeting
• Worked on very important correspondence I need to mail out tomorrow
• Haiti Scholarships conference call with our Board of Directors
• Send out a very important email about my Haiti fundraiser

What I didn't do:

• I didn't go to the gym, but I DID do a little work out in the apartment for about 15 minutes...I think that should count for something.
• Work on asylum and VAWA petitions
• I didn't apply to jobs. I waited until the last minute, at which point the only jobs I wanted to apply to required me doing some intense editing and revising to my resume and cover letter. It's crazy how many jobs are listed, in general, and none of them sound appealing. Bleh.

What I need to do tomorrow:

• All the things I didn't do today. I really need to spend some time on my immigration cases and OCHBA stuff.
• Abby and I are going to start cleaning out my garage. It'll be nice to be able to use it for parking again :)
• I really, really need to update my resume and cover letter, and send it out to AT LEAST two different places.

January 24, 2010

My friend Shirley told me about this accountability thing she's doing, by tweeting. I'm going to try the same via blogging. I will try to post every night about what I accomplished throughout the day, in an effort to shame me into applying to jobs, getting in shape, and getting my projects done. These entries will probably be boring for most readers, so I apologize. From now on just know that if an entry is titled with a date, it will just list what I did or did not do. Feel free to hold me accountable if I fail to make an entry for a day, or fail to list any great achievements for the day. Or feel free to ignore these entries :)

Starting with yesterday, January 24th:

What I did:

• Looked online for jobs
• Spent quality time with mom
• Picked up the last two frames for the Haiti photo gallery which will be going up today. Spent some time with Dave at Chapman Law finishing up details on descriptions.
• Went to old work to clear up some stuff that needed clearing up
• Called immigration client and made appointment for next week. Need to work on her declaration before meeting with her.
• Followed up with Haiti Scholarship board of directors, sent documents for them to review before our conference call today.
• Conference call with OC Hispanic Bar Association for Dinner Committee

What I didn't do:

• Apply to jobs (fail, I know, but I really was busy all day!)
• Work on immigration cases
• Follow up on fundraiser for Haiti
• Go to the gym
• Follow up on sponsors and silent auction donations for OCHBA
• Get anything done around the house

Over all, not a great start. Hoping today will be better. It's already 9:25 am though, so I better get started.

Music Corner: Melissa Auf Der Maur

Out of Our Minds

Decisions, Decisions

"We expect to live our lives as expected but life has a way of making the expected never happen and the unexpected that which your life becomes."

My friend Jaime shared that quote with me last week, and it made me think (once again) about what I'm really doing. I feel like I'm pushing so hard for something, and maybe it's just not meant to happen that way. On the other hand, people that make something of themselves usually have to go against all adds to get there. Where's the breaking point? At what point should I just sit back, stop swimming against the current, and just let life take me wherever the heck it wants me to go?

"There isn't any normal life guera. It's just life."

Turning a New Leaf

I think I hit my low last week. I knew that it would come, it was almost as if I was waiting for it to hit me. I sat around our apartment, got angry at hulu and netflix for not having more stuff that I was in the mood to watch, and blamed them for my boredom. Thing is, I have TONS of stuff to work on: pro bono cases, fundraising projects, working on developing a nonprofit, hundreds of little projects I need to do around the apartment, calls, emails, the list goes on and on. And yet, last week, I spent most of it on either the futon or the couch, wondering what I could possibly watch next on my laptop. It didn't help that I finally got confirmation that I didn't get the job I really wanted in LA, or that I received a piece of mail on Saturday that complicates my life a little more than I need right now.

It's pathetic. I'm healthy, I have two degrees I need to put to use, I have a supporting and loving husband, and so many other things I should give thanks for every day.

So my plan this week is to turn things around. Starting today, I'm applying to one or two jobs a day (at least), I'm going to leave the apartment more, I'm going to make myself go to the gym, I'm going to make progress on my projects before they blow up in my face for lack of attention. I'm going to do something different.

Personalized License Plates

I think you can go one of two ways when you see personalized license plates: 1) think the person is silly for spending money on a personalized license plate (to put it lightly) and ignore the content of said license plate, or 2) try to figure out what the heck they're trying to show off about. Personally, I go the latter route. My mom and I used to decipher license plates all the time when I was little, and it's a tradition I started with Jeff. I usually admire the persons creativity for fitting a phrase or quote or personification of the individual within seven characters.

Sometimes, sometimes, I'm stumped. At this point I blame the driver for spending money on trying to say something that people can't decipher, but before I throw my hands up in the air and give up (don't worry, I'm really good at steering with my knee), there's one more clue I look for: the license plate frame. And most of the time, most of the time, I'm not disappointed. It seems people who personalize license plates have so much passion for whatever they're trying to tell us they like, that the license plate frame ALSO conveys this passion. For example, one license plate went along the lines of Halo Fan (not that straightforward...but I forget what it said exactly). I commented to Jeff how amazing I was for figuring it out, then said, "they must be big Angels fans." At this point I was proud of knowing enough pop culture and sports trivia to know that Halo Fan's are from the Angel's baseball team. Then Jeff mentioned that maybe they were fans of the game. Drats! How will I ever know now what they really meant? *Ding* License plate frame read: LA Angels of Anaheim.

All I can say is...thank you dear Drivers for your dedication.

Reflections

I wasn't planning on writing anything on my blog about the one year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake--I figure today is the one day when everyone else will be talking about it, and I don't think there's much I can add that I haven't already shared with readers prior to today, and what every news broadcast is already doing. But I came across a blog entry of a good friend, so I wanted to share some of that with you guys. I'm only sharing a part here, but I recommend reading the whole thing. Here's the excerpt that got me:

"First, I ask you to take a moment of silence with the rest of the world at 4:53 eastern (2153 GMT) to remember the approximate quarter of million people who died in the disaster. But please go further than that. One moment of silent prayer or reflection is not enough for a disaster this large. It demands several moments.

So please also take a moment when you walk into your house. Remember those Haitians (about 1 million) still without a house.

Take a moment when you turn on your tap and water instantly appears. Remember those Haitians who must carry their water miles to and from clean water sources.

When you flush your toilet, remember those who are still using pit toilets, or having to flush only once a day to conserve water.

As you prepare to come back to school, or go to work, imagine your life totally upended. Family members no longer here, plans scrapped. That is reality for millions of Haitians."

This is something that was really difficult to deal with when I first returned from my trip, and something I know is constantly on mine and Abby's mind. How can we not feel guilty about everything we have, when people around the world have so little? How is this fair?

I'm not five years old anymore, so I don't need my mom to tell me that life isn't fair...I know it isn't...but I don't know why is has to be SO unfair (ok, maybe I'm still five). I think about how much water we use just to shower or wash our hands...and people in Africa don't even have enough water to drink. It's crazy, right? (or is it just me...?)

I came across an interesting passage in a book I just finished, called The Blue Sweater, by Jacqueline Novogratz. Novogratz is talking about celebrating the wrap up of a big project in Rwanda, and standing in line at a local store with two bottles of champagne. While in line it hit her that these two bottles cost more than most Rwandans made in a whole year--she was embarrassed when it came time for the Rwandan store clerk to ring her up. In the end, her companion convinced her to buy them: " 'I know it doesn't make a lot of sense on one level. We're working with the really poor, and you and I couldn't be more privileged in relative terms. But don't pretend to be someone you aren't. If you were at home, you'd celebrate with champagne. If you want to remain happy and alive in this work, you need to reconcile this part of who you are and understand the inconsistencies with the work you do and how it all fits into your whole way of being.' " (page 115).

The whole "don't pretend to be someone you're not" is pretty intense, and true. We have been born into privilege, maybe not rich-trust-fund kind of privilege, but we have abundant resources nonetheless. We can't deny that, and we shouldn't. As Novogratz puts it: "The challenge wasn't whether to buy a couple of bottles of champagne; it was instead not to take our privilege for granted and to use it in a way that served the world and our highest purpose" (116, emphasis added).

So today, take a minute to reflect. How can you use your privileges to serve the highest purpose?

Music Corner: Latin Wedding Music

A true Latin wedding will have most, if not all, of these mandatory songs...

An oldie but goodie: Oye mi Amor, by Mana:

Throw in a little salsa...Elvis Crespo, Suavemente:

I don't know if Carlos Vives is necessarily a classic for weddings, but I think it should be...

Last but not least, Matador by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs:

Yes, we are stuck in the 80s/early 90s. And quite proudly :)

You'd also have to throw in some Pepe Aguilar, Pedro Fernandez, Vicente Fernandez, but I couldn't make up my mind. Other suggestions?

Charity of the Month: FEED Projects

I recently started to discover the usefulness of Twitter. Criticize what you may about it, but if you use it correctly, it's actually a great resource for news and updates on things you're interested in. And it's how I came across this month's Charity of the Month: FEED Projects.

Basically, you buy a bag, and the proceeds of that purchase go towards providing free meals to children in schools, usually through the UN World Food Program.

One of the most useful items is the FEED 100 bag: for $30, you provide 100 schools meals to children in Rwanda. There is also the FEED 1 bag, for $60 you feed one child for a whole year. As FEED points out, this school meal is the ONLY meal that these children get. All day. We may get hungry and grumpy if we don't have our morning snack, but imagine going hungry all day...or several days. $60 means you are allowing a child the satisfaction of going home without being hungry, for a whole year.

The FEED shop also features Kenyan scarves and bracelets,

FEED t-shirts, and pouches that can be used as clutches, make up bags, etc. The pouches go for $25 and provide food and job skill training for 10 women.

It would be a sin not to put a plug in for the FEED 3 Guatemala bag, which, personally, is the coolest one...Sadly, these and others are only sold in certain stores, so check the FEED Store for details.

And if you want to support children close to home, you can purchase the FEED USA bag. The cool thing about this bag is that you get to choose which school food improvement program you want to fund!

"I can't afford to buy a bag right now." Well you're in luck. There are so many ways to support an organization, that doesn't involve spending money. Mainly, help spread the word. Share what FEED is doing with your friends and family, and ask them to spread the word as well.

On a side note, please let me know if you have an organization that is near and dear to your heart, that you think would be a good feature for this blog in 2011 :)

The Mandatory New Year's Post

And so another year has flown by. I spent most of 2010 thinking it was barely getting started...before I realized it, 2011 was knocking on my door. 2010...what can I say? You've challenged me quite a bit. I'm not going to lie and say it was all roses...I think it was by far one of the most trying years I've had to date, but it also had some amazing accomplishments.

I had my first job in the legal world, which presented a whole set of challenges in and of itself, but it was a learning experience if ever there was one. But it gave me the opportunity to meet some amazing people, who hopefully will be a part of my life for years to come.

Julian graduated from UCI!

We introduced two new members to the Armstrong family, which we couldn't be happier about. They definitely make things way cuter! It's still a little weird how you can watch a baby just be a baby for hours...and not get bored. Creepy, right?

Abby and I went to Haiti...and I think all you readers know the lasting impact that has had on me. And on you, since you all have to put up with constant blogs, twitters, and countless Facebook links and updates.

Julian and Erika finally got hitched, and what a way to get things done! Two weeks of booze, friendship, love, booze, Vegas, nuptials...did I mention booze? :) And let's not forget the Stewarts, another wedding worth celebrating!

Jeff and I celebrated our first year of marriage...and four years of being together. What can I say, I'm a lucky girl. < 3

Camping trip to Yosemite!

We celebrated my aunt's 50th year of life in style!

I realized my little cousins aren't so little anymore. I also realized they're all becoming amazing and caring individuals, and that gives me all sorts of warm and fuzzies.

The economy.....well...let's not get started there...let's just say that losing my job is giving me the opportunity to figure out what I want to do with my life.

Worked on my first housebuild with Corazon...hopefully many more to come this year.

As for 2011....hopefully I figure out what I want to do with my career, I'm looking forward to a second trip to Haiti with Abby and my cousin, Adriana (which I'm REALLY excited about), and if all goes well...maybe starting to expand our own little Armstrong family. Fingers crossed.

Happy New Year to all of you, and may 2011 bring happiness and blessings galore! A huge thank you to everyone who follows this blog about everything and nothing. A special thank you to those who have stood by me and supported me in all my efforts: I'm sure my constant need for favors and participation get old after a while, but I hope you all see the good in everything I try to make you participate in :)