Category Archives: Uncategorized

I hate riding the subway when there are so many people that you don't
even have a pole to hold. Becomes an exercise on balancing…. Guess
where I am…. Work those calf muscles!!

*******************
Cynthia Wang
cynthiawang@nyu.edu

Cynthia is writing to you from her iPhone. Please excuse weird typos
and conciseness.

I picked up people magazine at the airport where I discovered that
jennifer aniston has a baby bulge. Why can't it just be because she
might be bloated or just had a large meal?

*******************
Cynthia Wang
cynthiawang@nyu.edu

Cynthia is writing to you from her iPhone. Please excuse weird typos
and conciseness.

Before Sabi, there was Scout. And Charlie.

Between Scout’s overprotectiveness, and Charlie thinking he’s a lapdog and just draping himself over me, or just having two furry, warm pillows around, I might cry when I see them, I miss them so much.

Is this silly?

One of the best vacations I’ve ever had was visiting Cris in North Carolina last year. And, it’s been just about a week or two over a year since I’ve been there. I’ll be there for the last few days of the election (Sunday thru Wednesday), getting out the vote for Obama. And enjoying Mom’s cooking and playing with the dogs, I’m sure.

I figure, the other Cynthia (though she calls ME the “other” Cynthia), who can’t even vote in this election, is going to her nearest swing state (NV or CO…?) to get out the vote, what’s my excuse, when I’m a grad student with a relatively lax and flexible schedule? I just need to look up 12 articles on Facebook while I’m there…

Besides, NC just feels very recuperative. I think I could use that after being burned out by all the midterm-y type of things the last few weeks.

If my fingers are wrinkled and pruned from being in the shower too long, will I leave fingerprints?

I just posted on my Facebook status that I “smell like coffee” (because I was just at Think Coffee with Sara earlier today). Suddenly, on my news feed, out pops Tania’s status, who is “having a coffee kind of day” (4 hours before my post), and Mikella, who “wishes she had coffee” (two minutes after mine). Note, while Mikella’s status may have been a response to mine (though possibly unlikely), I certainly didn’t see Tania’s status before posting mine. And it certaintly wasn’t on my news feed.

Coincidence? Or am I being stalked by the Facebook gods? I guess an easier explanation is that Facebook will push whatever It (yes, I believe It should be capitalized) finds up to visibility on your news feed, so you can find…friends…doing…similar things as you?

Facebook smart? Or Facebook creepy?

It’s been a hard transition to New York. I’m home in LA this weekend for what I’d hoped, and what is turning out, to be a recuperative weekend (NYU thinks we should sit at home on Columbus Day and repent about Western colonization and the horrible things done in the 15th century).

Juliana and I made caramel apples yesterday for Game Night tonight at Casa de Patel. The caramel didn’t turn out perfect. We burned it slightly, and when we dipped the apples in, the caramel was still hot, so it blistered on the apple. Not the prettiest caramel apples, but they sure were good, though after trying it out, realized they were probably the worst party food ever. One bite glued your teeth together. We might have overdone it on the caramel bit.

People seemed to enjoy them tonight though. And we played Celebrity and Werewolf, then sat around and watched Chris Rock talk about the only time it’s appropriate for a white person to use the word “nigger”. My voice is almost completely gone, which might be why I kept getting killed off in Werewolf — because I was “quiet”.

More people than expected showed up – many familiar faces – people I’ve gotten to know through these game nights, people to whom I may not be very close (and actually some I’ve only met once or twice), but who are just fun and relaxing to be around. And an unexpected feeling of camraderie in trying to figure out who to kill off next. Or trying to figure out what modern day writer looks like a zombie.

I also met a fellow NU alum tonight. This is rather amazing. She took part in the hunger strike in 95 so that I was able to minor in Asian American Studies in 2000. How small a world.

And tonight was the first time since moving to NYC that I laughed so hard it hurt. And couldn’t stop. That felt wonderful.

I’ve never been a huge fan of LA, as everyone who knows me probably knows. But I’ve realized, in the 48 hours since I’ve been home, that it’s not the city that makes memories and induces nostalgia – it’s the people. Seems like such a duh thing to say at 3 in the morning (plus I’m sure I’m not being too eloquent), but I really didn’t expect to enjoy being back in LA as much as I am.

And, for those of us who were on the floor laughing about this….

JUST NECK!

I made a fascinating discovery today in the shower.

While brushing my teeth with my sonic toothbrush and humming “Wish I Could Stay” from the Once More, With Feeling soundtrack (for those of you who are not in the know, it’s the Buffy Musical), I hit a note that resonated beautifully with the whir of the dental device in my mouth.

That’s right, ladies and gents, my sonic toothbrush vibrates in the key of E.

Of course, not having perfect pitch and all, I had to find that note on my guitar. I’m not like Yvonne – she can hear a car honk and tell you that the horn is blaring an F#.

• If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you’re “exotic, different.”
• Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

• If your name is Barack you’re a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
• Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you’re a maverick.

• Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
• Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you’re well grounded.

• If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran’s Affairs committees, you don’t have any real leadership experience.
• If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you’re qualified to become the country’s second highest ranking executive.

• If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two daughters, all within Protestant churches, you’re not a real Christian.
• If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you’re a Christian.

• If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
• If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state’s school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you’re very responsible.

• If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family’s values don’t represent America’s.
• If you’re husband is nicknamed “First Dude”, with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn’t register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

I love how Brandi Carlile’s like the poster child for Taylor Guitars, but uses more Martins. I believe The Story (the album) was recorded on a 1932 Martin that T-Bone Burnett gave her. How awesome is that.

Just a random thought as I’m watching her cover Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” on YouTube. You know, I never thought anyone could cover Johnny Cash, but man, she blows the roof off the theatre.

I never thought anyone could do a fitting cover of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” either…