So it is yet again almost 1am and I am not sleeping. I promised myself that I would wake up before noon tomorrow, but that only works if I go to sleep at a decent hour. Maybe I need to try what my mom would tell me when I was little and not ready for bed time, "I don't care if you're sleepy or not. Close your eyes long enough. You'll fall asleep." I got home about 45 minutes ago and I am still in my coat and scarf. SMH at myself. Yet another day has passed that I didn't get my eyebrows done :-/ Tomorrow is THE day. NO EXCUSES! I'm walking around Milan looking entirely too ratchett for my own good. My friends would be so embarrassed if they saw me right now. I did finish my personal statement for Bocconi though, so at least I did SOMETHING productive.
In other news, I am pretty sure that I am the most fickle person I know. This morning I was over Italy...time for the next country. But now that the day is over I'm not over it anymore LOL I am, however, finding it hard to adjust to this whole adult man living with mom deal. I knew it was acceptable for grown men (and I mean real grown, like 30) to live at home with mom, but come on! This is just too much. Living at home with mom as an adult because the economy is crappy and it's expensive to get your own place is slightly acceptable. OR living at home with mom at 24 or 25 because you just finished your Master's and you're looking for work. I will also accept reluctantly living and home and wishing you didn't. But "I don't know I have to ask my mom because that's dinner time" is unacceptable. Dude, you're 30, not 16. If I am being culturally insensitive I do sincerely apologize, but this whole mammone issue might be my breaking point with Italian men...yes even after the cigarettes! I can actually deal with the smoking if you are considerate enough not to do it around me and not to smell like smoke when we are together. I've even lowered my height restrictions because men are just, generally, made shorter here lol But adult men whose mothers still do their laundry and cut the ends off their sandwiches might just be a deal breaker for me.
Is it possible to pull a butt muscle? I'm pretty sure I did today trying to play in Benni's castello. If I move to far to the right my butt REALLY hurts! I was trying to explain to him that I am "troppo grande" for his castello, but he wasn't having it. I am now suffering the consequences of not standing my ground. He also successfully coughed his 3 year old flu germs in my face several times today, so I am likely to be sick again by Friday. Yay me!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday
Well it's Saturday afternoon, which means I'm not working :-) I also didn't have to work this morning (Toni needs me to work 5-8:30, which is shorter than 8-1 so no complaints). Last night I went to a lounge/club thingy (Just Cavalli or Cavalli Hollywood, something like that) with a friend (despite being exhausted and already bailing on another friend because I'd been declining an invitation for weeks :-/). It reminded me a lot of Vanquish in Atlanta, if you have ever been there. I'm satisfied with Milan nightlife. I am, however, unsatisfied with the metro, which stops running at 12:30. It could at least run until 2:30 or 3 on Friday and Saturday because taxis here are not cheap, not that I pay for them all the time, but if I did I would be annoyed.
In other news, the youngest boy in the house is sick. This is just great since my immune system is pretty much nonexistent and I'm out of Airborne (which I honestly don't think works anyway. I don't even know why I bought it). It's only a matter of time before I'm sick (again). I also found out that Toni doesn't think I can load a dishwasher or fold clothes. I offered to fold the laundry since Benni is sick and she has a headache and she goes, "No no no. I'll do it!" But I insisted on helping, so she said, "Just wait for me and I'll help you." I thought, "I don't need help folding clothes." LOL Last night after I loaded the dishwasher she came in and laughed and started taking things out. I said, "I guess I'm not good at loading the dishwasher." "Yes, I've seen that. But I appreciate the gesture." haha Needless to say I'm not asked to do laundry or dishes, which works in my favor lol.
So the day after I bought a new coat the temperature jumps 20 degrees. I am trying to convince myself that I'm not upset because I needed a good coat anyway. We are going to the mountains the last week of February and it will be much colder there anyway. The sun has been out 2 days in a row, which is a big deal in my opinion. Ok, I need to wrap this up. I have to teach in an hour and I'm still in my PJ's!
In other news, the youngest boy in the house is sick. This is just great since my immune system is pretty much nonexistent and I'm out of Airborne (which I honestly don't think works anyway. I don't even know why I bought it). It's only a matter of time before I'm sick (again). I also found out that Toni doesn't think I can load a dishwasher or fold clothes. I offered to fold the laundry since Benni is sick and she has a headache and she goes, "No no no. I'll do it!" But I insisted on helping, so she said, "Just wait for me and I'll help you." I thought, "I don't need help folding clothes." LOL Last night after I loaded the dishwasher she came in and laughed and started taking things out. I said, "I guess I'm not good at loading the dishwasher." "Yes, I've seen that. But I appreciate the gesture." haha Needless to say I'm not asked to do laundry or dishes, which works in my favor lol.
So the day after I bought a new coat the temperature jumps 20 degrees. I am trying to convince myself that I'm not upset because I needed a good coat anyway. We are going to the mountains the last week of February and it will be much colder there anyway. The sun has been out 2 days in a row, which is a big deal in my opinion. Ok, I need to wrap this up. I have to teach in an hour and I'm still in my PJ's!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Artist in a Box
I didn't write this...I haven't been blessed to be so creative :-/ But you should still read it!
I imagine when God is feeling a bit creative, He paints orange streaks across the sky. I think He just might light a fire behind the sun, and maybe even pierce new diamonds into the night. I imagine that when He is ESPECIALLY inspired, He runs His fingers through His palette, and leaves traces of every color floating in the air. How else can you explain the ever-changing colors of the daylight sky, the burning glow of the sun? What else could cause the night air to twinkle or rainbows to appear? And what is an earthquake if not the mighty stroke of God’s eraser when He feels the need to go back and make CHANGES?
I imagine that our lives are much the same- only we do more erasing than CREATING- more stealing than INVENTING. I imagine that the world was supposed to be our canvas, our purpose serving as a paintbrush- our individual gifts providing our MUSE. But somewhere along the way, our vision became skewed. Somewhere along the way, we became more interested in taking away from the bigger picture than building upon it. The result-BLANK PAGES.
As I sit here painting words upon this page, there is a tugging at my heart, a nagging at my soul. As I struggle to find the words to adequately explain this feeling inside of me, there is a voice struggling to emerge. This, I have come to know as my “ARTIST IN A BOX”. You see, I believe that inside each of us is the ability to create anything that we can imagine. Anything that we can dream up can become reality in our world. But we ignore our inner artist and stuff it back into its heart shaped box. There it lives, struggling to breathe. STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE.
BOXED IN.
While we exist in the world, we conform to its harsh realities. We become consumed in the negativity- transfixed by the UGLY. All the while, our true selves TUG at our heart strings while our creativity is enslaved. Instead of adding to the warm shades of the daylight, instead of lighting up the night- we SNATCH the rainbows out of the sky. Little by little, we ERASE the masterpieces that have been created for us.
But WHY?
Because it has become a system of belief that EXISTING is LIVING. It is common practice to BE PRACTICAL instead of INSPIRATIONAL. We have fallen under the impression that work comes before pleasure, and that our minds are more competent than our hearts.
BOXED IN.
But I beg you to unleash the STORY inside of you, release the PAINTING within. Share your MUSIC…DANCE to your own beat. Imagine how it would feel to LET GO. Maybe it would feel like watching the sky change from blue to orange. Or maybe like watching the stars twinkle across the heavens. Perhaps it will have the calming effect of a rainbow. But maybe…just maybe…it will shake up the earth…maybe you possess the mighty stroke of a most powerful CHANGE. A change that this world is in desperate NEED of.
There is no way to guess what creative power you possess, but I know that it’s worth finding. If you want to know what you can create in the world, ask yourself. Ask your artist…inside your box.
Source: http://tilesha.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/artist-in-a-box/
I imagine when God is feeling a bit creative, He paints orange streaks across the sky. I think He just might light a fire behind the sun, and maybe even pierce new diamonds into the night. I imagine that when He is ESPECIALLY inspired, He runs His fingers through His palette, and leaves traces of every color floating in the air. How else can you explain the ever-changing colors of the daylight sky, the burning glow of the sun? What else could cause the night air to twinkle or rainbows to appear? And what is an earthquake if not the mighty stroke of God’s eraser when He feels the need to go back and make CHANGES?
I imagine that our lives are much the same- only we do more erasing than CREATING- more stealing than INVENTING. I imagine that the world was supposed to be our canvas, our purpose serving as a paintbrush- our individual gifts providing our MUSE. But somewhere along the way, our vision became skewed. Somewhere along the way, we became more interested in taking away from the bigger picture than building upon it. The result-BLANK PAGES.
As I sit here painting words upon this page, there is a tugging at my heart, a nagging at my soul. As I struggle to find the words to adequately explain this feeling inside of me, there is a voice struggling to emerge. This, I have come to know as my “ARTIST IN A BOX”. You see, I believe that inside each of us is the ability to create anything that we can imagine. Anything that we can dream up can become reality in our world. But we ignore our inner artist and stuff it back into its heart shaped box. There it lives, struggling to breathe. STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE.
BOXED IN.
While we exist in the world, we conform to its harsh realities. We become consumed in the negativity- transfixed by the UGLY. All the while, our true selves TUG at our heart strings while our creativity is enslaved. Instead of adding to the warm shades of the daylight, instead of lighting up the night- we SNATCH the rainbows out of the sky. Little by little, we ERASE the masterpieces that have been created for us.
But WHY?
Because it has become a system of belief that EXISTING is LIVING. It is common practice to BE PRACTICAL instead of INSPIRATIONAL. We have fallen under the impression that work comes before pleasure, and that our minds are more competent than our hearts.
BOXED IN.
But I beg you to unleash the STORY inside of you, release the PAINTING within. Share your MUSIC…DANCE to your own beat. Imagine how it would feel to LET GO. Maybe it would feel like watching the sky change from blue to orange. Or maybe like watching the stars twinkle across the heavens. Perhaps it will have the calming effect of a rainbow. But maybe…just maybe…it will shake up the earth…maybe you possess the mighty stroke of a most powerful CHANGE. A change that this world is in desperate NEED of.
There is no way to guess what creative power you possess, but I know that it’s worth finding. If you want to know what you can create in the world, ask yourself. Ask your artist…inside your box.
Source: http://tilesha.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/artist-in-a-box/
Sunday, January 15, 2012
I live in Italy...
Today is Sunday...which means I don't have to work...winning...but it's also hair wash day, which means I spent my entire afternoon doing my hair...losing. Today I discovered the secret to get a straightening is a good blow dry, and the secret to a good blow dry is a good brush. I discovered that I have this little awkward patch of breakage, but I'm sure it's my fault and it will be okay if I keep my hands out of my head (something I've struggled with for about 6 years now and it is quite annoying).
Anywho, tomorrow starts my 4th week here in Milan and I'm starting to get settled in. Studying in the mornings, working in the evenings, and going out on the weekends. Learning a lot of Italian and actually holding small conversations in Italian. Last night I went to the movies to see that new movie with George C and Ryan G. Honestly, I only wanted to see it because I actually knew the actors. It legitimately sucked, and not because it was in Italian. I am sure everyone in the theater was as confused about the storyline as I (and my date) was. The most interesting part about the movie was the "Intervallo." Since I'm not an idiot I was able to deduce that intervallo means intermission. So I turn to my date and ask "What is this for?"...you know if you need to go pee or get something to eat. No. I don't know lol because the movie is only 2 hours and I don't understand why you would need an intermission lol Oh, the Italians.
Sidenote: I learned this week that Italy is younger than America...by almost 100 years. Definitely didn't know that. Definitely changes the way I think about the country...not in a bad way. Mostly not in a bad way because, at this point, nothing can make me think bad about Italy (at least not Milan lol). I love this city. I love the people. I love the language. I love the food. I love my job. I love how things are inefficient and a little disorderly but people know it and don't care lol I think that's what I love most. There is a store across the street from out flat and I never know when they will be open. The daily schedule on the door is completely irrelevant. haha Actually, I love Milan so much that I am going to apply for a Master's program here. At least today I've seriously considered it. We'll see if I still want to apply tomorrow, or next week for that matter. The degree is in English of course, International Management, which is a little change from the other programs I've considered/applied for. At this point, I don't know what I want to do with my life. Sometimes I forget I'll be 23 this year lol. I feel like I'm still 20 sometimes. I don't why 20. Just seems like a good, even number.
Anywho, tomorrow starts my 4th week here in Milan and I'm starting to get settled in. Studying in the mornings, working in the evenings, and going out on the weekends. Learning a lot of Italian and actually holding small conversations in Italian. Last night I went to the movies to see that new movie with George C and Ryan G. Honestly, I only wanted to see it because I actually knew the actors. It legitimately sucked, and not because it was in Italian. I am sure everyone in the theater was as confused about the storyline as I (and my date) was. The most interesting part about the movie was the "Intervallo." Since I'm not an idiot I was able to deduce that intervallo means intermission. So I turn to my date and ask "What is this for?"...you know if you need to go pee or get something to eat. No. I don't know lol because the movie is only 2 hours and I don't understand why you would need an intermission lol Oh, the Italians.
Sidenote: I learned this week that Italy is younger than America...by almost 100 years. Definitely didn't know that. Definitely changes the way I think about the country...not in a bad way. Mostly not in a bad way because, at this point, nothing can make me think bad about Italy (at least not Milan lol). I love this city. I love the people. I love the language. I love the food. I love my job. I love how things are inefficient and a little disorderly but people know it and don't care lol I think that's what I love most. There is a store across the street from out flat and I never know when they will be open. The daily schedule on the door is completely irrelevant. haha Actually, I love Milan so much that I am going to apply for a Master's program here. At least today I've seriously considered it. We'll see if I still want to apply tomorrow, or next week for that matter. The degree is in English of course, International Management, which is a little change from the other programs I've considered/applied for. At this point, I don't know what I want to do with my life. Sometimes I forget I'll be 23 this year lol. I feel like I'm still 20 sometimes. I don't why 20. Just seems like a good, even number.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A Blog Post
So today is my 14th day in Milan, and this is my second blog post. I've been very lazy about writing. Actually, I've been lazy about everything except the stuff I REALLY want to do lol. Now that I'm done studying for the day and I do not work for another 2 hours, more or less, I have decided to compose a list of my favorite things about Milan.
1. The food. Duh. It's Italy.
2. My job. Although my boss thinks my name is Dissy my job is pretty dope. Outside of the job I got hired to do here I'll be teaching private lessons for English in the evenings and on weekends. Lesson planning sucks but actual teaching is great.
3. The food.
4. Cultural diversity. I have been pleasantly surprised to find so many types of people from all over here in Milan. Being culturally ambiguous is pretty cool. I've been asked if I'm Cuban, Domin ican, French,Italian, Ethiopian....never American lol
5. Plane tickets to other countries for 35euros or less.
6. Sleeping in every morning if I want to.
1. The food. Duh. It's Italy.
2. My job. Although my boss thinks my name is Dissy my job is pretty dope. Outside of the job I got hired to do here I'll be teaching private lessons for English in the evenings and on weekends. Lesson planning sucks but actual teaching is great.
3. The food.
4. Cultural diversity. I have been pleasantly surprised to find so many types of people from all over here in Milan. Being culturally ambiguous is pretty cool. I've been asked if I'm Cuban, Domin ican, French,Italian, Ethiopian....never American lol
5. Plane tickets to other countries for 35euros or less.
6. Sleeping in every morning if I want to.
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