Life is short,
break the rules,
forgive quickly,
kiss slowly,
love truly,
laugh uncontrollably,
and never regret anything that made you smile.
- Anonymous
Monday, January 14, 2008
The January Line
Almost half of January 2008 has passed, and in a way, I feel like I have finally taken a step over the “January line”. Something that I’ve been afraid to do since finishing my undergrad. Much like how the “September line” has always been about, “what road do I take?” or the summer turning point, the “January line” has been about, “where do I go next?” or the winter pause to look at the map and figure out if I’m in the right place. Although, I still can’t say for sure, I’ve finally decided to just continue and hope for the best. I figure that at least this way, I can say I went somewhere and finished something.
…
Life in Milan continues much as it has since I arrived in October: too expensive. School is a bit of disappointment, but every so often is sparked with renewed interest by new topics and lecturers. My roommate relations are in constant flux, primarily that with my Chilean counterpart, but at least its becoming more routine. On the plus side, I’ve got work and dance to keep me busy. And as of yesterday, add to that cooking.
Yes, cooking.
For I don’t know how many Christmas’, I’ve gotten at least one cookbook as a gift. This Christmas was no different. So, thanks to a relatively free Sunday, and foregoing some initial hesitation, I took to the occasion to “cook by the book”. My first dish? Steamed broccoli with cheese sauce (Hey, I could only make what I had). For dinner, I made “real Italian” Spaghetti with tomato sauce. Although I don’t think I made enough, I think my old French teacher would have agreed that it was “to die for”. Well, at least one of my roommates thought so.
Today, I made "Popovers" for lunch (too much) and Spanish stuffed peppers for dinner (not enough). The latter really took some time to prepare and even required me to go out and buy some more ingredients. I’m really enjoyed myself. I think I can see why there’s such a thing as the food sciences.
As for other highlights, my new 72 year old friend Adriano and I celebrated our birthday together the day after with tea and biscuits. We talked about everything from China to Italy, and psychology to cosmology (his favorite topic). I felt I learned a lot, perhaps too much. I was really glad to have found him, and we agreed to meet every Saturday for Chinese lessons, so long as I agreed to listen to him speak about cosmology. Sounded fair to me.
My actual birthday consisted of a lot of work, finishing some research for my job and then attending to household matters (getting our bathroom door and the downstairs window fixed among other things). In the evening, I finally got to sit down with my Latvian roommates and eat some dinner they had prepared (my Chilean roommate was in Florence with his girlfriend at the time). After that, they actually partook in a little salsa lesson by me before coming to Caffe Carribe with me. It was a nice gesture even if they weren’t really into the dance or the music. The night got a little more complicated than I would have liked, thanks to a really aggressive Italian and a really drunk roommate, but luckily the night ended well, thanks to the staff and a really friendly Italian who drove us home. I think that experience was another lesson for me about “helping people”. The message being basically the same as that of the German girl I had met on the train to Milan, just reinforced with a “you don’t know me”. I can’t argue that.
The past week was largely consumed by a joint project between the Strategic Design students and MBA students of the Politecnico. It was an interesting experience in another part of the city, with a lot of new lessons to learn from my fellow classmates. It made me feel like an MBA is where I belong. Oh well…
On Friday, my Chilean roommate officially through me a “Tim Party” for my birthday. Our apartment wasn’t as filled as our house-warming party, but it was nice. The “after-party” was a bit too much for me financially and physically, so after venturing to a club thereafter, I said that I had had a good night, and didn’t want to end it uncomfortably. So, I turned around and went back to the apartment. And I’m glad I did.
Saturday evening was a similar night with some of the MBA students. However, instead of ending it with the same conviction as the night before, I carried on with two of my roommates and two new “friends”. We ended up in another club where I just sat down and closed my eyes until a group of girls woke me up and insisted that I dance. In the most strangest way I could ever remember doing, I got up, took off my trenchcoat, and started to dance. I felt like a puppet. It was so weird, and needless to say, uncomfortable.
I visited Adriano before that, but not for a Chinese lesson as agreed. He had called me the day before to say he had an accident with a tram car and couldn’t leave his apartment. So, I promised to entertain him for a while, listening to him speak about his condition (something that I think I helped get his mind off by telling him how strong and healthy he looked. How’s that for psychology?), and of course, cosmology.
Today, I woke up and decided I needed to do something about exercise. Afterall, there’s no point in eating better, if you don’t move better. So, I bought myself some weights and a yoga mat. Much cheaper than going to the gym here. Oh yeah, I guess you can add that to my list of things to keep myself busy. In the words of my brothers, “Giv’r”!!!
…
Life in Milan continues much as it has since I arrived in October: too expensive. School is a bit of disappointment, but every so often is sparked with renewed interest by new topics and lecturers. My roommate relations are in constant flux, primarily that with my Chilean counterpart, but at least its becoming more routine. On the plus side, I’ve got work and dance to keep me busy. And as of yesterday, add to that cooking.
Yes, cooking.
For I don’t know how many Christmas’, I’ve gotten at least one cookbook as a gift. This Christmas was no different. So, thanks to a relatively free Sunday, and foregoing some initial hesitation, I took to the occasion to “cook by the book”. My first dish? Steamed broccoli with cheese sauce (Hey, I could only make what I had). For dinner, I made “real Italian” Spaghetti with tomato sauce. Although I don’t think I made enough, I think my old French teacher would have agreed that it was “to die for”. Well, at least one of my roommates thought so.
Today, I made "Popovers" for lunch (too much) and Spanish stuffed peppers for dinner (not enough). The latter really took some time to prepare and even required me to go out and buy some more ingredients. I’m really enjoyed myself. I think I can see why there’s such a thing as the food sciences.
As for other highlights, my new 72 year old friend Adriano and I celebrated our birthday together the day after with tea and biscuits. We talked about everything from China to Italy, and psychology to cosmology (his favorite topic). I felt I learned a lot, perhaps too much. I was really glad to have found him, and we agreed to meet every Saturday for Chinese lessons, so long as I agreed to listen to him speak about cosmology. Sounded fair to me.
My actual birthday consisted of a lot of work, finishing some research for my job and then attending to household matters (getting our bathroom door and the downstairs window fixed among other things). In the evening, I finally got to sit down with my Latvian roommates and eat some dinner they had prepared (my Chilean roommate was in Florence with his girlfriend at the time). After that, they actually partook in a little salsa lesson by me before coming to Caffe Carribe with me. It was a nice gesture even if they weren’t really into the dance or the music. The night got a little more complicated than I would have liked, thanks to a really aggressive Italian and a really drunk roommate, but luckily the night ended well, thanks to the staff and a really friendly Italian who drove us home. I think that experience was another lesson for me about “helping people”. The message being basically the same as that of the German girl I had met on the train to Milan, just reinforced with a “you don’t know me”. I can’t argue that.
The past week was largely consumed by a joint project between the Strategic Design students and MBA students of the Politecnico. It was an interesting experience in another part of the city, with a lot of new lessons to learn from my fellow classmates. It made me feel like an MBA is where I belong. Oh well…
On Friday, my Chilean roommate officially through me a “Tim Party” for my birthday. Our apartment wasn’t as filled as our house-warming party, but it was nice. The “after-party” was a bit too much for me financially and physically, so after venturing to a club thereafter, I said that I had had a good night, and didn’t want to end it uncomfortably. So, I turned around and went back to the apartment. And I’m glad I did.
Saturday evening was a similar night with some of the MBA students. However, instead of ending it with the same conviction as the night before, I carried on with two of my roommates and two new “friends”. We ended up in another club where I just sat down and closed my eyes until a group of girls woke me up and insisted that I dance. In the most strangest way I could ever remember doing, I got up, took off my trenchcoat, and started to dance. I felt like a puppet. It was so weird, and needless to say, uncomfortable.
I visited Adriano before that, but not for a Chinese lesson as agreed. He had called me the day before to say he had an accident with a tram car and couldn’t leave his apartment. So, I promised to entertain him for a while, listening to him speak about his condition (something that I think I helped get his mind off by telling him how strong and healthy he looked. How’s that for psychology?), and of course, cosmology.
Today, I woke up and decided I needed to do something about exercise. Afterall, there’s no point in eating better, if you don’t move better. So, I bought myself some weights and a yoga mat. Much cheaper than going to the gym here. Oh yeah, I guess you can add that to my list of things to keep myself busy. In the words of my brothers, “Giv’r”!!!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
... should be easy
“Life should be easy. If it’s not, you’re doing something wrong.
First, you have to figure out what you want to do. How do you do that? Easy. What do you enjoy doing, and what can you become good at?
For example, there’s a man who works as a stone carver and says “I’m carving a stone”. Then, there’s another man who works as a stone carver and says “I’m building a house”.
Who is doing what they want to do?”
- my godfather
First, you have to figure out what you want to do. How do you do that? Easy. What do you enjoy doing, and what can you become good at?
For example, there’s a man who works as a stone carver and says “I’m carving a stone”. Then, there’s another man who works as a stone carver and says “I’m building a house”.
Who is doing what they want to do?”
- my godfather
My German Christmas & Italian New Year
After spending the night of Saturday, December 22nd, and the early hours of the 23rd with two of my roommates in a popular club, I returned home with just enough time to pack and catch the 7:05 train to Munich. That being said, I got no sleep that night.
Unlike the trip I took from Munich to Milan last year, this trip was during the day so I couldn’t sleep despite the fact it was a 8 hour ride. I just had to see the Alps this time around. I watched the landscape change from brownish-green hills to mountains and then from snow covered mountains to snow covered plains. It was great thing to see.
When I arrived in Munich, I waited for my godfather to arrive. Only this time, I didn’t have same excitement and anticipation that I had when I arrived last year. I think part of it was the weather, but also because I’ve learned to expect less so I don’t pin my hopes too high. Also, I was tired.
After half an hour or so, I realized that he probably wasn’t coming and that I’d have to make it to Erding myself. It turned out that I was right. When I got to Erding, I wasn’t 100% (or 60% for my brothers) sure how to get to my godfather’s house, and of course, ended up getting a little lost along the way. Good thing though, because it gave me a chance to walk by the central square and see the streets filled with warm light and colorful decorations. It was a beautiful walk despite my condition.
When I arrived at the house, I felt like I had just walked into the setup of a play. I didn’t mind though, I was ready to help. That feeling stayed with me until about 5pm on Christmas eve, when my godfather rang a small bell to officially start the celebration. From that point on, I began to see where my own family’s Christmas tradition came from.
From the 24th to the 26th, more relatives had come, and the traditions I had known from home were carried out over more time and more emotional intensity. I also had the chance to finally catch up on sleep. However, the highlights for me, as they’ve always been, were conversations with my godfather. And this time around, with some of my cousins also. We talked largely about work, culture and meaning. I can’t remember everything word for word, but the essence was as follows:
- You work in order to create and support your private life. But you shouldn’t loath or love your work either.
- About culture, if you want to really work in a foreign country, you have to learn not only the language, but the culture. And by default, adopt at least part of it. (This has been a big question for me since I left China the first time. Do I really want to do that?)
- About meaning, you need to at least know it in order to celebrate it. Like so many, including my godfather, have said about Christmas.
On the 27th, I joined some of my cousins for a 12 hour Lord of the Rings marathon. A story I can relate to. It was great to watch it once again, despite the length, and the resultant lack of sleep once again.
From the 28th to the 30th, I spent time in Regensburg visiting some of my other relatives once again. The highlights there were dinner in a Chinese restaurant (which immediately reminded me of the dinner I had the previous year in a German restaurant in Anting), and running 5km with one of my uncles.
Upon leaving Regensburg on the 31st, bound for Milan once again, I pondered why this trip had felt so different. Maybe it was just a timing thing. This trip wasn’t the best planned one, as everything since arriving in Milan has been. But then again, even if it was, I think it would still have somehow been different.
My return to Milan was really important thanks to the presense of a German girl I met on the train who had moved to South Tirol (a German speaking part of Italy). We told each other our stories of how we ended up in Italy, and kept each other occupied until her stop in Bolzano. Her story was so familiar to me. Though we shared a lot of thoughts and I felt I learned a lot, one sentence she said really stood out. Roughly translated:
“Some people you just can’t help. They want to live the life they have. Even if you could do something, it wouldn’t help.”
Once again, I’ve heard something like that before, just not so blunt.
…
When I arrived at the apartment, I was greeted by my roommates,… and four others. My Chilean roommate was preparing a New Year’s dinner for us all. It was a nice evening of meeting new people and sharing some good “Italian” food.
As a group, we didn’t really know where we wanted to be when the clock struck twelve, and when some of us did decide, we were already too late to make it on time. The story of my life. So, at midnight, Italian time, seven of us celebrated the new year on metro line 3. We made the best of it, inviting the others in our car to join in. It was fun.
When we arrived at our stop, we just walked around a bit until we found an activity to take part in. And the first one we found was ice skating. One of my Lativan roommates and I strapped on our rented skates, and lapped the crowd of Italians on the small skating rink while throwing snowballs at each other. Ah, wintersport.
It was by far the strangest new year’s experience I had ever had, but good nonetheless.
…
Upon returning to my apartment on January 1st, I encountered an old Italian man in the metro station by the name of Hadriano. He just wanted directions at first (something I still have some trouble giving in Italian), but when he asked where I was from and I replied “Alberta, Canada”, he guessed my city. When I asked him how he knew, he said he had an opportunity to work there once, but passed it up to go to Taiwan and Thailand and teach. He later told me that he has since learned Mandarin and that his birth day was the same as mine (albeit 46 years older)! This had to more than a coincidence, so we exchanged numbers and said we would celebrate together. What a way to start the new year.
Unlike the trip I took from Munich to Milan last year, this trip was during the day so I couldn’t sleep despite the fact it was a 8 hour ride. I just had to see the Alps this time around. I watched the landscape change from brownish-green hills to mountains and then from snow covered mountains to snow covered plains. It was great thing to see.
When I arrived in Munich, I waited for my godfather to arrive. Only this time, I didn’t have same excitement and anticipation that I had when I arrived last year. I think part of it was the weather, but also because I’ve learned to expect less so I don’t pin my hopes too high. Also, I was tired.
After half an hour or so, I realized that he probably wasn’t coming and that I’d have to make it to Erding myself. It turned out that I was right. When I got to Erding, I wasn’t 100% (or 60% for my brothers) sure how to get to my godfather’s house, and of course, ended up getting a little lost along the way. Good thing though, because it gave me a chance to walk by the central square and see the streets filled with warm light and colorful decorations. It was a beautiful walk despite my condition.
When I arrived at the house, I felt like I had just walked into the setup of a play. I didn’t mind though, I was ready to help. That feeling stayed with me until about 5pm on Christmas eve, when my godfather rang a small bell to officially start the celebration. From that point on, I began to see where my own family’s Christmas tradition came from.
From the 24th to the 26th, more relatives had come, and the traditions I had known from home were carried out over more time and more emotional intensity. I also had the chance to finally catch up on sleep. However, the highlights for me, as they’ve always been, were conversations with my godfather. And this time around, with some of my cousins also. We talked largely about work, culture and meaning. I can’t remember everything word for word, but the essence was as follows:
- You work in order to create and support your private life. But you shouldn’t loath or love your work either.
- About culture, if you want to really work in a foreign country, you have to learn not only the language, but the culture. And by default, adopt at least part of it. (This has been a big question for me since I left China the first time. Do I really want to do that?)
- About meaning, you need to at least know it in order to celebrate it. Like so many, including my godfather, have said about Christmas.
On the 27th, I joined some of my cousins for a 12 hour Lord of the Rings marathon. A story I can relate to. It was great to watch it once again, despite the length, and the resultant lack of sleep once again.
From the 28th to the 30th, I spent time in Regensburg visiting some of my other relatives once again. The highlights there were dinner in a Chinese restaurant (which immediately reminded me of the dinner I had the previous year in a German restaurant in Anting), and running 5km with one of my uncles.
Upon leaving Regensburg on the 31st, bound for Milan once again, I pondered why this trip had felt so different. Maybe it was just a timing thing. This trip wasn’t the best planned one, as everything since arriving in Milan has been. But then again, even if it was, I think it would still have somehow been different.
My return to Milan was really important thanks to the presense of a German girl I met on the train who had moved to South Tirol (a German speaking part of Italy). We told each other our stories of how we ended up in Italy, and kept each other occupied until her stop in Bolzano. Her story was so familiar to me. Though we shared a lot of thoughts and I felt I learned a lot, one sentence she said really stood out. Roughly translated:
“Some people you just can’t help. They want to live the life they have. Even if you could do something, it wouldn’t help.”
Once again, I’ve heard something like that before, just not so blunt.
…
When I arrived at the apartment, I was greeted by my roommates,… and four others. My Chilean roommate was preparing a New Year’s dinner for us all. It was a nice evening of meeting new people and sharing some good “Italian” food.
As a group, we didn’t really know where we wanted to be when the clock struck twelve, and when some of us did decide, we were already too late to make it on time. The story of my life. So, at midnight, Italian time, seven of us celebrated the new year on metro line 3. We made the best of it, inviting the others in our car to join in. It was fun.
When we arrived at our stop, we just walked around a bit until we found an activity to take part in. And the first one we found was ice skating. One of my Lativan roommates and I strapped on our rented skates, and lapped the crowd of Italians on the small skating rink while throwing snowballs at each other. Ah, wintersport.
It was by far the strangest new year’s experience I had ever had, but good nonetheless.
…
Upon returning to my apartment on January 1st, I encountered an old Italian man in the metro station by the name of Hadriano. He just wanted directions at first (something I still have some trouble giving in Italian), but when he asked where I was from and I replied “Alberta, Canada”, he guessed my city. When I asked him how he knew, he said he had an opportunity to work there once, but passed it up to go to Taiwan and Thailand and teach. He later told me that he has since learned Mandarin and that his birth day was the same as mine (albeit 46 years older)! This had to more than a coincidence, so we exchanged numbers and said we would celebrate together. What a way to start the new year.
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