2015.

Can you believe it's 2015?!

Haha, I guess you can say it's been 2015 for a while, I mean it's even 2015 even by Chinese standards(Chinese New Years just passed ^^).

And of course I am WAY behind on my blog... so much as changed but so much is still the same. I am still traveling, still single, still trying to find my way. I am spending this winter in sunny San Francisco, and its very hot. Actually unbelievably hot. Having spent the last three winters in Chicago, Stockholm and Copenhagen, this balmy winter feels refreshing yet a bit...unnatural. Dare I say I miss the snow, the wind and dark nights of Northern Europe...or maybe I just miss my fabulous fur coats ;p

I have made three new years resolutions. Very clear, very simple ones.
1. Build my company
2. Find love
3. Get in shape

Sure, starting my company is utterly terrifying and having not worked out for two years due to traveling has made getting in shape a very daunting task- but of the three resolutions, it is the second one that is by far the hardest. Honestly, looking at my track record, I know that finding love in one short year is probably not in the cards for me. I mean - when have I even stood still long enough to get to know anyone, let alone develop feelings? But in making my resolution, I will at least open myself to try to feel "something". I promise I will allow myself to GO ON DATES. I am human afterall....

And even though this year just started, I will already be traveling shortly! I will be heading to Denmark and south Sweden and possibly Berlin in the next couple of days. After that I will be going straight to LA and then maybe Chicago?(unconfirmed). Things are about to get pretty crazy but as usual I am sure I will manage :)

I know its a bit late, but Happy 2015 and safe travels to everyone! I have a good feeling about this year!  - An Optimistic Nomad -Ran

San Francisco China Town

The day after Chinese New Years: Fire Crackers litter the streets

Happy Year of the Goat! 样年快乐！

Alternate Endings

Funny how life works sometimes?

Remember when life was simple and you had to make simple choices? Like back in high school when you had to choose if you should go to a football go or not? What would be the difference in outcome of that choice? Not much difference I suppose, since you would be most likely see the same people at school and done the same things at the next Friday night football game.

But now- it seems my life is at higher stakes. Each choice I make, each day seems to have huge impacts on the direction my life goes. And many of these impacts are almost impossible to predict.

3 months ago I left CPH with just one suitcase and planning to stay 1 week, and now Im back in CPH to move all my stuff out? Wow how did all this even happen!? I love CPH and had the stars aligned, I would have stayed here for a very long time. I took such a big risk and worked hard to make a life for myself here-yet somehow through a series of unforeseen events in rapid succession- things turned out so differently than how I thought they would. So quickly, so abruptly, my life changed 180 degrees this summer.

Does time heal all wounds? Do we learn from our choices? I always been a believer that things happen for a reason- and so far life has proved me right, because each time something ends - it leads me to walk  onto the path of finding something better- something more right. To explore and find the way.

But I would not be human if I did not pause and ponder my choices. How could my life have turned out, if I  had just made one or two different crucial choices?

What if I had never gone on my Eurotrip 2 summers ago? Would I have never wanted to move to Scandinavia?
What if I had stayed in Chicago? Would I still be living the same life?
What if things had turned out differently this spring? Would I never have gone to California?
What if I haven't gone up to SF and just stayed down in San Jose? Would I have decided to come back to CPH?

Oh, choices, choices, Choices--It seems to me that traveling is the common thread in all my crucial choices-- Trips can be life changing, and sometimes situations and people are never the same again. Traveling puts ideas in people's head and these ideas have changed the course of my life.

I have to believe, I do believe, there are no regrets in life- just lessons that needed to be learned. I am 27 this year and I am still finding my way. Who would have thought that coming to Copenhagen would lead me to San Francisco? I am doing this for myself. Alone - I will travel forth again.

What have I learned?

It was a really tight squeeze with my apartment issues and electronic problems, I almost didn't come on this trip-but I am so glad I did. When I left on this trip to Berlin, I thought I would learn about startups, investing, IT etc, and I have learned about these things, but I have also learned something much more valuable- I learned about myself.

During my time in Berlin I have learned both how fragile and how resilient I am. I have really not had a easy go of things lately, but you know what? I still did all the things I had to do- for better for worse, I never stopped trying. I'm here trying my damn hardest to live in the present, to seize opportunities, to make new connections- to learn by doing. But, this does not always come naturally. I think I must fail 100 times a day. I get shy and awkward. My words get stuck in my throat. Sometimes really important people talk to me, and I am flabbergasted why they are interested in me. Even worse, sometimes I meet people and I get intimidated and don't say anything at all. Maybe all those years in the lab and studying engineering has really made me an awkward turtle -.-

But life is what you make it right? and we humans are not static beings. We are self aware for a reason-we evolve to match our environments so that we not only survive, but thrive. So as I watch the people that are older and wiser than me network and pitch-it becomes obvious that business is an art. There are opportunities everywhere. Especially when you are traveling, chance encounters can happen in the blink of an eye, and you never know who you are going to meet or how that meeting might change your life. So now I know I need to keep practicing, be clever, and most especially- I need to trust myself. Because what is the worst that can happen? Someone doesn't like what I have to say, or doesn't want to talk to me? Oh well?! I need to stop being worried of saying something wrong, because a wise friend told me: "Everyone wants something, you just have to figure out what they want, and sell it." So what happens if I never say anything? Never have the guts to even say hello. What I have learned on this trip is that I will lose 100% of the opportunities that I don't take. My future is in my hands and I'm ready to take it in stride. And besides- Fake it till you make it, right babbby? :p

-Ran-

A Beautiful Life

Packing, packing, packing my life away. When one thing ends, another begins. Done with my move, my next big adventure awaits me :)

The best part about traveling is not knowing where you are going and when you are coming back. Into the unknown I go. So my dear friends, its not goodbye, its until we meet again :)

-Ran

A Kindred Spirit

Today is the big move day and I am up all night packing like a champ. This is my THIRD apartment in the eight short months since I have moved to Copenhagen - crazy right?!!

Anyways during one of my packing breaks - I browsed some travel blogs and stumbled across one that really resonated with me(http://www.baconismagic.ca/chile/walked-away-from-love/). Even though we are different people and have never met each other, this girl was able to put into words the emotions I felt when I moved from away Chicago - and I quote:

"This trip has been a huge sacrifice for me. I have gained so much but in exchange I had to walk away from love.

The irony of me breaking up with my boyfriend to travel is that he was the only one who never questioned why I had to go. He understood and I never needed to explain.

But because human emotions are complicated he was both proud of me for going and resented me for leaving. In return I loved him for encouraging me to go and resenting him for not insisting that I stay."

Wow just wow. Even though my previous relationship did not end because I wanted to travel-there were so many bigger and overarching reasons- the emotions I felt when I was leaving were the same as she wrote. I have found a kindred spirit. We are not so alone afterall :)

This post is for all the beautiful people in my traveling life. Its not "Goodbye", but rather "Until we meet again." Thank you for understanding me, for supporting me, for not trying to change me. Thank you for loving me for the imperfect, passionate and curious soul that I am.

-Ran- 

Kicking A$$ and Taking No Prisoners

Since I have moved to Copenhagen, life has been full of surprises both good and bad. Each day I spend here, I learn more about myself. Distanced from all the things that made me feel safe in USA, I have been forced to learn to become self-reliant here. Its been wonderful here, but its also been so hard here, so incredibly hard. The challenges just keep piling up, one after another- everything goes wrong at once. How can one small person like me handle it all. But I have no choice, do I? I either find a way to solve my problems and persevere, or I give up and this whole journey was for naught.

In USA, the old me would have let my emotions get the best of me, and become reclusive- left tasks undone. But here in Denmark, I know- when it comes down to it -I am the only one responsible for myself. If I don't take care of myself, no one will. Of course I still get sad sometimes, and my insomnia comes back with a vengeance, but unlike before where I would be overwhelmed by my sadness, now I have learned to put it aside(after a bit) and continue to get things done. 

I try my best to keep my priorities in line and invest in myself. Some people may call this cold or say I don't care, but that's exactly opposite the case. Its because I care too much about the people in my life, that I don't want them to have to take care of me. I try to live my life in a way that makes me happy, so others can share in my joy and not have to deal with catching the failing  me. Of course this is still a learning process. But after all these years, I have come to the conclusion that the only one that can make me truly happy is myself and being self-sufficient and independent is not being selfish, but rather the most real way of showing I care about the people in my life. 

Of course I am not perfect, but I like who I am now far more than the me a year ago, or two years ago. Maybe I am a bit more jaded and scarred but I have learned that life goes on. I fight for what I want, and I fight for what makes me happy. As tough as things get, I know I can find a way to make it through, as I always do. I may be one small person - but I am one damn tough person ;)  So now, its back to kicking a$$ and taking no prisoners! Stolen phone, broken computer, downgraded apartment, new challenges and new adventures - I'm not afraid, lets do this!

--Ran- The Warrior Nomad--

When things get tough, the tough get going!

Bam! Whack! Kapow! Boom!

Do you hear that?! That's me waking up today and Kicking A$$!!

The point of a blog is to be honest right? So there is no sugarcoating here- this week officially sucks. The moment I solve one problem, another unexpected one pops up. My life in Copenhagen is a perpetual cycle of putting out one fire after another >:O

BUT- you know what? I chose to move to Copenhagen, I chose to live this life, so now I have to take all these challenges in stride. I mean- what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger right?

When you move abroad to a new country where you don't know anyone and have no family or friends, it can be tough to feel like you belong. Of course it is easy to have "drinking buddies"- and I have more than my fair share of those, but it is when things go wrong that you see who your true friends are. The ones that got your back, NO MATTER WHAT. And when you are having a hard time- you don't even have to ask- bc they are already on the way with backup. Those people are true friends and I am lucky to have some steadfast ones in my life -I don't think I would have lasted this long in CPH without them.

Therefore, on days like today when I feel like the world is screwing me over - I still have hope. I know I can find my way because I am not in this alone :) anddddd I have been through worse haven't I?

So I tell myself: Get up, Ran! There is work to be done! You gave up everything to move this new place to do something. To MAKE SOMETHING! So GET UP! and get GOING!



And yes, dem haterz gonna hate :p -Ran

I'm grooving to:
Milky Chance - "Stolen Dance"

C'est la vie

Being 27 years old now, I look back at all the "confusing" times of my life.

Of course no one can be happy all the time- at least no humans that I know of. It is of course natural to have periods of highs and lows. Everyone gets sad, insecure or lonely once in a while. And even the best of us can become confused and feel trapped. Many of us unwittingly get stuck in these lows because its easy being stuck. It requires far less effort and we somehow feel safer to stay in the known,  because the UNknown is a scary place...

The brave are the ones that stop and think- WHY am I unhappy? WHY am I not living my life to the fullest? AM I doing the things to actively become the person I want to be? When we can stop and ask these questions, as painful as the answers may be- we start the first step in finding our purpose in life.

There have been many times in my life- where I thought I was doing the things that make me happy. I went to school, and went to more school. Built a stable relationship, moved in together, got a dog(or two). I studied for exams and finished applications, but something was always not right. I knew I wasn't quite doing what I was supposed to be doing with my yet...

I have had many beautiful, wonderful, joyful people in my life, but even with all that love, I realized that I can never be happy with anyone- unless I am happy with myself first :)

So I have taken the path less taken, and everyday I fail at 99 out of the 100 things I do, but that's a risk I have chosen to take. And I am constantly challenged to make choices that I never thought I would have to make. It seems once you take the first step in a different direction, more and more you veer off your old path and there is no going back. It is scary. So freaking scary sometimes. I watch my friends, family and peers living the life I "should" have had. And sometimes I feel like they no longer understand me and my choices- they think I have given up all the great things I have worked so hard for in my life to hedge a bet on unpredictable, unstable and unknown risks in a far-flung corner of the world. Sometimes I too, question if I made the right choice, and I am filled with doubt. My friends update me on their important life milestones and I congratulate them on their success. Sometimes I wonder, perhaps I could have been happy living that life too...?

Mmm. but when I stop and really think hard about it, I know in my heart- there is no other life I would rather live. I am still trying to find me- but in the meantime- I am free.

"C'est la vie" my friends! It's almost time for Nice, France- XOXO- Ran

Back to CPH

Shanghai>Copenhagen>Chicago>Copenhagen (whew!)
After a month of whirlwind nonstop traveling, it feels good to be "home". Is Copenhagen home now? o.O

It seems 2014 has just rolled in, but actually almost two full months have passed. How did it go by so fast? Did I not notice because I was so busy and jetlagged? Its been great seeing old friends and making new friends, but something has to be said for falling asleep in my very own new apartment, on my own pillow, wrapped snuggly in my own sheets. Aah- the feeling of pure bliss :)

Now that Im back and somewhat recovered from my jetlag. Its back to work as usual. There is no rest for the weary! Back to networking, back to hustling, back to getting sh*t done. I can admit I haven't been a very good blogger lately- I guess I have been too busy living my life to write about my life. Maybe that is good thing... but one of my resolutions for 2014 is to commit more to my blog. So you, my dear reader will be hearing more from me :)

So much has been happening in my life, per usual. So many changes-new apartment, new internship, new opportunities, new problems, new choices, new people. I don't think I have had time to wrap my head around it all yet. Many good things have happened and some bad along with it too. But I'll tell you what - for every problem there is a solution, and if I work hard, have self-control and becreative, then 2014 is going to be MY year- I can feel it :)

Onwards and forwards! Lets do this ! -Ran

How is it that...

How is that when your life is the most full- good luck happens in spades. Good friends, good times and great loves. My observation from this is that happiness begets more happiness.

Yet when your life is empty- it only gets more empty. You attract negative people, negative experiences and more emptiness.

But life is an oscillation right? No one can perpetually be happy, and I think it must take great effort to always remember to be sad or angry at something. Life is a balance of the two- yin and yang-so enjoy the ride and when you are lucky enough to be in a happy cycle of your life, remember to smile, to dance, to travel and to love. Because as cliche as it sounds (or unless you believe in re-carnation, and how many of us do?), you only live once... :)

Am I happy today? Yes. I am.

Millennium Park, Chicago, IL

I am listening to:
Balmorhea-Rivers Arms

Finding My Happiness in CPH

How long has it been?
Feels like I have been in Copenhagen forever yet it feels like I just arrived. Sometimes I almost forget I am thousands of miles away from "home".

Am I lonely here?
Sure, sometimes. Today I feel a little down. Its grey and rainy outside my window, and the wind is howling. Its been a tough week with so many unpredictable things happening in rapid succession. So now its finally Sunday and I just want to have a cup of warm tea, and cuddle in bed... I guess I am missing those slow cozy days in Chicago...

However, most days I am busy and my life here is overflowing with events, people and opportunities. I am truely lucky to have such great friends and classmates, who have made my time in Copenhagen an amazing adventure! So I will keep my head up and keep on fighting the good fight. A couple grey days here and there are to be expected, no?

So you ask am I happy?
Long answer short- Yes, I am happy! While I cannot predict the future, I know I am where I am supposed to be right now in my life, and I am doing what I am passionate about. Everyday I am learning something new, meeting someone new, getting crazy ideas and starting to put pieces of the puzzle together. Thank you Copenhagen for inspiring me and for pushing me to do more than I ever imagined I could. Moving here has not been easy, and I have had more than my share of mishaps and mistakes, but I have also had many small victories along the way. I am challenging assumptions and I will change how healthcare is done in our modern world. I know I will create a revolution and that day is sooner than later... :)

-xoxo- R

Keeping it classy with Smørrebrød and Red Wine!

I am listening to:

Essay - CoMa

Should I Be Worried?

Friday night was the first time since I moved to Copenhagen that I got a full nights sleep.
Saturday was the first day I had time I had free time and a chance to spruce up my humble abode. And last night was the first time I actually slept in my bed(now that I finally acquired sheets and real pillows) !

As I have had a warm coffee and some time to think, I realize that my life has been one nonstop chaotic rush forward. I haven't had any personal time, no time to work out, no time to unpack and definitely no social life-(other than school events**at least I love my classmates!)


Should I be worried? Will things get less hectic? ha! I somehow doubt it....

Hey! But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?! If I don't work hard and put in the time, how will I ever succeed in this new land, this new field and start my own business? In the words of one of our guest lecturers, I want to "do good while doing well!" Its no secret that I want to create something extraordinary and change the world. However it seems the tradeoff for my ambition is a nonexistent dating life, which unbelievably is even worse than it was in Stockholm- where can girl get a "fika" around here? I can admit that this situation is mostly partially my fault as I've had negative free time lately, but still, if Denmark is the land of the *true* Vikings, then where art thou?! :p

Sighs...well I guess worse case scenario, I can always join a Danish version of HappyPancake.com (See my foray into online Swedish dating here)...  >.<

Or maybe I am just approaching this all wrong: "Dating in Denmark get drunk and find your true love"! << ??!!

A well-spent Saturday at IKEA= Apartment now at maximum "Hyggeligt" level !

-Ran-A Chinese-American Girl Lost in Scandinavia


I am listening to:
The Submarines- You, Me and the Bourgeoisie (Tonetiger Remix)

Do you ever have those days?

Do you ever have those days where you don't feel like yourself? When you are left feeling slightly downtrodden and very confused.

Welp, I am pretty sure I just had one of those days. Today, I am small and without my usual confidence(#swag). Words get caught in my throat and end up coming out in a jumbled mess, and I am awkward and self-conscious. I would say a babbling idiot is a pretty accurate description. :(

This is funny, right? Does a switch just go off somewhere in one's head? How does one just suddenly have one of these "not-quite-myself-days?"

Sighs.

Maybe this sh*t-astic cold(is it possible to cough up a lung?) currently wrecking havoc on my system is to blame, or maybe...I am just overthinking it all...




--Blahhhh-Hate being sick -Ran

20 Days

While most of me is ecstatic and looking forward to having the experience of a lifetime in Copenhagen, why is it that I can't quite seem to quiet a small but growing voice inside of me that is afraid?

Afraid of the unknown.
Afraid of failing.
Afraid of being far from all the things, and more importantly the people that I love in America.

Feeling lonely is not  a foreign concept to me. Seems like I have felt disconnected from my family and alone for the greater part of my life.  I grew up in USA, far from my extended family in China. When I was 12, my father move back to Wuhan for work and he was shortly joined by my mom when I started college at 18. So, I guess I already know all to well the emptiness one feels when loved ones are far away.

Yet here I am, 26 going on 27, about to make the biggest move of my life. Do I have what it takes as a young(am I still young?), single girl to move to a foreign country where I barely know anyone and flourish there?

Well, whether I am ready or not, its going to happen...in 20 days.

-Ran

ps.
This great international move of mine has been beyond stressful, but the hardest part by far, (even more difficult that finding an apartment in Copenhagen) is saying goodbye to the people I love. I think the only way I will make it through this is if I remember that this not "goodbye", but rather "see you later"....

I'm listening to:
"Love Rhino"- Sunny Levine

Good o' US of A

Its no secret that I have been itching to get out of USA for ages, and now my dream is finally coming to fruition. But as the day for my departure draws near, dare I say am becoming... sentimental??

For better or worse, good o' Amurika has been my home for the last 21 years and while I have never felt completely satisfied here, I have received a great education, embarked on crazy adventures, created unforgettable memories and most importantly of all-I've made life-long friends. I must admit, America has been good to me.

July 4th, 2013-Happy 237th Birthday Amurika!

Damn, I think I just might miss this place...

-Ransie

I am listening to:
The Strokes-"This is It"

Catfish: Never thought I would see the day...

Personal information is everywhere these days, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, even LinkedIn, etc. In theory, these social media sites were created to link people with their friends, family, coworkers and other people of interest. But what happens when the information on your social media account is abused?  When your public information gets into the wrong hands, and a stranger, or even worse, someone that knows you and wishes to cause you harm, misuses your personal information for their own selfish and deceitful purposes?!

I recently started watching the new MTV show "Catfish". From Wikipedia-
"A "catfish" is a person who creates fake profiles online and pretends to be someone they are not by using someone else's pictures and information." The premise of the show basically goes like this- Person A meets online Person B, they chat, trade pics and fall "in love". Person A wants to meet Person B in real life, Person B refuses, Person A is distraught and contacts the "Catfish" show. Then Schulman from "Catfish" uses his internet prowess and tracks down Person B who finally agrees to meet Person A under the glare of MTV cameras. And guess what folks? I have NEVER watched an episode where the person turns out to be exactly like the online pictures. NEVER.

Now you can call me jaded or cynical, but if you read my blog, you know I am actually a hopeless romantic. True love is beautiful, fragile and difficult to find, so I am all for finding love anyway you can in our confusing modern world. Hell, I even joined the Swedish popular online dating site, HappyPancake.com, when I was in Stockholm this winter! And while I felt bad for the heartbroken people on "Catfish", TV is TV and I never thought something so outlandish could happen to me. But as I seem to be a magnet for crazy events lately...today I officially got my first taste of Catfish! And boy do I not like the taste!

So you ask, did I fall for a handsome stranger online? Maybeeeeeee...Ha, actually one of my keen-eyed friends alerted me to a suspicious looking profile on OkCupid.com which contained several of my public Facebook profile pictures. These pictures were stolen from my Facebook page and helped birth a scam OkCupid account, wtf!

I am angry, confused and disappointed with the moral fiber of people these days! Since when was the internet filled with such crazy people?! Or maybe the internet has always contained malicious creepers, but my naive self just never noticed until today...!  Now being a victim of "catfishing", what can I do? Scrub the internet clean of every photo I ever posted or every word I have written?! Must I delete all my social networking accounts to become immune to "catfishing"?  Really, what can a lowly common netizen like me do to protect myself against these online predators who use false pictures and lies to prey on unsuspecting victims? I looked up if fake accounts were illegal and it turns out fake accounts are only illegal if the pictures were used to commit a crime or as an advertisement without your consent. WOW.. So when we logged on, I guess we unwittingly signed away all our rights just to be part of this "community" known as the internet. This incident today has made me wonder: If it is that easy to make a fake profile, could there be other fake accounts of me out there?!  :(

I need some time to ponder these questions. So while I do not have all the answers right now, in the meantime, I will try my best to remove this fake OkCupid account:
http://www.okcupid.com/profile/julieanneful/photos?cf=profile

Whoever you are-"Julieanneful"- you better watch out, for the Catfish Catcher is closing in...

-Ran

I am listening to:
I Monster - Who Is She?

Monday ART-day

I am really happy that I am set for school for next year and I have been apartment hunting like crazy. Wanderlust is hitting me hard right now but as I have several loose ends I still need to tie up in Chicago, I unfortunately will not be able to travel for the next month or so...but maybe staying put is a blessing in disguise?

Traveling has been one amazing experience after another, but I have found myself unable to make time to enjoy the simple things that I used to when I was younger. Its been so long since I have had a summer where I was not in and out of the country that I have almost forgotten how do just...enjoy my "free" time.

Three things I loved most about my long summers in Dallas:
Working out/Dance classes
Working on my Art
Reading my ridiculously large and random collection of Books

So...

1. I am ashamed to admit that I slacked off on gym time while I was in Sweden, but I will start hitting the threadmill this week! Bikini season? Hope I can make it...
2. I just finished the book Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China by Peter Hessler and Im looking for a new summer read, any suggestions?
3. Last but not least, I browsed through at some old photos of my artwork and mmm... I wasn't half bad. Maybe I'll salvage some of my oil paints and work on another piece...  :)

Hope everyone is having a safe, fun and relaxing summer!-XOXO-Ran

Kurt Cobain- Ebony Pencil

(Sophomore Year-JJ Pearce High School)

Ties in Three- PrismaColor

(Junior Year-JJ Pearce High School)

Chinese Dragon - Silk Painting

(Junior Year-JJ Pearce High School)

Cloth on Wall-Oil Painting

Johns Hopkins University

Final Project at Johns Hopkins University

Picasso Master Copy

Oil Painting

Final Project at Johns Hopkins University

Picasso Master Copy

Oil Painting

A Funny Life

Funny how things happen. Funny how things begin and funny how things end.

I'm old enough to know that life never happens the way you think it will. Recently, so many unexpected crazy outlandish things keep happening to me. My friends say that I am a magnet for trouble, and I guess must agree. However I think a bit of crazy is just fine by me, because in the words of Van Gogh-" I would rather die of passion than of boredom."

I have been waiting, waiting my life away-hoping to hear back from a certain school. If I get accepted, then I will be leaving USA(forever?), and my life will change in every way.

I don't believe in God, but I do believe things happen for a reason-so I hope there is a very real reason for me to be dreaming of next year...

-R

Ice Bar Stockholm-Nordic Sea Hotel

I am listening to:

"You, Me and the Bourgeois"- The Submarines 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYvt0boSRXQ

The Waiting Game.

Holding my breath and waiting for my future to find me…

Its during those trying times, that you see who are the real ones in your life. May it be a kind word, a gentle smile or a reassuring hug, a small bit of kindness goes a long way when one is adrift in a sea of uncertainties-a small life preserver amidst stormy waters. When the bonds of friendship and unconditional love are tested to the upmost, I have been amazed by the overwhelming love and support I received from most, but I have also been sorely disappointed at the ignorance and cruelty of a few. But in the end, I thank you- thank you for setting me free from having to love you.

Nothing worth having in life comes easy, so I work, I learn and I dream. One day I will find what I am looking for...

-R-

I am listening to:
"A Happening" - Hyperstory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7ieMdFcVNE

The World Is Calling...

Having been back for about two weeks, the initial delirious excitement of returning home to Chicago, IL has worn off, and I am left with general sense of restlessness.


For those who know me, you know I am incapable of staying in one place for too long(note blog name), and seeing how I have lived in Chicago for the past three years, day by day I am increasingly feeling the tug of faraway lands...