It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you’ve known forever don’t see things the way you do. So you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.
—Nicholas Sparks
“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me … is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.
But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.
It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
- Ira Glass ♥
“I used to have a full head of hair… everyone called me the Big-headed Beauty. That was my nickname.”
I laughed. I have a photograph of myself at twelve looking almost exactly the same. Growing up, my mother has always said I am a carbon copy of my father, but I now see that I bear more resemblance to her than I care to admit.
“In the past, suitors would come and ask you for your photograph. You pick the best and write on the back something like ‘Best Wishes’ and sign your name off. Or you exchange photographs with your girlfriends.”
“Have you always had short hair?”
“I look ugly with long hair. When I have long hair, I fall sick easily… I feel listless and lethargic. Look at this photo, my hair was at its longest. Look at how awful I look here… it just doesn’t suit me.”
When they insist on knowing my bliss
I tell them this
When they want to know
What the reason is
I only smile when I lie
Then I tell them why…
Because your kiss is on my list
Of the best things in life
You are the best.
Click for my letter to Mum
Because everyone should have a song walking down the street.
Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
—Guillaume Apollinaire
[As seen on http://www.dresstronomy.com/everybody-loves-new-york]
Anyone and everyone can be a New Yorker.
The young woman who serves you at the fancy Japanese restaurant in Tribeca reveals that she is originally from Indonesia but has been waitressing in the city for 10 years. A beautiful blonde with an Eastern European accent makes your morning brew at the boutique café round the corner. The girl who sits next to you at the dinner party is from Boston but has been working in Manhattan for 6 years.
The driver in the Livery cab is originally from the Ivory Coast but grew up in Harlem, and is pulling night shifts to save up for his law degree. “You’re from Singapore?! That’s a long way to come!” he exclaims and instinctively turns around for a double-take. “Man, I wouldn’t have been able to tell… you’ve got the whole metropolitan thing going for you!” Flattered, you tell him that you like him already.
The name in another taxi cab reveals that the driver is of Nepali descent, and throughout the ride he is chatting on speaker phone to a friend in a language you don’t recognize. At the airport in the basement of Terminal 2, the two women who prepare your bagel sandwich and coffee in the Dunkin’ Donuts are from India.
More than a fifth of the population in New York City are foreign-born, and it is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. When you are visiting, don’t make the mistake of hurrying from one tourist spot to another. Stop and look around you, and you will literally find thousands of city dwellers out there with unique stories to share.
Welcome to New York, where everyone stands out and blends in at the same time. Take time to talk to the people you meet. I promise there will be a story that will surprise you, and that perhaps is the best souvenir you can bring back with you.
Best 30 Rock scene ever.
Click for more photos of my once-upon-a-home
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