Swim Float or Drown

12/11/09

Why I’ve Turned Into a Walking Cliche

For those who knew me as I was in the U.S. you know that I always had a three-year plan, if not a five-year life plan. Future plans were not to be fucked with. Mine were always delicately planned and thoroughly researched. Although coming to India might have seemed crazy and irresponsible to some, it was actually an essential part of the 5-year plan to get into public health school and begin working in the public health field.After 5 months in India something has rubbed off on me. I hate to say it, but I’ve had the cliché ‘come-to-India-and-have-a-life-altering-experience’ experience. It gets me mad, because I routinely make fun of the hippie back-packer types who come to India in search of an ashram, guru, and spiritual enlightenment or life-altering...

Posted at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

12/04/09

To India…Again!

A few years ago I was lucky to receive the William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India. I spent a tumultuous, unpredictable year working with an NGO in Bangalore, India. The insanity is summed up by the following facts:I went to India an indy punk, grubby, non-consumerist, teacher and public service worker.I left India an aspiring actress and model ready to delve into the commercial entertainment world.Not the stereotypical travel-to-India-life-changing-journey. Before leaving India I wrote:“CONCLUSION: IT ALL WAS NOT THAT BAD  Although there were a lot of hard times in India, things ended up working out. I was told that if one at least likes India the country will keep calling you back. The future is uncertain, but I am sure that this is not the last that India has heard...

Posted at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

11/27/09

Feeling Inspired

The last thing anyone wants to do the day after Halloween, especially one that fall on a Saturday is to get up at 9 a.m. By sheer insanity that is what I did last Sunday. Or should I say out of sheer curiosity. November 1st was the NYC Marathon. Now, dedicated marathon-watchers swear by the outstanding nature of this event. Oh, the crowd! Oh, the runners from around the world! Oh, the amazing fantastical energy that is created by everyone coming together to accomplish such an amazingly hard feat! Hmm…it sounded like a bunch of sentimental ho-hah to me. I wanted to prove them wrong and be the Grinch who was too tired to care. Not that I don’t think running a marathon is worthy of praise, I just like to be Contrary-Mary to my friends who barrage me with gooey exclamations....

Posted at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

11/19/09

Doing Time in Howard Beach

For two years after I returned to New York I lived in the neighborhood that I grew up in: Howard Beach. When I left I had sworn that I would never go back to the place that I spent my late teens running from, but rent was astronomical and with the realization that I wanted to be an artist came the tricky task of providing for myself. I knew that it would take me awhile to find an art vs. money balance and in the meantime I had no interest in living like a starving artist—I would take screaming Italians over ramen noodles any day.Everyday I ran like a banshee to catch the Q41, which only came twice an hour, to connect to the A train at the JFK stop. My backpack was more like a mini-mobile home because when you live far, far away there is no hope of going back home to grab that...

Posted at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

11/12/09

Fashion Night: Part Two

Tiffany’s featured a candy table with 50 different types of food-like objects that will prompt diabetes. As soon as attendees came off the elevator they had a wild look in their eye; “Where’s the caaannndddyyyy???” People rushed for the candy table with only a cursory look at the jewels and waited 30 minutes for one small bag of free candy. When they got up to the table customers stuffed extra candy into their pockets like the staff would not notice that they were being gavones. From where I stood the event was more like ìFashion Night Out for Free Crapîthan a ìFashion Night Outî to expedite increased sales.I designated myself the ‘candy bowl restocker’ because then I did not actually have to physically deal with or serve...

Posted at 02:01 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

11/05/09

Fashion Night Out from Where I Stood

Most people know me as a work-a-holic who not too long ago thought having one day off a month was sufficient. According to my Italian Catholic upbringing being labeled lazy is the ultimate insult. The hard wiring of my brain makes me twitch when I don't follow through, so even if I don't like what I am doing, I'll make sure to get it done regardless.Recently I was faced with a situation that required compromise with the hard-worker part of my brain. There were three options for moving through this circumstance, which really can apply to any crisis: swim - work with it, float - accept it, or drown - it kills me. Never do I have patience for floundering in inaction, and if something destroys me I go down fighting. I usually swim or float, and in this particular circumstance it took a...

Posted at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1

10/29/09

Why This Blog Exists and Why You Should Read It

Every time I leave the country I write “this is what it’s like” emails to friends and family. Whenever I get back home complete strangers come up to me and say: “so and so is friends with so and so and they forwarded me your email and it is hilarious and I can’t believe…” Through recent idle-time Google searches I found that friends who blog have quoted my emails in their entries. (Two examples: Andres Omar and Carolyn Castiglia.)People like to read my entries because I went to Catholic school and am very impressionable. I took the honesty commandment very seriously and have not been able to shake it. I can not help but tell the truth – about people, life and experience. When a sample of my email commentary was published in the Indian...

Posted at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

Because it's not cute to flounder