So, tonight I got home just in time for Hillary's DNC speech. I LOLed at "sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits" and teared up at the part where she talked about Harriet Tubman and not stopping if you hear the dogs (I am lame, haha) and getting a taste of freedom & whatnot. I am very excited about this year's election. It's the first one I can vote in. I will be so depressed if McCain wins.

If you comment, I'll check out your LJ profile. In particular, the interests section. I will then pick three "interests" and ask you to explain them. You then post an LJ entry (or just reply as a comment) explaining those three interests, along with this explanation.

pmax3 asked me to explain the following three:


Eminem: When I was in middle school like 9 years ago or something crazy, I saw the video for his single, My Name Is, on tv. That started an almost 4 year hardcore obsession that is more than a little embarrassing in hindsight when I think of its intensity, haha. His music was excessively outlandish, violent, vulgar, and opinionated and that's intriguing to any 10 year old, right? I didn't always agree with his viewpoints but I couldn't help but respect the way he expressed himself. It was so..poetic? I know, I know, it might sound ridiculous but that's what I thought! As one fan put it, "He's skilled in theatrics and at times creates what can only be described as audio-horror." I mean, his music makes you wonder. It's entertaining and witty. It's intelligent if you actually take the time to listen to the words. True, at times it can be completely hit or miss, but it is a whole experience and you know I am all about that, haha.
While the ridiculous obsession is long gone, the admiration & appreciation for his music is still very much there.



India: Well, I'm Indian. My parents are the first generation in my family to have immigrated to the US. I've lived in the US all my life, so obviously I self-identify as American. I've grown up visiting India during the summer, though, so I still feel a strong connection to the place. When I was really young it was almost a yearly event, then later it became every few years until last summer when I visited India for the first time in 6 years. I have family all over India (my father is from the North and my mom is from the South). During this past visit, I did notice that my experience was different. I think that..since this was the first time that I was going back since I was a kid, I felt that the differences between India and the US were a lot more visible to me than they had been in the past. I think it's easier to assimilate into a different culture when you're a kid, I mean, you don't really think about it. Whereas, now that I am much older and obviously Americanized, being in India made me realize just how out of place I felt. It made me realize how unique my situation was. It was much like my experience in Singapore the summer of 2007. The feeling of...not belonging, in a sense?
I did have some interesting experiences on my last trip, haha. Ones that I simply couldn't have had when I was younger. For example, working in an office in India was starkly different from the office environment in the US. Things were much more..slow-moving. I mean, don't get me wrong, everyone was very work-oriented and hard working (we're Indian, how can we not be? haha) but it was just more relaxed, I guess. Maybe that is just the case in Chennai? I wouldn't know. I also (weirdly) got hit on a hell of a lot more. (I recounted a couple instances here and here.)
Also, going to the ISKCON temple in Vrindavan for the first time was great, too. I felt some kind of satisfaction out of going there. Nothing spiritual or religious, mind you, but rather simply because of my name, hahaha.



Physics: In undergrad I actually started out as a Physics major and then changed it to Accounting on a whim. A friend of mine once wryly commented that all my major life decisions have been made on a whim. She was joking, of course, but I've come to the realization that it's seriously true. I don't know if that bothers me or not...or if it should even bother me at all. I do worry about it sometimes...
Anyway, physics is listed as an interest of mine because I still have a leftover casual interest in it.


Mozambique or was it Veronique? How about
you pick the subject & I'll listen to you.