tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12659222449639062892024-03-14T13:07:16.135+05:30Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, poet, expatriate living and working abroad.Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-expat living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-85666713298497443712008-12-01T20:39:00.008+05:302008-12-30T12:48:07.931+05:30World AIDS DAY: Remembering AIDS victims of Burma (Myanmar)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathansull/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 250px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_r9rewC2SX5E/STQBvt6ZweI/AAAAAAAAAwU/-ww9mja1ei0/s320/AIDS+Myanmarjpg" title="Click to see more of Sully Pixel's photos." alt="AIDS Ribbon by Sully Pixel" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274842982847726050" border="0" /></a><br />I lost two cousins back-to-back to AIDS a couple of years ago. One was a famous rock star in Myanmar (Burma) Ba Din -- most people of my generation would remember him. He's one of those rare musicians that actually composed his own music. Most music in Burma are just the western music in Burmese. (Try listening to "My Heart Will Go On" in Burmese it's horrible, though Eminem is not bad.) The other cousin was his brother -- one of the first generation Burmese programmers. Ko Ba Din, ("Ko" is a title of respect and love that the Burmese endow upon older brothers.) left behind a wife and a son. Ko Kwa's wife disappeared shortly after his death and many suspect her to be dead. <div>My (upper middle class, highly educated, world traveling) family still does not talk about their loss to "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">that disease</span>". We talk about how crazy they were and what they did when they were drunk or delirious from "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">the illness</span>". Ko Kwa was sent to the mad house where they keep "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">those who will not return</span>". My dad picked him up and brought him home. He died after a couple of months of suffering. Of course I didn't witness all this, I was away on the other side of the world. It's only because of my mother, who wants me to know what goes on in the family that I know about this.<br /><br />Incidentally, probably that same year, 2000, I had called my father to tell him that a report came out from the World Health Organization (WHO) that said that Myanmar had the highest HIV infection rate. Our health care system was ranked 190 when there's only 191 countries. Read the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/04/03/MN212143.DTL&type=printable">SF Chronicle article here.</a> My father denied the facts, of course, as any good career diplomat would over the tapped phone lines. I understood something was up. And sure enough a couple of months down the line, my other cousin who was studying in Illinois emails me to tell me that Ko Kwa passed away from some sort of illness. I don't even know if he himself knew that it was AIDS related then.<br /><br />Fast forward eight years to 2008 -- there's a ton of orphans in Myanmar right now because a lot of people from my cousins' generation are dead. Still to this day, nobody really knows how many Burmese are HIV-positive but the recent press release from <a href="http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/myanmar.asp">UNAIDS estimates</a> that about 240,000 people in Myanmar are infected. <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/pr/release.cfm?id=3200">According to the Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF or Doctors Without Borders)</a> 76,000 Burmese are in urgent need to antiretroviral treatment or else they will die needlessly (Most likely producing more orphans). Apparently, Myanmar receives the lowest humanitarian aid -- USD $3.00 per person only. Probably the lowest in the region compared to her neighboring countries.<br /><br />This is not surprising to me, I went to Myanmar right after the Cyclone Nargis. Literally, I landed right after the skies were cleared. I wasn't used to living without electricity or proper water, but my family and neighbors managed. My mom cooked me my favorite dishes, they found stuff even when prices where going through the roof. My aunt even got me some frog curry (Ya I have weird taste in food, I can be Anthony Bourdain's apprentice). My dad put me back on the plane as fast as he could. When I came back to India, I saw that Myanmar made New York Times headlines for a couple days. As I ask myself: why do we make headlines only when monks or students get shot or a major cyclone disaster hits? Then, I check another email from the New York Times, this is a sad one: Myanmar didn't make it on the "most emailed" articles list of that week. People were more concerned about the Emmy nominations.<br /><br />So this World AIDS Day, are people really concerned about AIDS or are they more concerned about Cyber Mondays and Mobile Tuesdays? Are they concerned about who to invite to their Christmas party, or their jobs, Britney Spears's new documentary on MTV, or world peace? What are folks really worried about? If you're really concerned about AIDS and the dying children in Burma, you can go ahead and send some cash to Doctors Without Borders by <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/">clicking here</a>.<br /><br />Because if you really care, saving a life is only a couple of clicks away.<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Photo by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathansull/">Sully Pixel</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-70872032384138598412008-11-11T18:54:00.002+05:302008-11-11T19:00:14.281+05:30Sonnet for Yu Yu...My colleague wrote a poem about me, which I find really amusing. This is what happens when writers get bored. Check out the sonnet here: <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/682bny">Yu Yu for You</a><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-25387329307177268062008-08-08T16:24:00.009+05:302008-08-11T10:45:19.000+05:30it's been a while<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferbuehrer/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232101598284939362" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="the embrace by jennifer buehrer" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_r9rewC2SX5E/SJworsqHAGI/AAAAAAAAAi4/bHeE4FYalmk/s400/embrace2.jpg" border="0" /></a>it's been a while that i felt<br />this good<br />it's been a while that i felt<br />this safe<br />it's been a while that<br />i let things go<br /><br />it's been a long while that<br />i cared<br />it's been a long time since<br />i dared<br />it's been too long since<br />i loved<br /><br />it was long ago that i stopped looking<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-65913776137222252082008-06-30T11:57:00.006+05:302008-06-30T12:36:15.412+05:30What should I name my new pup?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/yuyu.din/Pup/photo#5217503985843116034"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/yuyu.din/SGhMO_fmpAI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/7jhusu8TzEs/s400/Image%28195%29.jpg" title="Puppy Asleep On Floor ©2008 YU YU DIN" alt="Puppy asleep on the floor. ©2008 YU YU DIN" border="0" /></a><br />Just a quick post because EVERYONE'S asking me about the name of the pup. I don't want to rush this. I want it to be done right. First off, did I tell ya, I got a puppy! I still can't believe it. I can't really decide on her name so I picked 16 names and did a small poll among a selective group of office colleagues -- call it my own little 'focus group' if you will. Here are the original 16 names I picked and the amount of votes they got.<br /><br /><br />3 for Samantha (Sam)<br />3 for Faith<br /><br />2 for Keira<br />2 for Skye<br />2 for Trinity<br />2 for Phoebe<br />2 for Lexie<br /><br />1 for Leah<br />1 for Maxie<br />1 for Erin<br />1 for Caitlin<br />1 for Ava<br /><br />NONE for Amelie<br />NONE for Kim (Kimberly)<br />NONE for Alex (Alexa)<br />NONE for Layla<br /><br /><a href="http://aringsburgkennel.blogspot.com/">Arings</a>, my friend and colleague is also consulting the numerology charts to come up with other names. But I'm sticking to these ones below. Leave a vote and help me decide. I got the pup from Aringsburg Kennel -- check out the back story on the mom <a href="http://aringsburgkennel.blogspot.com/2008/03/aringsburgs-reva-18-months-old-queen.html">here</a>!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><embed allowscriptaccess="never" saveembedtags="true" src="http://www.polldaddy.com/poll.swf" flashvars="p=738805" quality="high" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="beta3" salign="tl" scale="autoscale" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="392" width="252"></embed><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Stay tuned!<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-86622038985969943172008-06-20T16:48:00.004+05:302008-06-20T16:57:21.668+05:30Drunks and Damsels IAlcohol is a substance I was introduced to early in life. There's a famous story that my parents told over and over to people on how I first got drunk. I was only two years old. It happened in Beigining -- where I was born. We were the only Christian family at the embassy; naturally my father threw a Christmas party for his colleagues. After a night of drinking and merry conversation, it was time for the guests to leave.<br /><br />My parents, being gracious hosts, walked the guests to the elevator -- afterall, they lived in the same building. This was Beijing in the early '80s--before the economic liberalization. Movements for foreigners were strict. Diplomats lived in the diplomatic quarters, shopped in super markets designated for diplomats.<br /><br />Since my parents walked off with the guests, I helped myself to whatever that was leftover in their glasses. When my parents returned, I was fast asleep and all the glasses were empty. And that ladies and gents was the first time I drank.<br /><div align="right">To be continued...</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-71201328406092329162008-02-01T23:05:00.000+05:302008-02-01T23:50:50.730+05:30My Best Friend Zyed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://flickr.com/photos/yuyudin/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/2215073840_258ebf302f.jpg?v=0" title="Zyed Smile ©2008 YU YU DIN" alt="Zyed Avatar Smile ©2008 YU YU DIN" border="0" /></a><br /><p><span style="font-size:180%;">I</span>'ve retouched some of my photos and slowly getting them up online. It's a change from just writing. I need to back up my photos and get them retouched any way, so finally getting started on that project. This avatar for my friend <a href="http://zaid4u2always.blogspot.com/">Zyed</a> is part of that project. Zyed's photos are part of a series of portrait studies I did of just him. ^_^<br /></p><p>They were mostly shot on black and white Fuji ASA 200 on my Nikon F75. (Don't ask me about F-Stops, I didn't make note, or if I did, I forgot.)<br /><br />Let me know what ya think! More to come later...</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-60530176453390024352008-01-12T11:36:00.000+05:302008-01-12T14:08:05.092+05:30Stare.....................................................................................<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I found this poem in my <a href="http://www.writerscafe.org/writers/yuyudin/">Writers Cafe</a> account... </span><br />.....................................................................................<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 177px;" src="http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/pictures/1000/nahled/116_1620.jpg" alt="Traffic at Night - Public Domain Pictures" border="0" /></a><br />Stare into the void,<br />Into the darkness<br />Of all past and present<br /><br />Blind as a bat<br />Deaf as a snake<br /><br />Floating<br />Falling<br /><br /><i>“The center cannot hold…”</i><br /><br />Do things really fall apart?<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-55212300390959283272007-12-15T06:50:00.000+05:302007-12-15T06:51:51.035+05:30You...You are my validation.<br />I need your affirmation.<br />Of my existence.<br />That I should be who I am.<br /><br />You are my deliverance.<br />I need your approval.<br />Of my being.<br />That am doing the right thing.<br /><br />You are my hope.<br />I need your faith.<br />Of what I'm able.<br />That I can achieve destiny.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-38503905860911830222007-12-02T02:18:00.001+05:302007-12-02T02:59:18.690+05:30The Words, The Gestures | Les Mots, Les GestsI have a number of French songs in my Finetune play list. (Check it out it's at the side bar!) One song that struck me was Les Mots, Les Gestes, which means "the words, the gestures" by Hélène Ségara. It's a mellow song. I loved the lyrics so I translated them. MY FIRST FRENCH TRANSLATION!!! Ok, maybe it was another midnight madness, but I hope you enjoy it. And please let me know if there are stuff that were lost in translation.<br /><br />It took a bit of time for me and yes, I took help of online <a href="http://www.french-linguistics.co.uk/dictionary/">French-English dictionary</a> as well as <a href="http://www.google.com/translate_t">Google Translate</a> and <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/">Babel Fish</a> but they don't really give good results. They get confused with the feminine/masculine forms, especially when it comes to the possessive stuff. If you're studying French though, I would recommend that you listen to the song. There's a lot of transitive verbs. Of course, I'm completely lost when it comes to 'em transitives. So here are the translated lyrics.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.paroles.net/chansons/18790.htm">Original (French) Lyrics</a>: E. Aerts Music by: R. Lable Album: "Coeur de verre" (1996)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Les Mots, Les Gestes</span><br /></div>She writes in her diary<br />In a school notebook<br />She writes by the flame<br />Of a perfumed candle<br />The secrets of her soul<br />The hidden feelings she held<br />It's her invitation to the ball<br />While life dances on<br />She writes that it hurts<br />Draws a heart, the initials<br />In her diary<br />She writes about all the wounds<br />That she had taken for all the promises<br />The words, the gestures<br /><br />She writes in her diary<br />The evening is her juke box<br />She writes and the sand<br />Which stabs her in the eye<br />Then she makes the veils<br />And sometimes, the day the surprise<br />Puts down at her table<br />Among her childhood dreams<br /><br />She writes that it hurts<br />Draws a heart, the initials<br />In her diary<br />She writes about all the wounds<br />That she had taken for all the promises<br />The words, the gestures<br /><br />She writes in her diary<br />In a school notebook<br />She writes by the flame<br />Of a perfumed candle<br /><br />She writes that it hurts<br />Draws a heart, the initials<br />In her diary<br />She writes about all the wounds<br />That she had taken for all the promises<br />The words, the gestures<br />The words, the gestures<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-56986645131307317562007-12-01T09:53:00.001+05:302007-12-01T09:53:21.147+05:30Notes Above Ground<div><br /><h3>Next Generation Social Marketing</h3><br />From: <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/weinreich/">weinreich</a>, 6 months ago<br /><br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://s3.amazonaws.com/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=37366&doc=next-generation-social-marketing-23120" width="425" height="348"><param name="movie" value="http://s3.amazonaws.com/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=37366&doc=next-generation-social-marketing-23120" /></object><br /><br /><br />Using social media to promote health and social issues. From Nedra Weinreich's Social Marketing University. http://www.social-marketing.com/blog/<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/weinreich/next-generation-social-marketing">SlideShare Link</a><br /></div><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/JnB*PTExOTY*ODI5OTY5NzUmcD1GYWNlYm9vayZkPSZuPWJsb2dnZXI=.jpg" /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-83816202449951695832007-11-27T01:59:00.000+05:302007-11-29T01:27:06.082+05:30When Will You Realize.............................................................<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Written with <a href="http://zaid4u2always.blogspot.com/">Zyed</a></span><br />..........................................................<br /><br />(When will you realize that I cannot be fit into a mold.)<br /><br />There is no cup,<br />no retainer,<br />no shape or form.<br /><br />It is only the abstract that exists<br />It is only the essence.<br />It is only the being.<br /><br />There are no words,<br />There are no gestures,<br />No standards, no fixtures...<br /><br />It is only the fluidity of my soul...<br />The flow of my emotions.<br /><br />It is the abstraction that is me.<br />The intangible.<br />The illusive.<br /><br />Language is only an accessory.<br /><br />Let the silence speak.<br />Let's be primitive.<br />Let's undo the rules.<br /><br />Don't hold me.<br />Don't mold me.<br />Don't fix, don't shackle.<br />Don't measure me up --<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Just let me be,<br />Just set me free,<br />Let me run and see my fly.<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.google.co.uk/yuyu.din/RdXT_6o-qhI/AAAAAAAAAc4/phXWezLKU80/s800/MyRoom1%20%28122%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 331px;" src="http://lh3.google.co.uk/yuyu.din/RdXT_6o-qhI/AAAAAAAAAc4/phXWezLKU80/s800/MyRoom1%20%28122%29.JPG" alt="Sunderban Sunset" title="Sunderban Sunset ©2007 YU YU DIN" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: right;">It is the abstraction that is me.<br />The intangible.<br />The illusive.<br /><br />Language is only an accessory.<br /><br />Let the silences speak,<br />Let's be primitive,<br />Let's undo the rules,<br />Let's return to nakedness.<br /><br />Let's flow with the cosmos.<br />Return to the state of light.<br />The nebula that gave birth.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Call it what you will,<br />Call it what you want --<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Nirvana,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Heaven,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Moksh.<br /></div><br />Let me take you to heaven,<br />Just hold my hand.<br /><br />It is me,<br />Here and now.<br />Just withdraw your defenses,<br />Let's be one.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">No boundaries,<br />No spaces,<br />No distances,<br />No pace.<br /><br />No matter,<br />No state,<br />No being,<br />No you,<br />No me.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Just <span style="font-weight: bold;">IS</span><br />Just <span style="font-weight: bold;">AM</span><br />Just <span style="font-weight: bold;">ARE</span><br />Just will be...<br /></div><br />Just a fusion<br />A cosmic amalgam<br />Just a streak of lighting<br />Or a wave of sound.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-41205699172142120652007-11-21T22:14:00.001+05:302008-11-19T20:27:56.926+05:30About Notes Above GroundI wanted to write this post for a while now. Somehow life seemed crazy and I wasn't able to really have the time or the quietness of the mind. When I started "Notes Above Ground", I had a very clear picture. I wanted to shut down my other blog -- Stream of Conscious -- partly because it was under a pen name, and partly because I wanted to write more than poetry. That blog was all poetry. So what's the deal with this blog? Here goes:<br /><br />Notes Above Ground is my <span style="font-weight: bold;">PERSONAL</span> blog. That means it's about things that I'm really interested in. That can translate to anything under the sun but I'm narrowing down that into loosely 'concentrated' areas.<br /><br />This is a place that I jot down notes, thought processes, and keep references. They might be of use to others too. So here's a list of things that you'd be able to read about here:<br /><ul><li>Photography</li><li>Social/New media</li><li>The Internet/Web 2.0/Web ++</li><li>Book reviews </li><li>Movie reviews</li><li>Blog/Site reviews</li><li>Travel</li><li>Food</li><li>Writing, writing, writing</li></ul><br />Did I mention writing? ^_^ <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425">Click here to read my bio</a>.<br />Enjoy the ride. If you want laughs, visit my other blog <a href="http://confederacyofthedunces.blogspot.com/">Confederacy of the Dunces</a>. If you're a film buff, check out <a href="http://wearebyfc.org/blog/">Brooklyn Young Filmmakers</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-43752958528268173332007-11-20T02:07:00.000+05:302007-11-20T02:14:00.895+05:30ThanksgivingAs I turn on the TV and watch the news,<br />hope is a rare glimmer that can’t be found.<br /><br />We see the world unraveling itself.<br />And words of my grandmother came into my head:<br />the world is going to end soon.<br /><br />I was 13, getting ready to leave for the States.<br />There were wars, storms and disasters then.<br />There are wars, storms and disasters now.<br /><br />Is the world really going to end soon?<br />These are all signs she said.<br /><br />Well, maybe they are.<br /><br />Maybe they’re not.<br /><br />But I’m grateful.<br /><br />I’m grateful that my friends encompass the world.<br />I’m grateful that a friend from Germany can send me post cards from Mexico.<br />I’m grateful I can meet lots of people from around the world by just sitting here in India.<br />I’m grateful that I can be in touch with most people from the other side of the world.<br /><br />(Not to mention everyday, live and in person – well, as close as it can get – until we can teleport.)<br /><br />I’m grateful that I can still enjoy the little freedoms some people can’t even imagine having.<br /><br />Maybe thanksgiving is something that signified how the Native Americans were wiped off,<br />Maybe it’s raining on the parade.<br /><br />But at least it still goes on. Doesn’t it?<br /><br />That’s why I’m grateful.<br />The parade still goes on.<br />Family and friends still get together – even if it’s not thanksgiving.<br /><br />So this thanksgiving, instead of bitching and moaning<br />I figured sending out this note<br />To friends and folks near and far.<br />To say a simple ‘thank you’…<br /><br />In the words of a great friend:<br />“Thank you for being there, while I was there”<br />You all know who you are and how your work is important.<br /><br />I think this is where my grandma got it wrong.<br />I don’t think the world is going to end very soon.<br /><br />Not if we’re still around.<br />And not if we can help it.<br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving.<br /><br />...........................................................................<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Note: This was written two years ago. I'm migrating my other blog on to here. Same stuff, just different packaging.</span><br />..........................................................................<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-50851043827707956602007-05-22T21:47:00.000+05:302007-05-30T23:01:09.571+05:30Where to Get Photos For Your Blog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sxc.hu/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.sxc.hu/pic/m/l/lt/ltrax/438666_old_camera_lens_2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Notice my new banner? I finally figured out how to change my banner. I found it off <a href="http://yotophoto.com/">Yoto Photo</a> it's the first place I look for when I want pictures to use at work or in personal designs. You can use it when you're designing web templates too.<br /><br />I had the picture altered in Photoshop for it a long time back but I lost the Terms of Service on the picture. I really don't like using people's pictures without their permission or knowing what the license behind them are so I didn't update the banner until now.<br /><br />I think of Yoto as a database of databases of pictures. The best thing about Yoto is that you get to see the Creative Commons licenses for Flickr photographers or other Terms and Conditions from the photo stock sites like <a href="http://www.stockvault.net/">Stockvault</a>, <a href="http://www.sxc.hu/index.phtml">Stock.xchng</a>, the <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page">Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a href="http://www.freefoto.com/index.jsp">Freefoto.com</a>.<br /><br />I found the picture from <a href="http://www.morguefile.com/">Morgue File</a> (minus "Notes Above Ground"). In the process of putting up the banner, I accidentally deleted the code to the nav bar but it's back now. I'm getting a hang about all this coding little by little.<br /><br />After you've selected your ideal picture read the terms or license. I'm an amateur photographer and I wouldn't like my photos to be used the way I don't want them to. It's not nice. What's more, it's illegal and you can be sued. So before you use the photo make sure you play fair.<br /><br />Even after going through the royalty free sites you still can't find any, check out the public domain sites like <a href="http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/">Public Domain</a> pictures and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain_image_resources">Wikimedia's Public Domain Image Resources</a>.<br />Happy hunting!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-83322859713687626412007-05-18T17:24:00.000+05:302007-11-20T02:37:02.419+05:30Script Frenzy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 89px; height: 178px;" src="http://lh5.google.co.uk/image/yuyu.din/Rk2cuaDWMJI/AAAAAAAAAW0/g0uejMNZBK0/s144/SF_Part_120x240.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Hey folks, I haven't written for Notes Above Ground for so long 'coz I've been really busy with some stuff. I've been researching on a manifesto (will post soon!). Essentially this is a quick post to let you know that I'm a participant in <a href="http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/">Script Frenzy</a>. The idea is really simple -- one month, one script, 20,000 words. ^_^<br /><br />I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off or not but I'll be posting my writerly journey over here on a regular basis. So more posts!<br /><br />On the other hand, I've started a new blog -- <a href="http://confederacyofthedunces.blogspot.com/">Confederacy of the Dunces</a> -- it's strictly a humor blog so that there's a place where I can put stuff on all the funny emails that come into my inbox.<br /><br />That's all for now, more later...<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-21216067751890628812007-01-26T11:21:00.000+05:302007-01-26T12:07:06.828+05:30Happy Republic Day IndiaIt's Republic Day here in India. My neighborhood is bustling with people and children celebrating.<br />In another Republic in a galaxy far far away, however, a phone rings...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hAL7w2ybTfQ"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hAL7w2ybTfQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-78731178406453819652007-01-25T13:41:00.000+05:302007-01-27T00:15:27.138+05:305 Sure Signs You're Addicted to Stumble Upon<span style="font-size:100%;">Do you <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://notesaboveground.blogspot.com/2007/01/5-sure-signs-youre-addicted-to-stumble.html.php&title=5+Sure+Signs+Youre+Addicted+to+Stumble"><img src="http://www.stumbleupon.com/images/small_su_logo.png" alt="My StumbleUpon Page" border="0" /></a> </span> <span style="font-size:100%;">? I do. It's my new addiction. ^_^<br />How do I know? Here's a check list --<br /></span><ol><li><span style="font-size:100%;">If you didn't Stumble Upon at least 10 sites, you didn't feel like you used the internet for the day.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Addictive games or activities on the internet catches only 10 seconds of your attention, afterwards, you keep on stumbling.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">You don't surf anymore, you only stumble upon.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">You keep a browser window just to 'stumble'.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">You click on the Stumble! button to reload the page.</span></li></ol><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-3042914345136344012007-01-24T18:20:00.000+05:302007-01-24T18:36:42.671+05:30Special things happen to Special People<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.londonstimes.us/toons/cartoons/johann_stricken.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.londonstimes.us/toons/cartoons/johann_stricken.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I haven't been able to update the blog lately – and I have a good reason. Let's recap what happened to me from the last weekend --</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Saturday, on my way down town I folded my ankle and put my whole weight on top of it. I thought I had broken it. We did X-Rays, doc ordered me 3-4 days absolute bed rest. I did for about 2 days and went about with life. Ankle got better. </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Thursday – I felt feverish, so I stayed home. Found a small blister type object on my palm. If you give a bubble wrap to a kid what do they do? They pop it. Naturally I popped my blister too. </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Some itchiness started on my back. </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Friday -- I went about what I had to do downtown, still feeling feverish. In the morning I felt something behind my right ear. Some little bump and the gland behind my ear was a bit hardened. Then my head was a bit itchy and prickly stuff was on my head. I got better after lunch and though nothing about it. As the evening approached, around 6, my friend realizes that she had the same problem once. Told me to go to the bathroom to see if there are red dots on my tummy.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I went to the bathroom and checked – small red dots – could've been mosquito bites. I went back to sit with her and told her that. Then I pulled up my shirt sleeve and there was another blister like bump. My friend told me to run to the doc right away.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Sure enough, the doc checked out and it was chicken pox. :(</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">So I'm down with chicken pox. Been on bed all these days. </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I'm well above legal drinking age. I'm down with chicken pox. That means I'm still a kid? ^_^<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-25596314284347525012007-01-15T22:19:00.000+05:302007-01-15T22:48:03.904+05:30Welcome to the new template!Finally I found Blogger classic templates from <a href="http://www.geckoandfly.com/">Gecko&Fly </a>that are hack... well, 'modified' for Blogger beta by <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.blogcrowds.com/">Blogcrowds</a> (Somehow I think they're the same people behind the scenes.) They're not as 'grown up' as <a href="http://www.mybloglog.com">MyBlogLog</a> but they are pretty cool. <br /><br />My favorite part is that they have a 'forum' format. Now, I'm not big on forums because I get lost easily like <a href="http://www.blogskins.com/">blog skins</a>. I love the designs but I don't know where or what to click to get the template and take a peek. I don't have the time to go through all that. Recently I realized that I do need to sleep too.<br /><br />I really wish MyBlogLog come up with a forum type of a thing so people can talk and converse in their communities instead of just leaving messages. I love the crowd in MyBlogLog, I love the people and the blogs that are there but I don't like the fact that you have to forever keep on clicking to get to one point to the next. And if you're like me, I'm sure you have so many tabs on your window to keep track of what's what. After that I get confused what opened where when I clicked on a person.<br /><br />Hey this isn't just me ranting. I've seen people leave messages saying they're lost or can't understand what happens when you click something. When you click on the picture it doesn't go to the blog, it might go to the community page. That's why people get lost. We're hard wired in our brains so much we forget to look where we're clicking and expect something else.<br /><br />Basically it's a usability issue. I hope they fix it soon, or else we're gonna loose newbies that come up and I'll not have the opportunities to 'meet' them and their blogs otherwise.<br /><br />In other news -- My ankle is much better. I can walk with just a small limp that's hardly noticeable.<br /><br />Oh, and about this template, I'll be doing changes slowly so I don't pull out my hair and I learn... it's going to be a process, not an over night thing -- see you around!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-75833539966446379342007-01-14T11:20:00.000+05:302007-01-14T11:34:29.900+05:30It's the weekend - If you're reading this consider yourself an addict.It's the weekend, you're supposed to be out enjoying the weather or something. If you're not, well, join the club -- I'm also addicted to blogs -- among other things like coffee, caffeine, chocolate, stationery, gadgets ... ok, you get the idea.<br /><br />Right now, I have an excuse at least -- I sprang my ankle yesterday. I thought I had broken it initially but X-ray results said I hadn't. Either way, it's still hurting when I put my weight on it. The doc ordered me full ABSOLUTE bed rest for 2-3 days. I'm counting today as the second day. ^_^<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-82869710233514493282007-01-03T00:01:00.000+05:302007-01-03T00:11:40.277+05:30What You See is NOT What You Might Get<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Folks, I'm still experimenting with the template here so if it changes and stuff it's because I'm doing things to this baby. I'm still trying to get a hang of this widget stuff and how to code it. I was bored by the cookie cutter templates so I started experimenting with a couple of templates on new year's day. Now I'm just staring at the widget codes. The more I stare, the more I seem to understand but only time can tell whether I was dreaming or not. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">If codes show up in my dream, then definitely I've understood -- it happened when I was learning Java and it happened with French too. Do you dream in java? Holla back!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-90726890407753841892007-01-01T16:04:00.001+05:302007-01-03T00:36:34.480+05:30happy new yearHappy New Year! Just a test blog here to see how it looks...<div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-4131710787595963692005-10-21T15:02:00.000+05:302007-07-28T00:03:35.591+05:30Rain<p style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="MsoNormal">Rain drizzles down the city<br />It refuses to go away.<br />Just like an old lover<br />That refuses to say goodbye</p> <p style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="MsoNormal">Even when things are over it hangs on stubbornly<br />The monsoon had ended<br />Yet the rain still remains.<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="MsoNormal">Ever presenting itself<br />Seeping into every hole<br />Soaking everything in its path –</p> <p style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="MsoNormal">Slowly sinking in<br />Its cold wet touch<br />Drizzle continues for days<br />Skies dark and gray</p> <p style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>An eerie coldness hovers above.<br />Colder in the nights.<br />Stone cold heights.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-47864066077280000232005-10-13T23:56:00.000+05:302007-07-27T23:59:58.460+05:30Republished Republic<div align="center"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Re<span style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">public</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span>Re</span><span style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">published</span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Re</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">publishing</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);"> <span style="font-size: 85%;">the</span></span> <span style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">r<span style="font-family: courier new;">e</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><em>furbished</em></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 180%;">mind</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><strong>commencement</strong></span> <span style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">begins</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">restarts <em><span style="font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 204, 255);">with</span></em> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">a</span> <span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 78%; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">big</span> <strong><span style="font-family: courier new; font-size: 180%; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">BANG</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re</span> write<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re</span>do<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re </span>organized<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re re re re</span> <span style="font-size: 180%; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...<br /></span><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);">forgotten<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">passwords no more</span></span><br /></span></span></strong><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">begin</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">collect</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">word</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">words</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">r</span><span style="font-family: courier new;">e</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>G</strong></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">a<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">r</span>d</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">r<em><span style="font-family: georgia;">e</span></em></span><strong style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><span style="font-family: georgia;">M</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: courier new;">a</span>r<span style="font-family: times new roman;">K</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 85%; color: rgb(102, 255, 255);">member</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">the</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">re</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 78%; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">public</span> <em><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">of</span></em> <span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">the</span> <em><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(204, 102, 204);"><strong>oblong</strong></span></em><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span><em><span style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">oblongata</span></em><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265922244963906289.post-29118004995642866402005-06-05T11:54:00.000+05:302007-07-27T23:55:48.078+05:30Price of Individuality<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">What price to pay, the freedom of individuality?</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><br />Being unique is almost a crime,<br />Barbie dolls come out of the factory,<br />The same mold, different colors<br />The same bust, the same height, the same makeup<br />The same clothes<br />The perfect image of an ‘ideal’ woman.<br />Girls sitting in a noisy café<br />Wear almost the same t-shirts and jeans<br />The same cut, the same style,<br />the same,<br />the same,<br />the same.<br />Did they come out of the factory too?<br />The factory of society.<br />Any deviation from the ‘norm’ will be discarded.<br />Rejected<br />Shuned<br />Outcasted<br />The price of individuality.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Notes Above Ground - Travels of a writer, editor, poet, third-culture-kid-turned-ex-patriot living and working abroad - is Yu Yu Din's personal blog. She writes about travels, working as a writer abroad, growing up as a third culture kid and sprinkles stream of conscious poetry on top.</div>Yu Yuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15246031285395786425noreply@blogger.com0