“If we have no peace, it is because we

have forgotten that we belong to each other." 
----
also, did you know that the world
only has enough top-soil
to last us for just 84 more years?

"industrial farming destroys approximately six pounds of topsoil for each pound of food it produces. China’s soils for example remained productive for more than 4,000 years, until the adoption of mechanized chemical agricultural techniques led to the destruction of 15-33% of their agricultural soil."

people should really make a bigger
effort to find out what the hell
is going on in our world.
apathy is destroying us!!!

you don't need to feel
overwhelmed by the world.
just pick 2-3 issues you
are pretty interested in
and want to learn more about.
and just explore it!
can be local or global;
(it's all connected anyways).
*talk to your friends.
*ask professors.
*watch videos.
*read
*attend talks & events
*write about it
*build a network
of people who
also
care.

“You can’t really understand Barack until

you understand Hawaii.”

~ Michelle Obama

today, i planted new zealand
clover & fava beans as a cover crop.
then i picked 5 figs off a tree
(and ate them).

then i got my seminar research paper draft back.
the prof wrote me tons of helpful comments
and seemed to really like what i have so far.
My paper is titled:
"Imagining Hawai'i:
A Postcolonial Analysis of
American Tourism in Hawai'i"

i am excited for next quarter.

i am taking:

1. mexican barrio pop culture

2. teaching art and aesthetics

(theory) in k-12 education

3. cyborg anthropology
4. pilates!

and i will have satisfied all

my requirements for a

BA in Anthropology

+ Minor in Education!

woo! then continuing my job as a

writing tutor and makin' good

m~o~o~ne~e~y.

"It's not about sides, that's what the conflict

wants us to think. It's about humanity, recognition,

peace, above all else."

-a Jewish girl's post on

my Palestinian roommate/friend's facebook wall.

"Like many people in the performing arts, dancers are under a lot of stress. Not only do dancers have a difficult lifestyle with rehearsals, auditions, and side jobs, they also face themselves in the mirror every day in the constant effort to improve their technique. This grueling schedule and unrelenting self-critique can leave even the most energetic person worn out and exhausted. According to the Wellness Tip on stress, stress has three stages. The first stage “often begins with feeling overwhelmed by too many demands on your time and energy”. For dancers, who are often perfectionists, this can be seen as a sign that they just need to work harder. By ignoring this important warning sign, they are setting themselves up for burnout later on. Dancers are often taught to ignore pain and fatigue, but pushing through the fatigue can cause dancers to progress into the second stage where “the constant onslaught of stress hormones begins to take its toll”. Ignoring these early warning signs can have serious consequences like changes in eating, mood, and sleep. A prolonged state of stress leads to the last stage, which is total exhaustion. In this state, the body’s immune system is compromised, which can cause constant sickness and depression. Luckily, stress can be managed by maintaining a manageable schedule with specific times to relax and recharge. Short breaks, yoga, and massage can help to reduce stress. Ultimately, the dancer needs to put just as much effort into relaxing as she puts into dancing."

-written by Ellen & taken from her new blog about

health, stress mgmt, and dance!

(she is currently dancing at the
Alvin Ailey School in New York City;
also my bbf since 4th grade)

places i want to see in the world:

1. xinjiang province, china

2. jordan

3. japan

4. south & north korea
5. jellyfish lake in palau; micronesia

6. real mexico

7. madagascar

8. turkey

9. borneo

10. australia (so close last time)

11. papua new guinea

12. morocco
13. "stans" such as kazakhstan & kyrgyzstan
14. iran

my favorite places i've seen so far:
1. yunnan province, china
2. tongatapu; tonga
3.  punakaiki; new zealand
4. tongariro; new zealnd
5. kuala lumpur; malaysia
6. china-mongolia border

"This is the real political map of the United States of America after the presidential election. A fascinating view, much different from the maps you saw that night, which showed an artificial, binary divide. But these maps demonstrate that there is not such a huge gap between rural and urban America."

after being pretty productive at the library

on a friday night, i hung out with

my friend/co-worker natalie.

she lives in a converted garage which

felt like a small barn. we stuffed ourselves

with burritos, sipped herbal potions, and i bought some

loose chamomile flowers.

we went to her friend lois' house;

turns out, lois lives with sarah

who also studied abroad in wellington!

then i met some other great people

and we drew pictures together.

i love ellie goulding's acoustic covers of:

1.only girl

2.heartbeats

3.sweet disposition

she should somehow combine them to
make a song that goes:
"i want you to make me feel heartbeats
while our blood's still young"

i also like how her eyes roll to the

top of her head when she sings.

white, red, light blue,

florals.

"in small actions, be kind;

in big actions, be brave."

 a
tap tap

strum strum

twinkle lights

leaky a little

weavey a little.

slipping toes

back into the koi.
a pond
with

warm sporadic
lopsided dreams.

my dad visited over the weekend.

we went on a walk through the woods,

worked on my applications,

ate breakfast on the pier,

watched sea lions bark,

and bought some furniture

(such as a tv tray i'm using as a

bedside table and a little shelf).

got my first paycheck for tutoring today!

~*~*~*~
i made more in 14.75 hours
than 3 months teaching english in china.
^___^
(not that the latter wasn't an awesome
and great experience)

things

are

getting

cray

cray.

@___@


but
i can
do this!
i will!

having my 2 favorite professors whom i respect
and admire so much write my letters of recommendation
for grad school is one of the most amazing feelings ever.

after june and i chatted a while,

she said "now, enough about grad school,

i want to hear about new zealand & your travels!

how are your parents?"

then we talked about how she

wants to teach a muslim education class here.
i think this would be a really good idea.
there is just too much misunderstanding
and misdirected hate.
in addition to our education system reform
(2014-2015!!!!!)
i think muslim culture and education
should be added as a mandatory course in public ed.
i don't believe in wars;
we need Peace Education for Liberation.

she went to iran recently and

said it was one of the most

pleasant places she has been.

(and she has been EVERYWHERE).

"people were having picnics and

drinking tea everywhere and

inviting me to join"

she also meets with china and japan's

ambassadors often to talk about

international relations.

"You are a citizen of the world.

No human being is illegal."

-Angela Davis at Practical Activism

event on campus a few weeks ago.

thank you
for all the support,
encouragement
and cheering on~*~*~

[if you feel this applies to you,

it probably does].

when all else fails,

buy feijoas, pomegranate, spinach, and zucchini.

then go for a run to the beach,

sit on a cliff by the sea,

and contemplate things.

"Education is the proper way to promote compassion and tolerance in society. Compassion and peace of mind bring a sense of confidence that reduce stress and anxiety, whereas anger and hatred come from frustration and undermine our sense of trust. Because of ignorance, many of our problems are our own creation. Education, however, is the instrument that increases our ability to employ our own intelligence."

-Dalai Lama.

go forth.

never did i think i would be

spending halloween: 
*hanging out with the other
3 anthro writing tutors & our
coordinator talking about
electromagnetic radiation,
*sitting in my 3 hour senior seminar

eating dal & mac n cheese/

talking about nomads of the Ottoman Empire/

presenting a summary of & my thoughts on Turkish feminism,

*voting for the first time,

eating chocolate ice cream

and researching the different
props with my housemate.

Camellia sinensis.
real tea should taste like this:

'"Epigenetics" means what we eat, how we live and love, alters how our genes behave"

supporting local organic farms:

*helps local small businesses

*reduces transportation costs

*contributes to protecting the environment, esp top soil

*reduces toxic chemicals

*prevents soil erosion

*tastes better!!

*promotes biodiversity

*strengthens community

*improves workers' rights

*contributes to a more sustainable future!
*spreads awareness & involvement
in environmental & social activism

*is not necessarily more expensive

in the long run.

lastly, regarding labeling,
just knowing what it is

you are consuming is a nice and valid thing to know :)

it's that time of the quarter again.

o the madness.

fa'amalosi!

“Ideally, what should be said to every child, repeatedly, throughout his or her school life is something like this: 'You are in the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of education that is not a system of indoctrination. We are sorry, but it is the best we can do. What you are being taught here is an amalgam of current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be. You are being taught by people who have been able to accommodate themselves to a regime of thought laid down by their predecessors. It is a self-perpetuating system. Those of you who are more robust and individual than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself — educating your own judgements. Those that stay must remember, always, and all the time, that they are being moulded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular society.”
― Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook

to totara!

“if all insects on Earth disappeared,
within 50 years all life on
Earth would end. If all human beings
disappeared from the Earth,
within 50 years all forms of life would flourish." 

i just went to hear michael pollan speak!

(i won a free ticket from the food systems raffle).

 he & the panel talked about:

*a war on awareness

 *plastic in sea turtles

*nurturing vineyards without

the wire, poles, and fences
*monsanto (he has an interesting
& surprising perspective)

*how everything relates back to food

*how the current debate isn't on

if gmos are "healthy" or not,

but that we have a right to

KNOW what it is we are consuming.

afterwards, while maryna

was getting her book signed

i asked michael what his

favorite vegetable is.

"kale, but tomatoes are good too,

and bitter greens."

“My name is Eva, which means 'life,' according to a book of names my mother consulted. I was born in the back room of a shadowy house, and grew up amidst ancient furniture, books in Latin, and human mummies, but none of those things made me melancholy, because I came into the world with a breath of the jungle in my memory.”
― Isabel Allende, Eva Luna

her book was like a very long

thick poem wrapped in

wild vines and blossoms.

a dutch fort in:

i'm writing a 20-page paper on postcolonial tourism

(in the pacific, esp hawai'i)

~*~*~

the other day, dominique
and i walked through the forest.
 it was so wonderful that we could
chat about haunani-kay trask
and epeli hau'ofa's 'our sea of islands'

i just remembered that

i had to memorize a samoan poem once.

o oe se a? 
(~80% of the poem consisted of vowels) 

it occurred to me the other day that i:

*am taking 5 classes

*have 1 job

*intern at an alternative

elementary school once a week
(i'm really liking this place.
i'm definitely sending my future kid
to a non-traditional school).

time is so precious now.

sometimes, i look my blog up on google.

it took me to this site

where a girl had blogged about my blog.

she posted some pictures

she drew and wrote:

"I don't doodle often except when I have something due

... (cough  cough) The fish was inspired by Linda's

drawing of a gypsy chicken,

found on thegreenpeartree blog. Her art is great."

“she would rather light candles than

curse the darkness and her glow has

warmed the world”
— adlai e. stevenson.

“when you realize how perfect everything is

you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky”

it is a tuesday night.

i made sushi.

theresa made a roast.

maryna is making applesauce.

11 Reasons why you should have a Diary

1. helps you find your voice

2. gives you a medium to sort out emotions & feelings

3. helps you identify and create goals & values

4. a good place to rant

5. a safe place to be honest

6. therapeutic

7. helps you rationalize decisions

8. write down small things, events,

happenings you'll want to remember

9. make lists!

10. works cognitive-mechanical

part of your brain

11. a fun, enjoyable way to relax,

grow and learn!

register to vote!
today is the day.

they don't make the future,

we do :)

i cringe anytime a politician
makes a claim to "free" others.

also, international relations is
more than just "military strategies"
what about human rights
and a general sense of compassion
for other human beings?

this is my 1,583th blog post~*~

maybe.

i don't want to start

working on my research paper. 

so i made a  

list of my favorite whole foods:

-eggplant
-artichoke
-asparagus
-zucchini

-avocado

-brussel sprouts

-spinach

-red capsicum

-onions

-ginger

-figs

-tomatoes

-black & rasp berries

-pears

-fava beans

after feeling like fainting in the library, 

i decided it was time to go home and eat.

i've hated eggs for 21 years but recently,

i tried making them out of the blue

and they weren't that bad~!

never thought this day would come.

friends cafe; nuku'alofa

after buying tapacloth bookmarks,

morgan, oliver and i

wandered here to eat lunch.

"it's true you can't live here by chance,

you have to do and be, not simply watch or even describe."

auckland & nelson.

my mom just called me to tell me that

Mo Yan won the nobel prize for literature!

over summer in China, i started reading his

Red Sorghum but could not finish it.
it was so poetically graphic,
beautiful.disturbing.
 too real and recent.
the way he describes what the
wine and blood of your family smells like.

it is one of those books that

rip your soul apart.

one day, when i emotionally ready,

i will finish the book.

the whole* world.

"embrace your world"

i can't be experiencing senioritis. i don't even know how i am a senior already. how is this possible? i thought i only applied to college the other day. how am i back from new zealand already? and singapore, malaysia, china. how is this all happening so fast?

my studio bathroom on willis street :)

after providing writing assistance

to some students at my office~*~,

i went to the library to work

for a few hours. then i came home and

decided to make myself a big meal:

quinoa, red capsicum, onions,
kale, tomatoes, fish, avocado!

nelson, new zealand.

“above all, be the heroine of your life,

not the victim” — nora ephron.

to socks

 "She was born a traveler, enduring several trips

up and down the coast,

sleeping in vans and crawling through hands.

she never bit a finger,

only pierced the souls of those she encountered.

she was sad she couldn't come to Europe,

but time apart only makes one stronger"

~photo & words by jack o.

i love it when people respond positively to my ideas

for research projects:

   "I totally love your topic and am equally interested in discovering different pedagogical approaches concerning multicultural education!"

"You guys have a really interesting topic.
Can I join in?
I would love to learn more about pedagogical approaches to the education system with diverse students."

this quarter is CRAY CRAY.

but i think i'm finally learning how to

balance things.

i miss this girl^^ so much.

she is one of the most real, honest,

warm & FUN people i know.

i associate her with

cold winter days in welly,

farmer's markets,

hot chocolate,

and te papa museum alarms.

i really miss being in new zealand.

 basically, i boarded a plane

to go live +7,000 miles away on an isolated

island in the south pacific.

the most adventurous, new, raw,

fresh, happy, and beautiful

7 months of my life.

~*~*~

taking KURA241 at victoria with joanna kidman

guided me to realize what i am most interested in/

might possibly pursue for grad school.

i didn't articulate into words until holly asked me today but basically...

i am getting more interested in looking at multi-cultural education and how the american ED system is responding/not responding to increasing diversity. and exploring how the curriculum can be improved in more creative and effective ways.

this is exciting :D

today was one of the best days of my life!

i...

*got an internship at an alternative elementary school

*hung out with 2 of my past ANTH TA grad students.

i chatted with them about:

marsh-landscapes, new zealand, mormonism,
tongan diasporas, epi-genetics, and
their constant hum of low-anxiety stress
and unhappiness, etc.

then when i told them i am
now an anthropology writing tutor they said:

"linda, i honestly can't imagine anyone
else who would be better at that than you"

and "i agree with heather,i can't think
of anyone else more perfect either."

then we talked about me going to
grad school for Education and they gave me
a tonnnn of ideas, suggestions
and trying to push me to do
Anthropology instead
but then they said
that if i cared about "happiness,
don't do it for anthropology,
definitely Education,
or combine them."

they also asked me for advice so i told
them my general philosophy for life:
that they had to try to be happy, healthy
and look at the overall picture.

*then at the backpacking club meeting,
i WON the rock-paper-scissors mega competition!
50 people were hysterically screaming and cheering my name~*~ 

cameron highlands; tanah rata

a walk through the woods