happy halloween

halloween's a useless "holiday" that makes for a good excuse to eat candy. hmm, sounds familiar... is candy the key to a successful holiday? at any rate, it's fun to bond with mommy over pumpkin carving.

one halloween in high school it rained, and while trick-or-treating we'd step on a snail every other step (*crunch*)... i assume we were stepping on slugs the rest of the time. i seemed to get through this pretty decently, even with my semi-serious phobia of slimey creatures.

did i tell you that i plan to blog only on meaningless holidays from now on? :)

love

happy valentine's day :) however useless a holiday for us singles, it makes for a good excuse to eat chocolate! mmm.

what is love? i think there are many different kinds.

1. having a crush - i think this type of "love" is typically experienced by young teens (but 22-year-olds may succumb to it as well). it is probably best described as obsession: praising the wonderful qualities of the victim to anyone who will listen (willingly or unwillingly), gazing longingly at the subject's pictures for hours on end, and daydreaming about romantic encounters where the prey confesses his/her undying love for you. in my experience, crushes have never worked out for me because i end up putting the person on a pedestal, upon which i no longer have the guts to talk to him. that certainly is no basis for a real relationship, anyway.

2. being in love - this type of love is usually experienced at the onset of a relationship (during the "honeymoon" phase). everything is new and exciting, and you can't help but see good in your partner (even the habits that will eventually becoming nerve-wracking are endearing when in love ;)). this is a kind of fun emotion, but unfortunately diminishes over time. however, i think it should be a couple's goal to work towards maintaining this quality in a relationship (e.g. by regularly enjoying romantic evenings at fancy restaurants!).

3. true love - this type of love is rare and special, and must be fostered with time and committment in order to grow. i think that when you really love someone, more than anything you want to make him/her happy. you work to make things better when you have a fight. you're always there to lend a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. you provide moral support for his/her dreams and goals. you view a partner's flaws as qualities which make him/her unique. i think people have a tendency to prematurely believe that they feel true love towards someone. true love might just be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

4. unconditional love - the love a parent has for a child. the love a sister has for her sister. a beautiful emotion indeed!

i think perhaps i've experienced them all.

rock climbing

how do i love thee? let me count the ways...

1. obvious goals - each route presents a concrete and manageable challenge. when i finally complete a route, i know i've accomplished something, and increased my skills in some way or another. each route in and of itself can be mastered fairly quickly, which is good for someone with a short attention span (like myself). all climbs are rated, and progress is obvious (especially at the beginning of one's climbing career).

2. muscles - rock climbing helps to sculpt a sexy back and lean biceps... and let's not forget those tantalizing forearms!

3. social - bouldering is especially social. fellow climbers are friendly and encouraging, and very eager to help each other master climbs. the complete novice can climb side by side with the seasoned veteran.

4. completely distracting - no matter what's wrong in life, rock climbing helps me forget about it. it's pretty amazing actually. i've not come across any activity that makes this possible. i think it's just that when climbing, one really needs to focus on the task at hand. it's just completely physically and mentally involving.

i've only been climbing for about eight months now, but i love the sport! if anyone wants to try it out, i'd be happy to introduce you to it :) so far i've gotten aj to sign up for membership ;P