the return of the passive voice

i previously wrote abt my propensity for the passive and like it or not, the voice is making a comeback. now that i'm once again concentrating on the quality of the material that i write (because i have to) i have become aware of the prevalence of the voice in what i write. my good ol' lawyering prof is the only person who took the time to fine pick his way through my writing, and he was of the opinion that excising the voice from my writing would make it more effective.

anyway, i've just spent the past hour or so, looking up the intracacies of international construction contracts and it reminded me of the legal research from last year. the only difference is that this time i'm focusing on the start of the story, as opposed to resolving a legal issue once things have not gone as planned. it's an interesting perspective, and likely the kind of work i'll end up doing since litigation is really not my cup of tea...

in a way the pressure is less as there are no formal tests involved in this. but then again a high-level delegation is going to be discussing what i end up preparing (or more likely collaborating on) in less than two weeks. real life is so much more fun than school :)

trendsetting

i've always had my own unique look. and usually it's through my own accessory that has to be absolutely unique. from aqua-blue pumas, to beaded bags, to silk neck scarves, to....... and i should add that i had the unique perspective going on before it became fashionable for everyone to be "unique". so, no wonder my latest pashmina wraps are turning heads and raising eyebrows.

sigh. wish i had lil z to share the fun with.

working hours

an authentic french restraurant in the middle to tehran. hmm, at least the germans were somewhat impressed. it was a working dinner though, a continuation of my busy schedule. still not making anything to contribute towards my tuition next year, or my loans, but at least the experience is proving fascinating... and somewhat delicious. the doors opening are mostly revolving doors and the work environments are a minefield... but as they say, you learn the most under the most difficult circumstances.

my own dr...

the dr gave me a good diagnosis. true, his doctorate is in mechanical engineering but the way he recites poetry every few minutes and has such a positive outlook on life that his advice is exactly what i needed. i mean, looking over the hissy-fit of a post about my “quarter-century”, it took a 54 year old to help me realize that it really doesn’t matter how many times the earth has turned around itself since i was born.

and, the whole wanting to taste failure thing: it happened. thankfully, it didn’t feel as bad as it once did but it was failure and i knew. let’s leave it at that.

relative quarter century

i’ve been thinking about my twenty-fifth birthday for a few days. the only reason that it strikes me as odd is that i’m not due to pass the quarter century mark for another 20 months… the problem is that someone mentioned “quarter century” phrase and my mind has been caught in a continuous loop repeating the phrase and trying to figure out what the hell it means.

as a kid, i thought i would have accomplished a lot of the important life events by the time i was 21-22 years old. i don’t think i thought much about the day to day stuff that i would be doing and the kind of activities that i would be engaged in apart from the fact that the major pieces of the puzzle would be in place. or rather the major piece.

and come to think of it, 95% of what i find myself doing these days is not what i imagined. perhaps some of it will in some obscure way lead me to achieve some of the things that my 5 year old idealistic version would have wanted. the main difference as i approach this “quarter century” mark is my increased belief that there is no right path, no right answer and no right choices. it certainly makes it a lot easier to deal with “failure” as it is transformed into somewhat of an empty and relative measure that doesn’t have the effect on me that it once did.

i wish i could regain my belief in at least some absolutes, hopefully before i reach my quarter century...

checked out

confusion over date of eid: check
amazing community eid prayer: check
a day of culinary highs: check
feeling of remorse over culinary overdose: check

i sure love these celebratory days.

beautiful intentions...

i wish i had a wish list to which i could add this.