I'm updating this blog more than I thought I would. Perhaps it's because I don't have much else to do other than try and keep fit.

I'm ready to look for a job now. My dreams of going abroad are over — too many reasons why I couldn't and shouldn't go.

But I'm reading stuff again now after my one month hiatus. I try reading the Atlanta Journal-Constitution every day. And I'm rereading some old Newsweeks. Unfortunately, my dad doesn't subscribe to Time.

I want to see if images work here. This is Saelon Renkes' beautiful photograph of an oak tree.

Before I forget, I wanted to note down some sayings that have made me think about things in a different way. This is purely for my pleasure and prevents me from forgetting them again, as I usually do with these things. I've picked them up reading different stories, and don't know the true attribution:

• "Defeat is worse than death as you live with defeat." (picked up while editing a KRT sports story)
• "Your capacity to help someone is endless." (heard on a movie)
• "We shan't save all we should like to, but we shall save a great deal more than if we had never tried." - Sir Peter Scott (1909-89), WWF founder 1961
• "We all want to be fed." (Oprah's speech at the Emmy's)

Meanwhile, things are the same for me. The cloudy/cold weather has prevented me from swimming as much as I'd like, but I've been going to the gym trying to build up muscle and stamina. Found this adoring Web site on polar bears.

Also drove to old town Marietta, a very quaint place with a charming town square. Amazing how antique stores are big there. There's a Cuban restaurant there I'd like to try one day.

I just revisited a special feature on The Children of Angola on Time.com. It continues to tear my heart. I can't believe how unfair things can be. On one side of the Atlantic Ocean, we have prosperity, food wastage and live bountiful lives. On the other side, children are dying every day because their parents are unable to provide food. Imagine spending your day wondering where your next meal is coming from, wondering if you'll survive this week. Imagine this torturous feeling a parent faces. I can't even fathom the feeling. The people of Africa continue to suffer.

And then I believe "life is beautiful."

I've just learned about the music of Norah Jones and enjoy listening to her immensely. I've downloaded a couple of her songs from KaZaA. It's tempted me to buy her CD. I've also finally downloaded two other songs that have been in my mind recently: Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and Otis Redding's "Sitting on the Dock by the Bay." A bit of info — Norah Jones is Ravi Shankar's daughter, an added incentive for me to buy her CD.

The job fair I attended in Nashville, Tenn., was great. I got to meet many recruiters and I think I left a good enough impression with a few. It also made me realize how important copy editing is in the newspaper industry today. Almost everyone asked about my copy editing experience this summer.

I'm trying to head to Michigan this week to see my sister and her husband. No cheap deals to be found yet. I wish I manage to go soon.

After almost one year, I have a worthy web site again.

I've spent the last six months or so thinking of a redesign. One late night, I finally came up with this idea of orange and yellow on this dark gray (#4e4e4e). The look is exactly what I'm going for — simple and tasteful. And not gawdy. The past two or three weeks, I'm worked on updating information, adding my clips and just making my site ready for potential employers. I really need to get into the job hunting mode now.

But I know the web site will look funny on Netscape Navigator and on Apple Macintosh computers. I have no access to Macs right now, but will try and meddle with the tables and hope they appear OK.

If you have any design critiques or kudos, do send them my way.

Since this site is now updated and running, I'll start keeping a blog more. I doubt I'll have much to say though. My days here in Kennesaw don't vary much. Just running errands for my parents. I'm also trying to see if I can still get abroad. My parents are very worried for me though and would rather I stay with them.

We'll have to see what happens.

Let me see if I can post something aside from tests to my site.

Today was like any other day — I woke up, worked out a little (I mean very little), swam some, got ready and ran errands.That's about it. I wore red and blue with a white bracelet and and watched the different news stations broadcasting memorials/remembrances for Sept. 11. I can't believe it's already been a year.

I'm now trying to finish working on my web site and perhaps attend a job fair next week in Nashville, Tenn.