recession. gulf oil spill. wikileaks. uncertainty. there just seems to be no shortage of reasons to feel discouraged these days. and, unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few weeks, you know that you really need to search long and hard to find something genuinely uplifting to make your day easier to handle.

so it’s sort of a nice surprise when you hear about groups like Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), which has apparently been organizing activities such as car donation charities to raise funds for U.S. vets who had served in Vietnam. basically, what the group does is promote the concept of car donation — wherein people can donate various types of vehicles, which will later be sold to generate funds for its charity programs. What makes the whole thing even sweeter is that, if you decide to go through with your car donation Illinois State Council Car Donation program, it’s actually tax-deductible.

apparently this has been going on for more than 25 years already. this kind of makes me feel a bit better, particularly now that things are getting a bit rough in Afghanistan.

*sigh* sometimes i feel like i’m literally blogging in the dark. i’ve been toiling at this for years, without any clear blueprint or goal — at times it feels like i’m doing something right, other times i feel like i’m just doing this out of habit.

so, instead of burdening my noggin in search of something interesting to write about, today i’m turning my sights to other blogs and/or websites. taking my cue from The Times, i am bookmarking several interesting blogs/sites that would be worthwhile to visit.

folks at Times Online recently recommended several notable blogs, including — to a lot of people’s surprise — gwyneth paltrow’s GOOP (which i like to visit every and then). notwithstanding the initial derision that it had received, The Times noted that the celebrity-maintained site featured useful content and well-regarded celebrity contributors.

some of the blogs cited by The Times are those maintained by pelayo zapico (fashion, urban lifestyle), pippa brooks (fashion trends, London club scene, among other things), gabi gregg (fashion tips for the plus size group), and disneyroller girl (amusing take on lifestyle, pop culture).

if you’re the type to drool over fabulous clothes, shoes, accessories, etc., from a girl who seems to have it all, you might also want to visit SeaofShoes (this site was recommended to me by Pseudoshrink a few months ago).

to inject a little hard-edged spice to this list, i am also including michael yon’s highly regarded military blog, which is chockful of amazing frontline images and maps as well as gripping dispatches of what goes on in the war front.

i expect this list will get longer anytime soon. for now, i am adding these sites to my blogroll.

having a steady job that gives you respite from your immediate worries (mostly relating to surviving life’s dizzying ups-and-downs without losing your mind) is a big plus these days, particularly when you’re the type that appreciates a steady hand at the steering wheel.

the downside is, this eats up a huge chunk of your schedule (time) and usually requires you to move/operate within a certain radius (space) for a specified number of hours per day. basically, it’s nothing to complain about, but there are times when it feels great to be able to go beyond your allotted space for a bit and just drive off into the sunset without a backward glance.

with our sluggish economy, however, i suppose it’s only pragmatic to think about the consequences of such actions. still, you don’t necessarily need to clamp down on your tendency to let things rip every once in a while. for instance, if you’re really intent on going for a long weekend drive, you can always go with friends to cut back on your expenses. or, if you’re really bent on making a solo trip, you can plan ahead and make use of savings car rental coupons or enterprise coupons) — and other useful stuff from enterprise car rental — to ease down the strain on your wallet while you drive off in a car of your choice.

now, wouldn’t it be nice to jump into your car and just enjoy the ride? (just ask max)

(courtesy of maki)

i’ve always considered myself a T-shirt kind of person. notwithstanding the fact that T-shirts seem to be de rigueur in a tropical setting, i’ve always found them comfortable and fun to wear.
whenever i imagine myself at my most relaxed, a dorky picture of me lollygagging in my favorite shirt and faded jeans (along with my standard issue flip-flops or Nikes) always comes to mind. it hardly matters what kind of shirt it is — the older and more frayed it is, the more comfortable i feel.

what can i say? i guess, us laidback loafers and slackers just feel we’re at our best when we’re clad in our favorite R&R wear. and just for the fun of it, when thinking about an appropriate catchphrase, i find my thoughts straying into “whimsy” territory — how does T-shirts for life, I live for my shirts, or Death by T-shirt grab you?

too glib for your taste? don’t mind me. at the moment, i’m trying to distract myself from work, and for some reason i thought of shirts.

seriously though, T-shirts (esp. custom t-shirts and sports t-shirts) are my thing. they’re ubiquitous and functional; they come in different colors and sizes and they can be worn any way you like — tucked-in, tucked out, strategically ripped or shredded, mixed with jackets or other items, etc.

and remember, T-shirts are a great way to advertise how you feel!