thought of the day

An uncomfortable thought hit me while I was showering today. I have this nasty habit of mentioning exes (usually for the sake of telling a story) in both light and serious conversation. And I wonder if it actually does bother J sometimes, even though he insists that it doesn't, because he doesn't want to be one of those controlling, overly jealous boyfriends that I once had the *pleasure* of dating. He would never say anything unless my jabbering became problematic enough that it exceeds his ridiculously high BS-tolerance threshold. Goodness forbid that should ever happen.

I could very well be reading into it too much since my brain doesn't have much to focus on these days, but I don't think it hurts to be cognizant of these things...

IMADESEVENLAYERBARSANDTHEYARESODELICIOUS!

All caps can either be really funny or really obnoxious. Right now it is fucking hilarious!

weekend getaway

San Diego is such a beautiful city. I absolutely can't get enough of it, and I haven't even seen all there is to see there! Clearly, that just means I have to go back more often.

A piece of a "scenic route" on which J drove me

At the Coronado Hotel beach

Anyway, I was down there this weekend visiting J and it was pretty fun for the most part. I say "for the most part" because I'm never completely at ease when I see his parents. lol I always feel like his mom is judging my potential as a future housewife, but I might just be really paranoid. Yeeeah, paranoid.

We were planning on clubbing Saturday night after eating over at his friend's place, but three lemonade Smirnoffs and a game of Settlers (Cities and Knights expansion) later, I was leaning more toward a low-key evening. Conveniently, J lives really close to the beach so we headed over there at 11pm, put down some towels in the sand, and enjoyed the setting. I think people must've been out grunion hunting or something because it was rather crowded considering the beach was supposedly closed. Cuddled up with each other, laughing and chatting under the stars, watching the waves wash up with barely a breeze blowing...it was quite romantic :) Drove up to Mt. Soledad afterward and watched the city lights flicker in the distance. Then we decided to go because a creepy pickup truck made its way into the lot and turned off its headlights before stopping. lol What a way to end the night.

La Jolla Beach

Atop Mt. Soledad

Another atop Mt. Soledad

Shout out to my bff for letting me stay at her place for the weekend!

P.S.
OH MY GOODNESS, NARUTO 166 MADE ME CRY LIKE A LITTLE GIRL :(

houseified

Once in a while, J does this thing where he spams me with links when we're chatting online. lol He was considerate enough to give me a warning today and actually spread them out so as not to overwhelm my easily-disturbed peace of mind :P

To my surprise, one of the links he sent was to a Lady Gaga song, albeit remixed into a totally different sound. I like it, it's pretty rad.

J: its the only way i can listen to lady gaga haha
J: HOUSEIFIED

books books books

What was that? I have time to read for fun again? SWEEEEET.

• The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
• Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
• Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
• Lolita By Vladimir Nabokov
• East of Eden by John Steinbeck
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
• Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
  
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  
• Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
  
• The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice (or A.N. Roquelaure)
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Republic by Plato
• Finish The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  

In all likeliness, I’m not going to get through this list because it’s only going to keep growing. But hopefully making the list in the first place will motivate me enough to get started on it!

My cousin started reading Wuthering Heights recently, which makes me want to go back and read it again. There's something about the moors and the overall creepiness that the setting evokes that makes it romantic, in an unconventional sort of way. Or maybe I'm just weird for liking things like that.

howdy, partner!

A friend threw a Cowboys & Indians themed party last night so the girls and I headed over there to drink, socialize, be camera whores, and stuff our faces with delicious food. lol Issues of political correctness aside, it was an overall good night and everybody looked cute/ridiculous in their costume. I just threw on a white tank, red plaid flannel, denim shorts, my black fringed boots and called myself a cowgirl.

On a whim, I did my hair into a messy side braid, which didn't look too bad until it started coming undone because my hair is so layered. At that point, I got tired of having to constantly brush it out of my face so I just let it have its way in the usual style. I don't have any good pictures of myself from that night, but I'll post if some happen to turn up :P

Sort of how mine looked before I gave up on it.

Check out pictures from Alexander Wang's Spring 2010 runway show. Apparently, side braids are becoming a trend because of this show. When my hair gets longer and I feel like putting more effort into it, I'd like to try fishtail braids.

confession

I've indulged in this guilty pleasure for quite a while now, but I think I'm one of the few who can enjoy it while still being conscious of all its terrible flaws.

I'm a closet Twilight fan.

Yes, I can agree that Bella is a selfish, spineless, annoying thing and Edward's controlling overprotective-ness is equally insufferable. (Is it any wonder that I play for Team Jacob? ;D) I know I'd never be able to stay with a guy like that, even if he was impossibly beautiful. But in spite of all that, I still devoured the series within a week. Maybe it was for Jacob...I was over Bella and Edward by the end of New Moon. But that's probably why it was so addictive! I hung onto every word on the page, hoping that Bella would come to her senses and choose Jacob. But alas, it did not happen, though I really wished it could have.

If you have the patience to wade through all the adjectives describing Edward's unearthly good looks and think about the story, it's every pubescent girl's fantasy. Vampires, werewolves, an awkward and insecure heroine--the ultimate supernatural love triangle is born. I'm well aware that these aren't the kind of vampires and werewolves that garner approval among the majority of the male population, but that's pretty much the point. SM's versions of the monsters are "safe" to love and be loved by. Women thrive off the drama of being wanted by two polar epitomes of male perfection, who just happen to be natural enemies on top of the already-insane male rivalry dynamic. Plus, it's essentially a story about first love and we all know how you can never forget your first. Actually, it doesn't even have to be your first. It could even be the first time you start falling in love with anyone, and being engulfed in a romance novel brings back those feelings of euphoria while allowing you to experience the angst without actually getting hurt. Sometimes girls like me just want a good cry for no reason but to cry. lol I'm not saying it makes sense.

I don't think Bella's relationship with Edward is a good model for a healthy relationship at all, and I'm sure it's misled untold legions of teeny boppers into believing that guys should be jealous, possessive, and always on the verge of murdering them. This can no longer be helped; hopefully they'll just grow out of it. For cases like this, though, there's really no excuse. For those who are like me and enjoy escaping into the Twilight world while remaining aware of its sobering imperfections, I'm tired of hiding in my figurative closet and propose starting a club or something so my non-Twilight-loving friends can stop snickering at my Jacob obsession.

day trip

Visited the Huntington Library with mom and brother today. After another week of less than summery weather, the temperature finally managed to get past 75 degrees and my pasty legs enjoyed some sunshine at last. Though how long the warmer weather will last this time is yet to be seen...

Chinese Garden

Chinese Garden

Japanese Garden

Japanese houses are so clean!

daisies & sunshine

late night chats

IMing over skype with a male friend

[1:14:05 AM] AS: haha i would love to see [J] do a skype strip tease
[1:14:09 AM] me: LOL
[1:14:14 AM] me: i bet he'd do it for you if you asked him nicely =P
[1:14:57 AM] AS: mmm...
[1:15:19 AM] me: actually, he flashed me some nipples just earlier today
[1:15:41 AM] me: go on, all you have to do is ask
[1:15:42 AM] me: hahaha
[1:16:35 AM] AS: i remember [J] has generously sized nipples
[1:16:40 AM] AS: he and ansel are xiangfan de
[1:16:41 AM] me: HAHAHAHA
[1:17:27 AM] me: i see you're quite familiar with both sets of nipples
[1:17:47 AM] AS: i certainly toook a mental note
[1:17:52 AM] AS: but i do that with all nipples
[1:18:07 AM] AS: i can describe all my victims nipples in excruciating detail

"xiangfan de" or 相反的 is Chinese for "opposite" :P

summer events

...that i will not be attending this year :(

Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC)
Even though I really enjoy trance and other kinds of electronic music, I've never been to a rave and this seems like a good one for a first experience. And it's practically in my own backyard! Ugh, how I want to gooo. I wanted to enjoy it with J because he's one of the few people I know who likes electronic music and loves dancing to it, but unfortunately he wasn't sure if he'd still be in the area this summer so we decided against buying the tickets. It turns out he's coming to visit me the same weekend EDC's going on though, so perhaps I can convince him to drop the $65 anyway...

Had my candy/friendship bracelets all ready too :(

Anime Expo (AX)
I was intending to attend this with J like I did last year. But again, we weren't sure if he'd still be in the area by the time July rolled around so we didn't get tickets. I can still go by myself, but what would be the point of that? lol I didn't bother making a costume so I'd just be the random weirdo taking photos of everyone. Not that anyone would mind, I think, but still. It's okay being nerdy if you're doing it with a group, but there's something a little sad about going to these things by yourself...

Awesome fan art poster of FF7's Vincent that I bought at last year's AX

ccc from scratch

Just when I've been anticipating making chocolate chip cookies from scratch for the first time, I gather all my ingredients only to realize that I don't have enough butter. But I was intent on baking tonight, so I substituted the 1 cup of butter for 1/2 a cup of butter, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, and a giant spoonful of peanut butter. Not exactly ideal, and nothing kills me more than tarnishing a CCC recipe with peanut butter, but I was desperate to make it work.


They came out alright but still much flatter than I wanted them to be. I haven't experimented much with baking cookies from scratch, so if anyone ever reads this and has a recipe for a fat and chewy CCC, please do post it!

Here's what I arbitrarily used:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• approximately 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• (totally forgot to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract!)

Oy, now my fingers smell like butter.

i'm a creeper

I just legitimately facebook-stalked one of the higher-level SC2 players before turning to myspace-stalking one of the most popular SC2 commentators on youtube.

...and more awesome artwork

J thinks I'm a "suuuper stalker-ish fan girl." Coming from the guy who suggested I should try to friend the FB player because we apparently have a mutual friend.

I really don't know why I'm so nosy about these people. But in terms of sanity, certainly I'm still magnitudes above Twilight fan girls?

lol wat?

bro: hey hey
bro: do you want alcohol? haha
me: lol omgosh
me: why
me: what kind

Even though I'm old enough to buy alcohol and he's not. Haha I'm pretty shameless.

me: i'm going to get you wasted when you come back
bro: haha
bro: what the?!

Why does he sound so surprised? HE just offered ME alcohol, so I was only trying to return the gesture...

catch up

Today I got to see a couple of my lovely girlfriends and we caught up over boba at this place called AU79. The service was pretty slow but we kept ourselves occupied with chit chat and the Lakers v. Celtics game while we waited for our drinks. It was really fun hanging out with them and it made me realize how much everyone's grown over the past 4 years. And it kind of begs the question of whether I've matured as much as they have. I'd like to think so :)

In other news, I discovered that there's pink boba. I have no idea what makes it different from regular boba besides its color (yes, it's actually pink!), but according to Irene it seems chewier than the normal black pearls. Huh.

mini boba, pink boba, regular boba!

Oh yeah, I don't know if it was just me, but whoever made my drink gave me, like, a lifetime's worth of boba. Even after I drank all the milk tea, a third of the cup was still filled with tapioca. I would've felt a lot better about this if they hadn't run out of the mini boba that I originally wanted.

Maybe it's just my residual fondness for smaller bits of food from the days when I had braces, but I seem to get more satisfaction out of eating things when they're...fun-sized :P

black works well with everything

Felt like doing my nails but wanted to minimize the stress of trying to keep the polish off my skin, so I opted for just black tips on a sheer beige base. I find it difficult to shape my nails into the standard square or "squoval" because they actually curve into the nail bed rather than just laying flat.



I didn't use tape or anything, just free-handed it so it's not exactly the neatest. I've found that it's much easier to pivot your nail and let the color get dragged onto it instead of maneuvering the brush around your nail.

Oh yeah, my black polish was kind of difficult to worth with because it's gotten really thick. Might be a sign that I need to get a new one, but I just added a drop or two of nail polish remover into the bottle to thin it out. Typically, you want to do this on your nail instead of putting it into the bottle itself, since adding too much remover over time will probably ruin your polish. But again, having to add it in the first place probably means you need a new one anyway :P

shredded

Yesterday, while rummaging through a small pile of clothes that's been sitting on my bed since I've moved back home, I found my attempt at a Raquel Allegra-inspired shredded tee. A DIY tutorial can be found here.

Once you get started, it's really addictive and oddly satisfying. I think I went a little overboard with mine...but all in the name of experimentation! I haven't tried to do it again since because I'm still working up the nerve to wear this one out in public. It might be a little too stretched out to stay on anymore...

sc + cnn = !@#$

I got on YouTube today and under "Recommended for You," I was linked to this baby:

Curious, I clicked on it to see what they had to say. By no means was I expecting an accurate portrayal of StarCraft, especially from a mainstream media network, but I never imagined it could be so hilariously bad.

"Gamers choose one of three tribes in an intergalactic fight to control the universe's natural resources." lol I don't even know what to say about this. Yes...but no. Races > Tribes. Ignoring the gushing enthusiasm that sounds almost like mockery as she describes her "life-or-death struggle," her explanation is pretty watered down, which is fine since it's an introduction to something that not many are familiar with. But damn, it's characterizations like this that makes gamers seem so dorky for even spending time on games like this!

I'm not a hardcore gamer so I can't get TOO defensive, but this is the first PC game I've ever played so it is rather near and dear to my little heart. Point is, it's not as silly as the reporter made it sound. Otherwise it wouldn't have become a competitive sport over which tournaments are held and where actual money is at stake. And it's still popular 12 years after its release in 1998, with a second installment on its way.

Looking forward to StarCraft II's upcoming release in July!

i'm too poor for this but maybe someday

(Fashionology Finger Armor Ring)

(Novica Malachite 'Princess Trio' ring)

I've never spent more than $10 on any piece of jewelry, probably because I don't wear it on a regular basis and therefore deem it okay to pick up inexpensive things from places like Forever 21 and H&M. But even if I did wear these purchases all the time, I'd probably end up with those notorious green stains that come from reactions between sweat, oxygen, and mixed metals.

So I'd rather invest in things that won't discolor my fingers, even if they're a bit pricier. It's just a matter of when I'll be able to afford it without selling my soul. Above, some cool looking rings I found while poking around luluandyourmom. Her ability to wear so much jewelry while still managing to get through her days is amazing to me. But maybe that's just because I just suck at being a jewelry-savvy girl.

dress codes

Women seem to have a lot more options compared to men in terms of workplace clothing (at least when it comes to business casual attire), but that also means we have a higher probability of offending someone for whatever reason.

Case in point: http://www.businessinsider.com/debrahlee-lorenzana-citi-2010-6

First of all, there are so many ways to interpret business casual. In that particular case, it looks like she was going for a stricter interpretation of this vague dress code. But despite her displayed wardrobe falling well within the boundaries of what can be considered business casual, I can see why her managers claimed to be "distracted" by her presence.

So who should have been responsible for dealing with this issue? I'm sure the employee knew that some of her outfits were more provocative than others, not because of their designs per se but because of her body type. However, does that mean she should have made an effort to limit her choices to pant suits and turtlenecks? Or should her bosses have stopped thinking with the wrong heads and just let the matter go?

I'm more inclined to go with the latter solution. Especially because I know how hard it is to find clothes that will (in the case of bottoms) fit me without the assistance of a belt while simultaneously accepting the relatively heavier proportions of my bottom half. Seriously, I've never found a pair of pants that fit me perfectly. So maybe I'm a little biased against people who can so blatantly discriminate against someone for things that she can hardly control.

Plus, who tells a woman that she can't wear heels to work? I don't care for wearing heels regularly myself, but I'd hate to have that option taken away from me. It seems to be common knowledge that many of us will go to crazy lengths to look good anyway, so why rain on our parade?

a bone to pick

What frustrates me most about fashion's take on female jeans is its limited utility! It seems like I'd have to sacrifice looking good if I wanted the same kind of convenience that guys enjoy from their pants. Jeans have always felt kind of restrictive for me, especially in high school when I ran track and my butt and thighs were massive! lol Stretch denim became my best friend, needless to say. And now that tight pants are in vogue, I have a hard time finding a pair that will also accommodate my monstrous calves. Is there no compromise that allows for looking nice AND being comfortable for us bottom-heavy people?

Plus, what's with the small pockets? Are they small because designers assume we're going to use purses to carry all our things? Maybe I'd rather fit all my necessities into some substantial pockets than have to carry a purse when I go out and do things that inevitably require the use of my hands...

Speaking of hands, jewelry is pretty much the same story. I'd love to decorate myself with crazy pieces and I love the look of certain styles, but I also love comfort and convenience. Is this problem just inherent to female fashion?


(Clover Web Bracelet)


(Clover Four Finger Web Bracelet)

it should be free

(Stylestalker Vulture Dress)

Imagine my delight when I first laid eyes on this dress, sexy with its laced panels and leg-baring hemline but sophisticated in its conservative black. Pair it with some sky-high heels and you're set for a night out!

And then I caught sight of the $149 price tag and was instantly crushed.

Even though I'm usually pretty good about keeping my sartorial wants to a minimum, these Stylestalker dresses are just oh-so-tempting. I even considered dipping into my savings to purchase one, but then the moment passed and I got the better of myself.

So I had the crazy thought of making one myself with my laughable sewing skills. And based on some info I learned from a really interesting talk, which I'm linking below, this doesn't infringe on any copyright laws. Kind of academic (which some may associate with "boring") but it's enlightening, I promise :)

And now I'll end on the pretext that I might actually overcome my laziness to take advantage of this information...

baby steps

GO, little baby! :D

First post. I need to get to sleep soon, so I'm going to make this quick. Let my reasons for starting this blog be known to all!

Need a place to:

• rant about things that J doesn't really care for, like fashion, hair, and makeup :P
  
• dump photos of aforementioned things
• rant about things that the girlfriends don't really care for, like games and anime :P
• have one-sided conversations about topics that I don't normally discuss with others
• experiment with creative writing anonymously

...and probably many other things! This is going to become a pretty eclectic collection if I manage to post regularly. But anyone who knows me at all knows that I love to hoard things, and what better place to do it than over the internet? :D