Bat Poop and Cobwebs

The unexpected becomes even more unexpected, as we realize that we are not in fact going to be living with Matt's parents,
but we are moving into an apartment in his uncle's barn.
It's a cute little place down by the creek, but it's been abandoned for years and there's bats in the attic making it smell like bat poop.
So we've been cleaning and fixing the place up for the past few days, and it's looking great.
Now I am convinced that cobwebs have a smell,
and I've realized I'm more scared of centipedes than bats.
Who knew?
This will be an adventure, for sure!
But now it's time to make sure I shower everyday for all the Christmas events and stuff...

Life on the Run

Yesterday we decided to move.
In two weeks.
I know a lot of people just pick up and move like *that*,
and I know I've moved after taking only 2 days to pack,
but jeez, talk about being emotionally unprepared!
I've been living the cushy life of a married student,
who doesn't have cleaning checks and doesn't have to move out every few months
so now the thought of cleaning my apartment-no,
my hand is still bandaged- even the thought of Matt having to clean the apartment
is making me stressed.
I know silly, right?
And I'm wondering if I'll even be able to say goodbye to everyone amidst all these finals!
D:
In my head, I am a very impulsive and idealistic person,
who takes life at a running pace and makes crazy last minute decisions just to shake things up.
But I think I've mentioned before that the "me" in my head is very different from the "me" in real life, right?
But this is the right choice,
we know it is.
I will miss Utah and its magical mountains!

Scurvy

(credit)

Thanksgiving aside, this week has consisted of me being glued to the couch in front of my computer, munching on crackers and ice cream, reading fashion blogs and ogling tumblr's instead of working on my term paper.
Yeah.
Thanksgiving was lots of fun.
We drove the 5 hours up to Idaho with no car stereo, and if you know how much of music geeks Matt and I are, you know that it was a miracle we didn't go insane.
It was neat to see Idaho, Rexburg is a super cute town.
The problem with going there right after a blizzard is the streets were practically paved with ice and snow and it stayed well below freezing the whole time we were there.
I liked the trip though, and now that's one more state I've been to!

My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, so that means I need to finish my paper this weekend.
What's funny is I never could have imagined that this was what my senior year would be like,
a scrambling to get things done in the wake of medical problems.
At least life is never boring, huh?
Cause if we knew everything like how it would happen, that would be boring.
Anyways, here's to a good night of writing!

Post

Here's to writing until I feel like writing again.
So, Thanksgiving is coming up,
and even though somehow the story of pilgrims and indians makes me a little uncomfortable inside,
I find it easy to enjoy the holiday nonetheless
you know, cause it's a good reminder to take time and think of all we have to be thankful for.

I'm getting wrist surgery sometime within the next month
and will not be able to use my right hand for a while.
(and, by the way, I'm right-handed)
It's kind of a daunting idea but
it's been more fulfilling and rather more necessary than usual
to remember all I have, instead of focusing on what I don't have.

For one,
I am grateful for maple sugar candy, and family that loves us
and a nice husband who will share his birthday present with me
and let me eat his candy
:)

Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past

This is me warding off vampires today.
(I've been reading Dracula, and I must confess, I am a little obsessed)

Today was a pretty bleak day, but I will exercise my gratitude...
3 good things that happened today:

1. I bought a nice fluffy scarf the color of the sunset (see photo)
2. I left my ancient philosophy class happily daydreaming about Greece and Turkey and the Aegean Sea and 300 Spartans
3. I caught all my bus transfers at the most opportune times possible.


Well, here ends my 30 days challenge that took WAY longer than 30 days

...also, I promise I will be less delinquent in my blogging.. >.>

Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.

Playing violin.
Me + violin = 11 years of friendship

Day 28 – Your favorite movie.

(credit)

Star Wars
Which one?
Return of the Jedi has traditionally been my favorite,
even though I think The Empire Strikes Back is actually a better movie...
But I think I liked it when I was a kid because that's the movie
where you see Darth Vader turn into a good guy at the end,
and everyone was happy, and everything was great.
It doesn't hurt that the movie has ewoks, too.

Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?

August '09, Berkeley CA
Climbing the victorian fire escape
on my sister's church building.
I was a wee newlywed then,
emerging from the hardest semester of my undergrad career,
and this was my summer vacation.


October '10, Orem UT
Easing my way into the stormy season with a cup of hot chocolate
and a chopstick as a drink mixer.

Last year, I was still trying to figure out who I was
and how I fit into society
as a 20 year-old newlywed metalhead Mormon college-student.
Now, I think I am more of an in-the-moment person,
not so afraid of people knowing embarrassing facts about me,
not so afraid of the "real" me.
At least I think that's how I've changed.

Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.

New York!
I took this picture from the Empire State Building.
I went with the high school band.
I want to go again sometime,
a time when I won't have to follow the chaperones around like a lemming,
and when I'm not stressed out about being places on time.
Someday, right? :)

Day 25 - What's in your purse?

Phone
Wallet
Keys
A packet of Kleenex
Chapstick
A fold-up hairbrush
A pen

Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.

My moogle,
because Matt bought it for me and uses it to cheer me up sometimes,
by using the word "Kupo!" in all his sentences.
His name is Mog.

Day 23 – 15 facts about you.

1. I do not have pierced ears
2. I've never been to Alcatraz
3. I love fancy beverages
4. I have lots of stuffed animal ducks all named "ducky"
5. I cry easily during movies
6. I don't like how my toenails look unless they're painted
7. I love veggie/tofu meat
8. I love baking but not so much cooking. Yet.
9. I like dressing up in cosplay/larping outfits randomly in my room.
10. I love Celtic new age music.
11. I loved Xena Warrior Princess when I was little.
12. I have a large collection of colorful socks.
13. I love Star Wars.
14. I am apparently a "natural" at bowling.
15. My name means "gold."

Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

Dear left wrist,
It's been almost a month now
You keep hurting me and I don't know why.
I can't play violin like this
I can't do lots of housework
I feel so useless when you hurt me.
I keep thinking I'm getting better
but the pain always comes back.
Why are you hurting me?
If this continues much longer, I will have to seek intervention from a licensed professional.
Plzthx,
Jin

Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.

My violin

Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.

"Scribblings"
Because I like notebooks
I like to jot down random thoughts,
poems,
pretty sounding words,
sometimes pictures,
or sometimes just scribbles in the margins.

My notebooks are really where my artistic nature
thrives best
so the name's a tribute to my notebook,
I guess.

Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.

Last Halloween,
Queen of Hearts

Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.

Gyros.
I definitely crave these.
A lot.

(credit)

Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.

Left to right: sis, hub, me, and mum

Credit: Ryan Tseng

Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.

"Who's scruffy-looking?"

Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.

My going-out-of-the-house list consists of
phone, wallet, keys
but I think that's kinda how most people's are, right?

So a few more unconventional things I usually bring are
chapstick, hairbrush, and gum.

I used to bring a water bottle too,
but not so much anymore.

Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.

I don't watch TV
sorry
boring post

Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?

Within Temptation,
because Sharon is my favorite female singer ever
and they are oh so theatrical
and very melodic

Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.

This what it looks like on a summer morning,
Taking a walk to the shopping center.

Day 11 - What's in Your Makeup Bag?

- Bobby pins
- A fake pearl bracelet
- Black pencil eyeliner that I bought at a dollar store in high school.. -_-*
- Pencil sharpener, for said pencil liner
- Mascara, a Shiseido sampler from like, 2005
- Liquid black eyeliner
- Fake eyelashes
- Nail filer
- Curel lotion
- Mary Kay oil mattifier
- Black/grey/silver, blue and purple eyeshadow
- Urban decay eyeshadow primer
- Compact mirror
- Hairtie
- "Raisin" colored lipstick
- MAC Blacktrack gel eyliner
- Powder
- Clear and "fig" colored nail polish (I LOVE fig!)

Now you know my random assortment of makeup that I don't use 60% of the time XD;

Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.

(credit)

Kind of an ugly picture...
But yes!
I have been going on a gyro kick lately
and this place has wonderfully
fast-foody savory gyros.
Yeah.

Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.

So, I've been a horrible slacker with this 30-day thing...

This is a pair of socks I bought at Target yesterday
Purple and ripped and altogether interesting

The weather forecast for tomorrow is thunderstorms
So maybe it can fit into my first day of school outfit after all!

Day 8 – A song to match your mood.

Slothfully waking up from
my reclusive world,
emerging into the sunlight, the heat, the sounds of sidewalks and intersections,
in preparation for the new school year,
the best and the last year.
Shaking the numbness of hibernation away,
restoring feeling and life,
reawakening to joy and to familiar but forgotten frustrations,
eagerly awaiting the beginning.

Day 7 – Your dream wedding.

My wedding was everything I dreamed of and more,
in terms of happiness and smiling until your face hurts
(that's a requirement, you know?)

Of course, if I left it at that,
this would be a very boring blog post.
As for the more trivial wedding details, there's always room to dream, right?

Like crazy dresses with lots of roses on them,
(credit)

And this amazing cake,
which I can't post a picture of because it's copyrighted...


Bouquet...
(credit)

You get the idea.
I wish I had found some of these sites while I was planning my wedding!
Or maybe not.
It's not like I could have afforded it anyways. :P

Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.

So. Cute.

Not sure how they'd be as pets, though...

(credit)

I first fell in love with baby seals in Canada,
when I bought a stuffed animal at a touristy gift store.
I've never seen one in real life,
but maybe someday.

Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.

Llama fest '08, me posing with afro-llama.
Aaaand, I still look the same!
Except less tan >_>

Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

Me and my Matt,
partners in adventure since December 2007.

Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.

Upon the third moon of Jupiter,
We spread our blanket on the grass
And talked and ate and watched as the sun set
Behind alien trees and purple clouds.

*(credit)

So Matt was peeking over my shoulder
as I was working on this picture, and said,
"On your ideal first date we'd be dressed up visual kei too?"
and I said, "Yes."

*yes, I made this picture too... don't judge :P

Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today (or in my case, yesterday)

I know, this is a bad picture...
I was feeling sick yesterday,
hence the soup,
the one day late post,
and the bad lighting
(I hate turning on the lights when I have a headache)
I am feeling better today though!
Yay, soup!

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was

Today,
I woke up to the faint glow of my aquarium-themed nightlight and the sound of my alarm, "One More Magic Potion", at 4:25am.
I went to work, it was ok, my sprained(?) wrist was hurting me a little more than usual, but I had lots of food to snack on, which = good mood.
When I got home, I was kinda bored and lethargic so Matt suggested that I go running, and it was just such an outlandish idea that I did -- I ran a distance of three blocks, for the duration of one and a half Sonata Arctica songs. It was great! It was the first time I had run in about a year. My body didn't feel bad, but my lungs just about shriveled up and died from inhaling so much dry air. And I sweat like craaazy! It was great.

(me after running)

Then it was decided that tonight would be date night, so after a series of "What do you wanna do?" "I dunno"s, Matt and I went to the art museum, which was awesome, and then a Mexi-Salvadorian restaurant, which was ok, and then a park in Orem, which was good but I got really tired at that point because I hadn't taken a nap today.
And now I am writing this and getting ready for bed, which kinda sucks because its way past my bedtime.
Oh well, Day 1 = accomplished!

30 day blog challenge

So my friend posted this on facebook, and I thought it looked neat and decided to take the challenge :)
Expect an update from me later today, and feel free to join in!

30 day blog challenge:
Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past

In Dreams

Matt and I started watching his Lord of the Rings extended edition bonus features two years ago, right around the time we got engaged.

(credit)

On July 24, 2010, we finally finished all six discs of bonus features.

Now it kinda feels like I've said goodbye to an old friend...

The bonus features are beautiful, hilarious, and eye-opening.
I highly recommend it!

Babies

So, I've never been one to be really obsessed with babies or small children.
But last Sunday, the kids I work with at church were being so cute,
and then we visited some friends who had a baby that was so cute,
and I came home and couldn't stop talking about babies the whole night.

And I know I'm just asking for it now,
"So when are you having kids?"
And the answer is still, "Not for a long time"
But I just thought it was a significant milestone,
this affection for babies,
like a sign that my maternal instincts aren't broken.
It makes me happy.

(*credit)

Quarter-asian babies are adorable.
It's kinda weird knowing that my babies will be more Italian than asian,
but that's the way it goes, huh?

Consequently, I am way excited to see my nieces next month.
Also way excited to see California again.
I've been really California-hungry lately.
I miss koi ponds.
:3


* Does anyone know who this photo's by? I got it off Flickr a long time ago but now I can't find it to credit! :C

Cormorant

4th of July weekend felt a lot longer and a lot more epic than it seemed 2 days could hold. I am still recovering from the epicness, just barely touched my to-do list for the first time in 4 days. I didn't even watch any fireworks, except for the one that someone lit off behind our house which fizzled out as soon as it reached its height. I have really nice in-laws. The house is always so quiet after they leave.
I took my passport photos yesterday, and they are quite bomb, if I do say so myself. I was comparing my old passport photo to my new one. My old one was from 2002, so I would have been 12 or 13. I remember it was a hot day, we had driven to San Francisco for some reason and I was super sweaty and not excited to find out that I was having my picture taken. And of all colors, I was wearing powder blue. Powder blue! The bane of my existence, for some reason I always seem to have important articles of clothing in powder blue, one of the top 10 colors to un-flatter my skin tone. I looked terribly disgruntled, as evidenced by my half-smile in the picture.
Yesterday, instead of driving to a ritzy office in a big city, I took my picture at a Walgreens, in front of a pull-down screen in the chip aisle. But I was confident, prepared-grown up. And the picture turned-out great. Putting the pictures side by side, I couldn't help but wonder if my 12 year-old self saw me turning into the person I am today, and if she would be happy.
I think yes.
Anyways, I'm really happy with the picture that is going to represent me to all the customs offices I come into contact with for the next 10 years. Now, let's see if I can get my Driver's License picture better the second time around...

Marmot

Recent obsessions:
-Baking cupcakes
-Growing my hair out
-Breton folk music

Recent struggles:
-Neck sprain
-Not sleeping well
-Strained and watery eyes
-How to be antisocial and not have people hate you
-Not enough hours in a day

Recent joys:
-Spontaneous days
-Wearing flip-flops
-Long conversations with Matt
-My CD coming in the mail
-Trying a cool new recipe
-http://www.gothsinhotweather.com/

Blur

Yesterday was a complete blur to me. I have a bad habit of catastrophically upsetting my sleep schedule on my weekends, resulting in dazed wanderings and forgetful mumblings and other general silliness. I don't even remember falling asleep, just that I had gone to lay down on the foot of the bed, and then next thing I know Matt is smiling at me and tucking me in and I sleep on my stomach and dream about attacking a giant turtle in my backyard.
Ugh.
I have yet to figure out my attack plan for the day, but playing violin for 3 hours sounds like a good plan, right? I need one of those days.

Can I have ears like that?

A few nights ago I dreamt about phoenix down and floating leaves in a grove filled with sunlight. In the same dream I played in a band with elves, who, being elves, had extra-sensitive hearing and could hear sound frequencies that us humans couldn't. They would use sounds with those frequencies in our music, because they were "so cool," and I would just have to keep grooving even though I couldn't hear what they were playing. It was pretty cool.
Last night I had a nightmare about still being at that Battle of the Bands we played two nights ago. We were there for six hours, and it was way past my bedtime. I had been awake for 22 hours by the time I finally got home and went to bed. But I dreamt that the last band was still playing and we were still there, waiting for them to finish. Oh. The horror! I can't.

The madness has finally ended, we will not be playing any more shows for the rest of the summer! I'm excited to write, and have normal weekends again. I will, however, miss having an excuse to slather my eyelids with black gel and wear heavy boots in the summer. Fun times, fun times!

Smoothie Making Season

Thus begins smoothie-making season: aka the time of the year when I start sweating all through work, and come home to a house that has no air conditioning and a broken swamp-cooler. Who would have thought that the skills I learned at Jamba Juice would one day come back and save my life?
On the other hand, the heat helped my fingers move more freely tonight for an hour of blissful violin playing. The neighbors had their door open while watching sports. There was a group of four guys in my kitchen playing D&D amiss the noise of the fan. No one could hear me, therefore, my playing was fantastic. Cause, you know, we all play amazingly when no one is listening, right? We're all secretly virtuoso players.
Recently I've been thinking about California. I saw some ducklings by the bell tower the other day, and I thought of how many more ducklings there would be back in the Shores, and, how many more goslings there would be, small and awkward and grey, with their mothers hissing at you and/or stopping traffic and being generally obnoxious so you really can't enjoy their cute babies. But I love them. Then I decided my car air filter smelled like the Caltrain. (is that good or bad...?)
I guess I write about the seasons a lot >_< I love it though. I know it's so hippie of me, but I really just want to be in tune with nature. Wake up when the sun comes up, go to bed a few hours after it goes down. Be outside, take naps outside, read and write under a tree, something like that. Something. Where is my tree, now?

Something to Write Down and Not Forget

So, I drive to work at 5am, right? And I live off of a 3 lane 45mph speed limit road. Usually a really busy street, but at 5am there's practically no one.
I guess that's what most people figure, too.
Because this one day I saw a guy skateboarding down the middle of the road. At 5am. Down that big hill. It was dark. He was wearing black. I panicked for a second and then realized he was completely in control and not in danger of getting hit by anyone. And then I thought that was kinda neat. Kind of really neat.
What prompted him to skate down that hill at 5 in the morning? What kind of sane person gets up that early?
My neighborhood is kind of awesome sometimes.

Fiendish

I did something very uncharacteristically real-me today. I was parking near campus and when I noticed that the car parked in front of me had a California license plate and a San Francisco Giants license plate border. It pretty much made my day. So what did I do in return for that person's car making my day? I wrote "Yeah, SF! Go Giants! :)" on the corner of a piece of paper, tore it off, and stuck it under their wipers.
It was funny, because this was very uncharacteristic real-me, but very characteristic ideal-me. I was kind of proud of myself. Then I started having silly thoughts, like, what if that was someone I already knew? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?
Whatever. I like to think it was a complete stranger and that I made their day after they realized that slip of paper was not a parking ticket. :)

The Moon Says Hello to the Evening Star

On the first summer night of the year, we payed our respects to the city of Ogden and played some metal.
It was a long drive, not many friends came, but between other bands and family it was a pretty good crowd. I took an insane amount of pictures. I learned that you can't headbang very well in 4-inch heels. We met two guys from Katagory V. We ate at Red Robin with a party of 16. I slept the whole way home. It was pretty epic.
The stars and moon are much brighter in Ogden, I got a picture of the moon and evening star (I'm assuming that's what it was), doesn't do it justice at all, but still neat, yes? Maybe?
So, three more shows in the next four weeks. I sure hope my energy doesn't give out on me! Chugging vitamin drinks should help, right?
Today I braided my hair, did pilates, and wore a white t-shirt all day. I also made up a song about wondering where my husband was. I guess he must have snagged a last-minute job this morning and left while I was still asleep. Either that or he already had this job and I had just forgotten about it.
Oh, days off. I wish I had more food in the fridge. Love, Jin.

Start Up the Engines!

Today I felt like I was being replaced by a machine again.
If the above thought had not occurred to me, it really would have been quite neat, the huffing and puffing of air pressure reminded me of steampunk movies and it all looked so kitschy sci-fi, I was rather amused.
I made taco soup that was waaay too spicy. FYI, crushed red pepper is not an ok substitute for chili powder. XD;

Maybe It's a Good Thing

My worries for the day are gone with the wind, blown out the window of a gothic cathedral and eaten by gargoyles.
Music is really calming, and my neighborhood is beautiful, can I just say that?
I found out that my hours are being reduced by two hours a day until work picks up again.
So I walked home with my parka and scarf bundled in my arms, biting my lip, wondering how I was going to break the news to my husband and thinking all sorts of inane worries.
My music was on shuffle, I heard this song, and everything was better. Everything.
I have comfort music like lots of people have comfort food.
An extra two hours a day isn't so bad huh? That's two more hours of sunlight I can enjoy. Two more hours of this short and fleeting springtime.

Kitchen Window

Is it just me, or is there something magical about kitchen windows? No? Well you have to hear this, then, let me convert you!
So growing up sometimes I lived in small, old, and run-down apartments. Like, there was a tree and plants thrown in the courtyard just for good measure, but no one ever tended them and they spent most the year kind of brownish around the edges. Like, our power outlets only had two slots in them instead of three. Like, it was a one-bedroom for my entire family. That kind of deal.
But, we were also lucky enough to live with the back of our place, where all the windows were, along a line of trees that protected us from a downhill slope and the gaze of civilization. So with our overgrown gardens and looming trees and cramped conditions sometimes I liked to pretend I lived in a little hideout, an abandoned house, or ancient ruins--something stained with age and overgrown with green. It made me love my house. Love my life a little more.
One of my favorites is watching the afternoon light come in through the kitchen window, watch the world turn greyish blue and watch the trees grow darker as the light fades. It's always seemed magical to me. And it's always been the kitchen window, it's always the one that's high enough and small enough where you can't see too much of reality, and you can actually believe you live in ancient ruins, or some other world far away from your problems.
I took a picture yesterday out of my kitchen window. It's not very satisfying, I don't think it captures really what I see in it. Outside of my window now I see the side of my neighbor's house. A side that doesn't get seen by just anyone walking down the street. On the side there is a stack of wooden boards leaning up against the fence that have been there for who-knows-how-long, and a window that's always open a little bit and stuffed with rolled up colorful towels (wonder what for). The house is a warm pale tan color, and is an older-fashioned house that has at least the facade of wood panels and the small squarish build that I love so much about old houses. And, of course, there is a big, tall, fat, wonderful tree right in front of our window. I love it! I love the view from my kitchen window. Always have. Maybe someday I will be able to capture it on film, this thing that I'm talking about, and if I haven't convinced you already, that picture will!

No Plans Day

Today I will have one plan: to have no plans.
I've been dying for a weekend. It is finally my weekend! I have Sunday and Monday instead of Saturday and Sunday off-bizarre, I know, but aren't I always?
Last Monday I spent shopping. But not relaxing I-don't-really-need-anything browsing shopping, it was more like errand shopping, but for clothes and normally fun stuff to shop for. Jeans shopping is suuuch a pain! Nothing fits right, looks right, or is priced right, and I embarrass myself by taking six different jeans into the dressing room and going back four different times. A pain! But now I have acquired two more pairs. Two is enough for now.
So Monday was not so much a day off.
But today is, today is! I don't even have band practice, and Saturday's without band practice feel like getting out of high school on a Friday afternoon with no sports practice or work after school. Glorious!
So today I will have no plans. It will be great. :)

Quick Update

For those of you wondering to know,
At 5am I don't feel so bad.
What's bad is
My eating schedule is messed up.
My sleeping schedule is messed up.
Leading to many headaches and stomach problems.
Or is it just weird food and dehydration...?
Gotta run!
It's ridiculous how busy I feel!
I will figure this out, I swear!

Here's the Question

Can I write a post in five minutes?
Turns out I had one more afternoon shift left for me. Why am I not excited...?
I am amazed by how many little birds there are by my house!
And I'm contemplating the ugly green blanket hanging over my window for sunblockage and optimal house-cooling. Wonder if that was a good idea.
Last summer I ate ramen and hot pockets everyday for lunch. Today I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I'm proud of myself for how much I've progressed.
This is gonna be a good summer, I can feel it!
The band has two shows lined up, every time we get further and further away from Provo and it makes me happy. Feels like we're taking over Utah! (even though we're really not)
I'm making a flyer. I'm really excited. Really, more excited than I should be. But it has dragons on it and it's the first horizontal concert poster I've ever seen before. How's that for awesome?
K, I went over 5 minutes.

Proud

I'm so proud of my husband. Today I dropped him off at the entrance of Provo High School for his first day of substitute teaching. Provo High! Who knew?
I think I was more excited about the whole process than he was, he applied for the job, they asked about his degrees and job experience, gave a surprised and interested "oh" as a response, and offered him an interview right then and there. Right then and there! (note: the concepts of having a relevant major and work experience and getting interviews offered on the spot are completely foreign to me)
So now he has a temporary job, even though just finding any job much less a temporary summer job is extremely rare these days. I'm so proud of my boy :)
...
Mornings are so lonely. I think I'd rather be alone at night than in the morning. Good thing, starting tomorrow I will be working 5am-12pm. Best shift ever, right? It'll be a first. I've done 6am before, and 5:30am once, but never 5.
Time to put some good tunes on my phone so I'll have something to listen to during my zombie-riffic work shifts!

Hello Monday!

This is the last Monday of the last full week of the semester! Lots, lots to do, yet all I can think of are three things:

Zaru Soba

(picture credit)

Jalapeno Poppers(picture credit)

Gladiator Sandals

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I hope I have made you sufficiently hungry and distracted :P
Summer is just around the corner! (but where is spring???) It'll be a long hard week, but soon this will be over! :D

Shimmering Travellin' Light

I never had much of a desire to travel the world when I was younger. People always told me, "You know when you get married you can't travel, right?" and I'd always shrug my shoulders and say that's ok, cause I'd already been to 3 different countries and I didn't have much of a desire to travel anyways.
A year and a half later, I want to travel.
Every other day I sit in the back of a classroom in the basement of the humanities building for my logic class, my back pressed up against pictures of everyday objects or Hannah Montana labeled in Spanish, and watch one of my TA's look up plane tickets to Belgium and maps of Europe on her laptop.
All of a sudden I want to go to Belgium.

After seeing friend after friend depart on study abroads, I've been giving more thought to the issue. Where would I like to travel? What kind of oh-so-touristy things would I like to see?

So far, here are some places/things I've decided I do want to see:

Athens - it was the place to be in the 4th century BC!
Mars Hill - the New Testament story I can most relate to, being such a geek about ancient Greece
birthplaces of various ancient Greek philosophers - Miletus, Stagira and the such. I'm a geek. 'nuff said.
Rome - absolutely the place to be in the ancient world.
Vatican City - I'm kind of a geek about medieval philosophy and Catholicism too. And it's one of the smallest countries in the world! In the middle of one of the most awesome countries in the world!
Sistine chapel - pretties. :3
Ireland - I love celtic music, celtic folklore, the Cranberries, and oh yeah I'm Irish too!
Stonehenge - It was built by aaaaliens!
a gothic cathedral - I used to be obsessed with vampires and listen to bands that dressed like 17th century french aristocrats and danced around in cathedral-like settings. I used to be obsessed with vampires, I meant. I still listen to the bands.
Tokyo - because anyone who's ever watched anime wants to go to Tokyo.
the Lindt chocolate factory - I love that stuff! :D
Disneyworld - to see if it really is better than Disneyland. It probably is.

Where are some places you'd like to go?

Kindergarten Dreaming

Last night I dreamt about eating Easter candy. Cadbury eggs, to be specific.
Ohhh, I wish it were reeeaaaal!!!
Instead I ate ants-on-a-log for breakfast.
But still.
I feel pretty awesome today, not gonna lie.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

This is my goal for the week: See beauty in all things.
It's so hard right now, especially since it's the border season between winter and spring, and I sooo want spring to be here, right now and I just get impatient with nature and want it to hurry up already, bring me flowers! Colors! But I forget that leaf-less trees still have their beauty, and even the yellow grass and brown dirt poking through bald spots on lawns.

Did you know I used to want to live in a field with yellow grass?
So, remember how when you're little, you'd always get assignments in school that ask you to write a paper on where you see yourself in 10 years?
I used to get this picture in my head of living in a house in the middle of a field of yellow grass, on the edge of a line of trees. It was a pale yellow house, old fashioned and wooden, small and old and creaky but cute. I had a big window in front that was right in front of my desk, a husband in the house and three (or more? O_o) little kids running around outside. I had a type-writer, too, which I used it for my work, which I did typing at my desk, and looking at the view out my window.

Of course that wouldn't have been 10 years from when I had to write those essays (or did I really think I would have three kids by the time I was 22?) and what kind of job would really let you use a typewriter these days? But I'm really bad at dreaming about my future, so this has been an image I've always come back to.
I do like the idea of a desk by a window. And I know Matt would like an old fashioned small-ish house.
I don't know where I want to be in 10 years, I'll have to work on that and get back to you all.
But I do like this childish dream I used to have, it amuses me and yet, I can almost see it being reality someday.

De-motivation

Have you realized that the word demotivation almost has the word "demon" in it? Pretty rad, huh?
So I'm having one of those days, where my motivation and good mood has seeped out my ears and down the heating vents. Why do they always conspire against me? Together? (or is that redundant...) I'm wearing my pink shoes and striped socks which totally don't match. I have exhausted facebook and my blogspot feed for possible entertainment and distraction. Third on the list, (which I hardly have to resort to, mind you, this is for dire needs only) is MLIA.
So, if this site is an accurate representation of teenage interests, that would be really neat, cause then I could pretend like I am more in touch with pop culture than I actually am. If this is correct, teenagers today are interested in: Twilight, Transformers, Harry Potter, Batman, and hating Miley Cyrus. I have seen at least one of all the above movies, including several episodes of Hannah Montana (yeah, that's right). I'm still cool. This is good news.
Now I feel adequately courageous to turn in my prospectus.

Cite This

Yesterday I wore two different deodorants, one on each armpit. I ran out of mine, and as if that weren't enough, the cartridge broke and got stuck in the stick and long story short I wore Matt's on the other armpit and went around confused all day whenever I got a whiff of it cause I smelled like a man.

And today, IIIIII wanna know: have you ever seen the ...snow? coming down on a sunny day? Cause I totally have, and I wanted to sing that song all day long! It was pretty much magical.

And That's All I Have to Say About That

You know what I thought about war? It's all an abuse of power. Holy war, just war, I don't wanna hear it. I think it's just plain stupid.
Think of it this way. Say you argue with your girlfriend/boyfriend. Instead of talking it over, working it out, either just between the two of you or with a counselor, you get all your friends to beat up her friends and family, your friends who know how to shoot guns to shoot his/her friends and family, and your friends who know how to make bombs to drop them on his/her friends, and family. And home. And everything to make her say, "Ok, you were right." Or, at least, "I will pretend you are right, because I have lost too much."
Is this okay?
No, it's stupid, right?
Is this a fair comparison? Of course.
What are kings and presidents but human beings? They are just human beings with power. And they abuse it.
Sad, isn't it?
Sorry, I don't mean to be depressing.
But this is so true! And you're thinking, yeah, but politicians can't just "talk things over."
Well...
So I know a lot of people hate Reagan. But for some reason, I ended up doing a report about him in high school. Did you know he and Gorbachev "talked things over," thus preventing the Cold War from escalating into bloodshed? Isn't this amazing?
Shouldn't this not be amazing? Shouldn't this be, I dunno, common sense?

And this be the hippie in me.

Recycle what?

Have you ever wondered why the Recycling Bin on your desktop is called a Recycling Bin? I mean, what do we recycle? Do our old essays and blurry pictures and lolcats really get turned into something else after we delete them? I always thought that when I deleted stuff the old files just disappeared into oblivion, but apparently I'm wrong. The pixels from blurry pictures get channeled back to t3h Interwebs or Adobe Photoshop and are regrouped into a magnificent new picture that boasts "100% recycled material," right?
No, seriously, why have I never noticed this before? What is this desktop recycling business all about?

Bangs

Confession: I love bangs.
Short bangs, long bangs, side-swept bangs, pretty much every kind except for the 80's poof kind.
But tragedy - I can't pull them off! I mean, I look ok, but my greasy skin and aversion to showering in the mornings does not mesh well with little bits of hair hanging over my forehead. My bangs would absorb all the grease from my forehead and get all clumpy and oily and it was not pretty.
It's true, I still think about getting bangs from time to time. But don't worry, I restrain myself.

I think it's about time I honored some good wearers of bangs, don't you?

Exhibit A: Mana

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Mana was pretty much the reason I took scissors to my hair the summer after middle school - I wanted to look like this. So, of course I am sentimentally attached to this kind of bangs. Looks really good with gothic styles and outfits, if you ask me!


Exhibit B: Zooey Deschanel

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So I watched the movie Yes Man and fell in love with Zooey's bangs. It probably helps that she's adorable, too.

Exhibit C: Audrey Hepburn

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I think Audrey Hepburn is the most Win when it comes to bangs. These extremely short bangs would make anyone else look ridiculous, but she makes it look classy, as with everything else she does. Absolutely amazing. Go Audrey!

Anticipation and 21

Yesterday was my 21st birthday.
To the right is the outfit I wore.
I realize I am a sucker for cloth flowers, especially cloth roses, on dresses. (see them? at the bottom? :D)
I remember going wedding dress shopping and really liking a dress I found with two white cloth roses on the hips. The lady helping me said, "You can take the flowers off if you want," but the flowers were my favorite part! I know it can look kinda tacky, but I love it. I'm in love with tacky cloth roses.

I opened presents in the car on the way to school, cause I always sleep in and almost make us late but I really wanted to open presents still. New pretty socks and a Versailles CD! Doesn't get much better than that. :)

Then I spent all night taking a test and failing miserably, after which we went out to dinner to try and cheer me up. Anyways, let's not talk about it... >_>

Today I found out that I actually graduate this December, and not next April, like I had assumed.
I spent the morning freaking out.

This December! 2010!
I'm still kind of freaking out, but excited. I can actually do things I like then! I can just read a book about Greek history instead of paying money to get tested on it!

Anticipation: December.

Study Skills 101

So I bring my kneaded rubber eraser with me to school. It makes me feel artsy. It also functions as my personal stress reliever.

Sometimes I use it for sculpting, too.

The harpoon-master!

I have such good study skills. I know.

(photos courtesy of my phone)

I'm in Love

Friday night.
I am procrastinating, and my husband has fallen asleep studying on the other side of the couch, book in hand.
I think he's gorgeous.
His socks are wearing thin on the bottoms, soon they will have holes, maybe I'll end up mending them. I wonder where I can get cute hello kitty/animal fabrics to mend things with, like the girl on Shaolin Soccer. I like mending things.
Friday nights aren't what they used to be, they're peaceful and calm now, I feel like I can make time stand still if I want to because there's no one around to tell me it's still moving. Everything melts off my shoulders - all the burdens and responsibilities, tests, assignments - melts like the butter I melted last night to make a pineapple upside-down cake. The cake that we finished off today. :)
Growing old together, enjoying cake. That's love.

Inspired

I have a goal of making goals this year. I was too preoccupied during the pre-New Year's season to adequately prepare any New Year's Resolutions, but never fear! There are benefits that come from being multi-cultural! I am, instead, going to do all my New Year's shenanigans on Chinese New Years instead (which also happens to be Valentine's Day, and Stake Conference... >_> )
I have been reading this blog. It has really inspired me, this girl is so full of life and joy and adventure, which is so rare and so wonderful.
This inspiration came at such a good time for me, this past year has been filled with unexpectedly hard semesters and work schedules and only now do I feel like I can live a relatively normal life again and finally breathe. But now I also find that I have neglected a lot of things, a lot of old skills and passion, and most of all, old friends. So now, I need to work extra hard to pick up the pieces, mend relationships, start new ones, find new passions and renew my old ones.
My dear friends, thanks for hanging in there for me even though I have been MIA for a very very long time. I don't even know where to begin, but I love you more than you even realize.
Dream big, embrace life, and love it.

Perfect Day

So yesterday, I was such a good girl after I got home from work. I tidied up the house, I practiced violin, I read my scriptures, washed some dishes, was kind to my husband, and didn't lose my temper at some inanimate object or get cranky and tired at all! I even wrote in my journal, and I didn't touch the computer once. And I enjoyed it!
Oh, if all weeknights could be like that.
But there is one thing missing from this equation: homework
D:
(Well, ok, three, I didn't cook dinner, that was Matt, and I didn't wear my retainers either. I hate retainers :P)
So, this is pretty much what I should be doing, everyday, if I want to live a balanced and responsible life (oh, did I mention I need a social life, too?) which makes me want to say...
When's it going to be the weekend?

Why Japantown Rules

This picture pwns.

Even if I did forget to do the peace signs. :3
I have a cool husband.

Tired

There's a Facebook app that calculates which words you use most in your status. My number one word was "tired." Tired? Who, me? No, never! Hah. Serious, I'm like a narcoleptic narco-phile narc-everything else (excluding narc-otics and narco-phobia). I used to sleep in and miss my 1pm classes. I'm tired when I'm sleep deprived, when I sleep too much, when I'm frustrated, sad, stressed, or have a full and content stomach. Sleepy sleepy sleep. Then I get mad at myself for wasting my life because soon I'm going to wake up fat wrinkly and balding and have trouble sleeping and then life will suck because my body will be hurting all the time and my children will have left me.

Gosh, I'm so positive.

All I can say is going from sleeping in until 10am (California time) to waking up at 5:40am (Utah time) the next day was not a good idea. I'm still adjusting. My eyes were watering up at work and the custodians didn't even have to spill ammonia this time.

Semester looks manageable, though. Two easy classes, two hard classes, two work days during the week.

I had my Levinas class today. There were two English teachers sitting in, one history major, and an English major who kept speaking Chinese to me. Husband and I have determined he must be a n00b RM.

I don't think I'll drop any classes, which, I am proud to say, makes me a full-time student again. Graduation, here I come... next year! :D