Me: In Pictures

Rules:

01. Answer each of the questions below using the [flickr] search engine.
02. Choose a photo from the first three pages.
03. Copy the URL of your favorite photos [mosaic tool] .
04. Then share with the world.




01. First Name
02. Favorite Food
03. Hometown
04. Favorite Color
05. Celebrity Crush
06. Favorite Drink
07. Dream Holiday
08. Favorite Dessert
09. What I Want To Be When I Grow Up
10. What I Love Most In The World
11. One Word That Describes Me
12. My Blog/Online Name [or something close to it]

Home Furishings

LOVE LOVE LOVE! I want it all =) someday...

Occupation: Student

After denying my existence as a student for the past 6 weeks, school has started and I'm slowly getting back into the routine. I got new school supplies, went to my first day of school, and even got my books. More than anything, I think, finally getting my books made me feel like a student again. I love the feeling of new books, and the smell of old ones. yeah, I'm a book smeller, so sue me.

The only problem is that I'm still not even sure what classes I'm going to take. I'm signed up for two so far, a seminar course and a independent study, both with my thesis advisor. both of which will be hard work, and one will be taking me closer to finishing the pesky thing called a thesis. the other class that I'm debating is my Italian course. I went to the first class meeting, and I felt how much I just.did.not.know. The instructor is this super nice lady, RosaMaria, who is authentically Italian--she's expressive in every sense of the word. And there's all different levels of students there, so I dont feel absolutely dumb, but I knew I should have brushed up on some vocab or something before I got there. She really values class participation, and while I'm not at all against participating, I found that I couldn't, simply because I had no words. Couldn't think up any adjectives, couldn't really remember proper sentence structure or even verbs. Super fail! So on top of re-teaching myself some Italian, I have to keep a vocabulary journal, I have to do an Italian presentation, and even that workbook that they make you do whenever you take a language class--that dreaded workbook, the mindless work, the workbook I loathe. All of this, and for what? I absolutely do not need this class. But then again, I have an opportunity to enrich myself, so why shouldn't I take it? Then again, it's Italian. Apart from speaking it in Italy, I wont use anything I learned once the class is over, and I will forget it all over again.

On the other hand, I could audit latin this semester. I like latin, its always been good to me, and for all the effort I put into it, I absolutely do not want to forget it. that being said, it'll be a combined class again, and auditing wont actually force me to do the work if I don't show up everyday. so the effectiveness of taking another latin course diminishes greatly.

To be honest, if I had my choice of taking any language course, it would be french. I know that I've said in the past that I've hated it and how horrible I am in it. But perhaps, just for those reasons, I'd want to get better because it does sound beautiful. Too bad none of the classes fit in with my schedule (or maybe I'm too scared to take it?)..

On another hand, I could audit the classical drama course. I always heard that it was a really great class to take, but I just never had room for it in my schedule as an undergrad. so why not take it now?

I got to get it together. School again on monday & I need to figure this out before the hw starts to pile up.

Tomorrow: miramar lake and dinner with the girls @ balboa park. hopefully it doesn't rain because our reservations are for outside dining!!!

The Good Kind of Cry.

Every once and a while, I enjoy a good cry. Not the glossy-eyed, dab away a few tears with a tissue, oh thats so sad, kind of cry. But the ugly, runny nose, rib shaking, gutteral sobbing, pillow in your face kind of cry. Although some people may think I'm crazy, and others just won't understand, I think there's just something cathardic about releasing all those emotions.

I'm naturally prone to tears. I cry too easily, its often embarrassing, and usually over something random and quite often than not, silly. I dont know if its whether I'm just a big cry baby, or because I've had my share of dark days, which makes me feel more than I ought. In my saddest moments, in the darkest years of my life, crying was a natural response to the everyday, every hour, every sunrise and saving sunset. I shed so many salty tears that their taste was familial, and the welling up of my eyes, not unexpected. Crying was an everyday occurance. I was acutely aware of my saddess, of my feelings, of what made me the happiest, and the times I felt despair.

Now that those days have passed, I still cry, but I hardly have those really good kinds of cries anymore. I can only get them by visiting with some sort of media, whether a movie, or book or something else that touches on what it means to live in a world that is beyond your control and reaches beyond the page, beyond the screen, and hits the shakes the bones within you. These days, I am less aware, less in touch, with the feelings of my own mind and soul. That's why I love the good kinds of cries. They put me back in touch with myself, with the emotions of my life, and make me feel something inherently personal that it strikes me as something essentially human. So while I may cry because I read something sad in a book, I am, almost always, never crying simply because of it.

And for a time afterwards, I do feel sad, but its a great time to reflect and meditate. I never feel like that being sad is neccessarily bad. An intensified awareness of yourself, I think, is never a bad thing.

When Nothing but Hope and Virtue Could Survive...

Excerpts from the Inaugural Address of President Barack Obama:

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

so disappointed!

i need to mention first that I'm pretty serious about food. so as a christmas present, i received a giftcard to the restaurants macaroni grill/on the border/ chilis/ and this italian place in little italy. after i got off work today, i was dead tired. staying out late for fatch's birthdays + work in the am= not enough sleep. plus, it was a busy day and i even ended up going to the poway store to drop off supplies for them (but i got mini lemon-poppyseed bundt cakes in return, my fave!). needless to say, i was not in the mood for making lunch when i remember my gift card. i like macaroni grill, so i thought oj and i would go there for lunch. after i got back from italy, i havent really been up for eating italian food (although its one of my all-time faves) either because i had too much of it when i was there, or that i can't like the italian food here bc i always end up comparing it to the food and italy, and guess who wins? but the few times i went to macaroni grill, i remember not thinking their food was wack, and I distinctly remember liking their bread, olive oil, and balsalmic vinegar that they serve while you wait for your food (i havent been there to eat in over 1.5 years). so I thought, what the hell, its a free meal anyways!

oj and i get there, and get seated & our server brings out the bread, oil and vinegar....plus theres crayons to doodle on the butcher papered tables! everythings good so far! we get our menus, and i actually want to get the warm spinach salad and the stuffed mushroom appetizer, but i'm lured away by their "healthy selections" since i'm supposedly eating healthy now right? i end up getting a whole wheat pasta dish, capellini tre pomodoro, and oj gets chicken parmesan. when our food comes out, i am served a bowl of penne. um... excuse me, didn't i order capellini?? my server tells me that my pasta is the whole wheat pasta...oh, i see, no whole wheat capellini =( alright, whatever, i'm sure my food will still be good, right? WRONG! it was like boiled down tomato slop, with too many inedible whole garlic cloves, with over-cooked pasta. it was like i was eating food taken right out of the lunch trays from united airlines. seriously. i didnt even eat 1/4 of it, and just finished the bread off instead. but with my crayons, i wrote no mi piache capelllini tre pomodoro! right on the table! in the end, i ate bread, and a mini bundt cake in the car for lunch. =(

Avoid-ism.

it's about a week before school and I guess I'm trying to ignore that fact all together. I still haven't bough school supplies (and i LOVE school supply shopping), I haven't bought my books or parking permit, or new school bag either. The only thing I've done is register for classes, but even now, I'm not even sure what classes I will be taking. I'm scheduled for italian, but since it's been nearly 2 years since I've taken an italian class, much less speak the language (because really, when would I ever get the chance to speak italian?!?), I need to refresh my memory now and crack open those dusty textbooks. but what do I do? my fingers pass right over the spines of my italian books and settle for some jane austen, because I figure it's been a while since I've read some soul-stirring literature. i can almost imagine the horrific look on my face come the first day of school!! (O_O)

I've also been filling my time "exercising" and cooking. oj's been really good at pushing me to get to the gym, and I'm happy to say that I'm feeling much better and we've managed to go several times over the last 2 weeks. I'm finally getting some use out of the membership i pay for each month lol. Also, I'm planning on serving up some breakfast on sunday morning, and so I'm in the midst of setting the menu. here's are a few things I'm thinking about: corned beef hash, blueberry coffeecake, proscuitto and potato fritatta, and a strawberry & watermelon smoothie. or maybe some fresh berries and yogurt, with maybe a touch of the baked granola I'm featuring on the right.

speaking of food, I'm starving. my current food obsession are acai bowls made with soy milk and served with bananas and extra granola. DE-LISH!! =)

Healthy Fixing.

Since the new year, I've tried to be on a health fix and to get some use out of this gym membership that I pay for every month. the holidays are never, ever, kind to me, and to be honest, I feel sorta gross at the moment. I'm not trying to be super skinny or anything, and I'm definitely not following any fad diets, but I want to get back to where I was maybe a year ago. Apart from exercising, I'm trying out new and health conscious food and drink recipes. As part of this new health awareness, I'm posting some healthy recipes here to try out and will rotate them out every week. Check them out on the sidebar.

Look what came in the mail today:

It is a pizzelle maker, a belated Christmas present from my sister, that just arrived today since it was backordered for weeks. It basically makes little, round, thin, italian cookies, that look like flat waffles. they are great how they are, but I'm excited to make them into little cannoli desserts (soo not healthy!)
pizzelle

pizzelle cannoli

Battle of the Hair

This is how my haircut turned out. I love kelly, the girl who cuts my hair, because I just went in, told her briefly what I had in mind, and she just let me know what she wanted to do with it. It was easy, quick and while I'm still getting used to it, I'm happy with the results. Oj wanted to get into the picture too, so here we are.

Current Obsessions.

- Toradora

(from ojay)

I have to start this post off first with an admission. Maybe the last 2 months or so, I've gotten into watching anime with oj. at first, it started off as something to do to kill time, not to mention that he really likes his anime and wanted to show me. and at first I refused, because, really, anime?!? but eventually I gave in and now I keep up with shows as much a I keep up with the real shows I watch (top chef anyone?). My current anime: Toradora. Taiga, the palmtop tiger, is tiny, underdeveloped, rash, violent, selfish, and obsessive...I love her.

-Here to Stay



Speaking of anime, I love this song from a show thats completely different: "Here to Stay." I found the piano music online and am ever so slowly working my way through it. It's lovely, sort of melancholy and tragic, and haunting enough to tug at heart strings.

-Everyday Minerals
(taken from Sheens)

I saw this posted on sheena's blog. Its like bare minerals but cheaper, and the best part is that you can get a sample kit for free (excluding shipping) that you customize yourself! you pick 3 foundations, a concealer, and a blush. And you can order as many as you want, but only one at a time. I can't wait for this to come in the mail=)

-Feminine Mystique
Every woman, every man should read this book. It's written in the 60s, at the beginning of the second wave feminist movement--even before the movement started--but its still so personal, so relevant, so important for all women and men to understand. I'm not done with it yet (its around 500 pages), but as I turn the pages I find myself nodding, and letting out an occasional hmmmm while my inner voice keeps declaring "thats so true!" Here's how the book opens:

The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States. Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night---she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question---"is this all?"

I mean, come on. It may be talking about suburban housewives of the mid-twentieth century, but it could very well speak to women today.

Tomorrow is super busy for me, in the morning I get my haircut. This is such a big deal for me because my hair is just so...unmanageable lol. I want something different and new, but I'm super nervous because if it gets screwed up then I am just fcuked. I still don't even know what I'm getting done. I have the haircut if I were brave enough, the haircut that I'm comfortable with, the haircut that's somewhere in the middle. I'll have to talk it over in the AM with the gal who cuts my hair, I trust her tons so we'll see.

After that, I have brunch with my good and dear friend Ashley, whom I have not see in ages. I'm excited to see her and catch up. Then, a birthday at chuck E. cheese! Aren't you jealous? I can already imagine the kids going ballistic!

Movie List

Lately, I haven't hardly watched any movies. not in theaters, not at home, nothing. when I get busy there just isn't time, and when the girls get together we never watch movies because nessa is so adamant that its a waste of time. but since I'm on break, I can look forward to a watching movies again. here's a couple that I want to see:

.

out in theatres today I don't want to see this so much for the story, as for the dresses and such. and yes, sometimes, I don't mind watching a movie purely for entertainment value.



out 02/06/09


out 04/24/09 the music in the trailer got me hooked. Bach's cello suites <3 I highly recommend listening to them. Yo Yo Ma released a cd not too long ago on the suites, and my favorite is the prelude.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZn_VBgkPNY

Gimme Gimme Gimme

Last night when we were going to the gym, I made a super fantastic discovery. My gym shoes, which I've had for about a year or so, are Nike+ shoes that can work with ipod Nano or ipod Touch (by a sensor placed in the shoe) to help monitor my workouts: distance run, calories burned etc, etc.






Pretty cool. The only thing though, is that I don't have a nano! But since apple came out with new nanos in pretty colors, I'm not opposed to getting a new ipod =)



I like the purple and teal ones.

But since I am on the subject, here's more things that I wished someone would buy for me haha:



My camera has died on me. Any slim point and shoot with at least 8.0 MP would be great!



I know, I know but I want one. you can grill on one side and make sandwiches, pancakes, on the other!

and finally...



no no I dont want someone to give my the Taj Mahal, but I would love to travel to India and South East Asia. Especially after watching the olympics and especially after reading that they may close off the Taj Mahal to visitor in the near future. I love to travel, although my funds are not anywhere near in good enough order to go anywhere...I'm actually still trying to pay off my credit card from going to Italy! But maybe I'll end up going on the cruise for nessa/chars birthday to south america--I've never been there either, and while a cruise doesnt sound too bad, heading to south america on motorcycle sounds divine ;).

San Diego Restaurant Week: January 11-16

I love Restaurant Week...its a great chance to get some great food (3 courses!) at restaurants that I've been wanting to go to, for only half the price. And I love that it happens twice a year. First up: January 11-16, then again in June. There are menus for $20, $30 and $40 bucks/person, excluding tax, tip and drinks.

Find participating Restaurants here

And some places are even featuring Girl Scout Cookies as part of the menu.

Some of my pics so far are: 94th Aero Squardron, the Prado (they are doing a 3 course meal Jan. 22-28 for only $20.09 to celebrate their anniversary, more info here) Tom Ham's Lighthouse, Coronado Boathouse to name a few. Hopefully I can recover quick from holidays to be able to eat out!!

2009.

this time of year i'm always in retrospective mode. every once in a while, its good to take a good look at my life to see whats working, whats not, and what I can improve on. for me, 2008 was all about learning experiences: learning balance and knowing my limits. so what's in store for the new year? I feel like 2009 will be a time of good change for my life, so i'm pretty damn excited.

the year has started out pretty well: new years eve was better and more fun than i expected, since on NYE i still had no idea what i would be doing that night. we started out at the girls' house party in pq--I always wonder why they put in so much effort for other people. it looked nice though, good job nessa and rach! we got there a little late (but still early bc no one we knew was there yet!) and had to leave even earlier so i didnt spend a lot of time with the girls, but at least i got to see them all before heading out to HOB. I even got to "carry" baby mason for the first time on wednesday night--hold him in his baby carrier that is! haha trust me, no one wants me holding their newborn baby. i'd be worse than nessa, who looks like this:


on friday was juices birthday (25?! holy cow!) and the whole day he was bumming bc hes old now haha. the morning started off hectic bc i said i would make his family brunch (his family is freaking huge through!). so I got up bright and early to start cooking: corned beef hash with poached eggs and hollandaise, crustless spinach quiche, blueberry cream cheese muffins, peach cream tart, and my favorite, peach and strawberry bellinis! it was a lot of work but i think (most) things turned out ok--except for the stupid hollandaise. i had a bad experience once when i tried to make it from scratch, and so i bought the powder packets to make sure that it would turn out perfect, except it turned out even worse than before!! one day, i will make good hollandaise. thats my resolution for 2009 hahaha. there were casualities, however, in making brunch: my two thumbs. I lost a good chunk from peeling potatoes (it was a brand new peeler too!) and the other i sliced on the rim of a can i had just opened. i never knew how much i depend on my thumbs until now when i have lost range of motion =(

lastly, i should mention that i've decided to give school a break. i'm not going to pressure myself into trying to finish by the end of spring, and will stay an extra semester. i'm much more comfortable in that decision bc it will give me breathing room to take my classes, and realistically speaking, theres just no way i could finish in time. im a little upset bc i spent so much time and money on taking the GRE and getting transcripts and recs etc etc etc that now mean nothing. but whatever, I can have a life experience while i'm trying to get my shit together. who knows, maybe that means I can finally go abroad for a semester!!

I'm sending out internship applications NOW to get a head start. I'm looking outside of san diego this time, bc the opportunities here are scare and highly competitive. a big part of me is aching for a change of pace and a change of scenery so I'm looking at this as the prime time to make a change for the better.