You are a soul.

"You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
-C.S. Lewis

I have this mentality that if I make sure that I take care of my body and "treat it as a temple" that was all that I needed. But what good is your body if you don't take care of your soul? I've forgotten that aspect of myself, it's always been that my body HAS a soul, but it's the complete opposite. It is what came first, and what will continue to live when the other dies. I've focused so hard on taking care of my something that is so easily damaged and short-lived. ANYWAYS, my point is, I've relied too much on taking care of my body, when my soul is in desperate need of repair.

I always knew I was insecure growing up, and I realize that it's all really unnecessary. How can you base your insecurities or securities on what others say about you? It's not Hollywood's hegemonic "perfect" look that should make you feel insecure, or someone calling you "beautiful" that should make you conceited. In this way, you have to keep yourself accountable. So if I do praise you, don't let it get to your head. Random rambling gets ugly. Sorry.

=)

Differences between SoCal and Santa Cruz

1. "HELLA"... this word is used to basically replace words like "very" and "a lot." It's amazing how norcal people find a way to use "hella" after every other word.

2. Socal people use words like "bomb" and "sick" they abuse the words "dude" and "man." I got the strangest stares from a group of Bay Area kids when I said "Dude this food is freakin' bomb!"

3. When someone is really really ugly, norcal people say the word "hurt" instead of the socal term, "beat."
ex:
Socal native: "Dang, that girl is beat!"
Norcal native: "That girl is hella hurt!"

4. The weather. The air is so ridiculously fresh and clean in the santa cruz/monterey area that my nose burns every time I breathe the morning air. Seriously, I had to get candles, insense, and humidifier to pollute my room up a little. Norcal air is like guaranteed pneumonia for the socal native.

5. Santa Cruz people are WEIRD. Everyone is a freaking activist protesting "unjust" cause. Seriously, they will protest the death of you if you don't recycle.

6. Socal is a bit more stuck up, but I have to say, the people in socal have an attraction level several notches higher than norcal.

7. Socal = conservative, Yes on 8
Santa Cruz= liberal (x1000000) , NO on 8! (exclamation included)
let's just say that I've been seeing bumper stickers all over UCSC that says "Keep Santa Cruz Weird, Keep Santa Cruz Queer!"

8. Santa Cruzis a hike. Seriously, living in northern california made me realize how boonie it was. People here tend to do things like mountain bike, hike. walk trails, climb trees, and tie-dye shirts. Socal on the other hand has a wider range of things to do.

9. Norcal is very hilly. 17 freeway, NUFF said.

10. They have way more nude beaches in norcal and nudity is not as big of a deal as in socal. For example, Santa Cruz is known for the yearly First Rain Naked Run. And let me tell you, it really is what it sounds like. Socal on the other hand is known for things like Undie Runs... and even with the undie run, it's not allowed to be done unless for a reasonable cause. Socal's reasonable cause: clothes taken off prior to the undie run is donated to charity.

11. In Santa Cruz your friendly neighbors just happen to be a nice family of deers. As you take the hike to get to your class, you pass a deer eating less than 10 feet of you in the big redwood forest. At night, we're afraid to eat a sandwich by a pack of raccoons because there's a 75% chance you will get mugged.

12. Socal people tend to be more loud and obnoxious, whereas norcal people are more laid back and "chill." The bad thing about Santa Cruz is, though they are really open-minded, they are very awkward. Socal people on the other hand are much more likely to be more social.

13. The style up here is so different. People in socal dress 100xs better, but they worry about their looks too much. Norcal people are more for that "hippie" look with the dirty rasta look. Socal is more of clean-cut L.A. look with dark levi's (for guys) with a very groomed look.

14. Weed. Santa Cruz loves its weed. They scoff at socal kids when they talk about weed. Norcal is notorious for its leniency on its cannabis laws. Also, the weed in norcal is way stronger than the grass that they have in socal.

15. In socal you can get away with wearing short shorts and a tube top about 330 days out of the year. In Norcal, you can almost get away with wearing short shorts and a tubetop 15 days out of the year.

16. Everyone rides the freaking bus in Santa Cruz!!!

17. Socal has way more diverse people. For example, the korean population in norcal sucks. The Asians in norcal are generally Vietnamese (San Jose) or Chinese (San Francisco).

18. Norcal is the reason why Obama won his presidency.

Personally, I might be biased because Santa Cruz is really weird, but honestly, places a few miles north in the San Jose area are fairly similar to SoCal with a really nice crowd. But I still prefer socal, it's generally a more intimate place (excluding LA) and I'm a sucker for the beaches.

I had a horrible dream today. I dreampt of 5 people that died in the past 7 months. I can't even write to you what happened.

males and females being civilized, strictly platonic, friends.

I heard that it's impossible to be JUST friends with the opposite gender. Eventually, one person... or both persons, will have romantic feelings. This is an interesting comment to me considering I have a lot of male friends. I can see what they mean though. Even if it's for a split second and one or the other (or both!) even have a romantic thought it almost destroys the whole point of JUST FRIENDS.

*Tissue Warning*

Interpreting Body Language

I was talking with a friend yesterday about how body language is 90% communication thus people know more about you than you actually tell them. Here's a basic analytical point of view of interpreting body language. It might not be 100% true but it's based on the general human population. There are always exceptions, this is almost like a heads up.

Before I actually put up this post, I just want to say that it's cool to actually read what a psychotherapist writes because I know we all know how to read some body language, I mean sometimes it's obvious when someone's interested in you or hates you, etc. Anyways it's always interesting to actually read about it and become more aware of it... just think of it as brushing up on your body language skills.

Here are some example of basic body language interpretation:
Give Some Examples

I have done some of this above, but will offer some classic "body signals" and their meanings.

* Little or no eye contact--closed--off, uninterested, uncomfortable, not trustworthy and/or hiding something

* "Flat" expression--bored, preoccupied, anxious, uninterested and/or annoyed

* Leaning away from the other person--trying to get distance, uncomfortable, wanting to move away from the person and/or a desire to cut off communication and/or get distance

* Arms crossed--closed position that usually indicates discomfort, defensiveness, seeking distance

* Pursed or parted lips--flirting, likes what they see

* Quizzical look--interested, wants to know more

* Touching their own face, ears--attraction to another person

* Turning away from the other person when sitting or standing--seeking distance, uncomfortable

* Legs/arms tucked in tightly when sitting with someone--closed in, secretive, uncomfortabl.

There's a lot more, just check out some of these websites.
http://www.wordofmouthexperiment.com/articles/body-language/interpreting-body-language-ease

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Read-Body-Language---Interpreting-Body-Language-Signs-For-Better-Communication&id=1436440

http://articles.directorym.com/Interpreting_Body_Language-a1010755.html

Common Misunderstanding about Liars

I read this in a forum.

"This is how to detect someone lie.

Notice the person's eye movements. Contrary to popular belief, a liar does not always avoid eye contact. Humans naturally break eye contact and look upwards when remembering something. Liars may deliberately make eye contact to seem more sincere. Liars also tend to blink more often. A typical right-handed person tends to look towards their left (your right) when remembering something that actually happened (remembered images, sounds and internal dialogue) and towards their right or downwards (constructed images, sounds and kinesthetic sensations) when they're making something up.

Be sensitive to the person's emotional expression.

Timing and duration tends to be off when someone is lying. Emotions can be delayed, remain longer than usual, then stop suddenly. Likewise, they might not match appropriately with verbal statements. And, as with smiling, facial expressions of a poor liar will be limited to the mouth area.

Pay close attention to the person's reaction to your questions. A liar will often feel uncomfortable and turn their head or body away, or even subconsciously put an object between the two of you. Also, while an innocent person would go on the offensive, a guilty person will often go immediately on the defensive."

the captivatings

+

=

This was a compilation of two of my favorite movies. Seriously, it's ridiculous how similar they were. The introduction has a complete Amelie-esque feel to it, don't get me wrong, I loved it! And then the whole story seemed the have the same editing style of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's quite depressing though. Zooey Deschanel is the cutest mctooty ever and Fox Searchlight's crave for indie films has been rewarded with this amazing sundance film festival winner. When all hope is lost in the media, movie's like this come out and give you hope. Not to mention the just-as-good soundtrack that this brilliant movie goes hand-in-hand with.

My new favorite song is Sweet Disposition by the Temper Trap.

Craigslist

I've been trying to business over craigslist. It's not working very well...
I'm going to be broke for the rest of summer. It's okay though because I just paid 40 bucks for Mario Party n64 and I just bought a sick audio system/record player set. Come to my house so we can rock out to some Rolling Stones.

If anyone's interested I'm selling a turntable, a ipod dock sound system, and a stereo receiver. Let me know! They're going for ridiculously good prices.

Sun Tattoo

Cool. Partial skin damage.

Good for the Soul

A.C. Newman's cover of Ah-Ha's "Take On Me" rocks!

A.C. Newman - Take On Me by thecalypsokids

44 - Cat Power - I Found a Reason by thecalypsokids

01 - Feather (ft. Cise Starr & Akin From Cyne) by thecalypsokids

Passion Pit - Little Secrets by thecalypsokids

Avoir un bon jour.

The next hot item on my list: Derringer Bikes

This is from the Derringer Bike's website

• "Derringer is the neo-classical interpretation of a 1920's era board track racing motorcycle, but that's not all.

This revolutionary moto-hybrid was conceived as an exciting new option in highly-efficient transportation. Derringers can be human propelled, propelled via engine power, or human propelled with the assistance of engine power. While under power, the pedals can also remain stationary, allowing you to operate in the style of a traditional motorcycle. Capable of fuel economy ratings that can exceed 150 mpg, Derringers are the first product to take the compromise out of environmentalism, clearly evidenced by the number of customers who purchase a Derringer along with an in-home display stand.

Derringers were specially designed to conform with the legal classification of a motorized scooter, and in their standard configuration, often do not require the motorcycle license endorsement that is necessary to operate traditional scooters and motorcycles in many states. In some states and countries, as long as the rider is over 16 years of age, no drivers license is required.*

The Derringer was created by world-renowned industrial designer
Bio Link , whose clients range from celebrities including Brad Pitt and members of the Royal Family, to design-forward companies such as Sony®, Reebok®, and Hewlett Packard®. Heralded as a genius by Sony®, his extraordinary creations have been featured in publications ranging from Forbes® to Variety®, and on television shows seen around the world.

When he set about creating a revolutionary class of efficient personal transportation, he envisioned the perfect urban vehicle as the missing link between his Ducati® and his Schwinn®. He knew, after looking at the failure of recent personal transport projects, that if he was going to draw people out of the familiarity and comfort of their cars, an argument for efficiency alone would not suffice.

Something very important was missing from the failed projects of other companies: Style. With that in mind, he set out to create a product that was cool; the fact that it achieved 150 mpg would simply be an afterthought. After months of studying state and federal transportation regulations, he came up with a formula for efficient, safe, and fast transportation.

The design process was next, and the athletic image of the board track racer inspired him. Its clean design provided the vision to keep his product light; less displacement and fuel would be needed for the same superior performance. Its large wheels and wide balloon tires would translate to saftey in an urban environment littered with potholes and other road hazards. Its pedals, originally used only to start the engine, could now create a hybrid drive system, allowing the rider to travel either under his own power, or with the assistance of an engine. Above all, its design was pure.

From the white tires, manufactured without the use of carbon black, to the hand made leather saddles with hammered copper rivets, each Derringer is a beautifully crafted objet d' art. The finished product is a pure vintage racer, reimagined for a concrete jungle."

Fear

James McAdam created this safe table because in London, people sleep with a defense weapon because of their fear of intruders.

things to be discussed

1. Raves are all ages. How come that sounds so wrong?

2. Coldplay ... disbanding?! With the re-banding of Blink 182, another band must be sacrificed...

3. Twitter. Tweeting? Tweeted...?! 'nuff said.

4. Michael Jackson. From "child-molester" to greatest mourned human being of the 21st century. Strange.

Not much of a discussion, but just somethings that I was thinking about.

So I've been watching this show, and this has been the highlight of the second season. SO FUNNY.

On a more serious note, the automatic time-stop feature on my dryer is broken so all my clothes shrunk.

A million things...

Life is passing me by as I speak. I don't even my first week of summer.

I just want to share some things with you:

1. I swear, whoever they hired for Gilette's new slogan was money well spent. What guy doesn't want to go buy a Gilette Quatro when they hear "When there's no underbrush, the trees look taller."



2. I love covers.
"Don't Know Why"


"Stand By Me"


This is my list of things to do.
1. Get motorcycle license
2. Fly my kite.
3. Make a movie.
4. Start/finish my photo album.
5. Go to an expo.

Amazon Love

I am in love with Amazon. Seriously man, it's pretty awesome. I just bought the Arrested Development DVD set for 36 bucks man. "My brain's 'bout to 'splode!!" And I bought Lovedrug's Pretend to Be Alive Album (which rocks!). Just sayin'... I'm predicting future overdraft fees and bankruptcies. Oh no.

Sorry this past month has been ridiculously hectic! I have been up to my eyebrows in errands and "things-to-do" lists. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of money I've spent this month.

Prom, Grad Night, Senior Events, Yearbook, Amazon Shopping, SHOPPING in GENERAL!, eating, throwing cash out the window...

You just use your imagination.

But it's also been really relaxing and I haven't worked in the past 2 weeks! =) Yay!
I can't believe THIS is going to be my first post in almost a month... a big fat excuse for WHY I haven't been posting. Sorry, again, I'll write something worthy of reading soon... (hopefully!)

Love,
Esther.

fetal friendship

When I go up north I'm leaving everything behind. It's going to be a brand new slate and I don't have to worry about the residue that I'll be leaving at home. It's a wonderful feeling. I'll be especially sad to part from new friendships... mostly because I consider us as having a fetal friendship. I'm sad that we won't get the opportunity to develop into something as rich as the friendships that started many years ago. I'm sad that you guys won't understand why I do the things I do, or why "Ain't No Mountain High" is my favorite song, or why I am the person I am today. I'm sad because I feel like I'll be missing out on many beautiful relationships. And here's to all my best friends, I'll miss you guys but seriously, I doubt it'll affect anything. You guys know me all too well to forget about me, even if you wanted to. I'm pretty sure my cheesy catch phrases and my wonderfully peculiar antics are embedded into your memories(hopefully) whether you like it or not. So quite frankly, I'm not afraid to be far from you guys.

I tried not to be sappy, I still have until mid September til I leave... and I'll be back during winter break for a month, but I had this in my head and I really wanted to write it.

I got two photo albums, I'm really stoked to fill them up! =)

I say "I" a lot. This needs to change.

Have an amazing week. Love you.
Esther

Black Hole Sun

Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden

I really like this song, I hope you guys do too.
And don't just listen to the first thirty seconds of it...

Some new music that you guys should all be downloading.. or pirating.. Whatever!

There's been an abundance of rad music recently. It's always good to check back on the old stuff too. These are MUSTS for your ipod!



Peter Bjorn and John
"Living Thing"

This album is SO GOOOD MAN!!! Everyone seriously... listen to this album. It's a straight up eargasm.





Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"It's a Blitz"

Karen O is my hero. Her vocals are soooo distinctive and I love the sound of this album!





Franz Ferdinand
"Tonight"

I basically like this album because of two songs.. "No You Girls" and "Feel the Pressure"

Still good though. =)




Phoenix
"Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"

This is like the catchiest album I've ever heard in my life. I LOVE Phoenix. seriously, man.





Tahiti 80
"Extra Pieces of Sunshine"

Tahiti 80 is epic, I don't know how someone COULDN'T have this in their mp3 player. "1000 Times (acoustic)." 'Nuff said.





Cut Copy
"In Ghost Colours"

Yeah it's like a little hipster band.. you can tell by the way they spell colours with a "u."

Don't pre-judge them! Listen to the album first.



Nada Surf
"Lucky"

It's catchy and beachy. I've always really liked their vocals and their upbeat-ness. Have you heard of "Always Love" by them. WOW.

I'm looking forward to summer with this song.



Wale
"The Mixtape About Nothing"

I'm not a big fan of hip-hop, but this fella makes some catchy beats. It's pronounced "Wall-EE" not "Wale."

Listen to "Chillin'" by Wale ft. M.I.A.
'tis bomb.


The Killers
"Hot Fuss"

I think EVERYONE should have this album... it's just plain good. All the songs are so catchy and I've never gotten sick of this album.





Mates of State
"All Day"

I guess I'm biased on this one because this one reminds me of some good old times. Regardless, all the albums on this post are good... including this one!





M.I.A.
"Kala"

I liked this album, but then I started to love it after watching Slumdog Millionaire. I know it's lame of me, but honestly, M.I.A. has such a distinctive style it's really rad.





MGMT
"Oracular Spectacular"

I LOVE MGMT. I know they're ALLLL mainstream now and everywhere you go you'll probably hear "Kids" or "Electric Feel" but seriously, their music is awesome! It's so good that you don't even mind that their mainstream, people just enjoy their stuff man.




I'm too lazy to do the rest of my mental list of awesome albums but here's a few more:

Cold War Kids "Loyalty to Loyalty"

Fleet Foxes "Fleet Foxes"

Friendly Fires "Friendly Fires"

The Hives "The Black and White Album"

Matt Pond PA "Last Night"

Mother Mother "O My Heart"

My Morning Jacket "Evil Urges"

The New Pornographers "Challengers"

A.C. Newman "Get Guilty"

Santogold "Santogold"




and when you're done with that.. you can just finish downloading the whole discography for Tahiti 80 and Slightly Stoopid.

Simple Pleasures

I read this guys xanga and he was talking about simple pleasures and it had me thinking...

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Simple pleasures...

Here is a list of the simple pleasures I enjoy.

1. An occasional cigarette. I'm a social smoker. I average about 4 cigarettes per month. That should show you how much I go out.


2. Drinking with friends. Sharing good moments with the people you care about


3. A good conversation. It can lead to other stuff that's good.


4. A book. It can open up a new world.


5. Dry socks. We take them for granted.


6. A rainy day. I love the sound only. Driving in it sucks.


7. Jack Johnson music. Mellow melodies take me to an idyllic place


8. A clean, well-lighted place. (Ernest Hemingway) It's pretty self-explanatory

Now here are some not so simple pleasures

1. Driving. It helps me organize my thoughts. It's also when I get most of my blogging ideas.


2. Xanga Reading and commenting is hard but enjoyable.


3. Socializing. Although the process can be a pain with a lot of false starts and fake ass people I find that making connections with people makes life worth living.


4. Poetry. It has become an amazing thought-provoking journey for me these past two years. I have an excerpt from Yeats' poem He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven to thank for it.


5. Epiphanies. Unexpected gifts are rare but welcomed.


6. Traveling. I rarely do but it's nice to occasionally get away.


7. Learning. For example, I'm taking German this semester. It's fun to learn but really hard.


8. Maturing. I think life gets better with age. Teenage years were fraught with artificial drama.

Word.

Something to keep in mind...

There are so many things going on in my life and it's absolutely overwhelming. It seems as though every time my life takes a step forward, I force my self two steps back. I am at a point in my life where I'm going to experience so many new and unfamiliar things and honestly, I'm quite terrified. Not knowing has got to be the biggest fear that I have and anticipating is just pure torture. And just when I felt that my mind and heart had exploded into a million pieces, I ran into this:

"To worry is to acknowledge the absence of trust in God.
To fear is to acknowledge the absence of God"

You know those people that regardless of how distant you became, they always find a way to back into your life, whether it's directly or through a simple quote they tossed on a blog? It's surprising how comforting a few words can be.

Have a great week everybody!

Hella

I just got back from Norcal and I just want to say that I didn't hear a single soul say HELLA... legitimately at least. By legit, I mean in a nice flow-y unrehearsed sentence. It's cold, that's all I'm going to say. Well considering I've been in socal my whole life, YES it's hella cold.

Anyways, I was dared to do something daring on my trip. The dare was that I had to kiss a hippie at Golden Gate Park.For more details on my trip.. go to my Facebook. =)

Accents: Scottish vs. Irish vs. Australian

THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE!!!

Scottish:

Irish

Australian!

So many questions answered...

Heartbroken

My heart has been indirectly shattered. To hear of such a sad death of such a young and beautiful person has probably caused me the most genuine sadness in a while. Sorry my entries have been so depressing.

Are you quick to judge?
It makes me mad when people can't look beyond a physical appearance to see how truly beautiful a person is. I've met so many people that are absolutely amazing and half of the world won't cut them some slack.

I'm moving up north this fall. I've always wanted to stay nearby for school, atleast close enough to be able to see my friends or to come home to grab a free meal, but I've realized that I need to get out of my comfort zone. I'm always telling people I want to travel and see the world, but how am I possibly going to get there if I can't even move to a different region? Thus, I'm going to Santa Cruz.

My heart goes out to my friend Katie. I love you! Keep her in your prayers.

emotionally overwhelmed, meet emotionally inept.

I am in a rut. I'm sorry if I haven't been acting normal. This has been the worst week of my life. Really.

Arrested Development Quotes

(Stars indicate level of funny.)

****
Gob: Hey, guy. They tell me you're the actor who plays Marta's brother, Tio.
Spanish actor: Como?
Gob: Oh, you're gonna be in a coma, all right


***
George Sr.: Don't get involved. Believe me. When I thought your first wife was pulling us apart, I did not make a stink.
Michael: You complained all the time and she was my only wife and she died.
George Sr.: Well, see? Things have a way of working themselves out.


****
Gob: Steve Holt's not my son.
George Michael Bluth: Steve Holt? What, the moron jock?
Gob: That's my son, you pothead.


***
Tobias Fünke: Gob, this is Flunitrazepam. It's a roofie.
Lucille: Those are illegal.
Gob: Shut up, Mom. Don't make me give you another one of these.


*****
Tobias: Lindsay, you're forgetting I was a professional twice over. An analyst, and a therapist. The World's First, Analrapist.


****
Tobias: Even if it means me taking a chubby...I will SUCK it up.


****
Tobias: I just "blue" myself.


***
Michael: "Your Uncle Gob seems to think that he saw you down at the docks today. Was that you?"

George Michael: "No. No. Maybe it was the other George Michael. You know, the singer-songwriter."

Michael: "Yeah, that makes sense."


**
Buster: Wait, wait. What about - what about me?

Marta: I'm sorry, I'm not totally sure who you are.

Buster: Wow. Wow. That's what it feels like to get punched in the face.

Parentals

Asian parents have this weird misconception that kids have an infinite amount of free time. Let's have a background check of my life. I am the oldest of three. I have one younger sister and a younger brother. I am a full-time student and on top of that I work 30 hours a week. I've gotten into multiple car accidents which basically means I owe my mom a lot of money. So as it goes, I continue to work and will continue to work all throughout summer and through college, etc. Today was a hard day. Last night, I got food poisoning so I was up majority of the night throwing up or writhing in pain on my bed. I was breaking out in cold sweat and my body felt like it got run over by a 16-Wheeler. By 11:30 AM this morning I felt decent so I decided to work from 2-9. Right when I come home my mom sits me down to lecture about college. Wonderful. It went like this:

Mom: We need to talk. You seem like you have no idea what you're going to do with your life. Have you even thought of a career?
(I HAVE thought of some majors, Public Relations, Kinesiology, or Nutrition)

Me: Yes, Mom. As a matter-of-fact, I have. First of all, I DO know what I want to do with my life and second of all, why now?

Mom: You just have so much free time (WTF?) and I don't want you to end up getting a degree in something pointless like Literature and end up jobless. (Wow.)

Me: I'm working thirty hours a week as a full-time student

Mom: Why are you working so much anyway? Are you buying drugs? When do you have time to study...

Me: Because I want to have some money in my account when I go to college... bye. [DUMB QUESTION!]

I feel like I lose brain cells every time I have these "What-About-Your-Future" conversations with her.

Just an FYI, I am completely confident that I will do well after I leave my home. I am an ambitious girl with a straight head on. I make LEMONADE yo.

Youtube Recognitions

I love youtube. Truly, it takes communication and networking to a whole new level. People are so extremely talented and it's so relieving to know that there are still creative minds at work. Here are some videos that I feel deserve some more recognition! Yay =)

This is a music video by Oren Lavie called "Her Morning Elegance"
It's a beautiful song along with an even more captivating music video.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go3c0q3AiS4
The video embed was disabled =( But it shouldn't stop you from watching a compilation of scenes from Arrested Development on why Arrested Development is the best show ever.


This is a video of a korean toddler breakdancing... sort of. How else would we know that there was such a cute and talented kid without youtube?!

\And here are some BaratsandBereta videos. These guys rule youtube.

ok and last but not least. This norwegian guy... or so I think he is. He's super talented and very original. Talent like this... well you can only find it overseas.

Enjoy!

Stats Class.

Mrs. Johnson: Okay, say a coffee machine dispenses coffee into paper cups. You're supposed to get ten ounces of coffee, but the ammount varies slightly from cup to cup--

Student 1: Mrs Johnson, I don't drink coffee. I don't like it.

Mrs. Johnson: Oh, okay then we'll use Hot Chocolate ["Billy"].

Student 2: Ugh, chocolate is gross.

Student 3: Can we say tea?

Mrs. Johnson: Sure, tea it is.

Student 4: I hate caffeine.

Mrs. Johnson: Ok, a machine dispenses WATER into paper cups...

Church Hopping and Politics

So this past Sunday I went church hopping with some few friends. I feel the need to form a nice fellowship amongst other Christian peers and I think I found a church where I can lay a solid foundation and recommit myself as I enter my adulthood and college years. I went to the church Rock Harbor in Costa Mesa and it was pretty awesome. I just have to say I've never seen such a stylish church in my life. Right when I walked in, I felt like I was at the Lab (the Anti-mall in Costa Mesa) and the place smelled like Starbucks. The environment is so young and alive and... hipster. Haha, well anyways, the worship is great, the speaker is great, but it's a rather large church. I can see myself breaking in though... hopefully. Nothing is certain but I definitely recommend college students and young adults to check out the 7pm service on Sundays. It's good but get there early... parking is really limited.

Democrat or Republican?

Today in Government we did this exercise (it's not really accurate, but it's pretty entertaining) on how to label what party we're for.

Okay, here's the scale.

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. How to do you feel about abortion?

(10 being pro-choice, 10 being pro-life)

2. What do you feel about the stem cell research?

(-10 is continue stem-cell research, 10 is stop stem cell research)

3. How do you feel on gun control?

(-10 being that you strongly feel government should limit guns and 10 being the second ammendment gives the right to bear arms thus anyone can bear arms.)

4. What do you feel about controlling businesses to be more eco-friendly?

(-10 being government should control what resources businesses use and should set laws to help the environment and 10 being businesses should be able to decide what to do so that it can be economically efficient for both consumer and supplier.)

Add up all the numbers and if you guys haven't figured it out, any number lower than zero means you're leaning towards the Democratic party and anything right of the zero means you're leaning towards the Republican party. Okay, so it's not really accurate, but it gives you a sense of how strongly you support some of your idealogies.

Serial Killers, psychopathy, schizophrenia

Who looks like a serial killer to you?

A. B.

C. D.

E. F.

The truth is, they're all serial killers.

A. Charles Manson

B. Ed Gein

C. Ted Bundy

D. John Wayne Gacy

E. Cho Seung Hui

F. Jeff Dahmer

After watching Changeling, I decided to look up biographies of some of the most notorious serial killers. What corrupts and possesses someone to mutilate and murder human beings? It's a sickness, a disease. The even scarier thing is that, regardless of their mugshots, they all look pretty normal and all led very "normal" lives. Creepy.

Don't take candy from strangers!

Holden Caulfield vs Me

I am absolutely captivated by the Catcher in the Rye. It is hands down my favorite book to date and the character development is absolutely riveting. Holden Caulfield is me. I am Holden Caulfield! I'm interpreting this book as if J.D. Salinger wrote my biography. I've never been so intrigued by a novel. His ability to alienate in order to self-protect feels familiar. The shallowness of people are described to the tee and the bittersweet feeling of becoming an adult are topics that I think about constantly yet find hard to describe in words.

Oh and here's the most relevent exerpt to my life:

• "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible." [Ch 3]

and some few pet peeves that we share...

• "He always said it as if he were terrificially bored or terrifically tired. He didn't want you to think he was visiting you or anything. He wanted you to think he'd come by mistake, for God's sake."
• "... he always pickd up your personal stuff and looked at it."
• "He always made you say everything twice."
• "He always put things back in the wrong spot on purpose... He was holding by roommate's knee supporter up to show me. That guy Ackley'd pick up anything. He'd even pick up your jock strap or something. I told him it was Stradlater's. So he chucked in on Stradlater's bed. He got it off Stradlater's chiffonier, so he chucked it on the bed."
• "He was exactly the type of guy that wouldn't get out of your light when you asked him to."
• "He hated Stradlater's guts and he never came in the room if Stradlater was around. He hated everybody's guts, damn near."
  

It's not much so far, but that's only because I don't want to really get in depth. Anyways, you should read this book if they haven't already made you read it in your senior year literature class. It's a good one.

P.S. Jason said Amelie Poulain (main character of Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain) and Holden Caulfield (the Catcher in the Rye main character) would produce me as a baby.

I'll post up some March Event pictures soon.
'Til then!

Regarding the past week

It's been a tough week

Speechless

I have a deep appreciation for genuinely kind people. Tonight, I met five! Yes! Enough to fill up a whole hand of fingers! They were absolutely amazing individuals yet together they emphasized the WOW. They picked me up onto their drop-in volleyball team and I've never had so much fun playing! Their personalities were all different yet so compatible and complementary. They were Hawaiian I think and they were from the Torrance area. I swear Hawaiians are the friendliest people! So anyways, I left the open-gym and after the good-bye hugs I came home and I was speechless. Speechless at the fact that there are good people in this world. Speechless that God blessed these individuals with such a good heart. And speechless that some time ago, they all met and became the best of friends. There need to be more people like Mikey, Devin, Reneya, Keith, and Braxton.

Missed Connections

I thought this was really interesting, not that I'd try it. You know when you make eye-contact with a cute somebody in your car or while shopping or something? Well I overheard about this part of craigslist that advertises missed connections. I know, strange! How it works is say you make eye contact with somebody and you miss the opportunity to exchange personal information, well you would then post as ad on craigslist describing how the guy looks, where you made eye contact, the whole shindig. Then you just sit back and hope that the guy knows about "Missed Connections" and see if sparks fly. It's pretty interesting and I think that it might work in some cases... but chances are slim. Take a look for yourself.
Craigslist: Missed Connections

I personally think it's for hopeless romantics... nevertheless, it is kind of cute. But still more creepy.
Would you ever try posting an ad on Missed Connections?

25 Random Things About Me

1. I am a compulsive liar. I lie about the simplest most unnecessary things. I test my wordsmith and scheming skills so that one day I'll catch myself in a web of lies so intricate that only the Chuck Norris of liars will be able to weave yet another intricate set of lies to get out of it. It's something that feels natural. I'm not flaunting, simply warning.

2. When I was in first grade I got sent to the principal's office for playing thumbwar with Yvanna. Mrs. Leboutti (Le Booty) then told my father to come pick me up because I was so annoying. A month later, my teacher gave me a student of the month because she felt compelled to right her wrong. That was my one and only student of the month... up until September 2008.

3. Volleyball is my anti-drug. If I don't play, I feel antsy. I love getting battle scars from court-burns and every time I dig a ball I feel like doing the Carlton Dance.

4. I was FAT in elementary. Entering junior high I was 5'3 and 125 lbs. A month into junior high I grew an inch and went down to 95 lbs. A month later I stood at 5'6 and I still weighed 95 lbs. No, I did not have an eating disorder. I simply walked home from school. Babyphat!

5. I am magnetically attracted to the color purple, especially that deep royal purple. Whenever I see purple I want to touch it.

6. My goal in life is to barely get by. Barely getting by seems like it would bring so much more happiness. I fear becoming rich and successful because of Hollywood. Living in a snug cottage home with a significant other would be the simplest most satisfying life I could ever ask for.

7. I am a very vengeful person. The thing is, I don't get hurt easily.

8. I draw my subconscious thoughts on everything. I tend to doodle trees and eyes too. If I'm thinking of going to Border's to study, I begin to write it without knowing. If my thoughts are then interrupted by something else such as the words "President Obama" then I'll end up writing something like BordisentObama. True story, happened today.

9. Cellulite terrifies me! I think that's why I am constantly at the gym. I care about my body too much.

10. Most of the time, I dream in 2-D and can never really remember my dreams. When I do dream in real life, they're very vivid and read and usually have something to do with a past-time setting or a futuristic setting and it almost always involves a slow painful death.

11. I am emotionally and romantically inept. I am a horrible girlfriend and I prefer platonic love. Oh and I have this weird insecurity where I start off with an unrequited crush and it no longer becomes unrequited, but mutual, that's my cue to stop the madness. Haha I'm a strange girl.

12. I hate feet. I hate cold feet. I hate when cold feet touch me. I hate it when people touch my feet. Feet is Hate. Hate is feet.

13. I think everyone is so weird. I think the High School food chain is absolutely ridiculous. I cannot wait to give everyone a big fat reality punch once they realize that they peaked in high school.

14. My mom got an email warning from the government or something because I pirated every Arrested Development episode onto my computer. And I downloaded a couple pf movies and a bunch of songs. I didn't know that they actually regulated. Apparently the fine is up to $10,000 dollars per movie.

15. I've had two Maltese, but of which I got for free, both pre-owned by Korean families, both ran away within a couple of months. Maltese are stupid.

16. I've always wanted to go to Venice, Italy! Sadly, I've never been out of California, or remember being out of California... except Vegas which DOES NOT count.

17. My mom has sheltered me immensely throughout my childhood and has restricted me to the point where I thought I would become a convict by 14. It has taken me 17 years to wear her down and I think I've done a pretty damn good job.

18. I was a fat little slut in 2nd grade. I just didn't know it. On Halloween I wore a sheer tutu and a see through spandex shirt. I only had my underwear on and from a distance you couldn't even see my tutu. Nobody said anything...

19. When I was five I ran into a knifey object which cut right next to my eye. I got eleven stitches and if the knife was half a centimeter closer to my eye, people would be calling me "Crazy Eyes"

20. I am the friends-zone girl. I am the queen of friends-zone. This is my house! And I love it! I know things about guys that no girl should ever know and I can read them from the inside out. Guys aren't much of a mystery to me and I kind of like it that way.

21. I am going to wear the golden ping pong paddle I won in the ping pong tournament at school when I walk at my graduation. Joseph and Esther Ping Pong Champs FOSHO.

22. I am a heavy sleeper. I sleep through earthquakes, alarm clocks, phone calls, conversations, and everything else noisy. When I sleep, scientists say that my body is equivalent to a vegetable.

23. My taste buds love quality and expensive food. My taste senses should be in a lab being tested for supernatural abilities. I love food and I can taste the difference between a brown cow and a white cow, Sparklets water and Arrowhead water, etc. etc. I appreciate everything from fine dining to exquisite home made dishes.

24. I am a very mediocre person. I am mediocre at everything, but I don't mind much because I'm well rounded. Because of my mediocrity, I try and use my personality to stand out. I guess that's the real getter in the end. I love being different, I love being called weird, strange, eccentric, and I feel like I should be doing something extraordinary.

25. I live by the codes in Scrubs and Arrested Development. I find that those two shows are the most funniest shows every created and I sometimes pretend I am in the show living life on the set. K, not really, but I do think that Scrubs and Arrested Development are the epitome of genius.

To all the Hopeless Romantics...

Happy Valentine's Day! Today was a sad day for me... damn you Hallmark!

I can't comprehend some things about high school. Firstly, how can anybody say they truly "love" in highs school? You're confined in a small town at a school with 2000 students and you have no idea what's actually out there. Secondly, why are people so needy? Is it so horrible not to need a significant other at this point in your life?

I thank God for the way I turned out. I have this weird third-party way of learning. I make mistakes and learn, but not nearly as much as from the people around me. It is as if their pain is my gain. Through this third-party learning I grow everyday spiritually and mentally. There is nothing else in high school that I am looking forward to experience besides graduation. I am so secure with who I am I really do feel as if I am ready for that next chapter in my life, college.

My teacher analyzed me and she told me I reminded her of herself. She first asked me if I had a boyfriend and I told her I did not. She says that it's because I am such an independent individual that I feel like a boyfriend would only slow me down. I agree, my life is moving at such a fast pace and my mind is so hectic that I would only be slowing myself down. So in that sense, I am insecure and I have an expectation that is almost unreal yet if it did happen I would fool myself into thinking that it was too surreal and give up. What she said is mostly true...

I am not writing this blog as an ode to the bitterness of Valentine's Day. I was merely thinking of why I didn't have a "special somebody" to celebrate this Hallmark holiday with. But then I realized that I don't mind and I prefer it this way. I like being independent and free, life is more exciting. =) Hope you guys had a great day!

"And that's why you don't cancel Arrested Development!"

This is an excerpt from SQUIDOO regarding the new Arrested Development movie! It's happening guys!!

The Hard Facts

Here's what I've been able to gather from press releases and the media. I've done my best to include only the information that is confirmed by reliable sources.

• Announced in February 2008
• Release year set for 2009; no specific date yet.
• Production team is aiming for all-original cast from the show, and they've secured most of the family for production.
• Confirmed cast includes David Cross (Tobias), Alia Shawkat (Maeby), Jeffrey Tambor (George Sr./Oscar), Tony Hale (Buster), Jessica Walter (Lucille I), and Justin Lee (Annyong).
• The remaining family members (Michael, Gob, George Michael, and Lindsay) are "rumored" to be on board. (Rumor from IMDB).
• According to the news blurb on MSNBC, Jason Bateman himself pitched the project to Hurwitz, so from some sources, he and the other "rumored" participants are actually the leaders here.
• Screenplay was written by Mitchell Hurwitz, the original creator of the show. That might be the best news of all.
• Ron Howard is confirmed to be the executive producer and the narrator for the film. Second best news, methinks.

Got your doubts?

Maybe you think this movie isn't going to happen. Here's why I think you're wrong.

First, the talks are solid-- there's recorded video and audio of Jason Bateman and Jeffrey Tambor speaking very optimistically about this project. All of them have said that once the writer's strike is over (which it now is), the project would move forward.

Second, it's in high demand. More people watch the show (and are addicted) now than when it was on the air. Studio execs know this, and they know how vocal the fans are. One teaser-trailer for this movie, and the whole nation will be shrieking, ankle-biting, and looting in a panicked and gleeful frenzy.

Third, the cast loved doing the show, and it sounds like most of them want to be back on board for the movie. Scouring IMDB, I've determined that most of the cast isn't too busy and could be involved in the movie. The only person who seems to be very busy is Will Arnett/Gob, who is running through movies like a banana grabber.

And lastly, the show itself predicted its own movie incarnation, which is like a scriptural prophecy of some kind, I'm sure. In the very last scene of the last episode, Ron Howard sits across from Maeby in his office to discuss the rights to a TV show based on her story. "I don't see it working as a series--" said Ron, "maybe a MOVIE." (He said that last part with a wink.)

Read the whole thing here.
---------------------------

I'm overwhelmed with happiness =)

Next great news:
Blink-182 is back together!
click here for more awesome news!

Rains, Pains, and Gains!

Keep it comin'! It finally feels like winter in Orange County! So I've been wondering... what are some activities to do during the rainy season?

Pains: Valentine's Day and Toothache. First of all, I'm going to start seeing a flood of either heart-warming or depressing posts due to Hallmark's Valentine's Day. Being single and satisfied, I find these posts to be highly amusing because there usually is a counter-post a couple weeks later either apologizing for the bitter rant or exposing a breakup. Secondly, this tooth is still killing me.

Gains: It was late, I was hungry, Subway was open. Three words: Five dollar foot-longs. I met two new people today who were actually very refreshing people. Damien and Bill are Subway workers who literally give off this charismatic aura that magnetically pulls you in. Soooo I grabbed an application.

By the way, CSULB is cutting down on freshman applicants by 20 percent. =(

Toothache, Headache, What-the-hache

Because we're in a recession, I've been "ignoring" this horrible molar that has been trying to fully impact through my gums. It's becoming unbearable and Advil is absolutely useless. Also at volleyball, I a full on dome-check from an outside hitter. This feeling is equivalent to getting uppercutted by a heavy weight boxer.

When people use phrases like "Sexting" and "Facebook Depression" or even "Starbucks Value Meal" it weirds me out. They all seem kind of ironic to me, yet they seem to become more popular topics each day. I mean when did people start having sex over text messages? Why does a social networking site give you the blues? And how does a four dollar coffee make it into a value meal? Stop trying to copy McDonalds, Starbucks!

Choosing the name

I was going to use Estheology for my blogspot name, but I figured that would sound rather conceited, not to mention the fact that it shares the same root word with Esthetician. So I figured why not be daring, why not challenge the best selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series? Honestly, I have no idea what Soul for Chicken Soup means, maybe it was a subconscious act where the true answer will dawn on me later as an epiphany. Or maybe I just like doing things backwards. You probably won't be enlightened or find the latest trends on here, but I do hope that you find self-assurance knowing there are people stranger than you.