Random ramblings of an awkward mind

Today

2011-05-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

I was suddenly awoken from a short nap by my ringing phone. I didn't recognize the number, but since my phone had been reformatted not long ago, I thought it might be a number I had lost. So I picked up, and it was a survey. Normally, I would just have told the person I was under 18 (I have one of those voices that would make me believable as a minor) and that I was alone at home. However, I decided: Why not? I'm already up. So she proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions about my bank service. All the time, I kept thinking about the operator conducting the survey. Her accent sounded foreign. I'm not sure where from, but English was definitely a second language. She also sounded older, like she was in her 50's. So I started thinking about who this person could be, why she was working there. Then her voice started to crack a bit, like she was thirsty or she had been working all day and her vocal chords were strained.

The thing is, that when I'm sitting at a coffee shop or in the bus and I start to make up stories for people I see, they always end up being lonely. And alone. The same thing happened this time, I thought: Maybe her husband was fired from his long-term job and has had a hard time finding something. So this woman's had to start contributing to the household, and since she's been a homemaker for the past few decades, the only thing she could find was a call centre. Maybe they've got older kids in University. They try to help out, but they've got student loans to pay as well. And she probably hates her job because she gets cursed at a lot and people hang up more than they stay on the line. I'm tired of seeing lonely people everywhere I look, so I'm gonna make happier stories.

The woman, let's call her Lucy, retired a year ago and has been going out of her mind. She has been working for thirty years, how is she supposed to just lay around at home? They moved to a sunnier place but she's still bored. She started taking evening shifts at the call centre to fill some of her time. It's frustrating how some people behave on the phone, but she has better things to think about and knows that's part of the job. Her voice started cracking in the middle of a call because she had been out to the horse races with her husband that morning, and cheering on their winning horse hurt her throat. She's tired, but happy that they won $50, he's taking her out to a nice dinner tomorrow. She finishes her shift and goes home, heats up some leftovers for herself and Pete, her husband. Pete goes to bed early but she stays up listening to the radio for a while before going to sleep. She has to look nice for a big night the next day!

Summer Hermit (Day 5)

2011-04-05T10:15:00.000-07:00

I think the reason I keep thinking about Summer is that we haven't really had Spring. There might be one sunny (but cold) day followed by miserable, cold, rainy days. So summer is the light on the horizon, the time when I will be GUARANTEED at least four straight days of warmth. I'm usually not a person who likes hot days, or the beach, but right now I need a change and since I can't just escape from the city, a change of climate is good enough. I'm looking forward to spending time alone. Not that I don't love my friends but I just enjoy being alone more nowadays. Maybe I always preferred it that way, but I was in denial. Or felt like I always had to "join in" in some way. Here's a video I took last fall. It's funny because the cherry blossoms are blooming now, so the sidewalks look completely different.

Summer can't come soon enough (Day 3)

2011-04-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's funny, even though I'm going to be really busy during the summer so technically i'm not going to have a vacation, I'm really excited. I will start making a summer playlist soon, so that'll definitely get me in the summer mood. I also bought a record player! Well technically I just have the turntable so I can't actually listen to records until I have enough money to buy an amplifier, but still, record player! I just want to spend a day like this: Go to the beach and read until it starts getting chilly. Then, come back home and spend the evening listening to records, drinking wine, and making things on my sewing machine.

Hello, stranger! Day 1

2011-04-01T21:37:00.001-07:00

Wow. I'm not even going to count exactly how many months have passed since my last post. I'm kind of not used to this anymore! I do have a tumblr, which i've been updating quite frequently (with both original posts and random internet stuff). I guess the reason I stopped writing is that at one point, so much time had passed since my last post that it felt weird coming back. But that's all in the past now! Today, I would like to reflect.

Reflect on what you say?? (nobody's saying that, because everybody's forgotten about this blog). I shall reflect on my life. Today, I remembered that the very first post I wrote included the below picture. I had just gotten that haircut and I guess I considered it important enough to blog about?? It was a big change, and in my experience, haircuts mess with your mind in the sense that they make you feel like you are, or you can be a different person.

So I had just gotten this haircut. When the picture was taken, I was still in my first year, and living in a dorm room. Since then, I lived in a dorm for another year, then moved back home without knowing whether I would be able to go back to school. I returned to Vancouver and lived on my friend's couch for one (or was it three??) month (s?). I then found a job, found a room in a house with five people, and my life was different. I started paying my own bills, I didn't have schoolwork to worry about, and had more time to actually live and fall in love with this city. It was a break, since I usually had papers to write or exams to study for, and then I would get kicked out of the dorms and go back home for the break. Now I'm back in school, working, and I've got an internship, with another internship lined up for the summer. I'm not boasting or anything, but there were periods of uncertainty where all of these possibilities seemed closed off. That picture was taken on April 3rd, 2008.

After three years, my hair was finally long enough to donate, so I went for it. It's even shorter this time, but it doesn't feel so short. I do wonder about the importance of self-reflection. The best example can be Rembrandt's series of self-portraits. He started doing them when he was really young, and kept doing them until an old age. It's weird, but when seeing some of them in chronological order it's almost as if you can see him change. Not just physically, but as he grows older he becomes less afraid of his own image. I'm not comparing these Photo Booth pictures with Rembrandt, but it just feels weird to look back on your old pictures. Now I'm rambling. Anyway, I'm back! Hopefully with a shorter time period between posts!

Same poster! I hope I never have to get rid of it.

I write like...

2010-07-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

I write like
Cory Doctorow

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Wow.

2010-07-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

I´ve been terrible at the whole internetting thing lately. The most I engage in is Twitter and Tumblr, because neither of them require much attentive reading or information processing. I love actually reading blog posts, not just skimming through them, so I catch up on blog readings and vlog watching about once a week. However, it's scary to look at that 200 New Blog Posts sign. I get easily overwhelmed, I know. Sue me. I will now proceed to narrate, in point form (I guess I wouldn't be "narrating" then, just listing...) some of the things I have been doing with myself. In no particular chronological order, because that's just how I roll.

Went to watch This Movie Is Broken. There is a pretty cool magazine in Vancouver, it's called the Georgia Straight, and they have giveaways every week (for movie premiers, concerts, plays, etc), and one day I was particularly luckless. So I decided to enter a bunch of the Giveaways, play with the odds. And I got two tickets to see this "rock show romance". I mostly loved it. I love Broken Social Scene, and this movie delivered on the "rock show" portion. However, the "romance" part was a bit... odd. And I know that the writers (Kevin Drew Himself, and Bruce McDonald) didn't want the movie to focus so much on the love story, but there is a difference between making a succinct love story and just throwing a bunch of ideas together, hoping that they will seem coherent by the end. It seems like I didn't like the movie, based on what I wrote, but I did! The concert parts gave me certifiable chills.
Learned how to ride a bike! Finally! Just last week! With minimal leg bruising! Enough said.
I've been re-reading the entire Harry Potter series since April. I hadn't read the series this way (usually I just pick up one of the books when I'm feeling nostalgic), and I'm now on Deathly Hallows. I might just fall apart while reading it on the bus. My heart breaks every time I read these books, yet I can't stop doing it.
I spend every Saturday at the beach now. Saturdays are my only days off, and I've never lived somewhere where I could just go down to the beach on a sunny day and read. I love it.
I went to Sasquatch Music Festival in May. I am in love. Seriously, look at that view.
I joined Listography.com. I have made two lists so far (I literally created my account like 40 minutes ago), and I'm in the process of making another one. This does not bode well.

Until next time!

As if I didn't have a huge enough crush on Mark Ronson already

2010-06-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

I go ahead and listen to his show on EV Radio. Handsome AND with a great sense of humour? Le Sigh.

Picture Link

One of these days...

2010-05-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on life at the moment. Hopefully i'll stop having a life soon, so I can go back to what I love most: Internetting and watching old episodes of Doctor Who (and the occasional Korean Drama) online.

Oops

2010-05-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

I bought myself one of these little darlings. So far, I've only uploaded the entire Harry Potter series. I'm on Chamber of Secrets now. Geek transformation: Complete.

Mis En Yum.

2010-04-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

I like to be very organized when I'm cooking, and ever since I found there was such a concept as Mis En Place in a cooking class I took one summer, I love the idea of individually preparing your food, creating little mounds of chopped this or that, and having everything prefectly ready for cooking. Today's been rainy and windy and gross and I have no food (except for a can of red kidney beans), so I started scouring flickr for some Mis En Place porn. Here are the results of my explorations. I also just learned how to include multiple Flick photographs into one post. After almost two years of blogging. Go, me!

Oh, hey!

2010-03-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

Also, I have a tumblr now??

My Brain Hurts

Art Art Art

2010-03-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

I went to the Vancouver Art Gallery with a friend over the weekend. The lower floor of the gallery is divided into two exhibitions, but they are thematically related. One of the exhibitions is all about Da Vinci's anatomical studies. It was very interesting, and it's kind of mindblowing to see the drawings in person. Not to get all fangirly or anything, but to actually see a piece of paper that such a genius touched, that he wrote on. I know I'm lame. But I still think he must have been an alien.

FYI: When I was young, I was kind of obsessed with drawing skeletons. Not in a morbid way, just in a "hey, let's draw some bones" way.

The other exhibition was called Visceral Bodies. It made a very interesting contrast to the Da Vinci, because it's basically about the way the body has been perceived an interpreted by contemporary artists. Some of the pieces are... unsettling but interesting... like viscera made out of felt. I wanted to stay in front of each piece and really understand the artists point of view, but I could tell my friend felt uncomfortable. At one point, she said "when did art stop being beautiful"? so I knew I was gonna have to come back on my own if I was to really enjoy this part of the show (Good thing I have a membership!). I knew she wouldn't like Visceral Bodies. She's a science-oriented gal. She doesn't believe in love (thinks it's all a bunch of chemical reactions, etc, etc.), but I guess I was hoping she might see beyond the "ugly" or the "disturbing" and find the individual beauty of at least one work. Because something beautiful doesn't necessarily have to mean "pretty" or "pleasing to the eye". I like to think of beautiful as unique, or as something that ellicits an intense visceral reaction, that drags a deep sigh out of you in such a way that you're left grasping for breath, wondering what you just saw or heard or experienced. Of course, I don't have such an intense reaction with every beautiful thing I see, but it just means that I try to find the beauty in something that can be painful or ugly to look at. (I guess that's why I love a Good Bacon or Goya).

Me: I want to know you, know what you're all about, x-ray window. Let me in. Teach me.

Vancouver Art Gallery

Chicken noodle soup

2010-02-26T19:34:00.001-08:00

Chicken noodle soup
Originally uploaded by okenezak

I'm currently under the weather, thanks to the Common Cold (I will get you one day, oh I will get you). So i've mostly been drinking soups and whatnot. That's what sucks about having a cold. It's not like you can't eat anything, but you can't actually eat anything because food has no taste (on account of the whole runny nose thing). I've tried to eat stuff at the restaurant, but I just end up frustrated. Soo anywayyy, I prepared myself some delicious canned chicken noodle soup and as I was stirring the pot full of processed goodness (if only), my mind began to wander, as it tends to do. And I started remembering the time when I first cooked for my parents. I must have been about 9 or 10, and I was home alone with my brothers. I was bored, so I decided to make them some nice chicken soup for when they came home. Of course, I didn't actually know how to make soup. When they got home, I had prepared for them a delicious pot of boiled chicken ( I might have chucked some salt and pepper in there). Thankfully, my parents were greatful for the meal and my mom fixed it by adding stuff to make the boiled chicken actual soup.

This.

2010-02-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

This is me right now. In my head. by diansof featuring Rocha.John Rocha outerwear

I'm not dead. I think. I'm pretty sure.

2010-02-10T01:25:00.000-08:00

I love writing stuff on this here blog. I really do. And I've had some stuff to write about, but I just haven't had the time! So maybe I have had the time but I'm the kind of person that basically needs a to-do list for every single thing, otherwise it will just slip my mind. BUT I'm going to be less busy starting next week, so I will try to make this video I've been wanting to do, as well as write some stuff. Now I will let the beautiful music and videos do the talkin'.

Dan Mangan is my new favourite singer. I will try to stalk him when he's back in town for the Olympics.

I'm honestly in awe of the creative power a community can have. hitRECord is an incredibly inspiring website and I plan on collaborating one of these days (I hate saying stuff like "i plan on doing this soon", or "I want to do that". Sometimes you just have to DO it). Anyway, I WILL collaborate.

What I did on sunday.

2010-01-13T10:23:00.001-08:00

What I wish I could do every single day.

This is my life now.

2010-01-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

Taking pictures of the street. That's what the content of this blog has been reduced to. But that's all I've been doing! Walking to work, walking from work, walking back from my friends place, walking to-well, you get the idea.

I went out for a walk on January 1st, and these balloons were trapped! It was sad.

Fog. I like fog.

Another one of my cell phone features.

My brothers and I went through a Battlestar phase this summer. Let's just say we got excited when we saw this poster in an Applebee's (hey, it's good food! If slightly overpriced). Commander Adama!

The Guadalupe Basilica.

Ok, I'm done.

Names

2009-12-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

I work at a restaurant where the "ordering" concept is a little bit different. You come in, grab a paper bag from the table next to the door, and check what you want from the menu printed on the bag. Most people don't even look at the table and head straight to the cashier, where I have a stack of bags ready to fill out for the customer. What worries me is this: At the very top of the paper bag, there is a space for you to write your name (It very clearly says Name:____), but most of the people that actually take the time to rill out their own bag don't write their name. So of course, I have to ask them and writ it in for them (that's how we give them the food- call their name, hand over the bag).

Why? Why, if they have obviously looked at the bag, read the instructions, do they try to avoid writing their name? Are they afraid of something? That we will stalk them? That we'll mispronounce it? Make up awful rhyming nicknames and mock them? Starbucks was successful with this system at one point, so why is this concept strange now? Are they more comfortable just remaining anonymous numbers, as opposed to actually becoming human beings with proper names?

Filler?

2009-12-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

Having a semblance of a life kind of sucks when you want to update your blog. I've been making use of my pretty new camera phone (new as in "my mom upgraded to a better phone and gave me her old one"), but it IS much better than my old phone. I've been taking some pictures, and here they are.

I can, in fact, take panoramic pictures with my phone. It's very fun.

Frozen ground, but no snow.

I need those shoes. Some girl was wearing them at the bus stop.

Pretty building!

Vancouver beach (English Bay, I think? I always forget. I felt like writing a poem or painting something. Now I get Romanticism.

Yes, another panoramic picture.

At the Vancouver Biennale inauguration. It was cold and rainy, but the rain made everything so beautiful.

This just makes me want the whole world in colorful yarn. I need to learn how to knit. New Year's Resolution, maybe?
save

And yes, some more beach.
save

It's raining here without you

2009-11-22T17:24:00.001-08:00

It's raining here without you
Originally uploaded by aknacer

So I'm sitting at my local Starbucks, when I realize I have another hour of free internet, but nothing to use if for. That's why flickr was invented. It's been raining a lot so I just decided to search for "rain" pictures, when this picture popped up. I love it. Dont you feel like this happens to you sometimes?

Hedwig

2009-11-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

I saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch a few nights ago. It was so incredible. I wish I had been able to see the musical live, but I'm sure the movie lived up to its predecessor. It's a story about finding love, finding who you are, and finding out what love actually means. Hedwig (formerly Hansel) was a boy that fell in love with another boy. He took her away to a place where she thought she would be happy, but instead she was left alone.

I'm not gonna give away the whole movie, but I will write about one song: The Origin of Love made me cry.

Hedwig is amazing and strong and John Cameron Mitchell has an amazing voice.

This is Tommy. He broke her heart after she turned him into a rock star.

Hedwig by diansof featuring Paris Hilton shoes

If I were Hedwig, this is what I would wear to my shows.

Hedwig Pt. 2 by diansof featuring Forever21

Even when my life is in the dumps and I feel like crawling into bed and staying there until eternity, I have to do the exact opposite: "Put on some make-up and turn up the tape deck and pull the wig down on my head" because we have to make life worthwhile. Nobody's gonna do that for us.

Thank you, Hedwig.

Halloweenies

2009-11-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Every year, I have a hard time choosing a halloween costume. I don't want to spend a lot of money and my visions are too grand. However, this year my costume came to me in a dream about 2 months ago. It's not that original, but it was fun to make! I was a unicorn.

I had missed being crafty and glittering and papier-mache-ing stuff. I actually enjoyed making the costume more than the day itself. Is that bad?

Why I love fall.

2009-10-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

I was walking from my friend's apartment, where I'm currently sleeping (I love this couch! It's really comfy), to the university village. It's tiny but it has the essentials for a proper university life. Anyway, I was on the sidewalk and noticed spots on the ground. I crouched to see what they were, and they were imprints of leafs that had fallen and quickly decayed from the rain (at least that's my theory. It might be something else), and I just loved them. It looked like someone had spraypainted these outlines during the night, but it was just a natural accident. I'm gonna try to go out and take a picture of it tomorrow, if it's not raining. Sadly, all the leaves are almost off the trees. And the rainy season started so the ones on the ground aren't crunchy, just wet and squishy.

Aha!

2009-10-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Starting today, this year will be known as "The Year of Getting It Together". I am starting with figuring out my fall inspirations. Clothes-wise, color-wise, attitude-wise. I will be on style.com, putting together a folder with my favorite looks from fashion shows. I am also compiling a list of pieces I need, along with a list of fall combinations that I need to keep in mind. I'm not doing this to try to look as fashionable as possible, but as a way to figure out who I am, or at least who I strive to be. And I figured that I can probably find the pieces I want more easily if they appeared in the new collections. I'm trying to discern between the pieces I love and the pieces I can actually find and wear. But of course, I have a separate folder for my Fantasy Wish List (which is mostly made up of pretty dresses).

Inspirations (with commentary) Pt. 1

2009-09-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

(What, indeed??)

Ok, let's get this post started! I have a 'zine to read.

I kind of need to go get some ice cream after I'm done here.

That poster needs to be hung up in my room, preferably right above my bed so that it will be the first thing I see every morning.

I've never mentioned how much I love art nouveau. I like it. A lot. And I like that watch. I might actually start using a watch if I had this one.

I also like young Jean-Pierre Léaud. Minus the cigarette smell.

I think we always forget that it´s OK to let go sometimes. It´s scary, but you feel incredibly free after you've dropped some of the emotional weight.

I wish I could see the world like this all the time. I would call it my "flower cam".

Bed. Comfy. Sleep. Yes Please.

Look at it's tiny little legs sticking out!! Makes me laugh every time. Just don't make it angry.

Best. Photobombing. Ever.

Art Nouveau, remember?

This concludes my unproductive inspirations. I named this part one, but I don't know if and when part two will be made. Thank You.
savesavesavesavesavesavesavesave

Lazy. That's me.

2009-09-15T00:14:00.000-07:00

At the moment, it's 2:14 am and I can't sleep. I just finished writing a close friend a long-ass letter updating her on my life. It feels great to tell her stuff, but the rush of excitement is what is keeping me from sleeping and dreaming sweet dreams. Since I'm still on extended vacation (yes, that's what I'm calling it. Sue me.) I haven't been inspired by many things. It's on a creative hiatus, if you will. Now, I have amassed plenty of beautiful photographs and doodads on my external hard drive, and I plan on posting some of my favorites on this here blog. I would do that now, but there's a hitch in my plan. See, I'm on my laptop, sitting on my bed, covered up by blankets. And the external hard drive, as the name sort of implies, is on my desk, about one meter away (half a yard? I don't know, I guess). I could stretch and get the cable and plug it in (yes you have to plug it in to a power outlet. it's old and weighs a lot.), and then get the usb and hook it up to my laptop. BUT even writing out the steps makes me want to cry. I'm looking at it, and it feels like its ten meters away. I look back at the screen, try to encourage myself to stretch a little bit, look back at my desk, and desist all thoughts on the matter.

Plus, (I try to reason with myself), by the time I'm done doing aalll of that, I'll probably feel sleepy again and the effort would be wasted. In conclusion, this continues to be the summer of fail in terms of blogging. Maybe tomorrow.

For now, I'll just end it with this: I don't know where I got it from, and I can't bother looking. But it's pretty and cloudy and I wish the picture belonged to me.

It's not over... is it?

2009-09-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

So I've been hearing rumors that summer is coming to a close. I won't have that! I didn't have enough lazy summer days, and I need to fill that summer day quota. And I don't mourn the loss of summer because I have to go back to school, because I can't go back to school this semester. It's something else... maybe the knowledge that this mid-year hiatus will be ending for the rest of my friends, but not for me?? I'm actually interested in what it feels like to not be a student, for the first time in more than a decade. Most of our young lives have been based on a cycle of summer vacations, followed by school, followed by winter vacations, followed by school, etc. I'm gonna miss the excitement of finding the perfect topic for a research paper, or pulling an all-nighter before a big test. But I also need to relish in this little break, because I'll be back in the "student" role in no time. I guess this is my way of saying "I'm bored, and I'm looking for things to do"!

EDIT: I just realized something. Here I am, writing about how I'm gonna miss summer, but I've normally always been more of a winter person. I like the cold. I like snow. I like rain. I hate the beach. I hate sweating. Etc. So why am I saying I'll miss summer? I think it's because I miss what I imagine summer should be. Warm days, filled with picnics and hanging out outside and road trips, and not having to worry about how you're gonna layer your winter clothing in the most slimming manner. I did have the opportunity to go out and read in a park, or take long walks in the sun. I tried doing that, but stopped because it wasn't me. It felt forced and unnatural. And also, my new room is too cozy and just the right temperature all the time, so I can just make a little nook in the corner of my bed and waste my time reading, writing, and thinking.

The Great Failure Experiment of 09

2009-08-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

So I have kind of failed at all of the "weekly updating" I talked about last time. But hey, I had surgery like three weeks ago! Plus, I actually did take pictures last week, but had no way of uploading them. I started off simple. A belt, purple tights, and my grandma shoes.

s
For today, I was trying to mix my plad shirt up a little bit. It's too tent like for my tastes at times. So yes. This is it.

An announcement

2009-08-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

In honor of my surgery tomorrow, I am starting a weekly series of posts. They will be called "The Great Hospital Gown Experiment of '09!"
What is this??
Well, I made a dress. The pattern for this dress was dull, and I bough dull fabric (beige) to go with it. Why?? Because I wanted to alter it and make it into a piece which I could mix and match with the rest of my clothes. I have too many colors, and too many clothes that kind of don't go with one another, and if they do, I can't accessorize because it might look too busy. Since I have so many colors, I decided to go with a neutral tone. My plan is to showcase the accessories, and show that what looks like a depressing hospital gown can, in fact, be turned into much more than that. Every week (say... Wednesdays??), I will accessorize it in a different way and document my results.
This will also help me (hopefully) on those days when I don't really know what to wear and I just want a simple, yet original outfit. It will also help stir my creativity and try to find new ways to wear it.

Here's to not failing!

P.S: I'm going to the hospital tomorrow, so I thought it would be the perfect time to wear it out.

Final Wrecking!!!

2009-07-31T16:57:00.000-07:00

I kind of missed posting last week because... I was too busy making this!

But I did not want to miss our last week!!
I've been crumbling,

Writing and repeating,

Walking and doodling,
And wrapping this little guy

nice and comfy in a scrap fabric-covered piece of journal paper.
"A gift, for me??"
I also played with fire, attempting (and failing) to make leopard print out of paper.
And of course, I couldn't miss the old "throw the journal off a high place", especially considering that I live on the sixth floor.After the last picture was taken, I rushed downstairs to get to the journal before anyone picked it up. But of course, the doorman heard the noise. I think he might call Social Services, accusing me of some sort of abuse to literature and writing. Oh well.

I am definitely not done with the journal, but I decided to not hurry it. Now, whenever I feel like ripping something or write my angry thoughts down, I'll have my journal turn to. We always look for ways to let pressure out, or vent, so why hurry up a natural process of destruction and rebirth? I would also like to thank my fellow wreckers for joining me in this process of creative output. I saw some truly inspiring things, and most importantly, was able to talk to some really great people. Thank you all for restoring my faith in creativity and imagination!
savesavesave

Hey, you! Why are you so goshdarn cute?

2009-07-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Call me.

He is also the mastermind behind this lovely business:

Wrecking, part bajillion.

2009-07-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

First of all, thanks to all the people that inquired about my health! I still have to get surgery in about a month, but the situation is not as bad as it could've been (especially as cancer treatment goes). I did go through a dark couple of days last week, but was definitely reassured by my doctor today. Anyway, on with this post!
Some of you were asking to see the inside of the journal after dipping it in the dye. I was kind of expecting the paper to suck the dye right up, but it might have been because of the thickness of the journal, or the general paper quality, but not one page turned completely purple. However, this was a nice effect, which I noticed while drying the pages. Sometimes, I felt as if the dye had was baring the very soul of the journal, especially while the pages were wet. This is kind of a weird statement to make, but the seeping water made the most lovely shapes. Sadly, my camera quality completely washed them out. These are the best pics I could take:
Hmm. This one looks a little bit like roadkill... I'm sorry, imaginary squashed squirrel!

And I was also excited to make a paper chain! I took out my brand new markers and coloring pencils, to spice it up a bit. It turns out the chain is multi-functional!
It can be a journal holder-together thingy,

Funky necklace,
Funky hair doodad or whatsit, And of course, the trusty bracelet.

This might have been, so far, my favorite activity! What was yours?

Also, Jamie was asking us what we wanted to get out of the Journal. I simply want to regain a sense of adventure we sometimes lose throughout the journey from childhood into adulthood. I want to see any type of destruction as an opportunity of creation. To imprint myself into anything I play with, and remember constantly that the rules of life and creativity can be bent, changed, created, and even ignored! We are all on a path together, but that doesn't mean that all of us are required to follow it in the exact same way. Detours are okay, and pit stops are encouraged.
save

Fantasy outfit!

2009-07-14T07:22:00.001-07:00

Lily Elsie
Originally uploaded by ART NAHPRO

I wanna go out dancing in this outfit! I wish I were friends with Lily Elsie, she looks like a fun lady to hang out with.

No excuses this time! Ok, maybe one excuse.

2009-07-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

I was really getting into the wrecking last week, but I had some health issues that made the rest of my life take a back seat (doctors appointments, blood tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, and impending surgeries can do that to a person), but I did do one thing to be proud of before my life became engulfed by my body:

One packet of fabric dye
One book ripe for the wreckingOne bored and curious girl...DESTRUCTIONNNNN!!!! (Heavy metal music playing in the background)
The result is a book with pretty purple pages that took about 2 hours of hairdryer to dry up.

Between the dying and the health issues, I also had some time to have delicious chinese food!(That's my brother! We look, and are, nothing alike)

Take that, technology!

2009-06-28T10:01:00.001-07:00

You have been pwned.

I decided to break out the coloring pencils I bought for this occasion.

And add some color to my glue as well!

This page is still a work in progress!
I decided to save some of the pics for next week.

Unending Failure

2009-06-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm so disappointed with myself! Last week, I couldn't post anything about how my "Wreck this Journal" is going because I was having camera problems, and now this week I had memory card problems! And I did take many pictures documenting experiments I did and just general wrecking. The one piece of evidence I have of my progress is this:

Hopefully I'll have my problems sorted out by next week, which will mean many many pictures!
UPDATE: PROBLEM SOLVED! I'm gonna put the pictures up on another post so that they are not tainted with the negative technology vibes radiating from this one. :-)

Distracted much?

2009-06-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

I forgot to write about what I was gonna write about in my last post. So I will just write it here. On saturday, I was talking to my friend and mentioned to him that I was taking a class in which I was learning how to not only edit pictures and create logos, but also design exclusively for the publishing business. He then went on a tirade about how he didn't think graphic designers should be considered artists, and book covers should not be considered art. I disagreed with him, but accepted that being a graphic designer does not automatically mean that you are an artist, but this is a moot point because merely saying that you are an artist does not automatically mean that you are an artist, and so on. Because, as much as we have gotten to a point where anything can be called art and all art should be valued, is this really so? I have seen really uninspired art that should not be called as such. Anyway, I tried explaining the validity of new technologies when it comes to valid and inspiring artistic output, but it turns out that he is quite close-minded and traditionalist in this aspect. Simply because some processes are made easier by computers does not mean a person cant create something beautiful or meaningful or however you would like to define a piece of art. (I should probably add that he is an artist)

But another thing that irked me was the fact that he said book covers should not be appreciated as art but as the byproduct of some capitalist, impersonal endeavour. I mean, if he thinks that the container for a piece of literature is not important, then what does he think of the book itself? Of course, a good or bad book cover is not directly related to how good a book will be, but it is a very crucial component of the book (especially nowadays). And to say that graphic designers that devote themselves to complementing a work of literature aren't creating art... well, it makes me sad... as a book lover and an art lover.

A while ago, Diana (hey, that's my name too!) twittered (or maybe blogged about?) this post about book covers. These are some of my favorite covers. They are original, sometimes funny, sometimes intriguing, and they all make me want to read those books.

I guess that my point is this: sometimes you should not discard an object as "not valid" simply because it's doing what it was meant to do: spark a persons curiosity into buying and reading the book. Rather, maybe you should just look at the qualities it has, and how it appeals to your own senses and your own intellectual curiosity.

Well this is awkward

2009-06-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

My failure at life knows no bounds, but today's failure specifically relates to my lack of photographic evidence for the trip I left for more than a month ago! I had promised myself I would take pictures of my family, my friends, and food. Of course, I just took about 3 pictures. Two are of food, and the other one is a piece of fabric. See, I'm just not good at taking pictures. I mean, if you're having a pleasant lunch with your friend, I just can't interrupt a good time to say: hey, let's stop talking and pose for the camera like idiots. It seems so forced and... I don't know. I'm sure most people don't really see this as an issue but I do. Normally it's other friends that carry the camera and are in charge of the picture taking.

Anyway, I've been taking an editorial design class, which I'm really liking. Last week, we did publisher. this week, we're doing stuff with photoshop. The end-of-course project is to create your own print project (so it can be a magazine, newspaper, book, etc.). I like what I'm learning, and started practicing on my own. This is the first thing I did on illustrator:

Hey, it's not much, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? This time, it was just tracing an orchid picture I got off google. Next time, the world!

What do you do with fruit lying around?

2009-06-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

You bake it!
Which is just what I did yesterday with some bananas nobody had eaten. It was my first foray into breadmaking and my banana bread with chocolate chip cookies turned out quite tasty.
Want some?

Update: Do I look naked in these pictures? Because i'm pretty sure i was not naked.

Journal Wrecking, Week Dos.

2009-06-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

So I followed the directions that said we had to carry the journal everywhere with us. Luckily, I went out with some friends on saturday (pizza, coffee, a walk, then to my friend's house for some Rock Band practice). Anyway, it turns out that we didn't even get to the Rock band portion of the evening because we entertained ourselves with the journal as soon as I pulled it out. I will just let the pictures speak for themselves. (I did more pages than the ones shown here, but my camera has died due to crappy batteries... sigh.)

Doodle!

Throw!
Golf!
Connect the dots!
Lose!

Throw

Doodle... again!

Make hair art!
No alcohol was involved in any portion of this evening. Only soda and candy.
savesavesave

Wreck it, drop it, burn it, scratch it.

2009-06-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe not all of that, but yes. As part of my summer of creativity, I joined the Wreck This Journal project, and it starts today!
I haven't begun wrecking it, but be sure that by the end of the day I will have done some damage.
In the meantime, here's the picture of a sloth. It's hanging upside-down! So adorable.

UPDATE: I've been working on the journal this afternoon. Doodling, ripping, and folding! Here it is, in its pristine and untarnished condition. save

Hello, June!!

2009-06-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

How are you doing, June? From what I've gathered, you've been having a nice couple of days, and I'm glad that you've kept the weather just right.
What have I been doing? Oh nothing much, just traveling. Yesterday I went to sign up for editorial design classes. It's an intensive one-month course, and by the end of it I will have a portfolio and an official certificate (which means that I can get work and everything!). The bus line is pretty close to my apartment, and the place is about 15 minutes away. However, I chose the wrong time to go. The buses were full, and deodorant smell was in the air (at least people are polite enough to wear deodorant).
However, I have one bone to pick with Mexican society. I was distracted and got on the bus from the back, and when I lifted my head, I was met with men everywhere I could see (and I'm tall, so I can see far). For a second, I thought they were doing the same thing in the bus system than they do in the metro. During peak hours, there are separate compartments for men and women, because it can get pretty uncomfortable for women. So I thought I'd hopped on the men's bus or something. I was getting weird stares and everything. In the next stop, I was relieved to find that the women were on the other side of the bus, where the nice seats are. After I got lost looking for the building (it was right in front of the bus stop, yet I walked about 8 blocks looking for it), I signed up for my class and went to the bus stop. There was a poster that said something along these lines:
"In order to promote Gender Equality, women will have preferential seats in our public transit system."
Sure, it'll prevent women from being groped on the subways and buses (hopefully), but what about the underlying issues?
Logical fallacies and lack of foresight rile me up.

Every year, something happens.

2009-05-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

For the past two years, some medical emergency has interrupted my summers. In 2007, it was a car accident and thyroid cancer. 2008? A cyst (I know, gross), and this year, I hurt my toe, which disturbed the nail or something, and required tiny surgery. My point is that my toe is now carefully bandaged, and I am in a considerable amount of pain. I was supposed to meet one of my friends today, but i´m limping, and it hurts and I´m a big crybaby. But I do have time to write a little on my beautiful blog.
Today is Book Club Day! The day when I have nothing else to write about so I choose to record what I´ve been up to, literature-wise.
American Psycho-Bret Easton Ellis: I´m close to finishing it, but physically could not. There was one point where I was about to throw up while reading one of the brutal murder scenes. But I WANT to read it, because I love the narration, and want to know what happens (I watched the movie, but I´m blocking the memory out until I finish the book).

Demonology-Rick Moody: It wasn´t until I finished the first short story that it was actually a collection of the author´s short stories. I fail at life, indeed. Some of the stories are more engaging than others, but overall I don´t like the way he writes. He uses too many adjectives, and in general he sounds kind of arrogant. I´m not done reading it, don´t know if I eventually finish doing so.

16 Cuentos Latinoamericanos (16 Latin-American Stories): It´s composed of stories about youth, written from the 1960´s onward. It includes stories by Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, and Mario Benedetti. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. I could relate to so many of the things the characters were going through, and it shows how no one, can escape self-criticism, but also a certain youthful arrogance at times.

And now, I´m reading Courtesan (I forgot the author´s name...): it´s been compared to The Da Vinci Code and some other book. The plot is picking up, but again, the author wastes way too many words in attempting to describe every little detail. Sometimes it works, but in this case it just gets in the way of the actual story.

And for when I´m done with that book, I bought The General in his Labyrinth (in Spanish), by Gabriel García Márquez, and the COMPLETE WORKS of Julio Cortázar, which I´m ecstatic about! They are spread over three tomes. Honestly, I just want to start reading these books now. But I always have to finish every book I start. I guess I´m hoping it will change my mind.

I´m off to take another pain pill!

Gotcha!!!

2009-05-07T04:04:00.000-07:00

Not really. I actually am leaving, but as it turns out the flight I was gonna go on at 7:30 was underbooked and consequently cancelled. I now have to go back to the airport at 1:30. I was going to take this time to sleep for a few hours, but I can't. I think I might just go back to reading Harry Potter for a bit. After I talk about a dream I had the other night!
Now, I don't remember all the details, but here goes.
In my dream, I was (for some unknown reason) summoned by my alternate-universe self. They had an alternate universe ship or something, and it picked me up and took me to HER earth. However, unlike here, their galaxy was full of inhabited planets, and there were ships zooming around everywhere. But it turns out that my other self was this whiny, boring girl that kept making a fuss about everything, so while I loved this other universe, she bored me. Before I'd woken up, it ended in me walking across some train tracks and back into my own world. I don't know why I choose to write about this. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it's been a while since I actually remembered a dream. And I love the idea of alternate universes, worlds where everything is just the slightest bit different.

Gone for a little while

2009-05-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

In about four hours, my dad's gonna come wake me up because... I'll be gone for 20 days!
Completely gone. No laptop or anything.
I've been saving up for this trip since January, and I'm soo excited!!! I'll get to see my family and friends! I haven't seen them in about three years so it'll be very interesting.
This means that when I return, there will be many, many unread blog posts and such. But honestly, it'll be soo worth it!
I had something interesting to write about, but it's too late now and my brain is calling for some sleep.
So, yeah, Colombia tour starts tomorrow.
Expect much food porn upon my return!

Silly me!

2009-05-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

All throughout the month of April, I had a feeling that I had forgotten something. I couldn't figure out what it was, until now! On April 3rd, this blog turned one year old! And I completely missed its birthday!
My brain is in stupor due to the intense temperature change I'm still adjusting to, so I just went to youtube, typed in: Celebration, and this is what came up.

Which led me to think about this:

And made me end up here:

My brain has just imploded.
Hey, the fashion world's going crazy over the 90's, for some reason, so this set of videos is very fitting. Remember, people! not everything was floral and plaid back then!

What have I been doing?

2009-05-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, this:

Some of this:

And a sprinkle of that:

Adventures from the Sky Mall

2009-05-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

I wrote this on the plane. The post was much longer, but I suspect that no one wants to read about my conclusions on the fate of the human condition, based on my airport experience:

I was perusing Sky Mall magazine, as one is wont to do, and will now proceed to document some of the more… shall we say, interesting… object for sale?
Voice-activated R2-D2. Enough said.

The Marshmallow Shooter. Now, I believe that, during these difficult economic times, the Marshmallow Shooter people are having a tough time selling those puppies. However, did they ever have that much of a popular niche to begin with? Apparently, yes. “This clever pump action device shoots sweet, edible minitature marshmallows over 30’, and-unlike other marshmallow blasters- (you mean there’s more than one??) it comes with an LED sight that projects a safe beam of red light to help locate a target for accuracy. The easy to refill magazine holds 20 marshmallows (or foam pellets, not included) for fast, nonstop action. …The back of the box includes a target for practice.”
Many things worry me about this shooter. Not only are there multiple companies developing and selling such contraptions they are actually putting a lot of thought into it. Also, why marshmallows? Why not gummy bears or, I don’t know, bread? So many questions.

The birdwatcher’s motion activated camera. “Camera detects motion and automatically snaps pictures of birds or other wildlife”.
What I don’t get is, if you are an avid bird watcher, I would guess that you would recieve as much enjoyment out of actually spotting the bird as capturing that perfect moment on camera. Part of that whole experience is missing when you get a gizmo that just watches the birds for you, and you end up looking at the pretty pictures. There are some amazing photographs where the photographer probably had to spend hours crouching down, waiting for the light to be right and the bird to rise up from the trees or whatever it is that birds do, and even though it probably sucks at the moment, I know I wouldn’t regret it or give up the experience of capturing that moment yourself.

The portable hammock. The only thing I have to criticize here is the ugly blue color. Otherwise, I want that in my living room now.

For the at home connoisseur, we have a professional quality soft ice cream, yogurt, or sorbet maker. Simply add fresh ingredients, turn the dial, and enjoy 11/2 quarts of frozed dessert in as little as 20 minutes. Three built-in dispensers add sprinkles and chips.
Now, this is just morbidly obese waiting to happen. All FroYo, all the time? That’s awesome and terrible at the same time.

The classic Gazing Ball with a brilliant difference: now it changes color while you gaze. Be dazzled by the six ever changing colors beneath the light-enhancing cracked-glass globe.
So this is basically a stupid-ass orb, placed on top of a ridiculously kitschy, fake wood column, meant to go outside in the garden. And you’re supposed to stand there and stare at it while the colors change. Why? I just hope your neighbour doesn’t catch you being “dazzled” by the brilliant light.
Now for a little grab-bag because I want to watch a movie and maybe sleep for the rest of the flight:

Inflatable movie screen for the backyard. If I had a pool, or some sort of garden, that would be awesome. Moving on.

Kool-light-O-Scope Underwater Pool light. It’s like swimming in a kaleidoscope of color , as spinning LED’s form continually changing patterns on the bottom and sides of your pool”. What is it about all of these pool accessories that actually compel me to want a pool? I hate pools. Maybe If I get a house with a pond.

Personalized Decorative Life Preserver. Really? They say it’s perfect for a boat, but I’m guessing that if you have enough money to buy a decent boat, you have enough money to buy a decent (maybe more than just decorative) life preserver. Just sayin’.
I always skip the “pet” section, because it’s too adorable. They have little stairs for puppies that are too tiny to climb on the bed!
Just found a treasure trove of decorative garden sculptures. I think the titles are all you need here.

The zombie of Montclaire Moors Sculpture. (It’s terrifying. I almost peed my pants.)
Basho the Sumo Wrestler sculpture and Glass-topped table.
The peeing boy of Brussels sculpture and fountain.
The spirit of Nottingham Woods Tree Sculpture (attaches to your tree!)
The Meerkat Gang Sculpture.
And the most epic one ever:
Bigfoot, the Garden yeti sculpture. I’d like to buy one, please!savesave

Ack! Traveling!

2009-04-29T22:20:00.001-07:00

Centro Historico at Night - Mexico City, Mexico
Originally uploaded by vortex_bits

I wrote this long-ass post on the plane. But it's too long so I'm gonna have to edit it a bit. I'm home now!
It's weird because my dad and brothers moved to a new apartment while I was gone. So even though it's new to me, I immediately felt right at home.Something about it just feels right.
Yup, this is home. Except it's never this empty.

Argheysdfpieblaaaa!!

2009-04-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

When I'm extremely stressed out and frustrated, I make strange noises. There's growling, there's squeaking, there's lots of "nooooeeee...'s", and "whyyyyy??'s" that just generally freak people out. My neighbour probably thinks I've actually gone insane. On the other hand, I found this awesome bow amongst my things (I believe it was part of my last halloween costume). I will wear it today, since the rest of my accessories are all packed.
I think someone needs to delete photobooth from my computer.
And speaking of halloween, I think I have decided on a costume for this year. Don't know why I didn't think of it before. The only problem is that no one will know who I am. (yes, miss doctor who)

Things I'm not looking forward to

2009-04-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

I just woke up from the most delicious hour and a half nap. However, I woke up to the sad reality of my life at the moment:Packing everything I own into two suitcases. I hate this part.

Yeah, yeah.

2009-04-27T00:54:00.000-07:00

So I failed . Again. I haven't Blogged Every Day in April. At this very moment, my head is down and my heart is filled with sorrow. However, I can't be expected to fulfill my self-imposed blogging duties during the month of april. That's the month before summer break, so you know what that means. Also, I just got back from seeing BLOC PARTY live!!!!! I love them I love them I love them so much. I remember reading a concert review about them when they were just starting out, and the reporter said that they were not engaging the audience and bla bla bla, but as the years progressed, and friends told me their own Bloc Party experiences, that review has been proved wrong.

My feetsies hurt so much from all the jumping and dancing and singing, but I don't care. The only sad part is that they did not play my favorite of their songs (at least for the moment), Ion Square. I think it perfectly explains the point in a relationship which might seem boring to an outsider, but if you're part of that couple, all you need is the other person to be happy. Everything else just falls away.

Ion Square

Ion square, perspex swings
I breathe out, you breathe in
Permanent midnight
Our love, our love
How we've come to depend
On each other to the end
The space between us has disappeared
You finish my, you finish my words for me

I remember how it began
So many great days in a row
Barefoot on Bishopsgate
Trying to find Blake's grave
If we could stay like this in a silver foil
Trapped in amber for a life
Permanent midnight
Our love, our love

I carry your heart here with me
I carry it in my heart
I carry your heart with me
I carry it in my heart

Who said unbroken happiness
Is a bore, is a bore?
Who said it, my love? I don't mind it
Anymore, anymore
And I reach out a hand over your side of the bed
Pull that blanket over your shoulders exposed to the night
And the hunger of those early years will never return
But I don't mind, I don't mind
'Cause I love my mind when I'm fucking you
Slowed down to a crawl
Years of crime and the bread line
Have not at all dimmed your shine
So let's stay in, let the sofa be our car
Let's stay in, let the TV be our stars
I found my dancing shoes but they don't fit
All the bright lights do is bore me
They bore me

I carry your heart here with me
I carry it in my heart
I carry your heart with me
I carry it in my heart

And the fact that they used an e.e cummings poem as part of the lyrics just takes it to that next level. For me, at least.

Before I start writing a dissertation on how much I love Bloc Party's lyrics, i will stop this post... now.

Oh noes!

2009-04-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

This is what I will arrive to next week.

In other news, I was writing my paper yesterday when my friend came in, telling me we should do something. It was too late to go to the Roxy, and we were hungry, so it came down to the all day breakfast diner I went to last week, or the Naam. We flipped a coin, and Naam it was. I've only eaten there twice, and both times I was underwhelmed. However, this time they delivered. It's open 24 hours a day, and it's completely vegetarian and natural (with vegan options as well). I ordered the chili and it was so delicious! But of course, the waiter had to complain about us not giving him a tip at the end of the meal (but we did!), and of course that caused me to get distracted and forget my doggy bag at the table. I'll live, I guess.

I hate myself

2009-04-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to write my final paper for the last week, but I keep getting so discouraged that I just decide to do other things instead. Seriously, I still haven't even written a thesis. I had a little to do list in which I clearly wrote: Have final draft done by Friday, 6 PM. However, that will not happen. But I will stay up all night if I have to. And I've also been planning on writing to my TA, asking for help, since monday. That hasn't happened either.

On a less depressing note, I went downtown for a bit. After wandering into H&M and lusting after this beautiful baby pink high-waisted bubble skirt (it sounds weird, doesn't it?), I got myself a beautiful new Moleskine pocket notebook. It smells nice. I still haven't finished the journal I currently have, but since I'm gonna be gone for a few months, I decided to just stock up. And afterwards, I went to the VAG, to find inspiration or something. I saw good stuff, but it didn't really help with the paper. Ok, done procrastinating!

Like a boss

2009-04-23T00:02:00.000-07:00

My friends and I were bored, so we decided to go out for a bit. We started out at a bar, where we had some food, but somehow the night ended like this:Need a close-up?

Here you go.

Rush rush

2009-04-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

The other day, my friend told me her friend saw me on the bus the other day. I tried to remember if I'd been out of campus that day, but couldn't remember, so it might have been me. As such, I can't even remember if I posted anything yesterday, and haven't yet checked my own blog. Anyway, I have to leave to a concert (Cold War Kids), and I'm so excited! I wanted to see them last September, but all of the tickets were sold out. However, this time I was prepared.
In lieu of an actual post, I'm attaching a series of photographs (photobooth ftw), with small narrations.

I wanted something sweet, but didn't know what. So I went downstairs and got an orange creamsicle. Oh the memories they bring back! Here, the creamsicle is used as a prop in order to divert attention from the humanoid pimple growing on my nose.

Ok, fine, i'll reveal it. See? it hurts. But this ice cream is yummy. Om nom nom.

Look at those puppies!! I got them a few days ago. It was time for some new tennis shoes. My other pairs are in awful condition (my newest pair was at least 4 years old).
The second picture shows my "not amused" face. It's hard to hold up your ginormous latin woman leg up to a friggin laptop camera, k?

I'm sorry about the messy format. Computers hate me. Sadface.
save

It's like they know me

2009-04-19T23:16:00.001-07:00

I didn't know there was an actual phrase for when you think about a perfect comeback after you've left a situation. It's L’esprit de l’escalier.
I know feel that it's my responsibility to learn French, in case they have other perfect words for my awkward situations.

Food exploration

2009-04-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

It hurts! I'm so full!
Since I was done with my exams yesterday, I decided to sleep in today. Normally, that means that I wake up at around 11 or 12. however, I finally deigned to get out of bed at around 2. I felt terrible, like i had wasted half a day, so I wasted some more time checking emails, blogs, whatever else I could think of, and then decided to go out and do something with my life. I was planning on going to this place called the Rhizome Café, and made the trek out to the other side of town (the bus ride takes freaking forever), but when I got there, I encountered a sign that said they closed between 2 and five in order to get everything for dinner and a live show they do at night. Finding myself hungry and with nowhere to go, I wandered around for a bit. I was walking to the bus stop, when two ladies in front of me walked into what I thought was a residence building. However, when I looked in the windows, there was a diner! So I decided to check it out. I felt home, somehow. It wasn´t one of those cheesy, fake diners that have been popping up recently. It was the real deal. And they had ALL DAY BREAKFAST!!! I thought about having fish and chips for about a second, before realizing that it´s been forever since I had a proper breakfast, even if it was already lunchtime. So I ordered eggs benedict instead. I´ve always wanted to try them, and actually wanted to attempt preparing them myself, but somehow this particular dish scares me. So here was my chance!

I want moar!!! my eggs are not pictured. these are some random ones I found on google.

I'm definitely going back there again. And another plus is the fact that it's not loud. You can hear people talking, background noises, but nothing that interrupts your reading (American Psycho, btw) or your thoughts.

And on the way back, I stopped for some coffee and brownie. It's been a while since I've had such a satisfying day, food-wise.

Friday Awkwardness

2009-04-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

My last final was today at 7 pm, and I was tired of studying, so I went downtown around 2 to do some shopping. Nothing major, I just had to buy a new pair of tennis shoes because my other pairs were falling apart. Anyway, I stopped by Urban Outfitters to see if they had anything good on sale. I found a shirt (which I'm wearing right now) and went to the cashier, where this exchange happened:

Me: Hi! I'm just gonna get this shirt.
Cashier: Hello! How are you doing?
Me: I'm doing well, thanks!
Cashier: What have you been up to today?
Me: Well, I'm studying for a final. I mean, not right now obviously. I'm shopping right now. Just, you know, taking a break. The final's at 7 tonight so I have time. And i've been studying all week...
Cashier: Why are you not studying?
Me: I'm over it, tired, so I... just... left.
Cashier (with confused look): Oh, um, ok.
Awkward pause while I punched in my card code
Cashier: So what have you been up to today?
Me (now i'm the confused one): Um what? Just doing... some shopping...?
Cashier: Cool.
Me: Yeah.
Cashier: You're all set! Have a nice day!
Me: You too. ok bye...

I can't make small talk. It's like my brain isn't programmed to work that way. So I ramble and I divulge too much information that needs more information in order to make the previous statement make sense. God it was awful. But then what was up with the guy when he asked me the same question again? Did he forget he was already talking to me? Did my awkwardness just give him amnesia or something?

So many questions!!!!!
In other news, I'm done with school!!!! (well, except for this one small paper I have to turn in), but in my mind i'm done!!

April... I don't know, lost count.

2009-04-16T19:56:00.001-07:00

022 - Lobotomie
Originally uploaded by Ulric Collette

Today's WTF award goes to this picture.
Creepy, yet mesmerizing.

April 15th

2009-04-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

These two videos have made my life complete. I knew I was missing something, and this is it.

Edit: And this as well.

April... 14th???

2009-04-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

It's book club day! Which is basically just a day when I write about the books i've read or am reading.
Let's get started:
I finally finished "The Tent", by Margaret Atwood, yesterday. I really really enjoyed! It's actually a collection of short stories she'd published elsewhere. Her writing style is different from what i've been reading, and she has a strong voice. Sometimes she did sound a bit self-righteous, but her stories were equal parts entertaining, nostalgic, and most of all, truthful. Maybe later i'll read through it again and pick my favorite stories.
And today, since the day was so nice and I had just exited from a (maybe) successful midterm, I went up to this little hill and began reading the next book on my mental list. It's by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, called "Interworld". And I believe it might be a book aimed at teenage boys because of the language level and the protagonist, but any book that starts the first sentence with "Once I got lost in my own house" is my kind of book.
I missed reading, and now that I have some extra time, I will do it more often.

April 13

2009-04-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

I want to write more, but I'm currently being held hostage by the massive amounts of reading and revising I have to do for my Art History final tomorrow morning. But I did want to mention one thing.
As I got out of the shower about 10 minutes ago, I looked down at my feet and noticed a bruise. Now, the mere presence of the bruise itself is not the interesting part (i'm currently sporting two other bruises, one on my hip and the other on my ankle) since i'm always injuring myself. The weird part is that this bruise looks fresh and I don't remember being stepped on or crashing my foot against anything in the past two days. I often get this bruise amnesia, and since I suffer from what I like to call "clumsy syndrome", I'm fine with that. But at one point, I have to wonder about what I do when my mind's out to lunch. For example, the other day I though I had fractured my hand in my sleep. I didn't fracture it, but it sure left a bruise.
My final observation is in regards to this particular bruise appearance: it's shaped like a heart! or the superman logo, I can't decide. It's a dark outline and the interior is reddish. maybe from all of the poking it has undergone in the past 15 minutes.
Better return to my books, they're getting impatient!

April the 12th

2009-04-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Nom nom nom free brunch!
At first I was a little bit scared of going to brunch with my friend´s family because
1) I´m just scared of families in general
2) I felt like I would be intruding, and
3) There´s 34 people in her extended family! That´s right, they all gather during this week! if you´ve ever seen Home Alone, you can see how that can be a pretty scary image. (Plus, since we lived so far away from my extended family, the concept of a family gathering, to me, was my brothers and my parents, and even when we do visit, it´s 20 people at most).
But her parents had invited me to dinner before, which I couldn´t attend, and felt bad about, and FREE BRUNCH! at the Four Seasons! In starving student world, that´s like winning the food lottery.
Anyway, I went, and I did not regret it. My meal included everything from paella to cucumber sandwiches, to creme brulee (how do you even spell it?).
But since I've spent so much time having fun over the past few days, I now have to write a paper by midnight. Things would be going a lot faster if my paper wasn't
1) In Spanish, and my academic writing in Spanish is kind of rusty at the moment, and
2) Most of the research I have is in english. So that means translating. To coherent, intelligent sentences. I keep having to look up equivalent words every 2 minutes. However, in my defense, I'm writing about psychological terms, many of which I hadn't encountered in either english or spanish before.

Back to my writing!

Cutting it close. Again.

2009-04-11T23:50:00.001-07:00

Oh, yeah, happy easter ! (it´s the one with the rabbit that lays eggs or something, right?)
I just got back from seeing Los Campesinos!
They were fantastic. When we got to the place, the lead singer was in a corner table, selling t-shirts and stuff. He seemed really nice and awkward. And then the opening band came on. They were called Sky Larkin, and they were pretty good! I will have to check them out later.
Then, Los Campesinos! came out. At first, I wasn't feeling it because the band members were just kind of distracted and not really engaging with the crowd, but when they started playing their more "fun" songs, it seemed like they really got into it and started having fun. The singer came down to the crowd (it was a small club) and sang for a bit, and then the guitarist did the same. At one point, we were dancing like crazy! Finally for the encore, both the singer and lead guitarist came down amongst the crowd (I was like 2 people away, before a crowd of people intercepted me... grr) and rocked out for the whole song. It was really entertaining!

Today's "dreamboat of the night" award goes to these two gentlemen. My heart fluttered. (I took pictures of my own, but they're crappy and I can't find my cable right now. So I stole this one.)

April 10th

2009-04-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

I woke up at about 8, thinking about going to the gym, and then I realized that since it´s easter their schedule might be different (I know it´s open), and I know that I could solve this with one call, but now it´s too late and I don´t even feel like going anymore. However, today looks like it´s going to be quite busy.
I might or might not be having lunch with a friend I haven´t seen in forever (he forgets he has a phone, and that it its typically used to keep in touch with people), but he hasn´t texted me with a time. And then, a friend of mine is in town for a few days, so depending on how long she takes doing some stuff, I will either meet her and go to the current exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, or we´ll just go straight to dinner, and then to the Roxy!!
And tomorrow, I might either work on my essay, or go to an easter egg hunt and fill my belly with chocolate eggs (nom nom nom), then we´re going to the Los Campesinos! Show at night. Busy busy busy.

And since there´s so much text and not enough pictures, I will showcase my new hairstyle now. It´s not really that new, but I´m so tired of my bangs, that this is the only thing I can think of to get rid of them for now. Until I go to the hairstylist next, the braid will be a permanent fixture on my head.
It also makes me feel so free! Like, I don´t have to spend my days moving my fringe so that I can see properly!

I just had to include this one. My friend and I were being cats or something.
The guy behind me is clearly mocking us.

I don´t know.

Dude. Oh, it´s april 9th.

2009-04-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

Dude.
The Roots.
They are amazing. Seriously. I had seen them once before, but I was in California and it was hot and we wanted to take a nap in the shade, so I liked them, but they were more like background music. But yesterday. The student association outdid themselves with the lineup for our last day of class concert. Even if you´re cranky because your friends are being kind of cranky, they make you dance! and they make you smile at random people dancing with you! It was soo not california weather (muggy, threatening rain clouds), but I... just... they rocked. If you (whoever "you" are) ever get the chance to see them live, please do.

I think they won me over when everybody was dancing and some random (drunk) guy came up on stage and tried to dance, but not in a douchey way like some douches. Anyway, the security guy started dragging him away but the singer stopped the music and said something along the lines of: Wait wait, I wanna see what moves he has. So they let him dance for a bit, while everybody was clapping.

Hi, I'm Diana. And I have a major band crush at the moment.

April 7th and 8th

2009-04-08T03:53:00.001-07:00

I think I just committed a major academic sin of some sort.
I´ve been trying to get through this dense text on language, history, post structuralism, and who else knows what. Well, at one point, I just threw the sheets of paper down and started thinking about how useless it all is:
Why do I need to care about what Derrida said regarding language? (BTW, he said that "the aim of deconstructive criticism may be to expose the metaphysical freight with which language has been invested". Big whoop.) What did these philosophers do with their free time? How does this help me understand what really matters in the world better? How does this relate to real human emotions and interactions? I don't want to spend my life arguing over deconstruction and metaphysics of language, I want to spend my life actually living life! These guys can't teach me anything that will leave me truly satisfied with what I have done. I'm just gonna watch one more episode of "Boys over Flowers", and see if finally love does conquer all.

Because apparently, in my sleep deprived mind, soap operas can now teach me more about life than Derrida and Lacan ever will. What have I even done with my time in university? God, even I disgust myself.

Derrida. He even has one of those douchey, yet awesome-looking pipes. The nerve of some people.

April 6th

2009-04-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

I got back from work, caught up on my soap opera obsession, and was ready to go shower, and remembered my daily blogging!
All I have to say is that the weather today was so nice!!! I mean, sometimes the sun comes out, but it´s not really warm and the wind just kills any possibility of real sunshine. But today... I could´ve walked around in my t shirt and no sweater if I wanted to! It´s the first time in months! Some girls were walking around in, like skirts (without tights) and shorts. I´ve sadly turned into a crabby old lady, apparently, because all I could mumble when they walked by was something along the lines of "beach-going hobos, not appropriate for a university", while in reality I wished I could be wearing that, and frolicking in the beach with the seagulls. I know, the sun does things to me. Oh well, could be worse!

April 5th

2009-04-05T23:47:00.000-07:00

I went out for what I thought was gonna be a short, brisk walk, in order to clear my head. However, that short walk turned out being more than an hour long. Practically a campus tour. The problem about being enthusiastic when taking a walk is that you forget that when you get ¨there¨, wherever ¨there¨ is, you have to actually walk back. So what starts out very nice and relaxing ends up with you just walking back as fast as you can because you´re sick and tired of just walking. Well, for me, anyways. And I didn´t know walks could be so cathartic, either! I did a lot of thinking in the space of that one hour. And the good thing is that I won´t have to go to the gym for a few days (not that I can, I mean, this is the last week of school but I still have one midterm and two essays to turn in).
Happy Sunday! Today was a very nice day, weather wise!

oopsy

2009-04-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

Thank god nobody really reads my blog that frequently, otherwise I would have some 'splainin to do. See, when I said I was going to participate in BEDA I didn't know that what I meant was the complete opposite, apparently!
Ok, so to make up for the two days I missed, this has to be amazing. But it's not. Ok, I know what I can talk about: Money.

The story begins when my Junior year in high school does. I was in a new school, in a city which I only visited for a few weeks every summer. I was nervous as hell, but I had chosen this. One year away from home (well, my mom came with me, but that's not the point). I had met the college counselor, and she had made me fall in love with the school before I even got on the plane. But in my first ten minutes, I had already met one of the nicest, most wonderful people ever. She doesn't have a bone of evil in her body and I still count her as a good friend, even if we can't talk frequently. Anyway, that is how my year started. It turns out that I was in the "smart people" classes with the same group of kids, all who were so easy to get along with, and all incredibly intelligent. By the end of the year, I had very conflicting feelings. I had come to deeply care about the friends I had made that year, who took me into their huge group without apprehension, and who begged me to stay. But I also wanted to return to my other, smaller group of friends. Some, I know since elementary school, others, since 9th grade. But we connect so well with each other, and get each other's quirks. We called ourselves "the leftovers", because each of us look like we should belong to different cliques. I went back, to graduate with the class I have known since third grade.

But before I flew back home, I spent a couple of weeks with my family in another city. I don't remember much, but I'm sure a week would have been spent like this: Spend the day at my aunt's library, another day with the cousins, another with my uncle running errands and visiting people, and finally a couple of days in the house we have in this town in the mountains, called Pavas. What I like about going there is that nothing ever really changes, so it's comforting to return.

That was in June of 2006. It'll be almost three years since I've seen my friends (most of who I'm still in touch with) and my extended family. Well, by the end of 2008 I started feeling the pang of nostalgia tugging at my heart, telling me to go home. So I started saving up. Most of the money I make from making billions of burgers and washing dishes has gone into saving up for my homecoming. And finally, I did it! I was talking to my mom the other day and now I have enough money saved up to buy an incredibly flexible plane ticket! I don't have to worry about a place to sleep anywhere since my family and my friends have offered me beds, so all I need now is money for extra expenses and for food. I have never felt such triumph. It's not like I haven't worked before, but the money I made before never had such a clear goal. I was just working towards some abstract end, towards a paycheck. But this time, I'm making my own path in order to reconnect with a piece of myself that I feel has been missing this whole time.

What does this have to do with money? directly? well, when I tell people what I'm studying (mostly my engineer friends), they tease me and tell me that I'm not gonna make quite enough money to consider myself rich. And ignoring their flawed logic, I think: If I make enough money to be able to travel, and spend time with the people I love, who happen to be scattered all over the planet, even if it is under the most austere conditions, I don't care! I'll have more stories to tell because the risks will be bigger. It's not my goal to be poor or anything, but it's not my goal to be unhappy while deluding myself that with riches, will come bliss.

To add to the theme of money, here are some pictures of piggy banks from google!

om nom nom nom

If this doesn't motivate you, I don't know what can.

savesave

BEDA

2009-04-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Or, "Blog Every Day April".
Even if I already missed the first day, I will attempt to follow through with this (and probably will fail miserably).

Anyway, I haven't been doing much. I have spent this week either relaxing or being feverish. This was the first week that I haven't had anything due in a while, so I've been enjoying my time doing nothing. But this is also the same week that I've been sick. It all started on monday night, when I woke up with a fever at around 3:30 and finally fell asleep again at 6 am. The next day, I skipped all of my classes and spent the day sleeping, nursing a headache, and all of that fun flu stuff. Yesterday, I thought I was all better so I went out with some friends, but silly me, the fever returned!! So I spent last night shaking as well. However, today I didn't have the luxury of skipping school, so I had to attend class (it's all kind of a haze), and THEN, go to work. Because I had to go to work, i couldn't take medicine, since it makes me drowsy. So I was working, with extreme muscle pain (from all of the shivering, I guess), still lightheaded from the fever and the lack of food. I was miserable, and thought I was gonna cause a fire because my head was just somewhere else. Finally, I got back to my room, popped a few pills, and I've been watching a korean show that the amazing Key talked about on her blog. And I'm hooked!

It's called "Boys Before Flowers" and it's great! It's got its cheesy, campy moments, but it makes me like it even more. Although sometimes I don't get the characters. Plus, it's made me get into a korean boy phase. Just look at this guy! I think I'm in love.
P.S: Is it really sad that I even have a tag called "being sick"? how weak am I, exactly?

How my mind works

2009-03-14T12:52:00.001-07:00

This week, in my Art History class, the professor mentioned a painting by Caravaggio, Boy With a Basket of Fruit, shown below:
And all I could think about was that he looked like a Jonas Brother.
See the resemblance???It's uncanny.

savesave

Really? That's how you're gonna play it?

2009-03-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

Before I started reading blogs, I didn't really look at shoes. I was more of a flats and tennis shoes kind of girl. But now. I find myself looking at shoe porn more frequently. The most recent offender is Marni.

One day, I will have you. maybe not today, maybe not in 3-4 years time, but one day, 800-dollar shoes will be within my reach.

A few things

2009-03-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

-Going out to dinner with your spanish teacher is awkward. But going out to dinner with your whole spanish class and ordering margaritas is awesome.
-Going dancing with three people you don't really know from your spanish class is awkward. But the fact that they are all super nice and fun is awesome.
-Running into what seems like everyone we know on the bus back is just awesome. It's like a huge bus party. Seriously, you must try it.
-Smoking shisha after said bus ride with friends you hardly ever see is awesome. But waking up with breathing difficulties and a squeaky throat is not so awesome (I blame the asthma. I'm a loser.)
-Going to a class at the gym on saturday morning is a bit masochist, but when your instructor uses 80's dance moves (such as the Running Man) in your routine, AND quotes Ferris Bueller in the same class, the sun shines a little brighter.
And the most important thing:
-When you want to beg your poor lungs and throat for forgiveness (smoking shisha and going to a cardio-heavy class in less than 12 hours), go to a bubble tea place and order a Green Honey Lemon Tea, and all will be forgiven. Your throat will love you.

(I was gonna include some awesome pictures that I found on Flickr, but Blogger's being a pain. Le Sigh.)

Arghh stop eating my life, internet!!

2009-02-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

My trip was so nice! We went to a place called Oak Harbor. Even though it's mostly composed of a Naval base and a small town surrounding it, I would love to have a tiny vacation place there. The mountains and the ocean just made me want to sit in the balcony forever (the house where we stayed was built mediterranean style, so the rooms are really open, with huge windows).
Today, we went to the botanical gardens on my campus, and all the way through our walk, I swore I could hear seals somewhere. Seals are evil, as I will evidence later on. The point is that at two different times, I thought I could hear seals and a bear rustling in the leaves. Of course, both of these scenarios are highly implausible. Anyway, back to the seals.

We walked to the "asian pavilion" and finally we encountered the source of those seal barks. They were geese. Fat, evil geese. Geese give me a bad feeling, but they become evil in my mind when I equate them with seals. Seals are the devil's spawn. If you don't think so, just ask this guy:

"I'm a monster!!!"

A parting gift

2009-02-13T00:02:00.000-08:00

Since I have a week off school, my mom is coming up to visit me!!!
We're gonna go visit some of her family in Mount Vernon for a few days, so it should be a nice experience.
I leave you with some beautiful, beautiful music.

Plus, Zach Condon is a dreamboat. AND he has an amazing voice. I could just listen to him sing forever.

My twin!

2009-02-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

I was wasting time on the internetz the other day, when I ran across a curious picture. At first, I thought I had wandered into facebook and thought I was looking at my own pictures for some reason, but when I snapped out of my internet stupor, I realized it was some other random girl. She looks exactly like me in that picture, except for the awesome shirt, cool and calm pose, and nice hair. Proof:I wish I had the type of attitude this girl has. And now something to compare it against:My friend and I are thinking about attempting to recreate that picture, to further prove that I do have a doppleganger out there.

Introducing myself

2009-02-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Oh hi there!
So I decided to make a little video of me talking for about 1 minute. It's not terribly exciting, I know, but hopefully it's not totally boring. And it was also one of my new year's resolutions. I just used quick capture on youtube, since by using that method I didn't have the option of chickening out and screwing up too much.

Anyway, yes. Video. Thank you. :-)

Where are you??

2009-01-26T15:42:00.001-08:00

I have to get ready to go to work in like ten minutes, but I just had to express the deep concern I'm feeling at the moment. Fine, it's not like I'm crying about it or anything, but I can't find my comfy purple cardigan. I have searched everywhere in my tiny dorm room, and said cardi is nowhere in sight. If I lost it, as I am prone to do with sweaters I love, I will be deeply disappointed in myself.

UPDATE: Found it! It turns out that my dear cardigan was feeling a bit chilly and under the weather, so it decided to nestle itself between the heater and my bed. It was cozily sleeping when I retrieved it in the midst of a cleaning rampage. My room is now the neatest it's been in a while. And I get to sleep in clean sheets tonight. I love that feeling.

Fulfilling promises

2009-01-20T22:07:00.000-08:00

So at the end of last year, I decided that I was going to learn to do something new. I can't really become an olympic gymnast or world-class chess player this late in the game, but I decided that I can at least learn to play an instrument. I was set on purchasing a Ukulele after I discovered this fantastic young lady , but sadly my plans were thwarted by the fact that a good ukulele that won't break easily is a bit more expensive than I can afford. But my problem was solved when the solution came to me during one very fruitful power nap.

I bought a Glockenspiel.
Sure, it's not quite as nice as the one above, but I still love it. Meet Adeline:
Better view:

As of last night, I know how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The good thing about my Angel (that's the brand) is that it has the notes written down on each key (tablet? I need to learn that stuff), so it's especially convenient for newbies such as myself. I mean, I was in Choir class during middle school, so I used to know how to read music. But age has faded that away from my memory. Slowly, I'm re-learning everything.

And as if my growing love of glockenspiels isn't enough, I was looking for pictures to add to this post and I found this treasure trove of pretty little instruments.And the same company that made my Adeline, also makes Melodicas. Melodicas! They are pretty much the coolest thing ever. Maybe once I graduate from "beginner", I will try my hand at one of those. Coincidentally, the aforementioned Julia Nunes also plays the melodica on some of her songs. One of which can be heard here.All in all, even though I have been neglecting my schoolwork in order of perfecting my "craft" (haha oh my, here I go), I'm really happy that I'm following through with one of the, like, three resolutions I made.

Sidenote: What if I end up becoming a xylophone/glockenspiel prodigy (at 20), and have to quit school in order to go on a fantastic world tour, showering everywhere I go with beautiful music and awesomeness and positive thoughts? Gosh, that would rock.

The end.
save

Oopsies

2009-01-06T22:47:00.001-08:00

I wouldn't be doing this if I had made a wish for myself, but I wished something for my dad so I wouldn't want it to go to waste:
http://www.wordofmouthexperiment.com/dedpyhto/tests/tibetian/index.htm
The test is actually quite nice, and it's short!

Sleepless night

2009-01-04T06:36:00.000-08:00

As can be seen by the fact that this is my second post in about ten minutes, I can't sleep. Well, I did sleep for about two hours but then my roommates decided to be annoying and woke me up. After my sleep was chased away, I decided to stay up for the sunrise. It's about 6:40 right now, and sunrise is at 8:07, according to the weather network so I have plenty of time to kill.

I realized I am a geek today. I went to the comic book store to get the new issue of Fables, and even though I only meant to buy that one issue, I ran into a Doctor Who comic book. I am kind of in love with the show, so I had to buy the first two issues.

And this geekiness was further evidenced when, instead of watching tv or a movie or something, I've been reading poems on the ever trusty poets.org. I had forgotten how much I missed reading poetry, and I read an especially beautiful poem by e.e cummings. Next on my list of things to purchase, is this little beauty. Even though it's expensive, I know it will be completely worth it.

I still can't believe it when I talk to people and they say they hate to read, especially poetry. When something touches the fibres of human emotion through the use of language, or art or music, I feel sorry for a person that can't (or won't) appreciate that. I have friends that I would hang out with more often, if they didn't make me feel guilty for actually being interested in these things. I know it's silly to feel that way, but that's how it is. I rearranged and redecorated my room a few days ago, and it's now become the perfect environment for just crawling into my bed and reading, or at least being alone. My mind is telling me that I should be out of my room and hanging out with my friends, but all I want to do is be in my room at the moment.

Image from Flickr, by davidwallace

For last year’s words belong to last
year’s language And next year’s words await another voice. And to make
an end is to make a beginning
T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

Image from Flickr, by Westcoast Weezie


O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!
Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour! That gaunt crag
To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!
World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!
Long have I known a glory in it all,
But never knew I this;
Here such a passion is
As stretcheth me apart. Lord, I do fear
Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year.
My soul is all but out of me, let fall
No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.
Edna St. Vincent Millay

Dear vending machine downstairs

2009-01-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

Dear vending machine:
I love you. You know that, seeing as I visit you at least once a week. But I have to tell you this: you are a very big silly. I forgave you when I came downstairs yesterday, and found that you were practically empty. Only pretzels, assorted chip flavors, and some gummies. None of the chocolatey goodness I was craving. "It's ok, I thought. I'll settle for some skittles, and my plan will go unaffected."
Silly me. Silly, silly me. See, when you told me to insert "exact change" into your bowels, I thought you meant you actually WANTED correct change. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I was sorely mistaken, as the dime I introduced was instantly spit out. How could this problem be solved? How can I pay for a pack of candy that costs $1.35, if you will not take my 10 cents? Well, it wasn't solved. And I didn't pay for anything. Because you hate me.

Much love,
Diana.
*Proof that vending machines hate me. They actually commit suicide in order not to nourish me with delicious snack foods. You can't see the third chip bag that I tried to purchase, and failed miserably at.

Really, snow??? Really???

2009-01-03T13:03:00.001-08:00

It was ok all through my vacation. I had plenty of time to do everything I wanted to do, and it was nice to see out the window and see the snow falling. But now it's getting ridiculous! Nobody wants you here anymore! It rarely snows in vancouver, so when it does, mayhem ensues. So if it snows every day, can you imagine what our daily lives have turned into? And this isn't pretty, flurry snow we're talking about here. It's as if someone up there is throwing us buckets of the stuff, flinging it with such passion and anger that terrifies me.
I had been wanting to go to the Art Gallery again for about a month now, and when I finally had the free time to go, snow had to happen. I already saw the current exhibition, but I wanted to visit it again, spend the whole day there if I had to (plus, I have a membership so it's free!). And now, as I'm getting ready to walk out the door, I looked out once more, just to see if the "snow flurries/rain mix" promised by the weather network had gotten any worse. Of course, it's not rain, as much as giant blocks of ice.
The only thing that scares me is getting kicked out of the bus because it can't go up a snowy street, since that's been a scene repeated many times in the past three weeks.
I googled "evil snow" images, and this is what came up:

New year rush.

2009-01-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

What I wore by diansof

So yeah, I was finally able to wear the oxford heels I bought from Aldo about 1 month ago! They're pretty comfortable, and they only really hurt on the way back. I also bought a sac dress from AA. I only have a handful of pieces of clothing from AA, and I'm not ashamed because they have great basic stuff (plus, I went on boxing day, so the dress was like 28!) I can't wait to see what other ways I can wear it. I will peruse through Queen Michele's posts, since she always has great ideas. What else?? Oh, the trapeze coat is from Ruche. It was really cheap as well, even though the color is more mustard than the picture shows. And they only had size L left, so it's kind of big on me, but I don't care because i'm in love with it.

Oh right, Happy 2009! I'm feeling good about this year. Hopeful, even.

idleness

2008-12-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

This was me, one day before Christmas. When you're not with your family, the whole holiday kind of loses its meaning...
I've been listening to new music all day (after coming back from the supermarket) and generally hermitting. Gotta prepare for tomorrow. it's my first new years without my family. Should be interesting.
Music-wise, I would definitely recommend Taken By Cars .

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Resting is nice. Getting things done is even nicer.

2008-12-23T00:18:00.000-08:00

First order of business: The heater is broken in our dorms. I was doing some stuff on the computer last night, and realized that I couldn't feel my fingers. I tried gloves, but the fingers get in the way. So I went to the local market, bought a pair of 1 dollar gloves , and cut the tips of the fingers off. Hope that helps a bit. This is me, looking confused. That's my normal look, actually.
Second: My dad and younger brother came to visit me, bringing with them some gifts! Included in the package were two pairs of rainboots, socks, some yummy food, and my mom's old digital camera.
I was bored in the middle of studying in the middle of finals, and took this picture. It's a new skirt, and i just love the color. It's so comfortable too!
A sign outside the piranha tank. Took it when I went to the aquarium with my previously mentioned visitors. At first, it didn't make sense and we thought it was the aquarium messing with our brains, but it turns out they have a logical explanation!A Yoda fetus, what else?Their first day here! We were eating shawarmas outside the giant winter olympics clock. I still can't believe they are making such a big deal about the olympics!!! I feel about the olympics the same way I feel about any other important date these days: meh. And finally, the only half-decent picture I took after our first snowfall of the year!! I love snow and everything, but now it's just ridiculous. We are buried under about 40 cm (that's right, metric) of snow!!! I feel like I'm in siberia every time I have to go out for any reason.

I would also like to mention a very special game. It's for the wii. It's some sort of cooking game, don't remember the name. But it's crazy! You get to make, like, paellas and perogies and stuff, but it's really confusing because the instructions are really unclear and you just know it's so japanese. Despite these setbacks, my friend and I spent about an hour playing it. After cooking every dish, I would just stare at him, in amazement that we would actually just keep going instead of doing the sane thing and walking away.

EDIT: Found it! The game's called Cooking Mama: Cook Off. I recommend you play it on a snow day, with a ridiculously competitive friend that can't bring himself to actually quit (bless his heart!), and knows you so well that he knows you want to continue the madness. It's also really short. There are like ten dishes in total. And this is no lie, we actually tried to make the popcorn about 10 times, but we would always lose. there must be something really wrong with us.

Where the magic happens.

2008-12-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

I sort of have a love/hate relationship with my university libraries.
I love the fact that they are huge and they have so many books and smell kind of musty and book-y and, well... it's a library. And I'm a huge nerd.
But when I'm trying to find a specific book, I suddenly turn into this knowledge-hating harpy that runs among the stacks, thinking things like "WHY DO THESE BOOKS EVEN HAVE CALL NUMBERS IF THEY'RE COMPLETLY USELESS?? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF HIDING THESE BOOKS AND KEEPING THEM COMPLETELY OUT OF ORDER??? DON'T THEY EVEN KNOW THAT WE'RE STUDENTS AND OUR TIME IS PRECIOUS???"
I get kind of edgy when its time for final exams.

And then, I go ask the librarian to explain to me why Universities are just a huge conspiracy, a conspiracy in which the goal is to drive as many people insane as possible. Although what I ask is really more along the lines of "excuse me, could you tell me where I can find this book? I can't seem to locate it". From the distant land of sanity, I hear the librarian's voice of reason. Now I know why I couldn't find the book, it would be kind of difficult to find it when I'm on a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FLOOR.

I take my breath, thank the librarian, and shamefully make my way to the correct floor. All the while, realizing that my love/hate relationship has shifted from the library, to myself.

Oh, but my adventure does not stop there!! As I reach the correct stacks, I am faced with another roadblock. I see the stack where my book is to be found, but it seems to be jammed against the stack next to it? I circle this conundrum about three times, and finally rest my eyes upon a sign, that says something along the lines of "when moving the stacks, kindly make sure the aisle is clear". A little glimmer of reasoning shines in my finals-addled brain as I lower my eyes, and there it is! A turning-handle-thingy!

Slowly, delicately, I reach to touch it. It works! The stack slowly begins to move on its rails, clearing the path for me. Within five minutes, I have located the book I spent two (TWO!!!!) days looking for on the wrong floor. My face flushed with success, I walk out into the night, ready to begin sucking up the knowledge that this title will surely contain.

I'm a sheep! (or a spider. whatever.)

2008-11-30T09:13:00.000-08:00

For Johnny D!

Saving money is not for me.

2008-11-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

So I have this job. It's not glamorous or anything, but I get some extra money every two weeks. However, I have not been able to save any of my paychecks! My first paycheck, I spent at H&M and Aldo. I made sure to make smart purchases, and I have worn every single piece I bough at least 3 times. I would wear them every day if I could! So I don't really feel guilty. And the rest of the money has been spent on things like food, coffee, my halloween costume, books I've wanted to get for a long time, and a pair of winter boots. And my brother's christmas present (Domo Kun plushy. It's adorable).

But my point is: I want to save that money for something awesome! like to go to New York or San Francisco next summer. But that larger goal is overshadowed by all of the tiny, short-term needs. I do need winter clothes, I do need food, and it feels nice to have the freedom to get a few extra things every once in a while. I know that my father would urge me to save all of that money, but then I think: I'm young! I don't need to start preparing, like, a retirement plan yet! And I've only been working for two months, so the novelty has not worn away. So starting from now, I will only spend 30 percent of what I make each month. It'll be nice to have money in the bank for longer than one week.

Hmmm

2008-11-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

Hello, internet!
It's been a while!
The moment I got back to school, I had a million things to do. And the work hasn't stopped. I decided to write this little tidbit before plunging into the world of research papers and reviewing for finals.

This is what I went as for halloween:

Yes, that's a purple wig.
Toodles!

WTF

2008-09-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to count the number of times I said WTF while watching the VMA's. I don't even know why I was watching the VMA's! They were on the TV, and I was avoiding doing any kind of schoolwork. Ok, I guess that's a pretty good reason.

Fact: I had forgotten what a huge nerd I am. I ordered some of my Art History textbooks online, and They were set to arrive at my apartment between yesterday and today. Every time I walked past the mailboxes, I would peek to see if they had given me the little "you have a package!" tag. When I finally got two tags, I started squeaking and heavily breathing and high-pitched nois-ing. It must have looked very odd. The saddest part is that my full order hasn't come in yet. I only got the two most boring books. That's one thing I don't get: Why would they send all of the books packaged individually?? If it's one order, wouldn't it be better to send them in a box or something? Because they can get more easily lost , right? Unless they're shipping them from different places...

Question: Does it say something about my own personality that I would rather have bought a Monty Python poster over some sort of girly poster with, like, pink shoes and "think pink" and a freaking pig in a pink bow? I saw those two at the poster sale at my school and I have to say, it made me realize why I don't really fit in with so many girls. The dangers of having two brothers.

Observation: Just today I realized why I feel uncomfortable in the student apartments I'm currently living in. People are snotty, and think they are sooo mature, and have gotten so used to their little group of friends that they don't really want to be nice, or courteous. Of course, there are exceptions, but this has kind of been the usual manner of most people here. At my old dorms last year, it was completely different. Maybe it was because we were all first years, and eager to make friends. Or maybe because my dorms were known as the "party dorms", so the people that went there were just more open and engaging. It's a good thing that I'm living with friends because it would be very lonely otherwise.

Oh yeah, and I started my second year of Uni last week!
And I'm already behind. I fail at life.

P.S: I'm starting to think I will never be able to enter the workforce. I have applied to 5 jobs and still I'm unemployed. I might just be unemployable. I guess I will keep trying tomorrow.

Sinners

2008-08-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

So I was walking out of the bookstore about 15 minutes ago. Okay, so it was more like running away from the bookstore (the line was huuugeeeeee!!!). Anyway, I was walking in the direction of my dorm, when this lady gave me a pamphlet and invited me to a welcome dinner. It was a christian thing. The free dinners always are. But I wasn't prepared to being judged on the spot: "Welcome dinner 1. Subject: The one who welcomes sinners and eats with them."
I mean, I get that I'm automatically a sinner if i'm not christian (according to the little pamphlet), but that was a slap in the face.

Yesterday, while I was flying back to Vancouver, I had the song from the Mentos commercial stuck in my head. It was soo not a mentos commercial kind of day.

Ughh packing

2008-08-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

You know that point of the packing process where the bags won't close because they're too damn stuffed, and you're just forcing it to close? And you're screaming and cursing and to the point of tears? Well, that's where I'm at right now. I'm going to have to re-think my packing strategy because this one is not working. I'll wait five minutes before attempting to deal with the two monsters that are my bags. I hate them. I will defeat them before I die. There's no surrendering. There's no backing down.

It's my bird-day today!

2008-08-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

What the title says.

Update: I am in love with this song. It will be played at my wedding.

The Hours. Love you more.

The Dentist

2008-08-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Why is it that we hate going to the dentist? As a society, we have a deep dislike for dental technicians (???). Today, I had an appointment with one of these people. You could tell he belongs to the insurance company. He rushed through every single step, told me I needed braces again (HA! Good one, guy!), and I walked out twenty minutes later, with bleeding gums and an overwhelming sense of confusion. Well, at least now I won't have to go back for a while.

The blue bathroom

2008-08-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

I don't frequent well-decorated restaurants, being a student and all. I mean, there's pretty restaurants, but not ones that stand out for originality and really careful attention to the colors and the moods that will interact with the customer. But this one restaurant, WOW. And the fun part is that it's not so much the restaurant part as the bathrooms. They were located on the second floor and they were beautiful. As opposed to other bathrooms where they might be divided into men and women's bathrooms, and then divided into little cubicles, this one had several different doors, and through each door was a tiny bathroom, like one you would find in a regular home. And the colors! I think the pictures will perfectly explain it.

We spent about 20 minutes in the bathroom, taking pictures, and took about 60. However since they were taken with my friend's camera, these are the ones she decided to keep.
So yeah, that was my bathroom story.

Perfect days full of snags.

2008-08-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

This summer back home has been pretty awesome. I got to chill out with my friends, do things I hadn't done, and just remember why I love them so.

However, two days stand out for being so amazing and so tragic. One of these days was when we went to Xochimilco (So-shee-meal-co). So here is the story: Mexico city was built on a lagoon, so basically the city was like a little island. But in reality there was a network of tiny islands that made up the Aztec empire. And in order to travel between islands, you had to go on a boat, in the lagoon. People call it the "Mexican Venice". The lagoon fell into disuse, and one day, somebody decided to turn this now semi-dried and polluted lake into a tourist attraction. And now, you can spend the afternoon floating along this channel on a colorful boat decorated with a woman's name ( I know, don't ask). So anyway, we were going to spend the day there. Eating drinking, and just enjoying the summer. There were two basic groups of friends, we arrived separately. My group got there at the time we had talked about, but the other group had ran into some inconveniences, which caused them to arrive THREE HOURS late. That's why in the first picture I look so freaking pissed. And pantsless (but I AM wearing shorts. Promise.)

After the rest of the party had arrived, the negative vibes dissipated and we just focused on having a good time! It was memorable because it was just so nice to be on a boat, in the middle of a (tiny, polluted) river just talking to old friends and meeting new ones, saying hello to people on boats returning to the dock, and wondering what was up with the island full of dolls tied to trees (seriously, google it. "Isla de las muñecas, Xochimilco"). At one point, it did start to rain, and the alcohol that had been consumed resulted in numerous bathroom stops along the trip (they charged like 6 pesos each time! I had to borrow some change from a friend at one point), but all of those little inconveniences made the day more beautiful. At the end of the day, we went to drop a friend off at her house. It turns out that her parents were having a dinner at her house, and they kindly offered us food. Seeing that we had only eaten peanuts and cheese on the outing, we could not say no. Finally, the day ended at my other friend's house for some Hookah and great conversation. Aamazing.

Me, being miss cranky pants. I hate tardy people!

We took pictures during the rain. With sunglasses but no sweater. Smart.

And the other perfect day came hand in hand with bundles of frustration.
A friend came to visit from toronto, and her best friend also came with her. We were going to spend the day on the sightseeing bus. I will skip over the gory details, but the story includes three hours of traffic, in order to pass in front of three different malls (seriously, those were part of the tourist route. MALLS. Gah!!!), and drinking margaritas in the mist during dusk, on the top floor of the bus, with some spanish girl we had met on the tour.

The restaurant we went to was "hip", expensive, and blah. However, the bathroom is another matter. My friends have a vintage store on ebay, and we had bought some clothes earlier at a thrift store, so an impromptu e-bay photoshoot was in order! And somehow, I was wrangled into participating. Sneaky sneaky!!!

So those were the highlights of my summer! Now I think I'm ready for shool to start again.

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Birthday days

2008-08-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

My birthday is on saturday. I will officially be 20 on saturday. People still confuse me with a 16 year-old, but no. I'm turning 20.

Frankly, I'm terrified. Normally, I'm pretty lukewarm about my birthdays, but this time that feeling has been replaced with anxiety and terror. I don't know, I guess it's the fact that I'm leaving my teens.

When I turned 19, I had one simple plan: Just make sure I enjoy this year. Explore, have fun, and all that good stuff. I believe my plan has been followed. Some of the highlights from this past year have been:

Falling in love (or thinking I had)
Getting my heart broken (or so I thought. It is perfectly whole now)
Breaking someone else's heart (He's fine now. I'm not proud of it)
Meeting some of my best friends.
Meeting new people that might not be close, but are incredibly fun to be around
Moving to a completely different country.
Getting a taste of what being independent is like. And wanting more.
Okay, so I didn't like, steal a police car and go on a joyride, but the things I did were more meaningful.

This next year is going to be full of uncertainties, but I'm so excited for it. Yes, I don't know if I'll be able to afford college past my second year, and who knows If I'll ever see my vancouver friends after next year, but at this point there's no reason to worry about that stuff. All I can do is work hard and do my best to NOT let that happen, so I might as well enjoy my school and my friends while I still have them.

I'll be 30 in 10 years. And while that's practically the same as saying: In 20 years I'll be 40, those two statements are infinitely different.