Why so serious?

It's Friday!

Type 241543903 on google image search.

[Whoever thought up of this should win a creativity ribbon.]

Happy Friday!

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Possibility

I liked the state of the union address. Post-Tucson tragedy, Obama and his speech writers have definitely brought back the hopeful rhetoric of his election campaign. It's interesting how tragedy can be one of the most unifying events. People drop their everyday lives to gather at funerals. Across boundaries of possible discrimation diverse individuals unite in emotions of grief, anger against distinguishable evil, fear of their worst nightmares becoming reality and in the broad idea that the victim was undeserving and in their name there must be change. Suddenly everyone is on the same page. Everyone can relate. Where you were born, your socioeconomic status, religion, sexual preference are all negligible. There is much power to be gained from incidences like these. While the general population feels a bit lost and confused, politicians are wise to step in to take leadership roles in directing the masses toward a new goal. In this case, hope.

[I really liked the part he said something like families are making sacrifices to make ends meet, America deserves a government that does the same. A vivid picture to which many struggling families can relate. He goes on to explain budget cuts and freezes. It may seem to conflict with the beginning of the speech about investments and competing against rising international economies, but the government took much liberty to bump up spending in the last year or two to save the economy. So he may be basically proposing to keep those recent high limits instead of returning to pre-crisis levels. Rhetoric can be clever that way. Tricky.]

Something like 48 million people tuned in to hear a leader share his vision. A vision of a future of endless possibility.

In my world, my markers came in. I went to daiso and picked up a sketchbook for $1.50. I love daiso. I also love all the colors. Beautiful possibility. [update: if you have an idea of how the government can cut spending check out youcut]

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Bare

I always dreamed of a home with walls bursting with art.
Each room would have a different color scheme and evoke a different emotion.
My bedroom would be a place of serenity and peace.
Perfect for inducing sleep.

For the most part I left my walls here a barren landscape.

I finally picked up a canvas art piece from walmart. Only $25! *fist pump*
I always admired the canvas art pieces at Urban back in college.
One day... I always thought to myself.

It looks like this except cropped to be a long panoramic view. This piece is perfect for my room. Now that I got my insulating curtains that block out all signs of light and the fact I still don't have a floor lamp and use a small pixar table lamp to light my room, it has a dark urban vibe.

Unfortunately, now I'm hooked.

I'm feeling greedy. I want to cover my wall now. 

Until my next paycheck, here are a few pieces I've been eyeing...

 

PJÄTTERYD from Ikea

Is that swedish for gorgeous zebra?

 

Pillow Talk from Urban Outfitters

There is another canvas image from Urban.
It's not on the website but it's a B&W of a girl backwards standing next to a window.
And she kind of looks like me...

Views of Paris by Sally Gall from Walmart

I also saw some really cool Andy Warhol quotes on small canvas squares at the Smithsonian a few years back. Although I haven't come across any canvas prints, I managed to find some regular prints. 

There are a few other Warhol canvases on ebay that would be pretty amazing.

Hmmm. I should get some color in my life.

Good thing I got the Bic Mark-its deal from Staples! *clapclap*
I'm a sharpie fanatic so I am very excited to try their competitor... for half the price.
More doodles to come.

Turtle kickboxing

When did the gym become so packed? I stopped by after a 6 month hiatus (see gym bag story) and every machine was either being used and showered upon by sweat or broken (probably rusted by sweat). Poor exercise machines. Its not easy being stepped on all day.

So Jbear and I snuck in half way through a very packed, very warm, slightly smelly turbo kickboxing class. I loved it! I didn't know what we were supposed to do because the instructor kept disappearing in the crowd but we mostly jumped around to cheerleader music on speed. Totally took me back to my DDR-ing days. I can't lift my body weight or run in circles very well but when it comes to bouncing around my inner Tigger comes out. Jbear wasn't as big of a fan. I don't know why guys think it's only for girls. "Kick" and "boxing" are words that should appeal to males, right?

Afterwards, I told some roommates about the class and they thought I said turtle kickboxing. One thought it was like kickboxing with very slooooow movements. The other thought I spent my night kicking real live turtles.

I think turtles are rather cute so I'm glad I did not find any clear pictures of someone actually kicking a real turtle. Instead, here is a silly doodle.

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Korean bbq

I love korean bbq.

Wrapping large amounts of meat with slivers of green onion in a thin sheet of lettuce as if the presence of something green almost makes the meaty gorge fest almost healthy in the nutritious type of way. Unfortunately, I think all the energy required to digest all that meat sucks away all brain power. I felt drunk off meat all weekend. Maybe I won't do another bbq buffet for awhile.

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a little color

Some days you just need a little color.
Revert to your 5 year old self and pull out the Big crayon box and use every single color (beige has feelings too you know).
What would make your day?

I use to be a huge fan of Lilo and Stitch the cartoon series on Disney channel. I would come home between classes to make lunch and watch. (I admit I was not 5 at this time.) I was captivated by the little earth girl's daily struggle against the mean girls labeling her as weird. But she had so much more personality and spunk than all those other girls. Especially the parrot types who just followed their leader. If only she was just happy with who she already was... Too bad Disney moved it to 5am and stopped making new episodes.

My college friend gave me one of my favorite gifts ever, a cd of all the episodes. So I could stop waking up at 5 and dozing off in lab. I recently rediscovered my stash and watch an episode each night. I go to sleep with a smile on my face. The earth girl and her dog were once again able to help each experiment, with its unique powers, to find its one true place where it belongs. A place where its unique talents, once used for evil, to be put to good use and appreciated. If only we could do that in 30 minutes too.

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the day finally came

My aunties and dad would always gather at my grandfather's place to celebrate special occassions. After dinner they would chat and laugh for hours and hours while the "kids" (some of us were old enough to have our own kids) would try to keep ourselves busy watching movies, playing games or having our own conversations. One time I wanted to know what they could possibly be spending so much time talking about, they would meet up quite often. I listened in and at that moment they were talking about pomelos. Everything pomelos. We always eat fruit after dinner and that nights fruit was pomelo. What was the chinese name, what does it taste like, was the one they were eating count as a good one, and how much they costed, where is the best place to buy them. They seemed SO excited!

Really?

I turned to my brother and asked him if we would talk about fruit like that one day. He said he hoped not.

Well that day has come. The fruit that did me in were these granny smith apples. Only 57 cents / pound at safeway. What a steal! This only matters to me because last month I sent $5 on apples from an asian grocery store. $5! Asian grocery stores are supposed to have the cheapest. Atleast they usually do. I always have a tough time reaching the $10 limit to get $1 off the hot food line. I gave up my desire to be ambitious andue those apples for an Alice Waters apple tart and bought a pie crust. Pie crusts (the refrigerated kind) are my new best friends. The pie crusts introduced me to my new friends Quiches. Apparently, in the south there are many types of quiches because when I told my roommates I was making one their first question was "what kind?" I must have been out of the south long enough. I don't discriminate these types of things.

Anyways, I have another apple tart to make, my quiche just came out of the oven and 57 cent/lb apples were one of the highlights of my day. There I'm announcing I've officially become one of those conversationalists I would have given one of my wow-you-are-old-I-wonder-if-you-have-hobbies-too look. And now I must go hammer something onto my wall before the roommates get home.

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Goodbye cold

Now that Christmas is over... I am done with this season.

Goodbye crunchy leaves, brisk cold mornings, wanting to live under my electric blanket, wearing black to mourn the weather, and wondering what the new year will bring... I'm ready for new life. I'm anticipating waking up with a spring in my step. Hurry up sunshine!

In other news, bath & body works is having their yellow sale. I'm a big fan of the eucalyptus spearmint scent. It really does relax me (and remind me of those odd breaks of quiet naps amidst a hectic day of classes and meetings). It's supposed to help with stress relief. Do those scents work for anyone else?

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Fresh starts

Happy 2011!

I had a week off to chill and relax. Despite being older and on my own, it's still tough to be productive without a schedule. I ha a to-do list but not a schedule. I had many aspirations to spend the week finishing those things I've held off, play in the empty kitchen concocting cooking creations galore, visiting old friends, cleaning my room, being fully rested and reading all the books on my bookshelf.

HA!

What was I thinking? This morning I tripped over my abandoned gym bag I sadly discovered two days ago. I promise have never done this before... I never bring food into my room but something in that bag smelled rank. I had rescued it from the deepest confines of my closet while sorting through what dresses to wear to a wedding. Inside I found an old magazine, a damp towel, and something growing on my gym clothes. Let's just say I was too busy to eat a certain something and tossed it in my gym bag. Another important tidbit is that I can't remembr the last time I went to the gym.

But it's a new year! A new year with trips to the gym, dancing fearlessly, daily doses of fruits and vegetables, cooking creations, friends, family, loving and being loved. Who am I kidding, those books are going to be sold or donated. A new year with optimism, hope, and endless potential.

Cheers to that!

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