Video Saturday

I'm big on tradition. Turkey at Thanksgiving, candy at Halloween, apple cider at Christmas....
So, I've decided to start a tradition of my own- Video Saturday. Every Saturday (hopefully) I'll post a new video that I find cute, or creative, etc.

This here is Western Spaghetti by PES. It is kind of amazing.

And since it is Halloween and such.. I've made sure that I kept with that "Halloween spirit"- check out the candy corn in the beginning. Oh yes.

Mark Twain...

Yes, so instead of dressing up for Halloween at school like all the cool kids do.. I had to dress up as this.

Yes. My history teacher, who was able to dress up (she dressed up as a Jon & Kate baby... just like all the other history teachers) for Halloween on Friday, and will dress up as SUE SYLVESTER for actual Halloween.. made me dress up as Mark Twain.
And answer questions in front of the class without preparation.
And pretend to be all anti-imperialist and stuff and speak all Twain-y.

Let me tell you- it was not fun.
The only good part out of this.. was these babies.

Oh yes. My sexy shoes that made my feet hurt and had no grip so they kept slipping off my bike pedals.

They were pretty awesome.

As I don't want to be repetitive, and EVERYONE's been asking about what people are dressing up as and such.. I shall be different and unique.
Which candy are you most looking forward to getting/giving this Halloween?

To My Favorite Brother.

My only brother, too, but that's okay- I definitely do not need TWO of you! :D

Mathew- even though we fight a lot, and argue over who has to replace the toilet paper in the bathroom when we've used it up, and I close my door when you try and shoot me with your nerf gun... I still love you.

I love pretending to be gansta with you, even though we both know that neither of us can pull it off- especially with cheap 3-D glasses.

I told you that one day I would post these pictures of you.. and today's that day. Thanks for posing in goofy girly French hats to make me laugh. Because posting them totally made me laugh harder! :D

I thought we were going for sexy.. but you look slightly menacing under the wide brim of this floppy hat. You're cool like that.

Thanks for being there with me through thick and thin. Being stuck at the stocks stunk.. but at least I had you there to talk to while we were being humiliated publicly.

Thank you for having fun and competing with me, like in barefoot races through brick-clay. I know you think you win all the time.. but clearly it's not true. Clearly.

Happy 13th birthday, Mathew!

Sometimes it's beautiful.

So usually my school starts at 8:15, as I don't have a 1st period. Today- unfortunately, we had a special assembly on "Teen Truth" that required me to be there at 7:15.

Poops.
I know I'm a California girl, and California's "not cold at ALL" but I was freezing my butt off waiting for Karina to come pick me up (usually I bike). The paper read, like, 50 degrees with LOTS of wind, so my sweater and pea coat were warming me somewhat- but my hands were pink and twitching... maybe they got preemie frostbite.
Anyways, I was all grumpy and fun and pacing around in little circles, blowing my air out in little puffs... where was she??
I looked up... and stopped stomping.

A beautiful sunrise greeted me, making me shuffle over to my backpack and grab my phone so I could take a semi-blurry picture and try and capture its prettiness.
Believe me- this photo doesn't do it justice.

I stopped being so grumpy and tried to shiver with happiness, instead.
Nature is just so pretty sometimes, that it's impossible to keep a wrinkle in your brow.

What do you like about Winter?

Guilty Pleasures

Please.

Get out whatever dirty thoughts you were thinking when you read the title. This is not that kind of blog. :D

My guilty pleasure?

Cinnamon rolls. As Busy Bee Lauren would say, "Get in my bellay!!"

Maybe this sugary piece of deliciousness doesn't look good to you. It does have 300 calories a pop. And is covered with frosting.
...Frosting that melts in your mouth, and mixes with the sugary cinnamon that has already melted in your mouth and....
Enough. I'm sure y'all know what I'm talking about.

Case closed.

What's your guilty pleasure?

Hands.

Sometimes I don't like the way my hands look. They're too chubby or misshapen or just plain ugly. I realized today that everything I dislike or complain about my hands is there for a reason, even if I didn't know it before.

Sometimes my nails are chipped. But it's because of hard work (or a restriction analysis lab in Biology class).

Sometimes my hands have paint or dirt on them. But that's just because I love arts and crafts and nature (or in this case, make-up from our school's production of "Servant of Two Masters").

I have a callus on my right ring finger. But it's because I love to write so much that I'm constantly scribbling or doodling, and the fact that I'm a perfectionist and need total control over my work forces me to put too much pressure from my pencil, causing a mark.

The pads of my fingers are tough. But it's because I love to play music on the piano and flute, and playing for years causes my fingers to toughen up.

My veins are visible from the top of my hand. But so are my mom's and dad's, and it's something that has been passed down the generations.

Now I realize- I love my hands, and without them I could do practically nothing that I live to do. I shouldn't hate them- I should love the flaws that make me who I am!


What do you love about yourself?

Her Morning Elegance

A truly beautiful video.
I'm not really sure if I enjoy the song that much- sure, it's pretty- but it's really repetitive... overall not bad just listening to it once.
The video is the real thing, though. It takes place on a bed (but is not inappropriate in any way) and is acted out as a dream. The thing that gets me the most, is that all the moving is done in two dimensions (if that makes any sense). It must have taken a LOT of work.

If you don't have time to watch the entire video (and that's okay, because it's long) make sure you watch when she falls into the ocean (2:10) ... because that's my favorite part. :D

Bloodfest.

Ordinarily, I am not squeamish about blood. If I see a drop on my finger because I got a paper cut, I will think "shoot, a paper cut" rather than "aauughh!! blood!!"

That said, I think there are certain boundaries society must keep when addressing blood-related events, such as blood drives.
Donating blood? I'm all for it. But please. Be tactful.

This? Is a no-no. Funny? yes. Hilarious, even? yes.
USE YOUR HEADS, though! I know it rained and made your red paint look like blood. Do you really think that people will think your drive is a clean, sanitary environment in which to STERILE-ly give blood?
No. I will never give blood to you.
(I also am not allowed to because I don't weigh over 110 pounds, but that is another story)

Besides. Blood in public places brings about unwanted visitors. :D

Style as I see it.

I realize I'm not the best dresser out there... but occasionally, I choose something right. Or maybe, it's just the lack of choices in my closet that stump me. I'm sure that if I had a hundred million gazillion dollars, everyone would say "Dang, who's that chick? I wish that I could dress like that."

Well, if I had a hundred million gazillion dollars, I would choose these.

Powdered Sugar Dress: This is SOO pretty. It totally reminds me of what a sugar plum fairy would wear. I don't know if I could pull it off.. but it sure looks great on this model.

Mayflower Dress: Again, the hair and occasion would need to be right, but this dress has a style you don't see very often nowadays.

Tulip Dress: I think the name of this dress is very fitting, because the bodice looks just like the petals of a flower.
On a side note, this model slightly frightens me. She is fierce.

These are just a few of the beautiful dresses at sarahseven's etsy shop. They are a little skimpy for my taste, and cost BUNDLES of money (like, in the $300-2000 range) but the overall designs are really amazing, no?

I am... Awesome.

I just discovered the website faceinhole.com... and now I am addicted.

Yeah. Me and my homie Taylor hang out all the time. He doesn't care that my hair is too big for my face, he accepts who I am. He also has big hands- that's why I can only hold his two fingers. No big.

I also modeled for Vogue. Ain't no thing. :D

And that hit show, The Office? Sometimes I appear on magazines with John Krasinski (who plays Jim). Just occasionally. And I hold hands with him. Too bad Entertainment Weekly's photoshop stinks, and I look as though someone posted my head on top of someone else's! Pssh. never.

Our Escapades.

Here are some of the videos we took having so much fun at Long's! :D


Here we are heading to Long's!


Our first task was to pretend to be sick and ask for Pepto Bismol. Karina did this one, and had too much fun with this clerk! I, the cameraman, was freaking out that the lady would get mad at us... but she didn't suspect a thing! (surprisingly)


We thought this clerk was cute, so Lena decided to ask him where the Goldfish were for our next task... he spent the entire time texting. Check it.

Partayy!!

I just celebrated my 16th birthday this weekend (even though my birthday isn't 'til the 2oth :D) and my party was a blast! (at least, for me it was)

We started out the party making necklaces out of REALLY pretty beads and wire that my mom bought at Micheal's (I love that place) and we all had trouble deciding which colors we wanted to use because there were SO MANY choices!

Then, we had a "scavenger hunt" at the strip mall really close to my house. I knew we were going there, but I had no idea what my parents had planned until the party... there was a list of tasks we had to complete, like asking the Togo's for a made up sandwich. :D It was fun.

For some reason, the girls had the funnest time with the task asking us to pose with a (male) clerk/bag boy in a picture... :D (Maybe I did too)

Karina thought that this boy was the cutest of them all (and he was pretty attractive :D) but apparently the flash made him less cute... I totally understand- I ask for pictures solely without flash. always.

This guy was the most willing to pose, and I kinda wish I was in the picture instead of taking it!

They all look pretty gansta.

So soon!

It's almost my birthday! :D

I know, I know.
First it was my mom's, then my dad's... We're all in October. Even Mathew!
I'm gonna give you guys a sneak preview of what's to come at my partay!!

That's my cake. Yes, it's a big cookie, but that's because I'm not very fond of actual cake cakes. My mom made it for me, and I decorated it!

If you're REALLY cool, and up for the challenge,
see if you can find where I messed up on the border! :D

What.

What is up with this?

First. Why does it look so weird? I think it would frighten me to use a little compressed cube of green stuff to spice up my meal.

Second. Are people so lazy that they need to buy their basil for lasagna or pasta in the FROZEN FOODS section of Trader Joe's?
I understand not growing the herbs in your own garden, that takes work. But frozen and pre-chopped?
This just shows you what America has come to. Our cooks can no longer cut their own plants and instead rely on frozen substitutes.

I protest!

Please- take another 2 minutes out of your busy schedule to, instead of buying frozen basil, buy it fresh. And then chop it yourself.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Daddy, I have known you for... almost 16 years, and I have yet to be disappointed!

Thank you so much for Dedicating your time to help Mathew and me with our homework every time we need it.

Thank you for Encouraging us to do what we believe in,

and for pretty much Rocking at life in general. (weak R word, I know.)

Thanks for being.... Energetic?...and always making me laugh when I'm down.

Thanks for widening our Knowledge of other cultures through our vacations, and letting us learn to be grateful for everything we have.

I know as an acrostic poem, this stinks, but I have such a hard time finding the right words that correspond with "Derek"! :D
To try and sum it all up, I love you so much! ♥

I was dead...

I bet y'all thought I was dead. And I was, in a way... dead to the world of cyberspace.

After an intense storm (the biggest California October storm since the ...60s?) we lost our power.
For an entirety of TWENTY SEVEN hours.
Yeah. Just because we're in a residential area and not "important" enough to give power to us first. I didn't really mind that aspect.... just that that houses three blocks down had lights. What's up with that?

The view from my kitchen window. The rain had just stopped, and water droplets were sprinkled all over the pane. It was pretty. Until I realized that even though the storm was done, our power still wasn't on.

Nothing like Planter's Peanuts, M&M's and candles at 9:00 at night. Since when did it get so dark so fast? I think I know how people in the "olden days" did it. Sleep when it's dark, wake up when it's light.
Since I had no computer access whatsoever, no music, no fridge (we couldn't open it because we didn't want our food to go bad) and no lights to take a shower... I went to bed early.
And yes. I did not take a shower. Smell me. I dare you.

The Dance

I'm not much of a dancer. I mean, I took the ballet and tap classes that practically everyone took when I was little, jazz classes very recently, LOVE to swing dance...

But I don't really high school dance dance.
You know what I mean, right?

Anyways, I still go to the dances to hang out with friends, dress up, and have a fun time.
Neha and I had a blast getting ready for our school's homecoming last night! :D

Before dressing up/hair/makeup stuff, this is what we looked like. (I never knew I could look so tall! :D)

Neha straightened her hair- and she has SO MUCH of it! It's, like, down to her butt. Amazing.

One side curled and one side regular. I look...special.

Hair done! Yeah- you're probably wondering why I bothered curling my hair if I was just going to put it up. I wondered that too, after I realized my hair was too short to make a curly bun. I'm just cool like that. (Like the headband? I got it shopping with Karina that one time in the summer.)

All dressed and primped and ready to go! You can't really see my whole dress (which I borrowed from Karina because I own no dresses. literally.) but it's pretty!

After the dance...

I still looked okay! Except for the shirt over the dress. But that's just because I took off the sweater, and had a shirt in my bag... and yeah. Cool! Now you can see the rest of the dress, kind of. :D

AK. My hair is REALLY attractive. Awkward waves from the bun, sweaty curls next to my face... beautiful.

Homecoming Week!

I'm sure you've all experienced the amazingness and hecticness that is Homecoming Week at some point in your life.

At my high school, Homecoming Week is that week that leads up to the Homecoming football game and the Homecoming Dance.
It involves a lot of dressing up, competition between classes, and the rally on Friday.

Day 1: Stages of Life
My beautiful friend, Mahsa, dressed up as a pregnant housewife for this day. On someone else it might look tacky (and a little "bad reputation"-like) but on her, it was just CUTE! :D

We also had various businessmen, children, and babies. Ab (above) really went all out, with the suit, awesome tie, hat, and briefcase. Does anyone really dress like that anymore?

Day 2: Musical Genres
I dressed up as a "teeny-bopper, kid's bop, High School Musical" type of genre.

I'm sure all you Troy Bolton lovers out there will appreciate my jacket! (On a side note- I did not buy this myself! It was given to me as a gag gift from my best friend, Lena ♥)

Mahsa and Karina were the two cutest country singers out there... and if you look closely, their hats read "Corona"- Scandalous! It's actually because Karina got them in Mexico...but that's another story. :D

Day 3: Decades
I dressed up from the 50's (in a costume that I made in 7th grade and still fit in!) and at lunch, our friend Tomer came over to eat with us- and he was dressed as a greaser! So we took a picture together. Good times.

I have no idea what era these boys were from...especially not Ab on the far right...

Lena was from the 40's.

And Neha and Aneesha were from the 60's/Hippie Era! :D

Day 4: Cereal
That was our homecoming theme... and I didn't really like it. Cereal? Come ON! So I protested by not dressing up (aka not wearing fruit loops in my hair.)

Day 5: Class Color
Karina, Anne, Me, Mahsa, Neha, and Aneesha showing off our 2011 class spirit in our Juniors class t-shirts! :D