I am listening to this song right now:
Apparently I like a lot of folk music. Every time I look an artist up on last.fm, I find that they are tagged with "folk." Not sure what constitutes as folk. I would have assumed some sort of banjo is present in the song, but as far as I know, all of my music is banjoless.
I LOVEEE this song and if I found a downloadable version, I would just listen to this all day. I like all the cuts and I love anything that Kiersten Holine does. I wonder if she knows the guy she collaborated with or if they are just youtube buddies. It would be very cool if they had just done this without ever meeting in person.
But this is THE CUTEST THING EVERRRRR. Just like a commenter said, I think the cutest thing is that his sister stares at him the whole time.
If your heart is not warmed, you are emotionless!
Oh gosh, summer is almost over. August is almost here. I wrote a draft of a cover letter while on the bus today. I'll type it up after I go to Ici. I need to study for accounting. I am one point away from getting an A- in the class.
Bon Iver is playing at the Wiltern in LA on 9/25! Is this a sign that I should go home for my birthday?
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
I'm in Vancouver, trick
I can't even write that much right now because I have a midterm TOMORROW at 8am and it is already 11:47pm and I am moderately fucked. So something short. I won't even promise to write a lengthier post, because I don't know if I would. So here it goes. (Editing comment: this turned out not be short at all ... fuck ... but it's a good one!)
Vancouver is a freaking awesome place to visit for a weekend. I feel like we did a good majority of every great tourist attraction, and I only spent $160 total for three days.
These are the important things you need to know about Vancouver, if you ever decide to visit:
1) Stay in downtown Vancouver, preferably Burrard street because it is right smack in the middle of everything
2) The island is tiny, despite what you would assume from the map
3) Even though the island is tiny and the GPS claims you can reach your destination in eight minutes, you should expect to arrive and park in forty.
4) Groceries are very expensive, at least in downtown Vancouver
5) British Columbia owns all the alcohol in Canada, so you can only buy them from BC Liquor Stores. This means alcohol is effing expensive to buy, and drinks from clubs are pretty diluted
Oh gosh, I was going to blog only until midnight but by the time I finished making this graphic, it was 11:57.
So those were the major destinations, minus a suspension bridge we went to in North Vancouver.
A) Our hotel, the Century Plaza Hotel, which was a $240 stay for BOTH nights. Divided by seven people, this was great pricing. Thanks to Christina for searching for hotels for so long! It came with a complete kitchen, which was great for us because we ate in more than most people do on vacations
B) Granville Island, our actual first destination in Canada. We never got to actually explore Granville Island, but went to a place called Go Fish Food Emporium which was really highly rated restaurant-shack on Yelp. I don't think Canadians use Yelp as much, because there were not many restaurants listed. I had a crazy good char grilled albacore tuna sandwich, which came with "sweet chili ponzu glaze, tomato ‘Snake Bite Salsa' and wasabi mayo." I'm glad I didn't let all the spicy things scare me off, because it was insanely juicy and not at all spicy.
C) Gastown, which was a historical shopping destination. It wasn't the most exciting thing ever, but we had a random experience of walking through the back alleys of Canada right along the train tracks and the steam clock was fun in its own way.
D) Stanley Park, which we had the good fortune of going to TWICE. On Saturday morning, we rented roller blades and went around for two hours. We later found out that we had gone the wrong way and had actually gone from point D all the way to Burrard St. I am really happy we got misdirected though, because we still rollerbladed along really nice paths we can now say we have traveled through 1/4 of downtown Vancouver by roller blading!
Then today, Sunday, we went back again (the employees recognized us, HAHA) and biked the entire green portion of Stanley Park. It was the most insane bike ride ever - HEART!!! Every view was gorgeous, weather was nice, and we were EXERCISING while having fun! First time I rode on a bike with gears for an extended time, and I really liked it. But I probably wouldn't like it as much when I'm riding along streets instead of along a bike path around the Canadian seawall
E) English Bay, which we went to on Saturday night for a huge fireworks show on the beach, which is like an annual event in Canada. It was a thirty-ish minute show of fireworks, and we watched S. Africa night. The Celebration of Light is a fireworks competition, this year between China, S. Africa, UK, and Canada. The fireworks show was only enhanced because a FREAK thunderstorm started around 7pm that day. We had been told to go early, since the event is watched by 1.4 MILLION people. So we picked up food from Safeway to picnic while we waited two hours for the show to start, WHILE it was raining, but we were treated to an incredible sunset. Found a nice pine tree to protect us while eating, hiding from the rain, and later having girl talk.
Around 9:45, walked onto the beach and watched. The show had a twenty minute warning firework go off, which infuriated Kristen for teasing us. The fireworks were crazy, but even crazier was the lightning. I don't have videos or pictures, but at one point, there was horizontal lightning going across the sky like this
And after the event, everyone walked on the streets of Vancouver. MASS exodus of people! I love love love walking on closed-off streets with giant crowds. :)
Other fun things we did:
1) I ate DELICIIIIOUUSSS and CHEAAPPPP sushi as my last meal. I'm very happy we got that take out. I freaking got a HUGE piece of toro for only $1.75 and a huge tuna nigiri for $1.35. Also a "Vancouver Dream" roll, I forgot what is in it. It was super fresh mmm makes me never want sushi in America again, because THERE IS SO MUCH BETTER OUT THERE!
Only $13.70!
2) Fly a kite at the borderline between US and Canada
Yes, that is me in the black
3) Walked across a suspension bridge hanging between a really nice, pristine looking mountain area that had a very tall waterfall ... I can't describe it and my camera doesn't capture it well but it may have been one of the coolest naturey things I've seen.
The story of how we got here is even better. To make a long story short, we got lost and ended up picking up a random person we found in an isolated university. His name was Rick, he looked kind of crazy, but we had him sit in Mark's car next to Leneve anyway.
4) Japadog, which is like a Top Dog but JAPAN-style! They had japanese sauces and stuff like dried seaweed sprinkled on top with japanese mayo
5) Continuously sing "I'm in Vancouver, bitccchhh" to each other because it came on the radio while we were driving around and yes they DID change it to Vancouver. We decided that cities like Albuquerque would miss out on being able to fit their city name into the song
6) Celebrate Leneve's birthday Saturday around 11:50 by baking a blueberry pie, lighting sparklers, and setting off the fire alarm in our hotel room. I was filming, but panicked when the alarm went off, so I accidentally deleted the BEST VIDEO EVER. The video was: Leneve standing in front of the TV after she comes out of her shower and watching I Am Sam, video pans over to fifteen feet away where all six of us are very suspiciously huddled together whispering, then suddenly someone starts singing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and we all chime in, while Christina lights up sparklers and tries to hand them to people to hold. I get a shot of Kristen who waves her hands at Christina and silently expresses a very clear "FUCK NO I'M NOT HOLDING THAT" while we're all still singing, and before the song is over, the fire alarm goes off and everyone continues to sing while Kristen doesn't miss a beat and jumps up to fan a towel around the fire alarm. Again, BEST. VIDEO. EVER.
Oh god, I have to pee and study.
It need not be said, but I HEART YOU GUYS! I was very against going home. I thought it was such a happy experience to have all my friends fly in and meet at one place. But it is just as depressing when we all fly off into different directions at the end of the trip.
Vancouver is a freaking awesome place to visit for a weekend. I feel like we did a good majority of every great tourist attraction, and I only spent $160 total for three days.
These are the important things you need to know about Vancouver, if you ever decide to visit:
1) Stay in downtown Vancouver, preferably Burrard street because it is right smack in the middle of everything
2) The island is tiny, despite what you would assume from the map
3) Even though the island is tiny and the GPS claims you can reach your destination in eight minutes, you should expect to arrive and park in forty.
4) Groceries are very expensive, at least in downtown Vancouver
5) British Columbia owns all the alcohol in Canada, so you can only buy them from BC Liquor Stores. This means alcohol is effing expensive to buy, and drinks from clubs are pretty diluted
Oh gosh, I was going to blog only until midnight but by the time I finished making this graphic, it was 11:57.
So those were the major destinations, minus a suspension bridge we went to in North Vancouver.
A) Our hotel, the Century Plaza Hotel, which was a $240 stay for BOTH nights. Divided by seven people, this was great pricing. Thanks to Christina for searching for hotels for so long! It came with a complete kitchen, which was great for us because we ate in more than most people do on vacations
B) Granville Island, our actual first destination in Canada. We never got to actually explore Granville Island, but went to a place called Go Fish Food Emporium which was really highly rated restaurant-shack on Yelp. I don't think Canadians use Yelp as much, because there were not many restaurants listed. I had a crazy good char grilled albacore tuna sandwich, which came with "sweet chili ponzu glaze, tomato ‘Snake Bite Salsa' and wasabi mayo." I'm glad I didn't let all the spicy things scare me off, because it was insanely juicy and not at all spicy.
C) Gastown, which was a historical shopping destination. It wasn't the most exciting thing ever, but we had a random experience of walking through the back alleys of Canada right along the train tracks and the steam clock was fun in its own way.
D) Stanley Park, which we had the good fortune of going to TWICE. On Saturday morning, we rented roller blades and went around for two hours. We later found out that we had gone the wrong way and had actually gone from point D all the way to Burrard St. I am really happy we got misdirected though, because we still rollerbladed along really nice paths we can now say we have traveled through 1/4 of downtown Vancouver by roller blading!
Then today, Sunday, we went back again (the employees recognized us, HAHA) and biked the entire green portion of Stanley Park. It was the most insane bike ride ever - HEART!!! Every view was gorgeous, weather was nice, and we were EXERCISING while having fun! First time I rode on a bike with gears for an extended time, and I really liked it. But I probably wouldn't like it as much when I'm riding along streets instead of along a bike path around the Canadian seawall
E) English Bay, which we went to on Saturday night for a huge fireworks show on the beach, which is like an annual event in Canada. It was a thirty-ish minute show of fireworks, and we watched S. Africa night. The Celebration of Light is a fireworks competition, this year between China, S. Africa, UK, and Canada. The fireworks show was only enhanced because a FREAK thunderstorm started around 7pm that day. We had been told to go early, since the event is watched by 1.4 MILLION people. So we picked up food from Safeway to picnic while we waited two hours for the show to start, WHILE it was raining, but we were treated to an incredible sunset. Found a nice pine tree to protect us while eating, hiding from the rain, and later having girl talk.
Around 9:45, walked onto the beach and watched. The show had a twenty minute warning firework go off, which infuriated Kristen for teasing us. The fireworks were crazy, but even crazier was the lightning. I don't have videos or pictures, but at one point, there was horizontal lightning going across the sky like this
And after the event, everyone walked on the streets of Vancouver. MASS exodus of people! I love love love walking on closed-off streets with giant crowds. :)
Other fun things we did:
1) I ate DELICIIIIOUUSSS and CHEAAPPPP sushi as my last meal. I'm very happy we got that take out. I freaking got a HUGE piece of toro for only $1.75 and a huge tuna nigiri for $1.35. Also a "Vancouver Dream" roll, I forgot what is in it. It was super fresh mmm makes me never want sushi in America again, because THERE IS SO MUCH BETTER OUT THERE!
Only $13.70!2) Fly a kite at the borderline between US and Canada
Yes, that is me in the black
3) Walked across a suspension bridge hanging between a really nice, pristine looking mountain area that had a very tall waterfall ... I can't describe it and my camera doesn't capture it well but it may have been one of the coolest naturey things I've seen.
The story of how we got here is even better. To make a long story short, we got lost and ended up picking up a random person we found in an isolated university. His name was Rick, he looked kind of crazy, but we had him sit in Mark's car next to Leneve anyway.4) Japadog, which is like a Top Dog but JAPAN-style! They had japanese sauces and stuff like dried seaweed sprinkled on top with japanese mayo
5) Continuously sing "I'm in Vancouver, bitccchhh" to each other because it came on the radio while we were driving around and yes they DID change it to Vancouver. We decided that cities like Albuquerque would miss out on being able to fit their city name into the song
6) Celebrate Leneve's birthday Saturday around 11:50 by baking a blueberry pie, lighting sparklers, and setting off the fire alarm in our hotel room. I was filming, but panicked when the alarm went off, so I accidentally deleted the BEST VIDEO EVER. The video was: Leneve standing in front of the TV after she comes out of her shower and watching I Am Sam, video pans over to fifteen feet away where all six of us are very suspiciously huddled together whispering, then suddenly someone starts singing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and we all chime in, while Christina lights up sparklers and tries to hand them to people to hold. I get a shot of Kristen who waves her hands at Christina and silently expresses a very clear "FUCK NO I'M NOT HOLDING THAT" while we're all still singing, and before the song is over, the fire alarm goes off and everyone continues to sing while Kristen doesn't miss a beat and jumps up to fan a towel around the fire alarm. Again, BEST. VIDEO. EVER.
Oh god, I have to pee and study.
It need not be said, but I HEART YOU GUYS! I was very against going home. I thought it was such a happy experience to have all my friends fly in and meet at one place. But it is just as depressing when we all fly off into different directions at the end of the trip.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Seattle!
Now I can appropriately title this blogpost Seattle because we actually went to Seattle yesterday. Twice! The thought of driving to Seattle seems like a far adventure to me, but it's really the equivalent of driving to Costco. I did not know that homeless people WEREN'T intrinsic to every major city. We were walking around Seattle at 1:30am and there weren't ANY suspicious looking people!
We went to Pike Place Market which was one of the best outdoors markets I've ever gone to. But I don't know if it was significantly greater than other outdoor markets, or if I was just with a better group. Traveling with excom is very nice - we look at things at approximately the same amount of time and multiple people take pictures. We ate really good smoked salmon samples that an Asian fish guy gave us. I point out that he is Asian, because the way he got us to sample his foods was by yelling "HEY, MY ASIAN SISTERS!" Well, I'm glad I stood out as an Asian, because that salmon was damn good.
Lunch was piroshky which was SOOOO good. I got two though, one sweet one savory. I shouldn't have gotten the sweet because it was way too sweet. Savory was so delicious - cheese, egg, and spinach. I should have gotten the pear tart at Le Panier. I hate regretting food choices :( The piroshky place, appropriately named Piroshky, had been featured on Anthony Bordain's No Reservations, as the newspaper clipping in the window told us.
We spent a good amount of time there. Then we drove off to Olympic Sculpture Garden, which turned out to be way cooler than I thought. I had imagined boring people-like statues, but it was modern. Also went to Microsoft's headquarters, which was very interesting. Helped myself to a cup of hot chocolate. Then dinner at Santorini's Greek Grill which was SO GOOD - it was featured on Seattle's cheap eats. So we had Russian and Greek. I love this multiculturism. We then went to Dragonfish, a restaurant/bar in a hotel in downtown Seattle where we had INSANELY cheap drinks. $2.95 for some pretty sizeable cocktails.
We are leaving for Vancouver now!
We went to Pike Place Market which was one of the best outdoors markets I've ever gone to. But I don't know if it was significantly greater than other outdoor markets, or if I was just with a better group. Traveling with excom is very nice - we look at things at approximately the same amount of time and multiple people take pictures. We ate really good smoked salmon samples that an Asian fish guy gave us. I point out that he is Asian, because the way he got us to sample his foods was by yelling "HEY, MY ASIAN SISTERS!" Well, I'm glad I stood out as an Asian, because that salmon was damn good.
Lunch was piroshky which was SOOOO good. I got two though, one sweet one savory. I shouldn't have gotten the sweet because it was way too sweet. Savory was so delicious - cheese, egg, and spinach. I should have gotten the pear tart at Le Panier. I hate regretting food choices :( The piroshky place, appropriately named Piroshky, had been featured on Anthony Bordain's No Reservations, as the newspaper clipping in the window told us.
We spent a good amount of time there. Then we drove off to Olympic Sculpture Garden, which turned out to be way cooler than I thought. I had imagined boring people-like statues, but it was modern. Also went to Microsoft's headquarters, which was very interesting. Helped myself to a cup of hot chocolate. Then dinner at Santorini's Greek Grill which was SO GOOD - it was featured on Seattle's cheap eats. So we had Russian and Greek. I love this multiculturism. We then went to Dragonfish, a restaurant/bar in a hotel in downtown Seattle where we had INSANELY cheap drinks. $2.95 for some pretty sizeable cocktails.
We are leaving for Vancouver now!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Washington!
I keep wanting to say that I am in Seattle, but I'm actually in Redmond, Washington, the headquarters of Microsoft. I ate way too many cherries for dinner and a handful of MSG-filled shrimp flavored chips, but I'm glad day 1 of vacation did not end in excessive gluttony. Wait, why am I talking about food?
The trip to Oakland airport was stressful but I ended up having a good ten minutes of downtime. Air Bart on the weekdays is the best because there are very few people riding it, so it's like you have a personal shuttle. Flew to Seattle - really weird to fly north instead of south from the airport. For the additonal 30 minutes of flying, you get refills on drinks AND Wheat Thins! How luxurious. My flight arrived just ten minutes before Andria and Christina's and we met up with each other in the airport. SO CUTE! I love it. We hugged in the middle of the walkway and all. I love doing friend things in otherwise mundane places.
George is our host and is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He is an RCSA scholar from UC Davis, and I assume that the people in excom met him through one of our inter-UC events. So those things are worth something after all! He is letting us stay in his swanky apartment, paid for and furnished by Microsoft. He also gets free car rentals, so he kindly rented a car and we'll be able to drive his car tomorrow. Which is probably the craziest nicest thing a host could ever do.
Tomorrow we are going to Seattle, eating with Andria's friend, exploring, then the Microsoft Visitor Center. George has a employee discount, and he said we could buy things like Microsoft Office for 10% of its retail price. Damnit, I bought Microsoft Office a month ago. He bought his Xbox for $40. I need to make more friends in higher places. I am going to buy a mouse and a laptop carrycase. And I think we're going to eat crab tomorrow at The Crab Pot and explore a popular Seattle marketplace, where I will probably eat fish. THEN Canada! Which I will research in the morning - I'm certain I will be the first to wake up.
Kristen also arrives tomorrow. I love this awesome logistical vacation, people flying in from everywhere and getting together, and I love the idea that after not seeing each other for about two months, we meet up with each other in a completely different state and travel together for a weekend. I want to do this every year with my friends! But I do not know of any more George-like people in America.
SLEEEPPYYYY. Hopefully tomorrow I will have amazing Seattle pictures
The trip to Oakland airport was stressful but I ended up having a good ten minutes of downtime. Air Bart on the weekdays is the best because there are very few people riding it, so it's like you have a personal shuttle. Flew to Seattle - really weird to fly north instead of south from the airport. For the additonal 30 minutes of flying, you get refills on drinks AND Wheat Thins! How luxurious. My flight arrived just ten minutes before Andria and Christina's and we met up with each other in the airport. SO CUTE! I love it. We hugged in the middle of the walkway and all. I love doing friend things in otherwise mundane places.
George is our host and is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He is an RCSA scholar from UC Davis, and I assume that the people in excom met him through one of our inter-UC events. So those things are worth something after all! He is letting us stay in his swanky apartment, paid for and furnished by Microsoft. He also gets free car rentals, so he kindly rented a car and we'll be able to drive his car tomorrow. Which is probably the craziest nicest thing a host could ever do.
Tomorrow we are going to Seattle, eating with Andria's friend, exploring, then the Microsoft Visitor Center. George has a employee discount, and he said we could buy things like Microsoft Office for 10% of its retail price. Damnit, I bought Microsoft Office a month ago. He bought his Xbox for $40. I need to make more friends in higher places. I am going to buy a mouse and a laptop carrycase. And I think we're going to eat crab tomorrow at The Crab Pot and explore a popular Seattle marketplace, where I will probably eat fish. THEN Canada! Which I will research in the morning - I'm certain I will be the first to wake up.
Kristen also arrives tomorrow. I love this awesome logistical vacation, people flying in from everywhere and getting together, and I love the idea that after not seeing each other for about two months, we meet up with each other in a completely different state and travel together for a weekend. I want to do this every year with my friends! But I do not know of any more George-like people in America.
SLEEEPPYYYY. Hopefully tomorrow I will have amazing Seattle pictures
Monday, July 20, 2009
Deletion
Sorry, deleted the last post. Not because I was embarrassed by anything, but I feel like it was a very inane post. Maybe if something more bloggable were going on my life, I would have more to say. But there isn't. I don't like making xanga-like entries about what I did over the weekend, because they don't interest anyone except for the people who were also at the event. And my job doesn't have particularly life-changing or thought-provoking moments so there's nothing to say about that either.
I'm surprised I like the songs by She & Him so much. It's the band that is one part Zooey Deschanel and one part M. Ward.
I want to watch episode 2x5 of Mad Men, but I know I should be studying. But I'm too tired to study, so I ended up just staring at this webpage and zoning out.
Curry smells are coming out of my pores because I went to eat House of Curries with Chrystal. mmm HOC ... so close to me yet I so rarely eat there. It is Chrystal's bday tomorrow and we were talking about what she plans to do. Unluckily for her, tomorrow is a Tuesday and only a small group of her friends are around. Talking about what she wants to do made me think about what I want to do. I figure it is early enough so that I can say what I want to do, without making it seem like "HEY HINT HINT THIS IS WHAT I WANT."
I haven't figured out if it would make more sense to do two parties (one in Berkeley one in Arcadia), one party (combined weekend trip), or three parties (one for Berkeley friends 21+ and one for Berkeley friends 21- and one in Arcadia). I am actually leaning towards just eating tons of food for a week with different groups and not having a party. I guess going off of that idea, I'd have
- go out to a more loungey place where I can drink alcohol with my Berkeley 21+ friends and get the most trashed there
- eat somewhere delicious but cheap with my Berkeley 20- floormate friends because several of them are studying abroad anyway
- eat somewhere with TMV/Berkeley friends
- eat an Ici bombe with Chrystal
- eat a 99 Ranch fruit tart
- eat an Andronico's fruit tart (is this too much fruit tart? But I don't know which one I like more ... they're so different)
Looking at that, I realize that my plan to eliminate my sweet tooth through abstention is an impossible task.
If I were dating someone, I would eat at Roy's with them. But even if I started dating someone today, it would only be a two-month relationship, which seems a bit short for a $80 meal.
I don't know if I would go home. I probably would have if we weren't going to Vegas in the summer, but now it seems like going to Vegas before I turn 21 waters down the importance of turning 21 in that group. That's what I get for turning 21 so late in the year.
I would rather not drink at my own party, because I don't want to pass out and miss out on my own birthday. But ... 21st birthday ... seems like an impossible request.
I love this. There are also interviews with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson but Daniel's is the most entertaining by far.
Also a topic that came up in conversation today with Chrystal: all the closeted gays in Hollywood! People we think are FOR SURE gay, but no one ever says it:
1) Zac Efron
2) Daniel Radcliffe
3) Bradley Cooper
I don't understand how some celebrities can't stop the tabloids from finding out their secrets, whereas some other secrets about the biggest celebrities are so contained. We figured that Disney and Warner Brothers just holds tremendous power over Hollywood that it only uses for its greatest money making stars. And Bradley Cooper is hard to spot, unless you watch his interviews under the assumption that he is gay, then it is much clearer.
There is no good ending to this entry. Just, good night
I'm surprised I like the songs by She & Him so much. It's the band that is one part Zooey Deschanel and one part M. Ward.
I want to watch episode 2x5 of Mad Men, but I know I should be studying. But I'm too tired to study, so I ended up just staring at this webpage and zoning out.
Curry smells are coming out of my pores because I went to eat House of Curries with Chrystal. mmm HOC ... so close to me yet I so rarely eat there. It is Chrystal's bday tomorrow and we were talking about what she plans to do. Unluckily for her, tomorrow is a Tuesday and only a small group of her friends are around. Talking about what she wants to do made me think about what I want to do. I figure it is early enough so that I can say what I want to do, without making it seem like "HEY HINT HINT THIS IS WHAT I WANT."
I haven't figured out if it would make more sense to do two parties (one in Berkeley one in Arcadia), one party (combined weekend trip), or three parties (one for Berkeley friends 21+ and one for Berkeley friends 21- and one in Arcadia). I am actually leaning towards just eating tons of food for a week with different groups and not having a party. I guess going off of that idea, I'd have
- go out to a more loungey place where I can drink alcohol with my Berkeley 21+ friends and get the most trashed there
- eat somewhere delicious but cheap with my Berkeley 20- floormate friends because several of them are studying abroad anyway
- eat somewhere with TMV/Berkeley friends
- eat an Ici bombe with Chrystal
- eat a 99 Ranch fruit tart
- eat an Andronico's fruit tart (is this too much fruit tart? But I don't know which one I like more ... they're so different)
Looking at that, I realize that my plan to eliminate my sweet tooth through abstention is an impossible task.
If I were dating someone, I would eat at Roy's with them. But even if I started dating someone today, it would only be a two-month relationship, which seems a bit short for a $80 meal.
I don't know if I would go home. I probably would have if we weren't going to Vegas in the summer, but now it seems like going to Vegas before I turn 21 waters down the importance of turning 21 in that group. That's what I get for turning 21 so late in the year.
I would rather not drink at my own party, because I don't want to pass out and miss out on my own birthday. But ... 21st birthday ... seems like an impossible request.
I love this. There are also interviews with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson but Daniel's is the most entertaining by far.
Also a topic that came up in conversation today with Chrystal: all the closeted gays in Hollywood! People we think are FOR SURE gay, but no one ever says it:
1) Zac Efron
2) Daniel Radcliffe
3) Bradley Cooper
I don't understand how some celebrities can't stop the tabloids from finding out their secrets, whereas some other secrets about the biggest celebrities are so contained. We figured that Disney and Warner Brothers just holds tremendous power over Hollywood that it only uses for its greatest money making stars. And Bradley Cooper is hard to spot, unless you watch his interviews under the assumption that he is gay, then it is much clearer.
There is no good ending to this entry. Just, good night
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Where are all these posts coming from?
Anytime I write something like "I don't think I'll blog again for a while," I end up blogging every day straight for a week.
I REALLY love work this week. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to accumulate everything. Hopefully something fun will happen tomorrow too. I half hate being on my period because I don't exercise as much and I look bloated. But at the same time, I have so much freedom to just EAT and hang out with people! It's amazing. But that is also how I got so fat in the first place - eating and hanging out.
If I could be trapped in a particular room for the rest of my life, THIS IS THE ROOM.
I love the dynamic of this group. It could only have been bettered if Tina Fey were included. I watched other interviews with other Emmy nominees and they are not nearly as interesting. Is it just me, or are all the actor interviews incredibly boring and unappealing? Or there is always SOMEONE in the group that makes the entire interview insufferable (Denis Leary for drama, Jeremy Piven and Brad Garrett for comedy). The drama actresses were not as entertaining to watch, but I feel like they command respect. When I watch the comedy actresses interview, I think, "wow they are really crucial to making that show hilarious" but when I watch the comedy actors, I think "wow good thing they have hilarious writers because the actors are about as interesting as my pot of oatmeal."
I've posted the other comedy actresses interviews for your convenience, and mine. I'm sure I'll be rewatching them again tonight.
I want to be like Christina Applegate when I grow up. Look way hotter in my late 30s than my 20s. (and then later, pull a Jennifer Aniston and look way hotter in my 40s than my 30s. And so and and so on until I'm Betty White)
It took me a while to figure out what they said, but it was "Morgue Magazine."
I REALLY love work this week. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to accumulate everything. Hopefully something fun will happen tomorrow too. I half hate being on my period because I don't exercise as much and I look bloated. But at the same time, I have so much freedom to just EAT and hang out with people! It's amazing. But that is also how I got so fat in the first place - eating and hanging out.
If I could be trapped in a particular room for the rest of my life, THIS IS THE ROOM.
I love the dynamic of this group. It could only have been bettered if Tina Fey were included. I watched other interviews with other Emmy nominees and they are not nearly as interesting. Is it just me, or are all the actor interviews incredibly boring and unappealing? Or there is always SOMEONE in the group that makes the entire interview insufferable (Denis Leary for drama, Jeremy Piven and Brad Garrett for comedy). The drama actresses were not as entertaining to watch, but I feel like they command respect. When I watch the comedy actresses interview, I think, "wow they are really crucial to making that show hilarious" but when I watch the comedy actors, I think "wow good thing they have hilarious writers because the actors are about as interesting as my pot of oatmeal."
I've posted the other comedy actresses interviews for your convenience, and mine. I'm sure I'll be rewatching them again tonight.
I want to be like Christina Applegate when I grow up. Look way hotter in my late 30s than my 20s. (and then later, pull a Jennifer Aniston and look way hotter in my 40s than my 30s. And so and and so on until I'm Betty White)
It took me a while to figure out what they said, but it was "Morgue Magazine."
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Welcome Home!
Laura and Soo Jin have returned from Europe! My life is complete again...
Just kidding, I don't even know when I will see them.
I really don't like my facebook profile picture but I have no other pictures of myself that I like. I wish there were a high school mel in my life, who would take pictures of me so I could have a great selection to choose from. I tried looking for pictures from high school, but that just resulted in my realizing how THIN I used to be! It's so sad that I thought I was so fat in high school, when I'm so much fatter now. LOOK! CHEEKBONES!
:( I think over the course of three years, I really did get the freshmen fifteen. I need to lose that and more. The 20s 20. I'll be twenty pounds lighter than what I used to be in my teens. If that makes me unhealthy, then so be it.
Just kidding, I don't even know when I will see them.
I really don't like my facebook profile picture but I have no other pictures of myself that I like. I wish there were a high school mel in my life, who would take pictures of me so I could have a great selection to choose from. I tried looking for pictures from high school, but that just resulted in my realizing how THIN I used to be! It's so sad that I thought I was so fat in high school, when I'm so much fatter now. LOOK! CHEEKBONES!
:( I think over the course of three years, I really did get the freshmen fifteen. I need to lose that and more. The 20s 20. I'll be twenty pounds lighter than what I used to be in my teens. If that makes me unhealthy, then so be it.
Bonk
I wish I were reading a book that didn't have the words vagina, penis, clitoris, and orgasm in every sentence. I'm reading a book called "Bonk," which is kind of a science-y book that looks at how people have studied sex. The author is really hilarious and there are footnotes on every other page which are just an excuse for her to make funny side comments. But I only read for fun on the bart to and from work, and now I'm too paranoid that some stranger is going to glance at what I'm reading and think I'm some weird pervert. Which defeats one of the author's points, that there's nothing embarrassing about it. Still, I feel weird reading it in public, then I feel embarrassed to be embarrassed by it.
I should be reading my financial statement analysis textbook anyway. I'm so behind, ugh. I don't get pension plans at all. If I listed everything I don't understand about this class, it would look remarkably similar to the table of contents.
I wanted to make Yogurtland my #3 banned food, but that seems kind of pointless since I never loved frozen yogurt anyway, and if I did have a sweet craving, Yogurtland induces far less guilt than a serving of Yogurt Park or a scoop of Ici. Before Yogurtland ever came to Berkeley, I could easily say no to it, which is very rare for me to do in a group setting. But somehow, I've lost my resistance.
Things I eat, but if I thought about it carefully, I don't like them at all:
- donuts, they always leave my mouth feeling disgustingly oily
- cake, cookies, because they are never very satisfying and they leave me feeling like I have sugar face, which is what I call the sensation of eating too much sugar and feeling bloated and oily
- In N Out, only in the sense that I always feel really unhealthy afterwards and the taste isn't enough to compensate
- chocolate, seeing as how my mouth often erupts with canker sores after, I can't figure out why I continue to eat little bits of chocolate when they're put in front of me
Sleep time! God, I wasted so much of my time today, it makes me sick.
I should be reading my financial statement analysis textbook anyway. I'm so behind, ugh. I don't get pension plans at all. If I listed everything I don't understand about this class, it would look remarkably similar to the table of contents.
I wanted to make Yogurtland my #3 banned food, but that seems kind of pointless since I never loved frozen yogurt anyway, and if I did have a sweet craving, Yogurtland induces far less guilt than a serving of Yogurt Park or a scoop of Ici. Before Yogurtland ever came to Berkeley, I could easily say no to it, which is very rare for me to do in a group setting. But somehow, I've lost my resistance.
Things I eat, but if I thought about it carefully, I don't like them at all:
- donuts, they always leave my mouth feeling disgustingly oily
- cake, cookies, because they are never very satisfying and they leave me feeling like I have sugar face, which is what I call the sensation of eating too much sugar and feeling bloated and oily
- In N Out, only in the sense that I always feel really unhealthy afterwards and the taste isn't enough to compensate
- chocolate, seeing as how my mouth often erupts with canker sores after, I can't figure out why I continue to eat little bits of chocolate when they're put in front of me
Sleep time! God, I wasted so much of my time today, it makes me sick.
Monday, July 13, 2009
I don't care much for titles
I'm going to throw all the thoughts I ever have in the summer into a blog post, because I'm never really in the mood to blog anymore. I think it's due to lack of time, but I'm procrastinating right now, even though I know very well that I shouldn't be.
In classic American/meltang fashion, I've spoken to five international students in my class, and I only remember two of their names (the more American sounding ones) ... one is Simon Alexander (or was it Alexander Simon?), and the other one is Marcus. Alexander Simon is seriously like ... the equivalent of Brad Pitt in his younger days. He doesn't actually LOOK like Brad Pitt, he just has equivalent looks. There is also a Blake Lively look-somewhat-a-like who always sits between fobby Asian girls, but never next to the European transfer students, which I think is interesting. How unfortunate that I am taking summer classes this year. Had it been a year ago, I would have met many more Europeans. Damn you economy! You've worsened my life, yet again.
Once every few months I think to myself "I wonder if there are any new videos on TV is the Answer" and there are. There will be maybe five new videos, totaling ten minutes of viewing time. But I invariably spend an hour and a half rewatching videos I've seen before, then I'll continue to rewatch them AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN. They never get old! You come back with a few more months of life experience, and they all have new meaning!
This one talks about the sociopaths in Florida. Hilarious because at work all I ever hear about is how CRAZY people are in Florida.
I love my work because I am right in Powell so I know immediately when there is a sale going on. But the downside is that I am not making any money to buy things with, so knowing that there are sales only makes me feel like I'm missing out. I didn't realize Chinatown was so close to the Financial District - had I known, I probably would have gone to buy egg tarts and fruit during my lunch break. I feel like I squandered those few precious weeks when I worked 8 hours a day. Now, it looks kind of bad to come in at 1:00 and take breaks, so I just work straight until 5:00. Then, I'm so intent on going home in time for Core Blast or getting ready to swim that I don't have time to do anything in SF. I know that in a few years I'm going to really regret not taking advantage of working in Powell.
Other reasons I love work: Delicious free food, I get to listen to music, everyone is super nice, people drop the F-bomb everywhere. I finally met the person who hired me today (she normally lives in Oregon but is down for the week) and since I had already finished my last project, I happened to introduce myself while eating an apple, listening to music and writing a personal e-mail. Lovely first impression, I'm sure.
It is hot in Berkeley AGH I realized my wardrobe is really crappy today when I could only pick out a grey tshirt and a jacket to wear in 85 degree weather. Death. It suddenly feels much hotter in my apartment. I blame my apartmentmate's box of takeout bbq. I bet it's the heat of the meat, warming up this confined space. Yet another thing to put on my "things I won't miss about my apartmentmate" list. It joins "chews loudly," "fails to clean up after himself," "leaves food in fridge for weeks," and "dates annoying girl." Only two more weeks - how exciting, although he doesn't seem to be packing.
Oh gosh, she plays piano?! I wish someone would envy me for my talents. Unfortunately, I have none.
I never get tired of reading articles like these, which come out every week. Always saying the same things ... people did not expect to be in a recession! But they are now! How are they coping?! Story never changes, just the names. Yet I continue to read it. Kind of like how I couldn't stop myself from watching The Hills, even knowing that nothing particularly novel would happen.
I should have been studying but it's now 11:30. It's interesting that after this summer, I now think waking up at 7:00 is really late, and my idea of "OH NOOO WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!" eating is when I eat a packet of oatmeal too many or TWO slices, not one, of peanut butter bread. Ideally, these would be my daily meals:
After gymming breakfast: oatmeal with a little brown sugar
After class snack: mangoes
Work time snack: two small apples or one big apple
After work snack: anything light
After gymming dinner: watermelon
But I constantly treat myself to prepackaged packets of oatmeal or a chinese rice krispy. The oatmeal packets aka packets of sugar are almost gone though - I'll be so pleased when they are. But then I will need another food to satisfy my random sugar cravings. Wouldn't it be amazing if I could eat a piece of dried fruit and think "god, this is so good! This totally satisfied my craving for sweets." That's what I aspire to be.
While swimming today, I randomly remembered my dream of graduating early and learning how to surf and living near the beach for a few months. That image seems so long ago - I haven't really thought about it in months. It's been so long that when I try to envision it now, I feel like I'm in someone else's mind. There's basically no chance of me realizing that dream anymore, which seems like a sad thing to say but I have no emotions about it because I have so many other priorities going on.
I wonder what I am going to eat after the summer is over and watermelon, mangoes, and peaches aren't in season anymore. What are winter fruits? At least I will always have apples.
I'm going to end this blog entry now, only because I want to check my email but to do that I'll have to log out of blogger. So, hope that was enough.
In classic American/meltang fashion, I've spoken to five international students in my class, and I only remember two of their names (the more American sounding ones) ... one is Simon Alexander (or was it Alexander Simon?), and the other one is Marcus. Alexander Simon is seriously like ... the equivalent of Brad Pitt in his younger days. He doesn't actually LOOK like Brad Pitt, he just has equivalent looks. There is also a Blake Lively look-somewhat-a-like who always sits between fobby Asian girls, but never next to the European transfer students, which I think is interesting. How unfortunate that I am taking summer classes this year. Had it been a year ago, I would have met many more Europeans. Damn you economy! You've worsened my life, yet again.
Once every few months I think to myself "I wonder if there are any new videos on TV is the Answer" and there are. There will be maybe five new videos, totaling ten minutes of viewing time. But I invariably spend an hour and a half rewatching videos I've seen before, then I'll continue to rewatch them AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN. They never get old! You come back with a few more months of life experience, and they all have new meaning!
This one talks about the sociopaths in Florida. Hilarious because at work all I ever hear about is how CRAZY people are in Florida.
I love my work because I am right in Powell so I know immediately when there is a sale going on. But the downside is that I am not making any money to buy things with, so knowing that there are sales only makes me feel like I'm missing out. I didn't realize Chinatown was so close to the Financial District - had I known, I probably would have gone to buy egg tarts and fruit during my lunch break. I feel like I squandered those few precious weeks when I worked 8 hours a day. Now, it looks kind of bad to come in at 1:00 and take breaks, so I just work straight until 5:00. Then, I'm so intent on going home in time for Core Blast or getting ready to swim that I don't have time to do anything in SF. I know that in a few years I'm going to really regret not taking advantage of working in Powell.
Other reasons I love work: Delicious free food, I get to listen to music, everyone is super nice, people drop the F-bomb everywhere. I finally met the person who hired me today (she normally lives in Oregon but is down for the week) and since I had already finished my last project, I happened to introduce myself while eating an apple, listening to music and writing a personal e-mail. Lovely first impression, I'm sure.
It is hot in Berkeley AGH I realized my wardrobe is really crappy today when I could only pick out a grey tshirt and a jacket to wear in 85 degree weather. Death. It suddenly feels much hotter in my apartment. I blame my apartmentmate's box of takeout bbq. I bet it's the heat of the meat, warming up this confined space. Yet another thing to put on my "things I won't miss about my apartmentmate" list. It joins "chews loudly," "fails to clean up after himself," "leaves food in fridge for weeks," and "dates annoying girl." Only two more weeks - how exciting, although he doesn't seem to be packing.
Oh gosh, she plays piano?! I wish someone would envy me for my talents. Unfortunately, I have none.
I never get tired of reading articles like these, which come out every week. Always saying the same things ... people did not expect to be in a recession! But they are now! How are they coping?! Story never changes, just the names. Yet I continue to read it. Kind of like how I couldn't stop myself from watching The Hills, even knowing that nothing particularly novel would happen.
I should have been studying but it's now 11:30. It's interesting that after this summer, I now think waking up at 7:00 is really late, and my idea of "OH NOOO WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!" eating is when I eat a packet of oatmeal too many or TWO slices, not one, of peanut butter bread. Ideally, these would be my daily meals:
After gymming breakfast: oatmeal with a little brown sugar
After class snack: mangoes
Work time snack: two small apples or one big apple
After work snack: anything light
After gymming dinner: watermelon
But I constantly treat myself to prepackaged packets of oatmeal or a chinese rice krispy. The oatmeal packets aka packets of sugar are almost gone though - I'll be so pleased when they are. But then I will need another food to satisfy my random sugar cravings. Wouldn't it be amazing if I could eat a piece of dried fruit and think "god, this is so good! This totally satisfied my craving for sweets." That's what I aspire to be.
While swimming today, I randomly remembered my dream of graduating early and learning how to surf and living near the beach for a few months. That image seems so long ago - I haven't really thought about it in months. It's been so long that when I try to envision it now, I feel like I'm in someone else's mind. There's basically no chance of me realizing that dream anymore, which seems like a sad thing to say but I have no emotions about it because I have so many other priorities going on.
I wonder what I am going to eat after the summer is over and watermelon, mangoes, and peaches aren't in season anymore. What are winter fruits? At least I will always have apples.
I'm going to end this blog entry now, only because I want to check my email but to do that I'll have to log out of blogger. So, hope that was enough.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I know, another entry
I keep having ideas of random little bits I want to blog about, but when I sit down to blog I don't remember them or I don't feel like blogging anymore. Umm...
Oh yeah. WTF. Berkeley raised student fees by 10% because they're under budget. But then I walk to class and Haas is giving itself an UNNECESSARY paint job?! WTF. Ok, fine, Haas money is primarily from donations. But it's still pretty annoying. That money could be used for so many more things. Like, more free beer and Top Dog for Haas students.
I want to have a body flush and just eat vegetables for a week. I feel like there is all this processed sugar sitting in my body. Gross.
I wish I were capable of not obsessing about the past. I never used to until college. I'm in one of my "let's revisit the past and scrutinize everything that I could have done differently" modes. It is annoying because I remember at the time I was like "ok, I feel like I am doing everything I can do, so I know I'm not going to regret anything." I think I'm just bored with life - I have no drama so I like to create it in my head.
Sleep time! I'm rereading The Time Traveller's Wife. I feel like I will only ever read non-fiction for the rest of my life, except when I feel like reading fiction, I'd just cycle between this book, Life of Pi, and Where The Heart Is. And the Harry Potters.
Oh yeah. WTF. Berkeley raised student fees by 10% because they're under budget. But then I walk to class and Haas is giving itself an UNNECESSARY paint job?! WTF. Ok, fine, Haas money is primarily from donations. But it's still pretty annoying. That money could be used for so many more things. Like, more free beer and Top Dog for Haas students.
I want to have a body flush and just eat vegetables for a week. I feel like there is all this processed sugar sitting in my body. Gross.
I wish I were capable of not obsessing about the past. I never used to until college. I'm in one of my "let's revisit the past and scrutinize everything that I could have done differently" modes. It is annoying because I remember at the time I was like "ok, I feel like I am doing everything I can do, so I know I'm not going to regret anything." I think I'm just bored with life - I have no drama so I like to create it in my head.
Sleep time! I'm rereading The Time Traveller's Wife. I feel like I will only ever read non-fiction for the rest of my life, except when I feel like reading fiction, I'd just cycle between this book, Life of Pi, and Where The Heart Is. And the Harry Potters.
Better Off Ted
I remember watching the pilot of Better Off Ted and falling asleep because I was super tired. Then I never watched it again. Well, I'm happy some people out there did, because I'm watching episodes on hulu (FINALLY, ABC joins Hulu - the ABC online player is so shitty) and it's pretty hilarious. Yay! It's renewed for a new season!
I also watched the tv version of 10 Things I hate About You that premiered last night. It was supposed to be good. I watched and it was so SO BAD! It's the first ABC Family show that I've seen - maybe I need to lower my standards. But I will continue watching, because I really like Lindsay Shaw. It's weird because the dad from the movie version is also the dad in the TV version. And he doesn't look any different
I also watched the tv version of 10 Things I hate About You that premiered last night. It was supposed to be good. I watched and it was so SO BAD! It's the first ABC Family show that I've seen - maybe I need to lower my standards. But I will continue watching, because I really like Lindsay Shaw. It's weird because the dad from the movie version is also the dad in the TV version. And he doesn't look any different
Monday, July 6, 2009
Summer School Friends
My summer school started today. I finally looked at my financial statement analysis textbook and it looks like a lot of words and not very many numbers. I think it may be possible for me to get through the course without actually reading the chapters.
The class is 68 students. I wanted to make new Haas friends this summer, but looking around the room, I'm not so sure it will happen. Out of the 68 students, there were exactly three white girls and two white guys (all exchange students who speak German). There were two Indian guys, and everyone else was Asian. Out of the Asians girls, I'd say that three of them were not fobby Asian girls. I didn't count how many non-fobby Asian boys there were, but I don't think there are that many, nor do I usually befriend Asian business boys anyway. I talked to one of the German girls today ... so that leaves me with two more friends to make. HAHA just kidding. Open mind!
I went to Core Blast today after three days of ZERO exercise and ridiculous eating. I could not do shit. If anything, Core Blast just made me feel worse about myself! Usually, I mouth "WHAT THE FUCK" to Paulo for one particularly hard exercise. But today, every exercise elicited a "FUCK NO" or a "who does he think we are?!" At least I sweated, but I know I'm not going to feel sore at all tomorrow. Ugh, I'm so disappointed in myself. I better be able to run 3.5mi straight tomorrow, or I'm going to have NO MERCY on my body for the next week.
The class is 68 students. I wanted to make new Haas friends this summer, but looking around the room, I'm not so sure it will happen. Out of the 68 students, there were exactly three white girls and two white guys (all exchange students who speak German). There were two Indian guys, and everyone else was Asian. Out of the Asians girls, I'd say that three of them were not fobby Asian girls. I didn't count how many non-fobby Asian boys there were, but I don't think there are that many, nor do I usually befriend Asian business boys anyway. I talked to one of the German girls today ... so that leaves me with two more friends to make. HAHA just kidding. Open mind!
I went to Core Blast today after three days of ZERO exercise and ridiculous eating. I could not do shit. If anything, Core Blast just made me feel worse about myself! Usually, I mouth "WHAT THE FUCK" to Paulo for one particularly hard exercise. But today, every exercise elicited a "FUCK NO" or a "who does he think we are?!" At least I sweated, but I know I'm not going to feel sore at all tomorrow. Ugh, I'm so disappointed in myself. I better be able to run 3.5mi straight tomorrow, or I'm going to have NO MERCY on my body for the next week.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Bing!
Everytime I see some advertisement for Bing, Microsoft's new search engine, a scene from Mean Girls pops in my head. The one where Regina George sharply says "Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to happen." That is what I think of Bing. Why does Microsoft even bother trying to make a competitive search engine? Who searches anything on msn.com?! I may leave msn.com as my homepage out of laziness and some enjoyment over having stupid articles greet me whenever I open my browser, but I would never actually use msn.com to take me somewhere else. Dumb.
I am super full. Yesterday I ate a crapload of sushi. I don't even know how many sushi roll and nigiri equivalents I ate. We ate at a sushi buffet in Newport Beach. I felt like I was in an episode of Laguna Beach. Seared salmon was incredible. I like Alvin's quote: "this dinner is either going to make us smarter or dumber."
I freaking ordered a textbook on amazon.com and stupidly sent it to my home address. I even paid more for express shipping! Of course, it has not come, and the post office is not going to be making deliveries today or tomorrow. I will be starting school without my textbook... boo
I could have sworn my summer school was MWF and Tuesday 8:00-11:00, but I checked it again and it's only MWF 8-10:30. Budget cuts? Or my own stupidity? In any case, I'm happy because I think I can more or less stick to my exercise schedule. Which is really the main contributor to my happiness about this summer. HAHA
BBQ now! It's deathly hot in Arcadia. I always wake up super early before it gets hot and I'm in SF before the sun really starts to shine in Berkeley. The only time I ever feel uncomfortably warm is the walk back from the bus stop to my apartment, and every day I'm like "UGH why is it so damn hot all of a sudden?!" Then I sit in my apartment and an hour later the sun goes down and I go swimming and it's cold again.
I am super full. Yesterday I ate a crapload of sushi. I don't even know how many sushi roll and nigiri equivalents I ate. We ate at a sushi buffet in Newport Beach. I felt like I was in an episode of Laguna Beach. Seared salmon was incredible. I like Alvin's quote: "this dinner is either going to make us smarter or dumber."
I freaking ordered a textbook on amazon.com and stupidly sent it to my home address. I even paid more for express shipping! Of course, it has not come, and the post office is not going to be making deliveries today or tomorrow. I will be starting school without my textbook... boo
I could have sworn my summer school was MWF and Tuesday 8:00-11:00, but I checked it again and it's only MWF 8-10:30. Budget cuts? Or my own stupidity? In any case, I'm happy because I think I can more or less stick to my exercise schedule. Which is really the main contributor to my happiness about this summer. HAHA
BBQ now! It's deathly hot in Arcadia. I always wake up super early before it gets hot and I'm in SF before the sun really starts to shine in Berkeley. The only time I ever feel uncomfortably warm is the walk back from the bus stop to my apartment, and every day I'm like "UGH why is it so damn hot all of a sudden?!" Then I sit in my apartment and an hour later the sun goes down and I go swimming and it's cold again.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
"Things to do in Vancouver"
I'm trying to make a suggestion list of things to do in Vancouver. Considering that I'm going with so many people who love to plan things, I feel pretty confident that no one is depending on me to plan, which is nice. But I figure I should see what there is to do so I can get my two cents in. (why is the saying "two cents?" Maybe my ideas are worth a dollar.) Ideally, when I type "things to do in vancouver," I would get people's blogs, where they post things like "I went to ____ for the first time and I can't believe I've never gone!" I want things that resident Canadians would really enjoy. Instead, I will only get commercialized listings. I hate when there is a list of things to do, and half of them are artsy/cultural things. I'm not 60. Also, just because I'm 20 doesn't mean my only other option is clubbing.
I never trust these "top things to do" lists that are publicized by travel companies. For instance, Fisherman's Wharf would be a top thing to do in SF, except Fisherman's Wharf is totally lame. And all tourists go to Alcatraz Island, but I've met tons of people who live in NorCal and have never been. Similarly, I have very rarely ever gone into downtown LA, and I only go into Hollywood when I have to accompany visiting relatives. Who decides that a place is a "tourist attraction" anyway? Did locals REALLY go there once upon a time, or is it all marketing?
HAHA I just looked up top things to do in Berkeley just to test it out. Someone suggested a gourmet ghetto walk, starting with "Gregoire's -> Cheeseboard -> Love At First Bite" HAHA THAT WAS THE EXACT order that 1:00-4:00 of the 12 hour food marathon was. I guess they didn't qualify the shack of Brazil Cafe as "gourmet eating"
You know what would be awesome is a trip advisor where you can select some characteristics that you have. For instance, I enjoy eating at small, unknown restaurants. Check. I enjoy walking through clean, new-looking commercial areas. Check. I enjoy looking at crafts. No check. Then it aggregates this and gives you a result. And my result would be: walk down North Berkeley, Shattuck Ave. Do not walk down Telegraph. Stop at Gregoire's for lunch. Also, possibly visit College Ave. And I'd be totally satisfied with these results.
Other grand ideas I have come up with, and if only I had the capital or the technical know-how to get these running, I would never even need a job!
1) A new office-wide email program that trumps Outlook. I HATE outlook. Intensely. Clearly, the only reason companies continue to use Outlook is because it comes preinstalled, and because it's been in use for so long that it would take a tremendous amount of resources to switch over. But omg, every time I use Outlook, I feel like I'm back in 1998. I didn't really get why Equilar used it at first, but I was kind of whatever since I didn't get too many e-mails. Then I go to my job now, where people send emails left and right, and I'm like OH GOD WHYYYYY. There are SO many inefficiencies. And the layout is hideous. I was complaining about it to Laura/Soo Jin and was like "I hope I never have to use Outlook in the future" and they were like "uh... every company uses Outlook." UGH! Gmail should create a program specifically for office use.
That was actually the only idea I had that could be considered a profitable venture. The other idea I had was a food blog that gave Chinese recipes ... in English. I can never find people who will teach me how to make Chinese dishes. All I ever read are dessert recipes (no thank you! I'm on a diet, as delicious as everything looks) and things that look like they'd be served in an upscale restaurant. I just want to make things that have a max of three ingredients. Maybe one being water. Flavor is not required.
I guess instead of making a suggestions list, I ended up blogging. Whoops. I really, really want something sweet. Strange, because I don't think it's time for my period cravings yet. I think they are just hunger cravings. NO COOKIE. I feel fatter than I did last week. I ate too many carbs :( I will never be thin.
I realized a couple hours ago that I "know" a lot of Canadians. For some reason, a ton of tv recappers/people who write the tv blogs I read are Canadians. Unfortunately, I don't bother making online friends, so I can't ask any of them "what can I do in Vancouver?!" I should have networked earlier in life.
I never trust these "top things to do" lists that are publicized by travel companies. For instance, Fisherman's Wharf would be a top thing to do in SF, except Fisherman's Wharf is totally lame. And all tourists go to Alcatraz Island, but I've met tons of people who live in NorCal and have never been. Similarly, I have very rarely ever gone into downtown LA, and I only go into Hollywood when I have to accompany visiting relatives. Who decides that a place is a "tourist attraction" anyway? Did locals REALLY go there once upon a time, or is it all marketing?
HAHA I just looked up top things to do in Berkeley just to test it out. Someone suggested a gourmet ghetto walk, starting with "Gregoire's -> Cheeseboard -> Love At First Bite" HAHA THAT WAS THE EXACT order that 1:00-4:00 of the 12 hour food marathon was. I guess they didn't qualify the shack of Brazil Cafe as "gourmet eating"
You know what would be awesome is a trip advisor where you can select some characteristics that you have. For instance, I enjoy eating at small, unknown restaurants. Check. I enjoy walking through clean, new-looking commercial areas. Check. I enjoy looking at crafts. No check. Then it aggregates this and gives you a result. And my result would be: walk down North Berkeley, Shattuck Ave. Do not walk down Telegraph. Stop at Gregoire's for lunch. Also, possibly visit College Ave. And I'd be totally satisfied with these results.
Other grand ideas I have come up with, and if only I had the capital or the technical know-how to get these running, I would never even need a job!
1) A new office-wide email program that trumps Outlook. I HATE outlook. Intensely. Clearly, the only reason companies continue to use Outlook is because it comes preinstalled, and because it's been in use for so long that it would take a tremendous amount of resources to switch over. But omg, every time I use Outlook, I feel like I'm back in 1998. I didn't really get why Equilar used it at first, but I was kind of whatever since I didn't get too many e-mails. Then I go to my job now, where people send emails left and right, and I'm like OH GOD WHYYYYY. There are SO many inefficiencies. And the layout is hideous. I was complaining about it to Laura/Soo Jin and was like "I hope I never have to use Outlook in the future" and they were like "uh... every company uses Outlook." UGH! Gmail should create a program specifically for office use.
That was actually the only idea I had that could be considered a profitable venture. The other idea I had was a food blog that gave Chinese recipes ... in English. I can never find people who will teach me how to make Chinese dishes. All I ever read are dessert recipes (no thank you! I'm on a diet, as delicious as everything looks) and things that look like they'd be served in an upscale restaurant. I just want to make things that have a max of three ingredients. Maybe one being water. Flavor is not required.
I guess instead of making a suggestions list, I ended up blogging. Whoops. I really, really want something sweet. Strange, because I don't think it's time for my period cravings yet. I think they are just hunger cravings. NO COOKIE. I feel fatter than I did last week. I ate too many carbs :( I will never be thin.
I realized a couple hours ago that I "know" a lot of Canadians. For some reason, a ton of tv recappers/people who write the tv blogs I read are Canadians. Unfortunately, I don't bother making online friends, so I can't ask any of them "what can I do in Vancouver?!" I should have networked earlier in life.
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