Tuesday, September 30

Big Blue Bus

I'm not sure why I didn't post this when I finished it, but here's the post that should have been posted Tuesday:

I did my first load of college laundry yesterday. While my clothing was in the dryer, I went to Westwood with Greg to get my Chemistry course reader. We also took a short break at Red Mango for some green tea flavored frozen yogurt with mochi on top. Yum!

Today I saw LA by bus as a homework assignment for my cluster class. I took the Big Blue Bus line 2 towards Santa Monica. It turned out to be a real test of my self esteem as I was sitting by the window not only taking notes furiously, but taking pictures as well. I got a few interesting stares, as well as an offer from an older gentleman to take me sightseeing around LA. Creepiness aside, he made me realize how incredibly touristy I must have looked with my bus map and camera.

I also went to Urban Outfitters for an interview, but discovered that they're looking for seasonal employees and can't hire those leaving LA for the holidays. They told me to contact them again in January, when I'll be staying for the rest of the school year. I guess that's fair. On the plus side, I found a couple of fellow UCLA students to socialize with.

Sunday, September 28

Firsts

Last Friday was Resfest in the John Wooden Center. It was a huge festival of games, sports, and free stuff. I waited in a seemingly endless line for my first Henna tattoo. It was worth the wait because I'm really happy with the way it came out. :D



Yesterday, I got up early to get to the football game on time. The rooter bus I was on got lost and had to snake down steep residential streets. At an especially sharp turn, the engine stalled, broke down, and refused to start again. We then had to walk the 2-3 miles in the midday heat to get to the Rose Bowl. We cheered the Bruins on for the entire 4 hours of the game under 90 degree heat without shade or breaks. I felt myself sweat through my shirt and shorts - it was that hot. The worst thing is, that after all we went through that day, we still lost to Fresno State.

My only consolation is that I met Cute Boy in tunnel while I was trying to escape the heat. We had a friendly exchange, and he gave me his room number so I could "look him up." This makes me super excited!

So that was my first-ever football game. It wasn't a total loss. At least our marching band totally showed up theirs. And at least it makes for an interesting story.

That night, a group of girls and I went to a dance party hosted Sproul Hall, one of UCLA's newly-renovated dorms. We saw Huberman there, and he offered to take us to a Frat party. We weren't really tired, so we followed him to Frat row and into the backyard of some Frat mansion party. I chugged (with Hilary) my first Irish Car Bomb, danced, and watched the guys indulge in some beer pong. We also hung out with an adorable kitty named Misty, who Karrie wanted to take home and hide in the dorm.

So there you have it. My first football game and my first Frat party...all wrapped into one very interesting Saturday.



This doesn't really relate to the post, but I just had to put up the apple. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the color is so pure - so amazingly green!

Tuesday, September 23

Bruin Pride

Having gotten out of class early this morning, I decided to observe the campus on my walk back to the dorm. I paid extra attention to the neatly trimmed hedges and small spots of shade under our massive trees. The sky was clear blue this morning, and at 10am, a nice breeze was still blowing. There's something about this place that makes it so likable - so warm and homey. Most people here actually care what they look like in the morning, so I feel the push to try just a little harder to look composed every day. I'm glad our campus isn't stuck in the school-sweatshirt-and-denim rut. There isn't much I can say about bruin pride. The school pride here is one of the big things that initially drew me to UCLA, and it's something that makes this huge school feel just a bit smaller.

I've been spending a lot of time with Palina since moving in. One morning, we got up early to run the campus and find our classes. Though we got a bit disoriented, we managed to find everything just before lunch. After showering and eating, we spent the afternoon shopping (our favorite pastime) in Westwood. Needless to say, I bought a few things.



The plain white v-neck by American Apparel. (photo taken off their website)



Yet another pair of Blowfish flats. These are purple(!) and feature a ruched toe.

We also stopped by Ahhhs and I bought a Hello Kitty box for my makeup that matches my Hello Kitty jewelry box. :)

I've also been hanging around Lowell people a lot. I mean, I have made other friends, but I spend a lot of my time with the ones I graduated high school with. We've been chilling, playing pool and ping pong, watching all the season premieres on Connie's TV. Maybe I should start branching out to other people - like the cute boy sitting next to me in my GE Cluster discussion.

So, I have a few adventures planned for the near future. Today, I'm going swimming with a few girls for the first time at Sunset Canyon. I've heard the place kind of feels like camp, so I'm excited to see it. Tomorrow, I'm going to see the football game against Fresno with a gallon of sunscreen, my blue and gold gear (and maybe even body paint!). I'll also be seeing LA by bus as an assignment for my LA Cluster class. My friend and I decided that we'll take the bus to Santa Monica and shop. Connie and I have yet to set a date, but star searching in Beverly Hills (and Hollywood, possibly Bel Air) is definitely in the plans.

Yesterday, I bought a fitness pass at the John Wooden Center and decided to put it to good use by participating in a core workout (kind of a buttbuster-type class). I engaged what felt like every single muscle in my body, and as a result, I woke up this morning sore from my biceps down to my quads. What I need now is a good friend majoring in massage therapy with a lot of free time.

I had planned on napping as soon as I got back to the dorm, but Blogger distracted me yet again. I'm so tired from going to sleep late and waking up early, but I feel like it's all worth it. I'm happy tired.

And this is what I wore today. (pictures taken in the dorm)





v-neck tee: American Apparel
skirt: Gap
fringed boots: Steve Madden
shiny necklace(!): Crossroads

Monday, September 22

Off to College

I haven't had the time/patience to blog lately. That may be because I've just moved in to my dorm and am feeling a bit out of place. I mean, I'm sure every college freshman goes through that initial feeling of uncertainly, and I'm sure it'll pass. My friend mentioned something about being more "friendsick" than homesick. I think I agree with him.

So let's start from where we left off. Last Wednesday, my cousins took me to an Augustana/Maroon 5/Counting Crows concert where we spent the night singing and dancing away to incredibly wonderful music.





YES, WE WERE THIS CLOSE.



These blindingly awesome green lasers flashed every few seconds.

So this is what my room looked like while I was packing for LA. Piles upon piles of mess.



Yes, the cat came with me.





I took this picture on the drive down to LA. (I was not driving at the time.) Taking pretty pictures makes me really happy.

So the dorm room is pretty small. It's not unbearable (Palina would disagree), but fitting three people into this room is kind of a tight squeeze. It could definitely be newer, but who am I to complain? I have the top bunk, two decent closets, and a sunny desk area.



Here, above-mentioned sunny desk area. See the box on the right side of the top shelf? I made that from a DIY kit Alex brought back from Korea. Also notice that Blogger is on my laptop screen...



Pictures above my bed - mostly Paris, Hawaii, and dance portraits from senior year.



The rest of the pictures. I did steal the "1" and "31" boxes from Lowell's countdown to prom calendar.



Here are my TWO rather spacious closets! :]

The highlight of yesterday was a concert at which The Cool Kids, Estelle, and Hellogoodbye performed. It would have been better if I had known a few more of Estelle's songs (and if The Cool Kids weren't so UNcool.). It was a fun experience, though.

Tonight was spent socializing/learning the rules at floor meetings, hall meetings, etc. It was more a colossal waste of life than fun. Now it's getting late and my mind is slowly beginning to shut down. AND I missed Gossip Girl (AGAIN).

Tuesday, September 16

Word Wars

Shelbs vs. Mels & Kray Kray --- Shelbs wins, and here's the proof:

o·paque [oh-peyk] –adjective
1.not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through.

trans·lu·cent [trans-loo-suhnt, tranz-] –adjective
1.permitting light to pass through but diffusing it so that persons, objects, etc., on the opposite side are not clearly visible

trans·par·ent [trans-pair-uhnt, -par-] –adjective
1.having the property of transmitting rays of light through its substance so that bodies situated beyond or behind can be distinctly seen.

In my defense, though, I just bought a pair of supposedly opaque tights two days ago, and they're a bit see through (not too much, just the right amount of transparency). I'd say they're more translucent than opaque. Note: the above-mentioned pair of tights are not the ones seen in the pictures below.

Here are the boots that scream, "NOTICE ME!" I get complements on them every single time they come out with me.



[jumping fringe!!]



sweatshirt: Fishbowl, Nordstrom
skirt: Xhiliration, Target
tights: Leggs, Rite Aid
boots: Steve Madden
belt: thrifted, Crossroads

My day was, as Rhea would say, pretty amazing. Rhea, Shelby, and I started out making a variety of purchases at Crossroads AGAIN. I was extremely excited to find a v-neck tee with graphics featuring the Great Wall and cherry blossoms, a denim mini with a built-in slip, and my favorite: a vintage raspberry-colored leather purse with a tiny flower cutout on the flap (a very "Melinda" detail). We then went on a "culinary adventure" around SF. We shared a super burrito at Azteca, single-scoop cones at Bi-Rite, and a lemon tart at Tartine. Yum!

On my way home, I stopped by Target to pick up some things for the dorm. My purchases included: a first-aid kit, Hello Kitty Band Aids, an eyeliner pencil sharpener, socks with little rainbows on them (on sale for $1!), and a grey boyfriend cardigan. The boyfriend cardigan was a pleasant surprise because they had run out of that color when I was there buying my black one earlier, but a more pleasant surprise was seeing Diana Yu and her mother also shopping for the dorm. I seem to be repeating this a lot lately, but...What a small world.

And a closing note just because I need to get this off my chest...About the boy who keeps calling, I can't say that I'm fine with everything he's been telling me. What he doesn't know is that, behind my cool exterior, I'm freaking out inside. I'm completely speechless and he mistakenly believes that my silence is a good sign...

Saturday, September 13

Shopping with Parents

I went to to bed at 4AM last night...this morning. My dad, having gone to bed early himself, woke me up at 9AM. He took me to Costco, where me spent a good amount of time and money. Among our purchases were Microsoft Office Home and Student for my Lappie, a synthetic down alternative pillow (I love supersoft pillows!) for the dorm, and pistachio nut chips (We thought we'd try something new). Though I was delirious due to lack of sleep when we got back, my mom encouraged me to go out with her to drop off my brother at Tae Kwon Do because I had never seen him in class before. I'm glad I allowed myself to be dragged out again because it turns out that Jasmine, my old friend from French class, actually teaches that Tae Kwon Do class. What a small world!

While my brother was in class, my mom and I shopped around in Stonestown. Some exciting news - I finally bought a blush! I had been looking for one that: is peachy in color, is semi-sheer, is made of mineral or organic compounds (and therefore is earth-friendly), and contains no glitter. I know, I'm picky. I found the perfect one at Bare Essentials for just $18.


This is Bare Essentials blush in "laughter."

So today I expected to sleep in, eat a late lunch, and spend my day packing. Instead, I went on shopping trips with my parents, and it turned out to be pretty productive/worthwhile. Maybe I'll even get up early tomorrow morning and see what surprises await me.

Thursday, September 11

Packing

Packing for school has got my panties in a knot. There's just so much to consider - school supplies, bedding, clothing, toiletries, storage bins, electronics, decorations. Just looking at those supposedly helpful off-to-college checklists online blows my mind. I remember mentioning just yesterday that my room was getting cleaner. Well, it's gotten quite disorderly now that I've started taking things out of their hiding places in my room and packaging them into boxes for moving.



I'm taking this hat with me. The "Bud" logos along the band are a bit unsightly, but the hat itself brings back fond memories of my summer trip to Paris. I'm sure it'll cheer me up on a gloomy day.

I'm actually really excited for school to start. Aside from meeting new people and making new friends, I'm glad that my brain will finally be forced to work again. These past few days, I've realized that I've started losing mental capacity since school ended, and that's not okay with me. For a moment, I had a fleeting feeling of shame when I had to look up the correct spelling of "delirious" so I could Skype it to Spenser. As my punition, I went to YouTube and watched a couple of HowForWords lessons. Marina, the teacher, is just beautifully captivating, and I love the way she addresses her viewers as "my dear students" in that delightful accent of hers. She really does bring new meaning to the phrase "intelligence is sexy."

Speaking of sexy YouTube women...

I've fallen in love with the charming Natalie of communitychannel (Yes, again.). I had to rewatch her vlog about Orgasm Blush after trying it myself for the first time. Although the NARS product was just some glitter on my cheeks, I felt a bit giggly walking around wondering how many people noticed the traces of "Orgasm" on me. Anyway, as a tribute to Natalie, Dennis Ho and I will be doing the Milo Challenge, in which we consume Milo and milk until we nearly vomit. As dégoûtant as that sounds, it's something we've been planning to do ever since we saw the silly game featured on communitychannel.

Today I visited Liz in Berkeley. She treated me to Cheddar Broccoli soup, a veggie sandwich, and fresh strawberries. I visit so often, I may as well live there.



cardigan: Yessica, C & A Paris
tunic: LUX, Crossroads
tights: Nordstrom
flats: Blowfish, DSW
bag: Lucky Brand

Wednesday, September 10

Addicted

Blogging is addictive, almost as addictive as shopping. Who cares if no one reads your blogs? Who cares if complete strangers can see everything about you online? It really is addictive. For those of us that are too lazy to actually write things down in a journal, blogging really hits the spot when we need to vent, or just share some things we find interesting.

...like the difference between "lie" and "lay." I have to admit I just spent a good five minutes on grammargirl (Yes, I am just that nerdy.) re-learning how to use the two. During dinner, my dad asked me whether he should ask a patient "lie down" or "lay down" to be grammatically correct, and I astounded myself when I couldn't answer. So now I know. One lies down, but one lays down an object. "Lay" requires a direct object. Just thought I'd share that.

Today, I was supposed to meet Shelby and Rhea (Again, I know, but I really love these girls!) at noon, but being the only one on time (FOR ONCE), I decided to indulge in some shoe shopping. I have to say this: shoes are my fatal flaw. As soon as I walked into Loehmann's Shoes, I couldn't help but want every shoe on every shelf. There was an indescribably perfect pair of grey suede Elie Tahari T-strap pumps that I didn't dare try on for fear of liking/buying them. Seriously, $160 is a bit much for heels for my budget, however perfect they may be. Instead, I settled for a $20 pair of elastic banded, olive Blowfish flats that I had contemplated buying earlier at DSW.



Ohsocute, and practical for LA, wouldn't you say? And they somehow make my feet look unrealistically small. Kudos to Blowfish.

I guess this is the beginning of my fashion blogging. I really liked my outfit today. I bought the dress even though it was too big because it was too cheap to forgo. I pulled the straps in and luckily, my dryer shrinks everything, so it ended up fitting quite well.



boyfriend cardigan: Mossimo, Target
dress: LUX, Urban Outfitters
tights: Leggs, Rite Aid
flats: Fascination, some boutique in Paris
bag: thrifted, Clothes Contact

The girls and I, once again, shopped Marc by Marc Jacobs (We're addicted.) before heading over to Benefit to get my brows arched for free. Mel's Asian frugality strikes again! I did splurge on some cuties at Marc by Marc, though!



This shiny silver necklace was screaming "BUY ME!" the moment I laid eyes on it. I had to obey.



This nifty little pen is disguised as a firetruck-red lipstick. It'll be a nice desktop decoration for my dorm room. Pretty and functional, I like!

When I got my transfer today, I noticed the big "10" at the top and it dawned on me that I only have a mere nine days left in the city before I move to LA. I then realized that I should really start packing for the dorm because I want to feel prepared to make the move to LA, and packing last-minute is just counterproductive. That's why tomorrow, I'm going to start packing, make a list of things I'm missing, and make a final dorm-shopping run to Target. I also need to do about four loads of laundry. If not, I won't have any more clean brassieres to wear, and that's just not decent.

p.s. My room has gotten considerably cleaner now that I've picked up my clothes (to do laundry tomorrow) and put away all of the computer programs that I installed on Lappie.

Tuesday, September 9

Grunge Chic

Grunge Chic. It's the style I've recently grown into - kind of a Rachel Bilson meets Vanessa Hudgens meets Lauren Conrad style. Kind of a lot to handle, but it works for me. I had been lost stylistically for quite some time, mostly because I felt extremely out of place at school in anything other than jeans and a sweatshirt. Summer, however, has provided me an amazing opportunity to break out of my jeans and sweatshirt shell and start exploring other nifty clothing articles such as shorts, miniskirts, and tights. I guess I've taken full advantage of the opportunity because I'm now wearing things I never would have considered just a few months ago. My newfound style is also gràce à Rhea and Shelby's efforts to nurture my love for thrifting.

Speaking of the two, I met up with the girls to explore the Thomas Pink private sale event held by Billion Dollar Babes. The event boasted 20% off of everything, a Benefit makeup counter, and free champagne. We all got our makeup done by the Benefit employees, who were all too kind. I guess the girls and I passed for 21 because the man in charge of drinks repeatedly offered to top off our glasses of champagne. Rhea left early, but Shelby and I went on to Limetree, which could quite possibly be my favorite restaurant of all time. We shared a Roti, Corn Fritters, curry noodles, and shrimp noodles. Ahh, Limetree heaven.

So anyone who knows me knows that I'm a fairly organized person, and though my room isn't always immaculately clean, it's never really en desordre.



Maybe this is why I feel like a stranger in my own room. For the first time ever, I'm actually starting to lose things in...well, my things.

I should go upload pictures from my Hawaii trip to facebook. I hate uploading pictures, and hate tagging people even more. It's such a long and tedious process.

p.s. I just spent almost $400 on 4 textbooks for the fall quarter. expensive much!
p.p.s. Dictionary.com word of the day is "regale," which means to entertain with something delightful. It reminds me of the French word "rigoler," which means to laugh. :)

Monday, September 8

Names

I've never been good with naming things. I tend to assign names spontaneously and end up regretting it later. I spent a good amount of time naming this blog, though. I went through many possibilities - cosmopolite, social butterfly, flutterby - before finally settling on this one. I even consulted Shelbily and Alex via AIM. They were most helpful.

Mélanges, in French, means "mixes." I think that's a suitable name as this blog will probably be a random mix of stuff. The word also combines "Mel," my only real nickname, with "anges," French for "angels."

And now on to the post... Today was a pretty extraordinary day. I got up late, as usual, and met up with Rhea and Shelby to shop Jeremy's fall sale. They brought a wonderful surprise for me - Richel, the littlest Kumar, who I've been getting to know via blogspot ever since Rhea sent me the link. So after spending a good two hours in Jeremy's, we left with our new goodies, as well as Michelle and Dennis, in tow. Michelle drove us to Valencia, where we thrifted and ate at Ti Couz. I came home early to go out to dinner with my family. I feel extremely guilty every time my mom points out that I'm never home anymore. I guess I'm just starting to miss everything about being at home because I leave for college in 10 days.

I'm playing around on my new laptop, which I've named Lappie, after Spenser's laptop. A couple of months ago, Spenser spent quite a few hours online helping me choose a new laptop. In the end, we decided the Sony CR was right for me, but my dad wanted to wait for a better laptop to come out. Last week, though, I guess Sony had a promotion because my dad bought the Sony CR in Fire Red that I had been eyeing, as well as a bluetooth mouse. They are gorgeous.

I should really be asleep, but my internal clock is way off. I just got back from Hawaii last night, so my body thinks it's only 11PM. Oh gosh, my alarm clock is set to wake me up in about seven hours.