Happy Birthday, AS!

This morning, I made my final drive to Palo Alto to take the final test for my lifeguarding course. It took me and hour and a half to drive there and back. It took me twenty minutes to take the actual test. Le sigh.

Tonight, I got out of my schleppy clothing and ditched my recent hermit-like behavior to celebrate AS's birthday with a dinner at Joe's of Westlake. Why AS chose that restaurant to host his birthday dinner, I have no idea. The food wasn't exceptional, though it wasn't bad. I was fairly impressed with the service, considering we had a party of twenty-three. I had a lot of fun watching S act drunk and getting to know the people around me. I just felt bad for the birthday boy, who got caked in the face five times.

Here's a picture of San Francisco that I took on my cellphone sometime last week.



I think it's a pretty epic shot of my favorite foggy city.

Reasons I can't stop smiling:

1. I watched Slumdog Millionaire with some friends after dinner last night. I rarely say this, but I think the movie should have elaborated on the "happily ever after." Still, Slumdog lived up to its hype and was a really amazing movie.

2. It was almost 70 degrees in Palo Alto and wind speed was 10-15 mph. That was beyond heavenly compared to the 55 degrees and 30 mph wind that we had to deal with for the past two days.

3. I wore a two-piece swimsuit today and my black-and-white tanline from the one-piece is gradually fading. I'm still tanning at the speed of light, but at least it's an even, all-over tan.

4. We practiced managing spinal injuries and backboarding in the deep end in lifeguarding class today. I'm not sure why this makes me happy, but it does.

5. I officially got promoted to head lifeguard in Brisbane! So now I know I'll be in the city this summer.

6. I had a delicious Asian dinner at Fat Wong's Kitchen in Millbrae. The cooks there just have a way with food.

7. I just finished watching Definitely, Maybe. I can't even begin to explain my love for movies that make me cry.

8. Origins is going green(er)! Beginning in April, bring in an empty cosmetic bottle to a participating Origins store, and get a free Origins product sample. Read all about it here.

shopping adventure

Once again, I've managed to exhaust myself shopping. I'm currently loving Marc Jacobs, particularly the Marc by Marc Jacobs specialty store on Fillmore. Their ever-friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and all-too-accommodating staff always has me going back for more. H has been wanting to visit the store for quite some time now, and I think her lust has rubbed off on me. Check it:



Above, Marc Jacobs Rat Tote, $28



Above, Marc Jacobs Monocle Necklace, $11

Once again, I find myself thankful to be in San Francisco, the greenest of cities. I've tried thrifting in LA, believe me, but nothing nothing really compares to thrifting in San Francisco. I like to say that you haven't really thrifted until you've gone thrifting in the Mission. Check it:





Above, one well-loved vintage Dooney & Bourke over-the-shoulder mini, thrifted at Clothes Contact for $12.

I then ventured downtown in search of lingerie because I realized last night that I've been neglecting that essential part of my wardrobe. I walked into the Aerie store at American Eagle and got suckered into applying for their a-list card. I then got suckered into buying lingerie at a special discount via the a-list card.



Above, the Emma bra, originally $42.50, purchased for $20. It comes with matching undies.

The following is a picture of the UCLA campus taken on my cellphone while I was walking to my last final. Seeing the warm and well-kept campus really lifts my spirits in a weird way.

Flying Virgin

My flight was delayed last night. I sat onboard my pink and purple fluorescently lit Virgin plane and waited over an hour to take flight. What happened? SFO refused to lift their ground stop, meaning they would not allow airplanes from other airports to land until they decided it was safe. Good thing Virgin has an excellent entertainment system. I fell asleep watching free episodes of Family Guy and didn't wake up until I was thousands of feet in the air.

I was starving by the time I arrived at SFO at 10:40pm. As soon as I walked out of the gate, an attractive gay couple just in front of me embraced and engaged in some very public displays of affection, which simultaneously made my heart smile and distracted me from my hunger. Oh, how I've missed San Francisco.

Anticipation

If you subscribe to LIL J, you probably already know, but I thought I'd spread the word anyways because everyone loves free things. Bare Escentuals is giving out a FREE SAMPLE of their SPF 15 mineral foundation set, complete with a mini kabuki brush! Just pay $3.95 shipping.

I took my chem final today. It was death, but on the upside, it's my last general chemistry final (unless I failed it and have to retake the class). Next quarter, organic chemistry!

My last final is math, tomorrow morning at 11:30am. I can't study seriously for it because I've already finished packing and am so excited to go home. I can already feel myself taking off for SFO. My plans for spring break include lifeguard training, followed by dates with Mommy's cooking and movies from Netflix. Ahh, the good life.

Good luck on your finals! :)

win some, fail some

Wins:
1. Yesterday, I found the question mark button on Qwerty (it's next to the zero key). That makes texting so much easier!
2. The laundry room finally opened up so I can do my two loads of laundry today.
3. Bluetoothing pictures back and forth between my phone and computer is amazing!
4. My chem lab TA accepted my friend request on Facebook. My life is now complete.

Fail:
Chem final in T-minus 21 hours and I'm on Blogger instead of studying.

On the bright side, I'm figuring out the organic molecule building set. I feel like a small child playing with Legos... I made cyclohexane in chair conformation:



as well as cyclohexane in boat conformation a boat paddle:



I think my Tour Eiffel mouse pad in the background is another win.

math goddess

I woke up for Math, my only class today wondering what we could possibly be learning just three days before our final. Class this morning was dedicated to reviewing for the final. I remembered and understood all of the topics reviewed this morning, especially because Tamara used extremely simple equations to demonstrate each concept. What I have trouble with is applying the knowledge of these concepts on exams when I'm given difficult equations. It's not the concepts I have trouble with, it's working with difficult equations that refuse to produce understandable (anti)derivatives. That said, I could still be asleep right now.


Dear Tamara,

We all know you're a math goddess, but the rest of us are not. Most people can't visualize 3D shapes with a given equation and domain. Most people can't mentally do u-substitution or integration by parts. Most importantly, most people can't correctly guess the A, B, and C coefficients for partial fraction integrations. Please keep this in mind when writing our final? Kthanks.

Love,
Your disgruntled 9AM lecture

A Lesson in Frangrances

P and I have always had suspicions that our roommate, D, used men's cologne. In an effort to change her masculine scent, we purchased Victoria's Secret Love Spell eau de toilette for her on her birthday. She liked it so much that she used it out in a month's time, then returned to her manly ways sprays. We've asked her to please open the door or window when she sprays her "perfume," but I don't think she understands the concept of not suffocating the rest of the world with her stench. It's hard for P and me to pretend that she doesn't exist when her stench is everywhere.


Dear D,

I know you find it difficult to take daily showers, nearly impossible to brush your teeth daily, and refuse to do laundry once a quarter, but masking your various odors in cologne is not the solution. Here's a simple lesson in fragrances that even you and your jerk boyfriend would understand.



Above, cologne titled "M7," designed for men by YSL.
Below, perfume titled "Daisy," designed for women by Marc Jacobs.



Now, as a female, you do not buy cologne unless it is for a male friend. As a normal person without legitimate olfactory impairment, you do not cover yourself in said cologne until you reek of the odor. As a roommate, you do not leave the door and windows closed to incubate the offensive odor in the shared room. Instead, opt for a feminine scent that the rest of the world can agree with. Perhaps a few squirts will do the trick.

Love, M

Swift fever

1. Taylor:



This is "Fearless," by Taylor Swift. I didn't like the song at all when I first heard it, but it's grown on me - so much that I've had it on repeat in my head for the past two days. Maybe it'll grow on you, too. I've decided that I really like Taylor Swift's music, even though she [still] generally sings country music and [still] looks like a cat.

2. Guitar: I've been playing a lot of guitar lately - so much that the blisters on my left fingertips have hardened into calluses and have begun peeling. Gross, I know.

p.s. As I strolled back from campus to the dorms today, I walked behind a boy who had two keychains on his backpack - one, a miniature plastic model of the human skull and spine; the other, a plastic Winnie the Pooh in a rubber elephant suit. This is why I love UCLA.

Meet Qwerty

I got up at 7am this morning to take my chem lab exam at 8am. I thought the was reasonable, but that's what I thought last time and ended up getting a perfect C. So maybe it wasn't so reasonable. Who can tell me why we sprinkle salt on the roads during snow season? No one cares? Yeah, that's what I thought.

My Motokrzr keeps dying on me. The speakers only go off when the phone is in alarm setting, so I can still use it as an alarm clock, but it refuses to ring for incoming calls. The vibrate kind of just goes off when it wants attention. Thus, I'm getting a new phone (it's in the mail). Behold, the Motorola Q:



It was described on Motorola's website as "the first no-compromise QWERTY." I'm not sure what that means, and I'm not sure why other phones would compromise anything... At first glance, I thought it looked a lot like my graphing calculator, not that I really care. I'm just glad the phone has a texting keyboard. Yesterday, I learned via Wiki that "Qwerty" refers to the traditional keyboard layout. In any case, I think Qwerty is an awesome name for a phone.

I've got tons of work to do. Time to revise my final essays, do math homework, and study for chem like crazy. Why is the quarter system allowed to exist when tenth week such hell?

Do you like honey?

I normally don't have any honey, but I've decided that I like it after this weekend. I had a lot of Honey this weekend.

1. Puppy:


2. Jessica Alba-style:


3. With Flax:


I'm currently blasting my music in an [unfortunately unsuccessful] attempt to annoy D enough to drive her from the room. The roommate from hell likes to talk on her phone on her bed at decibels loud enough to shatter windows. This is irritatingly distracting when I'm trying to do homework. It doesn't matter that I couldn't care less about her or her pathetic excuse for a boyfriend; all I hear is her voice droning on and on about nothing of importance. I guess I should turn the music now that P is back in the room and I can't hear a thing she's saying. Well, it was a valiant attempt. I'm so ready to move to Sproul.

Honey

Remember how I said that my relatives spoil me when I visit them in LA? Well, that hasn't changed. Last night, I went to my grandparents' house for home-cooked Chinese food. Even without eating meat, it was pretty darn good. My aunt and uncle make it easy for me to be a vegetarian because they don't eat meat either. That's win.

Today, I watched Pirates of the Caribbean with my cousins and Honey after watching a webcasted chem lecture and giving up on writing my essay. My uncle let me play with his vintage guitar (he's had it since he was in college!) and complemented me on my ability to tune by ear. We then went grocery shopping and got frozen yogurt at the new Yogurtland here. Yeah, this place is pretty much heaven.

My cousin recently adopted a maltipoo that's just over 8 weeks old. Her name is Honey and she is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Update

This is post number 70. I wish I had said something witty about post number 69, but I didn't realize I had posted so many times already. Nothing has been happening lately. Well, things have been happening, but I've been too sleep deprived to really notice.

I've started swimming again. I'm reneweing my lifeguarding certification over spring break, so I need to get back into shape for all the 500m's I'll be doing. That said, goodbye, spring break! I'm spending the whole week in class, and by the end of each class, I'll be exhausted, soaking wet, and covered in chlorine. On the bright side, I'll have a job this summer. Hello, income!

I am moving to Sproul Hall next year. I am leaving Dykstra, leaving the crap elevators, and leaving the roommate from hell behind. Not that I didn't enjoy Dykstra, I mean, getting to know the people on my floor has been amazing. But really, comparing Dykstra to Sproul is like putting Motel 6 up against the Ritz. I'm so excited for next year's housing, but then I remember that I still have to finish this winter quarter and live through the spring quarter.

Spring quarter, I'm taking four classes: Math, Chem, Life Sciences, and Statistics. There's token South Campus for ya. I'm just glad I won't have to write any essays for ten whole weeks. I'm so over writing.

Over the weekend, P and I went to the sculpture garden and staged a photoshoot. Running late as usual, we didn't spend that much time there, but we did end up with a few flattering shots.