Wonder Woman

I hate pretentious male chauvinistic pigs! Prime example: car salesmen. Recently I have been twinkling with the idea of getting a car to use here in LA. My car has been hijacked or shall I say lent out without my permission, but enough about that.  During the summer while I was car hunting I discovered something, I should have known already, men are jerks. Perhaps not all men but the majority of car salesmen. My grandpa and I visited nearly every dealership in the county and in one respect they were all the same, the salesmen dismissed me almost immediately.

My first glimpse into a females lack of value to salesmen was demonstrated via a handshake, or shall I say a lack of handshake. All of them shook my hand, but the gesture and sincerity was less to be desired. The second thing I noticed was that my opinion did not matter. For some reason these men had the assumption that I had no idea what I wanted and would constantly try to sell us (my grandpa mostly) a car I did not like. We spent twenty minutes with a car I was against within a minute of seeing it, somehow these salesmen did not understand that the car to be purchased was for me. The third thing I noticed was that they tried to sell me features while they tried to sell my grandpa the engine. Personally I don't care how many cup holders the car has. I don't care if the car has sub woofers. I don't care that all the lights inside are blue, and I don't care if the car has a six CD changer. Meanwhile, my grandpa got to see how clean the engine was, made sure all the lights work, and was promised the car got excellent gas millage.

Personally I do all the research myself online. I know the average miles the car should have, the suggested asking price, know that they can always go lower than the sticker price, and the amount of mpg for each car. Internet on my cell phone is a life saver, and I can only image how much easier it will be with my droid. But I don't know if I want to start looking for cars again, I don't know if I'm ready to be ignored by men who devalue my opinion. Honestly, I don't know if anyone could sell me a car I don't already want, nor would I like to give them the gratification of thinking they sold me a car.

This will have to happen eventually, I will eventually need a car here in LA. Personally I don't believe the car I already have would make it up the mountains, but I suppose that is what I get when my grandpa and dad decide to buy me a car without considering what I would want. I hate surprises, especially stupid cars that have more miles on them then the number of people who watch the Rose Bowl. I would also like to note that the car hates me personally, as I am always having trouble with it, but it never acts up with anybody else. If no one believes me, you can ask my brother, a male, and he'll corroborate my story.

Don't lie to me

I'm going to start by saying, that's what you get! On a cold November day in 2008, one of the worst presidential candidates was elected into office. Although we had a fine example before us of what a president should not be, the majority of Americans believed it wise to elect a particular candidate from Illinois...but they were wrong. To elect a man who we knew nothing about, a man who's citizenship was in question, a man who practically boasted about his lack attitude on foreign policy.

 In a previous post, I described the stupidity of him being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize and him breaking a promise about bringing troops back home, since then he has done other things worthy of my criticism. This president bowed to the Japanese Emperor, which was supposedly done as a since of respect, Hello? The president of the free world should not bow to anyone, it comes across as a sign of weakness not respect.
Recently this same president, who during his campaign said he would increase spending on like education and health care, just called for a three year spending freeze.

I think I will stop telling people I'm a democrat for the next three years, and perhaps join the Libertarian or Green party, which will give my dad a kick since he thinks they are attention seekers. I do not know how much longer I can ignore this president and believe that if I don't see him or hear him he isn't really there. Three years couldn't pass fast enough.

Lost in Austen

I love Jane Austen! In my opinion she is the most hypnotic writer of all time. I enjoy getting lost in her 18th century society with language I only wish was still used. Although there are common themes in all her books; each with its' own mesmerizing heroine. My favorite is Miss Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice. Elizabeth Bennet is one of the most complex and delightful characters ever created. While reading the book, I cringe with her when Mr. Collins proposes, feel her anxiety when Lydia runs away, and fall in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy after he single-handedly saves the honor of her family. What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic, and although I know how the book ends, I can not help but read the book as if it was the first time. If only she had published more books, if only she had finished The Watsons, I wonder what kind of women she would have written about. One hundred and ninety-seven years after its' first publication, Pride & Prejudice is still one of the most beloved books of all time. I only wish I would have been able to listen to Jane Austen read her books aloud.

The only side effect to rereading Pride & Prejudice for the umpteenth time is that I find myself narrating my thoughts in 18th century English.

Of course!

After five days of California rain last week, I was hopeful this week would be less wet. It was cloudy all morning but had not so much as sprinkled, so I decided to leave my rain jacket and  boots, and opted for flip-flops and a sweatshirt. I got on my bike and had not even turned the corner when it started sprinkling. Did I go back and change? No, of course not, because I believed that it was going to stop soon enough....well fifteen minutes later, by the time I had locked my bike I was soaked. The rain didn't stop, and I felt the clouds had a personal vendetta against me; it seemed that the faster I pedaled the harder the rain fell. With my luck it won't rain tomorrow but on Thursday.

Happy thoughts

This is a list of 15 of my favorite things in no particular order

1. Disneyland
2. Movies
3. Nintendo
4. Rainy days
5. Coca-cola
6. Pistachio ice cream
7. Food made with my grandmother's recipes
8. Reef flip-flops
9. Jeans
10. Aveno skin products
11. Jane Austen's books
12. Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet
13. USC
14. Fruit
15. Burt's Bees lip balm

[Update]

1. Sour patch
2. awkward first kisses/moments (are appreciated way after the fact)
3. Hawaiian Tropic sun screen
4. Bed Head hair products
5. Arizona Green Tea
6. Monopoly
7. Lucky Charms
8. Chicago, IL
9. PEZ

There are so many more things I love, I just couldn't think of them. I was feeling very nostalgic today.

I want a puppy

This has to be the cutest picture I've seen all week. I'm not sure if I would allow a dog this close to a baby, but this picture made me smile. Although I love dogs (hate cats) my family have never been dog people. My only attempt to have a dog was when I was around 9-years-old. A friend of my dads gave us a dalmatian puppy we affectionately named Pirate, because of a large spot around his eye. After about a month with that playful pup, he was taken. I say taken because the gate was open and we never open that gate. I remember coming home from softball practice and Pirate being gone, I cried, and asked  my parents who would take my puppy.

The next attempt at a dog was my brother's mediocre attempt with a miniature doberman pinscher named Sparky aka Guido (Sparky was his official name but only used for about 2 weeks). He was a horrible little thing that scratched everything. I really don't remember how Guido ran away, but I do remember him being spotted about two months later. I then remember my dad and brother going out and trying to find Guido, they were actually able to lure him in, and so Guido was with us another month before he ran away again.

And so ends my brother's and my experience with dogs. Neither experience ends happily, but never the less, I want a puppy, a chocolate lab, I'll name him Mr. Smee :)

I'll get you my pretty...

and your little dog too. Its' been raining here in LA for what seems like two days straight. Today because of the storm a tornado warning was issued for Los Angeles and Orange County. Yes, a tornado in LA. I heard about this warning before I went to class but thought it was a joke. Once I heard about the warning from my classmates, and was able to confirm it online I couldn't help but think of the Wizard of Oz. Since I ride a bike to and from school, I rode back to my apt (trying to beat any sort of tornado) singing the theme song to the Wicked Witch of the West. It was hilarious. Coincidentally enough I had a dream I had a scruffy white puppy, he was really cute, but I don't remember what I named him, because not remembering was actually a theme in my dream.

I want a chocolate lab, I will name him Mr. Smee :)

This week in pictures

This weekend I visited LA LIVE for the first time.

Rosa Mexicano: My friends and I found this Mexican restaurant on the edge of LA LIVE, facing Olympic. The restaurant was traditionally themed, with fresh colorful colors painted on the walls. The atmosphere is pleasant, with friendly servers and a relaxed feel. The food however, did not meet it's surroundings. We started off with chips and two types of salsa. The chips were rather salty, and I had to wipe my fingers on my napkin after every chip I ate. The red salsa, was okay at best, nothing better than a salsa you could buy at grocery store. The best comparison I can give is, it is of equal taste to Baja Fresh's salsa roja, although a bit thicker. The green tomatillo salsa was interesting and did send my taste buds on a journey. I did spend each bite trying to figure out the ingredients, which I did with little success. What I noticed and enjoyed was perhaps a hint of pureed avocado, other than that, I also noticed some cilantro and lime. When I glanced at the menu, I found the restaurant to be overpriced, at least to what I was expecting to pay. I ordered off the appetizers and got the ceviche. When it arrived I was disappointed at best. The serving was nothing more than a small scoop, and I could get more food by ordering four piece chicken mcnuggets at McDonald's. The ceviche contained tuna slices, which is unorthodox in ceviche, and three shrimp. The taste was bland, and I barely noticed the hint of lemon/lime which is how the raw seafood is marinated and ultimately cooked. I ate my ceviche with about three scoops of salsa and the chips to add flavor. I ended up paying about $18, after tax and tip and the promise I would never eat there again. My party was also pretty disappointed, and we regretted not waiting in the line at the ESPN Zone, where at least we knew the food was edible and generous.

Youth in Revolt: Horrible movie, and rather graphic. I would like to start by saying that I don't like stupid comedies (example: Superbad, Juno, anything with Adam Sandler, Napoleon Dynamite, Borat, Talladega Nights, etc). What a surprise that all Michael Cera makes is stupid comedies. I would not have watched this movie by choice, but the group chose it, so there it was. Michael Cera plays the same character in every movie, a nerdy virgin teenager who wants a girlfriend [wow enjoy being type cast Michael]. This movie was no different. I would like to know why he always dresses retro (70's-ish) in his films. This was $11 dollars and  two hours wasted. But if you are so inclined to high school comedies, this is right up your ally. Rotten Tomatoes rating of 71%

Daybreakers: I watched this movie yesterday and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. I can appreciate that this is no ordinary vampire film, and the concept is great, but unfortunately the graphics and screen play are a bit lacking. Vampires have now become the majority, and the human population is at 5% which is leaving vampires with a shortage of human blood - without the blood, or a proper substitute, vampires will starve. Ethan Hawke, a vampire, is in charge of finding a substitute, and so far his attempts are unsuccessful. Fortunately, with the help of some humans he finds a cure, and is able to turn himself and others human again. This movie contained a lot of flames (unlike Twilight, these vampires burn in the sun), and blood obviously. The blood they used in the film was a little on the thick side and when poured in glasses, the blood did not appear at all to be human. The flames were the cheap animated ones, but considering they were on people it's understandable, however I would expect the flames to look a little more realistic. This would have made a decent rental. Rotten Tomatoes rating 66% (personally I would have rated this above Youth in Revolt but I am just opposed to stupid comedies)

Orochon Ramen: My personal love for Orochon Ramen, and soup in general was expressed in a previous post! I returned to the ramen house yesterday with the determination to try something spicier. Last time I visited I got a #4 with a soy sauce broth. Since I do not know the jumps in spiciness I decided to get a #3 this time with the soy sauce broth. I enjoyed my huge bowl of ramen, it was not as spicy as I had guessed, and I can safely say I can eat spicier. Perhaps next time I will try a #1 with the miso broth, which I hear is amazing. Although I never finish the enormous portion of soup, I do enjoy the left overs.

Skins: I've been watching this British show, called Skins all weekend, and have already blazed my way through season 1. The best way I can describe this show is to compare it to Degrassi. I was a big fan of Degrassi when I was younger and even now I don't object to watching it, that is until they got a new cast last season. Skins is so much more racier than Degrassi, and where Degrassi is rated PG, Skins is the equivalent to NC-17. Anyways, very entertaining show

I'm Chilly Willy the penguin...

I live in an igloo. I don't know if anyone recalls me saying back in November that my apartment was freezing and I would sleep with a sweater. Well nothing has really changed and at night I am still shivering under the covers. If anything I think I might have actually become a little accustomed to the subzero temperature in my room at night. What I have mastered is the 'don't move' sleep position which maximized warmth for some reason.

Today was the end of my first week of classes, They seem pretty interesting, I just wish they were not 4 hours each; on the bright side, I only have class 3 times a week.

I'm watching the Lake House right now, and now I want a magical lake house that can deliver messages through time. This movie

is so cute, completely impossible, but I'm a hopeless romantic and love all these cheesy movies. Which reminds me...I just got a new background for my phone which I love, it is the cutest background ever!

Today has been a complete uneventful day, I play Mario & Luigi: Bowser's inside story, for awhile and I can feel the final battle at my finger tips. But tomorrow should be a lot of fun, as I'm going to LA live for the first time.

On a final note, don't watch The Lovely Bones. I can't think of any other movie that is as strange and deviates from the trailer so much. I wanted to watch the movie that was previewed in the trailer, what I got was the ghost (no pun intended) of the movie in the trailer. Hollywood lies...

Ugh, Bowser

No, I didn't stay up to play Mario & Luigi: Bowser's inside story, but some how I mysteriously got three star cures. Not to mention the King of the Koopas as been unplayable for a while since he was captured in a safe by Lord Fawful minions. Lord Fawful, what an amusing character, he does go around all day telling anyone who will listen he has Chortles; I know, I've heard him many, many...many times. But I still don't know what a Chortle is. Perhaps it is a type of STD, perhaps it is the name of his dog, or perhaps it is the name for a new hybrid fruit, made up of lemons, oranges, chili peppers and tomatoes. The world may never know, or I will find out at the end of the game. [SIDE NOTE: OMG I just found out what chortles are] My cousin, the annoying one who sings with a "passion," told me they were these little black creatures who look like Gengar from Pokemon, I'm so annoyed with her right now...

A Chortle is a chuckle; to laugh quietly or with restraint, which would explain why hes always smiling and laughing, except when he said he had angst.

What I learned today was never to trust a 10-year-old to search anything successfully online. And they say kids today are more tech savy then ever...Fail.

Kung Pao

I would like to start by saying that I'm not racist. I observe people and categorize by behavior. This is my first week of classes and after one class I have to say, Asians crack me up. I had about six Asians in my class on Tuesday and three of their names were difficult to pronounce, so of course they have a westernized name. Hi my name is Gang Wen, pronounces Jian Whein but you can call me Felicity...Really? Since people for some reason always have trouble pronouncing my name I'm going to start using unofficial name changes. Hi my name is Kylah pronounced Ky-la (not Kayla) but you can call me Coco.

I'm running out of movies to watch. I'm at the bottom of the barrel with Netflix, all that remains is older movies or movies I refuse to watch like Pineapple Express. I've become addicted to Monopoly again, and found a website where I can play online. Because of this I have neglected my crocheting; perhaps I'll finish my scarf by Spring time. I have also neglected Mario & Luigi Bowser's inside story.

I feel I will be catching up with everything this weekend being that football season is over and I probably won't be doing much this weekend.

Thank you Mario, but the princess is in another castle...

I'm a Nintendo kid, having owned virtually every Nintendo system since the NES ( including 5 hand helds - one which I found). I am faithful to the original games, especially the Mario Bros. series which is my favorite. So it is no surprise that I received the new super Mario Bros. for Christmas. Well today my bother and I, after about four hours beat Bowser. We picked up the game tonight on world 4 and thanks to a secret pipe we skipped world 5; once we got to world 8 and the last castle was in sight we knew we were going to play 'til the end. My brother and I do tend to get a bit game addicted, and have been know to play hours at a time. But since good games tend to be few and spread out, we don't go through this too often. After about fifteen tries we took Bowser down, but in true Mario style the game is not over. The rather helpless Princess Peach informed us of the secret world. To finish the secret world we need to go back and collect all the star coins,but we left that for another night.
I have also been playing Mario & Luigi: Boswer's inside story for the DS. I am getting a little frustrated with that game because once I think the end is in sight I get slapped with another mission.
I started crocheting, but I haven't made anything yet. I litterally just started, and I'm trying to learn from both a book and youtube videos. We'll see how it goes.
I'm tired, all I see are mushooms and bullets and lives oh my.