Where a kid can be a kid

I can say (now) that I will always be a kid at heart. I love watching cartoons, I love to explore, I love playing video games. So it's not surprise that I like to go to Chuck E. Cheese. One of my favorite memories happened last year when my Dad, brother and I went to Chuck E. Cheese in San Diego and stayed for over two hours. It reminded me being a kid and bothering my Dad for more tokens.

This weekend, I met up with my cousins at Chuck E. Cheese (they are all under the age of 10 so it's not strange for them to be there). I forgot how much fun I have there. One of the last times I went to Chuck E. Cheese with my boyfriend, Sam, was about two years ago. The person at the entrance wanted to stamp me; apparently I looked very young.

There is something about the pizza and game combination that will always be nostalgic to me. I've tried to grow out this beloved children's themed restaurant, but not no avail. I tried D&B a couple of times, which is essentially a Chuck E. Cheese of adults, but I still prefer the original. Thinking about it now, I would not have minded going to Chuck E. Cheese for Valentines day. Sam took me to Outback, because seriously who doesn't love a good steak? But none the less, we could exchanged the difference in tokens. It's a thought...

Commercial break

It is no secret that advertisements are everywhere. On any given day the average American is targeted by 3,000 advertisements and the majority of these advertisements come from television. For the most part, everyone watches TV so everyone watches commercials. Television commercials are often a topic of conversation at social gatherings, everyone has an opinion on commercials. Here is my list of noteworthy ads.

1. Nike: The Human Chain


This commercial recently came debuted along with a string of Olympic inspired advertisements. I love this commercial. The effects are nothing new, but when combined with appropriate scenes and touching music the message is powerful. This is exactly what playing sports is all about!



2. Coca-Cola: Heist


This is such a cute commercial. The idea that insects are so ingenuitive in how they steal a bottle of Coke is so novel; it's no surprise this commercial reminds me of A  Bug's Life. Also the imagery reminds me of Thomas Kinkade. I especially loved how the butterflies formed a temporary Coke bottle to fool the sleeping guy.



3. Dove: Evolution


This ad really shows why our idea of beauty is so distorted. Not even models look good enough to be used in print ads.


4. California: Find yourself here


I really like this travel commercial. If I didn't already live in California I would definitely want to visit. This commercial shows how fun California can be...no wonder the state is in an economic crisis.



5. Sour Patch Kids: Sour then sweet


Since sour patch kids are one of my favorite candies I thought I'd comment on their 'sour then sweet' commercials. I'm sorry if a red gummy cut off my hair, I would not forgive it, I'd pick it up and bite its' eye off. Anyway, because this commercial evokes such strong emotion in me I decided to add it.

Chili-ing with McDonald's new sweet chili sauce

Last night on my way back to LA, my boyfriend and I stopped at a McDonald's where I tried the limited time sweet chili sauce. I was a little apprehensive at first, after hearing my brother rave about this new mcnugget dipping sauce, but decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised, and am reluctant to admit that my brother was right; the new sweet chili sauce makes the chicken mcnuggets taste like orange chicken.The sauce isn't like anything currently at McDonald's, although perhaps they used the sweet&sour dipping sauce as a base. Unfortunately the new sauce will only be available throughout the duration of the Olympics. Perhaps I'll stock up...

I hope this post satisfies the person whom requested I write about the new McDonald's sweet chili sauce. He was even gracious enough to supply the title for me.

I love LA

I have come to find that I love LA. No I don't love the traffic, no I don't love the crime (unfortunately USC is in a sketchy area, to say the least), no I don't love the fast pace, I love the food. Los Angeles, the second largest city in the USA, is full of diverse cultures. In this city I've eaten some great, and not so great food, my favorite is probably ramen from Orochon Ramen, but I'm willing to try almost anything. Yesterday I ate lunch at La Salsa, which is basically a fast food Mexican grill; I hadn't eaten there in years. I know this is going to confirm stereotypes but I love Mexican food! When I came to USC, I never thought I would miss the stuff, but I do. At home I rarely, if ever, eat Mexican food, and since my grandma passed away no one makes any. Since I can't eat the homemade stuff, there is nothing like going across the border and eating carne asada tacos, that is if you don't mind waiting in line for about an hour to come back to the US. I can't say I've eaten very much Mexican food here in LA, to be honest, I'm scared of being disappointed.  What I've noticed is that every restaurant likes to cook food from a different region, I like my grandma's own made up region.

I do have to say that I can't stand cheese on a taco or burrito, I really don't know why anyone would do this, but burritos are American creations. I could really go for some tacos right now, but since today is Thursday, it doesn't matter in the slightest. I'm eating soup :)

Road Rage

I read an article today about some of the consequences that come with using a cell phone while driving. The federal government is creating an educational campaign against "distracted driving," reinforced by an array of new state laws against texting or talking on a cell phone while driving. Some penalize the behavior; others even criminalize it. I think it is safe to say that if you have a drivers license, you are guilty of having talked on a cell phone while driving; this is especially true if you got your license before the cell phone ban in 2008. Well I'm definitely unable to kick the habit. Driving a car has not prevented me from answering a call, nor has has it prevented me from texting or tweeting occasionally. I read another article recently which stated that a cell phone is not more distracting than eating, changing a cd (oh wow, I don't even use cds anymore), looking at scenery, etc. Funny enough, I can't remember ever eating while driving, or changing a cd, so I have no experience as to how distracting those activities are. But for the record I don't find talking on a cell phone distracting. A few months ago I read another article which stated that holding a cell phone isn't distracting, what's distracting is the actual conversation. This got me thinking, how is a cell phone conversation any different than a conversation with a passenger? I've been in my far share of cars with "lively" people, and would have to say that there is no way a cell phone conversation is more distracting than a chatty passenger.

On a lighter note, the weather today was typical of a California spring day, the only problem is that it's winter. So today after class when I opened the door to my room, and it was horribly warm. I decided to turn on my ceiling fan, but since the fan doesnt have extentions to the light and fan switches I had to stand on a chair. Unfortunately, the only chair I have is my desk chair, which has wheels and spins. I stepped onto the chair, but somehow the momentum caused me to spin around, and since I have nothing near by to stop myself I felt I was on an episode of Double Dare, minus the slime. I think I spun around at least twice before I was able to turn the fan to the setting I wanted.

Entering the workforce

I am actually very nervous about starting my internship tomorrow. I drove up to LA alone today for the very first time, in a new car none the less. I wasn't as paranoid as I thought I'd be, and after half an hour I found that I could enjoy the solitude quite cheerfully. I also parallel parked for the first time, with no problem what so ever. I have come to the conclusion that if I have confidence in myself, I can accomplish anything (I've come to this conclusion before but always seem to forget).

I decided to drive up during the Super Bowl, why you ask? I don't like the Super Bowl, it is over hyped and has been disappointing in recent years. That how ever is not the primary reason, I love football, but this is a day when people who never watch football decided to start. It is like not going to church all year long but attending Christmas and Easter mass, it just seems so hypocritical.

Today my boyfriend finally gave me my Christmas present. It really is my fault, because I had wanted a coat at the time and was determined to get it here in LA. By the time we came back after the holidays, I had changed my mind. After I got my car two days ago, I knew that I wanted a TomTom, which coincidentally enough I gave him for Christmas.

I really should go to sleep now, tomorrow I face LA traffic for the first time.

Movie magic

It is no secret I love movies; I spend most of my day streaming movies and tv shows from Netflix. I will watch any type of movie, but I will say that I'm particular when it comes to rating them. I can not explain it, I know what I like and I know what I don't.

Here is a list of my top 25 movies (rated 5 stars) on Netflix. They are in no particular order.

1. Up (but essentially every Pixar movie, with the exception of the Incredibles)
2. The Counterfeiters (True German film)
3. Downfall (this movie compelled me to take German for a semester! I love WWII)
4. Alice in Wonderland (but essentially every Disney movie)
5. Austin Powers trilogy
6. Ballet Shoes
7. The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas
8. Empire of the Sun (a little on the long side, but well worth it)
9. Rocky series (I LOVE Rocky! Rocky IV is by far my favorite)
10. Halloween franchise (John Carpenter not Rob Zombie, excluding 3 and 8)
11. Bridge to Terabithia (I read the book first and literally cried)
12. Bridget Jones's Diary (including the sequel. I am like Bridget in so many ways)
13. Defiance (let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVE Liev Schreiber)
14. Harry Potter series (November is coming soon right?)
15. Pride & Prejudice (BBC '95 version, oh Colin Firth <3)
16. The Prestige (I wanted to rewatch this movie as soon as it was finished)
17. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder was great in this film)
18. 27 Dresses
19. Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter is arguably the best villain ever!)
20. Million Dollar Baby (pretty much any movie Clint Eastwood directs)
21. Hearts in Atlantis (I will watch any movie with Anthony Hopkins)
22. 300
23. Airplane!
24. The Joy Luck Club (what a great book, equally good movie)
25. My Best Friends Wedding (I can understand how this would feel)

I did not anticipate how difficult this was going to be! I started off only wanting to list 20 movies but ended up with 30 before I stopped myself, so naturally I settled on 25. There are so many more movies I would like to add, but that would be an excessively long list. I am satisfied with this list, so there it is.

Pass the Ketchup

I love ketchup. I'm the type of person who puts ketchup, on their ketchup. I especially love Heinz ketchup, and in my eyes there is no other ketchup brand. I just saw a MSN video introducing the new Heinz ketchup package.This new packet, which gives you the option of squeezing out its contents or use it for dipping is in my opinion one of the most ingenious ideas in a long time. The new packets are set to come out this fall, and I cant wait! I am sure that other brands will soon follow, but this will not take away from the fact that Heinz revolutionized those annoying ketchup packets.

Thanks, but no thanks

Today I went to IHOP to go eat breakfast with my mom. We were seated and given the menu, and then I saw it...IHOP places the calories of each item next to the description. I thought this was an ingenious idea, especially everyone watching their calorie intake. As I continued looking through the menu I saw a problem, I was conscious of the calories and was having a difficult time making up my mind. I really went in with the intention of getting a mushroom and spinach omelette; it ranged between 980-1800 calories, which is half or all of your recommended daily caloric intake. The best item on the menu? was of course the pancakes, excluding their new your cheesecake pancakes (1270 calories). I however don't really like IHOP, but had no say in the matter. I am curious to know how others feel about this.

So IHOP I applaud you on your efforts towards a healthy America, but I think it would be a good idea to make your selections healthier, before you divulge their calorie count.

I joined the 21st century

I have joined modern society. Yesterday I got a Twitter account, but I am not sure how this will work out. I sort of feel like a sell out, joining mainstream society and their tweets, but you know what? I love it. I like telling people what I'm doing, as egocentric as it may be,  maybe someone wants to know. My favorite thing about Twitter is my background, which matches my blog. The coordination of the two was importance to me, and was the highlight of my day when I achieved it...I know, I'm a dork. So until something better comes along, I will continue to keep on tweeting, pretending that someone somewhere is reading it.

I still refuse to get a facebook, for reasons only known to me (it was a crazy roommate, obsessed with facebook). But I feel that too coming to an end, until then I will hold off on becoming part of the facebook network.

Oh yeah...please feel free to follow me on twitter :)

Pepsi Challenge

I would like to start by saying that I prefer Coke, but do not object to drinking Pepsi. This weekend, I took an unofficial Pepsi challenge which pinned the current Pepsi against the recently introduced Pepsi Throwback. I never go to the grocery store with the intention of buying Pepsi, but I was intrigued by this particular angle, real sugar. Pepsi Throwback uses real sugar as a sweetener, and not the recently shunned high fructose corn syrup. This is a revolutionary concept for me, since major soft drink brands stopped using real sugar in the early to mid 80's, before I was born. The Throwback can looks retro, and uses the original Pepsi logo and color scheme. The soda was poured into glasses for me, so I would not have any knowledge as to which soda was which. The color was the same and so was the smell (yes, I smelled soda). When I tasted both, it was evident that one soda was significantly sweeter than the other, but which? I chose Pepsi Throwback as the sweeter one and was correct. After the "challenge" I decided to look at the nutritional facts and was surprised, Pepsi Throwback, the sweeter one, actually has a gram less sugar than regular Pepsi.

Pepsi: Calories 150, Sodium 30mg, Total Carbs 41g, Sugar 41g
Pepsi Throwback: Calories 150, Sodium 40mg, Total Carbs 40g, Sugar 40g

My next challenge, how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?

Books, and Movies, and Jobs, Oh My!

I spent about five hours this weekend at Barnes & Noble. I am a particular sort of reader, and scarcely buy books I have not read. I will however buy books I have read, so I can reread them over and over again. This weekend however I broke my rule and bought two books I have never read and a reference type book. The two fiction books I bought were both written by Lois Lowry whom in my opinion is a very compelling author. I have read two other books written by her and could not put them down, so in this regard I knew she would not let me down.

I watched two movies this weekend, and I would only recommend one.

Book of Eli: This end of civilization type film was rather odd. The film reminded me of I am Legend, not as good. The overall story line was okay, but I found myself checking my watch multiple times during this film. One question I did have was why Denzel Washington was walking through the desert with layers of clothing without breaking a sweat once? The end of the movie was a little unexpected but made me question scenes throughout the entire movie. Again, like Daybreakers, I think this could have been an okay rental but I definitely regret paying to watch it in theaters. Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 45%.

Avatar: This movie which is a box office sensation, was not so favorably reviewed with me. I need to start by saying that the visual aspects of this movie were amazing (IMAX 3D didn't hurt either), I particularly liked that fluorescent forest. Perhaps my opinion on this movie is skewed. Before I watched this movie, it had been out over a month; all I heard were praises of how amazing this movie was. The majority of these praises came from men, which leads me to believe that they were biased by the graphics than the storyline itself. The truth could be that I was expecting the best movie I ever saw. I am really not sure about the reasons for my less than positive review. I did see similarities between Avatar and Pocahontas, but that is not exclusive to me, I had read an article on that topic a week before. I am not the only one who feels this way, Rotten Tomatoes itself said that 'It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling' and although I do not always agree with this critic website, I do agree with this particular rating and comment. Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 82%.

Yesterday I had an interview and am pleased to inform that I have a real job...kinda. It is an unpaid internship, with a well known company.

I think that's all I will share for now