A Blog Of My Own

A Farewell

2009-02-26T23:05:00.000-08:00

My home for the past 13 years is way too small. It only has 3 windows. My room is tiny. The living room (if it can even be called that) merges with the dining room from the close proximity. I hate it. I've always wanted to move away, in the same city, but to another house. A house that is bigger, with more windows, and where I can do my room the way I've always wanted. But when my mom told me that the owners of the house we have been renting for thirteen years asked us to leave, I wasn't happy. In fact, I was distraught. How is it that this house, the one I dreaded and wanted to move away from, is now the house I don't want to leave? They gave us one month (which is completed this saturday) to look for a new place, but that wasn't enough. My parents couldn't find an affordable house in the city, so for now we are relocating in Tecate. I have to say I wasn't happy with the decision, I can't imagine myself not going home to that house, not seeing my neighbors, not seeing the familiar sights everyday, the people, the buildings, how everything looks.Last time I was home I did some packing, I even found long-lost objects that I had searched for unsuccessfully. And while I will still be here in LA for most of the time, I don't know if I'll like living in Mexico away from everything I've called home for the last 13 years. Everything happened so fast that it still doesnt hit me that I wont be living there anymore. I don't know yet what the purpose of this change is, but I'm sure there's one behind it.

In lighter news, my birthday is exactly in one week, and amidst the move, my struggles with college, and some personal problems that plague my mind, I can say I'm actually looking forward to it. :)

Who gets rid of their quarters?

2009-02-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

I felt rather foolish today. I was in need of some lead for my lead pencils, so i made my way over to the on-campus store to buy myself some. I figured it wouldn't cost more than a dollar, or maybe a dollar at most. Seeing that the lead packages are really tiny I didnt bother to take out more than a dollar's worth of quarters, since I had wasted my dollars in food. When I got to the cash register and gave the lead tube to the lady, I stared in disbelief when she responded "$2.20." For a tiny container with 30 pieces of lead! I wasn't expecting that, so I shuffled and searched frantically in my backpack for spare change. My fingers were having trouble locating the coins amid pencils, a half-eaten granola bar, my ipod, my phone, a couple of napkins, and tiny useless papers I hadn't removed in ages. The lady stared at me. "I'm sorry," I said as I put whichever coins I found on the counter, not even paying attention at the amount. I started placing quarter after quarter, and she replied, "Who gets rid of quarters?". At this point I was nervous, 10 minutes to class and I was beginning to think I wasn't gonna have enough to pay for a seemingly cheap tube of lead. I imagined the embarrassment of telling her, "Nevermind, I don't have enough" and having to place it back. But then the light shone on me and I apparently got the right amount, cause she asked me if I had 3 pennies. I had them. I placed them and was about to remove the other coins which i thought were left over when she told me she needed those too. I got the feeling she thought that maybe I didn't know how to count. And frankly I did too, because I was just throwing coins on the counter and I didn't even stop to count them. Next time I'll think twice before buying lead without counting how much money I have beforehand. Or better yet, I will have dollars in hand, it will save me the embarrassment of making the cashier wait for me to count up my coins.

Internet woes

2008-12-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

The bad thing about not living at home anymore (at least not for most of the year) is that my parents no longer want to pay for internet if there's no one here to use it. This means whenever I'm home for breaks, or for those rare 4-day weekends, I'm internet-less. And though I love coming home to my home and my family, I can't help but experience internet withdrawals. No sooner am I home when I start fidgeting, I watch a little TV, pretend to read, look over pictures, try to reorganize my room, and I start wanting to go back to campus where my internet connection is guaranteed.
So, for this christmas break, I decided I was not gonna spend three weeks unconnected, so I convinced my parents to reinstall the internet for me. It was not an easy task. After pleading and making highly persuasive arguments, my parents settled for the 15-dollar-a-moth internet service. It's the cheapest (also the slowest) but something's something. This was wednesday, and the activation was to be done yesterday (Monday). So I waited the weeked and come Monday, my internet was still not functioning. I called an infinitely amount of times to the company to ask what was up, had to endure that tedious process of pressing 1 for Yes, 2 for no, and so forth...and feeling worried and embarrassed that the tech person might think I was stupid. I finally got the answer that the internet would work until, and not before, 8 pm, and when 8 pm rolled around I eagerly connected. No success. I called once again, and was told I had to set up an account. I felt insulted when the tech lady started spelling out what I had to write (T as in Tom, R as in Robert, E as in Ellen), slowly, for every single letter. A little slower and I would have fallen asleep. After this exhausting ordeal, I got my internet connection at around 9, and I felt as if I had come back to life. Good thing I'm not an internet freak or anything...

It's that time of the year again

2008-12-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

My favorite part of the year is hands down the time between Thankgsiving and Christmas. Everything about it is special, from the christmas lights to the christmas carols to the packed malls, the atmosphere is just wonderful. The year is almost over and I get very nostalgic around this time. And I have to say, aside from the presents (who doesn't love getting them?), my favorite part about Christmas is how close we all become. The family comes together and we all enjoy great food and a great atmosphere, and to me this is the best part. But then after it's over, things kinda slow down. January and February seem to proceed very slowly, they are cold and sad months. Then comes March, and with it my birthday, spring break, and things finally start picking up. I wish I could say I'm ready for Christmas, but I'm not. I still have to get finals out of the way (I can't believe how fast this quarter went), and only after I'm done next friday and pack my stuff to go home, will I be ready.

A Beach Story

2008-10-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend my parents paid me my first visit since I started the school year, and we headed up to Ventura to visit a cousin and her daughter. Let me just say, it feels so good to leave campus after being in it for a month straight. It's like a breath of fresh air, not seeing the same four walls, walking the same paths, doing the very same thing everyday. Sunday we made our way to the beach though it was cold and windy, but we still strolled through the sand and took in some sun. Midway through the sand, it started smelling quite a bit funky. We noticed, after a while, that this strange smell was emanating from some kind of mysterious, dead animal. I said it was a dolphin; my dad, a crocodile (What can I say? He has a pretty good imagination). But after lingering for a while and debating the identity of this creature with an unfortunate ending, we decided to leave and start packing in order to make our way back home. At least home for my parents, as I am now, again, within the same four walls of my dorm room.

What's your name again?

2008-10-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

Why is it so difficult for me to make new friends? Maybe because I am not good at making first moves. On those rare occasions that people actually approach me and talk to me, I act as friendly as possible. I talk, ask questions, try to come up with interesting conversations. In other words, I have no problem when someone else makes the first move, I can take it from there. This past week I have been approached by two different people at the dining halls, and we talk and have a good time, but when dinner is over we go our separate ways, with no possibility for more exchanges. And when we introduce ourselves, I'm more concerned with making a good impression than on the actual exchange, which leads to me forgetting their names. Which is followed, usually, by an embarrassing "What's your name again?" Yes, I do need to work on paying more attention. That's how it's been for the most part here, I've only made mere acquaintances, not friends. And I wonder, is it me? Am I doing something wrong? But then I do not worry, because if a person is meant to be a friend, he or she will somehow manage to stay in your life. As simple as that.

Another year

2008-09-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

I guess I was kinda looking forward to moving back to college again, not because I love it, but because the sooner it starts the sooner it will end. At home I spent my hours doing nothing and that made life all the more slow. Life for me here in LA seems to move faster, there's classes to go to, work to get done, and the hours and days just seem to move at an incredible rate. The next thing I know it will be Thanksgiving and then Christmas break. It's safe to say that moving in this time was way easier than last year. For one, I already know what to expect, I know how things run. And of course, having a room all to myself doesn't hurt either. Now if I could only get my laptop fixed soon, because I can't live without my pictures, music, and files. But what matters the most right now are my pictures. Over 1000 pictures and videos that are irreplaceable and that I do not want to lose. Hopefully we'll get the money soon to get it fixed, and that my stuff is left intact. It's annoying having to download every program I had in the other laptop into this new one, but I'm slowly getting there.

I want this!

2008-09-09T00:12:00.001-07:00

As I checked for details on when House season 5 started, I came upon this! A set of seasons 1-4, all in one single box for my viewing pleasure! The only problem, it's 132 bucks. And that's only if I buy it online, in store it would be a whopping 180-something dollars. So I was thinking how I would save myself 13 $ if I buy each season individually (provided it's online), but then the convenienve of having it all in one box is highly appealing. So for now, I will try to manage my money wisely now that I'm about to leave for college again, trying not to waste on non-essential things so by December (hopefully), and provided that my loved ones give me $$ instead of presents, I'll have my hands on this! Then I'll have another reason to just lay on my bed for hours watching House! (I sense this will only fuel my couch potato habits, but then again, anything does)

And the new season starts next Tuesday, I've been anxiously anticipating.

Grand Auto Disaster

2008-09-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

If my driving skills on Grand Theft Auto were any indication as to my real driving skills, I'd never get a licence. I realized this as I played GTA IV and got the cops after me after running over countless people, crashing into cars and light posts, and having to steal cars after said crashes destroyed my previous one. I think back to my first driving lesson and how nervous I had been because I thought I might crash the car, just like i do every single time I play the game. But I did a good job, and though I can't possibly say that my driving in GTA is getting better, my real life driving isn't nearly as lousy. Maybe it's the control...I've always thought there was something shady about those controls!

PS. I must admit the only reason I play this game is to drive around and steal pretty cars, I don't go around killing people (except when I run them over accidentally, as was already mentioned) or go on those voluntary missions. The graphics are eerily life-like.

Para Lady Stardust

2008-09-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Aqui estan las fotos prometidas ;]

My Great [Not] Vacation

2008-09-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

My summer vacation is almost over and I haven't done much at all. So my parents decided It'd be nice to go out somewhere, somewhere different and not just go to the same places we always go (i.e. Mexicali), so they teamed up with my aunt and uncle to take my cousin and I on a little camping trip to Ensenada. Everything was going pretty well, apparently the place had pools, a lake, a track for ATV's, and the pictures on the website made it seem both beautiful and full of activities. We all agreed to go this past weekend, so early Saturday morning (at around 6 am) we began our little journey and drove on the scenic road to Ensenada. There were some gloomy clouds in the sky, but we assumed they would clear by the time the sun came out completely. We stopped for some coffee at a store with a huge sign that read "Open 24 hours" and to our surprise it was closed. My mom was complaining that the sign was misleading and that they shouldnt have it. So much for warm coffee. It was until we got to Ensenada (the camping place was 30 km south of it) that it started to rain. And it wasn't just a drizzle, it was heavy rain. We all looked at each other and remained hopeful that by the time we got to the camping site it would stop or that maybe, just maybe, it wouldnt be raining there. But oh were we mistaken! It was raining alright, and we all kinda just waited there to see if the day would clear up. And it did stop raining, but the place was muddy and we feared that it would rain at night and our tents would give in. So we all just accepted the fact that we weren't gonna have our much anticipated vacation here, and we drove for about and hour and a half more to the house in Tecate.

It was also raining there, but at least we had the shelter of the house here. We continued as if we were still camping and ate our food and just had a nice time with each other. During the evening it cleared up and we were able to catch a glimpse of an amazing sunset, and we all set our lawn chairs outside and talked until dark. My cousin and I were in the mood for some smores, so we went to about 3 stores until we were able to find marshmallows. However we had no graham crackers, and the marshmallows were stale. We had to do them in the stove, and they came out nothing like we thought they would, so I only had 2. Another thing ruined. As we were gathered in the table, my aunt lets out this blood-curdling scream as she gets on top of a chair. Instinctively, i do so too. She points to an insect which was out of my view and says it's a "Niño de la Tierra", or as I later found out, a "potato bug." My dad rushed to kill it and I came out of my daze and ran to see it. My mom always mentioned these bugs, saying they had a horrific baby face and were so dangerous that their bite was fatal. I finally saw it, but since it was smashed, I could only make out its striped abdomen. It sent a chill down my spine. It was gross. And pretty big for a bug too. So that night we slept with a dim lamp light on, because according to my aunt, insects were less likely to come out when there was a light on.

The next day we went to the public pools just a couple of meters away from the house, and my cousin and I swam (or at least tried to) before it got full of people. The water had no heating system, it was just plain cold water, which is why I took about half an hour to get all of myself in. After eating and chatting, we went home and packed our stuff ready to go. Luckily there was no line at the border, but the customs official was a rude man whose bitterness and lack of tact got us all angered. Back at home I tried to rest and remain immobile since my legs and arms were so sore that they hurt everytime I moved them. And that concludes the story of my little camping trip ruined by the rain, which turned into a pool party complete with bad-tasting smores and nasty bug encounters.

And something else worth mentioning. On Friday Liz took me out to dinner along with her bro and sis to a burger place called Islands. And they took 45 minutes to bring us our food! Not even at the Olive Garden have we had to wait so much, and it's actual food! Not burgers! So when they finally did bring our food, they apologized and said the check was on them. Nice! We ate for free, and suddenly the evening turned into a happy one.

PS. Potato bugs are NOT deadly. They're just ugly.

Tickets, etc.

2008-08-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

The other day I tried to gather all the ticket stubs I've collected over the years, and I thought I was gonna have a lot more than I actually had. Of course, I didnt find all of them, some of them must be wandering somewhere in my room. I like keeping these tickets kinda like a souvenir, as a reminder of the places I've been, the things I've done, and when they happened. They're all types of tickets, from movie tickets to tranportation ones to theme park tickets. Everytime I look at one I remember the experiences that went along with it. Here is a pic of a portion of my ticket collection, like I said I'm missing many.

The oldest ticket happens to be from May 2000, when my 5th grade class took a trip to a local movie theater to watch "Dinosaur." We completely trashed the place. (It's so funny to see how movie theaters keep increasing their prices, when will this end?)
This is from one of my favorite trips: the Bodies Exhibition with my anatomy class senior year. Some people thought that it was morbid and gross on my part for wanting to see the real bodies, but it was one of the most interesting and amazing experiences to be able to the how the body looks like from the inside. Too bad they didn't let you take pictures. I actually almost got to see this in Las Vegas back in 06, but some people in my family felt a little queasy of going in, so we ended up seeing the Titanic artifact exhibition instead.

Grad Nite last year was a different way of enjoying Disneyland. We gathered outside the school gates at about 8 pm, and we left around 9. Grad Nite began at midnight, but we had to leave that early since we were around 2.5 hours away. After a long, crowded wait outside with people much larger pushing and making it hard to breathe, the gates were opened and we went in (not before being groped by the security lady). Now, we only had time to get into 4 rides, since the lines for the most popular rides were huge! We made a little more than an hour to get into Indiana Jones, but that was the longest line we made. We ate at 4 in the morning [a very expensive meal at that!] and it felt so weird to be doing so at that hour. We headed for the buses at around 5:30, and made our way back home. Everyone slept during the ride, I noticed on a brief moment I woke up and looked back. It's not unusual I slept almost the whole day when I got home.

Going on a tangent here, I feel a bit nostalgic that the Olympics are over (I actually woke up to watch the closing ceremony...at 5 am. Sad, I know). These are the second Olympics I watch, the first being Athens, since the ones before were of no interest to me back when childhood games took most of my interest. Watching one of the sports, I believe last week, one competitor caught my attention. It was in archery, and they were showing it in a spanish channel because a Mexican guy was competing. Of course, I was hoping he took the victory...until I saw his competitor. It was a boy from Belarus, and immediately I noticed his name and searched for him online. No luck. There was not a single picture or info other than his birthday, weight, and height. He was sadly eliminated, and though I felt a bit of happiness for my fellow Mexican, I was sadder that I was no longer going to get a glimpse of that Belarussian guy.

But I did not give up. It feels ridiculous now, searching for info on a guy that I'll never even meet and that I'll probably forget about in a while. But I did anyway, and came out victorious. [Haha!] It appears there's an archery association website, so I looked through the galleries and found pictures. I couldn't believe I'd found some (I had already tried yahoo and google images: nothing). So here is Maksim Kunda. The guy who caught my eye and made me go on an online rampage. Ohh, I really do amuse myself. =]

And another

Til London '12

Clean Up Time!

2008-08-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend my parents went out of town, so I busied myself doing an intensive room clean-up, which lasted until Monday. Now, this wasn't your average room clean-up, it was EPIC. I took out all the clothes that didn't fit or that I no longer used from my closet and my drawers, which ended up filling up half of a bag my size. I do this every couple of years, and I honestly can't remember when I claned this thouroughly. I didn't even remember I had certain clothes, which were hidden in the side of the closet I dont even touch. After this, I cleaned under the bed, which took up another day. I found certain things I thought I'd lost, such as an old diary and a conversation I had with an old friend on paper. I would have finished earlier, but I get distracted way too easily. While I clean, I start going through everything. If I find pictures, you bet I'll look through them. If I find papers or notes I'll read them again. This takes up a lot of my time. Plus, I am a compulsive saver. I keep things that hold certain significance, like notes from friends from elementary, artwork I've done in the past, papers that remind me of things, maps to theme parks, and ticket stubs. This ends up creating a bit of clutter and everytime I say I will get rid of it, I can't bring myself to throw away those things that mean something. Then there was the ant invasion; I don't know where they come from, but they get into the house and form a trail leading up to the kitchen. I had to spray water and then some bug spray to get rid of them, which slowed down the rest of the housecleaning. Yesterday I decided to take a break and went over to my cousin's, but stupid me forgot to take the keys with me, so I was locked out. Fortunately my parents got back that day, so I wasn't completely out of luck. It frustrates me that there's already a new mess building up in my room. Why can't it stay clean for more than one day?

Driving Lessons

2008-08-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend my dad finally started teaching me how to drive. We went to the outskirts of a small border town where we have a house, and where the roads are practically free of cars. This was a rather perfect place to start driving, since there wasn't any cars or many people for that matter. On Saturday morning we arrived at the Mexican town of Tecate, and after my dad finished some business, we decided to go eat breakfast before heading to the house. My dad took us to this outdoor restaurant, where the service wasn't good and the food wasn't all that. My mother started complaining as soon as she got her food, which was quite comical. I tried to eat while keeping the flies at bay. Even if the food or the service wasn't impressive, the setting was quite cheerful. The restaurant is situated in a small park, where the tables are placed outside in the shade of the trees. On the sides, many people put their stands, selling everything from bead necklaces to hats to soccer jerseys. The whole place is bustling with activity. At home, I tried to take a nap since I had woken up early, but I decided against it cause I just couldn't fall asleep. So in the evening, when the heat had somewhat subsided, my dad took me out on the roads. I must say I wasn't that bad, I never once crashed or pushed on the breaks too fast. I didn't steer out of control. Though at first I was hesitant to go so I could start learning, I ended up loving driving; it no longer feels like something that's impossible. At night, the stars are perfectly visible since the place is isolated from the city lights. I went out to stargaze but my neck hurt from turning my head up so much. The mosquitoes had no mercy on me, and they ended up driving me inside because I couldn't stand the itch. The last day I took my mom on a ride without my dad, and since she doesn't know how to drive, I was on my own. The roads are not paved, so many of them have huge cracks. I mistakenly went into a pretty bad road where a huge crack nearly took up all of the road, except for a narrow section, and I managed to stay on that narrow piece without falling into the crack. I was quite relieved, and so was my mom, who was scared we were gonna get stuck on the crack and my dad was nowhere near to help. Lastly, the sunsets are incredible. For a few minutes, I didn't mind not using the internet. The place was just idyllic.

On a different note, I'm getting sick. Since yesterday my throat hurts, I've had a runny nose, and am sneezing all the time. A cold during the summer just doesn't make sense =[

My personality?

2008-07-29T18:06:00.001-07:00

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant.

Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men

You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

These are a few of my favorite things...

2008-07-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

I recently watched Amelie and felt inspired to write about my own simple pleasures. Those little things that we hardly ever acknowlege but happen to be so delightful. So here is a list of life's simple pleasures, according to me:

-Dipping chocolate chip cookies in milk
-Popping bubble wrap
-stirring pancake mix, or hot drinks til they become frothy
-raindrops falling on my eyelashes
-observing people while they busy themselves in a crowded place
-forming shapes in inanimate objects
-the feel of soft warm sand on bare feet
-watching a movie at a drive in
-scratching off the peeling on those lottery ticket things, revealing the images beneath
-looking over old pictures and seeing how much people change
-my hair being stroked
-flannel sheets during winter
-cutting grass with my hands while sitting down
-christmas carols at shopping malls during the holidays.
-christmas lights adorning houses at night
-getting something that's been bugging you for so long out of the way
-the minty taste of toothpaste in the morning
-watching the white cloudy trails that planes leave behind disappear.
-smell of dirt after in rains
-holding puppies
-the distant sound of my loved ones talking while half-asleep.
-remembering a good dream.

That was a great, feel-good movie. Might watch it again later some time. On a side note, it makes me want to speak French. Oh well, better get Italian out of the way first.

cheers x

Oh the joy of 108 degree weather!

2008-07-10T00:07:00.000-07:00

Riiight. My parents decided it'd be a nice thing to do to their poor daughter to drag her along to the border town of Mexicali, Mexico, for the weekend. The temperature was about 108 degrees, with highs of up to 115. So I spent almost a week inside shut up in the house where the AC never turns off or else you'll melt away and eventually evaporate. I was highly unproductive, watching Mexican channels on TV and occasionally reading a book.. Now, I was dying without the internet, as I am very addicted to it and am a self-proclaimed internet junkie. So a friend of mine invited me along with his cousins to a public internet place, and I must say the situations you encounter there are quite amusing. People looking at porn without feeling the least bit of shame of others watching them. After that long walk to the place and back, the guys and their hoodlum friends played a game of soccer out in the street, while I watched from the sidewalk. It's at night when the streets of this scorching town come to life. I must say I got pretty tired from the walk, and even though the sun was gone, the heat was still very much alive. So I went inside, showered, and went straight to bed. Today was pretty noneventful (if that's even a word), but I am grateful for the nice weather here. Can't complain about that. I will complain, however, about not being able to watch the 4th of July fireworks, not even from the roof as I'd done in the past. But that's another story...

Random Post

2008-06-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went over to Rodrigo's (who I've now nicknamed Ferb) at around 2 because his parents went to TJ. So we did the usual: looked for funny videos on youtube, watched tons of tv (I really think the new Disney shows are sellouts, what happened to the good shows?), and of course take pictures. The rest of the day progressed rather nicely, with dinner courtesy of BK, one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Now, I don't normally take pictures of my food, but here's a nice view of some artery-clogging goodness.

I didn't want to leave him alone, so I decided to stay there til his parents came back. Well, it was 10 pm and there was no sign of them, so I decided to take a walk on their treadmill to see if I could lose some of the 1000 calories of my meal. After only 7 minutes of "exercise" I got tired and stopped. At 11 there was still no aunt and uncle. So we watched about a million Justice League episodes (they were still showing them at 1 am1) and my aunt called saying that there was a long line at the border, and it was going rather slow. We were both tired and sleepy, but we somehow managed to stay awake by making up our own "novela" starring our very own aunt and several of her kids. We should really stop making fun of her, but she's just the perfect subject. At about 2:30 am, aunt and uncle got home and I was finally returned to my home. What a day!

Now today, I was disappointed that Germany lost, even though my household was rooting for Spain. My mother's great grandfather was from Spain, so we have a teeny little bit of Spanish blood. But even though I have a bit of Spanish in me, I just couldnt connect to the team the way I did with Germany. Maybe it's just because of my affection for Michael Ballack.

In lighter news, I took an IQ test and this just looks too good to be true.

Bad quality, I know, but the thing is there. Probably not accurate.

Cheers.

Summer Night At Sea World

2008-06-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

I was told just the night before that I was gonna go to Sea World this Monday. It was a surprise, but a rather good one at that. So Monday morning I got up at 7:30 and got ready because we supposedly were gonna leave early. I went with Liz, Laura (the quince girl), and three of their friends, so at certain points I did feel a little out of place. We left the house a little after 9 am. First we had to go to the police station to pick up Liz's wallet which she had lost at a store. That took a while. Then we went to pick up Laura's camera to the limo place, but when we got there they told us they had moved to a different location. And it wasn't even close to Sea World. So we went over to the new place, got the camera, and realized Liz had forgotten the tickets! So we had to go back home for them. By then it was about 11:30, and we were quite hungry, so we went to eat at a Carl's Jr near her house. So we ended up arriving at Sea World at about 1. The first ride we went into was Atlantis, which is a roller coaster that gets you really wet. The lines weren't long, we didn't have to wait more than 30 mins for any ride. Liz and I sat on the front of the little coaster car, and we got soaked completely! It was pretty hot so I assumed I would be dry by the end of the day. After this we went to the Wild Arctic ride, which is a motion simulator, and it was pretty cool. I love those type of rides, that are fast but not too scary. I am kind of a wimp when it comes to extreme rides. After a million photo opportunities we went to the shark tank, which is awesome. We walked through that tube and the sharks just swim above you, but the glass makes it hard to take good pics because the flash reflects on it. But I did manage to get some pretty decent pics. A highlight for me was the rapids ride, which is a favorite ride of mine. As if I wasn't already wet, I got soaked once again. After a couple more exhibits we went to the dolphin show, and sitting there with the sun on your face is not nice. I could feel my face burning off, and my legs too. Luckily I applied about fifty layers of sunblock beforehand. I hate getting tanned. This lady volunteer was called forth to hold a string that a dolphin was to jump over, and when she was coming down the stairs she nearly fell, in front of everyone! Everyonee just went "ohh!" and the trainer was trying hard not to laugh. She even apologized saying "Sorry for laughing" but she was choking on her laughter. It was quite funny. Then the lady volunteer "falls" into the pool only to be rescued by a dolphin. In this stage you realize this is all a joke and the volunteer is actually a trainer. And to think I fell for it. We ate in this really nice place that had an awesome view of the bay (12 bucks for the food!), and we watched a few more shows. We decided to stay til the end, since during the summer Sea World closes at 10. Even though we lost so much time in the morning and got there pretty late, we still had a lot of time left, because Sea World is not that big. At 9 pm there is a special Shamu show, called Shamu Rocks, which is a different version of the regular show, and we had to wait til it started so we killed time by going shopping. I was very stupid and did not take a sweater, so there I was, in just shorts and a t-shirt, still wet, after dark, freezing. The show featured lots of good music and the crowd was pumped, and of course the whales were awe-inspiring. Really an awesome show. So after that we headed home, not before watching the fireworks in the parking lot. I tried to take some pictures, and in the process I spilled some hot chocolate on my left leg and (white) shoe. Yay, me, way to go. I got home, changed my wet clothes, and shortly after went to bed because I was exhausted.

Melting My Face Off

2008-06-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

So today and yesterday have been extremely hot days. Today I've done nothing but rest with the fan on, since yesterday's XV left me drained. Laura's quince was really fun, she looked beautiful and I got the chance to interact with my dad's side of the family. Turns out one of my cousins comes out in a TV show in a local station in Mexicali. The ceremony was at 2, and I started getting ready like an hour before. Not a smart choice. My hair wouldn't curl. By the end of the day my hair was a complete mess and there was no trace of makeup whatsoever. The heels took its toll too. I wore them nonstop from 1 o clock to 12 midnight. My feet were tired! The party was great too, Rodro and I hung out at our table and took countless pictures. The food was good too. There was a tiny spider that crawled onto a table and Rodro squished it, it was rather an unpleasant sight. I ended up leaving at about 11:30.
Now today, I've pretty much done nothing. The summer heat only adds to my laziness. I watched the Holland v. Russia game, and was quite disappointed that Holland was eliminated. That's pretty much as interesting as my day gets. Oh, and as an interesting tidbit (or not) , i ate a sandwich today. Reminded me of my good ol' high school days. Oh to be back in the infamous sandwich club...

One. More. Week

2008-06-03T21:08:00.001-07:00

It sounds crazy, but I have only ONE exact week until I move out of this dorm. It seems like only yesterday I was moving in and settling into life away from home. The words still don't sink in yet. One week. Nevertheless, I am absolutely thrilled that I won't be living here, and most of all that I won't have to deal with roommates anymore. I went through some pretty bad experiences, and I honestly don't think I ever want to have roommates again. I did get along quite well with one of them, and hopefully I can keep in touch with her. I don't think I even wanna know about the other one after this. So, this week I'm in an absolute positive mood. I have so much to look forward to this summer. Home has never felt so welcoming, so beautiful and safe. I am ready for a summer of doing absolutely nothing, yet so much. Hopefully this saturday, or friday at the earliest, I'll start packing my stuff. Taking down pictures from my wall, putting away my clothes, and putting everything else in boxes. Then there's finals to worry about, but I'm confident that with a little studying and a little help from God, everything will turn out fine. Nothing can really bring me down this week. Summer, I am ready for ya...

AI Finale

2008-05-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yay!! Michael Johns is on again! And he gets to sing! This, for me, is the highlight of the night. He totally rocked it singing along with Carly. Ah I don't really like the Davids, so i could really care less about who wins. Buuut, I'd rather David A win, just because I dislike Cook. It's complicated, cause i don't like Archie much either, buuut I still hate it that David C made it and not MJ =( Oh well, Cook took the title. Bleh. I guess he has the biggest shot at fame, but I'm really really hoping that Michael can get a deal and put out a heck of a great record. This is the first season of AI that I watch since the beginning, and I'm hoping I can catch next season for a new, fun ride.

First

2008-05-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Sigh. I think I need to keep my mind on something during my stay in LA. Why not take up blogging? I have nothing better to do. Let's see how this goes.