I Want to Travel...

So someone posted this on facebook and I just had to share it  (apparently it comes from http://misssaufeeya.tumblr.com/ so all credit goes there).  Anyway, I am a huge proponent of the importance of travel.  While part of me is a homebody (meaning I'd rather stay at home with a good book then go out and party), I am also the sort of person to get restless if I stay in one place too long.  As much as I am loving London, I am ready for an excursion to somewhere else, whether it's somewhere as close as Brighton or Bath or as far as Italy or Morocco.  I am getting too used to London--I take it for granted now and don't appreciate it as I should.  The solution?  I need a little diversion!

But rest assured I love living in London.  There as so many great museums, so many fabulous restaurants, and a million and one ways to be entertained.  I'll be the first to admit I haven't taken as much advantage of my stay here so far as I hoped I would.  Studying has always come first, and the cold weather has often stopped me from wanting to venture outside.  What a shame!  Now that spring is approaching, I hope to be out an about far more often.  :)

Disney Obsession Reaffirmed

So anyone who knows me knows how I am more than slightly obsessed by Disney.  I love fairy tales, happy endings, and the sweet feeling of nostalgia when I watch a Disney film.  So I bring you a few Walt Disney quotes I stole from Disney's facebook page.  :)

Ah.  Walt Disney.  Thanks for all the good times.

My next post will have pictures I took of Harrod's Disney Princess window display.  Fantastic!

Shakespeare Bollywood Style and Other Unusual Things

So this is kind of a late review, but better late than never I suppose.  On the 11th of October I had the chance to see the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Much Ado About Nothing.  This has long been one of my top 5 favorite Shakespeare plays, so I was really excited to see yet another interpretation.  The last time I saw it performed (in Arizona), it was set in 1930s Argentina.  I thought this change actually worked pretty well and gave the play new meaning.  So what was the requisite added twist here in London to make the play more interesting?  It was set in modern Delhi, India, and the whole cast were, well, Indians.

It was like a Bollywood film had come to life.

Particularly awesome were these 3 scenes: the ball where the Prince woos Hero in the name of Claudio, the 1st [unsuccessful] wedding, and Hero's [supposed] funeral.  The ball and the wedding were full of colorful costumes and Bollywood-style group dances.  Hero's wedding dress was particularly awe-inspiring.  I had never seen a Hindu-style wedding costume in person before, but wow are they the most intricate, pleasingly gaudy confections I have ever seen.  It almost made me wish I had a reason to wear one of those red, sparkly masterpieces one day...

But I digress.  The funeral was also fascinating.  They had an already 'used' but smoldering funeral pyre center stage as is Hindu burial custom, and during the whole scene it rained onstage to exemplify the sorrow and remorse Claudio felt.  The production and cast definitely gave a well-worn script a new life.  I'd definitely recommend this production...but it closes at the end of the month so unless you are in London in the next week, I guess you'll just have to watch the Emma Thompson / Kenneth Branagh version (but I'd highly recommend that as well).  :)

Regressing now to a topic of a past post, I must confess a new favorite chip flavor: 'lime curry pickle.'  It sounds strange but the flavor was pretty much strong hints of lime, chili, and the teeniest bit of curry powder.  I'm not really sure where the pickle came in.  However, it was pure junk food bliss.  I think it's only available at the chain cafe/bakery called Pret-A-Manger.  Hopefully it is not limited edition...I'll have to check because if so, I'll definitely have to stock up.  Honestly, I can't even express how good it is.  You'll just have to try it yourself.

43% Chicken

Ever have one of those moments when you bite into something and it just doesn't taste like you expect it to?

Yeah.

So I'll admit...it's hard to cook here.  The main reason is probably due to the fact that my flat doesn't have full refrigerators--we just have a few mini ones in the kitchen to share between 7 people.  There's no real freezer space either.  If I want to buy lots of separate ingredients, there is simply no place to put them.

This means I eat lots of prepackaged meals.  It's not my ideal eating situation, but I manage.

However.

I'm finding that the prepackaged meals with meat are...how to say this...not...so...delicious?

For last Sunday I bought a roast beef and Yorkshire pudding meal.  This is the quintessential Sunday dinner in England, and the meal looked pretty good.  Not only did it have roast beef, gravy, and a Yorkshire pudding, but it also had roast potato chunks and peas with carrots.  I decided to try it out.

The vegetables and the Yorkshire pudding were great.  It reminded me very much of the stuff my mother makes for Sunday dinner.  But the 'roast beef'?  It turned out to be rather rubbery and had a rather unpleasant taste...it didn't really taste like beef to be honest.  To be fair though, it could have just been that meal, right?

Well, tonight I had some 'southern style chicken sticks' (as the label proclaimed).  I cooked them, and low and behold on my first bite I think, hmm, that isn't precisely bad, but it doesn't really taste like chicken.  What do you know.  I noticed the 'chicken' inside the breading was kind of purplish colored.  Suspicious!

I look on the packaging and discovered the filling was only 43% chicken.  What?!  What was the other stuff?  Apparently flour, mustard powder, onion, potato, and beet root (hence the purple coloring I imagine).

Um.  Okay.  I never really got it why packaging in the U.S. always exclaimed proudly on the front '100% real meat'.  Now I know.

I think I'll cook my own meat from now on.

P.S.--Lindsay, I tried the 'Prawn Cocktail' potato chips.  They were actually surprisingly good.  They didn't really taste like shrimp though--more like cocktail sauce.  They had a nice tang to them.  :)

Subject: Chip flavors

...or should I say, crisp flavours...haha.  

Going to the grocery store in London is always an adventure.  I was pleased to see they stocked Mexican food necessities (like tortillas, taco shells, and guacamole).  I was even more excited at all the Indian food options.  I lo~~~~ve good Indian food...so I'll have to try some recipes to see how good I am at cooking it. :)  My greatest thrill was seeing all the grocery stores around where I live stock peanut butter.  I don't know if it's because of all the American students in London, but I fully appreciate it.  Life will be good.

Now if only they stocked Diet Coke with Lime...

...But I digress from the important subject.  The potato chips here come in the swankiest flavors.  Cream cheese and bacon.  Aged cheddar and red onion.  Vinegar with sea salt and cracked pepper.  And my personal favorite, caramelized onion and balsamic vinegar.  Heck.  Yes.  Good thing the Brits have 4 meals a day including tea.  It gives me more time to try all the crazy cool food.

Intro to Living in London

So.  As the title suggests, I am now living in London.  Crazy, but true.  I begin (tomorrow!) classes for my MA in International Studies & Diplomacy at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).  I'm kind of beyond excited to say the least.

I arrived on September 19th with my excellent mother in tow.  For the past week and a half we've shopped, gone sightseeing, ate great (and not so great) food, and basically enjoyed ourselves immensely.

So far I've visited Buckingham, Windsor, and Kensington palaces; I've also been to the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and I've admired Big Ben and the Parliament buildings.  I strolled through exhibits at the Royal Academy museum as well as the Victoria & Albert Museum.  I went shopping in Knightsbridge (Harrod's, mostly) and on Oxford street (my favorite stores: Ted Baker and Selfridge's).  I strolled through Hyde Park.  And that's only the beginning really.  I'm here until June 2013 when I graduate.

This is just the introduction.  More substantive blogs (with some humor hopefully) will be added soon.  I'll write about some of the worst meat I've ever tasted.  I'll write about how my university campus is literally right next door to the British Museum.  I'll write about hilarious British slang I hear.  I'll write about my weekend trips around the UK and Europe.  So yes, rest assured, I've got tons of interesting things to write, and the best is yet to come.

The joke's on me!

So I had the wonderful opportunity of being humiliated in front of strangers this month.  Oh, don't worry, the fact that they were strangers was nice, because I'm sure I'll never see any of them again, but still.


The story you ask?


Well...


Anyone who knows me knows that I secretly (or not so secretly) believe I am a Disney princess.  I mean, I like to sing, I like fabulous dresses, I like playing with small animals, and I like happy endings.  I mean, come on--what's not to love about a classic Disney movie protagonist?


So when I heard about auditions being held in California that were looking for girls with a height between 5'0"-5'3" to work on the Disney Cruise Lines as a princess character-look alike, I thought that here was finally my chance.  Blessed with my great stature of 5'1", you're saying I could sail around the Caribbean dressed as a fictional royal, and get paid for it?  Um, yes please.


Thus it was--very last minute--my kind mother and I made a decision to take a road trip to CA in order to chase my new-found dream.


I arrive at the audition location and look at all the girls around me.  Heh.  Most of them were over 5'3", and as mean as this sounds, many of them were not very thin or very--um--cute?  Anyway, I silently felt I had already triumphed.  Everyone seemed to be looking at me--probably knowing I looked far more the part than they did.  I was going to be a shoe-in.


After I signed in and was measured by the staff, I noticed lots of people wearing dance shoes and stretching.  I saw people practicing dance steps.  How showy, I thought to myself.  That's not even what they're looking for.  I probably should mention that I currently am recovering from a particularly nasty sprained ankle (long story, but let's say that I can walk fine with my brace on if it's not for long distances).  Anyway, due to this I thought it best to just sit quietly reading a book until the organizers finally announced they were ready to start.


The posting of the audition online said there would be a "movement" involved.  Pssh.  I can 'move' with the best of them.  If they wanted to watch me walk across the room like a princess, I can do that no problem.  If they wanted to watch me smile and giggle and wave to crowds, sure.  If they wanted to see me do some basic choreographed steps, fine, I can handle it.


But dance?


Um...


Anyone who knows me knows that I secretly (or not so secretly) am a horrible dancer.  I mean, I guess I can handle some pretty hardcore line dancing at one of those school-sponsored functions (Electric Slide anyone?), but real true dancing?  If you talk about different spins, kicks, and steps in that French terminology and you might as well be speaking Swahili.  I took some ballet classes when I was five and a jazz class when I was probably nine or ten.  And that's it.  I remember nothing.


And guess what?  The organizers of the audition had decided that a simple 'movement' was going to morph into a full-on choreographed dance.  They said it was going to be fairly simple, but that "probably many of you will feel over your heads.  That's fine.  Just smile and have fun with it!"


I started to get really nervous.


And...well, to make a long story short I was one of those in 'way over my head.'  Let's be clear, if I had known this was going to be an audition for dancers I would never have come.  Ever.  This audition was not posted under the list seeking dancers (there was a separate list I will have you know).  I know what my strengths are and dancing is just not one of them.  It's like showing up for a medical exam when you're a law student and expecting to do well.  Since I had driven all the way to SoCal from Arizona, I wasn't going to walk away before trying, but maybe I should have.  I mean, despite my normally poor dance skills, remember that I also have a sprained ankle to deal with.


As for the dance...there were kicks over your head and tons of spins and turns and jumps and complicated footwork...and I could barely keep up.  We practiced it only a few times before we were called up in small groups to perform in front of judges.


Ugh.  I try to block out unpleasant memories, and this is one of them.  Let's just say I bumbled my way--very ungracefully--through the ordeal, and then practically staggered off the dance floor when it was over.  The other people auditioning turned away from me, embarrassed for me.  And I refused to let myself think.  If I thought at all I knew I would want to die then and there.  And as I don't really want a premature death, I focused solely on the time--when will this be over, when will this be over.


Finally, the day was over and I was allowed to leave while those deemed to be professional dancers stayed to continue the audition process.  I called my mother who was at a hotel, and she came and picked me up, and we drove home to AZ.  That was that.  No cruising the Caribbean as a Disney princess for me.


So the moral of the story?  There could be several.


-When auditioning, be aware that 'movement' could very well equal 'professional level dancing.'
-Be brave and do things that might be over your head.  It builds 'character.'  (?)
-Don't dance on a twisted ankle.  My ankle got a whole lot worse and backtracked in its healing process.
-Real Disney princesses probably don't work on cruise ships.  ;)


Have a great day!

Ah, Autumn is coming...

Aren't you proud of yourself when you eat a healthy late night snack? I just had light vanilla yogurt mixed with Pumpkin spice granola. Besides being a healthier alternative to snacks such as, say, cookies or ice cream, this late night treat also had the added bonus of tasting like fall.

I love autumn. I love the crispness of the air when you step outside. I love cozy-ing up in sweaters because the weather is cool (but not freezing cold). I love fall colors and the changing leaves. But maybe I really love autumn because I love pumpkin.

I love the taste of pumpkin anything--bread, cookies, cupcakes, pancakes, granola, pie, etc. When you add that to the smell of a pumpkin candle or baking pumpkin bread, I could just melt with happiness. There is something so homey about the taste and smell of this fall vegetable. I absolutely love summer, and though I rather dislike winter I look forward to autumn because this transition season is, in my mind, synonymous with comfort and coziness.

So I think the first thing that needs to be done in October is to go out and buy a pumpkin scented candle. Maybe the next is buy ingredients to make pumpkin cupcakes or bread. Then I'll know that fall is really here.

My next post will have details of living in Washington DC. I know you might be curious, and I have been here for almost a month and a half, so I do have some opinions now on this exciting city. Look forward to another post soon.

What time is it? Summertime! It's my vacation...

Yeah, I just went there with that title.

Moving on, can you believe what a crazy year I've had so far? This spring term I finished up my capstone on the Chinese Student Movement of 1935-1936 and also prepared like crazy for the LSAT. In mid-June I finished school and moved back home to AZ for the summer. Yes, that means I am done with Provo and with BYU. And what a relief that is. Most of my high school friends had already graduated and moved on with their lives, so I'd been feeling like I was behind in the game. It feels good to have that part of life behind me.

Anyway. I came home only to start being a counselor for a special all-girls conference/camp called Time to Blossom...for two weeks. Each week, I was in charge of 10 girls from the ages of 11-13. Wow. The girls were adorable, but I forgot about what drama there is at that age! Yikes. In any case, I was exhausted in mind, body, and spirit after the crazy past few months I've had.

Which leads me to this evening...I am getting on a plane with my family and we are going on vacation. I will freely admit that I NEED THIS VACATION. Seriously. I feel so worn out. Hopefully half a month in the Caribbean and Florida will restore my well-being.

In August, I start a four month internship with Congressman Jeff Flake back in Washington, D.C. I am honestly thrilled at the prospect. I've heard such great things about D.C., and plus there is so much to do (for free no less!) in our nation's capitol. I think most of my weekends will be full of me being a tourist. :)

Anyway, there is an update on my life. It's been a while since I've written anything, so there you have it.

Have a splendid day!

--Kyra

A New Year, Another Post

Hello hello! It's been a while. No fashion rants today, but I thought I'd write about some of my current obsessions to start off a new year of posts right.

So I am currently watching the British mini-series Downton Abbey. The show is amazing! Beautiful costumes, gorgeous sets, a juicy scandal-filled story, and a phenomenal cast of British actors make this an addictive ride. You can watch it online at the PBS Masterpiece website here. The second season will be filmed later this year, but for now I am loving the first season. Anyway, I highly recommend it!

I haven't seen a lot of new movies lately, but I did see the film Tangled twice over the holiday season. This is by far the best film that Disney has put out in quite a while. It was witty and genuinely funny without resorting to cheap bathroom humor. Can I describe how visually stunning it is? The lantern scene blew my mind--I saw it first in regular theaters, and it was gorgeous, but the second time I saw it in 3D and I almost forgot I was looking at a screen. Honestly, Tangled is so enjoyable. I will own it on DVD as soon as it comes out, but in the meantime, if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing it, go to the dollar theater and enjoy it!

Hmm. What else. Books! I read recently some fun YA fiction. Yes, I know, not very sophisticated, but nevertheless fun. First on the list is Matched by Ally Condie. It's kind of like The Giver meets The Hunger Games. It was a fun, easy read, but also made me stop and think. I'd give it a 7 or 8 out of 10--very enjoyable!

The next book is Pegasus by one of my favorite authors, Robin McKinley. I love fantasy books, and award-winning author Robin McKinley is a master storyteller. The story revolves around two races, humans and pegasi, who cannot communicate with each other without the aid of magicians. That is, until a certain princess finds she can speak with her assigned Pegasus companion. Their friendship is beautiful, and McKinley's world building is impeccable. The story ends rather abruptly, but Pegasus II comes out in 2012.

The final book I'll post about has been out for a while, but I finally got around to reading it. I'd been missing out! Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith is just what I like--swashbuckling fantasy, beautiful clothes, and a touch of romance. Could life get any better? The main character, Countess Meliara Tlanth, is a feisty young woman who despite her title was raised poor and ignorant. She has a mulish sense of standing up for what she believes to be right--the only problem is she isn't often right. She embroils herself in a scheme to overtake the throne of her kingdom, and finally is forced to leave the battlefield to battle it out in the kingdom's royal court. A bit fluffy at times, but enough action and intrigue to make a delightful read.

Okay, that's a really long post...I apologize. In the meantime, watch this YouTube video that cracks me up every time.

Have a great day!

No love in this post

So I have a bone to pick with footwear fashion.

This morning, in the 30-something degree weather, I saw a girl wearing the worst of all footwear trends--crocs. Hers were bright red, as if screaming "NOTICE ME!" while white socks peeped out of the holes.

Um. No. Just no. That is inexcusable. Don't give me that 'they're comfortable!" excuse. They are not comfortable enough to wear when it is near freezing temperatures outside. They are not comfortable enough to excuse clashing red with the mainly brown/tan outfit you were pairing them with. They are not comfortable enough to excuse the plastic monstrosity on your feet.

Crocs = worst footwear idea EVER. Don't wear them in front of me. I probably won't forgive you.

Hello. It's me again.

I'm sitting in the middle of class. I should be paying attention and participating in discussion. Should is the key word here.

Last weekend Marissa and I road tripped down to Arizona to visit my home. It. Was. Freaking. Awesome. We ate good food (everything from Mexican to Vietnamese), shopped at amazing stores (and bought a carload of stuff: refer to pictures of us with our shopping bags), got our hair cut at a fancy salon (Rolf's), and generally had a lovely, relaxing time. It was kind of hard to make ourselves come back to Provo. No really.

However, back in Provo we are. I suppose it's important to be back, as I have a number of tests and papers due soon. Ick. I do enjoy learning, but sometimes I resent the 'measurements' put in place to demonstrate the extent I've learned. I understand why we have tests, but I think I would learn better without any forced narrowing of my vision on certain topics--I would rather focus on what interests me in my classes and lightly touch the other areas. Sigh. Oh standardized educational institutions.

Anyway, enough ranting. Have a grand day!

Lazy Sunday

Hello there! I am rather a sporadic writer when it comes to my blog, but I hope no one is too upset by that fact.

I am currently in Provo once again pursuing my educational goals at BYU. While this is not the most exciting place to be, I'm enjoying school and my roommates. In our singles ward we've been labeled the Latina apartment, because one of my roommates is from Brazil, one is from Peru, and the other's father grew up in Mexico. I don't have any Latin heritage, but I served a mission in Brazil and I speak Portuguese. So. Anyway, our apartment is a glorious mess of Spanish, Portuguese and English words being strewn about indiscriminately. It's definitely a lot of fun!

I have decided to change my major to history. I know in of itself history is a worthless BA, but since I plan on going to law school I figure it doesn't matter what my undergraduate degree is in. Anyway, because of my new major I am taking a number of history courses this semester, which means a boatload of reading. Sigh. It's a good thing I enjoy reading (for the most part), or this would be one un-fun semester.

Another thing worth mentioning is my changed eating habits. My dear roommate Marissa is allergic to gluten, so most of my diet has become gluten-free so that we can share meals without her getting sick. It isn't as hard as I thought, as you can buy things like gluten-free pastas and brownie mixes; however late night pizza deliveries seem out of the question. It's probably for the best. I've lost around 10 pounds since school started (hooray for unintentional but welcome weight loss!)

I received a new calling--Visiting Teaching Supervisor. Yay. That will be...rewarding. Yes. Rewarding is a good way to look at it...lol. I'm sure it will be a great calling.

Well, that's all of interest for today. Until next time!

It's been a while. Nothing much is new...I'm doing some online classes and working odd jobs here and there. Yep. Life is pretty chill right now.

As you may or may not know, I am fairly obsessed with Asian dramas. Weird, I know, but true. When I am not housesitting for neighbors or reading about ancient history, I am usually lounging around my house watching some Korean or Taiwanese television show. I don't watch much American programming I'm afraid...so if you ask me what I thought of the final season of Lost or 24 I wouldn't be able to have much of an opinion I'm afraid. Ask me about what I think of Boys Over Flowers or You're Beautiful and I'll have tons of comments and takes on what I thought about the series. I am such a dork...but hopefully a nice dork. :)

If you would like to watch some Korean dramas legally and for free online, may I suggest trying the site dramafever.com as it has tons of great shows subtitled in English. Yay!

Hope you have a splendid day!

I'm home!

I'm home again in good old Mesa, AZ. Hooray! Winter semester was killer...I'm so glad I am done with tests for a while. I'm starting online classes next week, but for now I am enjoying a little breather.

So life continues. My puppies (Kate and Will) are adorable. I spend most of my time chasing after or being chased by them. They are hilarious; Will loves biting my nose and my ears every time I get close enough for him to do so. Oh how I love dogs! :]

Well, not much is new. I'm excited for my pool to warm up so I can go swimming. I'm excited to read a million books I've been dying to read (not school books--just literature I will read because I want to--not because I have to!)

Anyway, that's all for today. Have a pleasant evening! (Or day, depending on when you read this...)

April Already?

Can you believe it's already April...and finals are almost upon us poor college students? Man oh man. I'm getting closer to that elusive state of being...otherwise known as graduation. I try not to think about it much. It kind of scares me.

What I am not scared of is the thought of going home for spring and summer terms. I hate living in Utah. No really, I do. I don't hate the people...I just hate the place. Last night it snowed heavily, but it's now around 70 degrees. My internal clock is going haywire.

Luckily, I'll be home this month, enjoying blue Arizona skies and time with my family. This past week I made a last-minute trip home for my mom's surprise 50th birthday party. I can hardly express how nice it was to be there. I got to play with our family's new puppies (Kate and Will), go to the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix for lunch, get a pedicure, and just relax. I LOVE being at home. Even when I am not specifically relaxing, I love just being there. I feel so much happier.

Anyway, for the next couple of weeks I will be super stressed, but I am excited at the prospect of getting everything over and done with so I can leave this place for a couple of months. Yay!

My Family's In Town!

So this weekend was fabulous! My family is in town for the week to go skiing up in Park City, which is only an hour away from Provo. What this means is I get to see my family on a daily basis. Yay!

Saturday they arrived, and I spent the night with them up in Park City. It was fun to feel like I was getting out of Provo. Park City doesn't feel like the rest of Utah...it's resort-town-feeling is so refreshing...and no inversion! Yes, please.

The next day they came to my ward, and then we went to a lovely brunch in SLC at the Great America hotel. Um, yeah it was FANTASTIC! My favorite things were the Cornish game hens and the crepes. I got a banana/cream cheese/chocolate/Nutella/cinnamon sugar combination, and let me say it was the best crepe I've had in my life. Oh man. My bf Marissa came with us, and we had a blast. Why don't I eat like that every day?

Anyway, this will be a crazy week as I have crazy amounts of homework, but I'm going to try hard to stay afloat. Hope everything goes well! :)

Until next time,

Kyra

Hello! I am once again going to write on my blog. Hooray!

As for news, one thing exciting is that I signed the contract today to live in Belmont Condos again next year...hooray! Even better is the fact that my good friend Marissa signed a contract for the adjoining room...HURRAH! I am way excited. I love this apartment and I love Marissa, so I'm sure next year will be a good one.

I am currently looking into changing my major. If I do a history major, I could possibly be finished in just over a year; my current major (International Relations) would take me three more years to complete. I never saw myself as a history major (as I considered it a 'useless' major), but I decided that I do really enjoy the subject, I am fairly good at it, and so at this point it just seems to make sense. I have no idea what I will do with a history major, or what I will do with my life after I graduate. At this point I am just trusting in my Heavenly Father that opportunities will present themselves to help steer me in the right direction.

So, on another topic. My current addictions (which change periodically) are makeup and hair products. It kind of started when I bought myself a super awesome Sedu brand hair-straightener for my birthday (see it here at http://www.folica.com/Sedu_Revolution_d6422.html) I don't often invest in expensive beauty tools, but I am in love with this straightener. I've been doing so many rad things to my hair that I started realizing that you can achieve much cooler things with your appearance when you own the right awesome products. Anyway, I've made some additional beauty buys lately that have really kicked my look up a notch. I'd recommend the Shu Uemura eyelash curler (http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P8119&categoryId=B70) and Lancome's eyeshadow quad in Showstopper style for a great smoky-eye look (http://www.lancome-usa.com/makeup/eyeshadow/color-design-quad.htm). As for the next item on my beauty wishlist? Shu Uemura Essence Absolue hair oil. The reviews are out of this world and my hair is kind of damaged right now, so I can't wait to try this stuff (see it at http://www.shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com/styling/product.aspx?prdcode=SU028&CategoryCode=AXE_Styling).

Last night some friends came over to watch some Korean dramas with me. Ha ha ha good times. I know it is kind of random and weird that I really like Korean soaps, but I'm not going to lie, I really do. I enjoy even more getting my friends addicted to them. The amazing thing is that it's not that hard to get my friends/family to be fans. They just have to give it a chance, watch the shows once, and they are hooked. Fun clothes, fun locations, good-looking actors, and hilarious but clean yet addicting plots--does television get any better? I submit that it does not.

Well, this is kind of a random and rambling post. I'll stop there for today, but thanks for reading this! Have a swell day!

Hello all! Of course it's been ages since I've written anything, but I thought updating my blog would be nice as a break from homework.

Tonight I am throwing a Mardi Gras party...it should be really fun. Pretty much, as it will be a Mormon-style party, the evening will consist of just good food and good friends. I hope it turns out to be a lot of fun.

Did you ever notice how stress seems to come in waves? School seems to have a week of stressing, and then a week of waiting for the next week, then a week of stressing, then a week of waiting for the next week, etc. It always seems like tests, papers, and projects from different classes somehow all seem to be due at the same time. Ugh. At the moment I seem to be inundated with schoolwork. However, this too shall pass.

Hm. Well, not much else to say at the moment. Life is reasonably good. I am reasonably happy. All is well. Until next time!

sorry that i'm a lazy writer!

Sorry friends and family that I completely forgot I had a blog! I honestly haven't thought about it for quite a while...oops!

Well, last night we had a Christmas concert here in the Jerusalem Center. It was lovely...we had a number of choir pieces, small group performances, and solos. I am amazed at the caliber of talent the group here at the center has! Despite limited practices, the choir sounded amazing and everything ran smoothly. It was such a beautiful, inspiring night. With Christmas music, I really begin to feel the "Christmas spirit." I love that.

I sang "Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)" as the penultimate piece of the evening. The choir backed me up in the final verse. It might have been one of the highlights for me, singing my favorite Christmas songs as a soloist with the great city of Jerusalem as my backdrop. It was absolutely thrilling. My legs were trembling the whole time, but at least I didn't trip or anything...lol. Anyway, we are doing one more performance for tomorrow (Sunday) night. I hope it goes as well as it did yesterday!

Last week we visited Bethlehem. It was a very interesting visit. I'm sure this bustling Palestinian city is very different from the sleepy town of Jesus' day. The Byzantine-era Church of the Nativity was very ornate and so massive. At first I felt a little repulsed, as I imagined the Nativity as a much more simple and humble affair. However, one of my professors commented that adorning all of the manger and stable with silver and gold prevented pilgrams from hacking off pieces of these holy sites as souveniers. Touche.

Jerusalem is beginning to become very cold...winter really is upon us. After two years of hot weather and no winter, I've forgotten what it feels like to be cold. I'm not sure I like it.

Anyway, I hope you have a splendid day, and until next time, this is your very own Kyra writing you from Jerusalem, Israel!