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!