OC Fair Fun

With our ticket stubs from the Adam Lambert Concert, Xtine and I headed back to the O.C. Fair for our fried food extravaganza. I had every intention of getting a corn dog, some dippin dots, funnel cake, ice cream, chocolate covered bacon, and a deep friend something rather....but as it turned out, we ended up just doing the following....and believe me, it was PLENTY.

First up, the zucchini nachos. yummy, cheesy, and oh so fried greasy...

We walked the entire fair and took some pictures. No way was I going to ride any of the rides. I stopped riding fair ride a looooooong time ago.

After exploring the fair, we headed back to where we saw the Mexican Funnel Cake. OMG. It was a churro style funnel cake with strawberries on top. wow. It was HUGE and part way through we had to take a break.

We were seated behind one of the stages where a hypnotist was putting on a show. We decided to check out the show and man, was I glad we did. I never laughed and screamed so loudly. My throat is still hurting from all the crazy things the was having people do.

At some point I will post some of the pictures from the fair. It was fun! and this concludes item #22 on the 30 while 30 list.

Glam Nation Tour

On Tuesday I went to the Pacific Amphitheater and saw Adam Lambert in concert. Woohoo! it was a great show. Allison Iraheta was up first. Wow did she look good. Oriathi was up next with her crazy guitar skills. Man. Followed by the one, the only, Adam Lambert in all his glitteriness. The boy can strut his stuff..and it was HOT. lol.

Pictures will be up as soon as I can get them off of my brother's point and shoot camera. (I really need to get one of my own)

This completes item #1 of my 30 while 30 list. This weekend I will be working on the mini book pages. heeeeeeeeeee.

Monday Music Inspiration

In honor of the Adam Lambert concert I will be attending tomorrow, this week's music inspiration is going to all Adam. hehe.





And my all time fav....

Sometimes I wonder...

...it's really going to work.
...if they realize that I don't know as much as I seem to know.
...what my dog, Bhoo, is thinking when he's staring at me.
...if there is more than this.
...how I am going to do it.
...where he is and when I am going to meet him.
...if my parents' dog, Sammie, really understands what I'm doing when he stares at the computer screen while I'm typing.
...if he sees me...and I mean really sees me...and also sees what I see.
...if I can really do it.
...when I am going to stop feeling restless.
...how I'm going to afford my own home.
...why there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.

Friday Randoms

Here is this weeks randoms...

I love all things mail: snail mail, email, packages, parcels...I knew it was going to be a good week when I received this in the mail over the weekend:

On Tuesday, when I arrived at work, I was greeted by this:

I can never seem to get a good clean picture of Bhoo. He moves way too much. Who can resist a face like this:

Happy Birthday to MEEEEE.

Today is my 30th Birthday. 30?! I don't feel 30. Anywho...here be my 30 while 30 list - to be documented and tracked here and eventually turned into a mini book. woohooo!

1. See at least one concert. Glam Nation Tour
   
2. See a musical.
3. Go to the Great Park
4. ...and ride the balloon...maybe.
5. Tailgate on campus on game day. Go TROJANS! Homecoming 2010
6. Finish my yo-yo quilt.
7. Go on a cruise.
8. Create something out of wood.
9. Create something using a sewing machine.
10. Bake a cake from scratch.
11. Buy a point-and-shoot camera.
12. Be a more consistent blogger.
13. Re-purpose something old.
14. Go to Disneyland.
15. Read at least 6 new books this year.
16. Increase my church donation by 1%.
17. Have a bonfire.
18. Host a BBQ.
19. Go for a picnic.
20. Try one new recipe a month.
21. Compile my favorite recipes in one book.
22. Go to the O.C. fair. OC Fair Fun
23. Grow a mini herb garden.
24. Reorganize my closet.
25. Try Yoga or Pilates.
26. Make a fun video.
27. Start a collection of A's.
28. Learn how to play the ukulele.
29. Watch 10 of the "100 Greatest Movies of all Time"
30. Document my list progress in a mini-book.

Monday Music Inspiration

This song always makes me smile. Here's to another great week!

Movie Weekend

I saw several movies this weekend.

First up... Remember Me. Xtine stopped by the Red Box and picked up a copy on her way over. Oh my goodness. This movie was nothing like I had expected. I will admit that there were several times when I was a little bit misty eyed, but I did not cry. The sad and heavy feeling that I felt in the end did stick with me for a while. 



I was in need of something happy and silly and teen-y to get my mind off of Remember Me. Flipping through the channels we came across 17 Again. This was a cute movie! I'm totally crushing on Zac Efron...is that wrong/bad? After watching this movie, I wonders how my high school life (or even my college life) would have been different had I used my cellphone as regularly as I do now.



Today I went to the dollar theater with Xtine and Olivia and saw Letters to Juliet. It was a cute movie. Everything was pretty predictable, there were so surprise twists or anything like that. Overall I like it. It makes me want to hop on a plane and travel to Italy and just write...er...blog...about my adventures. hehe

I Just Haven't Met You Yet....

I have a recurring character in my dreams...The One. All I know about him is that he's tall, broad shouldered, strong, brunette, with a smile that makes my knees weak. I don't know anything else about him other than that he is MINE. ...he has no name, has no face...but it's him. Sometimes he's back lit and all I see is a silhouette of this man. Sometimes he's so far away that I can't make out his features exactly. Sometimes he's so tall that all I can see is his perfectly crooked smile beaming down at me. *sigh*

Last night he visited me in my dreams. I was dreaming that I was at work and exhausted and fighting a losing battle the robot copy machine. Out of no where he appears and sees me frustrated, wanting to give up and just sleep. He begins kissing me all over my face and over each eye lid as I stand there half asleep. Instantly I am wide awake and totally rejuvenated.

I look over at my alarm clock and see that it was 5:30 AM. I was wide awake ready to start my day. What an awesome way to wake up in the mornings! If only that could be real...one day I WILL see you and I will know you....and you will wake me up that way...one day....

Friday Randoms

Today was a wonderfully weird day. It's been a while since I've done some Friday randoms...so here goes!

1. I had some medical tests done that involved me drinking this chalky barium drink. It wasn't as yucky as the technician had described. I didn't love it, but it did taste better than some of those whey protein shakes I've tried.
2. I hate going to the doctors and having various medical testing done. I hate peeing in a cup. I hate having my blood drawn. I hate having an EKG done only because it takes so freakin long to put all the little sticky things on for a 2 second test and then its a pain to peel them all off. I hate funky x-rays that involve me laying on my stomach with my left leg crossed over my right leg, right arm down at my side, my left arm propping my left side slightly upwards and my head facing the left while drinking the barium continuously through a straw.
3. I was weirdly comforted by the technician being a goofball and brushing my hair out of my face and patting my back telling me its okay...and then fake crying when it was all over...and then telling me not to be alarmed if my poop is white the next time I go. He was nice.
4. Pete Carroll smiled at me. ME! Okay so maybe he was smiling at me because I was taking a picture of my friend Xtine while she was getting her book signed by him at his book signing. Still...I was so close to him..and he smiled! 
5. Just to clarify. Yes, I do want Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat played at my wedding. No, I do not want Lucky by Britney Spears played at my wedding. Yes, I know I'm nowhere near getting engage and having a wedding. Relax. Pete Carroll smiled at me!
6. Cheesecake Factory has the best Avocado Egg Rolls ever. EV-ER.
7. It's amazing how much I love USC. If USC were a person, I would marry him...and we would dance to Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat....and we would have a dog named Essie and a pet mini-horse named LT (for Little Traveler). Our last name would be "of Troy" and our kids would be named Helen and Spirit.

Yes. Today was a good day. This weekend is going to be FANTASTIC!

Monday Music Inspiration

Must learn how to play the ukelele! hehe.

Purge is the Word

This long weekend I did some much needed purging on multiple levels:

Clothes: I went through my dresser and closet and threw away all the clothes with holes and stains (well all except my go-to "painting" outfit"). Anything that I did not want and is still in good condition was put in a bag to be delivered to my parents house for a balikbayan box. :)

Under the sink: The next area to be tackled was the bathroom sink and medicine cabinet. I went through and tossed out all the lotions and hair products that were old or haven't been used in a while. There were things in there that I haven't used since before I moved in 2 years ago!

Church: Typically I would go to church with my brother and we would sit in or right outside the cafe. It's nice, and we still hear God's word, but its different. This weekend I went to church alone and sat inside the worship center. It's been a while and it was nice to sit and really focus on what was being said. It's amazing how in such a HUGE auditorium, you can still feel like you are connecting with the entire church experience.

Work: I was able to take one extra day to decompress and NOT think about the work/boss situation. It was a nice break and I was able to go through and let go of a lot of work related things.

Crafting: While I didn't throw any of my craft stuff out, I was able to organize many of the things I have. I was also able to work on my quilt quite a bit too, which was very relaxing and took my mind off of the above. :)

I love long weekends. It was a much needed break to prepare me for what will be coming up the next few months. A lot of change is happening. I need to prepare myself for the challenges and yet not dwell on those things that I have no control over. The next two months will be a major test on my abilities to balance work, home, and personal life. (I WILL HAVE A PERSONAL LIFE!!)

Tired.

A bit of background: I've been frustrated about things for the past...oh I don't know...since high school. I have a very specific role in this family...one that I have a hard time getting away from. I had a semi-reprieve from most of it when I went away to school at USC, but thinking back I never really separated myself from it...I just continue to carry it around with me where ever I go. When I graduated school in 2002, I moved back home and right back into that same old familiarity of it all.

Which brings me to the following blog post. On Friday I was at work, struggling to control the worst case work scenarios that keep wanting to replay in my head (a whole other story that I might get into sometime...), when I received a phone call:

Me: Hello?
Dad: This is Dad.
Me: Hi Dad.
Dad: Can you ask Mom if we are going to bible study tonight?
Me: uh. Okay. Did you call her?
Dad: Yes. She's not answering. Can you just ask her when you go there for lunch?
Me: I don't know if I'm going there for lunch.
Dad: Just ask her when you go.
Me: ...but I don't know if I'm going...
Dad: Just ask her if we are going to bible study today when you go. Thanks.

Now. It doesn't seem like it's a big deal, right? It really isn't and it really shouldn't be...but that conversation is pretty indicative of my life as a human telephone. First of all, my mom is very bad with "the cellphone". Secondly, I don't live with my parents. I have my own half of a house 5-6 miles south of them. Thirdly, they always assume I will be there, always, forever, doing things for them.

Out of frustration I started writing this on my Blackberry while at work:

I'm tired of this life....if you can call it a life. I tired of doing what is expected of me. I'm tired of being the "responsible" one and the "dependable" one, mostly because it really means I'm the "single and not doing anything of real importance so she can drop everything and cater to the needs of others" one. I'm tired of feeling like I don't have a voice, I don't have an opinion, I don't have a choice. I'm tired of the guilt that comes along whenever I say no or disagree with someone else. I'm tired of feeling trapped and tied down by obligation, responsibility, expectation, circumstance, and predictability. I'm tired of being defined by it. I'm tired of the thought that if I didn't have this role in life, then I wouldn't know what to do with myself, I wouldn't know how to describe myself, I wouldn't know how to be me. I'm tired of wanting a different life. I'm tired of being scared. I'm tired of worrying. I'm tired of playing it safe. I'm tired of mindless following. I'm tired of wanting out, whining about it, and then not doing anything about it.

So what am I going to do about it? I keep waiting for something to happen...for that big external life changing force to come along and turn my world upside down. I know now that that force has to come FROM me, and I can't be waiting for it to happen. I have to make it happen for myself.

Here is me, trying to make it happen. I know I say it a lot...but this time I mean it...I think...