Baby Registry!

Ever since I found out I was pregnant, and finally convinced myself that it was real, I have been researching items I would like to add to my baby registry.

I've actually signed up in a few places (all online only), BuyBuyBaby, Amazon, and BabyList, to check out their registries.

BuyBuyBaby, which I started off with and liked for the most part, has a lot of stuff on their site and was my favorite since they also have a physical store near my area, until my research lead me to some items I wanted to register for that they didn't have on their site. Amazon's Baby Registry has even more stuff on their site, including that item I didn't find on BuyBuyBaby's, and you can read a bunch of reviews as well, so I decided to register with them next. After seeing pin after pin on Pinterest advertising Babylist, I finally decided to give them a try.

BabyList is my favorite registry thus far. I love how the site allows me to grab listings from around the Internet and add them to my registry. The site also allows you to either link or import from other registries if you, like me, decide to switch registries in the middle of creating one. They even allow you to create your own registry categories and I added one for DIY gifts called "Made From the Heart" where I'm starting to link a few things I would like that some people may be willing to make/build for me.

About my OB visits and tests and such

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted and quite a bit has happened in that time span.

On May 20th, I had an OB appointment scheduled for 10am. When I arrived and checked into the office it was 9:45 and the waiting room was almost completely filled. Since I had done some research into the office and kind of knew what to expect, I settled in for a long wait. Turns out my wait was a lot longer than I anticipated, but not at the same time. When we realized that almost everyone who had been with us in the office when we first went in had already been seen, I finally went up to the front desk and asked when I was going to be seen. I'm pretty sure they forgot about me because they already had my name crossed of their waiting list and they ended up calling me into an exam room about 5 minutes after my inquiry (around 12:45!). I was seen by a nurse practitioner who checked my fundal height (25 weeks!), heard the baby's heartbeat! (nice and strong), received paperwork for a blood draw and glucose test, started the ball rolling on an ultrasound exam, and scheduled my next OB appointment.

On May 24th, I received notice from my OB office that an urgent ultrasound had been scheduled that same day at 3pm. Since I couldn't reschedule, having to wait until the end of June for an ultrasound if I did, I went into work an hour early and left around 2pm to make it to the appointment on time. James ended up having to skip his class that day to be able to make it to the appointment with me.

The ultrasound took forever and I had to pee soooo bad the whole time, having been told that I needed to drink a good quantity of water before the appointment (I drank around 20 ounces). One of the ultrasound tech's was new or a student/learning so I'm sure the exam took a lot longer than it usually does. They took scans and measurements of everything, and then we finally got to learn what we are having...a girl! I'm so excited and happy and apprehensive at the same time. I kind of had a feeling she was going to be a girl -- I had been referencing the baby as a she when I didn't use the gender neutral "it". The first thing we did after the appointment was head over to Carter's and pick out her first onesie, then we clued my sisters in on what we were expecting.

On May 26th, we finally clued my parents in on what was happening. (One of my sisters had known for quite some time and the other had just found out a few days before.) The reveal went better than I, and especially James, had originally anticipated. The expected questions were asked and answered. They learned that we are engaged and were planning our wedding before we figured out we were expecting.

Today, May 27th, I went in for my lab draws. While in the waiting room, after having had my first blood draw and drinking my glucose water, we ended up talking to a lady who was in there for the same reason. Since she was pregnant with her second child, she clued us in a little in what to expect and how to react to different things that are and will eventually happen during and after delivery and while raising the baby. According to the lab tech, my results should be ready in about a week's time, due to the holiday.


Lab tests done/requested are as follows:
Obstetrical Panel w/Reflex
Hemoglobin A1c
HIV - 1/2 AG/AB, 4th w/Reflex
UA, Complete
Culture, Urine Routine
75g 2° GTT (Glucose Tolerence Test)
CF test
Urine Tox

Playing Catch-up

So many things have happened in the past couple of years, so the following will be a, longer than I originally expected, recap.

Work:
In December 2014, I started a new job at a home health agency my mom works for. I started off as an Intake/Staffing Coordinator and worked in that position for a total of three months before the person I was filling in for returned from maternity leave. At that point, I was promoted (solely in position) from Intake/Staffing Coordinator to HR Representative. My "mentor" ended up transferring to another agency within a month after I accepted the position. I have been working at that agency, in that position from March 2015 to present. I fulfill many roles within the company -- part-time intake/staffing coordinator, payment poster, medical records clerk, administrative assistant, QA clerk -- basically I have my hand in mostly every aspect of the company. Sometimes I even wonder to myself what would happen if/when I decide to leave. I'm really not being boastful or big-headed. It's just a absolute fact, and most, if not all of the other employees know how much I'm contributing to the company. If only my boss were aware of that. For over half the time I've been with the company, I've been saying that I was only planning to stay for about a year or so in total, but I've since been with them for almost a year and a half and, because of circumstances to be written about later, may not leave for another half a year or so. The benefit to working in that establishment is that I sort of have leave to "do whatever I want." I have a set work schedule but have more freedom to go in late or call out when necessary, a freedom which I know I've taken advantage of a few times, but will be a blessing in the very near future.

Travel (within the past year):
Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara - day trip, Seattle, Seattle/Portland

We went to Santa Cruz in June of last year to celebrate James' birthday. It was an interesting experience but not as great as I guess I expected it to be. We stopped in a few of our usual places on the way up and some we hadn't been to before: Anderson's to try some of their famous pea soup, the Avila barn for some fresh fruits and to see the animals, the Apple Farm (they have the best fried artichoke and apple dumplings), and our usual taco spot (to remain unnamed ;D).  In Santa Cruz we visited a few coffee places, since James was really into coffee at that time, some really good ice cream places, and the Mystery Spot. We also stopped into Capitola for a bit before heading back.

In July, we had a day trip into Santa Barbara which was actually really nice and relaxing. We stopped by a few coffee places, checked out the Santa Barbara Mission, and the Santa Barbara Courthouse before heading home.

October saw us in Seattle for my annual birthday trip. We checked out the EMP and the Star Wars exhibit, which was really neat, wandered around Ballard on the day of my birthday, went on a chocolate factory tour, hit up a few coffee places, and a few beer places as well. It was on this trip that James discovered his interest and love for craft beer. My favorite parts of the trip were relaxing on the lawn in front of the Seattle Space Needle for a good hour or so after we had finished up at the museum and wandering around Ballard and the surrounding area where we visited their farmer's market, had some great food and dessert, and saw the house that inspired the Disney movie Up!

Our most recent trip took place this past April and was to Seattle/Portland. We stayed at a friends house in Seattle and attended the Emerald City Comic Con. I liked it a lot better than San Diego's Comic Con in how they arranged the con itself. Everything had its own designated floor/level, which made it easier to see things and walk around. My biggest disappointment is that ECC didn't have as many independent artists/writers/creators as SDCC has. I enjoy walking around their booths and seeing all the cute stuff that I'm never going to buy. All in all the ECC experience was good and I'm willing to go again in the future.

Seattle itself was an interesting experience. This time around we rented a car to get around the city easier, but since we were mostly there for the con, we packed most of our exploring into one and a half days. We stopped in to the Pike Place Market for a few hours, visited a few beer places, relaxed at Gas Works Park, checked out the panoramic city views at Kerry Park, and hiked the Foster Point Trail where James proposed! (More on that later.) After we left Seattle we headed into Oregon to explore Seattle and the surrounding areas.

Oh how I love Oregon. One day I want to eventually move out there. I love the greenery, the breathtaking views, the waterfalls, the quirky districts, the food! On our first full day there, we visited the Columbia River Gorge and oh my goodness it was even better than I expected. The weather was expected to be gloomy, but the sun came out soon after we reached our first stop and it stayed nice and sunny throughout our whole trip. We took our time driving up the Historic Columbia River Highway and checked out so many gorgeous waterfalls and vistas. We ended in Hood River where James checked out a few more beer places before we headed back to our hotel for the night. Over the next couple of days, we visited a few more beer places and shopped and checked out the various districts in the area.

Relationship:
If you've been following along through this post then you'll know that I'm engaged! James and I have been together for over ten years now. We've been through a lot of ups, and a lot of downs, but we've weathered them through and are now ready to settle down and make a commitment to each other and our future.

Personal Life:
A number of things have happened to me in the past couple of years, but the biggest one of all is that....I'm pregnant! After being together for so long, and not once having a scare, we're actually pregnant! It's exciting, and scary, at the same time, and is what inspired me to restart this blog, aside from the fact that I actually started writing in a journal, but being too lazy to hand write decided to type out a journal/blog instead.

If you decide to follow along on this journey, you'll learn more about myself and my aspirations for my life, family, and relationship.

Living in the Present

It's been a long time since I've thought of blogging. It's been even longer since I've actually blogged. Considering the numerous changes that have occurred during my life in the past year, I feel it would be beneficial to begin again.  For a moment, I considered creating a new blog for the sole benefit of having a clean, fresh new start with no past behind me, but how realistic is that? The past is where it is and is not something that can be changed, only reflected on. The past will remain. What can change is the future. So, here's to another beginning, another try. The past is behind me, the future ahead, but the present...ah, the present, is to be lived!

A Short Collection of Animated Shorts

I was browsing through some blogs I had bookmarked a while back. Suffice it to say, I came across a mention of an animated short based on the picture book titled The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore written by William Joyce. Of course I had to look it up on YouTube and after viewing it, had to share it here.

The short, also directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenberg, is brilliant and so much more expressive than the written story.

As is typical of me and YouTube, I came across a number of other shorts that I've either re-discovered or am now discovering for the first time.

The next couple of shorts I've come across previously and am happy to have re-discovered.

The first short, Alma, was written and directed by Rodrigo Blaas. It is a beautiful, yet eerie, film about a young girl and a toy store with its collection of dolls.

Paperman by John Kahrs is one of my favorite shorts and is about the chance meeting between a young man and a young woman and the forces that bring them back together.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find a good copy of it on YouTube, but a copy of the short can be accessed by clicking on the image above.

The next two shorts are new to me.

The first short, "Wind Mills," was made and directed by Guillaume Bergère, Guillaume Courdert, Maria Glinyanova, Bruno Guerra, and Charlotte Jammet at the Georges Méliès school as a graduation movie.

It is beautifully made with a hauntingly surreal soundtrack. The minimal dialogue toward the end of the film is roughly translated as "'We have enough wind to go!' 'I'm staying with your mother...leave without us' 'I don't want to go without you!'" (as taken from the comments section of the YouTube video).

This last short is a heart-wrenching one entitled Emi, written by Gwendoline Ancelin, that tells the story of a young girl, her father, and a momentous decision.

The last screen before the credits reads: "The greatest gift that we can give, is the gift of self..."

Culinary Adventures - Flour Tortillas & Creamy Homemade Taco Sauce

I LOVE having the house to myself. It gives me the opportunity to experiment and cook different things undisturbed. I've made homemade tahini, coconut butter, and taco sauce and I've experimented with various dishes as well.

Today's experiment was for homemade flour tortillas. I've been playing with the idea of making my own tortillas for a while now. I actually wanted to make tortillas as a precursor to making pita bread from scratch. They use basically the same ingredients, except pita bread requires yeast to make them more thick and bread-y. 

The tortillas actually turned out pretty well. They were a bit thicker than I wanted but that can easily be remedied by rolling them out thinner. We had them with shredded rotisserie chicken, refried beans, cabbage, shredded cheese, and some of my homemade taco sauce. Yum!

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Made-from-scratch Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup flour for rolling

1 heaping tsp salt

6 tbsp softened butter

3/4 to 1 cup hot/warm water

Directions:

Mix butter into flour until fully incorporated. Dissolve salt into hot/warm water and slowly add to flour mixture until soft ball forms. Knead for two to three minutes. Roll dough into 2" thick log, cut into twelve equal pieces (for 6 to 8 inch tortillas), and roll into balls. Cover with plastic wrap or slightly damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes to one hour. On lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into thin circles. Cook tortillas on pre-heated, ungreased griddle or non-stick pan for 30-60 seconds on each side or until bubbles form. Stack tortillas in dish towel to keep warm and pliable. Unused tortillas can be stored in a sealed plastic bag for two days at room temperature or up to one week refrigerated.

Creamy Homemade Taco Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2-3 tbsp lime juice, to taste

1/4 tsp vinegar

1/4 tsp ground sumac*

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried dill weed

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in one pint jar. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins before use for all flavors to blend together. Keeps up to one week in the refrigerator.

*Sumac is a spice made from ground sumac berries. It has a tart, berry-lemony taste and is traditionally used in Middle Eastern dishes. Sumac can be used as a substitute to lemon when the flavor, and not the acidity, of a lemon is needed. 

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas...

The words bring to mind images of childhood on those rare occasions when my mom used to cook for us, back when she didn't really care much about processed and fatty foods. It was a treat for me and my sisters when our mom cooked because she'd usually work afternoons/evenings four days a week including every other weekend (she was a nurse, now retired) and we rarely got to see her or spend much time with her as we were growing up. One of the dishes I remember her making most often was chicken enchiladas. Her chicken enchiladas were pretty basic, shredded chicken mixed with olives and sometimes corn, sour cream and mayo, no cream cheese, no chilies, and corn tortillas instead of flour, but they were smothered in cheese and they were delicious.

I randomly decided to make enchiladas for dinner one day when I was bored and wanting something "different" to eat. I scoured Pinterest for "easy" chicken enchilada recipes and combined a few different ones to come up with my own version. Because I decided to cook them last minute, I didn't have any chilies or olives on hand but they still turned out great. James, who usually has some complaint about what I cook (usually that everything I cook is Italian-ish and all tastes the same) said it was the best dish I've ever made. To prove that, he had enchiladas for dinner AND breakfast AND lunch the next day.

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Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper (to taste)

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (equal to ~2 cups shredded)

1 8oz pkg cream cheese or neufchatel cheese, softened or 1 cup sour cream

1 small can black olives, diced

1 small can green chilies, diced*

12 10-inch flour tortillas

1 large can enchilada sauce

3 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

2 Tbs olive oil (or as needed)

Directions: 

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, saute chicken in olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Add 1/2-inch water to pan. Cover and simmer for additional 5 minutes. Take off heat and let steam in covered pan for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to large bowl and shred. Add cream cheese, diced olives, and diced green chilies and mix until well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a separate skillet, warm tortillas to prevent cracking when rolling. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce into bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish. Spoon mixture into tortillas, roll and place in baking dish, seam side down. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and top with shredded cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbling. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

**green chilies have very little heat and will add depth and flavor to the dish

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To make the dish healthier, neufchatel cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt can be substituted for the cream cheese and whole wheat tortillas, instead of flour. I would say use less cheese but what's an enchilada if it isn't smothered in cheese??

100 Books to Read Before You Die

In 2003, the BBC came out with a list of 100 books that everyone should read before they die. Apparently, the average person has only read or will only read six of these books in their lifetime. 

Sadly, in this day and age, that is not a surprising conclusion. The internet, video games, and social media have taken the place of reading, among many other things. Sitting still and reading a book is no longer exciting. With a large number of books becoming adapted into major motion pictures, it has become much easier for someone to "watch" a book than it is to read one. Hours or days of reading are condensed into three hours or less. 

Personally, reading is my passion and my hobby. I read to learn new things, to gain a better understanding of the things I already know, to lose myself, to separate myself from reality. I have always loved to read and I hope to someday pass that love on to my children.

I have read 35 of the books on this list (bolded) and plan to read or re-read many more (underlined). How many have you read?

1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6 The Bible - I've endeavored, multiple times, to read the Bible in its entirety. That has yet to happen (I keep getting stuck in Leviticus!,) but that doesn't mean I'm not going to keep trying!
7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell - Funnily enough, I have multiple copies of this book and have yet to read it!
9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens - I read the abridged version made for children and really liked it. I'd love to read the unabridged version 
11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller - Another book I have a copy of and have yet to read...
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen - My favorite Jane Austen book.
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan - Loved the movie..until it got to the twist..then I hated it. I wonder if the written version is any better. At least I know what to expect this time and won't be disappointed..
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel - Loved the book, loved the movie, would love to re-read.
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night – Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens - Again, read the abridged children's version and would love to read the unabridged version as well.
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession – AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

To New Beginnings?

I recently rediscovered this blog after almost three years in hiatus and, after much debate and consideration, have decided to revive it...for the fourth time.This time, instead of reiterating my oft repeated "this time it WILL be different," I've decided to go into this with zero expectations. I will not resolve to blog every day, every other day, or once a week. I will not make any commitments. I will let things flow as they will. I feel that, without any expectations attached, I may actually do better this time around. However, as usual, only time will tell.

Stuck on repeat..

It has been a very long time since I last posted on this blog. Keeping this blog was supposed to be my way of documenting my interests and activities, but as I said before, I'm not very good at keeping up with journals and what not. In fact, I had to look at my blog to even remember when and what I last posted! Haha, my second to last post, over a month ago, was actually about this very dilemma! I guess I still haven't learned. Oh well, time for another recap I guess... but maybe at a later time (lol!) since I'm sleepy and hungry and still have to make myself dinner... =)

Ce-le-brate good times!

It's the BF's birthday today. Happy Birthday!! We started celebrating yesterday by attending Skate Cinematography with Ty Evans + Girl and Chocolate Pro Skate Teams, a workshop presented by the Levi's Film Workshop. We got to watch some really cool footage, including one having to do with skateboarding and fire!, and had an opportunity to borrow Flip cameras, film some skateboarders in action, and edit our work. The BF and I have decided to collaborate and incorporate our clips into one video that I'll be sharing once we have it completed and uploaded.  Afterwards, we walked around Little Tokyo, had some red bean bread, and a late lunch at Curry House! On the way home we stopped by our local art walk and bought a bunch of books for $2 each! Today, we plan on doing some shopping and sightseeing, having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and attending the premier of Unbeleafable 3D Skate Film and Girl Skateboards Retrospective. Having watched a short 3D test video yesterday afternoon at the workshop we're really looking forward to seeing this film!

Since I have an early start in the morning, I'll now be leaving you with one of the videos presented to us by Ty Evans at the film workshop:


"LAKAIROMANIA" from Marc Ritzema on Vimeo.

(About my list, I promise, promise I'll have more details and some pictures up and edited soon! Promise!)

And you think YOU have it tough

A London bus driver braves the streets of Manila to experience the life of a jeepney driver. I was crying for at least half of the documentary. It's tough to realize that people live in squalid conditions with very little, if any, hope for a real future.  Makes me very grateful for the opportunities that I am provided with here.

Let's try this again shall we?

While I was at work today I put together a list of things that I'd wanted to share but never got around to doing so.

1. Update on no poo
2. Levi's Film Workshop/Little Tokyo/Art Show
3. Graduation!
4. X-men: First Class/Hooka
5. The Berrics screening

Since it's late and I'd like to go to bed soon, I'll keep this short with more details (and pictures) to follow. So to begin:

1. Unfortunately, my no poo trial only lasted a couple of weeks so I never got the full effects of experiment. The first time I only lasted three days before I washed my hair, with shampoo because I was in a hurry. Second time around I started on a Wednesday night and was able to last til Monday morning when I absolutely had to wash my hair for work. The third time and last time, I ended up washing my hair after the third day because it was looking extremely greasy because of our weather (hot, humid). Because I didn't last long enough, I never got past the "greasy" stage and I never got a chance to work out the right measurements for my ingredients. I am determined to try again, but maybe in the fall or winter when it's not so hot out.
2. Levi's has been sponsoring a film workshop at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA for the past couple of months, in conjunction with MOCA's Art in the Streets exhibit. A few weeks ago the BF and I attended one of their workshop lectures with Steve Berra.  Since I can along for the experience, I wandered and looked at stuff while the BF listened, edited, and networked. We walked around Little Tokyo after and had some Japanese curry at the Curry House (yum!) and caught an art show. I'll be expanding more on this later (with pictures!)
3. As I had previously mentioned, I finished school several weeks ago. Graduation was on the 25th of May. Definitely more to follow later.
4. Went to see First Class the weekend it premiered. Great movie. Tried some hooka for the first time that night too.
5. And finally, went out to the Berrics Tuesday night for their premier screening of the Abberican Originals. Had a good, interesting time. Met an interesting guy at the end of the night, kind of crazy, but in a good way.

As I mentioned, I'll be providing more details and some pictures in the following days.  For now, it's time for bed. Goodnight!

Gah!

So when I started this whole blog thing it was supposed to be a way of learning more about myself and what makes me who I am. I also wanted to start documenting my "interesting" days since I'd like to have some concrete remembrances of my experiences and I haven't kept a real journal in years. I started off pretty well, aside from a gap when I was going through finals, but I haven't really posted much (anything!) since then, well aside from being *semi* consistent with my "Music Mondays."  Therefore, I am now resolving to document, at least a few times a week, my goings-on to keep tabs for myself and to keep up with my resolve to keep this blog going! At the moment I'm getting ready to head off to work so I'll play catch-up once I get home. Until later! =)

Blue Skies

I was feeling so blah about the music I was looking up last week plus the fact that the BF and I spent practically all of Memorial Day weekend cleaning out my room and closet that I didn't end up getting around to posting up a new music blog. =( But yay! I found my music muse once again! Here are some  artists/songs that I found interesting. Enjoy!!

Telekinesis - Dirty Thing

(I really like how they put this music video together.  Makes me really anxious to buy myself a new camera so I can "recreate" and play around with all the effects and editing!)

Non Tiq - Quiet

(Interesting song, horrible music video. I much prefer the beat of this version.)

Sufjan Stevens - Futile Device

(Very mellow sleepy-time track, calming, soothing..)

The Everyday Visuals - I'll Take it All in Stride

(I like their voices and the music but I'm not too keen on the lyrics =/)

Oh the discoveries!

Adele! I was listening to both of her albums last night and came to the conclusion that, although I like her 19 album, I love her 21 album.  There's just a lot more raw depth and feeling to her second album that isn't in her first.

On the other hand, while trying to discover more information regarding Adele's opening acts I came across the artist Goh Nakamura which led me to the discovery of artist Jane Lui.  Both artists have free full-album downloads available for our listening pleasure.

[Click for free album download]

[Click for free album download]

Now I have that I have two new artists in rotation it's time to ferret out more! Until next time!

There's a chill in the air

I've decided that I'm going to make Monday's "Music Mondays" and post different albums and/or songs that I'm currently listening to or am interested in. I've been wanting to get into music more and here's a perfect way to do it! Granted today is Tuesday, but let's just pretend it's yesterday shall we? =)

As I am writing, I am listening to Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi's album collaboration, Rome. I love how mellow and relaxing the entire album is. I've listened to it on repeat at least three or four times straight through and I'm still not tiring of it. A number of the songs have a sort of ethereal or other-worldly feel that's kind of creepy but exhilarating at the same time. In fact, all the songs are bound together by a sort of ghostly thread that wends its way throughout each one. I've been trying to decide which song I would classify as my "favorite," but in truth I love them all! Overall, a great collaboration by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi with the accompanying vocals of Jack White and Norah Jones. This is definitely an album I would love to get my hands on.

Holy smokes!

For years I've been aware of the fact that I have to eat healthier and take better care of myself, especially with my family history. I have a history of cancer on both sides of my family. Some of my relatives have diabetes and/or have had heart attacks or strokes. Despite knowing all that, I rarely exercise or watch what I eat. Although I didn't exactly take proper care of myself, in the past I rarely ate red meat, never consumed alcohol, ate most of my meals from home and pretty much stayed away from chips and soda. I was relatively healthy. All that changed in the past five or so years after meeting my boyfriend. Since then, I've gained about 30 pounds over my ideal and prior weight, mainly due to unhealthy eating habits. (We used to eat out at restaurants or have fast food at least 3-4 times a week!)

I'd previously made some attempts at managing my weight, running/walking occasionally and "dieting." Since I used to work full-time and was currently working part-time with full-time school I've been too busy (or tired, sleepy, lazy, have too much homework, etc) to exercise and try to eat healthy.

I recently heard/learned of the Flat Belly Diet, mainly because I came across an article about sassy water.  While I haven't yet made any effort to begin the strict four day food regimen I have been drinking the sassy water.  It's basically a combination of 8 1/2 cups filtered water, 1 medium lemon and 1 med cucumber thinly sliced, and a small handful of mint leaves (I left out the grated ginger as I'm not fond of ginger and we didn't have some anyway). The ingredients in the water is supposed to help reduce bloating and water retention while getting you to drink water more frequently. I've read that some people, my youngest sister included, detest the taste of the water. To me, and my dad who drinks it sometimes too, it tastes like unsugared, watered down lemonade. While I haven't noticed any weight loss, not that I'm currently expecting any, I have noticed that I'm not feeling any bloating, no matter what I eat.

Now that I've finished with school, I'm going to make an effort to start eating healthy and exercise more. No more excuses! I plan on following a stricter meal plan (I detest the word "diet" and never go on one) and will make an effort to cook my own food instead of buying it. Not only will I be doing myself a favor by learning to cook and eat healthier, I'll also be helping out my wallet! New SLR camera that I've been craving for forever here I come! =D

I'm alive!

Wow.. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. After a year and a half of learning and studying, memorizing and cramming, I can finally breathe again. All my efforts will shortly be realized. I am done with school! Like the children's rhyme goes, "No more pencils. No more books. No more teacher's dirty looks." I will be graduating in about a week's time.

No 'poo

As I was browsing the Planet green website the other day, one of the articles I came across was about several different uses of baking soda. What interested me the most was using baking soda as shampoo, also called and considered part of the "no 'poo" method. I had learned, many years ago, that washing your hair every day is not recommended or even healthy for hair. Since then I've only washed my hair every other day to every three days depending on how active I have been or how greasy my hair is feeling. Because of this, the idea of no 'poo intrigued me. I did some research regarding the no 'poo method, and the basic premise is to eliminate the use of shampoo (and conditioner) and its harsh, toxic chemicals and replace them with more natural, healthy alternatives. People have reported that eliminating shampoo has helped to make their previously unmanageable hair healthy, strong, and manageable.

Since my previously thick hair has gradually began to thin out due to stress and neglect, today I decided to try the no 'poo method out. I replaced my normal shampoo with a baking soda (BS) and water mixture and apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse. Based on my reading, I was aware that California's naturally hard water could affect the outcome of my wash, but I was prepared for that outcome and ready to face the possible consequences.

As directed in several websites I visited, I mixed 1tbs BS with 1c water in one 8oz squeeze bottle and mixed 1tbs ACV with 1c water in a separate squeeze bottle. Once I massaged and worked the BS mixture through my hair it began feeling smoother and silkier. That feeling changed when I began rinsing the mixture out. My hair ended up feeling very greasy and heavy. I went ahead with the ACV rinse hoping that it would cut the greasy feeling and even out my hair texture and it did help, somewhat. I ended up using a nickel-sized amount of Suave conditioner to smoothe out my hair and make it feel better. My hair dried quicker than usual, did not have a vinegar smell, and felt pretty nice and soft. Since I normally wash my hair out every other to every three days, I'm going to try and wait for at least four days before I try the wash again. A few people suggested the use of a water softener, such as Brita, to use in the event of hard water. Since we have a water filtration system, I'm going to attempt to use that the next time I wash my hair out, hopefully with better results.