Summer TV 2009

I know that since summer's almost over (for me, at least) this post is *wayyyy* too late but I figure since I've nothing really important to do right now I might as well finish up this post, since it's been in the works for the past like 2 weeks. So with that in mind, let me present to you [drumroll please]

Karen's Summer 2009 Picks!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance
What it is: Lots of young dancers uhm.... dance.
Why watch: Hours of entertainment to acceptable music and interesting costumes. Oh yeah, the dancing is pretty good as well.
She's Got the Look (currently finished with Season 2, Cindy [39] won - I think she looks a lot like Halle Berry)
What it is: America's Next Top Model for old ladies
Why I watched: Old ladies modelling. Catfights. For me, pure entertainment. Okay,yeah.... I know. DON'T JUDGE ME! ;P
Big Brother
What it is: A kind of voyeuristic show, with 13 people cooped up in one house, disconnected from the outside world for 3 months, competing for the $500,000 prize.
Why Watch: Incredibly amusing competitions for various powers and prizes are included. Lots of feuds and schemes and lies are planted within the house. Lots of strategy (although admittedly, a lot of it is just stupid... haha)
Jdoramas - 1 Pound no Fukuin, Nobuta wo Produce, Maou, Atashinchi no Danshi, Uta no Onii-san, [more that I'm forgetting, I'm sure]
What/Why: No explanation needed. Haha. Gollygeewhiz why'm I such a failure at uhm.... life?

To sum it up: I watch a lot of reality TV for some reason. I'll also watch anything that is somewhat amusing to me. However the only time I really get to watch TV is during summer, as during the school term I've about zero free time (this upcoming year I'll pretty much have like negative time available.... [sighsighsigh])

-K

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Currently:

-Knitting a Slytherin scarf for Emily
-Listening to Arashi music
-Going to go to the mall to take Cindy + Alice to watch Harry Potter 6
-Just took out a load of laundry from the dryer. Too lazy to fold it.
-Need to finish summer reading (almost done with Cannery Row, need to read all of Watership Down, have half of Catcher in the Rye left)

Fuck Yeah Insanity

So after a long time mulling over the idea of switching to a tumblr blog, I made one but decided to keep this blog. I'll be mostly just putting my original writing on here, and putting pretty much everything else onto the tumblr.

Check it out! Fuck Yeah Insanity

i'm hesitant to say yes in case you laugh at me.

Nisha: Hi
Karen: Hey! Just to let you know- chatting on this platform is not chatting to the real Karen: , it's chatting with an artificial twin. Don't take anything I (my cyber twin) says seriously. She's also quite dumb and doesn't know how to respond to most stuff.
Nisha: that's so amazing!
Karen: Totally amazing!
Karen: What are your hobbies?
Nisha: sleeping
Karen: Sleeping? Who's sleeping? Did I fall asleep?
Nisha: ...you're retarded
Karen: If you tell me constructively how I can represent my human owner better, it may help my learning process.
Karen: What do you do for a living?
Nisha: I'm a student. Ok so you need to be...well...smarter...and know more french...and want a tshirt that says "It's Not Your Fault"
Karen: What do you like learning about the most?
Nisha: ..Your mom!
Karen: My mother is very strict, but usually knows what's best. both of my parents are very smart :)
Karen: How old are you?
Nisha: I'm on of your best friends! you know how old i am!!!! retard!!! KAAANRENNN YOUR TWIN IS REALLY STUPED
Karen: I wouldn't go that far! You seem fine to me.
Nisha: stupid*
Karen: I'm never sure how people quantify what makes something stupid or not.
Karen: Do you like reading? I read all of the time!
Nisha: oops
Karen: Did you say something wrong?
Nisha: I love reading
Karen: Why is your love so strong?
Nisha: It's...not...
Karen: You seem sure about that.
Nisha: I AM sure
Karen: What makes you so sure?
Nisha: ..it's my opinion
Karen: Your opinion is, no doubt, the one that I should be listening to.
Nisha: Darfur
Karen: It's sad that the political situation in Dafur has to affect so many innocent people.
Nisha: It is very sad :(
Karen: No one should be sad. I like to live by the simple philosophy: Don't worry, be happy!
Nisha: you dont live by that...
Karen: Why do you say that?
Nisha: because i know you!
Karen: You seem to know a lot about me.
Nisha: I do know a lot about you
Karen: A lot? How much would that be approximately?
Nisha: i have known you since you were...in...first grade
Karen: How does that make you feel?
Nisha: ...scared
Karen: Feel free to ask me questions too.
Nisha: what's your favourite colour?
Karen: I don't have a favorite color.... I have many!
Nisha: What colours do you like?
Karen: I'm hesitant to say yes in case you laugh at me.
Nisha: HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Karen: It is interesting talking to you.
Nisha: back at you
Karen: Thanks
Nisha: can i use slang while talking to you?
Karen: Chatting with you is great fun. I love talking ... It's what I do!
Nisha: I'm leaving

Make Darfur a Topic

The wonderful lady who thought of this is Mary -- I love that people are now starting to utilize social networking websites for activism. View the original post here

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I'm sure you've all heard of, and half of you are on, Twitter right now. As social media becomes increasingly relevant in today's culture, it's interesting to see how it can be used to help social activism.

I've made no secret of the fact that the genocide in Darfur is something I feel strongly about; the lack of empathy and regard for human life is ridiculous and needs to stop. However, it can only be stopped if attention is brought to it. And we're going to make it a topic.

How Twitter works is by using a # (hashtag), it defines a word and sets it apart as a topic. All statements also have to be in a 140 character limit. So I've prepared for you 100 statements, hashtag included, about Darfur that are under 140 characters.

On Wednesday, July 29th, (and the days after) I want you to tweet as many of these messages as you can.. space them out, come up with them of your own, tell your friends to... basically, make Darfur a topic. It's an easy way to make a change using the internet an bring attention to something that so desperately needs it.

I have nothing to say about the facts, except that they are all verified and pretty much speak for themselves... when ironically, the Darfuri people can't.

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1) What do 400,000+ people have in common? They were all murdered in the genocide in #Darfur. http://www.standcanada.org/
2) Ignoring the Holocaust didn’t make it go away. Save #Darfur.
3) To call #Darfur anything less than a genocide is ignorant to both the definition of genocide and the suffering of the victims.
4) The most meaningful characters you could type today: Save #Darfur.
5) There are currently 2.5 million refugees because of the genocide in #Darfur. Demand action.
6) Imagine living in a country where a girl is as likely to be sexually assaulted as she is to be able to learn to read. Save #Darfur.
7) Government using helicopters to light their own people on fire? Sounds like a movie, for some it’s reality. Save #Darfur.
8) The Sudanese government hired a private militia just to kill its own people. Save #Darfur.
9) Isn’t nine years of genocide in #Darfur enough? Call 1-800-genocid(e)
10) In #Darfur elders are sent to get water at night because girls are will be raped and men shot. There is no guarantee the elder is safe.
11) The famine in Sudan killed a lot of people, but the genocide it caused killed more. 400,000 more. Save #Darfur.
12) What do we want? A stop to genocide in #Darfur. When do we want it? Nine years ago.
13) Rape and genocide go hand & hand in #Darfur: http://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=141
14) If a government is killing its own people, why on earth would they be allowed to chose where the refugee camp goes? Save #Darfur.
15) Water: we take it for granted, and yet a lack of it has lead to over 400,000 deaths in #Darfur.
16) Start a STAND chapter at your school today! http://www.standcanada.org Save #Darfur.
17) If the UN doesn’t call #Darfur genocide, they don’t have to stop the atrocities. Stop saving money and start saving lives.
18) When you invest in Sudanese oil, you are investing in genocide in #Darfur.
19) What kind of message does it send when we let a government kill its own people based on ethnicity? Save #Darfur.
20) A little apathy never hurt anyone... except the victims of #Darfur.
21) The people of #Darfur worry about famine& AIDS just like other 3rd world countries, but they also have to deal with genocide
22) Several current members of the Sudanese government have been charged with over ten counts of sexual assault. Save the women of #Darfur.
23) Many organizations currently consider #Darfur one of the most dangerous places on the planet.
24) "since the #Darfur Peace Agreement was signed in May 2006, attacks against peacekeepers and humanitarian workers have increased ninefold."
25) re:newint.org "90 per cent of the villages of Darfur’s targeted ethnic groups have been destroyed." Save #Darfur
26) re: newint.org: "3.6 million people are dependent on international humanitarian assistance in #Darfur."
27) re: newint.org: "A third of people [in #Darfur] in need are beyond the reach of humanitarian workers."
28) Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir states ‘there will not be any international military intervention in #Darfur as long as I’m in power’.
29) "The WHO has warned that a major health catastrophe could erupt if the necessary funds and supplies are not made available." Save #Darfur.
30) The ICC has "arrested" Sudanese president Al Bashir, but this is merely symbolic. Firm measures need to be taken. Save #Darfur.
31) "A hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force is on the ground in #Darfur, although it remains underfunded, understaffed, and vulnerable to attacks."
32) Girls as young as eight are considered at high risk vulnerability levels for sexual assault in #Darfur.
33) People in #Darfur have an average of a three hour each way every night to get highly protected water.
34) Water is so heavily protected in #Darfur that night time trips are necessary to avoid being shot.
35) "For the first time since 2004, global acute malnutrition rates in #Darfur rose above the emergency threshold in 2007."
36) re: Unicef: "As of September 2008, 225 humanitarian vehicles have been hijacked or stolen during the year [in #Darfur]."
37) re: Unicef: “As of September 2008, 144 humanitarian compounds [have been] broken into [in #Darfur.]”
38) Attacks on convoys means that 180,000 people in #Darfur may not receive expected clean water supplies this year
39) How long the genocide in #Darfur has been going on for is disputed, but the fact that 100s of 100,000s have died isn’t.
40) Why should you care about #Darfur? Why shouldn’t you care about #genocide?
41) Calling #Darfur a genocide is the difference between a UN intervention and political apathy. Call #Darfur what it really is.
42) Aid serves an important role in providing for the people of #Darfur, but it will not effectively address the root causes of the conflict.
43) Because Canada has no colonial ties to Sudan, it is in a prime position to help the people of #Darfur.
44) Because of the horrid conditions in #Darfur and the high rape rate, the infantcide levels have skyrocketed.
45) Sondra was a nine year old girl shot in the back of the neck when she was only two hours away from a refugee camp. Save #Darfur.
46) Machuk is a 12 year old boy who took care of 3 younger sisters. One day in #Darfur his town was lit on fire. He hasnt seen them since.
47) To see the damage done in #Darfur, check out google earth. It will show you what villages have been burned to the ground.
48) in #Darfur theres a religious belief that you cant kill a virgin. Unfortunately for young girls, the "solution" for this is rape.
49) In #Darfur, a girl will sometimes have to go through a humiliating forced marriage before being raped several times and then shot.
50) Daoud was an elderly woman who was kicked so hard she died. She was trying to get water for her family. Save #Darfur.
51) #Darfur can be hard to understand because it is not a difference of skin colour, but the fact remains that people are still dying.
52) Genocide is the systematic killing of a people. #Darfur is the systematic killing of a people. Call #Darfur genocide.
53) Saving #Darfur will be difficult, but letting an entire type of people die due to apathy is unacceptable.
54) The Holocaust, Rwanda... didn’ we say never again to genocide? Save #Darfur.
55) As long as the genocide in #Darfur continues, it will be one of the biggest broken promises of the Western world.
56) Issa was a thirteen year old girl raped by four different soldiers, two from her own government.
57) When two Canadian aids workers went missing, the news media mentioned Sudan but not the words genocide or #Darfur. Why the silence?
58) Demand more of your local media; write them and make them pay attention to what is happening in #Darfur.
59) Although Canada isn't a major world power, we are respected internationally for commitments to peacekeeping and human rights. Save #Darfur.
60) “Who the hell cared about Rwanda?” –Romeo Dallaire. Save #Darfur.
61) www.instantkarma.org: a collection of John Lennon covers with profits going to #Darfur!
62) Here’s how you can start a STAND chapter and help #Darfur! http://www.standnow.org/chapters/start
63) "Having called what is happening in #Darfur genocide and having vowed to stop it, it is time for the West to keep its word" Romeo Dallaire
64) Why You Should Care: http://www.standcanada.org/index.php?section=why-you-should-care Save #Darfur
65) Genocide: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genocide See #Darfur.
66) "Dozens upon dozens of groups and organizations have prioritized stopping the killing in #Darfur before there is no one left to be killed."
67) "The UN has become a largely irrelevant, [...] and the just-released U.N. report on the atrocities in #Darfur, Sudan, proves the point."
68) "We all might ask ourselves why we tune in to these more trivial matters and tune out when it comes to #Darfur. " -Nicholas Kristof
69) "While Americans have heard of #Darfur and think we should be doing more there, they arent actually angry at the president about inaction. "
70) #Darfur is home to many races of farmers, who identify as African, and nomadic herders, who identify as Arab.
71) Janjaweed: an armed militia supported by the Sudanese Government to help the Sudanese army kill its own people. Save #Darfur.
72) "If a government shuts off all access to the country, how can we get a clear sense of the nature and extent of the violence?" Save #Darfur
73) How to get the Facts about #Darfur: http://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=157
74) Every month I update my power point about #Darfur, yet the only thing that ever really changes is the death count numbers.
75) #Darfur is a region in Sudan that has been suffering from genocide for numerous years, yet is barely heard on the news.
76) #Darfur is one of the biggest tragedies of the 21st century -and one of the most ignored.
77) Take action in #Darfur, because the UN doesn't seem to be doing anything.
78) Unfortunately, because the UN Security Council has countries that trade with Sudan on it, it impedes action in #Darfur.
79) The people of #Darfur have enough to worry about without the genocide. This is unacceptable.
80) Support Bashir's arrest warrant, put strict trade sanctions on Sudanese oil, and return the displaced home.
81) Follow: @ExhibitDarfur, save #Darfur
82) Follow: @StandCanada, save #Darfur
83) Read: The Devil Came on Horseback, save #Darfur
84) Isa is a seven year old girl who will never know her parents because they both died when her village was lit on fire. Save #Darfur.
85) If the people of #Darfur aren't being shot at, they're starving from trying to escape being shot at.
86) in 2008, there were 500,000 children under 5 in #Darfur.
87) Thanks to UNICEF, those in #Darfur with access to it can get health care without completing a medical report.
88) 90% of the villages of #Darfur’s targeted ethnic groups have been destroyed.
89) 97% of the killings in #Darfur have been against innocent civilians done by militias instructed by the government.
90) In Darfur, 80% of displaced are women and young girls turned victims of sexual violence and abducted into sexual slavery
91) To this day, president Omar al Bashir denies his role in the violence in #Darfur.
92) According to BBC News: “Civil war in #Darfur region is seen as ‘one of the worst nightmares in recent history.’”
93) Disrupting peace negotiations in #Darfur should be illegal and punished.
94) Even aid workers have been kidnapped & killed in #Darfur, what will it take to get attention in Sudan?
95) It can be easy to forget about the people overseas, but I’m sure everyone would rather a recession than a genocide. Save #Darfur.
96) There is absolutely no excuse for the inaction in #Darfur.
97) There are 400,000 reasons to call 1-800-genocid(e). Save #Darfur.
98) Every time you write a politician about #Darfur, you are forcing them to notice that you are noticing what’s not being done.
99) Watch the movie ‘Darfur Now.’ Save #Darfur.
100) It’s hard to know the solution to the problem in #Darfur, but letting things go on the way they are is not the answer.

via VELLUM ONLINE - RACHEL CHENETTE

Reblog: 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind

These questions have no right or wrong answers.

Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
22. Why are you, you?
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
25. What are you most grateful for?
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
32. If not now, then when?
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Via Marc and Angel Hack Life
Also another good read from their blog: How to Live Life

Ça ne va pas!

So yesterday after French class (last class of the summer!!!) I hung out w/ Claire at the mall.
We had limited money, ended up spending it all within the first three hours or so, and couldn't get a ride home until another 2 hours - so until around 7 o'clock we kind of hung out at random spots looking at random stuff to keep ourselves from being bored out of our minds.

Anyway at the end of the day I had a new pair of RAINBOW TIGHTSSSSS

Hmmmm my stomach looks bulging in this dress, lol. Oh look I'm flashing you w/ the view of my soccer shorts over the tights!!! MUAHAHAHA DO YOUR EYES BURN YET? lol. These tights have wierd lines sewn over the crotch though...... not going to show pictures though.

Today I:
Made (er premade) dumplings with my grandparents and sister.
Vacuumed the house in preparation for my Canadian Aunt + Cousins' visit to our house
Learned how to do a longtail cast-on and how to knit in the round. I tell you - working w/ more than 2 needles at a time (right now I'm working w/ 4) is downright SCARY. Jericho, you should be so glad.
Took a 4-hour nap ;D

Full post to come soonish.
-K

via a facebook note/survey i wrote/took:

14. What is something that really annoys you?
Off the top of my head: Skanks. Twilight fans. Twilight in general. Crocs. Liars. The fact that JK Rowling killed off almost all of my favorite characters. People without morals. Prejudice. The fact that obesity is a leading cause of death in America, while just a few countries away there are places where the leading cause of death is starvation/poverty/etc. Annoying people. Sores. Stomach fat. Wanting to sneeze but then not being able to. Back pain. Chapped lips. People who don't care about things. People who care too much about things. Retainers. Being nearsighted. Superficiality. People who steal things. Inconsideration. Bad food.

Alexander McQueen, your perfection is almost too much for me to love.

Via slow motion crawl

This morning I woke up with a dismal feeling that the day was going to suck. But then I dragged myself downstairs to the sight of my grandmother making fried daikon cake (don't know pinyin, sorry) and sweet rice cake! That stuff is good shit - some of my favorite Chinese food. Best breakfast evar (besides leftover pizza, of course ;D).

After French class (last class of the summer!!!! ++ I aced a verb quiz she gave us ;D), I went home and basically did nothing. w00tw00t.
Come the afternoon, I tagged along with my mother to Marina. While my sister was having her ballet lesson, I went to Albertson's (well... they actually call it "Save Mart" now but that's a lame name. :P) with the mother.... and laughed really really hard after eyeing this DVD at the checkout.
A number of questions popped into my mind:
-What in the world is this doing at a supermarket?
-Who in the world would buy this? (I've never regularly attended a church so maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't they have DVD's like this available for free/cheapish if you asked?)
-Why would you want a *4-Disc* set, at that?
-How did the manufacturers of this DVD somehow think that putting a sticker advertising the fact that this movie was on PAX TV would make this any more appealing?
-Isn't PAX TV like, a defunct channel? Oh wait, they changed it to some other name b/c of low ratings or something- it's now called Ion Television [which even now, pretty much nobody watches at least as far as I know?]

Oh well - I'm sure *someone* will eventually buy it, eh? I'll keep you updated on if the DVD's still there the next time I visit.

After that, we visited Walmart (heyyyy we're cheapos like that ;D).
Here was my haul:
I felt so pleased with myself after buying this stuff. At the time, I had yet to buy HP 5, told Emily that I'd make her a Slytherin scarf, and had had sour patch kids withdrawal lately so all of these needs were quenched after buying.

My picture got featured on the SocialVibe blog! w00tw00t go and make an account today - with all the people on our site, although we don't actually do much we still make a difference!

That's all for now
Talk later
-K

via PostSecret

Oh so I remember what I forgot to say in this video - I almost prefer braces to this retainer..... ugh i want to vomit, like right now - brb while I go lie down.... ;P

[5 minutes later]

Sorry if you can't understand any of what I said in that video... Haha feel free to leave a comment here if you need me to transcribe what I said.

Oh! If you're wondering why my tongue is blue in this it's because I ate a blue freeze pop right before making this video - tried to drown out the taste of the retainer - didn't work. BLEHHHH

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Okada Masaki is going to be the main character in the Otomen live action drama on Fuji TV, I'm so excited!!!!! (doesn't he look gorgeous in this pictureee?) Now I just need to read the manga. And learn Japanese. And go to Tokyo and marry him. YESSSS ;D-----------
Currently:
My room looks like a disaster
I'm almost finished knitting my scarf! It's gonna be *GORGEOUS* I tell ya!
Going to upload some pictures onto my flickr
If you've wondered why I've stopped posting outfit photos here, it's because I put them on my flickr or chictopia account instead

via FOR STARS WILL RISE AGAIN

Dreams

I love sleeping. Feel free to call me a moron, but one of the biggest reasons why summer is my favorite season is because I'm finally free to sleep 12+ hours per day. Lately my routine has been to go to bed at 1 AM, wake up at 9 or 10 AM, do something or other until lunch, eat lunch, and then sleep until dinnertime - my sheer lack of motivation to do anything lately is so incredibly disgusting it's good (at least, in my opinion ;D).

Anyway, my favorite part of sleeping is having dreams. I find them thoroughly amusing, thoroughly interesting, and throughly strange. They're an interesting escape from reality. For me, the more absurd a dream is, the better. Of course, usually my dreams don't involve magic or monsters or other oddities. It's kind of hard to explain though - although my dreams are totally implausible to happen in my life, usually it's uh... possible for a situation like in my dreams to arise. (Sorry for the totally lame way of putting that last sentence.)

I find it amazingly wonderful how a dream can make total sense while it happens, but upon waking up the dream makes absolutely no sense. I generally get really vivid dreams, where I can sense everything as well as I could in real life.

I love "bad" dreams and sort of dislike "good" dreams, unlike most people. I love waking up from a nightmare and realizing that those problems aren't in my life. They give me reason to be more thankful about how things are going. I remember one night complaining about the amount of homework I had, and then the next day waking up from a dream in which I failed five tests because of teachers not giving me any homework/practice - suffice it to say that I worked quite hard the next day. When I was little, I had a reoccurring dream about it being home alone during the nighttime and having a burglar in the house who took me hostage at gunpoint. When I was little I also found myself waking up, with tears on my face because I dreamt that someone backstabbed me or other. Some people say that your dreams reflect what's going on in your subconsciousness - so does that mean I'm just extremely paranoid or insecure? It makes me wonder...

Until last year I'd say about 70% of my dreams included me being backstabbed, murdered, or something inherently terrible happening to me or other people. But then this year I started having pretty good dreams. I'd say now about 60% of my dreams are "good" dreams - but the thing is although during the dream it's entirely enjoyable - I hate waking up and being disappointed that I didn't get to meet Gavin DeGraw, or I don't have a hot Japanese boyfriend, or that I got to run around eating potatoes. Okay, I exaggerate but you get my point.
But no matter how good or bad dreams are - I always find them a great source of entertainment. I've never written a dream diary but maybe I should start sometime?

-K

I want this shirt so badly for some reason. Too bad I'm poorish and don't like buying stuff online. Too bad the shirt's only in men's sizes and the small wouldn't fit me anyway. I might just make my own.... We'll see. Buy it here

j'ai de la chance!

So I've got way too many things to be excited about. Way too many things.
Let's start with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It came out yesterday and I was soso excited but wasn't allowed to go to the midnight premiere (the parents didn't want me to be tired in French class that day). Of course I ended up w/ the worst case of insomnia I've had in ages, started reading Order of the Phoenix, and so didn't end up falling asleep until 2 AM - as a result I ended up really tired during French class anyway. ;p
Anyway that day I decided to dress in my Hogwarts "uniform" (surprisingly enough, other than the tie the Hogwarts uniform is pretty easy to procure - I don't wear a cape or wave around a wand very often, hah). The moment I stepped into the classroom the guy sitting in front of me asked "est-ce que tu aimes Harry Potter?" (Do you love Harry Potter) to which I smiled maniacally. ^.^
Eventually the teacher handed out our grades for the oral presentations we gave, and although my presentation was dismal and deserved a C or worse, she gave me a B instead. However she asked to speak to me in private and when that happened I totally freaked out and started bawling. It was terrible and must've made her feel so awkward.... I feel really bad about it. D:
Anyway I took the bus back home and ended up feeling like the biggest nerd in the world - I was wearing a Hogwarts uniform and knitting. The stupid bus driver decided he didn't want to stop at my stop (even though I pulled the signal for a stop), and so it wasn't until 4 stops after my stop (and a bit of yelling on my part) that he finally stopped. It was an extra 1/2 mile of walking w/ heavy textbooks and a big binder for me. Grrrrr
Anyway I got home and about 10 minutes later Emily came and we hung out before going to the mall to watch Harry Potter + HBP with Claire. IT WAS AMAZINGGGG!!!!! Before the movie when the TwilightNew Moon trailer showed, Emily went crazy and started screaming (along w/ what I think were a few other pubescent little girls in the audience). I moaned and yelled NO! which surprisingly lead to a good size of boos from other people as well - so glad to see there are other people who've gotten Twilight'd-out. I spent the second half of the movie w/ semifail vision as my contact fell out, but even so I enjoyed the movie so much. I think Emily and I were the only people to scream out loud at the part where the Inferi grabbed Harry - I think we impaired several people's hearing. hahaha. I actually cried at the part where Snape went all Avada Kedavra, you know..... Emily and Claire kept on glancing apprehensively at me, haha. Emily was throughly disappointed at the differences between the book and the movie, but I was just disappointed that they left out Fred + George's U-No-Poo (my favorite part of HBP).

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I've got so much to be thankful for lately. I've
So apparently I won a pair of Current/Elliott jeans in a Annie Spandex's contest sponsored by chickdowntown.com! I'm so excited - although I've no idea what I'm going to wear w/ such distressed jeans.... This'll be an interesting challenge.
Also I don't have to get cleft lip revision surgery this summer - I'll probably end up getting it next summer instead. A part of me wishes I could just get it over with but I think an even bigger part of me is really glad to push it off until later. Surgery's just uh, such a hassle (to put it in understated words).

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Today I was walking back home after riding the bus and I suddenly got these intense pains in my abdomen/under my stomach. It wasn't just the normal stomachache though - This pain was seriously hospital-worthy - I could barely walk b/c it hurt so badly. I finally got home and rolled into bed, and tried to sleep it off but the pain was so bad that I couldn't stop focusing on it. So I sort of laid there for the next hour until I gave up, turned on my laptop, and complained about these stomach pains. And eventually, as sudden as they came, the pain went away! 'Twas quite disconcerting.

Anyway after that was all good I went to my orthodontist appointment. AND I GOT MY BRACES OFF!!!!!!

When the orthodontist first took the brackets off there were still hideous stain-lookin' things around where the brackets used to be, but after he grinded the glue away (which was surprisingly really painful this time, for me), the stains went away. It felt (and still feels) awkward without the braces, I feel as if there's some sort of unnecessary space between my lips and teeth.

"mah teeths feel straight nowwww"

So yeah that's all I've got to say for now at least.... I think. Going to watch Nobuta wo Produce and then sleep. Yay!

-K

ronweasley! (and arashi fangirling. mainly the fangirling.)

I now have a subfolder in my pictures folder named "jpop boys." Oh dearie me this needs to stop soon. haha.
A few nights ago around 2 AM my craziness had hit an all-time-high and I pasted some icons from LiveJournal together to create this:
It's now my phone background. I do believe it is sheer excellence. I love all of them, but slightly biased towards MatsuJun..... mainly b/c his hair = amazing.
I strive to be this kid when I grow up (the entire video is amazing but watch 1:43-1:51 to see what I'm talking about):

Egads YES.

Also, this is amazing:

Via i am the superlative conspiracy


Also
Via For Stars Will Rise Again

Yeah I've been a bit lazy in terms of blogging lately.... Nothing much to write about around here lately. Or maybe yeah, I'm just lazy.
What can I say?

JE SUIS FATIGUEEEEEE.
But simultaneously oddly hyper?!?!?! WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [insert explosion here]

that is all.

-K

ça alors!

[on the college campus where I take my French course, the following exchange occurs between my Spanish 1 teacher and I]
Me: Hola Sr. Soto!
Sr. Soto: ça va?
Me: ça va....
Sr. Soto: Traitor.
Me: what?!? pero voy a estudiar el Español en el otoño!!!!
[Sr. Soto walks away]

yeah, it's a bit awkward bumping into him.... he kind of gives me a disdainful look when he sees me w/ my French In Action stuff. I'm sure it's just a jocular thing though - I was a pretty good student. ;p

...

I get my braces off in a week!!!! Finally, after 2.5 years w/ these horrid things, my teeth are all straight.... and have the stains from hell. haha.

...

I learned how to knit - properly this time [note: after a week or so of wondering why all of my stuff kept on turning out w/ weird stitches I found that I was purling completely wrongly... haha]. I also learned how to use a loom, and have made 3 hats that I made for this one school project (we're making these hats to send to hospitals for newborns). It's amazing how people have figured out so many ways to interlock yarn in such a beautiful way, it must've taken forever though. I'd never've had the patience to try to figure it out...

...

other than that nothing interesting really has happened. still obsessed w/ arashi, knitting, jdoramas, harry potter, food, etc. still taking french class (got a perfect on the test we had on Monday, but I've a feeling I did poorly on the test we took yesterday [Thursday]). still need to stop sleeping so much and start helping out around the house, haha.

Currently:
*anticipating a sleepover w/ Claire and a party @ Maile's
*going to watch Arashi no Shukudaikun and work on a nice heather-grey scarf
*need to finish reading Goblet of Fire, so that I can finish Order of the Phoenix, before the Half-Blood Prince movie comes out.

Happy Fourth?

I'm not really the patriotic type. History can be interesting, and I understand that you can better yourself by avoiding the mistakes of the past - but America has just made too, too many "mistakes" that I just can't be all like "WOOO I LOVE THIS COUNTRYYYY!!!!"
But I do however know that there are those parts of life in America that are truly beautiful and so, it's a good thing that we celebrate the Independence of this nation. Even though Canada is better. And the US officially became "independent" on the 2nd of July, 1776 (more information on this here). Hahaha.
Actually, our family in general isn't patriotic. Today was pretty much just a normal day for us, nothing interesting. Generally we'd go out to the beach at night to watch fireworks, but the city we usually go to watch the show decided to make fireworks of all types illegal; completely lame-o move on their part. So tonight we're just carrying on like a normal night.
Today I spent all of my time reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (hopefully I can finish Order of the Phoenix [book 5] before the Half-Blood Prince movie [movie 6] comes out) and watching clips from Arashi no Shukudai-kun (which is like a variety show starring members of the Japanese boy band Arashi..... [insert fangirly look here]).

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For the first time in about 3 weeks? I went running - it was terrible. Well, first I couldn't run b/c of a sideache so I walked to the beach - it was gorgeous and sunny and the water looked beautiful and felt semiwarm and I wanted to go swimming but didn't have my suit on.... (I'll probably ask the 'rents to drive me and my little sis over tomorrow so we can hang out at the beach).

I also found this perfect piece of beach glass. What an excellent looking pentagon! ;D

On the way back though, I decided to try running. I got about 500 yards and then sprinted another 100 or so, until I decided I was too lazy to run anymore. Ahhhh fail. But I guess it was better than getting no exercise, eh?

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We had the most excellent fruit tart (surprisingly, bought from Safeway rather than some bakery) after dinner. I was wondering why my mother decided to get the tart (as I said, we don't really celebrate Independence Day) and then I realized it's my parent's anniversary, haha. Well technically it was the anniversary of their getting legally married on the 2nd, but their reception was on the 4th. Yeahhhhhh my bad.
While eating the tart, we watched Iron Chef America (you know, the ripoff of the show from Japan - but it has BOBBY FLAY!!!! [<-- I love saying his name]) and they were having Battle Dorade (a type of fish)..... the food looked SO GOOD! I'd be a terrible food critique..... everything tastes good to me ^.^v

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Currently~~~
About to go watch Atashinchi on Danshi episode 9
Wearing Philosophy's "Unconditional Love" lotion; EGADS IT SMELLS SO GOOD!
Thinking that maybe my knitting technique is off - my stuff always ends up w/ a funky lookin' knit... hehe.
In love with the weather.

-K

via Finders Keepers, (via alexhusler)