I'm the Perfect Housewife

When I'm not busy working from 8:30am to 5:00pm I'm probably doing one of the following:

1. Sewing because I bought a dress that I'm altering.
2. Baking and
3. cooking because I bought a couple cookbooks from Powell's and the cute garage sales in my neighbourhood.
4. Biking because that's how I get to and from work, which adds up to an hour of biking each day.
5. Sleeping because, well, everyone needs it and biking just tires me out.

Haha. Of course, more activities will be added to the "list" once I move houses because I'm rather constrained right now for a whole myriad of reasons. I don't really mind though; I get the chance to brush up on my housewife skills.

The neighbourhood I'm living in right now is rather quaint. Yesterday, my friend/roommate and I biked around. We went to a couple garage sales and we ended up by the river chatting, reading, napping, and tanning on a dock by the river.

Oh, we're planning on having a 50's-60's housewife photo shoot later this week. ;)

Spring? Summer?

It's supposed to be spring but Portland's weather has ADD. I'm wishing we had summer weather already instead of this dreary and grey weather hence the new (temporary) bright and flowery layout. I don't have the time yet to design and write my own template but this will do for the time being.

The weather wasn't like this a couple days ago. Normally I wouldn't mind this sort of cold weather but it makes the 5.5km bike ride (uphill!) rather painful. Oh well.

8 more bike rides up the hill!

4 more days until my 21st!

I've had this blog for over a year?! Imagine that; I usually never stick with just one blog for this long.

By The Way...

...I turn 21 next week.

...And these are my amazing roommates from this past semester.

I love them. I really do.

Summer Loving?

Not quite; I'll consider myself lucky if I get any of that.

I digress.

It's been a month since I last posted but even then I hadn't posted for just as long. Keeping up with blogging is hard but I post when I feel like it and/or have the time for it. A lot of exciting things have happened though I won't really go into it. A lot of the "memorable" ones I either can't do justice to by blogging or can't bear to think about it. Let's just say that my spring semester was filled with a lot of fun and lessons learned.

I won't be going home this summer. Well. I don't think so anyway. Regardless, you know what that means... I'm staying in Portland for the summer! The only reason why it's all happening is because I managed to land two part-time jobs and got a beautiful house (and three amazing roommates). We'll be BBQing, camping, kayaking, partying, and numerous of other fun activities. However, I'm "crashing" at another friend's house until I move into my house. That means that said activities won't be happening until then.

It's all chill right now... Even if I have to bike 11km every day (half of which is uphill) for work because of where I live right now. Fortunately, the bike ride to work from my house won't be as hilly or as long so it should be a breeze. Until then, though, I have another 10 or 11 11km bike rides to go on.

I Want to Be Where the People Are

Although its been nearly a month since I last updated I wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive! It's crunch time; papers, projects, presentations, exams, and the like have completely taken over my life.

The semester started of rather rough because of a "break up" but since then this semester has been "liberating" and nothing short of amazing. It just allowed me to find myself, to enjoy the company of those around me that I've neglected in the past because I was too involved with a relationship, and to make the most of the opportunities.

Anyway, back to studying! I just wanted to let you know that I'm still out here. I'm playing on staying in Portland for the summer so that will be super exciting!

I'm loving all of this!!!

What a Cute Nose!

I got my nose pierced!!!

Beauty =/= Brains

Point and case:

This is terribly embarassing. I can't fucking believe she won 'Binibing Pilipinas' because she is a horrible representation of the Philippines. Winner of 'Best in Long Gown' and 'Best in Swimsuit' but she can't even speak to save her life...

JANINA SAN MIGUEL, YOU ARE A DISGRACE.

If she can't speak English, then speak Filipino! I absolutely hate it when Filipinos try to speak English just to look "sosyal" when they know they're better off speaking Filipino.

What makes matters worse is that she's in university majoring in Communications. Wouldn't you expect some intelligence from someone pursuing tertiary education?! And of all the contestants she won?!

A DISGRACE.

Partying & Productivity Can Co-Exist

Wow.

Even though I partied it up this weekend for some reason productivity and I are getting along and I am actually on top of things. Maybe it just feels like this because I've been so busy the past few weeks and now I've finally caught up and gotten back on the pre-International Fair track.

The party that we had on Saturday night deserves another 'wow.' I won't tell you how much beer we went through but we're all in disbelief about it. Everyone survived (that's always a good thing!) and no one got drunk. And, there were only about 15 of us.

Anyway, back to studying! I want to get started on work for Wednesday!

Ang galing ko noh?

Recovery

Things have been extremely busy because of the International Fair and the preparations leading up to it. I've only just begun "recovering" from it but there's still a long ways to go. I'm hoping to catch up with all my academic and extracurricular activities by the end of the week. Unfortunately, thinking about all the work I have to do is rather... Nervewracking.

When is this all going end?!

I know I've been rather emo with my posts so I thought I'd leave you with something more upbeat.

Remember the "costume" party I went to a few weekends ago? Well, it was a lot of fun even though the latter party of the evening was a blur. I got a few funny shots but I can't share most of them for reasons that I can't even say. But here are a few...

(I was supposed to be a gypsy.)

We'll be having another party this weekend but I'll definitely be watching what I drink... :-P

I got the internship on-campus for the 2008-2009 academic year! The position is Student Activities Intern, which is one of six Student Life internships, and I'll be helping the Director of Student Activities with organizing the major events on-campus and overseeing all the student clubs and organization. I'm excited for it (and I get free room and board...).

Anyway... Off to work!

Expiration Date

Remember that post from several days ago? Well, I've decided to set myself a little personal deadline regarding one of the (stressful) problems listed. If nothing happens by the end of the day, then I'm completely letting go of that problem.

I know I'm being cryptic but maybe I'll let you in on it come midnight. (If all goes according to plan...).

:-)

Edit at 6:54pm:

Meh! Screw that midnight deadline.

"I'd Like a Little Privacy, Please"

I'm watching 'Alfie' while preparing for my International Law midterm. I meant to rent the original 'Alfie' from NetFlix but I ended up with Jude Law instead... Oh well.

The movie kind of makes me wish I lived his "exciting" life. Of course, I'd be considered a whore because only men can live that sort of a lifestyle without shame. If that movie makes me wish anything more, however, is that I'm not the Julie we see in the beginning.

"There are two things I've learned in life: find someone to love and live everyday as if it were your last."

I'm on my way to being the stronger Julie we see in the end.

Wearing Nothing But a Towel

Some like to shower in the morning when they wake up, some like to shower sometime during the day, and some (like myself) like to shower at night right before they go to bed.

A few minutes after midnight I thought it was time to get ready for bed so I thought to myself, 'Shower time!' Unfortunately, one of my roommates beat me to it as I was about to step out of my room! This is probably the first time it has ever happened since I'm usually the only one who ever showers this late. Therefore, as I type this I am wearing nothing but my turquoise-coloured towel... Irritated and wanting nothing more than to go to bed.

Why don't I just go to bed already? Well, I physically can't bring myself to do it. I need to shower before I crawl into bed; I've gotten so used to this routine that deviating would be uncomfortable. In the few rare times that I've done it the past I just felt dirty, literally and figuratively speaking. Besides, I'll never get up early enough to shower and make it to class on time. That's something I can't risk when I have to look presentable to meet with the powers that be at my college (read: the Board of Trustees) right after my morning class.

Ooh.

I don't hear the shower anymore, which means that person is done!

A Cup of Mocha and a Slice of Nutty, Choc Chip Banana Bread

That's basically what I'm munching on and sipping away as I have a go at productivity this afternoon.

I'm actually staying on task and the same can be said for last night because I managed to cross off everything on my to-do list. Yes, I spent my Friday night studying! It came at the expense of my social life but it needed to be done. For the past couple weekends hanging out took priority over studying leaving me scrambling to get things done on Sunday, but, not this weekend!

I suppose another reason for my sudden surge in productivity is that I know I'm not doing any studying tonight ;). However, I'll update you all on that tomorrow (or in a few days) with some pictures. Well, here's a hint:

MEXICAN PARTY!!! Costumes! Tequila! Margaritas!

I Would Like a Lovely Bouquet of Pink and White Tulips

With Valentine's Day right around the corner and no one to spend it with... Actually, I'll be spending the evening with my books. So never mind! Haha.

I've always been impartial about Valentine's Day; the day's intentions are cute but commercialized. There are countless ads trying to reel you in to the commercial and materialistic side of the day but is it really that different from any other day in that respect? Not really.

I digress.

I received an e-mail from NWA saying they'll give me 25 miles for every dollar I spend at FTD.com, which got me to wondering what FTD.com is but as it turns out it's just an online flower shop. Surprise, surprise. But then my eyes landed on that beautiful bouquet and my heart just melts because I'm a sucker for flowers, pretty things, romantic gestures, and the whole deal. It's just something so lovely that would be appreciated regardless of whether or not it's Valentine's Day.

Sigh.

My books definitely won't be buying me that...

Warm, Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Mug of Cold Milk

Tonight was one of those extremely rare nights when I didn't do any homework not because I was procrastinating but because there was just nothing due tomorrow. I don't know when I'll have another night like this again so I tried to relish it. 'Tried' because I do feel a bit lost when I don't have any work to do; instead of breathing a sigh of relief after finishing an ungodly amount of work ahead of schedule you panick because you don't know what to do next. Of course, maybe that only happens to me...

So what did I do with my lovely day off from homework? Well, I helped set up and participated in the Chinese New Year celebration at my college, watched a bit of 'Aviator' that I ended up not liking, and then baked some wonderful crispy chocolate chip cookies. Mmm. They are absolutely delicious, especially when you have a mug of milk to enjoy it with.

I did some "serious" thinking tonight though about something that's been nagging at me. I'm deliberating on whether or not I should participate in Lu'au. It's a huge committment, and I feel like I've already committed myself to one too many things, although it's something I've been wanting to do. I think Auana is one of the easiest dances to perform but... I still need to do a bit more thinking. I don't like committing myself unless I know I can put my heart and soul into it (seriously) and I'm just worried that taking on an extra task will take away from my passion.

Anyway, it's four minutes past 11 and I'm planning on doing some reviewing for tomorrow's classes and finishing the rest of 'Male Bodies, Women's Souls' before calling it a night. (I need to do some studying). Maybe I'll help myself to another cookie. ;)

I am Such a Sloth!

It's Friday night and, as the title of this post points out, I feel (am?) like a sloth!

I didn't do any homework or studying at all; instead, I watched three movies. One right after another. So that was some five or six hours of just lying on the couch in front of the television.

First, I watched...

Then I watched...

And, finally, I watched...

*BRAIN EXPLODES*

Monday night, following an afternoon downtown, I drank with friends. All Tuesday night, I think I studied--I can't remember. Late Wednesday night, I went down into the underground service tunnels, which is probably the "riskiest" thing I've done on-campus. Thursday night, I hung out and played pool after getting my reading done. Friday night, well, I just told you.

(Please note that in the last paragraph I talked about each night, which means that I was studying during the afternoon!)

What a wonderful way to start off the semester!

Fortunately, all this actually makes me want to study. Don't worry, though. I have been studying! The books and me just need some serious alone time this weekend.

It's 3:38am...

...and how I hate you, jet lag.

High, Intoxicated, and Jetlagged

High on life, (slightly) intoxicated by booze,

and jetlagged because of my trans-Pacific flight.

I am back in the lovely city of Portland and although I am extremely tired I am also happy. I had a great evening compared to the rather upsetting and shaky afternoon that "welcomed" my return.

The earlier part of the afternoon was spent talking to a certain someone, which, unbeknownst to him, had me crying one too many times. I am not going to get into it right now because it simply is not worth my time and I can surpass that.

I decided I needed to get away so I headed over to a friend's apartment for home-made nachos before heading downtown to have a light and early dinner--mmm, stuffed grape leaves that I must get my hands on the recipe of--and bubble tea with several other people.

We then returned to the apartment just to chill before busting out the vodka and (horrible) tequila. But being the responsible young adult I am I called it quits early to get some much needed rest because I do have class and work to do tomorrow morning. Haha, I do still maintain some responsibility even though I decided to go drinking the night before the first day of classes.

It feels great to say that I am optimistic about a great semester ahead of me.

Now it's time for bed. Good night, everyone.

Christmas Shopping, Cellphones, and Cigarettes

This time tomorrow I am going to be on an airplane flying home and I am somewhat excited. I am not finished packing but everything is dumped inside my suitcase (with plenty of space left to spare) just waiting to be "organized." Today is basically dedicated to lounging around and enjoying the empty apartment by myself... So... I have plenty of time.

I had my last exam yesterday and Calculus basically butt raped me. Oh well. At least it is all over. And it was all made just a tiny bit better afterwards because I went Christmas shopping for myself and for my family. I bought myself an iPod classic; I lost my iPod video at the start of the summer and it took me this long to get around to buying one. And I bought a variety of things for my family.

On a slightly different note, while I was out shopping I noticed how dependent people are on cellphones and cigarettes. On my way to the mall, everyone around me on the light rail was either busy calling or texting away. It was rather anti-social and depressing. Then, while I was waiting for the shuttle to go back to campus, everyone around me was smoking--no matter how hard I tried to avoid smokers their second-hand smoke just seemed to follow me around. Now that was more "sociable" but equally depressing.

*Shrugs*

Snow Storm in Portland

Not.

It is really amusing (and sad) that it is all over local news whenever there is a light dusting of snow; they show clips of Portlanders proudly claiming how they are prepared with tire chains and news reporter pointing out to children throwing snowballs and making snow angels when clearly there is not enough snow to do any of that properly. Portlanders are all, "OH MY GOD! SNOW!"

Reminds me of the time when entire Portland shut down because of a couple inches of snow... Good times, good times.