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I went on some adventures with my Aunt Anna and cousin Stephanie in Chinatown today!  It was so much fun.  First we had to take a bus from Jersey to New York, then we took a subway to Chinatown.  That was pretty boring, but necessary. Once in Chinatown we decided to eat first.  We ate at this delicious place called Joe's.  My aunt said that most of the time you sit with other people since it's so busy.  I was really excited about that!  But we were seated at a small table so I didn't get to make any new friends.  The hostess was on her Nintendo DS the whole time she was seating people.  It was hilarious.  I stared at her the entire time.  So Joe's is known for their soup steamed dumplings, which is steamed dumplings with soup in them! They were ah. maze. ing.   

You have to use those tongs to pick them up carefully from the top to put on your plate so you don't puncture them because otherwise the soup will fall out!  And there's an art to eating it, cause if you do it the wrong way the soup will spill all over the place! You can't just shove it in your mouth all at once either like sushi cause you'll burn yourself.  The way I ate it was by biting off the very top then slurp up some soup then eat it in normal sized bites.

My aunt took a picture of me eating it just so I could post it on my blog!  It was probably one of the hardest things to eat ever.  Worth it though.

Next door to Joe's was a place that sold a drink called Bubble Tea, which apparently you can get all over the place but I didn't know that.  They sell it at like every other shop in Chinatown though and they looked so weird that I just had to get one.  It cost 2.25 with my student discount.  It had like a plastic cover on the top of the cup and I was so confused about how to drink it.  Like do I peel off the plastic and stick my straw in?  Nope.  You puncture the plastic with the pointy end of the straw like a Capri-Sun.  The people in the tea place were laughing at me so much when I was taking pictures, but it was so weird that I just had to take pictures to share them!  Those things that look like malt balls on the bottom are really little tapioca balls.  I was expecting them to be crunchy but they were gooey.  Kinda like gummy worms.  I liked them at first but after awhile they got on my nerves.

The whole time I was in Chinatown I just kept thinking how much Brad would LOOOOVE it.  It's like the Asian market but a kazillion times more giant and awesome with the best Chinese food ever.  One of the bakeries had X-rated fortune cookies.  I wonder what they say...hahaha

I got some really cute stuff from the little shops.  A purple wallet, a slouchy bag, and two shirts.  I was going to upload a picture of them all but my camera died, so that'll have to wait I guess.  One place had tons of earrings like the ones Tracy makes!  But hers are better.

So many of the shops had tons of Michael Jackson t-shirts.  I wanted an MJ shirt so badly but I refused to buy one that said 1958-2009 or Rest in Peace and they all said that!  I'll find an awesome one and get one eventually.  And there was Obama stuff everywhere!  He was on all kinds of things like reusable bags and candy.  But the best were these sweet shades.  I refrained from buying them even though they only cost 5 bucks!

I had a really good time with my cousin and aunt today.  I hope we'll go again sometime soon! 

Oh, and here's Paige after she won Pretty Pretty Princess yesterday.  She was a surprisingly good sport about having to put pieces back and give other people the crown.  I was proud of her.  Especially since I was expecting her to be a brat.

"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen

Remakes and Books

This little girl came into work today and I swear, she looks just like me circa 1991.  I couldn't stop starting at her.  It was so weird.  She was so cute too.  Wait, does that make me sound a little vain?  Hahahaha anyway, she had big brown eyes and her hair was the same dark brown as mine and pulled into a ponytail.  Her little baby frizzies were out of control - just like mine were, well, are.  Sometimes it's a lot to wrap my mind around that I was once as tiny and sweet as she is.

I want to try and read as many of the books I own as I can that I haven't read yet before I leave for Disney.  It might seem strange to some people, or most people, that I have oodles and oodles of books to read just lying around, but I literally can't go into Barnes & Noble without buying something.  Or six things.  So far this summer I've read six books.  First was Beastly which is a modern day Beauty and the Beast.  It's currently being made into a film starring an Olsen twin and Vanessa Hudgens (that girl from High School Musical who's dating my boyfriend Zac Efron).  It was a nice quick read, but pretty teen-ish.

The next book was The Luxe which was soon followed by Rumors and Envy.  They're all part of this series called The Luxe Series.  I thought they were pretty good, not the best books ever, not even close, but still worth my time.  I know I would've like them a lot better like eight years ago.  

I also finally got around to reading The Entitled, a book I've had since I lived in 17101, and it was fantastic!  None of you would like it though, it's way too full of baseball, but it was so well written and honest and insightful.  It really felt like I was reading about real people and real baseball players.

Next I read One Fifth Avenue, which was written by the same lady who wrote Sex and the City.  I've had that since the day it came out, which I think was sometime late last summer.  The book's about different people who live in this fancy apartment building and how their lives are interwoven.  The way she told the story through so many different perspectives was interesting and admirable.  It was almost like putting together a puzzle.

The book I'm reading now is The Host, a novel written by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight) and I got that last June I think.  So far I'd say it's the hardest to get into and enjoy, but I'm only 60 pages in out of the 619, so I shouldn't judge it so quickly.  I'm pretty sure the reason I'm not really getting into it is because it's kinda sci-fi and while I do sometimes like that, I prefer sci-fi that's almost fantasy.  I'll take unicorns and wizards over aliens and robots any day.  Harry Potter is just so magnificent and I can't help but judge people a teeny bit who don't like it.  Those books are written so well and with such impressive imagination that I can't wrap my brain around how someone couldn't like them.

The newest Dan Brown book comes out in September and I want to have all these books (that I own) read by then.  Pride and Prejudice, The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, Dreams from My Father (Obama's book) and Choke.  I know that I have at least 5 or 6 others unread too.  Since I've decided to finally read all these books/really gotten into reading again I've even begun to (gasp!) neglect my TiVo.

"God's created so many people that he probably has to do remakes." - Tracy Gubelin when I told her about my little twin

"Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life." - Mortimer J. Adler

"I often feel sorry for people who don't read good books; they are missing a chance to lead an extra life." - Scott Corbett

I'm 100.

My purge has been going pretty well, if I do say so myself.  So far I've filled 7 bags with unwanted clothes and a giant bag of random things I've been hoarding for about 15 years that I don't need anymore.  That's so weird that I remember stuff that happened 15 years ago in such great detail.  I'm starting to feel a little old. 

This is our filled up storage unit.

In other news, I can't believe Laura's in New York now!  I'm so excited for her!  And I'm not as sad as everyone else because we're going to have a fantastic time with my family on the 4th of July!

Lately I've been listening to a lot of the songs I listened to in high school, so a lot of boy bands.  I really miss boy bands.  Sometimes a lot.

Soon I will post some lovely pictures.  I mean, I would've posted them now, but I'm at Kirsten's and I can't take pictures of the things I need to take pictures of.   I've been staying with Kirsten a lot in Norman, and I love it.  It makes me feel like I still live in Norman at least.

I've been working a lot lately and I hate it!  I hate customers mostly.  People are so rude.  And disgusting.  The things they do in dressing rooms are gross.  I've been working in retail pretty consistently since I was 18 and people still surprise me with their rudeness and their stupidity.  I think all people should have to work a retail job at least once in their life to understand how incredibly rude they are.  Seriously, how hard would it be for you to hang up the things you brought with you into the dressing room?  Or at least turn that shirt right side out?  Or, if you see me frantically trying to clear off the rack of clothes from the dressing room, to just put those shorts back where you got them? Also, don't tick your tongue at me to try and get my attention.  I'll probably just keep ignoring you anyway until you say "excuse me."

I want to think of a new blog name.  Well, I mean I have been thinking of a new one.  I guess I should've said I want to change my blog name.  I'm over Once Upon A Blog.  So far I've thought of The Silver Lining and Pursuing Happiness.  But, I'm still undecided.

I really enjoyed Away We Go.  I thought it was refreshing and new and different and beautiful.  Thanks Tracy for the free ticket!  I liked it so much that I might even pay to go see it again.  I thought about writing a review of it, but I've since changed my mind.  I saw The Proposal earlier in the day with Alex and I thought it was a perfectly done romantic comedy.  I laughed pretty hard pretty often.  Plus, I love Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds is pretty to look at.

I don't think I'd want to be proposed to at a ball game, but I've always wanted to see someone get proposed to at one!  And I can't believe I forgot to tell you that one of my many life wishes came true at the Yankee/Ranger game I went to!

"Hugging is the ideal gift...fun to give and receive, shows you care...and, of course, is fully returnable.  Hugging is practically perfect.  No batteries to wear out, inflation-proof, nonfattening, no monthly payments, theft-proof and non taxable." - Charles Faraone

I'm goin' back to the start

I've been in an odd mood for the last couple hours.  Lethargic and cranky.  Sad and mad.  I've just been in my room alone for about 3 hours listening to music, thinking, reminiscing and watching TV, but not really taking in what I'm seeing. A new episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8 couldn't even pick me up.  I can't even remember one cute thing one of those sweet babies said.  I think a big part of the problem is that a growing part of me doesn't really want to go to Florida anymore.  Every day I'm a little less excited to go.  Maybe it's because I work in retail now and I really don't want to work 50 hours a week in a store for 5 months, even if it is a Disney store.  I'm tired of dealing with customers and cleaning up their messes and doing the same thing over and over every day.  And it'll just be that much worse not having my friends and family there when I'm not at work.  I know I'll make friends, but it won't be the same.  Hopefully this feeling will go away soon.  Because if I don't go then I literally have nothing else to do and that's terrifying.  Maybe it's because people keep asking me what I'm going to do now that I've graduated.  And all I can ever say is "I don't know."  That's the hardest part.  I really don't know what I want to do.  At all.  I'm afraid that one day I'll be 30 and suddenly I'll just be working at some store full time and hating my job and wondering what happened and how I got there and how to move forward.

I had the most amazing weekend with all of you.  Which is probably what sparked some of these feelings.  I'm sad that it'll never be the same again ever.  I always have such a hard time accepting change and I think that maybe I'm only now starting to realize how much will change. I won't rehash the weekend since I've read about it already on your blogs.  I loved reading about our adventures.  You know what happened.  You know I had fun.  You know I loved every second - even though I didn't want to wear a dress.  

Sorry to write such a somber post, but I just didn't want to write something that wasn't in the sprit of how I'm feeling right now because it wouldn't be genuine.  

I went on some adventures with Alex today and it was lovely.  Now I'm listening to "The Scientist" on repeat and being sad again and not listening to Brad's cheer up advice.  I do appreciate it though, Brad!  I just feel like it's ok to be sad sometimes.  Maybe it's even good for you.  Maybe I should just get it all out now.  Or at least some of it.

"Nobody said it was easy, 

Oh it's such a shame for us to part

Nobody said it was easy,

No one ever said it would be so hard"

-Coldplay, "The Scientist" 

“Life doesn't always turn out to be your fantasy. That's why you need friendships that are real to get you through it.”

 - Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

Slow start...

Yesterday I began my purge.  I know nearly every single one of you hates that word, but I think it's the most fitting.  I began with my bathroom.  I think I threw away probably 25 bottles of nail polish - including some that I actually remember using in elementary school and so much lipgloss that it's embarrassing.  I discovered that I have bottles and bottles of lotion, perfumes that I can't stand the smell of and bobby pins in literally every drawer or cabinet in said bathroom.  So far it's going pretty well I guess.  I've gotten off to a fantastically slow start.  I've emptied three boxes out of like a kazillion.  But, on the bright side, I did empty all the bathroom stuff.  My mom keeps saying that she wants to have a garage sale in July, but I don't think that's going to happen because I think she's said that every single summer that we've lived in Oklahoma.  And our grand total of garage sales is a whopping zero.

I had the most amazing time in Norman the last few days!  I love staying at Kirsten and Brigitte's!  And even if I caught Kirsten's sickness it might've even been worth it.  

I've also hit a wall on my lapboard making.  There are just too many good quotes.  And I'm just incredibly too indecisive to choose them or to figure out how exactly I want to arrange it.  

I love reading all of your blogs and I'm sad when there aren't any to read.  But, I will try not to be a hypocrite because this is only my 4th post.  I really want to write in here more.  And so, I will.  I'm also so excited for Megan's birthday!  Good job Meg for being born in June!

"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious." -Brendan Gill

Moved.

I'm all moved out of Norman.  It's kinda a weird feeling, especially since I still work in Norman.  And I'm actually in Norman right now, sitting on Kirsten's couch not watching Cape Fear.  Moving was awful.  I have way too much stuff.  Which is an odd statement for me to make since I don't feel like I have things that other people don't have.  I unwillingly saw the sunrise two days in a row while were unpacking/finishing up.  It was not my idea of fun.  I'm so exhausted that I don't even know how I'm actually awake and typing right now.  The worst part is that we put most of the stuff in a storage unit, which means I still have to go through it all and move it to Edmond.

So this brings me to my summer goals.  Tracy has deemed this her learning summer.  Mine is going to be known as "The Summer of the Purge."  I have decided to purge my belongings.  Which means I'm going to get rid of a lot of my stuff.  I mean, I'll still probably have waaaay more stuff than most people, but I want to have a lot less stuff clogging up my surroundings.  Also, my second goal is to write a movie script.  I started working on one for a class I was in this last semester and I really liked thinking that way, meaning the way you have to think when you're writing something for the screen.  It's so different than writing it in novel format, which is actually the way I originally wrote this particular story in, because you have to figure out a way to express the way a character is feeling.  You can't just have someone say they feel uncomfortable when they're on a first date or something because that wouldn't happen in real life.  You'd have to write it so that the characters movements/actions reflect how they're feeling in a natural way.  It's so challenging, but so incredibly rewarding.  And fun!  

I like watching Emily try to drink my beer. hahaha  And I'm so thankful for all of you who read this, because I know you love me!  You know I love you!!!

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses." -Proverbs 27:19 

“Heaven is totally overrated. It seems boring. Clouds, listening to people play the harp. It should be somewhere you can’t wait to go, like a luxury hotel. Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but Heaven has to step it up a bit. They’re basically getting by because they only have to be better than Hell.” - Joel Stein, Columnist for the Los Angeles Times

Let me just procrastinate a little bit...

So...I'm supposed to be packing up my life.  Which, of course, is not my idea of fun.  I wouldn't enjoy it even if I didn't have enough stuff to fill an entire store.  I just have so much stuff.  And I love all of it.  Which is why I'm having anxiety.  I don't want to get rid of anything!  And I want to take everything with me to Florida!  Even my painting of Sam.  But really, I think I just don't want to leave Norman.  I know I bitch about the city a lot (and seriously, the roads here are probably what the roads in hell are like) but I really do love Norman.  This is the first time I'll be moving back to Edmond since the end of freshman year and it's weird.  I don't want to go!  Good thing I'll just stay with Kirsten so much that she'll want to kill me.  hahaha

On to more wonderful news, I bought a TiVo yesterday!  I have wanted one forever and ever and I finally just used some of my graduation money and got one.  It won't even be here for a week and I can already feel it making my life better.  Don't judge.  You know you love DVR too.  And TiVo is KING of DVR.

This week has been pretty amazing.  I went to a Yankee game and saw them pretty much destroy the Rangers 11-1.  And I've had soo much fun with Laura and Kirsten!  And I really enjoyed Sake/il dolce and the PS that was in town still.  Especially the sake bombs!  Playing cards with Terry and Laura and Brad was pretty great too.  

Well...guess I better get to packing.  Gross.

Here's my lovely quote of the post:

“I was thinking how nothing lasts, and what a shame that is.” - Benjamin Button, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I'll leave you with a picture of my boyfriend.  Who I saw go 5 for 5.  Not on TV, in person. Amazing.

EDIT!!!!

I've just added a new quote for you lovelies:

"I wish you posted another picture of A-Rod, instead of the one we have to stare at all the time on facebook." - Kirsten Boggs after seeing the above picture of A-Rod.

This is for you, freak!