Love(less).

Short post.

As you might've noticed, the blog has been devoid of any relationship posts lately. Blame this on me being out of school for the last couple of weeks, and seeing friends a lot (who have been away for at school too for a while) instead of socializing avec des garcons.

I am kind of still emotionally preoccupied with the guy from school whose moved back home for the summer, so that's partially to blame for my lack of mingling with the opposite sex. But mostly, I miss my good friends and I'm enjoying seeing them again! :)

That is all.

Favourite wastes of time

Admittedly, I am a huge procrastinator. Not huge physically, obvz, but huge as in "my capacity to". I can procrastinate for even the simplest tasks. Like planning my course schedule for next year, or doing the laundry. Anything. In fact, I have such little determination that I have missed classes because of my laziness/ability to procrastinate getting ready or finding my purse/book bag, etc. It's really that bad.

For anyone who is not as adept as I (I'm not proud of this, at least not totally) at procrastinating, here are some of my favourite things to do that facilitate my procrastination. Enjoy (as much as I do)!

1. Team Fortress 2. Seriously, I've mentioned this before (I think), one of the BEST VIDEO GAMES EVER. I'm not a big video game fan, but this is so addictive and fun and not as nerdy as might be expected. According to Wikipedia, it is a "team-based first-person shooter multiplayer" video game. Basically, there are several classes (medic, soldier, scout, spy, heavy, pyro, demo, engineer, sniper) that you can choose to play, and your team competes against another to complete missions (capture the flag, standing on checkpoints, etc). It's simple in theory, but amazing. My favourite class is spy. You get to sneak around and fulfill any childhood aspirations you had to be James Bond (becoming invisible, sapping sentry guns and backstabbing opponents). Sounds great, right? Youtube it to check it out.


2. Shopping. This is self explanatory, I think. While commuting to school, I have the option of subwaying to several major shopping districts. Needless to say, I have been late (and/or missed) to class because of this. However, I have a great closet to show for it :)
   
3. Wikipedia. My intellectual side likes to read and research things. My lazy side hates doing school-related reading. Wikipedia allows me to learn without scholastic pressure!


4. Youtube. I love finding funny things and forwarding them to friends. Like, Charlie Bit Me. Comedic gold!!


5. Running. This is my healthy waste of time. So, technically, it's a complete waste of time (my heart and thighs :( appreciate it).


6. Television or movies. I won't lie, I'd do these things even without motivation. I love television. I'm not one to watch just for watching, but certain shows I can schedule my life around. And I love movies.


7. (Sort of) Blogging. I haven't gotten that into blogging yet, but I can see this happening in the future... :P

That's all! How do you waste your time and/or avoid completing projects?

Daisy for "Daisy".

For all who might be curious, my pseudonym was inspired by a perfume I came across and basically love-at-first-smelled in Sephora (love!). Not surprisingly, I'm talking about Daisy by Marc Jacobs. It smells delicious (not delicious like food, but delicious like you wash your laundry with Gain and you can't stop sniffing the linens).

According to Marc Jacobs (the brand, not man), the fragrance is meant to be "happy and youthful". Its top notes are wild strawberry and red grapefruit with floral notes to follow (gardenia, violet, jasmine), finally, its base includes musk, vanilla and white woods. It's not overly sweet like many perfumes that are fruity or citrus-y. Overall Daisy is a sheer, "sunny" scent that isn't overpowering or headache-inducing. Its my daytime scent that I think is suitable for class, shopping, and basically any other casual affairs.

Plus, the bottle is cute, right? I'm not a huge perfume fan, but I lurvvve Daisy. I'm trying to think of other scents that I've bought into... Light Blue (by Dolce & Gabbana), is all that I can readily recall. My preferences are a bit juvenile, I'll admit, I generally prefer light, citrus or floral scents that don't give me a headache (most perfumes make me dizzy :( ).

Sooo, what are your favourite fragrances? Have you ever tried Marc Jacobs' Daisy?

Karma

I was at the supermarket yesterday buying supplies for my parents' (second) barbecue of the summer. I couldn't find fresh corn in the vegetables and fruits section, so I asked one of the attendants. As he turned to answer, I realized I knew the guy. It was the cool kid from my elementary school, that all the girls wanted to date and all the boys wanted to be soccer buds with. Hahahaha, anyway, he recognized me and asked what I was doing with my life, I told him briefly about my schooling, etc., and he told me that basically, he worked full-time at the supermarket. OMG, sometimes, I'm handed these types of really enjoyable moments I wish I could stew in.

I wouldn't be as proud and cocky about it if we hadn't been in the positions we had been in several years ago in elementary. I was in a gifted program during the last years of elementary, and had to transfer to a different school. As a "brainer" (this was the clever slang the normies, :P, used), I was made fun of and excluded just because of the class I was in. Vegetable Boy was among the people who acted superior and overall douchey to all of us (the gifted kids). Needless to say, karma's awesome (even though this isn't real karma, that is to say this isn't how karma really works).

It's funny though, looking back on my experiences and the non-violent bullying I faced, I'm generally glad about how my life has turned out. I mean, as shitty as I might do in life (with grades and what not), at least I can expect a semblance of a successful future. Come to think of it, of all of the kids from my elementary school (outside of gifted), I only know of a couple who've gone on to any type of post-secondary school. Not to say that in order to be successful you must go to college or university, but these were kids who always ragged on us for being academic, etc. It's just funny how life turns out.

PostSecret.

Cinematic experiences.

I love movies. Like, a lot. Actually, I'm a bit of a snob about my movie preferences. It goes so far as that I have certain friends and people I know who I completely ignore in terms of their film suggestions (because I know that their favourite films are She's All That or Step Up). I'm willing to watch cheesy, non-thought-provoking things and really enjoy them, but I cannot stand movies that aren't aware of their inanity.

Take, for instance, Honey (Jessica Alba, dance film, dance teacher overcomes sexism and misogyny to raise money for her dance studio and the impoverished kids in her neighbourhood). If it were to accept that it offers nothing intellectual or moral, I would not have such a grudge against it. Instead, it insists on itself like it can provide some profound epiphanies about life and self. No, and no.

Things I hate:

• Dance movies. Footloose, Step Up, Save the Last Dance, Honey (: !), and so forth. These are all ridiculous. The acting is worse than mediocre, and the plot is completely reliant on the choreography (which is at the best, sub-par to a well-directed/choreographed music video).
• Teen comedies. Namely: She's All That, Jawbreaker, Say It Isn't So. There are good ones (Clueless, more for nostalgia than actual quality, I think; Superbad; Mean Girls).
• Napoleon Dynamite. Overrated, overacted.
• "Spoof comedies": Scary Movie (all of them), Not Another Teen Movie, etc.
• Many other things... movies that take themselves too seriously, movies with singers or models as headliners (when they can't act, which is usually), movies with the Olson Twins, etc.
• The Notebook. On its own, it's a decent film. Taken with the hype it comes with (it came out when I was in high school--filled with girls who'd give anything to have a paramour like Noah, *swoon*!), and suddenly I loathe this film.
• Donnie Darko. Not as profound as one would make you believe.

Things I like:

• Robert DeNiro. The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Cape Fear, Awakenings. Brilliant actor, in my opinion (and the Academy's, and Scorcese's, and a boatload of actors who credit him as an influence; so if you disagree: Suck. On. That.)
• "Subtle" humour (as in, not slapstick or sitcom-like comedy): Juno, others I can't think of.
• Satire (Borat!)
• Judd Apatow (and related films): Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 40 Year Old Virgin, etcetera.
• Dramatic films that aren't just pretentious. Atonement, Shindler's List, The Pianist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,
• Fight Club, Snatch, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, Almost Famous, American History X, Scarface, Psycho, Sid and Nancy, No Country for Old Men, Enchanted, The Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Trainspotting, Chicago, A Streetcar Named Desire.
• A lot of other films that I've forgotten for some reason.

Anyway, what are your favourite movies? Why do you think that people still watch films like Scary Movie?

Cheers,

Daisy.

Steaks and corn(y conversations).

Apparently, a string of decent weather days forces my family to react by having a barbecue. Food was good, family was the usual (stressful, passive aggressive, nostalgic, nice to see-ish, etc), and I feel blech from eating it.

I hate that, but lately (as in, the last five years), I've been too self-conscious about what I eat, when I exercise, my caloric intake and how many I've burned on the treadmill, etc. Not good, and really annoying, I think. If I conversed with my friends about my self-esteem and lack thereof, I'm sure they wouldn't take it well. My buds are not that feminine supportive. Really, it's like having a group of guy friends that would prefer to call me a dumbass and punch me in the arm. Oddly, I think I prefer this, because it stops me from getting mopey. I can just blog it out, and move on (usually). Sooo... I've blogged it out. And, I'm over it (-ish).

Hmmm. What else to say. I went shopping with an acquantaince but wants-to-be-my-friend from my university, and it was, aside from boring, depressing. She lives fairly comfortably, and I have student loans and tuition fees to care about. Needless to say, after visiting Lacoste, Holt Renfrew and a plethora (pfft) of other stores that I can only afford when my parents are funding the shopping spree, I was less than chipper (on the inside!) =( Also, I hate the inane conversation that most girls (that I know, who aren't in my close circle of friends) like to occupy themselves with. How many times can you say, "No, I do not think that such and such is into you." or "I think that top is a bit too "Dirrty" for daytime". Seriously.

Last post of the day.

I swear.

A request: That people who visited posted comments. Negative or positive. I enjoy reading comments, and StatsCounter tells me there are a whole lot more people dropping by but keeping quiet!

That is all.

Oh! And an additional, subsequent request: No spammy comments, or pornographic things.

Thank.
You.

mememememe.

Stole this from Therapeutic Ramblings...

maybe i should... start getting ready to leave.
i love... my dogs. a few of my friends. reading good books. wikipedia-ing things. going to concerts. etcetera.
i don’t understand... why sometimes my keyboard acts like a douche and makes my typing stupid. Case and point (case IN point... I never know!): apostrophe=è, question mark=É.
when I wake up in the morning... I usually want another hour of REM. I like my dreams.
i lost... confidence in knowing whatès (damnit) going to happen in my future, what I am going to do in life (the particulars!)
life is full of...snippets of things that usually seem insignificant when they happen, but in hindsight always mean more. And ironically, the important things always seem to be less of a big deal. A regression to the mean, it seems.
my past is full of... wasted experiences, good times with friends, happy kid times, happy adult times. etc.
i get annoyed when... parents who dont parent (agreed!)
parties are... great when the sole expectation isn't just to get shitfaced.
i wish i had more... money, time, and puppies! (half kidding).
dogs... often kick humans' ass. (the collective ass of humans).
cats... sub-dogs in their goodness.
tomorrow i'm...attending a seminar at school about my future.
i have low tolerance for... pain. Also ignorant people (agreed!) and dirt.
i’m totally terrified of... losing my friends (the ones I care about) and disappointing my parents. Having to settle professionally and personally.
i wonder why... my laziness>fear of failure.
never in my life have i... not played "never have i ever". nor have i cheated on a boyfriend.
high school was... began shittily, but climaxed near the end (that's what she said!).
when i’m nervous i... ramble, or get quiet. or get fidgety.
one time at a family gathering... i had to sing karaoke. I have a ridiculous fear about singing in public (except around friends and closecloseclose family). My family is uber-serious about karaoke, and I cannot perform (vocally, ha!).
making my bed...happens whenever someone's visiting.
i'm almost always... playing with my hands, grooming my fingers and nails. It's a nervous habit.
im addicted to ... the hills. Seriously.
i want someone to... tell me they love me and let me lean on their shoulder, and have them rest their head on mine.

Frankie says...

The (long-awaited) menstruation has resumed.

Thank. Goodness.

No baybay's for meee!

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: A perspective.

Here's my take on this Miley Cyrus/Vanity Fair/internet photo issue.

This is the gist: I don't think it's appropriate for parents to allow their children or to support their children to idolize personalities like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears (more of my demographic) or any other human figure. Obviously the character they portray in the media is very much styled and formed to suit a market, and they are subject to being swayed and influenced by the market (which is fickle and often driven by an obsession with material goods or striving to be beautiful/thin/etc).

These girls, Cyrus, Spears, Lohan, during the burgeoning and sometimes climax (as is the case of Cyrus right now) are still children and cannot nor should not be expected to be consistent role models. The pressures placed on them to be professional and to adhere to the moral standards that parents expect for their children are obviously (as is proven in many cases) too great for a child or teenager to deal with. We (as an audience) are told of how mature (precocious) and driven these kids are to do what they do by reporters, producers, their parents; but I would think that parents realize the behaviour of their own children who make mistakes and have moral crises in their personal lives. Obviously, it's not unbelievable for a celebrity child/teen to do the same. Except with millions of people watching and criticizing.

Take, for instance, the candid (self-portraitesque) photos of Cyrus. To me, they remind me of the self-conscious/self-promoting pictures taken by my peers in high school (Compare: High school age ~14-18) to post of Myspace, Facebook, any other social networking website. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as it's gotten her a lot of press), the photos were leaked to the public. That said, what would parents say if they saw photos of their kids (in high school!) and the photos they take of themselves or of friends online? This isn't unheard of behaviour! Additionally, thinking back to my high school experience (I went to a good school, most of us pursued post-secondary education, etc), a good number of us (not me :P!) experimented with alcohol in grade 10 (15-16 years old!). A lot had boyfriends. A lot did more than hold hands with their boyfriends.

Does this make it excusable? No, nor does it make it right, but it doesn't make it surprising either. Teenagers rebel and try to discover their own identity separate from that of their parents. This should be expected behaviour, not the method that it is being performed, but the general trend of a search for self--Erik Erikson describes key conflicts that must occur in each major developmental period in a person's lifetime.

Parents shouldn't let their kids idolize or make role models of celebrities, or any person, really. Maybe I'm jaded, but people aren't perfect, and have a demonstrated track record of messing up. In the case of young celebrities, their mess ups are well-documented and made known. However, in the case of CHILD CELEBRITIES, what makes them seem adept to be a role model? The fact that they're still maturing and growing? That they're undergoing puberty/hormonal fluxes? Miley Cyrus, or the others, aren't quasi-models of behaviour to replace parents teaching their kids values. If anything, thank Cyrus for the (forced) opportunity to bring to the open issues that are present in most young teenagers who are learning about sexuality and becoming curious and are probably less innocent than parents assume.

That said, peace out.

PS I totally blame Cyrus' parents for this debacle (the Vanity Fair bit). THEY WERE WITH HER TAKING PHOTOS. EFFING BILLY RAY (SP?) WAS IN SOME OF THEM, and who ditches their kid at work once their part of the work is done..?

PPS I also think that Cyrus has only a TINY shred of actual talent or appeal. I will admit to enjoying the occasional Zoey 101 or Suite Life. But I find absolutely no interest or enjoyment in watching Hannah Montana. Seriously, that kid (Cyrus) has a grating voice and personality. I do not get it. That is all.

:o!

Holy canoli! (sp?) I didn't realize that I haven't posted in almost 20 days!

Jeeze. I was worse than I thought!

PS I might get a new dog.

It looks something like this:

Fucking adorable, right? (This isn't the actual dog, but it's got a similar vibe..?). She's a rescue.

This will bring my dog total to three. Which is the legal limit in my town, hahaha. I will end up a dog lady as an old person. Cat ladies are so passé (kidding! They are... timeless? Ha!).

Hmmm. That is all.

(blogging) sabbaticals, school, and summer.

Sorry for being AWOL these last bunch of days. As mentioned in a way earlier post, I am in exam period and am thankfully, still alive.

Exams are a bitch... university is hard, but otherwise, life is good. My muchachos from other universities/cities are coming home soon, so that promises to make (at least) a decent summer andddd I got hired at as a research assistant with one of the psychology groups (a professor and phD <--I can never remember which letters are capitalized and which are lowercase! -- students) at my school for next year. Basically, I will be photocopying, finding journals, analyzing statistics for no pay, and for a good chunk of time, but I'm told these are the types of things you do to bulk up a CV or resume. Ergo, I toil academically. In less academic news, I'm thinking my summer will be loveless, or new loveful. Me and (the guy from a previous post, lives out of town... etc) won't be continuing our fling. Alas, no summer lovin'. I'm not that remorseful or depressed about it. I'm just excited to be school free for the next four-ish months! Technically, not school FREE (I'm taking summer courses), but significantly less school occupied. I lied. I reverted to making my news academic, my apologies. In wayyy less-stop-me-if-they-are-academic news, I am three weeks late in surfing the crimson tide. Colour me worried! I'm 99% sure I'm not preggers, but still. But, seriously--health-wise, something to be concerned with? My friends assure me it's normal, and I'm not about to book a doctor's appointment (I am not a fan of doctor's offices, ironically) for something that isn't a big deal.

Anyway. Later, lovelies. I have (one last) exam to study for!

Daisy =)