Monday, September 15, 2014

Awkaward Cheesecake + ALG 4 life




Hey guys!

Ayu, aka Awkaward Cheesecake, left me last week Wednesday. We had a blast! This post is a bit different than my usual posts. I hope you enjoy all our crazy photos! This post will be Day 2 of AC + ALG!







We planned a CPK dinner with Ayu's friends, but we were being ourselves and mixed up our days! We were two days too early lol Typical us though >.< nice to see we haven't changed too much.

So we chilled at Barnes & Noble where Ayu got her huge VOGUE magazine!

ALG








Journals!

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Awkaward Cheesecake + Vlogging?

Hello friends!












If you guys remember my very first blog post Where To Begin? I mentioned my sister and her blog. She has been in Japan for a year for schooling and guess what?! She is here with me!! It's so nice being able to just chill with her.


I have been wanting to vlog for years now. For those of you that don't know what vlogging is:

A video log. A journalistic video documentation on the web of a person's life, thoughts, opinions, and interests. 

A vlog can be topical and timeless, instructional and entertaining. The main thread is trying to communicate on a personal level with your audience.

That is the definition straight from Urban Dictionary! I should have started vlogging in college, but oh well. I figured what better way to start off my vlogging than with Ayu visiting!








My first vlog consists of me getting Ayu from the airport, us going to get Indian food, and attending the Neon Trees concert. Check it out guys! Remember it is my first time editing though lol My page and descriptions are all still a work in progress. The title of the first video is V1: It's Like You Never Left.

Oh and if you guys couldn't tell, I have now decided to show all y'all my face! Nice to meet you guys!

ALG

Schatzi's Accident

Hi guys!

As you all know, my boyfriend rides a motorcycle. A few weeks ago he got into an accident. Here's what happened:

Schatzi was driving down the road in the left lane when a car cut in front of him. He had to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting the car in front of him. He didn't have enough room to stop so he had to turn the motorcycle to the left. When he turned left and braked he flew over the top of the handlebars landing flat on his back. As for the motorcycle, it did a half flip and landed near him.


Sounds like one heck of an experience to me. Later that evening I received a text that he was in the hospital. So my dad and I rushed down to the VA hospital near UCSD. They let us see him and my heart hurt when I saw him. I hated seeing him in so much pain and discomfort. Got to hold his hand and talk to him a bit before they said he had to be transferred to Scripps hospital.


They loaded him into the ambulance and we followed in our car. When we got to see him we found him in what seemed like a holding room. The doctors looked over his papers and he was moved into a room upstairs. I was so glad I packed a blanket because it was very cold in the hospital! Schatzi was tired and in pain so I sat by him. I've never been in a situation like this before so I wasn't sure what I should do. I was hoping my being there would help a little bit. I know that if I am ever in the hospital I would want someone to be there for me. It was past midnight and I knew we would have to leave him to find a hotel for the night. I could feel the time running out and I didn't want leave him. I knew he would be in good hands at the hospital, but still I didn't want to leave his side. When it was time to leave I gave him a kiss goodbye and reluctantly walked out of the hospital.

My dad and I drove around to hotels to look for a room. We stayed at the Marriott for the evening. Don't you guys love hotel pillows?! I am not sure what makes them so much more comfortable than my pillows lol I think they are just softer than mine. I am a fluffy pillow type of person >.< It took me a while to get to sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about how Schatzi was doing. In the morning my dad and I checked of the hotel and grabbed some Taco Bell.

When we got back to the hotel Schatzi was sleeping. I tried being really quite but he woke up. He looked better than the previous day. His mom flew in from up north to see him too.

So you may be asking what kind of damages were done, right? Schatzi was saying how most people think of road rash, broken limbs, blood, and death when they hear about motorcycle accidents. Everyone thought Schatzi was extremely lucky. From appearance you couldn't tell he had gotten into an accident. He had a little red scrape on his forehead from his helmet and a bruise on his left shoulder/pec where his backpack strap was. Lucky right? Looking deeper into his body the doctors found he had three broken vertebrae. Could have been worse because luckily these three broken vertebrae caused no spinal damage. I was incredibly grateful that the damage wasn't worse than it was.

My parents let me stay at Schatzi's place for the rest of the week. I got to help his mom out with grocery shopping and cleaning. Schatzi never likes to ask me for help, but since he had to lay in bed he had to ask us to do things for him. You guys remember I went up north back in July, right? That trip went by very quickly so although I didn't like the reason that caused him mom to come down, I enjoyed getting extra time to spend with her. His mom and I worked together to assemble Schatzi's desk he had ordered online. That was the first piece of furniture I have ever helped put together but we did it!

As of this day, Schatzi is feeling so much better. He can walk up and down the stairs, sit at the table, and he even rides his bike to the store! The doctors said it would take 8 weeks to fully heal so he's still got a while.

Seeing a loved one in so much pain is difficult, but not being able to do anything to take away that pain made me feel so helpless. Now that he is better I don't have to worry so much. I still do worry though lol I'm so happy that you're feeling better Schatzi. You were so strong and brave through it all. You're such an inspiration. I love you

ALG

Sunday, August 17, 2014

I Know It Today, and That's Enough

Hey guys,

Long time no read eh? Sorry about my absence. A lot has happened since the Vegas trip and yes I believe I have one more post that I need to write for the Vegas series. After that I have a post about Schatzi's motorcycle accident (don't worry, he's all good) and one about some healthyish meals.

Schatzi and I as you all know live around 100 miles apart when I am not at UCSD. This amongst many other things makes seeing eachother quite the challenge. Last time I got to see him was the week of the 29th in July. So it's been what, two weeks? I am guessing to some of you that two weeks doesn't sound like a very long time, but it was. Schatzi and I were trying to plan a few dates and after a few bumps in the road he decided he would come up yesterday. He rented a car and was on my driveway around 4:30am Saturday morning. Yes, that is quite early, but I didn't mind. It was somewhat sureal seeing him in a car on the driveway at that hour. We got back to San Diego around 6:30am and agreed we both needed some rest or we wouldn't make it through the rest of our day.

We have been talking about watching the Planet of the Apes movies for months now. So we caught the 1:20pm showing of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I don't normally eat in movie theaters, but this time Schatzi was so kind and bought me nachos! Schatzi got popcorn, rootbeer, and cookie dough bites! I normally sit in the center of the far back row, but Schatzi chose to go about half way up the rows and to the center. I think I sit all the way in the back because I always feel like I am being watched, but this time it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I got to sit next to my boyfriend. There were moments during the movie where I would look over and catch him looking at me and there were moments I would catch myself just looking at him. I still paid attention to the movie! lol Not sure what it is about those moments with him in the theater but they always have such a deep emotional effect. It's as if time stands still. Have you guys ever experienced this feeling? There were a lot of gun shots during the movie and I jumped a lot. One of the times I jumped and Schatzi pulled me close and kissed the top of my head.

After the movie neither of us wanted to go eat lunch so we headed back to the house to rest. Watched some House of Cards! That's the series Schatzi and I have chosen to watch together. It's really intriguing actually. There are a lot of different things going on in the show. Even though we have only watched four episodes I would still recommend the show to others! While we watched I got to file and buff some of Schatzi's nails. I love it when we sit in bed watching tv relaxing. I enjoy making his nails look all pretty. It calms me and I know he enjoys it as well.

It was starting to get late so we yelped a place for dinner. We ended up going to Knockout Pizzeria. I wanted to try the Chicken Ranch pizza but I also kind of wanted the Buffalo Chicken pizza so Schatzi had the brilliant idea for us to a share a half half pizza! The weather was not too hot not too cold so we ate outside. Being able to sit and have dinner with Schatzi was perfect. I knew the night was coming to an end though so I was getting a little down.

Back into the car we went. Reached town around 11pm. My curfew from my parents was set at midnight. That meant I had an hour or so left that I didn't want to waste by getting home early but at the same time I was worried because that meant the later Schatzi would get home. He suggested we stop at Denny's and that we did. I got a creamy hot chocolate and Schatzi got a fancy chocolate peanut butter milkshake. You guys know how he loves his milkshakes! I didn't want our time together to end. I was exhausted and on the verge of falling asleep but still wanted to stay out a bit longer. We talked for a bit then went to the market to grab a few drinks for Schatzi's drive back home.

We pulled into the driveway and I knew I had to get out of the car. I didn't want to budge from my seat. He helped me gather my belongings and walked me to the door. It was incredibly difficult to say goodbye. Lots of hugs, kisses, and heartfelt words. Part of me wanted to cry, but I smiled and turned to unlock the door. I watched as he walked away (it's not pathetic if this is making my eyes tear up right?). He texted to let me know he made it safely home. We both got into our beds and chatted for a short while before getting to sleep. Granted he didn't manage to sleep till 4 though.

I could talk about all the things I wish could have been different but what good would that do? Given the circumstances I had the perfect day. I got to wake up to my boyfriend first thing in the morning. Watch the movie we have been meaning to see together. Watch House of Cards while being physically together. Share deliciously tasty food. I got to cuddle and be cuddled. I also got to listen to him sing along to his songs in the car. That always makes me smile and think about how much I love him. We made precious memories that I'll never forget. Thank you for everything from renting the car to planning the day to simply holding me tight Schatzi. I love you to the moon and back. Hope that I will get to see you again real soon :)

ALG

Sunday, July 27, 2014

BODIES . . . The Exhibit

Hello,

This morning I decided I would have the breakfast buffet instead of a bagel. I had bacon, sausage, hash browns, cheese blitz, watermelon, pear, peaches, and a strawberry danish. Yea I know I'm a pig.


After breakfast we headed over to Circus Circus the Adventure dome! My mom and brother rode two roller coasters there. I would never go on either of course lol I recorded them at the end of the second roller coaster and right when I was gonna press the button to stop recording my camera went black. Yeaaaa I should have packed those spare batteries. Luckily the gift shop inside the Adventure dome has a four pack of AA batteries!

So currently I am a Human Biology major at UCSD. I love anatomy and physiology ever since I took the class my junior year of high school. This is why we went to our next stop. The Luxor! You know, the big pyramid hotel with the sphinx? Home of the Bodies exhibit! For those of you that don't know what that is. "The Exhibition provides an intimate and informative view into the human body. Using an innovative preservation process, the Exhibition allows you to see and celebrate your body's inner beauty in ways you never dreamed possible. Over 200 actual human bodies and specimens, meticulously dissected and respectfully displayed, offer an unprecedented and wholly unique look into your amazing body." Of course we were not allowed to take photos or film any part of the exhibit. We started off in the skeletal system room and onto the muscular, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, urinary, fetal development, and finished off in the treated body room. Sorry guys, but I did jot down some interesting facts!

1. The Palmar Arch: due to it's sensitivity and dexterity, the hands require a large blood supply. Even a small cut on a finger can be very messy.

2. Weak abdominal muscles lead to injuries throughout the skeletal system. So do your sit-ups!

3. Humans have the most evolved facial muscles of all mammals.

4. Girls brains account for 2.5% of their body weight. Boys brains account for 2% of their body weight.

5. Pulse is an artery wall stretching with each heart beat.

6. The brain requires 20% of the body's total blood supply.

7. Every drop of blood in the body passes through the heart once per minute.

8. To lose one pound you must burn 3,500 calories more than your body needs.

9. Steps to digest:
ingest
chew 10-30 times
swallow 4-8 seconds
churn 2-4 hours
absorb 3-5 hours
compact 10 hours - days
eliminate!

10. During the day the intervertabral discs compress and flatten but spring back during sleep. This is why you are shortest at the end of the day and tallest when you rise in the morning!

11. Fetal cells may remain within the mother decades after birth.

12. This was one of my favorite. These words were next to a glass box with a slit at the top large enough to insert cigarette boxes. "On average a box of cigarettes takes 3 hours and 40 minutes off of your life. We'd like you to be around longer. Leave your cigarettes here and stop smoking now."

Interesting facts? I hope there were some out of the 12 that are new to you! At the end there was a list of steps as to how they preserved the bodies for the exhibit. Of course I wrote them all down for you!

Process of Polymer Preservation
1. Human specimen is temporarily preserved to stop decay.
2. Specimen is dissected to feature specific systems & structures.
3. Dissection is immersed in acetone to evacuate all body water.
4. Dehydrated, the specimen is placed in a silicon polymer bath & sealed in a
vacuum chamber.
5. Under vacuum, acetone leaves the body in a gas form, replaced by silicone
polymer.
6. Silicone polymer hardens in curing.
7. The permanently preserved specimen with its structures intact, is ready for
             examination and study.

Overall I would say the exhibit was an eyeopening experience. I would tell you guys what my favorite specimen was, but I can't. I was fascinated by each and every one of them. I did really enjoy looking at the fetal development stages, the skull separated into its various bones, the various veins and arteries of the organs, and the treated bodies room (this showed metal implants that replaced corrupted joints and bones). With exhibits like this I am usually content with seeing it once in my life, but this one is different. I would go through the exhibit again! Now I just need to find some closer to home and someone to go with! I wish we could have touched it all, but I'd imagine that would be a nightmare with all the immature individuals and children out there. If you guys get the opportunity to go to a Bodies exhibit and have the stomach for it go! You'll love it!

It was still early in the afternoon when we finished (took about an hour and a half to get through the exhibit) so we walked on over to Mandalay Bay. Why? I saw in my LUSH catalog there was a LUSH in Mandalay Bay! Look how big this one looks compared to the one in La Jolla by school!

Some pretty bath bombs. This is the bubble bar I purchased. I'll show you how it works in the next blog post. I also purchased a massage bar! LUSH employees are always so friendly. This time Dezi helped me. Since I was asking about the massage bars she showed me various ones by massaging my hands and arms! Felt very nice. She wants to be a massage therapist one day so she shared some tips with me on how to give a good massage. I told her how I love getting massaged at the base of my skull and she got up and did it! Dezi wrote down the different products we looked at that I didn't purchase that way I will know for future visits!

We got back to the hotel and my brother and I just chilled in the room while our parents went to gamble. Read my book while sitting in the sun in our air conditioned room. Very relaxing till I tried to move realizing my tailbone was sore from how awkwardly I had been sitting on it.

Dinner was Bachi Burger again, but this time we went to a different location. I wasn't terribly hungry so I got an almond milk tea boba drink and edamame beans.

ALG

Bubble Bar Bath

Aloha!




Here's the bubble bar that I picked out. Figured I should choose the one with the least amount of color just in case it stains the tub. I ended up cutting it in half because I wanted to save half for later.

This is how it worked. You hold it in your hand under running water and slowly crumble it. Then voila, bubbles! Not a ton of bubbles, but it still counts as a
bubble bath!



There's my feets!

Been a long time since I've taken a bubble bath. I told Schatzi I felt like such a kid as I sat in my bath entertaining myself by trying to fill a cup with bubbles >.<

ALG

Friday, July 25, 2014

Penn & Teller

Hey guys!

Did you guys get the hint from the other day's post? Penn & Teller! I used to watch their show Fool Us all the time on YouTube!





This is a photo of this really cool looking light structure.


We got to go up on the stage to check out a box and sign an envelope. Both of which would be used during the show.

Here's the box. At this moment I wasn't sure what part of the show it would be used for, but later Penn popped out of it making his entrance to the show.

See this guy in the hat? I could have sworn that it was Penn, but I wasn't 100% sure so I just zoomed and snapped a quick one. I was in line to check out the items on stage, but if I wasn't I'd have gone over there to try and get a better photo.


While in line I accidentally stepped on the red squares and a guy came and told me to get back on the black. Heres Penn and Teller's tape markers.


July 22, 2014. The yellow rectangle is the envelope my dad and I signed.

Here's the view from stage! See that guy off to the right center in the white? Go two rows back. That's how close we were to stage. Pretty sweet seats!

No photos or video taping during the show. I loved the show! I have no clue as to which trick was my favorite. There was one where Penn sat playing guitar and telling the story of Penn in Physics class. While Penn did that, Teller of course acted it all out. Educational in a way, but got my attention the whole time! I also liked a trick where Teller turned water into coins and then coins into fish.

After the show, Penn and Teller were outside taking selfies and autographing whatever people gave to them. My dad and I joined the crowd of people around Teller while my mom and brother waited off to the side. You guys know Teller doesn't talk during the act right? Of course I was curious to find out what he sounded like! When it was my turn I had my camera record while he took it from me and took a selfie with me. I didn't have a pen or paper with me so I franticly thought of what I could have him sign. That's when I asked if he could autograph the side of my camera and he said yes! I really liked Teller. He was extremely friendly and kind.

Moving on to Penn. We stood in that crowd of people. What I noticed about Penn was that every time he addressed a person he would say "Hi/Hey Boss." For those of you that don't know, I am 5 foot. Penn is 6 foot 7 inches tall. I pressed record as he called me forward. I wasn't sure how a selfie would work with someone 18 inches taller than I was. So instead my dad took the photo for me. Penn wasn't anywhere near as personable as Teller, but I managed to get him to autograph my camera as well. Oh and as I was waiting my turn I overheard that, hat was him playing bass prior to the show!

It was late and we were all exhausted. Back to the hotel we went. Did a quick arms, thighs, back, chest, and abs workout. Took a shower and now I am sitting here wearing my apricot foot mask while typing away! If you guys visit Vegas I'd recommend seeing their show. Not gonna be in Vegas? Watch em on YouTube!

ALG