Over the Wall

This is my wall of law. I put together colorful flyers of the rules I would forget more often than not no matter how many times I review them. I taped them next to my desk so I could just read them when I'm daydreaming or not being productive. I have 3 full signs on professional responsibility. That class didn't cement anything down regarding specific ethical rules so I had to relearn them even after the MPRE. More than anything, writing rules in crayon and color pens made me think how I would organize the rules so that I would remember them. It also made it easier to read than those tedious black and white Bar/Bri outlines. Here's hoping the wall helped me a bit come Tuesday.

Good luck everyone.

Back Muskels

At the end of my bis/tris and legs workout and I'm on the ab ball doing some crunches. I notice a petite Asian lady walking towards my direction and she's looking at me. She comes forward and says, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to tell you I really admire your back. Could you tell me what you do? I don't lift free weights so I don't know what I should be doing."

That was a first. Totally random stranger coming up to me to ask for workout tips. I told her it probably had to do a lot with swimming, but I wanted to help her anyway. She said she had some wedding to go to in a few weeks and wanted to look good.

I showed her the lat pulldown. She had been doing a machine called the Lat Pull where each arm had a separate grip, but it wasn't doing much for her since she was doing 110 lbs. and it wasn't even hard. Obviously, the machine was doing too much of the work for her. I put her at 50 lbs. for the lat pulldown (keep wide grip and make sure the motion is up and down) and she was challenged.

Then I showed her the one-arm row. It was a first for her so there were a few form corrections (only use your back, not your bicep) but after some pointers she looked great.

Then, I told her to do the seated row, but she already knew that, so I didn't bother watching her form, but now that I think about it, maybe I should've.

That picture isn't the best since the top covers up the muscles, but it was the only one I had.

No Restraint

Rachel Palley Split Back Mini Dress

• Rachel Palley Cape Mini Dress

Loeffler Randall. I didn't get these flats, but the heels I did get were very similar in color and style.

• These were from the last shopbop order.

Coping with Cooking

Waiting is grating on my nerves and I just can't stand studying. I wake up now wishing I had already taken the exam. The restless energy needs something to do besides working out and dancing so I've been cooking more than usual. Baking is so easy since all one really needs are eggs, butter, flour, sometimes milk and vanilla extract and a few other handy ingredients.

Tuesday
1. Whole wheat penne with canned tomato sauce cooked with ground chicken, onion, marinated shrimp, portabello mushrooms, fresh basil (from my plant!), a bit of dried oregano, mushroom powder, and white wine (cubes frozen from old wine). I just put in whatever sounded good to me and it turned out wonderfully; even the roommate concurred.

2. Vanilla custard in 4 custard cups from Deborah Madison's cookbook.

Today

1. Nigella Lawson's corn bread


















2. Chocolate chip cookies from cookie dough I froze from a batch I made last week.



















It was so easy to make the two because the corn bread recipe was very simple and since the oven was already at 400 degrees for the cornbread, I just turned it 25 degrees lower to bake the cookies. Total baking time was about half an hour, and I made it to hip hop class on time.

Tomorrow's planned dinner
Crustless quiche with eggs, milk, ground chicken, portobello mushrooms, spinach, and parmesean cheese

I don't have anymore flour, or else I would bake a crust. I don't want to buy a pre-made one because I've had them before and they just don't do it for me.

Chugging Along

Not having access to the ARC has made going to the gym more of a hassle, but nothing will get in the way of my routine. I have to drive a little further to get to the nearest 24-hour fitness, but it's worth it since it's a 24Hr SPORT, meaning it comes with sauna, steam room, and jacuzzi. I found this was a good cure to my insomnia. After a hard workout and some time in the sauna and jacuzzi, I fell into bed pretty exhausted and more relaxed than the previous nights.

I'm getting freaked out now and then still, but I do know the material. I think a lot of it is to stop freaking out so that I can figure out the issues and write what I down what I know on paper. Sometimes in outlining I will just forget to write down basic application of facts like what kind of lease I'm dealing with in a landlord tenant question. I don't want to throw away easy points.











Wrist Strap Offer for Gym Rats
If anybody needs some new wrist straps for heavy weight lifting you might want to check out ProWrist Straps. They have an offer out right now where if you place any order and put in the code WRAPS when checking out you'll get 15% off the entire order plus a pair of free wrist straps ($12.95 - $17.95 value). These will be 12" wrist straps with 1.5" velcro and 1/4" thumb loops. They just upgraded their wrist straps to 2" velcro and 1/2" thumb loops so they want to get rid of their old models. You have to put in the comments box the type you want (design by name). The only bad part is that you do have to pay for shipping which I think is around $7.

I use them because once I started lifting heavier weights (20 lbs up) my wrists would be fatigued and I would be afraid to lift in case I injured them. These help stabilize the wrists so I don't have to worry.

Time for another workout to try to relax.

Panic

I'm getting scared, really scared that I might not pass. I got 60% on mixed subject questions today. augh, but 82% on the released evidence questions. Feeling better about evidence but still need to solidify the California distinctions.

Freakin' scared about performance test. Tomorrow I'm doing the Donovan v. Bargain Mart, Inc one to compare with Island Girl. It involves fact gathering which I need to improve.

Just frightened in general that I will not remember enough of the rules for all the other topics that I think I know well enough now but will blank on later.

Keeping on Task

I love Hawaii.

My trip was also really productive because I knew I had to get work done before enjoying the island so I always managed to write 1-2 essays a day and review a topic. I went to the beach twice and it was super relaxing just soaking in the sun and reading books. I finished English Passengers by Matthew Kneale finally after having it around for more than a month. I'm onto The High Window, another Raymond Chandler book. Almost finished too after reading to cure my insomnia that last two nights.




















The movie The Brasher Doubloon (1947) was based on The High Window. It makes sense that his books are made into movies since they feature cool characters in LA settings. I want to rent The Big Sleep (1946) starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. That was my first Raymond Chandler book.

The only downside to the trip is that my sleeping schedule has been off and I missed coming into class Monday and Tuesday. (I can't go to bed until past 3 am!) But no big deal since the subject lectures are over and I did the essay simulation at home. I found out I really stink at PR essays but redeemed myself today after hunkering down to really go over all the rules and breaking down the subjects under each Duty.

The Performance Essays worry me because there is always so much to do. I feel like I have to figure out the format of the essay as I'm reading the sources to fit it into my outline because there isn't time to go back and look at them when I'm writing. Augh. Tomorrow, I'm simulating one so I can compare answers with Island Girl to get an idea of how a grader would look at it. I think it will be helpful.

Subjects I'm done studying for the most part:
1. Community Property
2. Wills
3. Trusts
4. Conlaw
5. Contracts
6. Crimes

Need to refine:
1. PR
2. Torts
3. Corporations and Agency
4. Remedies.

Really need to go over:
1. Evidence
2. Civ Pro
3. Real Property

I'll have to start doing MBEs again because I neglected them my entire trip and I'm only getting 72% of the mixed questions right.






















Yes, I bought another pair of shoes, but these are very practical since I haven't bought new tennis shoes in a couple of years and even though I put superfeet insoles in them, I can tell my feet are hurting more than usual after a hard running workout. I finally got a proper fitting where the shoe guy watches me walk and run. I run on my toes which I knew, but I didn't know it was bad until he said that it'll make my shins hurt and that it's bad for my knees. Makes sense because my knees do hurt after running too much. I tried to run by putting my entire feet on the ground instead of my toes first and it was really hard and tiring. These shoes are stability shoes meaning that they'll correct my tendency to overpronate, but I still need to figure out how to run correctly.

Off to Oahu

Off to Hawaii tomorrow for a Fourth of July getaway from BarBri. Of course I'll still be studying. The TEST is only 3 weeks away! But I can also enjoy the island with my man.





I successfully benched 85 lbs two days ago. The form on the first set (6 reps) was decent, but was worse on the second set (4 reps).

Biceps are doing alright. I can curl the 40 lb straight bar for 2 sets x 6 reps.

Happy Birthday to Mish! I love my sis and I think me, my bro, and her will have a great year together when I'm home.

Let It Go

Let It Go Lyrics

I love this song! Keyshia Cole's voice is rich and it has the tight beat from Biggie's "Juicy."
My favorite lines are from Missy's and Lil Kim's rap:

Missy:
(I don't want yo man)
Cause I got it like that
But it ain't even gotta be like that
(Eh he he he he)
Yo man he be callin me back
Cause see I'm fine and a matter of fact
(Eh he he he he)
He asked how I do dat dat
Fit my jeans over baby fat

Lil Kim:
lookin at his cousin
kinda buzzin
loose off the goose
got him on a chase like cranberry juice

Cranberry juice!!! :) So funny.

A New Love

Recently, I realized I've bought seven pairs of shoes within the last year of school. After four years of college, a year in D.C. and two years of law school, I realized all my shoes were sadly out of date. I still had these black chunky heels from high school that I thought went with everything, but compared to my best friends sexy heels, they were quite shabby and juvenile.

And I did not have any fashionable work shoes! Who needed work shoes when you worked in a biology lab for the government? But now as a corporate whore, if I have to get up early to go to work, at least I can look forward to primping and wearing something nice.
























Banana Republic. They look nice, but these pinch at the toes after a full day of walking in the office.

Then flats became the rage and I didn't own any flats. I'm not even 5'2" so wearing flats was limited to flip flops and sneakers to avoid feeling like a shrimp everyday. Even sneakers have a slight raised heel though. But the flats this past year have been pretty cute and a few weeks ago I caved and bought a pair of Dolce Vitas from Urban Outfitters on clearance:

























I always liked the feel of Dolce Vitas because the leather is nice and soft. The flats didn't give me any bruises at all after wearing them for long periods of time.

The rest of my shoes recently purchased within the last year:



















Dolce Vita
Nine West - best work shoes because I feel so tall (at least 3" taller) and smart in them and they are still comfortable
Enzo Angiolini - bought these for Super Roomie's birthday in Vegas when peep toes started coming in
Linea Paolo - love their shoes. I always look to see what new styles Linea Paolo has in the Nordstrom's shoe department.



















Ballerina kitten heels from Tribeca, also from Nordstroms
Guess casual sneakers because my grungy workout shoes just aren't stylish enough when I want to go out but want aesthetics and comfort .

Today was a lecture on the performance essay portion of the Bar exam. It was half pep talk and half strategy and tips for the bar. The guy was personable and told us about all these people who had various difficulties during the exam but still passed: war veteran who was a slow reader because a grenade exploded near his head (he got extra time, but still could only read the first document in the library after 90 minutes) - he passed, a lady who just had a child the same year, someone who on the day of the exam got out of the shower, slipped, knocked her head on the counter and had a concussion but still took the test, a man who had to go to Russia for two weeks to pick up his adopted kid, a woman who rewrote half of her performance essay after her computer crashed - they all passed.

Practicing is obviously the key, even if I don't know a subject that well (I can always look it up later to brush up and I won't forget it again after seeing it as a test question), so my goal is to write at least one essay a day other than the one assigned, and if there's too much homework, then at least one portion of the prompt. I know my weak spot are the essays, so if I keep practicing and learning how to take them, I think I'll feel good on test day.

Shopping helps a little bit.

We've finished reviewing all the subjects on the MBE (multiple choice section) and now we're onto subjects that are only tests in the essay portions. I really do not like how the Bar examiners grade answers because we have to enumerate each and every element even if we know one element is dispositive.

Enough grumbling. Here's what I've bought so far as retail therapy, one of the few bright spots during these endless days of studying:




































Goldsign Lust jeans from shopbop.com. These are my favorite brand of jeans. Sevens and True Religions just don't fit me correctly. Super roomie was right: once you start wearing designer jeans, you can never go back. They just look so good and if you get the right fit, the jeans are still pretty comfortable.

















Hanky panky boyshorts on super sale for $11.90. I know you are asking, $12 for underwear?? But hanky panky makes the most comfortable thongs I know, so the boyshorts are probably fine and won't give me annoying wedgies. These are usually a ridiculous $40.00.



















A&F shorts on clearance. They are not super short like most of my other shorts so I can wear them later when I have to be more respectable and hide the inner hoochie-mama.

Workout update
Chest

1. 35 lbs dbs for chest press on flat bench.
   
2. 32.5 lbs for incline bench.
   
3. 65 lbs on each side for decline chest on the Hammer Strength machine. I get scared doing the decline chest press with dumbbells by myself, so I use this instead.

Back

1. 80 lbs for seated rows.
   

Biceps

1. 40 lbs (the bar plus small plates) for preacher curls!
   

Legs

1. Lunges with 27.5s dbs. I think I might start doing lunches with the squat bar now since it's a bit hard on the triceps to hold the dbs while I'm doing lunges.
2. 80 lbs for stiff-legged deadlift. These always kill me the next day.
   

Finally!

My first flowers from a seed. These are forget-me-nots.
































Remember when this plant was just a tiny sprout?

Everything else on my balcony was bought from a store or the farmer's market. I'm so happy my miniature rose plant survived the winter. This is the first bloom since then.

BarBri = Law on Crack

Where have I been? Studying for the bar most of the time. I just finished doing 35 multiple questions on contracts, my all-time favorite legal subject, and it's depressing that I only got 60% right. Granted, a few of them I made the wrong choice because I was getting tired after being in class for 3 hours and starting at a computer for another 3 hours, but hey, test conditions will likely be even more stressful, so that really isn't a good excuse. BarBri gave us some stats and people who pass the California bar usually 135 of the 200 questions correct. That's about 70%. I guess 60% for the beginning of the BarBri isn't bad, and there are some new concepts that I never learned first year.

I think I do worst under test conditions compared to practice conditions though, so to make sure I pass, I should be getting 80% right. That's pretty high. Anyway, I think studying my brains out will be enough.
























I do make time for working out and if a special occasion comes up, I try to leave my hermit shelter and come out. Such as my best friend's med school graduation or meeting up a friend for jr. high who I hadn't seen in 4 years. We went to the Asian Art Museum in SF and checked out the traveling exhibit on Tezuka's manga and anime work. The exhibit is there til September 9 so you should check it out if you get a chance. He's probably most famous for Astroboy, but there are a lot of other characters and stories he's done that are more sophisticated. Really cool and shows how manga and anime are not just fantasy, fun stuff, but also a serious and creative form of telling complex stories.

Okay, I just needed a break to write. Now I'm going to review all the questions I got wrong, maybe go swimming, do 39 more multiple choice questions and read about Corporations. I have a massage appointment tomorrow though!

Funny event from yesterday: I was working out in my black sports bra, and a worker I knew at the gym said, "Quit showing off your abs." To which I said, they're not that good. And it's true since they could be better, especially lower abs which I find most people have a hard time with. Later, I'm curling 22.5s in front of a mirror, and same worker tells me there's a sign outside that says I have to wear a shirt to work out. "You have to wear a shirt," he says. Confused, because I have never been asked to put a shirt on the previous times I've worked out in minimal attire, plus I have seem other women work out in similar gear, sometimes even just sports bra and tiny shorts, I ask, "So I have to put a shirt on?" and he sheepishly nods. Geez, so I went back to the locker room, put on a shirt, and continued with my workout feeling miffed for about a minute. Serves me right I guess for being a conceited musclehead. Whatever, I curled 22.5s for 4-5 reps each and did 90lbs 5 reps for tricep cable, so I was happy.

I think maybe it was because it's finals time for the undergrads and there aren't a lot of people in the gym now, so I stuck out and was easily targeted. I guess a supervisor might have wanted to enforce the code, but man, I wasn't even sweating on anything. Just curling dumbbells and even then I'm good about wiping down equipment unlike some gross sweaty, smelly men.

100! My new one rep max for bench press. YAAAAHHH! I thought I would stop at 95 and was very sad that I hadn't improved that much from 90 lbs. a while ago, but I was pushed to go for 100. I huffed and puffed but I got the bar off my chest without any help.


In other news, since I was tuning in to the pageant while preparing a chicken, Ms. Japan Riyo Mori won Ms. Universe. I think that's the first Asian country besides India that's won it.



















There were a lot of notable awards in this competition given to Asian females this year. Ms. Photogenic went to Ms. Phillipines, and Ms. Congeniality went to Ms. China.


































Ms. Phillipines.
































Ms. China

Ms. Korea Honey Lee was also 3rd runner up. Ms. USA was 4th runner up. The competition had a bunch of celebrity guest judges like Dave Navarro, Michelle Kwan, and Tony Romo. Most surprising for me was seeing Michelle Kwan ask a question. What the heck has she been doing lately? Ice exhibitions? I miss seeing her compete.

Ms. Korea

Chocolate Therapy

Bar classes are sort of a drag because they're 4 hours a day. They give us two 10 minute breaks, but it's still a long information cram session. It's the first weekend after bar classes started, but I have lots of homework. We're only doing torts right now and I'm already scared of not passing the bar because I'm only getting 50% of the practice questions right. We're supposed to aim for 70% to pass. The questions are tricky and I really do feel like the examiners are trying to lay sneaky traps on us and they're clever, unlike the simple tricks on the SATs. I did practice multiple choice questions today and outlined 2 essays like we were assigned and about 5-6 hours later, I was so drained that I had to call someone after not having human contact for half a day. Luckily, I was able to get a hold of Kitty de Medici who placated my fears and talked to me about fun non-Bar or law school related things.

I couldn't do anymore studying. What to do? Make a new dessert!

Chocolate Mousse with Crystallized Ginger. Mmmmm It was so easy too except for when I tried to squeeze cream out of the carton and it splattered all over me and the counter. Only 3 ingredients for this mousse: semi-sweet chocolate chips chopped up with food processor, chopped up crystallized ginger, and heavy cream. I had a small taste of the end product because I had been licking the beaters and spatulas throughout the process- can't let all the good stuff go to waste! Homemade mousse is delicious. I think it's as good as what I can buy at The Nugget.

Other than cooking and working out, my other escape from bar review has been, unfortunately, online shopping. It's Memorial Day weekend so the big sales are starting and when I'm stressed, I can't help but browse and if I'm really vulnerable from studying, I click the "place order" button. This week I already bought items from Victoria's Secret and Urban Outfitters. MUST...STOP...BUYING!

Graduation 2007

I graduated! I've been so busy studying for finals and cleaning my apartment for graduation guests that I haven't had a couple minutes to sit down and write.



Graduation was so much fun. It was the best time I've had at a graduation out of the 4 ceremonies I've been in (jr. high, high school, undergrad, and now law school). I felt like this was the most important since it was likely the last time most of us would graduate from school, and we had all gone through a difficult but fun period together before becoming working adults. My family was there including my brother and sister, and several extended family members came. And it was really nice to have boyfriend and best friend in attendance. I heard everyone give me a nice big cheer when my name was called to be hooded. The school had a reception for everyone, and there was so much food, no one wanted to go to lunch after. Dinner was at Dragonfly in Sacramento and just about everyone was happy with their food and the wine, Seghesio Zinfandel 2005, was nice. My dad loved it since it was perfect with his ribeye steak.



After dinner, we were pretty tired but I knew some 3Ls were going out to Pasta? and I had told all the young people in my party to come along. It was the first time my sis, bro, and I partied together and I must say it was one of the best partying experiences I've had. Everyone got along really well: bro, sis, best friend, super roomie, and I had plenty to drink and everyone danced. My bro even tried to hook up my best friend with this really nice med student K. I think Beluved figured out what was going on because I'd be dancing and then she'd come over and shout at me, "I think your brother is trying to get me ass!" K was pretty smart because he would dance with me and impress me with his moves, then ask me if Beluved was taken. Of course she is taken, but it was funny nonetheless. We were all there til the lights came on, and then we went to IHOP to sober up. Good times.



Tomorrow is the first day of bar prep which is going to be so tedious, but I must do it to conquer the bar exam.



I realize I've been blogging about dance and ballet a lot, but I've been keeping up the weightlifting also. Some highlights:



Benchpress: 80 lbs for 6 reps. I think I can do 85 lbs for a couple reps too, but I need a spot for that. I'll tell you how it goes in a couple days. Now that I have a workout partner for the next week, I can max out, and maybe figure out what my new one-rep max is.



Lat pulldowns: 80 lbs for 6 reps. This is pretty hard and I can't pull for a full range of motion yet, but getting there.



Pullups: 6 pullups overhand grip. After I did 6 and rested for maybe 1 min, I could only do 3 more. They take a lot out of you.



Lunges: 20 reps with 25 lb dumbbells.



Just cuz I think these kids are cute:




















The two little ones are my professor's kids, A and M. A loves brie and she tried to steal a piece I was cutting off, but I was too fast for her. She loves to watch Grey's Anatomy for the gory parts and her favorite character is Christine. Future doctor? Perhaps. M is over 1 year old and he gets bossed around by his older sister a lot. The cutie in the middle is their favorite law student.

Anaheim Ballet: Inside Rehearsal: Jimmy Cha

I love how he dances. Ballet requires you to be such a perfectionist while performing lots of complex moves and his dancing is pretty near perfect. And it's still masculine and strong. Notice how he finishes each movement and how he still looks dynamic even when he's slowing or stopping.

A Surprise After Class

Watching Jimmy Sha and the other great dancers from Anaheim Ballet inspired me today. I worked really hard in class tonight: I concentrated on feeling narrow and flat like a fencer, but still pulled up my back to lengthen my body. I've had these coorections before, but watching good dancers on YouTube made me able to visualize what I was supposed to look like if I did it correctly. I still have to focus on making sure I'm using all my core and leg muslces at the same time, because I tend to just let my calves, upper and mid abs do the balancing, but it worked well, and I could tell the difference in my body position. I could balance longer and I felt my dancing was closer to how it was when I was a teenager. I decided to try triple pirouettes today. I came pretty darn close to landing one neatly during class. After class, I practiced on my own and landed a few triples. And then I just decided to just pull everything up real tight and centered and spin, and holy smokes...I landed a quad. I don't think I've ever done that before! I really can't remember if I ever did a quadruple pirouette. I know I may have landed a few triples, but never a quad. Man...you know what that tells me? Maybe if I had continued dancing seriously after high school, I would be doing sextuples or more right now. Lisa asked me why it didn't happen. School, of course. My parents quashed any dreams of being a dancer early on. I was 13 and had just entered high school. I had my first big pointe solo that year with multiple arabesque turns as the climax. They wouldn't let me go to nationals in New York after winning regionals in a DanceMasters competition. Ah well. I felt that they were being wise and I didn't push the issue that much. Though in my heart, I was quite disappointed, but I would have had to eventually lose maybe 10 lbs. even at my high school weight (105) to become a serious ballerina. They also don't make much and it's a cutthroat field, but least I could have said I followed my dream. It's a romantic notion. I'd like to think if I had kids, I'd let them follow their dreams, but maybe I'll be like my own parents and persuade them onto a more practical path.

My legs and butt already feel more sore than usual tonight. I'll probably feel more pain tomorrow when I get up in the morning. But it's a good feeling because I know it's from working hard.

Dancers

Tomorrow is my first final, and I've finished going over everything once. I decided to watch some music videos as a treat but I saw this clip on my front page. "Dancers"...hmmm, looks interest. And it's Anaheim Ballet. I'm all about the OC, so i start waching and after the warm up jumps and tendus, I am amazed. Quadruples, sextuples, amazing leaps. This is young, dedicated dancers perfecting their craft look like. The Asian guy with amazing leaps is Jimmy Cha. He's from South Korea and started dancing at 15. More on him later. Enjoy!

How well does my garden grow?

Slowly but surely the forget-me-not sprouts are spreading their leaves. No signs of blossoms, but I'm patient. I just hope they don't shrivel up in the hot summers of the central valley. All the morning glory sprouts have died at various times due to one hot afternoon and not enough water. Sheesh. I'll have to wait til I'm back down south to plant those again.


















I decided to move two of my new plants into my room. They join the aloe vera from last year which is doing fine as you can see from its long spreading leaves. It's very useful when I need a quick remedy for dry skin spots. My legs always feel really smooth after I rub some of the juice on. I took in the new parsley and basil plants b/c the basil leaves get chewed up by insects too often. I saw a parsley plant growing and doing well next to the window of another person in Davis and thought it would be nice to have some extra foliage inside. The parsley has sprouted several new leaves since moving inside, and the basil seems to be doing fine with the young leaves at the bottom still growing. It's actually really calming to see plants when I look up from studying. I recommend it for everyone. Plus, you can use the herbs in your food, like how I tore some parsley leaves and put them in my potato and leek soup yesterday.

Almost Over

Yes, that's me on the right with the "no pictures please" hand. My biceps aren't popping out or anything...YET, but they look alright.

It was the last week of classes. I went out Thursday night to socialize with all my peers who didn't have Friday class. We ended up dancing which was great since I was wearing flip flops instead of heels for once and it made it so much easier to bust out moves. I was out til 1:00 am; the evening was cut short by massive stomache cramps.

The next night was a big birthday bash, so it was necessary to join the festivities. I was feeling tired from the previous evening, but hey, it was the last week of classes. It was good to see people out. There was some dancing, but the dance floor was too crowded and I couldn't move as well in heels. Boo to heels. I think I will dress all "sporty spice" when going out now so I can enjoy myself more. Besides, the red booty shorts were quite a hit Thursday. But Friday was a marathon, out til 3:00 am, in bed by 4:00 am. My god, when was the last time that happened? Probably Vegas for super roomie's birthday party.

If I could do those 3 years again, I'd go out more, party harder, work harder (maybe), and get to know more people. But it's okay. I had a pretty good time here in cowtown, and once I start work, I'll make sure to live it up more while I'm still relatively young.

Tower of Babel

I finally finished reading my first JLA comic a few nights ago. I'm so glad I did a comic book trade with my friend. Of course, I traded him my first volume of She-Hulk for the JLA. Tower of Babel was an excellent read because of its sophisticated storyline involving betrayal, friendship, great descriptions and exploitation of the weaknesses of each superhero, and an interesting explanation of how a baddie could mess with the human language and cause worldwide chaos. The drawing is great and I would often just look at the drawings before continuing to read. I was inspired by a couple of passages from Wonder Woman. The language is not at all fancy or cheesy, just plain simple English that a leader would use to reach others. Too bad I already returned the book or else I would type it out. Now, back to the last week of school.

To celebrate the last week of classes, I made a giant carrot cake! Mmmmmm. Luckily, my super roommate had cream cheese frosting left over from her red velvet cake. Grating the carrot was a cinch with my handy KitchenAid food processor's shredding disc.

Maybe you guys are sick of music videos. Well, here are more videos! But they're from my school's talent show. Enjoy!

My performance in two clips. The first clip cuts off right when I'm about to go into a series of chaine (shenay) turns into a high side-kick, which is too bad, but the 2nd clip starts right after the kick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRJaPqTh7xE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-RQryanXzs

You can also watch the 3L and 1L dance-off.
First, the intro video. Then, the actual dance-off. Really entertaining, so watch it if you have a spare 6 min.

So, in the middle of acts there were lots of random skits. Here's one that involved dancing. You can't see but the audience was also participating.

Gotta include all the taxicab confessions skits:
Professors Aoki, Chander&Sunder,
Cappy
Professor Lee
Professor Lin
Professor Bjorkland

The annual Cardozorama movie.

Enjoy the diversions.

Beyonce shakira Beautiful Liar

Whoa! This video is hot. You'd think these two stars would never share the spotlight, but together they are even more magnetic amazing.

Carrie Underwood - Before he cheats

I love how Carrie Underwood can sing this angry country song and sound fantastic. She looks really good in the video too. My only critique is that I wished the director added more drama and flash by shooting Carrie vandalizing the SUV. This song is so fun to sing along to in the car. :)

R. Kelly

This video is pretty stereotypical for R. Kelly, but I think the song will be an instant bop-your-head classic. He really knows how to write catchy songs with fun lyrics. The song is long, but I don't get tired of it. At the 4 min.+ mark all the way til 4:30 he puts in all these new parts to the song that make it stand out. Love it.

I'd actually just listen to the song without watching the video. The video actually kind of ruins the song for me. He could have done so much more with it. Like actually have a bit of a storyline with him going into to club and flirting with a bunch of women and having other men get mad at him, mad-dogging him and all. But no...it's just scantily clad women writhing around.

I can't stop Mario!

Today was so gloomy and rainy, and I was feeling tired from last night's champagne and tequila. I couldn't find it in myself to do work so I pulled out my trusty DS Lite and started playing Super Mario Bros. I think that was around 2:30. Before I knew it, it was 4:30 and I was almost done with desert-themed World 2!! My Super Roomie then came in at 5:00 pm to ask about dinner at which point I had beaten World 2 and was about to enter and island-themed World 3. I played for another 45 min. then got ready for dinner. My had played so much that my left hand fell asleep! I had to slap it against my bed to wake it up periodically and it never fully recovered until I stopped playing. At dinner, I noticed my hands were so sore! My right one is still slightly aching. Man, do I feel geeky. But it was fun. I'm studying Immigration now. Only 2 weeks of school left, so I better start cracking. No video games anymore this weekend. That's a promise. I must be productive.

Here's Tian, the Lord in Lord of the Cranes, at the Bok Kai Parade. I like performing with a group since it's a production and the people in it are real nice, but this week I performed my jazz solo at Cardozorama, the annual law school talent show. Fun!! Only bad part is that I've been anxious for days with the dance and a big business planning project, so some nights I could barely sleep. To tire myself out, I pulled out my newest Nintendo DS Lite game, New Super Mario Bros.
























I can tell this videogame might cause massive destruction to my grades or bar passage if I'm not careful. I started playing this around 11:30 pm tuesday night and ended up playing til 12:30am. Not bad, but then I couldn't get to sleep last night so I started playing around 2, and then went to bed at 3am. An hour goes by so fast! I haven't played mario brothers in forever so I'm pretty bad and I'm still in world 1, but I'm having a lot of fun. I feel like I'm in elementary school or junior high again when my brother first got a Nintendo console and we all tried to play Super Mario. Love it! Of course this game is a lot fancier and I'm still getting used to all these new moves they've incorporated from all those past Mario games like koopa Mario, and jumping off while hanging onto walls. Does anybody else have this game? You really need to buy it if you have a DS Lite.

Superwoman's Book Exchange

Happy April Fools! Currently, I’m flying back from Kansas, so I thought I’d catch up on my blog.
My love of books began in first grade. Since then I have always tried to read a little for pleasure, even if it meant staying up past my bedtime. Last week, I was able to finally finish a real masterpiece about a Chinese POW during the Korean War. Wartrash by Ha Jin was a book I probably wouldn’t have picked up except that Superwoman, a good college friend living in DC, sent me a copy as part of a book exchange. The protagonist pulls you in right away, revealing that he has a tattoo on his belly that says “FUCK U…S…” He’s afraid that the immigration officials would ask him to pull his shirt up and deny him entry. But he arrives in the U.S. fine and begins writing his memoir of the Korean War in English. He speaks and writes in English well because he was taught early on, I think through a missionary. His ability enables him to rise in the ranks of the Communist army even in the POW camps. Fellow prisoners rely on him to ask the GIs for information and to read the scraps of American papers thrown in the trash. Though his English skills afford him some protection, the Communists continually test him while exploiting him since he had attended the Nationalist military school before being forced into the Communist army. I should clarify that he isn’t a Communist, but is forced to follow them to protect his family: his mother and his fiancé back in China.

His memoir describes how he is used and how he is expendable to the army. It also shows how the entire army and all the POWs that are calculated as statistics and psychologically maneuvered as expendable lives. Fatalities are planned and used as bargaining chips, a way to show that the Americans are treating POWs unfairly to force concessions. You start to wonder how he gets out of the POW camp alive and whether he chooses to go back to China, to Taiwan, or some other country. It’s a sobering book and very well-written. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize if that means anything to you. Once you start reading, you might forget that the book is fiction because it is so well researched.

As part of the book exchange, I in turn, sent Superwoman The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler. Now if you live in or know the L.A. area, a Raymond Chandler mystery would be a fun read. They are usually set in L.A. and mention several landmarks and freeways. There are sly dames, tough baddies, and a sarcastic, witty private eye. If you’re smart enough, you might even solve the mystery before it’s revealed. These books are sexy, stylish, and have the unmistakable detective noir feel. I have only read three, but my favorite is The Long Goodbye. Superwoman told me she was engrossed in the book after being exhausted from reading texts for graduate school. I am always happy to help a friend.

Marysville Bok Kai Festival

Like most students, my spring break is one week. I would usually spend the entire week at home, but I had a Crane performance up north so I flew back to Sacramento on Thursday. I arrived in Marysville, an unimpressive town about an hour north of Davis, on Friday evening.

The Bok Kai sponsors were quite generous since our little group was paid for this gig and they put us up Friday Night at the Holiday Inn Express. The rooms are pretty nice with comfy beds, nice tub/shower, mini fridges and microwaves, free continental breakfast and no bedspreads. Who wants bedspreads right? If you watch those investigative news stories they find all sorts of nasty stuff with UV light. Instead, there are just nice fresh, clean sheets.

We were booked to perform at the 127th Annual Bok Kai Festival. I learned that it's a festival in honor of Chinese-Americans that came to work in Northern California. There's even a small Chinese temple in the town which I visited. It also sort of doubles as a Chinese New Year celebration since the posters for the festival always shows the zodiac animal for that year.

"The Bok Kai Festival, honoring Bok Eye, the Chinese God of Water, pays tribute to the many Chinese who worked the gold mines in the 1800s. The rare Bok Kai Temple, recently listed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the country's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, came to be a symbol of gratitude and hope for the Chinese who had left their homeland with hopes for a better life in America." Festival web site.

I didn't expect such a small town to give so much recognition to a minority group but it was nice to see. Our first performance was in front of about 15 people, but we were warned that the Bok Kai organizers were asking $10 admission to see "Lord of the Cranes" so we didn't expect much of a turnout. We had even fewer people show up for the Saturday afternoon performance, and half of them were relatives of our narrator. But really it didn't matter because the best part of the trip was Saturday morning's big parade through downtown Marysville. I had no idea what it would be like but it was a huge deal with maybe 500 or more people lined up and down to watch all these cars with local dignitaries, beauty queens, organizations with their own floats, martial arts club, marching band. It was so impressive coming out of this little beat-up town. And we got to be a part of it! All of us dressed up in our costumes and us cranes danced and frolicked in the streets for an hour. It was exhilerating and I'd do it again if could. All the little kids were happy to see the cool costumes and the dancing. I thought this must be what dancers in a Disneyland parade must feel like. How fun! The other actors in our play had their masks on so people were curious as to who they were supposed to be, but alas, it did not generate enough interest to pay $10 to see the play.

The big parade finale was a 150 feet dragon which arrived among drums and exploding firecrackers thrown at its entrance.




















Those parade guys must have been exhausted running around for over an hour carrying this thing, and they weren't running slow either because it's supposed to be a scary dragon. Every time they stopped to run around in a circle, they'd set off firecrackers so you constantly heard them going off. At the end of the route near the grandstand, they set off so many fireworks that it sounded like cannon fire. Kind of frightening actually.

Marysville also opened it's new Chinese-American Museum on Saturday and many people flocked to the museum after the parade. Some smart vendors camped outside the museum and temple's entrance and sold these big red plastic goodies with 5 or 6 small pinwheels in different colors. The day was really nice and breezy so I would see little old Asian people carrying these big red ornaments around with the pinwheels spinning like crazy. I loved it! and I had that feeling little kids get when they want something impulsively because it looks so fun. I also thought it would look great on the balcony near my plants on a windy day. But they were $5, and my practical side took over and I didn't end up with a cool pinwheel ornament.




















Some older Asian folk resting their feet while admiring their pinwheels. I was jealous.