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.