Day 2: UFC fights and growing up

ever since i started joining a group of people from my church, once a month, gathering together to watch the UFC fights, i learned a couple of things:

• some guys do know the sailor moon theme song by heart, or at least the first two lines, while others may be interested in hearing about nail polish application as it actually relates to painting walls
• the worst UFC fight was definitely during UFC129...that blood tumour was just plain bad. and there was a whole lot of blood
• having wings, even if they're the ones you pop into the oven for fifteen minutes, while watching a fight is definitely essential. that and probably the beers that the legal adults can have that i can't just yet and the pop that i do get to have 
• veggies and dip = healthy and delicious and good munchies
• don't exclaim or laugh out loud by yourself...wait until everybody else is booing or making sounds because of something that happened during the fight 
• make sure you tell your parents that you're going to be home late. and that it's because you're watching people fight each other. 

...okay, so those were particularly interesting, but i thought i'd try to write something interesting out of having watched the UFC fights.

as for the "growing up" part of my entry title, i don't know why this is starting up again for me. maybe it's because of certain things just happening one after another, closely together. maybe it's because of my protective, jealous, stubborn yet really loving (and i don't say that to boast, but because i just know it's filled with too much love) heart. or maybe it's because i'm just...growing up. but here goes:

do your own thing. figure out what it you need to do. nobody's there to hold you back. God's got your back. you've got a life to live. 

i know that's vague and all, but...i really can't justify any of it when it's all that inspirational quotes can give you. granted, those came from my own mind just moments ago but it does apply to me. and you. and who else. 

"you have potential"

the summer days of blog posting

i have officially slacked off way too much on everything. everything being multiple things, not everything. those multiple things would include:

• reading: i'm currently reading This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen...and i may start working on another book after that. maybe a classic. or maybe A Great and Terrible Beauty. that's close enough to being a classic
• exercising: this is a little harder. the last time i had the will to go run on the treadmill, i found out that some kid(s) had broken it. but the mommabird informed me before my vacation trip that it had been repaired. probably by my dad. anyhoo, while i was in the outer banks, i ran beside the beach, with the waves lapping at my feet as they came to and fro. barefoot too! which meant that my calves got worked out like crazy, which explained why i couldn't walk up or down the stairs properly for the three days that i ran. or jogged. or jog/walk i mean. 
• blogging: this kind of goes along with journalling. i used to journal a lot and now i don't. i barely do. i rarely do. and when xanga was still popular, i blogged there a lot. but to be fair, that was also when i was a distraught, emotional teenager (like i'm still not one, right) going through stupid things like high school and teenage angst. i'm a lot more blunt and cynical...and probably sarcastic and narcissistic and mean than i used to be, but i'm still sweet. i think. i hope. 

pause: the sisters that are in the sister meeting downstairs in my kitchen just tried to sing in rounds for this one song...and it just didn't work. my musically-trained ears hurt a tad bit. 

• journalling: this may be tied to the fact that i'm a little picky about my journals. while i was growing up as a child into a teenager, my parents (one or the other) would be the ones buying my journals. and i don't know how they did it, but they always picked the right ones. now that i'm older and i don't really ask them to buy my a journal anymore, the task is a little harder than i deemed it to be. then again, buying notebooks and any kind of writing utensils or materials isn't exactly the best activity for my decision-making abilities.
• baking: i really, really like baking. there's something about the way the ingredients need to be prepared and measured carefully, and mixed together (i don't know about the readers who actually follow this blog, but i grew up watching my mom use chopsticks to mix together the cake mix so i've decided that chopsticks > mixer -- that, and i don't really like our mixer). and then you pop it into the oven and just wait. what really gets me about baking is just watching how the cupcakes/cakes/muffins/cookies rise up and turn into sugary goodness. i once sat in front of the oven just to watch the batter rise. no joke.
• doing my own laundry: i know this must sound silly but ever since i graduated from high school, i've talked (or maybe joked) about doing my own laundry. in my family, we throw all of our dirty clothes together into two baskets -- dark and light. and then it's up to my mom to do the rest. when it's summertime, i usually help by hanging the clothes outside on the clothesline (we don't have a dryer) and then taking them down once they've dried and doing the folding. it's one of the chores that i believe i actually wouldn't mind doing. i take that as a good sign. but yes! the reason my mom and i use for why i don't do my own laundry yet? i don't have my own laundry bin/basket. but that's...not really valid. 
• creating: ...this one's a tough one. i guess what i mean is actually keeping myself busy with making things. like that scrapbook shrink (she's my best friend and sister -- we'll go by the nickname for now) and i have always thought of. or making friendship bracelets for everybody i know. or even taking a photography class or maybe an art class. i recently learned how to make hemp bracelets, which are a little more casual and less flashy than friendship bracelets in my opinion, so those would work! 

i'm going to stop there because i feel like i'm just talking about things that i do rather than things i would like to do. or i'd start talking that way at least. but yes. here's to the goal i will set for myself. i will either journal or blog every day from now to the end of summer. i feel like if i get into enough of a routine out of it, maybe my mind wouldn't be junked up with things that fly around in it. and maybe then, i can start being literate again. haha. i make myself laugh. there is actually a lot i could talk about...but here's to the end of this entry! 

Spring H&M trends

i am currently still in my in-between-midterms, so that's why i'm currently watching the latest episode of america's next top model (just because i'm already caught up with my usual shows) and flipping through H&M's magazine's spring issue. key points from their trends section (even though i couldn't ever keep up with all of these trends):

MODERN SAFARI: a new look for a big-city safari.
this spring, staying in style is all about having the right attitude. all you need are a few new key items inspired by safari and functional fashion. tight or loose pants, stiff or soft material - choose pieces that give you the silhouette you want. aim for a look that's smart and elegant or casually feminine - whatever suits you best. details like multiple pockets or epaulets play up your smart side, while lace and silk add contrasting feminity. top it off with thematically correct accessories likes aviator glasses and ankle-high boots. sweet savannah style.

FLIRTY SIXTIES: back to the swinging sixties!
fresh energy. the flirty glamour of the sixties inspires. the look is dressy yet sexy, with classic A-line and babydoll skirts and dresses. short jackets and slacks create an elegant feel, while tunics and miniskirts are schoolgirl cute. the silhouette is straight and short, the materials solid-colored and form-fitting. pick your accessories with the studied care of Mad Men style beacon Joan Holloway - a mini-bag and colored sunglasses are just the thing.

URBAN NOMAD: hit the modern hippie trail
world style is here to stay, now with fresh country life and folkloric influences. memories of Greenwich Village in the seventies meet rural romance and a new breed of hippie glamour. for inspiration, look to style icons like Kate moss and Sienna Miller - and to India. India is the source of the relaxed shapes, dramatic fall lengths and layered style. it's also the source of many of the patterns, fine handworked details and accessories. think leather and suede, and jewelry of brass and copper. add big rings and long, lightweight shawls. the result is cool and romantic with a dash of rock'n'roll.

MINIMALISM: clean lines for spring
simplicity is back in style. today's version updates nineties minimalism with a fresh breath of nature and poetry, adding details like lace and embroidery. the silhouette is casual, the colors and materials light. the fabrics are washed and faded, with delicate patterns in thin watercolors, organic shapes and floral prints, often on linen, which is rapidly becoming a new favorite material. for certain success, combine a casual blazer with white jeans and t-shirt. or create a simple yet romantic look with a lace top or a cute dress. as for accessories, stick to the same stripped-down program. simple silver jewelry, flowers in your hair and sandals -spot on for the spring of 2011.

Sometimes

Sometimes the hardest fight isn't against other people or things -- sometimes, the biggest fight is with ourselves.