FEEL ALL OF THE THINGS!

THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS TO THE FAULT IN OUR STARS! Well, I tell you the basic plotline of the book, but if you don’t want to know anything at all — DO NOT READ THE REST OF THE POST!

Rediscovering required high school reading

I made a previous post a long time ago about how English class killed Shakespeare for me due to crazy and badgering high school English teachers. I see nothing wrong with reading critically, but I do not like being forced to do it at the pace that is not of my own choosing. And I prefer reading books with substance rather than crappy (i.e.: Twilight) entertainment fluff. I need something with an actual plot and character development, which is a goal that ALL writers should have.

Since getting my Kindle (I named it Antoinette) last February, I have been reading more often due to the pure convenience of having so many books on one device. However, since Amazon doesn’t have everything available for the Kindle I still buy actual books on the occasion it isn’t readily available in ebook form.

I’ve been noticing a pattern of me re-reading stuff that I had read in high school and I’ve discovered that I actually enjoy the books now that I do not have a crazy English teacher breathing down my neck to find all of the themes! Okay, I only really re-read To Kill a Mockingbird, which I read in my freshman year of high school. Now I do enjoy the movie with Gregory Peck as Atticus, which I saw a couple years ago which probably gave me incentive to give the book another chance. I’m not actually sure why I felt a need to re-read the book again, but I picked it up from my recent trip to Barnes & Noble. Now that I no longer have Mrs. O’Neill being the passive-aggressive crazy person she is, I can properly enjoy this book.

I’m not sure I will have as much luck if I re-read Catcher in the Rye, any of the past Shakespeare plays from high school, or any Steinbeck.

Tips you will most likely not remember next time you go holiday shopping

Like last year, I was scheduled to work Christmas Eve. And as per usual, it was pretty dead with only the occasional customer picking up orders or buying last minute things like tape and batteries. These are normal and acceptable reasons to come into the store on Christmas Eve.

Now the store does sell Kindles and Nooks, which have been pretty popular this season. This is especially the case for the Kindle Fire, which we have been unable to keep in stock and we have been sold out of them for the past two weeks. And I think it is safe to say that all of the nearby retail locations that sells the Kindle Fire have been sold out and have had difficulty keeping it on the shelves.

A customer calls in about an hour before we closed asking if we had the Fire. He then proceeded to yell at my friend who answered the phone about and raging that we didn’t have it. Well, maybe if you actually planned ahead about getting this season’s hot ticket item then you would not have this problem. Or you could have ordered it from Amazon itself, but some people are just too stupid to do all of their holiday shopping online like smart people do. I am a big fan of not going outside, fight for parking, and being required to put on real clothes. I much rather just stay in my PJs and do all of my shopping without moving my arse while eating my dinner. And it’s delivered to you!

Replace "CD" with "Kindle Fire" and this fits perfectly

Also if you’re too stupid to use an e-reader, then you probably should not get one and stick to normal books instead. I’m looking at you lady who wanted a Nook because there’s a Barnes & Noble where she could get her books, because she “didn’t want to use her computer.”

Lady, that is not how the Nook or Kindle works. You don’t even have to use your computer as long as you have a decent wi-fi connection and Amazon/B&N account. You don’t have to leave the house or put on real clothes.  The people at B&N will tell you exactly the same thing we said. The most they’re going to do is teach you how to use it (even though it comes with instructions and we explain how to use it) and troubleshoot any issues you’re having. You can get your books at B&N using their wi-fi, but that kind of defeats the purpose of an e-reader.

I’m not anti-social, I’m just introverted

If you’ve been reading this blog long enough or just know me well enough in real life, I tend to be a quiet and soft spoken person. If I really want to get analytical, I learned early in my childhood to be quiet and I was interrupted a lot as a child so I have a minor stutter that is more obvious when I am nervous or stressed out. This is why I prefer written communication. I do not verbalize on the spot very well or talk for long periods of time by myself well. Or rather, I keep my verbalized responses on the briefer side. This is why I suck at presentations.

And growing up in an Asian household, it is a cultural thing to value more introverted qualities. However, I think my dad missed that memo and I distinctly remember incidents where I was penalized for being shy and reserved. And every time I tried to be this outgoing person, I just felt very detached from myself and it just didn’t feel right to pretend to be this social butterfly. Because then I end up feeling like this:

My weird and not so productive work/study routine

Inspired by this post, I am comforted by the fact that I am not the only one that has a roundabout way of getting into work/study/blogging mode. I find it difficult to immerse myself into study mode, so it must be done gradually. But this also has risks of being distracted, which is why it takes forever for me to ever get anything done. This is why I have schedules and to do lists.

• Remove self from room/house.

I almost always do my work in some type of cafe setting. This is because if I stayed in my house/room then I would be distracted by the things I need to do. Like laundry, cleaning, things I need to stock up on in my fridge/pantry, and the list goes on. This is why I need to remove myself from that, so I do not have that distraction.

• Set up work area.

Find a table (preferably one that is near a plug outlet). Set up work area by placing my notebooks, laptop, Kindle, planner, and pens/highlighters onto the table.

• Hazelnut coffee.

I must have coffee and preferably it should be hazelnut coffee. I either use the Donut Shop k-cups and add International Delight hazelnut creamer and one packet of raw sugar. It must always be that particular brand, because CoffeeMate has some crappy plastic seal instead of the foil that they used to have. Or it must be ice hazelnut coffee with room for half and half, no need for sugar because the syrup shots are already sweetened. I could just get the regular hot coffee with the hazelnut syrup shots, but then there’s this weird aftertaste in the hot coffee that isn’t there when I have it iced. It just doesn’t taste the same as hazelnut creamer. Also when doing work, I prefer iced coffee even when it’s winter because hot drinks of any kind will give me what I call warm soup belly and make me sleepy.

Also must keep water bottle nearby to properly hydrate myself, since caffeine does the complete opposite.

• Snacks.

I feel a compulsive need to munch on something whenever I am trying to do work, so I try to keep the snacks on the healthier side (nuts, crunchy veggies, and cereal). They must be crunchy, since it makes doing work slightly enjoyable. I swear I feel like I’m a squirrel or a hamster. And feeling like a squirrel is only amplified when I am snacking on pistachios. My go-to snacks are Honey Bunches of Oats, sliced cucumbers with Italian dressing, pistachios, and Honey Nut/MultiGrain/Oat Cluster Crunch Cheerios. I am a big fan of Cheerios, especially when I am poor.

• Go to YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Google Reader, email and waste lots of time.

I cannot do any work unless I check all of the above before getting down to business… and I must check them multiple times in case anything has been updated. This is why I have the SelfControl app that blocks any time wasters when I absolutely have a deadline looming over me. Oh God, if only I discovered this earlier in my years as an undergraduate.

• Create the perfect playlist to work to.

It’s a little embarrassing how much time is devoted to making these playlists. Sometimes I am in a jazzy type of mood to boost creativity. At times I need to be super focused and nothing but techno will do. Other times I need to just listen to the instrumentals of movie soundtracks to help me not be agitated and actually kick myself in the ass to get work done. And sometimes I’m too lazy and in need to discover new music, so I just listen to Pandora. As of late the stations I have devoted to finding music similar to She & Him and Pink Martini has been pretty awesome in terms of finding awesome new music. Not doing so great for my wallet though.

Embarrassing stories are the best ones

This may be an on-going series of the awkward and embarrassing moments of my life, because after so much time has passed these stories are just funny to me. For some odd reason, my brain sometimes like to go through the rolodex of memories past and always manages to bring up the most obscure moments that I was not aware my brain put away. And it usually ends up being an embarrassing one, which leaves me in a state of: “WHY DID I HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT?!”

Survive first semester of grad school — BUY STUFF!

WARNING: This post is extremely girly. You have been warned.

I had a designated shopping day that landed on the last day of classes that was also conveniently on pay day. I made plans to finally treat myself to a couple things (and the Sephora Beauty Insiders gift card and Victoria Secret secret rewards card helped). As a counselor, it is drilled into your head to do self-care to prevent burn out and this is my little self-care bit. Since I had very little time to do things for myself, I thought it was time to reward myself.

I am a sucker for awesome packaging

Yeah, I was that kid that wanted the cereal because the box looked cool or had an awesome toy inside. How can you argue the merits of the awesomeness of a color changing spoon?

I have always appreciated good design. I like to think it is the bastardized artistic gene that was given to me, while my brother got all of the talent. I had fallen victim of buying things because of the awesome packaging (still do, I need adult supervision while shopping). I am a big fan of either ornate or simplistic/minimalist packaging. I also (along with the rest of the world) have an unending hatred for clamshell packaging. I think companies do this on purpose as a twisted attempt to experiment on its consumers on delayed gratification. And it works… sort of. If their idea of success is angering and injuring its consumer base. I am forever grateful to Amazon’s frustration free packaging.

For example, I also may or may not have purchased this expensive bottle of perfume based on its beautiful bottle design:

Look how pretty it is! It could pass as a prop in a Tim Burton or fantasy film.

This was also one of the few times when the purchase of desired object did not result in buyer’s remorse because it turned out to be an awful product. It smells wonderful and ze boyfriend is a big fan of it. I can only wear it in the autumn and winter because of how heavy the scent is, but fortunately it is winter here most of the year. If anyone has any non-obnoxious scents for the spring and summer (the few people that actually read this), it would be very much welcomed.

And in my years of self-taught Photoshop and being friends with many artists and graphic designers I developed into a font snob. The abundant use of Comic Sans is disgraceful, and James Cameron’s use of Papyrus in Avatar was also sad compared to the visuals of the movie (which was the only good thing about it). I am a big fan of Helvetica for its simplicity. Okay, there is the fact that it is the default that graphic designers use when they have no idea what to use. But anything is better than Comic Sans and Papyrus.

Although, if you really want to know how crappy the computer is at the office supply store I work at — it doesn’t even have Helvetica on it. Well, actually that’s technically not true but it is only available in certain applications (yeah, I don’t get it either). The thing can barely handle opening PDFs and it doesn’t have Helvetica which is the most basic font that is available on default in every single computer… yeah, it fails.

How to make bún bò nướng like a grad student whom doesn’t have nice things

Because I lacked the proper type of meat to make bún thit nướng in my freezer, I just used thinly sliced beef… and I also lacked a few other ingredients to make a proper marinade for this (like garlic that didn’t go bad), but in the end it all turned out okay (meaning ze boyfriend and roomies inhaled it).

Ooooh...

I am not an adult

It came to my attention that I am an overgrown baby, and by that I mean I must always have my water bottle. Since I am taking classes about self-awareness/discovery and that is what I am basically going to school for, this connection was only possible because of an entire semester basically learning about myself.

Like many babies, I am quite fond of just having a bottle in the near vicinity. I find it comforting to have it within arm’s reach. I think my fondness for having a re-introduction to my love of bottles was back in elementary school when I was given a bottle of water from my mother when I was sick. Her solution to helping me feel better besides keeping me hydrated was to use the water bottle as a cool pack for my feverish forehead.

I actually prefer drinking water from a bottle than I do from a cup/glass. I don’t know why, I just love my bright green BPA free plastic water bottle.

And then the worst thing ever happened. I come back from Thanksgiving break this past Monday and not only did I forget my iPod cable and Kindle charger (using one of my many USB cables will be an appropriate substitute and borrowing roomie’s iPod cable) — I forgot my wonderful water bottle in my bedroom at home.

I tried to survive another 3 weeks before the semester ended, but I didn’t even make it past day 1 before buying another  bottle that I got from the school’s souvenir shop. I couldn’t stand having a glass of water by my bedside at night in case I got thirsty. IT’S JUST NOT THE SAME!

Fortunately, my best friend and roomie is much like me with wanting a water bottle at all times and has a collection of water bottles branded by the school. At least, I’m not as bad as her.