Within the program, I got to spend time with 9 other lovely interns on Mondays, in which we met with other API leaders. That was really cool. One of the times, we got to go to the LA Zoo for free. That was fun. Sadly, the program ended on August 13th. We received a $1,000 stipend, several certificates from different offices that the interns had interned at, and tons of memories. It was really fun. This was my first ever internship (which I sadly regret not doing more during my college years — so, word of advice, do internships!).

One of the things that happened to me during the internship is that I got to go on a shopping spree with our supervisor. She gave me tips on how to dress professionally. (I am a BIG tomboy – I rarely wear dresses or skirts; I don’t own an ounce of makeup). Sadly, she made me buy heels and a purse. I never wore heels in my life. So, walking in them was the most awkward times in my life. I don’t use a purse at all since I never carry anything besides a cell phone and a wallet. But, luckily for me, it was all for free.

Onto a different topic, I am a big fan of chili cheese fries and am always looking for new places that sell them. So far, the best place I found (and posted about a couple entries ago) was Tops. They give a HUGE quantity for about $5.80, plus tax. It is seriously worth it though. One thing I am picky about chili cheese fries is that the fries must be the skinny kinds. I do not like fat ones. So, my sweetheart and I went to this burger place near where I live, called Patra’s Charbroiled Burgers. They had chili cheese fries, and their reviews at Yelp said they were very good. We decided to try them. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations of chili cheese fries (and ever since I had Top’s, the expectation is very high). First, the size was very small. Second, the fries were the fat kinds. I was disappointed to say the least.

We have yet to find another place to “top” Tops. But, we are always looking.

A project that I have been working on after the internship was an online TCG, specifically a Phoenix Wright TCG. I used to play/make a lot of TCGs years ago but stopped. Then, I started again when one of my hostees (and long-time online friends) influenced me to start again. So, if you love Phoenix Wright and online TCGs, please take a look at Hybrid Truth! Join Today!

Lastly, I would like to introduce a new song that I have been addicted to: Se7en’s Better Together. He was my first Kpop Male Artist that I ever listened to. I never embedded a video onto my blog, but since this is only one song and I am long-time fan, I will do it for him. He’s so hot in it (a little eye-candy never hurt anyone). I honestly think it sounds better live (and doesn’t give seizures), so I embedded that one. If you want to watch the actual music video, here it is.

So, I think that’s it for now. I have a craving for pancakes. I want to make some but I have no pancake mix. This craving is probably because of this Bisquick commercial that has this song. I can’t find it on YouTube. But, it’s mellow and somewhat catchy with the lyric, “blueberry pancakes”. I don’t know if you know what I’m talking about. Just ignore the crazy Jayme.

For some reason, my sister really wanted a milkshake. So, we decided to make one! We simply searched for a recipe online but I cannot say that we followed it step for step. We wanted chocolate with the vanilla milkshake. Unfortunately, we did not have chocolate syrup, so we decided to improvise! My sister had some Milk Duds, so we took some and microwaved it. When it came out of the microwave, the chocolate was very thick and sticky. I thought it would be okay still.

So what we had: Milk, Dreyer’s Double Vanilla (the only one we had), Melted Milk Duds, a Blender.

I poured 1 cup of milk into the blender, then about 6 scoops of Vanilla ice cream. The recipe called for 4 scoops but I did not think it was enough, especially since I had small scoops. So, I gave a couple more. Then, I put in the very thick chocolate. I did not know how long to blend so I gave it like a couple of minutes.

The picture above is the PRE-blend. You can see the thick chocolate.

So, after I blended a couple of times, it became all liquidy. I poured some into the cup and the chocolate did NOT break at all. It was stuck in a ball-like form. And now, the result:

The darker brown parts are the chocolate (Milk Duds). It tasted okay but it was not thick like a milkshake should be. I believe we failed to make a milkshake.

The things we learned:

1. If you don’t have chocolate syrup, don’t use Milk Duds. The chocolate had caramel so it was very sticky.
2. It needed MORE ice cream to be thicker.
3. Learn how long to blend.

So, that’s it. We did not make a good milkshake however it was okay. It was not a complete fail. But, definitely don’t trust this (my blog post) recipe to make a milkshake! XD

I did not expect my summer to be so busy. With the internship, I not only have to work at the district office, I have to attend events. One of the events I went to was to the Los Angeles Zoo. It was fun. I actually went about 3-4 months ago but it was nice to go again (for free too!).

I have been watching a lot of shows on Food Network or just Food shows in general, such as: Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins, Man v. Food, and some various cooking shows. Those foods always look so delicious that I want to try it myself but most of the places are very far away. So, my sweetheart and I decided to try some (new) places our areas. One of the places we tried was, Good Girl Dinette. I read the reviews at Yelp about the long wait and whatnot. We got there very early (just right when it opened) on a Saturday. The waiter we had was very nice. After we ordered, we did have a long wait. I was surprised it took long for the food to come out. But, I have to say that it was worth it. I ordered Galangal Chicken Baguette with came with a side of spicy fries. My sweetheart got Grandma’s Pho. I only took a picture of my food though:

Doesn’t it look so yummy? The fries had some sort of garlic and other spices in them. My sweetheart thought the pho was okay but then he never had it before. Overall, it was alright. The service was okay, but then again, we were the first ones there (and only one).

Another place we tried (not of the same day XD) was Tops Original Burgers. I LOVE chili cheese fries. So, when I was craving them, I searched online for good places for chili cheese fries. Tops was recommended and I am so glad we went. We got a large chili cheese fries and a 1/4 pound special with pastrami burger. The burger is bigger than the picture. My sweetheart had already taken the other half.

We couldn’t finish the chili cheese fries or the burger. XD We did not expect the chili cheese fries to be so large! There was so much. x) I’d definitely go back.

That’s it for now. I can’t wait to look around for new places. I’ll try to take pictures of it before I eat it. XD

It’s a week before finals and Unfading-Scar finally has a new layout. The theme is EXPOLSIVE. It’s simple, plain, and uses CSS3 (well at least for the top navigation). The layout goes back to the original two columns, which I find more effective than the one column and footer (but not as original, I guess). This layout was created in PhotoShop 7 and coded in Notepad. The scratch texture was created by ChanDang. Other textures were created by me.

On May 31st, 2010, my family and I went to my cousin’s house to watch fireworks to celebrate Memorial Day. The fireworks were really beautiful and loud. I managed to take a few good pictures with my camera phone. You can see the fireworks on this very layout. I am going to put them up on Captured Fragments for others to use. But, for now, here’s a little snippet of what they looked like:

On June 13th, 2010, I graduated. I received my BA. It was very hard living my first job at UCLA. I met so many friends and had ton of fun experiences there. I am going to the place terribly.

So, remember that internship I received in Sacramento? I had to turn it down because my parents really did not want me to go by myself to Sacramento. Instead, I was able to receive an internship (which much like the Sacramento) within Southern California that is associated with the office that I work with, Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment. I was so relieved to get the other internship because it’s closer to home (parents are really happy) and it is the same type of internship as the Sacramento one. I was really nervous though because the second one required an in-person interview with six interviewers. Luckily, I already knew 2 of the 6 people (because I work in the office), but I am not good with interviews. I was told that I laugh when I’m nervous.

Before I go, I just want to introduce some “new” songs that I have been addicted to lately (in other words, my fangirlism) and perhaps you’ll like them too:

• w-inds. – Addicted to Love *LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS* w-inds. looks so good in the PV. Keita’s blond hair actually looks pretty good in this. As the song title says, I am addicted! XD
• Super Junior – Bonomana Ah, I love this song too, especially all of Kyuhyun’s parts. At first, I wasn’t too into it but after several listens and watching their live performances, I was completely hooked.
• VV Brown – Shark In The Water I recently gotten hooked on this song because of a Canadian TV show that used the song as a promo (see here). I never heard of the artist so I’m glad I found her. Her voice is nice *_*

So, that’s my fangirling for now. My taste of music is very random at times (Japanese, Korean, English – haha).

Well, that’s it for now. I’ve been pretty lazy since school ended though.

Sorry for the lack of updates. Time goes by so fast. I am currently on my last quarter at University, then will be graduating! It’s all happening so fast. My current class and work schedule are just Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. But, on Mondays and Fridays, I intern at the CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment) office. Then, on Saturdays, I participate in a tutoring program for younger kids. So, this quarter is pretty busy for me.

Another surprise I received is I got accepted into an internship in Sacramento with Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA). The internship is during the summer, right after graduation. So, I can put off finding a full time job after (haha). The internship is going to be 8 weeks and feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, I’m pretty excited about it. However, my parents are a bit iffy about it because it’s in Sacramento (pretty far from where I live now), I’ll be alone (I don’t know any other interns), and I have to provide my own housing and transportation. Still, it seems exciting.

One thing I was able to do was re-watch an old anime, Gundam Wing. I saw the series when I was younger but didn’t really understand the story. So, I wanted to re-watch it so I could understand the story, politics, and action. I still find Heero the most attractive. I have to admit that I grew up watching the dubbed version, so when I went to re-watch it, I saw the dubbed version :X. I just love Mark Hildreth (Heero Yuy) and Kirby Morrow’s (Trowa Barton) voices.

There’s not much news other than that. I should get back to studying – midterms are coming up! Even though it is my last quarter, and I’m feeling so lazy, I should really study hard.

How could it already be another month? Someone needs to tell time to slow down. X__X I really can’t believe it’s already February (late February too!). My winter quarter is almost ending. I will soon be finished with College. Can you believe it? It would be four years. It’s crazy how time can go by so fast. You definitely meet some amazing (and even strange) people at College.

So, I have been taking the bus for some years now – taking it to school, from school, to other places (like malls, markets, restaurants). During my time on the bus, I realized I have some “pet peeves”. I will try to keep it short.

1. On the bus, it is usually a two-seater. I hate it when a person sits on the outside of the two-seater so that no one could sit in the window seat. I hate that especially when it’s crowded (and going to school in the morning by bus is always crowded). I don’t know why people like to do that, but it’s really bothersome when it’s extremely crowded with people standing from the end of the bus to literally the entrance of the bus. REALLY?! The person can’t scoot in for someone else to sit?
2. In addition to the first one, I hate when the person puts their backpack or bag on the other seat. What makes their bags so special that it deserves its own private sit?
3. I also hate when there are two people in the two-seater seats and the inside person has to get out because it is their stop. And the outside person doesn’t move or get up, but rather twists their body to let them out. Thus making the person who is trying to get out, have to squish in between the other person and the seat before them. (I’m sorry if this one doesn’t make a whole lot sense, but the basis is that the outside person isn’t considerate of the inside person).
4. Lastly, I hate it when people (youthful, College students who obviously can stand and move) sit at the seats reserved for the elderly people do not move when an elderly person comes into the bus. Sometimes the elderly person would make the people move but sometimes not.

Well, those are my pet peeves for now. Sometimes they can’t be help especially if it’s crowded in the bus.

I do have an idea for a new layout for this site. The problem is finding the time to make it as well as the motivation. So, please bear with this layout a little longer.

That’s it for now. Back to writing my papers and reading!

The end of January is coming soon. I have a lot of readings to do for my classes. Taking four classes is such a difference compared to only taking three. But, then again, it may because of the subjects of the classes. It’s been raining these past few days. So, it’s very cold! I am not used to this kind of weather.

Although I am busy with school, I do find time to watch Japanese dramas. Liar Game 2 came out recently. I love Matsuda Shota so I have to watch it. It has many similarities to Liar Game 1, but I am glad Nao (played by Toda Erika) has grown. I have also kept up with: How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Better Off Ted (this show I recently fell in love with — unfortunately, I heard it was getting canceled), Modern Family, the Middle, and the Office. I also saw CW’s Life Unexpected, I thought it was cute. (Yes, I might watch too much TV…)

Anyway, on January 14th, I went out with some coworkers (who actually live near my apartment) to Downtown to go to an Art Walk. It was very interesting. It was mostly contemporary art. Although half the time, we were just waiting for food from this food truck called, Komodo.

Then, yesterday (January 21st), the power went out at my apartment possibly because of the rain and wind. And, the power also went out at my coworkers’ apartment. So, we went out to get some ramen, but the restaurant was closed. So, we got curry from Curry House. I love their curry with the chicken katsu! Then, we went to go Max Karaoke. I never went to a karaoke place before. Heck, I never even sung in front of my friends. But, it was really fun. We tried to sing some Japanese songs, but utterly failed. I forgot all my Japanese characters. Afterwards, we went to Yogurtland (which was crazy because it was so cold and yet we wanted some frozen yogurt)! And, finally, the power came back on in our apartments. Yay!

Well, that’s it for now. I am so tired and cold. I need to finish up my readings and start a paper very soon!

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas to everyone. Earlier this week, December 21st, I had a Jury Duty summons. Many people complain about having to go and wasting their time. This was my first jury duty summons. Technically, I had it somewhere in August but I was going to start school and it would conflict with my schedule. So, I had it postponed to the 21st. I called on the 21st, and received a “not needed”, called on the 22nd and received a “not needed”, and finally called on the 23rd and received a “needed”. So, on the 23rd of December, I had to wake up before 7:45AM and get to the courthouse. To be honest, I did not care if I was selected or not because I was curious of how it would go and whatnot.

When I first got there, I had to go through those metal security bars that beep if you have something metal (Haha, what are they called?) then go onto the elevator to the 11th floor. We were led into a huge room with chairs and given a plastic badge seal and pamphlet. We were told to wait for further instructions. Afterwards, a lady came out and gave us an orientation, telling us what we can do for excuses or postponements. Then, another lady came out and told us the day of a juror. Around 10 AM, they had the first panel of jurors randomly selected. However, the judge did have specific requirements in which, the trial would last for 30 days and would require people who had employers pay for them being there. Being a student, I was excluded since it would severely disrupt my classes. Then, again around 11 AM, they announced their second panel of randomly selected jurors which was estimated to last 16 weeks. They wanted people who had their employers’ pay for them being here. So, again I was excluded since I was a student. At 12PM, we had a lunch break until 1:30PM. Throughout the entire time, I was reading, listening to music, watching a movie on my Zune, and/or playing with my Nintendo DS. Around 1:40AM, they announced another panel, saying that the trial would last 90 days in which everyone was totally surprised. They even said, “All of you will be included”, which even shocked everyone. Then, they asked, “Do you all want to leave? This is rare but you can all leave right now. Your jury service has been completed.” Everyone was so shock and happy. So, that ended my jury service for one year. Unlike my family members who had to wait until 5PM to get out, I was able to get out early. It was probably because of the Holiday, since it was Christmas Eve’s Eve. Haha.

So, on today I will be going to my aunt’s house to celebrate Christmas with all my relatives and exchanging gifts and whatnot. We do a pseudo-Secret Santa, in which each family gets a number of Secret Santa’s and we buy gifts for them only and exchange them on Christmas. However, everyone pretty much knows who got everyone since my mom and aunts would call each other and ask what everyone wants.

Well, that’s it for now. Have a good one!

I got him a Megaminx Duodecahedron Puzzle and Japanese Lucky Golden Poo – Poo 2-Pack. He gave me one of the Japanese Lucky Golden Poo-Poo. XD I have it attached on my cellphone.

Anyway, I wanted to update from my birthday. I went out with friends. We ate a place called Islands. My friends ordered me a drink. I only wanted a fruity drink. So, I got something with strawberry and rum. It tasted bitter. Afterwards, the waiter gave me a cake! It was so yummy.

Then, we went back to our house and played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I became addicted to that game, as well as Halo. I only play the multiplayer though. I am very bad compared to my sisters and cousins.

Then, on December 3rd, my bosses and co-worker took me out for lunch. We went to Carl’s Jr.

On December 8th, my workplace was hosting a faculty dinner to appreciate the workstudy students. We went to a fancy place on campus. There was a buffet of salads, soup, and dessert. It was so good. Unfortunately,  I only took a picture of the main course that I got. It was very delicious!

And, finally, today my family put up the Christmas Tree! Yesterday, my mom asked my dad when he was going to put up the Christmas tree, and he answered, “Christmas Eve”. She was surprise that we did it today.

That’s it for now. =) Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Being in a Chinese family, we celebrated my birthday earlier than usual because we have to have all our relatives together. So, we usually celebrate it earlier or later than my actual birthday because they are busy. This year, we celebrated my birthday on the 21st of November, coincidentally the age I was turning. I got a cake too, from a Chinese bakery:

Why, yes, it’s Winnie the Pooh and his friends. XD At first, I wanted Pokemon but they said they didn’t do the Pokemon design anymore.

For Thanksgiving, I went to my cousin’s house. There was so much food. I definitely ate my share of the turkey. My cousin even made a four-cheese macaroni. It was pretty good, even though I am not a fan of cheese. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the food. I was too hungry and just wanted something to eat.

The school quarter is almost over — just two more weeks. How scary. Soon, I will only have two more quarters at my university, then I will be kicked into the “real world”. But, before that, I have to do papers! I have one research paper that is 10-pages due on December 2nd. So far, I have 7 pages, but I kind of ran out of things to say. I have another research paper that is only 6-7 pages due on December 7th, so that seems a bit easier.

Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving weekend! =)