No Worries

Dear No One in Particular,

I'm returning to the blogosphere bearing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. I'm a college graduate. You have no idea how wonderfully bizarre it feels to type those words. In fact, I don't think it's fully sunken in yet; I've been so preoccupied with my trans-Pacific move that I haven't had time to really absorb the fact that I no longer have to do homework! My nights are free! I can read for pleasure! ...at least until grad school, which is still a rather nebulous option.


I was going to write up my thoughts on the whole graduation process and what it feels like to be a new graduate, especially a new graduate in such a rough economy, but I've decided against it. The whole thing would be so mentally- and emotionally-masturbatory and consist me gazing at my navel, which is fun for no one. Instead, I'm making the conscious decision to change the course of my life. (This is not to say that the following post won't involve some navel-gazing. I'll try to keep it to a minimum.)

I live entirely in my head. I'm rather introverted and enjoy mostly solitary activities. I tend to space out a lot, daydreaming of alternative futures or working over past events. I live in a world of words and thoughts, rather than a world of action, and for the most part, I've been pretty happy with this. However, I've grown increasingly tired of working things out in my head. Every sentence, every decision is a complex puzzle to be solved -- which often leaves me in the dust of opportunities that have flown by while I pondered every possible outcome.
I've decided I'm going to follow my intuition more; I'm going to stop over-thinking every little thing and just start doing. I've been told time and again that my gut instinct is my best option, and it's high time I start utilizing it.


A couple of months ago, my wanderlust kicked into high gear. My parents are big on travelling, so I feel that the itch in my feet comes from them. My mother is especially bad when it comes to impromptu travels: she moved to America 30 years ago just because she wanted a change.
Anyway, I woke up one morning yearning for a change of pace, but without a particular goal in mind. I tumbled countries and cities around in my mind, but couldn't really commit to one place to visit. I'm not a huge fan of "hopping" when I travel; I like to stay in one place and really get into the feel and rhythm of the culture. After a few weeks of hemming and hawing (Peru? Puerto Rico? Prague? Turkey?), a word/a name/ a country flashed into my mind.


Australia.

I'd never had any inclination to visit the country before. I mean, I wouldn't have turned down a vacation if it were offered, but there were so many other places I had on my top ten list ... so why Australia all of a sudden?
A couple of days later, I was reading a blog when Australia popped up. The original post had nothing to do with the country, but someone in the comments mentioned that their time in Australia was just incredible, and they longed to revisit. I thought nothing of it.
A couple of weeks after that, I purchased a magazine only to find an 8 page spread on the Australian outback.
A couple of days after that, a long-awaited book arrived. A chapter in, the author mentioned going to grad school in Australia, and how it was the best 2 years of her life.
A week later, a news program mentions Australia.

It seems the universe was trying to tell me something.


Going on a dream vacation after graduating is something of a tradition in my family, and I've been so lucky and so grateful that this has been possible. My mother and I talked briefly about what my grand graduation present would be this time around. She was planning on sending me to South America, but had forgotten all of her brochures and travel information. Sensing an in, I mentioned the country that had been appearing in my dreams. Apparently, a good chunk of my extended family has immigrated to Australia and have recently purchased homes in Melbourne. Here's where it gets freaky, folks: I really, really want to visit Melbourne -- not Sydney (though I'm sure it's lovely), but Melbourne.


I've spent too long thinking about what this could all mean, but I've decided to stop worrying over it like a string of prayer beads or a rabbit's foot. I'm grabbing my life by the reins and steering it toward Australia. The universe has put a hand at my back and is pushing me down under. I don't know why, but I do know that I need to go. Something is waiting for me there. I'm scared as all hell as to what it could be, but so excited to see what it is.


Ok, enough about me.
I've kept up with blogs as best as I can, but what's going on in your lives? Good news, bad news, weird news -- I'd love to hear it!

Also: I think I've finalized what's going to go into my care packages for my lovely readers. Things are finally starting to fall into place on my end, meaning that I suddenly have time for things like visiting the beach! And reading! And, of course, sending out little packages of my affection and aloha for the people who make me feel like I'm saying something worth listening to. Watch this space, dolls -- I'll be asking for your addresses soon.

--amanda

[all photos: mine; Honolulu, HI, May 2009]

Bad Blogger

Dear No One in Particular,

I know, I'm a bad blogger. I'm sorry for disappearing, but I'm dealing with a ton and a half of stressful mess right now and it doesn't look like it's going to let up soon.
I graduate on Saturday (!!!! Oh God, I need a paper bag to breathe into) but have two humongous finals to deal with before I get to don my green cap and gown* and parade about in front of a thousand of my classmates and all of their friends and families. On top of that, my parents (and the Boy's parents, natch) are coming over not only to watch the ceremony, but to "help" us pack up our apartment. We're tenatively slated to leave Hawaii (and ne'er to return ... maybe) by 6 June, which is right around the corner and creeping closer every time I look around our place and see piles of stuff to be sold off and walls to be painted and I can hear the arguments already Oh Christ's Holy Pita Pocket I'M DONE ALREADY.

So yeah, my personal life is a bit of stress-riddled mess right now, allowing for very little blogging time. I have posts all lined up, but no time to finish them. Hopefully I'll catch a break and find a quiet moment to slap something up here, but until then, who knows.

I do have some news that directly affects the wonderful people who read and comment on this drivel! I'm planning a giveaway -- a true giveaway in the sense that there's no contest, just me sending a care package. I'm working out some of the kinks, but it boils down to the fact that my readership is tiny, yet incredibly thoughtful. You have no idea how excited I get when I see someone out there feels so compelled to read and comment on what I've written. So, as a demonstration of my gratitude, I'll send you a little giftbox filled with some of my favourite things from Hawaii.
Details to come soon, I promise!

xoxo,
amanda



______________________
*Yes, we have to wear green graduation robes. Effing GREEN. What university requires coloured robes? I thought black was de rigueur? Oh, added bonus: throw my honour cords and stoles over the forest-coloured polyester and voila! Amanda-Christmas tree.

A Quick Programming Note

Dear No One in Particular,

Posting has been nonexistent, and I feel terrible about it. I know I promised that I would be updating with more frequency, but last week was my Spring Break and oddly enough, was one of the worst Spring Break's I've ever had. I'm not about to go into it (this blog has enough navel-gazing as it is); it was a bad week, and it's in the past.

I would like this to be more than just a quick update, but apparently, I have a midterm tomorrow? My professor and his army of T.A.s decided that they didn't need to actually update the syllabus, nor let the students know via mass email, so I'm swamped with test prep right now. I promise I'll be back by week's end.

Before I sign off, I have one question: anyone else watching "Any Dream Will Do"? It's fantastic: dozens of (slightly) fey Brits with panty-dropping accents competing to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Donny Osmond? Solid gold shit, maestro. The show is hosted by Graham Norton, who can be deliciously catty, and the soundtrack is fantastic. They (seemingly) unironically play Eminem and Queen, and whenever Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber appears, they play the Phantom's theme. It's totally worth the cable bill.

--amanda

Polling the World

Dear No One in Particular,

I'm graduating from university in May and I realised that, while sprucing up my resume and ordering my cap and gown, I forgot to order calling cards. Since I am a very high-strung little lap dog with an overactive imagination, I freaked. What if, while I'm schmoozing at a party, I meet the curator for the SFMOMA? I frantically pondered. Or better yet, what if I'm magically introduced to someone who has all the right connections to the Smithsonian, and is willing to pull some strings for me, but only if I am able to provide my contact information on a snazzy 2" x 3.5" card? WHAT IF.
How could I possibly let such a not-at-all-fantastic opportunity slide by?

Luckily, I spent my entire day sifting through old magazines, and RealSimple (a highly underrated magazine) presented a winsome answer to my problem: iomoi.com

Now, I am a total novice at this whole calling card business. My only reference point (apart from seeing my parents exchange them with business associates) comes from the Boy's father, who had some printed for the Boy for $20. They looked like they fell off the back of a truck after having been designed by a blind man who learned English only recently as a 4th language. So I have no idea if iomoi's prices are good, I only know they have some pretty products. Please, please let me know if you know of equally stylish, hip -- and above all -- cheap calling cards.

After spending approximately an hour scrolling, hemming and hawing, and after consulting the Boy, my lawyer, and my housekeeper, I still can't make a decision.
So now I turn to you, with open arms, asking for advice. Which one do you like?

Option A:

[iomoi.com]

Option B:

[iomoi.com]

Option C:

[iomoi.com]

Or Option D, something completely different!

I'm obviously looking for something eye-catching and memorable. In my world, this translates to bright colours and/or quirky design. I like the symmetry of Option B, but the pattern of Option A; I'm totally in love with the dapper seahorse of Option C, but is it professional enough? Or does it look like a child's toy?

So, help a girl out and leave suggestions in the comments? I'd appreciate it a million times over.

--amanda

And now for something completely different ...

Dear No One in Particular,

I love covers and mashups, especially when the resulting song is wildly different from the original. It's so easy to copy what you hear, like singing along to the radio; it takes so much more to make it your own. Which is why I absolutely love Lily Allen's take on "Womanizer"*. I really didn't like the original, and Lily's spin feels so much more organic, sans synth beats and auto-tuning (at least to a lesser degree than Britney's version).
The website I've linked to has a ton of covers available for listening. I know I'll be spending a couple of hours there!

Also: I know this isn't much of an update. I'm smack in the middle of my final exams, so I won't be posting ... well, probably at all. Alack, alas, much rending of garments, I'm sure. But! My holiday break is coming soon, and with it an inordinate amount of free time, so there'll be a flood of long-winded posts to make up for these short updates that are probably better regulated to a Tumblr than an actual blog.**

Regardless, enjoy and lovely listening!

--amanda

--------------------------------
*I can't embed the file directly, so a link will have to suffice. [via: 24 Free Dinners]
**True story: I created a Tumblr for myself a little while ago and managed to post exactly twice before I became so intimidated I never looked back.

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

Dear No One in Particular,

Is there anything better than a long weekend? Yes. A long weekend-and-a-half. I have no class tomorrow, since one of my teachers didn't want to come in on a Friday, and my earliest class on Monday is cancelled. Sure, I have a major presentation due on Monday, but I've been going more than a little bit batty, so I'm looking forward to my extended weekend.

The Boy and I have been living on Oahu for nearly 2 years now, and we feel as though we know nothing about the island. We live on the outskirts of Honolulu, so "going into town" tends to be a hassle, since traffic here rivals L.A. Naturally, this avoidance of driving too far in any direction means that our island fever has been greatly exacerbated, and is keeping us from truly enjoying our living situation.
When we visited Kauai, we had great success with the Lonely Planet Kauai guidebook. We found amazing beaches and fantastic food that we would never would have happened upon, had we not had such guidance. Inspired, we promptly bought the Oahu version, hoping it would give us some insight into what there is to do and to eat here.

So far, Lonely Planet has lead us to some tasty local restaurants (hello, Anna Miller's). We decided to put our long weekend to good use and set aside a couple of days to really take in the glory of Honolulu.
We're planning on visiting a highly recommended Contemporary Museum and dim sum restaurant. I love me some dim sum, and I haven't had any in .... years, really.

I'm far too excited about this.

--amanda

P.S. The world economy is bananas. The Boy and I tried to book flights back to California last night and I pretty much had a heart attack when I saw the prices. $750+, ya'll. Before this, the most expensive tickets we'd purchased were somewhere around $450 -- a $300 increase! And we're booking over a month in advance. I shudder to think what the prices would be had I insisted on procrastinating.

P.P.S. We totes scored, though -- a local travel agent hooked us up with non-stop round trip tickets for $600 each.

P.P.P.S. I just acknowledged that $600 airfare was a steal. Kill me now.

Crazy Train

Dear No One in Particular,

Finals week is creeping ever closer, so blogging will be more and more infrequent. Not that it had any sort of schedule in the first place.

I've been taking the past couple of nights off, just to give my mind some rest. I've finished 2 finals, and have 4 to go, so every spare moment is treasured. I have a couple of reviews and rants at the ready, but no time to actually write up a post! Sadly, I probably won't have that time for a while, since after finals, I'm going on a mini-vacation (ok, not the sad part), only to go right back to school (sad part).

To hold my place here in the blogosphere:

-- Meiji Gummy Choco. These are made of crack, ya'll. I wish I could write a more eloquent review of these delicious candies, but I'm too busy freebasing entire tubes of them. I've tried the Strawberry version of them, and today picked up the mixed variety. While not all the flavours are winners, they're painfully addictive. I've had chocolate-covered gummis before, but those were incredibly -- and inedible-y -- disappointing. The Candy Blog has a wonderful review of these bite-size wonders -- it's far better written than anything I could write.

-- I've blogged about my love for Step It Up and Dance before, but I think it bears repeating. I have this terrible relationship with reality TV, and man, talent shows are something else. I'm still not completely in love with the show -- it hasn't stolen my heart from So You Think You Can Dance. Recently, I've become OBSESSED with lindy hop videos. I'm thinking of proposing soon, granted they drop the restraining order. NOTHING CAN STOP OUR LOVE, LINDY HOP.



--amanda

Oscar Mayer Wiener. Lover.

Dear No One in Particular,

Odd, tangential, "why do I want to know this?!" news of today: one of my professors outed another faculty member. Thinking about it now, I vaguely remember hearing something about the newly-outed professor being gay, but nothing so concrete as it coming from another teacher.
For the record, it's not like this news changes my opinions of the professor. I still think he's a self-congratulating douche, only now he's a self-congratulating douche who happens to teach a very interesting class.

In the same vein, I ran into an old friend of mine today, and he outed another of my classmates. Not that I care, since the classmate is not someone I normally associate with, but it's strange information to hold nonetheless.

Why do people assume I want to know these things? Oh that's right: because I usually do.

--amanda

An eternal flame

Dear No One in Particular,

I am in desperate need of SOMETHING to motivate me through the end of this semestre. A week-long jaunt to the neighbouring Garden Isle isn't doing it for me. Not even the knowledge that I'm preparing my last Spanish oral ever can keep me motoring on.

So. Tell me something good?

--amanda

Brainfart

Dear No One in Particular,

I'm having one of those weekends. I think it's because of school; the semester is almost over, and the stress of taking 18 units is finally getting to me. It's kinda like senioritis, but I'm not graduating. I'm terrified to see what'll happen to my work ethic then. No, I'm just not with it today ... I'm making stupid mistakes because I can't be arsed to focus at all. I should be writing an analytical paper for my Mesoamerican History class, but instead, I'm piddling around the internet. I think I've written more in this blog entry than for the paper.

I've been trying my damnedest to avoid writing. I have to keep fighting back the thought that, since I have almost 100% in the class, I could maybe afford to not write the paper? That's terrible, though, and not at all a valid excuse.

So far, I've taken the longest shower in history, test driving a new hair care system (more on that later), failed at making blondies (but made something pretty tasty, anyway) and bought shoes. These shoes:



They toe the border between pretty and ugly and I love them. I stalked them online a bit before I went to the store to pick them up, but oddly, the local Forever 21 is renovating and maybe closing? No one could tell me if they were going to be closed, or for how long. Sadly, they only had one pair of these fabulous oxford heels in black (they had a ton in the ghastly multi-cream), but they were a size 5. They look ... decent, for a pair of Forever 21 heels. I really wanted something interesting-looking that could stand in for my beloved Bandolino wedge-heel boots (which are disturbingly grody-looking recently), and the oxfords are just too menswear-cool for me not to covet. I was also looking at these (black, natch. Who comes up with some of these colour combinations?!) but, again, they didn't have them in my size at the store. Oddly enough, the Boy LOVED them, but I ended up convincing myself I have no use for them. I have 1 -- maybe 2? -- dresses/outfits I can wear them with, but that's not reason enough for me to buy them.

I really need to write this paper. Why am I writing up a blog entry when I have a major deadline looming?, you may ask. It is, after all, the last major paper of the semester. I have this theory: once I clear my head of all the crap that's slushing around in my brain, I'll have no choice but to focus on my analysis of Mesoamerican Christian proselyting literature. That, and the lack of Top Model marathons should give me impetus to finish the damn thing. Here's hoping.

So, I shall leave you with this news bit: Harry Potter Fan Weeps on Stand During Rowling Suit. Made me simultaneously feel better about myself and scared me into getting on with my life.

--amanda