Thanks to those of you who told me what was on your Christmas list, cause it helped me when I was thinking of mine. :)

Here's my wishlist for this year:


Also, here's a song meme I got from schmiss:

1. Put your media player of choice on shuffle.
2. List the first fifteen songs that come up and add "in my pants" to the end.
3. Bold the ones that actually made you LOL. (I didn't do this, but you guys can tell me your faves.)
( My List )

My favorites are #1, #10, #12, #13, and #15. These are fun.

Oh and for the record, you guys suck at doing memes upon request. I'll remember that for next time, jerks. *sniff*

Other random things:

My friend Emely got here thursday night. She's been settling in quite nicely, has applied for jobs, and has cleaned my house a few times (ha). My parent's friend, who just had a baby, donated a bunch of cute maternity clothes for her so she has tons of jeans and shirts she can wear throughout the pregnancy. If she finds a job, Leslie and I talked about it and we'll charge her what we charged my old roommate so she can stay as long as she likes.

The past week I've been making lists for what to get people this Christmas. I've had to cut back drastically because money is tight (I'm trying to really work on my credit card because I'm paranoid) and so I won't be able to make each gift bag as full as I wanted to. I'm still doing them though! I think they're fun.

I've been working nonstop it seems like. We hired a new girl and she's very nice. I haven't worked with her though. I think the "manager" who got demoted because he didn't know how to do his job might get fired. Suffice it to say, he has an ego and feels he's too good for the job. Good riddance.

Friday is payday so I'll be finishing up my gift shopping, buying gift boxes and such, and getting everything wrapped. The Christmas party with the girls will be on the 18th, so we'll be preparing for that. And the rest of the time I'll be working. I have one more assignment left and one more test and I'm done with school until the 11th of January so I'm super excited about that. I think I might get away with two A's and a B. We'll see.

I finished Dead Until Dark from the Sookie Stackhouse series and I liked it a lot. I'll definitely be reading the other ones! I'm also starting on The Memory Keeper's Daughter tonight. I've been really trying to finish up books and I'm proud of myself tbh. I don't think I'll hit my goal of 25, but I'm hoping I'll keep this up well into next year. Holy crap, next year. Where has THIS year gone!? I hope next year doesn't go as fast :(

What are you guys asking for Christmas/getting others for Christmas? How has your week been? I feel like I should interact with you guys more since I don't know you all that well. That's going to change, I promise. One of the reasons why I love livejournal so much is that I feel like I'm talking to my friends instead of an "audience" if that makes any sense. I'd like to get to know you all on a more personal level.

OT: I updated the Things To Do Online list with a few things, so check that out.

Okay, first of all, I've read 16 books this year. I am incredibly disappointed in myself, especially because I had more than enough time to spare and more than enough books to read. My goal at the beginning of the year was 25 books. Currently I'm almost done with one book so really, if I read 8 books this month I will reach my goal by cheating, which makes me feel even more disappointed. And I still think 25 is not enough. I used to read a book every two days and now I read 16 a year? Seriously, wtf.

Anyway, that's not what I wanted to write about. One of my good friends Emely, who lives in Boston, is going to come down to Florida and stay with me a few weeks. Reason being, she was pretty much kicked out of her house and has nowhere to go. She is also four months pregnant. Yeah, it changes things. Her boyfriend (aka the baby's father) lives in Orlando and is willing to help with the baby once he's born. Seeing as I live in a pretty busy area with a ton of businesses, this is her only real chance. And my sister and I are the only ones really willing to help her, which makes me kind of lose a little faith in humanity. She's such a great person, completely selfless, and an amazing friend, and if the tables were turned, I know she'd do the same for me. She'll be here in a week or so and yeah, we'll see what happens. I've given up trying to plan for the future since every month or so EVERYTHING changes. Seriously, there's no point.

Oh and the first thing I'm doing tomorrow is paying my library fees and checking out some books.

Last night I went with a few friends to the Cheesecake Factory to grab some dinner and then we went to the 10 p.m. showing of New Moon. The Cheesecake Factory was nice, it was my first time, but it was pricey. My sister and I shared a plate and I couldn't even finish half of it. New Moon was great, I thought it was much better than the first one, but then again I'm just a creepy fangirl (how delicious was Jacob in that movie? I mean seriously) so it could've been the worst movie ever and I would've walked out of there all "Again! Again!" I thought they added a lot more parts from the book than the last one, and they didn't totally butcher the dialogue like in the first one. Oh, and Bella didn't stutter half as much. So I was glad.

I ended up going to bed at 1am and then waking up at 8am and so I walked into work half-sleepy and a little cranky, and since it's a Saturday and we're super busy, I was very grumpy when I left at 4. Stupid customers just make me even more tired, because they make me work twice as hard for something that shouldn't be at all hard in the first place.

I just finished listening to Michael Buble's Christmas album, Let It Snow, and it cheered me right up. I'm so glad Christmas is almost here. I'm on the lookout for a short Christmas tree that we can decorate. So far I have only found one, so I hope we can get it soon. Now that my roommate is no longer, well, our roommate, money is a little tighter than last time so I have to patiently wait to really gather my money. It's not that I'm broke or anything, but I like having a substantial amount just in case. I don't like to only have $10 bucks in the bank and then realize that I'm screwed if anything were to happen or if I needed anything. I'm just paranoid.

I need a vacation. Wait, have I said that already? I probably have.

I need a vacation.

i've been working like a crazy person these past two weeks, but it's worth it, because the paychecks will make christmas this year pretty sweet. we're going to have a christmas party with just the girls a couple of days before christmas, where we'll pass out gifts, watch a christmas movie and have christmas music playing and christmas cookies and basically our goal is to have everyone pretty sick of christmas by the time they leave. christmas only comes around once a year and i plan to milk it.

i've been shopping a lot lately. first we went to the mall to go to ulta for the heck of it and we brought a friend along. while looking around i got some ideas for gifts. the best part of the night was going into the photobooth to take some pictures. i wish there was some way to buy the video because it was hilarious. i also look very chongalicious.

Have any of you guys walked into a Godiva store or tasted Godiva chocolates? After work today I met my friends and the mall and we walked into the highlight of my week. I bought a few truffles and tried a sample and I was in love. I am so obsessed with this store it's not even funny. I signed up for the rewards card so I get a free truffle a month and so yeah, I'll be trying truffles every month for a year. So worth it.


I worked every day this past week and the week before that so next payday I'll be banking. I'll be saving all of this extra money for Christmas gifts this year. For my Dad I'm thinking of buying a nice wine and splitting it with my sister. For my mom I'll be getting a cosmetics brush set and some make-up, and for my girl friends I'll be making these cute little baskets. I'm thinking of getting each of them a unique gift that goes with their personalities and then filling the rest of the basket with stuff like little VS lotion/mists, Godiva chocolates, personalized accessories, etc. (but with different scents/colors/designs). Something like that. Are you guys planning any gifts this year? 

I can't wait for Christmas. I'm going to get a wreath for our door, get a 3 ft. tree, some candles, akdfkjdsf. It's going to be great.

Sigh I feel super stuffed. Earlier my sister and I met our parents at Olive Garden and my sister and I shared a plate and we still got full. Now I have quite the food baby and I feel like taking a very long nap, so I'm going to go do that now.

I can't believe it's already November. Just last year all anyone could talk about was the election, and voting, and politics. That seems like it was a few months ago. On the plus side, it's almost Thanksgiving and Christmas! My favorite holidays.

I'm already cutting back on spending and saving my paychecks as much as I can so I can go all out for Christmas. I've made lists for the few people I'm buying gifts for and now all there's left to do is wait. Classes end on the 15th so I can relax for a few days before Christmas all the way until January. <3 For my spring semester I'm thinking of actually taking classes on campus. There aren't many pros about going to class on campus but it'd be nice to actually be around people during class. I'll have to think about it some more. I already know that I want to join this social club thing that my friend is a part of, they do tons of activities and it's a great place to meet new people, so I'm really looking forward to that.

I've been drinking so much water lately. I'm trying to get my 8 cups in but it's so damn hard. Most of the time I want to give up because I feel like I'm about to burst. But it's healthy, and it helps, and yeah. I should probably list the benefits of water here for some motivation (for myself):

1. Studies have shown that not drinking enough water, dehydration, can be a key element in causing headaches, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.
2. Water helps regulate body temperature, especially during exercise.
3. Drinking water regularly lessens the burden on your kidneys keeping us pollution free from toxins.
4. People who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day are less likely to die from a heart attack than people who drink less than two.
5. Drinking plenty of water is essential to maintain a good digestion which in turn keep your metabolism going.
6. Water primarily stimulates the circulation of blood, fluids, and the necessary elements inside our body. Additionally, it also controls and regulates the skin's natural balance.
7. Drinking more water can help to prevent overeating and benefit weight loss.

Yay water. I hope I can keep this up.

Yesterday was incredibly stressful.

First, I found out that my roommate might have to move back in with her parents. You see, she had about $700+ in her checkings account because she had two jobs (now she has only one), but her mother decided she needed to take a trip to see her family and decided to take the money out of my roommate's account without telling her beforehand. Her mother does not have the money to pay her back anytime soon and so now my roommate is completely broke. Not to mention, about two weeks before her mother took this money, her father borrowed about $300 for a plane ticket because his mother died. My roommate didn't really care about this as much because the money was taking out of her savings and not her checkings account, so it wasn't such a blow. And also, her father asked her beforehand. I guess her mother thought it'd be cute to follow suit and take advantage of my roommate's kindness. So now my sister and I are without a roommate and will most likely take care of the rest of the bills, which is fine, it just wasn't expected and I hate having to adjust my crap last minute.

Second, my Administrative Management teacher decided to just now factor in the 0's we've received on assignments and tests so far and updated all of our class averages. One of the benefits of taking online classes is that we can see our updated grades instantly. Except this teacher was really behind. So yesterday, a day before we can withdraw our classes without penalty, I found out that my grade was not really an A, but a low C. I freaked out basically and e-mailed my teacher to see what was up. I knew I had missed a test and an assignment in the beginning of the class because I had gotten confused with my other classes (It takes me a bit to get used to the different classes and whatnot) so I totally understood that I had those two 0's. But she also factored in another test I had apparently missed that I for sure had taken. Thankfully after e-mailing back and forth she let me re-take that test (I took it immediately and got 100) and hopefully after she factors that grade and the Chapter 9 test I just took (I got a 96 on that one), my grade won't look so sad. What I don't get is that I missed one little assignment and my average percentage for Assignments as a whole is 60%. How is that even mathematically possible? It just doesn't make sense to me. I'm trying to work really hard on getting my GPA above a 3.5 (it's at a 3.4 right now) and I'm scared that this class is going to screw everything up. I just hope it all gets worked out.

OT but remember how I was planning on dressing like Frida Kahlo if something were to come up? Well it didn't, not until this morning. So I basically didn't do any shopping whatsoever and I'm now looking at last-minute outfits because there's this little block party going on and my roommate and my sister are both going. So today I'm going to stop by Target and hope I find something decent. I'm bummed that I didn't really get to work on my costume, but there's always next year. What are you guys doing this Halloween? Are you dressing up? What are you wearing? Tell me everything. I love this holiday <3

Here are some things I've found at Forever 21 so far, let me know what you think! (Most of this stuff would be layered, I wouldn't wear anything as is)


That's just Forever 21. I haven't looked at any other stores (if you have any ideas, lemme know). I have a nice black shawl thing that would go well with the clothes and I have ideas as far as jewelry is concerned so yeah. Those are my ideas so far. I really hope we go because it'll be a lot of fun to dress up.

I was looking at my profile this morning and I noticed my friends list is getting a little crazy. I tried to add a bunch of you back that I didn't have before since I'm trying out custom friends groups and I love them. I noticed two users have no entries and no friends besides me. I don't know whether I should feel flattered or creeped out. If you are one of those users, say hi plz.

I'm reading The Shining and it's starting off pretty slow. Lately I've been picking up books and putting them down. I started to read Wuthering Heights and I didn't even bother going through with it. If The Shining doesn't get any better I'll start on Sense and Sensibility or The Memory Keeper's Daughter. What are you guys reading right now?

Anyway. I really just wanted to share this beauty of a bicycle:

Friday night I'm going to see Where The Wild Things Are. This will probably be the highlight of my week. I'm also buying tickets that day to go to Halloween Horror Nights next Friday with my co-worker and some of my other friends. Do you guys have something similar in your cities?

I never thought I'd be the type of person who would enjoy living with other people. But I totally am. I really like having my own space and I thought living with two other people would infringe on that, but I think it just depends on who you live with. I love coming home to my friends and every time I'm by myself for hours on end I really miss them. I'm turning into a big old sap.

This entire week I'll be getting off at 4pm from work, and it's made my entire day. I hate hate hate closing up the restaurant, and I really like being able to work and then be able to do whatever I want for the rest of the day without feeling like my day is being cut in half.

My parents left for Puerto Rico for two weeks to be with family and I'm going to miss them :( It's so weird, typing that. Two years ago I would have wanted so bad to have a break from them. Funny how things change.

+ My Mom called me this morning to tell me she got me health insurance and that she was going to pay for it and because of that I *needed* to go to the doctor asap she didn't care when but now it was my duty to go. I appreciate her for doing it but at the same time I feel trapped. I told her once I got a decent job after I graduated I'd get my own health insurance and really, I could wait until then but it seems she didn't listen to me and went ahead with her plans. So yeah, I feel a little cornered now.

+ I got a letter from my school asking me to join their Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. I have to pay $68 to become a member. There's lots of benefits but I don't know, $68 seems a little ridiculous and so now I don't know if I should take it or not. 

+ I got the October issue of Elle and I really liked it. I've never read Elle before. I'm glad I subscribed.

+ I went shopping last night and got a few cute things from Forever 21 for fall. I might take pictures later.

+ I have tomorrow and Friday off and I have no idea what I should do. I haven't seen some of my friends in ages, we're all so busy with school and work, and I really wish we could hang out this weekend but I'm almost positive they won't be able to. :(

+ I tried reading A Million Little Pieces but couldn't get through it. I joined Book Mooch and put it on there instead. I'm reading Digital Fortress by Dan Brown and so far it's pretty interesting. I'm debating whether I should get his newest book, The Lost Symbol.

+ I can hear my neighbors walking around above me. I also can hear my neighbors talking next to me. This is fucking ridiculous. No wonder we've been getting noise complaints, you can hear EVERYTHING. And that's not our fault, hello. I'm letting the girls at the office know exactly how I feel about this because it's out of my control and I shouldn't be punished for something that isn't my fault.

+ I have A's in all three of my classes. I hope I can keep this up. Another 4.0 would be sweet for my GPA (even though I really don't need it).

It's 3am and I should be in bed. I probably look like I should be in bed, and I'm definitely thinking like I should be in bed. But I'm not. About half an hour ago I finished watching He's Just Not That Into You with my roommate. I laughed, I teared up, I learned a few things, but mostly I knew what was going to happen before it happened because for some reason, I think a lot like a guy. Which is weird. And helpful. But mostly just weird. I'm sure I'm not the only girl who thinks like a guy for the most part. Hm.

I was going to post pictures of some things I've found while thrifting but then I realized my sister had the camera and I had to push that thought to the side. I finished Breaking Dawn from the Twilight series and I expected to hate it, but nope, just another harmless fun read. I'm sure that sounds crazy but being a snob is so last year. Also exhausting. Yay for shit like Twilight! I devoured that shit just like I devoured Angels and Demons and The Spiritual Biography of Frida Kahlo. Reading is fun.

I haven't done any of my homework. I'm procrastinating big, but I'm not worried. I always do this, so I don't know why I even bother pretending each semester is going to be different. It's not. I'm still going to be reading over the material really quickly, processing about 70% of it while I think of other shit, like who's that texting me, and I wonder how far I can be away from the sun before my skin starts melting. Important shit.

People are so touchy, but I don't care about that either. Life is short. If people like me, great! If people don't, more will come. We are all expendable. That sounds depressing when I read over it but I don't mean it that way. I'm actually smiling as I write this post. Probably to keep the drool in? Who knows. I should be in bed. I feel disconnected from my head. I love this feeling.

I'm running out of words. World Peace?

Best things about these past few weeks:

- Seeing my parents on Sunday to catch up and watch 48 Hours Hard Evidence. Bonus: bag of groceries with our favorites from my Mom<3
- Getting my roommate/bffe into True Blood. She's completely hooked.
- Reading a book with Leihka curled up next to me.
- Coming home to my sister and my roommate with food from the restaurant and gorging on it while watching Operation Repo.
- Getting personal tips from customers. It makes my day.
- Starting to think of the apartment as home. With my sister and my best friend there it feels like such a great atmosphere and I'm always glad to be coming home after a long day at work.
- Getting nice paychecks that I wasn't counting on.
- Finding great things while thrift shopping.
- Starting school. After this semester, there's only one more to go.
- Being happy and staying positive.

Basically a bunch of little entries in one. Fun.

I started school this week. The online classes I'm taking:

Re-designed my Dad's restaurant website (aka the restaurant I work at). Here's a screenshot ( under the cut. )

I took The Brain Dominance Test and got the result: This is basically me. I bolded Accountant, cause hay that's the field I'm studying towards.

One of the main cooks and one of the ~cook helpers~ were fired on Tuesday. It's weird, going to work and not seeing them there. We got a new employee, a woman named Doris. And we also got a new manager, a man named Javier. (More on him lata.) Doris seems really nice.

Tomorrow is my day off. Rent is due on the 31st so I'll be turning the check in tomorrow just to be sure. I'm planning to run some errands, finish watching the third season of Weeds, and maybe head to the movies at night. Should I watch Inglorious Basterds or Public Enemies?

This news story makes me sick. This is a sick world we live in, people.