Common Sense Misses Again!

You know that adage 'look before you leap'? I have learned this lesson all too well today. I WOULD be mad that I just spend 12 dollars on a product that I thought was going to work only to find out it might be bad for me, but really, it was my fault. I should have read before I bought. Or perhaps I should have seen the sarcasm in the words that were written about said product. Either way I can't get mad because it was my fault for not fully reading the article.

   So what is this terrible thing I've wasted my money on? Soap. That's right, soap. Its from Japan, and its name is AHA Soap. Underneath it, it says 'mild chemical peeling soap'. Now, I really want to get rid of my top layer of skin. Why? because it has some things on it that I could really do away with (like larger pours awkwardly gracing my cheeks). And since I didn't want to spend 500 dollars doing it I thought 'well, why not with this soap! Twelve dollars is a lot cheaper!' Supposedly this soap burns your skin raw and 'peels it'.

   Or that's what I thought. Turns out, it simply make your skin dry to rawness. Not fun, and it sounds painful right?

    Unfortunately for my face, my curiosity has gotten the better of me, and I find that since I've already spent my money, I might as well use the product! And if I went the inch, I might as well go the mile right!?


So here is my before face:


(Awww, aren't I cute...and...purple)

aaaaaannnnd here is my after face:



      I'm not sure if it fully shows it, but my face wasn't too bad at all! It was pretty pink on my cheeks, but I didn't feel the burning sensation that your supposed to feel, and my skin didn't feel overly dry or red. So this leaves me with several hypothesis.

1) The girl in the article just has really sensitive skin

2) I should have left it on longer

3) My skin is so bad that it needed a stronger chemical

4) The company has revamped its line and the soap is now 'milder'

   But other than that, no harm has come to me so I think I'll just keep using the soap until something adverse happens.


                   Oh yes, I'm living my life on the edge.....

When Good Times Go Wrong

     The morning started out great, just like any normal morning in the life of a normal person. I had lunch with a friend (peruvian food should be served EVERYWHERE), enjoyed the wind, and got my math homework scanned and started. Even class for Sign was wonderful and useful! And then it happened. IT happened. 

    Class ran late, and I fearing that I would be VERY late for my next class that is a good 20 something minutes away, began driving and swear---I mean swerving as I tried to get to my destination on time. Only mild traffic tried to stop me, but I easily side stepped it by taking a surface street. I managed to grab a parking spot, making sure that I had the paper I had written around 1 in the morning for this STUPID class was safely tucked in my binder, and then sprinted up the stairs despite the wind and cars that purposefully ignore the walk ways (and the people walking on them). As I get to the class room I become puzzled. 

      That isn't my teacher. First of all, my teacher is a GIRL. 

'A sub?' I thought to myself. Then I looked at the students. They didn't LOOK like my class. Puzzled I checked the number on the door. Why yes, this WAS the right room. What the heck was going on. 

   And then BAM! It hit me like like a bird hits a window, its Wednesday. MY class is on Thursday. So basically, I studied and wrote a book and worried allllllllllllllll of last night for NO REASON. NONE. Now I'm doing math homework which I actually DO have to stress for thanks to a quiz! So now I have two nights of stress, one which was not needed. Crap. 

   In other news, Things That Amused Me Today: 

- A man riding a chopper and clenched in his mouth was the LARGEST cigar I have ever seen! Strike that. I saw one as big as that one once. In a cartoon. 

-A license plate on a HUGE SUV that translated into "Crazy for kids!" Really? I couldn't tell by the large gas guzzling car your driving around. 


-A cat staring at me from the back of a car window. I wish MY cat could be trusted to run free around in my car.

Driving Etquette in the O.C.

I drive by this all the time!

    You've seen the commercials, you've swooned at it in the movies, and you can't WAIT to drive on it. I am of course, talking about the California Highway. The PCH (Pacific Coast Highway, for those who are not from SoCal) is one of THE most filmed roads in America. You see the winding roads that are sided by sparkling blue oceans,  beautiful rolling hills of coast brush and interesting sandstone. The lone car is shiny, sleek, and the people in it smile gaily up at the camera as they zip along the coast. 

   If this is what you pictured, then you are seeing Hollywood magic at its most powerful. Contrary to popular belief, it is also one of the more deadlier roads along our 'pristine' coast. If you are intending to move to SoCal, please, let me be the first to warn you: We (yes, I include myself in this one) are INSANE drivers. If you think taxi men blaring their horns and saying F********K you! is scary and stressful, try getting into a fender bender with a man whose car makes your 'expensive' SUV look like it belongs in a trailer park. 

     That being said, here are some things to remember when driving the freeways and surface streets of Southern California. Remember, people here are rich, and they get most of their money from suing out of towners like yourselves from your 'lack' of driving knowledge.

Freeways:

-When merging you DO NOT SLOW DOWN. You speed up to the normal speed of 80mph as fast as humanly possible. Not doing so will result in cars PLOWING INTO YOU. I hate to tell you, but as a SoCal girl, we KNOW when you're not from around here (your license plate doesn't even need to be from out of state). Politeness is NOT our strong suite on the freeway.

-The speed sign may say 60mph/104 km, but 75/125km to 80/128km is standard. If you go in the fast lanes (The two far left lanes) you will get honked at, and people will zoom around you, get in front of you, and then slam on their breaks. I've seen it done more times than I want to say.  

-Get used to people riding your tail--its so common here no one even CALLS it that. 

-We DO NOT slow down to enjoy the beautiful beaches, craggy sandstone cliffs, or palm trees. Its hot, we have places to be, and WE NEED YOU TO FREAKIN' MOVE! For your own safety, pull to the side of the road if you want to take pictures.

SURFACE STREETS:

-Unless you see a sign that says 'do not turn on red', you are free to make right hand turns. Waiting for the light to turn green WILL result in some one getting out their car and screaming at your window, or them blaring their horn until you move.  I wish I were kidding.

-The sign may SAY 45mph, but most people go the allowed limit of 50, if not more. Get used to it. And if you DO want to follow the speed limit, stay on the right hand lane which designated for old people, newbie drivers, and out-of-towners like yourselves. 

-Get used to people weaving. That is pretty much what you learn to do as a teen here. Its a weave or be weaved world here in SoCal. Did I mention we have places to be RIGHT NOW? 

-If you slow down to let some one get in front of you, also making a waving hand to motion in the direction they can do so, is a good thing. This will result in a FRIENDLY encounter, and if you get lost, they might even be willing to point you in the right direction. And all from a hand wave! Who knew!? 

   To conclude, SoCal drivers are NOT mean per say--unless your driving slow (aka, following the speed limit)--but the sun DOES make drivers agitated, and we get A LOT of sun here. People in SoCal have places to be (where I have no idea, but it must be important since they're driving there so fast. Maybe they need to get to a Starbucks?), people to see, and don't have time for your 'following the rules' crap. Now that you are armed with this knowledge, you will hopefully use it to your advantage if you decide to visit  here.

Yay and Nay

Alright! Since this world is filled with things that make people happy and sad, here are the things that do the same for me!

Things I say 'yay!' at:

-Getting a full paid trip to Utah to Skii with the family I babysit for, and GET PAID FOR IT (and here I was worried my life was turning dull and monotonous. Shows how much I know!)

-Waking up before ten (I'm so proud of myself!)

-Waking up and thinking 'damn I look good!'

-tea!

-My mom finally understanding the signs for 'who' and 'where'


Things I say 'nay' at:

-Becoming dangerously low on tea.

-My cat Soji, for thinking my hair was yarn and trying to eat it

-Not finishing a book when I REALLY should be


And that is my list of Yay's and Nay's today!

Unexpected Is Expected

That's it. I have finally snapped. Upon looking of pictures of me from two years ago and realizing that I was, you know, THINNER, I am going to keep the New Years resolution (that I had no intention of actually keeping) and exercise. That's right, I, lazy maybe-i'll-do-it-later-just-kidding keely will actually get up from the computer that consumes my soul (and several thousand braincells per second) and go walking--because running is LAME--and do those exercises that make you look really really psychotic as you do them but completely tone you. I've even heard fresh air is good for you. Who knew!?

I'm not fat (well....by normal standards. If your anything more than a size 3 in Southern California, you are TOO FAT), but I need to lose weight. I suppose I have no excuse but laziness, because I actually lose weight much faster/easier than most people. I was lucky enough to be born with a fairly fast metabolism which enables me to do this easily--which often brings about dark mutterings from my friends.

I suppose I'm feeling this way in part because I'm just tired of feeling ugly. And I'm tired of calling and thinking of myself as ugly. I'm just....done. Its bad for me, and I don't really know where it comes from completely, because no one has ever called me ugly or even 'average' looking (even strangers say I'm cute, or have striking features; meaning my eyes). But somehow, for as long as I can remember, I just assumed I was regardless of what people said. And I'm tired of thinking of myself that way. So I'm determined to wake up every morning (around an early 9:30) and drag my miserable body out the door to walk (quickly of course). And I will eat better. I did it last year and lost substantial weight in two weeks. I will do so again. If all goes well, I will reach my goal weight of 110 by the end of March or early April.

I like to think of this as something that I'm using to promote change in my life and in my need to accept changing myself...you know, the whole 'move forward' idea. I know changing is going to take time, but there's nothing wrong with helping it get a jump start right!? I also bought three different kinds of pills. Each one promises a more healthier, glowing, heart attack free, peppy me! And really, who could beat that!? It DOES make me feel like an addict though, staring at those bottles. Is this how those health freaks get roped in? With the promise of being prettier, healthier, and thinner with these magic little pills?

Normally I'm a funny blogger. Normally I would charm you all with my wit and intelligence, but since very little has happened in my life to be comment worthy, I cannot in all good conscious be funny about nothing. Making up a story however, is a completely different story. I could make up ANYTHING and it would probably sound much more exciting than MY life. For instance:

'On Monday Petunia woke up with scaly hands. confused she went down stairs and asked her mother if anything seemed odd about her. Her mother, drinking her standard 7:30 a.m. burbon--no ice--squinted at the half empty glass and said,

'I love your hair.'

By Thursday Petunia was drinking water the way her mother drank her alcohol. By Friday Petunia feared the worst. She went to confront her mother, who was drinking her 8:00 a.m. taquila.

'Mother, I have bad news.'

'There's ice in this."

'I think I'm turning into a fish.'

'That reminds me, we're having salmon for dinner.'


Now doesn't that sound like just a fascinating girl!? Wouldn't you want to read a blog about a girl who has realized she's turning into a fish? I know I wait with 'baited' breath.




Coffee Please!

Pass the Tea Please!

Every so often I have a mild freak out. Its an inner thing, so the most people see as I have them is a strange look on my face followed by a 'huh' before I wander away pondering this new found information that freaks me out. At the moment, my freak out is about that oh so wonderful thing called life. Now don't worry, I'm not going to suddenly move to Japan (although, that doesn't SOUND like a bad idea to me....). I've just started to come onto something since reading a blog that I absolutely adore....mainly because she uncomfortably reminds me of myself and where I am at this point in my life.

I am twenty five, and in 8 months I will be 26. I'm beginning to look back and reflect on things that I don't always feel comfortable confronting or thinking about. Fears of my future, fears about myself, and fears of having to deal with the uncomfortable truth that I might actually be a good person. Its hard to believe good things when your constantly shoveled bad things into your head by people you had trusted, and its even harder to believe the good things (at least for me) because the bad things had to come from some form of truth. But I digress. Soul searching is a long process, and often times painful, and its something that I normally hash out with friends. But this time I've had to do it on my own...it feels right to do this on my own. I'm not out of the tangled, strange, slightly surreal forest that is me, but I feel that my chainsaw will soon meet with a clear forest.

At the moment the only things I can feel secure in is that apparently what I'm going though and how I'm feeling are quite normal--or at least felt by one other person. And the other is that while I look back on my early twenties, I don't regret things that happened to me as she did. I haven't gone the direct route of a four year college, or living in dorms, or studying abroad. It took me four years to get to school again, and while others were having children or getting married (or getting doped up) I was busy living and experiencing. Not all of the experiences were fun or pleasant, but they were the kind that helped me realize things about myself whether good or bad. It broadened my perception of people, of life, and of how to handle things. If I hadn't been on my own I wouldn't have been able to find out what I was made of, what I was capable of.

I was worried you see, that at 25 I hadn't changed. But really, I have. Its all in little ways of course, and I wouldn't have noticed the changes had I not gone back and read old entries in live journals of mine, or old dairies from years ago during my foray as a lone girl trying to make it in the expensive and over priced world of O.C. It wasn't easy. But sometimes it was fun. Now, as I realize there is no going back to who I was, it also occurs to me that I am moving forward with all the force of a jet engine. My life seems to have taken control of me; and I suppose for the better. But I'm left wondering; do I DESERVE it? Am I good enough? Have I learned enough to leave my state of California, my friends, my social life? Have I learned enough to make it on my own? Do I have enough experience to hold an actual job? Am I the person I need to be?

Its a confusing mix of answers that respond back to these questions as they circle my head like vultures. The one half of me says 'go young padiwan, you are ready'. The other says 'look at you, you screwed up last time, what makes you think you won't again?' That particular voice worries me because I do worry I'll screw it up again. Not watch my spending, or worse than that, letting people walk all over me once more. I can make friends, I can cook food, and I can fend for myself if I have to. But I DO worry about being lonely, about not finding REALLY good friends who get me and understand me. The friends I have here I've cultivated relationships with between 3 and 10 years. How on earth do I find friends like that? I know I sound silly, because realistically, I manage to draw people to me who are good for me now a-days. But it still lurks there in the back of mind.

I know as a person I will change and evolve, that right now especially its needed. When I was younger I thought 25....something BIG is going to happen. I had expected it to be like the universe starting. You know...LOUD. But it wasn't, as I am finding out. I was disappointed for a while until I started re-evaluating my life and realizing that I had several large things happen to me, which at the time didn't seem so. They're the sort of things that have an impact that has altered my path in the long run, that will carry with it the tone of my new life. In fact, I'm going through another slight shift in the world of Keely. Its time for my life to start whether I'm ready or not, I'm just hoping I'll be ready when it comes time to jump out of that airplane.

Tea please!

The Travel Bug

I have about *checks calender* six months until I move. SIX MONTHS. As the M-day draws closer I feel my feet begin to itch. And then it hits me like a bird hitting a glass window, I have been bitten by the Travel Bug. It's a familiar feeling, and my brain seizes up and says: "I need to travel. I need to do it RIGHT. NOW. I need to get out of California, out of America, ON MY OWN, and travel. If that means staying in a town in Nairobi for a month because I ran out of money, then bring it on!"

As you can tell, being bitten by the Travel Bug is a dangerous thing. The Travel Bug can affect anyone, in any country. Symptoms include but are not limited to:

-the desire to go anywhere. ANYWHERE.

-The need to meet new people

-You start buy different ethnic foods at local markets to dampen your need to taste exotic food.

-you begin to question if the money in your savings account is REALLY for moving out of the house.

-Hostels begin to look and sound like four star hotels.

-Any mention of any country has you checking how much a flight would cost to go to said country.

-Your mind constantly chants to you 'vacation! vacation! vacation!'

-Despite being terribly afraid of needles, you start to contemplate getting your vaccinations. You know. Just in case.

- The risk of Typhoid, tse tse flies, and malaria suddenly sound strange and exotic. Perhaps you'll get one tattooed to your arm....


If you suffer these symptoms or ones similar to them, then you have been bitten by the Travel Bug. Some Travel Bug's bites are small, and only make you slightly aware that you might like a vacation, or say, a need to go camping. Others are of a medium venom and you suddenly find yourself saying 'yes' to that crazy friend who likes to white water raft and has invited YOU to join him. And then you get THE Bug. This Bug bite forces you to go briefly insane and purchase a ticket and an overseas work visa before you think better of it. And as you wake up in a hostel room in Morocco riddled with bed bugs, you realize that once again the Travel Bug has gotten you, and what little money you had.