upgrade to epic fail and getting the freedom ball rollin'

I certainly earned the upgrade--had five days to NOT procrastinate for two back-to-back Friday finals, so I made sure to waste them away completely. Just waiting 'til the dark day when grades are posted, at that time I'll wallow my sorrows in a lot of nestle cookie dough.

Interning for the Spirit Awards production department is going to be far different from working guest services during the LA Film Festival. I'm ready for the challenge though, and the experience will be rewarding. Again, I don't know if this really contributes much to my future career plans (not that I actually have any), but it certainly can't hurt. If nothing else, these internships are helping me become more assertive in personality, helping my networking skills since those are nonexistent. On a side note, I distribtued parking validations during the orientation meeting and guess how much parking is without it? A whopping $21. Ridonk. The Film Independent office only validates after 5pm so I'll be blue busing for my internship.

Friday night was lovely, well, lovely is a mild adjective to describe the crazy shenanigans that went down, but it was great to unwind after the worst quarter for a majority of people I know. I'm always down for a dance party. Lost my voice as usual karaoke-shouting to all the songs. Megumi and I were playing the weird selection of Queen, MGMT, Nirvana along with Britney and the required baby-making rap. But "dude, I just wanna dance." There were some overly drunk guys trying to make out with everything in the room, yayyy. Minus that and several other eye-muff moments, 'twas fun! Drove some of us to Jack In the Box around 3 A.M., a most satisfying meal.

Now, home sweet home! Hello couch where I veg out, floor where I also veg out 'cause I'm Asian and prefer ground, missed you too HBO On Demand, and kitchen (no explanation needed).

In two days I've gone through I AM LEGEND; P.S. I LOVE YOU; EVENING; DARJEELING LTD.; ANCHORMAN, all in the wee hours of early morning.

I've come to respect the Fresh Prince as an actor. He carried I AM LEGEND the whole way through along with the gorgeous German Shepherd that played Sam. I jumped as much as I cried during the movie. YES, cried. [Spoiler Alert] If you were the last man on Earth with only the greatest dog companion ever, given to you by your adorable, now deceased child, and you had to kill that dog because she too was bitten and infected by a human-turned naked mole rate looking zombie, how in the blazes could you NOT cry. My description does not do justice to the scene, so please just watch it. The film had it's share of question mark situations, opened well, didn't care for the sub-par zombie flick side of it, but I forgave these because of the great performance by Mr. Smith reminiscent of Tom Hanks in castaway. You bet I was bawling when he loses Wilson the volleyball.

P.S. I LOVE YOU. Quintessential tearjercker/chick flick. Loved it. Why? because it's exactly that and gives me unrealistic, unattainable hopes about love as just about any rom-com/drama does and has me eating a bunch of junk food afterward wondering if guys like that actually exist. They do not. Or maybe they do but they're foriegn, out of my league, and I have no luck. Long story short, I want to go to Ireland, get lost, and be discovered by my very own Gerard Butler, or find my own Jeffrey Dean Morgan, or Harry Connick Jr.. Oh, and they all sing too and have nice hair. Blahhh darnit.

Before I get too depressed, winter break to-do list:
[ ] Clean up my crap all over the house
[ ] Sleep? so I don't die
[ ] Piano
[ ] learn guitar if parents have time to teach
[ ] brush up on French so I don't fail next quarter
[ ] write, anything.
[ ] accomplish the "Steph & Megan's Adventures" list
[ ] annual Big Bear. I'm REALLY excited because there will be plenty of fresh snowfall from the rain!
[ ] holiday nomz Christmas
[ ] holiday nomz New Year
[ ] annual Chrismakkuh (or the other zillion ways to spell that) @ the Glassmans
[ ] officially cleanup itunes library
[ ] George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic concert, Nat??!
[ ] uhm...there's more but Smalls just hit the homer with his stepdad's Babe Ruth ball over to the Beast. Damn, I forgot how much i love this movie.

FAIL.

Truth. I screwed up big time this quarter. I'll say what I always say, "Next quarter will be different." Only this time, I will actually need to follow through on my words and take my resolutions seriously.

It's already 3 A.M. and I've come to peace with the fact that my grades are going to suck, for lack of better words.
No use in trying to achieve the impossible, so I will memorize as much of this quarter's reading as I possibly can in the time I have left.

Come Friday, I will keel over and sleep. Mathematically, if were to sleep continuously through the entire break, (approx. 3 weeks) I would have made up all of my lost hours for the entire quarter. But that's certainly not feasible--unfeasible?

Back to my impending doom.
Expect next post to be a big wonderful bucket of brain vomit: stress/pressure venting, obligatory resolutions, more contemplations and complaints on my extraordinary ordinary life; and of course the token meal intakes.

Good night, and good luck! Unless you are free/moving out/at home already. Then you're currently a frenemy.

Wait, I have finals?

I chose to take a "study break" and walk to Westwood to stargaze/stalk at the CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON premiere. In my near three years at UCLA, I've seen many a premiere. Cool? Uh huh. Kinda sad? Yeah. It's always interesting to see how each one is set up differently. I've also learned the strategies of prime creeper spots where you can get the best photos, y'know, those priceless pearls of wisdom that you'll never find in a lecture hall. To my surprise, this poor decision turned out to be one of the most efficient and productive study breaks ever! Crane-walked down to the Mann Village, met up with Hanna and Kevin, gawked, expressed our love for the celebs, snapped shots, expressed more love, crane-walked back home, all in an hour!

As for the film itself, watched and loved. Though there were never any real points of suspense, I don't think it was necessarily meant to have them. Trailers already and obviously reveal the mystery (aging backwards), as does the fact that Fincher loosely adapts F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story. So what's left and expected is this sort of pseudo-documentary about Benji Button's curious biological fate and a most touching, impossible love. All that aside, the film is well-acted and gorgeusly shot. Though, Britney Spears may be comeback, but Cate Blanchett is an actual one. Probably one of my favs on Inside the Actor's Studio (James Lipton is my man!). So incredibly eloquent, articulate, intelligent and also one of the best actor-linguists to date. Brad Pitt, I die, always and forever McSteamy status. I thought he gave one of his most subtle and amazing performances.

Since this post is not following any chronological order, I'll just continue on as thoughts emerge.

It's time for "Everything Sucks Because!"

...it's finals week, wahoo!
Ten weeks of joy and laughter have come crashing down because apparently you need to have decent grades to succeed in life, unless you don't mind living in a box. Then you can totez join me on the corner of Hollywood and Vine where I will be residing in my luxury brown one, enforced with only the highest quality duct tape. Yes, I totez just abbreved, another bad habit i'm starting to pick up here at my stay chez UCLA.

...I ate a whole flour tortilla and some pizza rolls at 2 A.M. this morning and have been eating equally awful foods at similar bad times. In the immediate future, this doesn't suck because it's yum, but it certainly will later as my arteries continue to clog.

...I seriously hit my head on freezer door while standing up from loading the fridge. It's become a large bump now, inducing mild headache.

...I locked myself out of the apt., was let into complex but with a stroke of failed genius realized I still couldn't get into my room, Duh. Kim was at home, other two roommates nonexistent--then and always, took nap in the 3rd floor lounge like a hobo, had second stroke of genius to visit our apt. coordinator whose door had vital numbers like Rental Office, walked to Weyburn/Veteran for temporary key, walked back, got mine, drove back to drop off temp key before 5pm so I wouldn't be charged a ridonkulous fine.

To recap mostly exciting happenings:

We (UCLA's Campus Events Commission) screened PIRATES II: STAGNETTI'S REVENGE (sequel to PIRATES, the most expensive pornography ever made) and held a Q&A panel including director Joone, lead male Evan Stone, actress Sasha Grey, and Digital Playground marketing director Adella. The event and the days leading up to it were interesting to say the least. "There's no such thing as bad publicity" might not exactly apply, but UCLA received tons of exposure all over the interweb on blogsites, discussion boards, facebook, polls etc. debating the topic of whether we should be showing an adult film. Goodness me! Honestly, I was indifferent to the screening, but the Q&A was one of the most entertaining and suprisingly insighftul that we've had.

So many celebrations of birth! Everyone turning 20! Been 20 for 'bout five months, but I'm indifferent to my age now, neither depressed nor delighted. I do miss the tween and teen years. The big 2-1 awaits us all now. I'll probably celebrate my half-birthday in Feb. since summer birthdays are depressing and I'll be in London instead travel studying, weee!

CEC holiday party was enjoyable. I can have fun anywhere if there's music and food. White elephant, though small, was amusing. I walked away with the greatest prize, a yeast infection--well, not a real one, but a great microscopic snapshot of one blown up to a mini poster. This was among other amazing gifts like wine & cigs, chia pet, odd-smelling putty erasers, and an IOU herpes plushie.
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Father visited today, dropped off more foodstuffs for daughter. Love. We ate so much at Acapulco, indulging in halibut tacos and a generous carne asada/shrimp enchilada combo 'cause mother sent over her $25 gift card. More love.

At the end of lunch: "Megan, eat as much as you can from the fridge and freezer before coming home." I think that about sums up the healthy relationship with my parents.

humdeedrum

My intention was to be productive tonight, so of course, I found it absolutely necessary to elf myself and four others. Way to go, Megs. Fruit of boredom

At 3 A.M. the sky is unusally bright and orange-hued, which is a bit unsettling. The foggy nights are making these two already gloomy weeks all the more depressing. I walked through mist to Kerckhoff and felt like I was living out every scary movie I could remember; Nightmare on Elm Street came to mind first--probably one of the all-time most disturbing films for me.

I accomplished little today. Meeting was pointless, but El Pollo Loco chicken provided so I ate. Kim and I got excited and bought things impulsively during Ralph's run: Oreo's, chocolate pudding, bacon, among other less exciting things. Serving size for bacon, two strips. HAH. That'd be the portion of sissies! Though, it's probably both admirable and frightening that I prefer at least eight strips when I dine on bacon. I'm still confused over how I haven't had a heart attack or keeled over yet based on my diet, lack of decent exercise, and insomnia. My body takes a lot of abuse, but at least I haven't added smoker's lung and drunk liver. That would seal the deal.

I'd completed this survey to set up a phone interview for the Apple Campus Rep position before turkey break. A Richie Rich (that's actually his name?!) was/is supposed to call yesterday (guess not) or today, so hopefully he does. A new, FREE, laptop would be much appreciated.

Happy birthday Britney Spears! Comeback at age 27 with Circus, good stuff.

All right, I'm outtie.

Ugh.

As my jubilant title reveals, I'm not the happiest camper back at UCLA. To keep up appalling study habits, I will be cramming the past nine weeks worth of reading into a measly two. Consecutive sleepless nights, nothing new except for the fact that (okay, I'm not a senior citizen, but) I'm no longer 13 and sprightly for my age. No offense to Meade or the Stones for "Time is On My Side"; great song, but I don't see my nonexistent baby boo running back to me anytime soon, nor does time seem to be on anyone's side, ever! Is it?

Thought brief, the rest of Thanksgiving went well. I ate steadily and constantly over the four days--pretty sure I packed on a couple pounds as the pants feel a little snug, but SO worth all the tasty nom noms.
Steph and I tried Millie's today. We'd always seen the chain around on our way to eat at other places, so why not give it a try. Verdict: demographic of senior citizens + better quality than Denny's for the same price = Thumbs up!

Attempted the Brea Mall afterward for returns/exhchanges. Still crazy. As much as I love finding a good deal or nice/cute/cool clothes, shopping is too exhausting. I don't have the same drive as the ladies or pre-teens do. Oh, and I think babies are born with blackberries attached to hand now. The girls in front of me in line were planning an event while gossiping about friend trees and who to invite because "so and so is not as close to Becka as Casey is, but Casey knows Jenna so it's cool." Of course they were messaging out the who, what, when, where, why on their shiny Blackberries. What happened to Disney card stock invites from Party City? R.I.P. themed birthday sets: Aladdin cake plates, food plates, hats, invitations, goodie bags and thank you cards. I think it would be a little much to bring that back and at Chuck E' Cheese for my 21st. Wishful thinking!

[Okay, so they're actually really disturbing, but i love skee-ball and have always loved the surprisingly good food]
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"Guess I'll have to roll with the punches!"

BOLT was adorkable. I want to be Rhino, a chubby bundle of joy and motivation. "It is a good day to die!" "I have a ball!" "I'm a master of stealth!" "I eat danger for breakfast!" Ahh, so quotable.
I heart $6 weekend/holiday matinee. It's the only price dad and I are willing to pay for a movie (aside from Costco tickets), otherwise, you might as well just buy the DVD if two people pay $22 to watch it. We also sacrificed the overpriced munchies to save the monies.
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Drive back was good, no traffic but dense fog like a scary movie. @_@
Drive to pick up friend, not as smooth sailing.

I call this one, "LAX can die" (but lovely to see ya Alex with cookies in hand!)! Kinda looks like a really fun Autopia/Speedzone course for a drunk person, perhaps. It's just a congested mess of an airport, inside and out, and the fam and I tend to avoid it as much as possible. Luckily, unless traveling to Korea, we can fly out of Ontario or Long Beach. Such small, cozy, local airports that I highly recommend for in-state traveling!
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"Your body is your temple--treat it that way."
Another saying I'll never live up to. I think I might just doze off before sunrise! Wha?! Still a fail, but better than 5am. Since I won't be sleeping for the next two weeks, I'm tempted to try Lunesta or Ambien over winter break, or both together and knock out during break completely. I desperately need to recuperate after years of sleep deprivation.