An Idea Can Transform The World: Inception

Just yesterday, a few friends and I decided to catch a matinée showing of Inception. We all had other plans later in the day, and yesterday was the only day we were all free. It worked out because we didn't have to pay the ridiculous price of a regular ticket at 10+ bucks.

The movie was all that I thought it would be and exceeded my expectations. I was on my toes the whole time, figuratively speaking. It confused me a bit, mostly because the movie went in full circle with the ending playing a continuation of the beginning. It took me until today to really figure out that you can't really figure out. They leave you hanging at the end of the movie, which I hate, but it served its purpose in the film.

When I got home, me and my dad watched our netflixed Alice in Wonderland, which messed with my head even more with Alice wondering whether she was in a dream or in reality. I'll talk more about Wonderland in my Family Movie Night post. Following the movie, I ate my leftovers from Macaroni Grill. It was just as good.

I had to head down to the Medical Building afterward to get some paperwork to get blood drawn for a Varicella Titer.

I took a nap after everything was done, it felt like a really long day, when it really wasn't that bad. Today, my mom woke me up quite early to get my blood drawn. A little bit too early, I was really cranky.

You can't really tell what part of the body this is, huh? I'm not a big fan of needles, but not to say that I completely hate them and can't care to have them near me. It's one of those things that I could care less about. It really is just a pinch and you're done.

And fin. That was my yesterday and part of today. Other than getting a needle poked into my arm, I worked on catching up with all my nursing material. I got about 5 emails today regarding next month's orientations and deadlines. The summer is slowly coming to and end!

Friday's Featured Film: I'm Here

I first heard about I'm here earlier this year, and it's one of those films, I feel, where you can totally love it, or totally hate it. Of course, I loved it, or I wouldn't be featuring it.

I'm here is short film romance directed and written by Spike Jonze and is about two robots living in Los Angeles where robots and humans coexist. The story is based off of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree and was funded by and is a promotion for Absolut Vodka. The tagline for this short film is: A Love Story In An Absolut World.

The main character, Sheldon (named after Shel), can easily be someone you know in real life. Always giving, never taking. He really sets a tone for the 30 minute film as a robot living a lonely, and secluded life. Shortly after the intro, we are introduced to Francesca, clearly the opposite of Sheldon, who introduces Sheldon to new things, and so marks the beginning of a romance.

The relationship runs very smoothly but really takes a sudden turn when Francesca becomes a lot more reckless. But through every accident, Sheldon sticks with her until the end, literally.

Below is a preview, but to enjoy the film in it's entirety, visit their website: http://imheremovie.com/. The site gives you a full cinematic experience to fully enjoy the film and comes along with information about the cast, bonus features, etc. You'll need to be 21 or over to watch the movie.

Romano's Macaroni Grill

Last night, a few friends and I headed to Romano's Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana. The initial plan was to have dinner at Shokudo, but with our last minute planning, we weren't able to get reservations. We got seated at around 6:30 and since it's been around 2 months since we've last been together as a whole, we caught up with each other. Our waiter for the day was Toni -

If you've been to Macaroni Grill before, the waiters all have their own awesome name writing skills. Toni (and I'm sure all other waiters) was able to write his name upside down for all of us to see. The last time I ate at this restaurant, our waiter incorporated his name into a drawing of his face. I really wouldn't mind working there. We ordered spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer, and for my meal, I ordered Carla's Chicken Rigatoni (or so I thought).

With the little knowledge I have of pasta (even though it's my favorite food), I failed to notice that this was not what I ordered. After eating about a sixth of this plate, my friend, Cassey, finally mentioned the awkward shape of our noodles. We deduced that we were both given the wrong plate, and quickly switched. I was slow to notice, so it was a good thing she caught on. I did have a feeling though (I was staring at her plate for a while). I had leftovers, so I was able to get a picture of what I really ordered afterward.

Cassey brought along her cute little daughter, Adi. She was too adorable. I drew a picture for her on the table with the crayons they had available. Unfortunately, I was having too much fun and wasn't able to snap a quick picture of it. But I did get one of her.

When we finished eating, the dessert menu came around. I was too full to order anything, but doesn't the Roasted Almond dessert sound like the most delicious thing ever? As soon as I turn 21, I'll be sure to save some room for it.

Afterward, we headed to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for some coffee, while the others headed to Cinnabon. I was looking for a Bank Machine to get some cash, but the shopping center so stupidly got rid of MY bank's bank machine and replaced it with a bank that absolutely no one has. Worst idea ever, Ala Moana. So to no avail, we gave up and chit-chatted for a bit before heading to the car. We walked past a window display showcasing Spongebob Squarepants and Adi wanted to say Hi, which eventually led to us stepping into the store to get her something. It was quite amusing as we were trying to find out what she really wanted. While she was occupied with the mass of toys, we checked out the cutest bags and purses. The brand is called Angry Little Girls, and if you haven't heard of it, you must take a look for yourself asap!

This was my favorite:

After rummaging through that store, we were pooped and stuffed. We headed to our cars but had to wait a while for one friend, Ana, to get her car to pick up Cassey and Adi since Ana didn't want to drive alone. While we waited, I took pictures of Adi and her new cup.

And how small she is compared to my friend Nescia's boyfriend, Art.

I really suck at taking group pictures, but I really couldn't since there was no one around to really take our picture and we couldn't really get everyone together. Or maybe it was my lack of trying, haha!

Anyway, after saying our goodbyes, we headed out, me with Nescia and Art. But before we went home, we stopped by Target to get a lock for Nescia's suitcase (she took off to the Philippines today with her mom for two weeks). After Target, we dropped Art home, then went on our way. I live four houses down from Nescia, so it's always easy to catch a ride with her if I don't have a car available.

On our way home, friends on twitter mentioned major traffic on the freeway (and mind you, this is at 10:30 at night, and in a non-traffic area), so we were advised to take a different route. Me and Nescia were being hopeful, so we decided to skip the exit for the alternate route on the Highway and stayed on route. We thought that by 10:30, it would've cleared up, but no, what a bad idea. We were stuck in traffic for about 45 minutes, just complaining about our bad choice. We were also freaking out a bit because of the fact that we were low on gas and phone battery. I was going to take a picture of the craziness that was the traffic that ensued, but figured you would only see red lights. Eventually, we got out, headed to the gas station, and headed home.

I said my goodbyes and my 'have a safe trip' and that was my night. Apparently my parents also went out and witnessed the traffic as well. It was a fun night, and I haven't had one of those in a while. It seems like everything always starts picking up near the end of summer. But I'm not complaining. Now, I need to step on it with my tests and training for nursing.

Look forward to a post about Inception tomorrow!

The Sweetest Thing

We've had a ton of these ingredients in the fridge, so do expect to see different variations of this meal in future posts. I've already mentioned some of these ingredients in my Greek Strained Yogurt post, so there's no need to revisit that. This meal is very similar to what I've had before, but with this post, you're able to see the yogurt I was talking about, as well as a few slices of pear.

Also added to this meal was a slice of bread with nutella and strawberries. Such a delicious combo, and if you haven't tried it out yet, you must. Strawberries and nutella alone (without the bread) is a great snack if you ever get hungry throughout the day.

And of course, the drink. The drink is simply iced coffee made from a ready to make packet. Nothing too special.

This meal was very filling; I felt quite bloated after eating/drinking all three parts. I'll take a note of that next time I plan on eating a big breakfast. But yes, as I mentioned earlier, with so much of these ingredients in the fridge, do plan on seeing this type of meal post again.

LOVE IT: Dr Bronner's

I mentioned Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps in my last post, but I felt it needed it's own glorious post to describe its magic. My uncle and aunt introduced me to this 'jesus soap' on our way to Koa Pancake House after the Tin Man. They raved on about it for a good 10 minutes while we waited for my brother, his girlfriend, and her friend. The way they described it was to imagine yourself applying Tiger Balm or Burt's Bees Chapstick all over your body. I was sold. I live off of Burt's Beeswax, and if there was a soap that could make my body feel like my lips after application, then I'm in!

I mentioned it to everyone else, then my aunt and uncle went over it's magical properties once again; I didn't mind hearing it. After our meal we stopped at Vitamin World to read more about it, and it came to the point where my brother purchased it. If you're wondering why there are so many words on the bottle is because religious sayings and quotes are printed onto the bottle, and a few other factoids about what you use the soap for, which include washing your car, brushing your teeth, etc.

Once we got home, we tried it out, and everything was true! While lathering it upon my body, you could smell the peppermint clearing up your nose, and giving you a fresh feeling. Although this feeling only lasts about 10-20 minutes after you take a shower, it is worth it. I'm always finding myself looking forward to taking a shower.

Well, don't just sit there! Buy one for yourself to find out it's magical soap abilities for yourself! There are more scents available, but I believe peppermint is the only scent capable of giving you the feeling of rubbing Tiger Balm all over your body.

The Iron Man Weekend

This past Sunday was the annual Tin Man here in Hawaii. It was also a pretty busy day for me, being out for majority of the day and only being able to take a nap for about 30 minutes before heading out again. Thank God I brought along my camera to share with you that day's adventures.

First up, the Tin Man. You might be thinking, what the hell is the Tin Man?! That's exactly what came to my mind when my brother brought up the event to me a couple of months ago. It's the brain child of four athletes who were inspired by the Ironman Triathlon on the Big Island of Hawaii. Nothing like an elite type of race, but made for any athlete who is looking for a challenge. The Tin Man is an annual event and has been held in the same area for the last 30 years. Here are a few pictures of my first experience watching the triathlon:

We started the day off bright and early, leaving at about 5:30. We missed the swimming portion of the race, but were able to catch the biking. These guys were going down hills at about 30 mph, some even on fixed gear bikes, and for those who ride fixed gears would know how hard that can be.

It was a journey back the beginning of the course to catch the running portion of the race. We were near the finish line. Hot, fit guys galore!

Unfortunately, I missed my brother on his bike. One, because he was going about 30 mph; and two, we had no idea it was him (I thought he was wearing red, he was wearing black and blue). We did see him running though.

This little bird was enjoying the race as well.

We met up with my brother at the refueling station at the finish line. We got to see the rest of the finishers, and for someone who was single, it was probably heaven. Men without their shirts, sweating, and pouring water on themselves. It was amazing. :)

Afterward, we had lunch at Koa Pancake House near the Navy Exchange. I had a strawberry crepe. We then headed to Vitamin World to read about and check out Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a.k.a. Jesus Soap. I'll have a post about the Magic Soap soon enough.

I took a quick nap, and we headed down to Ewa Beach to check out my cousin's new home. It's a huge step up from their previous quarters. The house is going through a bit of a makeover at the moment, so it was quite empty, and the grass - brown. I loved the lighting everywhere:

They have a very open kitchen. A staircase is located to the right of this picture leading up to the rest of the rooms.

The adults were weeding out the front yard and getting rid of unnecessary plants. On the bottom half of the picture, you can see that the Hawaiian Islands are embedded into their yard. It's one of the few features they're keeping.

Their cute little dog. Its name is Mogi.

Another trip home and a quick rest, and we were back out the door to a birthday party for another cousin. This time, in Whitmore. She turned 13 that day. I wasn't able to get a picture of her because I forgot my camera inside, then I totally forgot about getting her picture afterward and it was too late. But, I did get a picture of her delicious cake. Chantilly with a scoop of chocolate chip ice cream.

Here are a few pictures of my niece and nephew. Cute kids. My nephew is a rascal, but what do you expect, right? We messed with him and told he would be a very hot interracial private school kid with the girls all over him when he's older. It was all the truth.

His sister is a cutie pie. She's always dressed in really cute, matching outfits - mostly pink or red with a matching head band. She took off the red head band she was wearing that night.

If you tell her to do "Pretty Eyes" she squints in an attempt to show them to you.

The rest of the night was spent playing with my cousins, neice, and nephew talking about our over bearing parents and wishing they could understand just a few things about being a teenager or even being a young adult.

My cousin, the mother of my niece and nephew mentioned how her mom does say all these things, but being a mother, she has learned that it's just human nature for parents to get mad. One thing we came to the conclusion of is that, our parents tell us to do these things, and if we don't, we get in trouble. But, we grew up with our parents doing this and doing that for us, that it's become a part of our own nature, that we'll have these things done for us as long as they're there. And so yes, I do appreciate what they do for us. On the other hand though, they think we don't do these things because we don't want to, or because we're trying to be bad, or something. It's one of the reasons why I really wouldn't mind leaving the island and living on my own. I'll be able to use everything my parents have taught me, and I'll be able to show them that I have been listening to them this whole time.

For example, one of my cousins is planning to head off to the Big Island to stay with her boyfriend up until school starts again. Her parents shot down her plans, or tried to, only to come to no avail. She's still going, which I understand. She's 21 years old. I'm sure by the time I turn 21, my parents would be just the same if I had a boyfriend. We'll see though, I have a little over a year until then, and three/four more years until I plan on moving out.

And that was my day. I wish I had more days like this, but with the lack of a car and friends that are too busy working or in summer school, I can only hope.

Music Monday: How Deep Is Your Love

As of late, I've been in love with covers of some old time favorites and even different takes on today's songs. One duo that is extremely exceptional in this category is The Bird and the Bee. Their cover of Bee Gee's How Deep Is Your Love is my current favorite.

They have also done covers of Daryl Hall and John Oates' Maneater and even Rihanna's Don't Stop The Music! They're both just as great. This live version of the song performed at The Independent SF in February 2009 just makes me love them more.

Family Movie Night: Double Feature

This past week, we watched not one, but two movies as a family. The movies were at quite opposite ends of the spectrum, but I enjoyed them both.

The first, Dear John, was one I've been meaning to watch for quite a while but I couldn't find anyone who was willing to go with me while it was in theaters, and so netflix it was. I still have yet to read the book by Nicholas Sparks, which I've heard that is significantly different from the movie. Mainly because John (Channing) actually dies at the end of the book, but lives in the movie (sorry if I have spoiled anything for anyone). Hopefully this will make the book more readable as I'm not too sure what exactly happens.

Overall, the movie was enjoyable and being a girl, I did tear at a few key parts. I'd rate the movie a 3.9/5.

The second, Edge of Darkness, starring Mel Gibson was a film adaptation of a BBC TV series. It followed Gibson as a detective investigating the murder of his daughter, an activist. The storyline felt a bit overdone and I found myself wanting the movie to be done with so I could find out what the hell happened. There were too many "and the plot thickens' moments. Don't get me wrong though, I did enjoy the movie. There were many scenes that tested Mel Gibson's athletic ability, and even some 'wtf' moments.

My overall rating for the movie would be a 3.5/5, possiblt a bit higher. It is enjoyable, so watch it for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

We've Got Everything

On Saturday, I mentioned that one of the things I wanted to complete this week was to officially become a licensed driver. Well, my appointment was at 8am this past Wednesday, and I couldn't be any more nervous than I was the night before. I went to sleep at around 3, mainly worrying about what was at hand when I woke up in just a few hours. What sucked was my dad didn't take me out to practice the day before, so I wasn't able to fine tune some things. But, enough worrying about the past, because right now, at this moment, I am a licensed driver!

Hawaii has such a unique drivers license, what with the rainbow, the state seal hologram, and even the state cutout of each island. Of course, for my safety, it was necessary that I blur out some information. Let me tell you, I was so relieved when the person giving me the test told me I just barely passed, literally. The cutoff for the amount of points you were allowed to get was 15, and yes, I got a 15. When the test was over, she kept me in the car for about 10 minutes explaining to me everything I did wrong, and showing me articles of people who have passed away from bad judgement while driving. Everyone waiting outside probably thought I had failed, because even I thought I did.

When the test was over, we headed to the nearby bakery to thank one of my grandmas for scheduling my appointment with her friend. If not for her, I wouldn't have been able to take the test this month. We headed home afterward, and my mom told me to lie to my dad about passing, saying that he didn't teach me a few key things. I couldn't hide it though, I was too happy and relieved that my smile could be seen from space. After a hearty breakfast, we headed out (me being the driver) to Pearl City Sears for a new water filter for the fridge, and to Pearlridge to get a few polos for my dad. At sears, I bought this amazing lace skirt -

Which came with this cute belt -

We had lunch at The Gazebo, which is at the top floor of the mall. I chose to eat a Chinese Chicken Salad; it was delicious. The last stop we made before going home was to Target, and of course, I splurged a bit. We rarely ever shop there, even though my mom works in the building right next to the place. Today's mini shopping spree was mainly school related; every year before the semester begins, I'm able to get a few new things (clothes, basically). Instead of listing each item, I took pictures!

One of the main things I needed for the upcoming semester, black pants for nursing.

My first pair! And they're so comfortable! Who would've thought?!

Lace always makes my day.

I had to get shoes of course, these were too cute to turn down.

I was in need of some new slippers/flip flops, and these were beyond comfortable.

The stud detail on the slippers. Really cute!

And lastly, I got new sheets for my dorm room!

Such a great replacement to my black sheets. Hopefully they're just as comfortable.

And so concludes the majority of my day, as the rest of the day was spent catching up with everything and everyone. Speaking of catching up, I need to finish up the rest of the things on my to-do list. And so I leave you with a line from Modest Mouse's We've Got Everything:

We know everything was built to expire, so I guess we've done everything if we carried it out to sea, pushed it over the edge we'd all have been through.