Mission Impossible- Paula Patton

Watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol last night with Kevin and his sister. That movie was an hour too long. Kevin started falling asleep at the end. I was wondering why the characters explained every plot point to us. I was so bored by the end that I wish I could have knocked out like Kevin.

Despite the boredom, I fell in love with Paula Patton and her green dress.  So unbelievably gorgeous. 

Holidays

feeling Scroogey

I haven't bought presents for my cousins' kids and my brother's kid yet and I wish I weren't obligated to. At least, I wish their parents would subsidize my gifts to them. They are children of high income earners (doctor + engineer, pharmacist + engineer, dentist + lawyer). They have a ton of toys and whatever they don't have, they probably don't want. What am I supposed to give them? Do I scratch my head and try to give them something intangible? Or say bah humbug to it all.

cried my way out of a parking ticket

As anyone who lives in LA knows, parking enforcement are abundant and active. It's a given that you'll have to pay a parking ticket on a biannual basis. No matter how careful you are, there's always going to be a day where you're in a rush, neglect to read a sign, or your quick errand ends a minute after your meter expiration time, and they spring into action. I loathe them.

 On Monday, I luckily spotted one as he was about to issue a citation. I ran to him and asked what the problem was.
    "You're parked too far from the curb."
     "But I'm in the gutter." Just barely, but worth a shot, right?
      "Look at where the other cars are." I couldn't imagine having to pay another $60 ticket.
      "Please," I said, "I work for free. I don't even get a parking spot. I know it doesn't seem like a lot of money to you, but it's a lot of money for me right now." My eyes started to water. It was raining, so I pushed myself to cry a little bit. "My life kind of sucks right now." Yes! Tears.

     He put down his ticket book and looked at me with concern. "What's wrong? Tell me what's wrong." I started babbling about going to college and then law school. Taking the bar. The crappy economy and he instructed me to open my car and sit down. He said he won't give me a ticket.

    Then he started wiping tears from my face. I was horrified and disgusted, but I also didn't want the ticket, so I let the stranger continue to touch my face. Just keep it believable, I told myself, a couple more seconds. He told me he had a friend that's a job recruiter and maybe she can help me find a job. And I said sure, and wrote down my contact information. I didn't care at that point; I just wanted him to stop touching my face. He took my information and told me to take care.

   I can't believe I did all that just because I didn't want to pay a damn parking ticket. 

coffee and cardigans

I went downtown all day to research for this case I'm working on. Stopped in at Tom N Tom's coffee on the way home, because it was right by the purple line on Wilshire and Western (where I parked my car). It looked like a nice study spot. Very spacious, free wi-fi, nice leather seats and brick toast! The downside is that their latte is pretty small and expensive. Not worth it if you're going to grab a cup of coffee and go.



Yesterday, I went to CAbi warehouse sale. I got 3 tops for $5 each. Their clothes skew a little bit old, but their fall collection had some youngish looking sweaters. (Not pictured is a gray V-neck I am currently wearing.)

not bad for a Vlog on the National Defense Authorization Act

"All these immigrants did not swim all these miles across the ocean to go to a country that is just like theirs! If this shit goes down, I am going to swim back to Asia."- David, on the abrogation of civil liberties

I read about this bill in Constitutional Daily and even slowly-turning-Republican Anh was like, "This is no good." I doubt Obama will sign it into law, and even then, I doubt the Supreme Court will uphold the statute, because they already made it clear in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld that you can't deny due process to an American citizen even if he is captured overseas as an enemy combatant. This law purports to deny due process to American citizens who are labeled "enemy combatants" on US soil. It's probably not going to fly with anyone has ever read the Bill of Rights. However, it is alarming that it passed in the first place!

 What David doesn't say in the video, and what he should have said, is that we should probably figure out who voted for this bill and get ourselves some new representatives. These people clearly don't understand the 5th, 6th, and 14th Amendment. 

Union Station- LA's hidden treasure

I can't believe I've lived in LA for 8 years and have never been to Union Station. It's gorgeous.

Click to enlarge.

Hello Kitty microwave

Product designers can put Hello Kitty on anything and I wouldn't even question it. Adorbs.

stay focused.

This was taken over the summer. I'm straining, because I'm flexing. Just a little motivation to not damage my body toooo much over the holidays. Abs, we will meet again. I hope to see you without straining next time.



Side note, I wish everyone on my FB feed would stop going on and on about the VS fashion show. Those women look great coming down the runway, but as soon as they turn to the side, I feel really sad for them. You can have a sandwich AND abs. Read Stacy's story: Inspiration, not thinspiration

Kouraku

Leisurely lunch with a visiting friend. I decided to order the ABC combo instead of their specialty, ramen. Good, but not great. 

Tripe. 

Teriyaki chicken. Bleh at best, but there was a delicious scoop of potato salad right next to it. 

This post is making me hungry. Dang it. 

Do I need to take all the bar classes?

If it's not a requirement for your school, bar classes are not necessary in order to pass the CA Bar. Your test prep company will cover all the basics.

I didn't take community property or First Amendment. My friend didn't take crim pro. We both passed on the first try. 

The only bar class we all agree that you should take is evidence. The rules are complicated, and you have to learn the California distinctions on top of the FRE. I saved a lot of time studying, because I knew most of the evidence rules prior to starting test prep.

Ever wonder what a lawyer sweatshop looks like?

These are all attorneys. They are sitting in front of computers in a row, reviewing documents. This is called contract work.

 I signed up for this.

 You have to bend if you're not going to break.

cute but deadly

I was told that a man had this gun custom painted for his wife. Note how some artist, not satisfied with painting Hello Kitty, decided to paint Hello Kitty with an assault rifle.

Thanksgiving

I'm trying to resist the urge to be cynical, and there's a lot of things to be cynical about when reflecting on Thanksgiving. But if art is about selective viewing, then why not reflect on a story of survival? A story of risk taking, uprooting and new beginnings. It's been awhile since I've thought about those weary travelers, the first immigrants. Happy Thanksgiving to them, and to the rest of us too.

funemployment

Where have you been all my life, Vanilla bake shop?







I love all things mini.

First Ladies exhibit

I've been dying to see this since I first read about it in the newspaper. The first day I showed up at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, it was closed! I assuaged myself by taking a walk-through of the American Presidency exhibit, but it wasn't the same!

Luckily, the gallery re-opened on Saturday, my second to last day in D.C., and I was able to join the crowds preening over each tiny detail in these ladies' dresses. I didn't take very many pictures, just of Michelle O and Hillary's inaugural gowns.

Lucky for you, the museum has a Flickr album of these gowns, much better shot than what I could have documented. Enjoy: The First Ladies' exhibit.

thank goodness

Now I can start blogging my advice for studying for the bar.

disconnected thoughts

Corporate perks without dealing with corporate jerks. I like to put on lots of make up and pretend I'm an aspiring actress.



I was a diva and put Chanel earrings on my birthday wishlist. Thanks boyfriend.

another year

Celebrated my birthday by dressing up as a turkey.



The theme was Turkeys & Pilgrims. I didn't get a chance to take pics of the pilgrim costumes.

Today was I struck with the very real fear that bar results might not change anything.

And there's no other turning point aside from bar results.

10 days.

Shredder costume

I uploaded some pictures on FB and no one could see my armor that I worked so hard on! Here's a grainy phone one. This is the best I can do, since all my armor pieces are long gone.

quick Halloween peek

Ninja turtles, Splinter and Shredder.



Angry birds crew and the bee.

I hate everyone

Too harsh? Maybe not when you hear what I have to say. (Okay, probably too harsh.)

I've been reading the various blogs comprising the Occupy movement: "We are the 99%", "We stand with the 99%" and now the backlash blog "We are the 53%."

I was hoping that last one would be a moderate blog. It wasn't. I think they are all dumb. I'm not going to bother ranking them by degree of dumbness.

We stand with the 99%.

You people are rich. Crazy rich. Inherited-$3M-when-you-were-20 rich. I think it's senseless for you people to hold up signs saying "Tax me more" when your money is freely expendable. Here's an idea, instead of waiting for the government to tear that money from your iron-grip, maybe you should give it away. You can give it to organization, shelters, make friends with some of the 99% and pay off their loans. Use your money to buy some professional lobbyists to demand a fundamental change in the system. Making a blog telling the government to tax you more is the most superficial thing you can do in support of this movement. I hate you.

We are the 53%.

You guys are hardworking. You guys are proud. You don't accept assistance. That's great, but you don't need to criticize people who want to enjoy some of the wealth that they helped create. You and the 99% are two-sides of the same coin. You're in the same sucky boat and you are getting way less than what you deserve. If you are okay with that, fine, but don't criticize the same people who work just as hard as you, but realize that resources are unequally distributed. I kind of hate you.

We are the 99%.

You guys are just misinformed. Don't talk about how you can't afford to file bankruptcy. There are free clinics that will walk you through it and it's not hard when you don't have very many assets. Student loans are a bummer, but there has always been scholarships and financial aid for the needy. You were supposed to look for them. For all of you who took out loans in 2008 or later, that shit is going to get forgiven in 25 years if you stick to the IBR or ICR repayment plans. It's hard not to get the health care you need, but if you're really at the poverty level, there's state paid for health care programs such as MediCal, Healthy Families, and other health care plans for the low-income. There are social workers, people whose job is to help you find these programs. Go to your nearest Social Security Administration office and see what's up. Chances are your resources haven't been exhausted, and you're already crying. I hate you.

Ooh, that can't be good

At my interview this morning, behind closed doors, an associate told me, "I've got $50K in the bank and the minute my one year mark hits, I am out of here."

I guess on the bright side, Trojans look out for each other. In analyzing my situation, my co-worker put it best when he said, "It'll be nice to get it, but you won't be that disappointed if you don't."

All made up and ready to go out on a Thursday. Feels like undergrad.

unemployment chronicles

My friend wants to start a blog called "The Art of Poor" and I suggested "Song of Paupers."

I interviewed for a litigation secretary job on Tuesday. I took the JD off my resume just to make sure I got the interview. At the interview, I told the partner that I actually had a JD and showed him my legal resume. He was impressed, really impressed. He seemed certain that I was going to get a ton of offers once bar results come in.

Has he seen the ABA Journal entries lately? Or Above the Law? I was tempted to ask him to send his resume out in this economic climate and see what kind of offer he gets. Discount it by a huge increment and he'll see how much people are willing to pay for newbie associates. The pay he was offering for the litigation secretary position felt like a million dollars to me. I stayed dignified and kept parroting what I hope were the right things. He said he would have to talk to his partners about me. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

In better news, my friend told me that a project director spot opened up at my night job, and the facility director wants me to fill the spot. Of course, they are worried that they will train me and once bar results come out, I'm going to peace the heck out. (Why is everyone so certain that I will a) pass the bar and b) make a ton of money once I do?) I went through another round of telling her I won't leave, so the spot is mine. Pays a little more than 1 1/2 times the glorified housekeeper job. Wheeeee!

looting

The night job isn't ideal, but at least I don't have to buy groceries for the rest of the week.

-2 sandwiches

-sushi in foil

-2 bags of fruit

-bag of oreos and brownies

-5 energy bars

- 1 greek yogurt

-1 bowl of cereal

Columbus Day

Jared: Do you think if I invade somewhere, bring some diseases and what not, and steal things that I can have my own day?

me: You can MAKE them celebrate you. Everyday would be Jared day, but no one gets the day off.

Jared: Yeah, fuck that. They have to tend to the fields.

me: Were indigenous people just too chill? Were they thinking, whatev, we've got all this land. There's not that many of them. Oh shit, more people are coming. *cough cough* Damn it.

***

I have a healthy imagination when it comes to history.

Trying to wean myself off of flip flops

"What's in that?"

Dear Mr./Ms. Curious,

Some people might enjoy being cultural ambassadors. I personally don't. I like being left alone when enjoying my mooncakes, broken rice, or whatever cultural oddity I might be consuming. I don't want you to express an interest in my culture. If you ask me what I am eating, I will answer, "Mooncake," or whatever translation I have already prepared in anticipation of someone asking me.

This is where you leave me the eff alone and consult your smartphone. It's connected to the internet and someone on the internet who loves mooncakes can tell you every GD ingredient. I honestly don't know whether it's baked or steamed. I don't know what the filling is made of. I don't want to compare it to any Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Thai dish that you may be familiar with. I don't know what typical moon cakes look like or what they represent. I don't want to tell you the origin of the moon festival or every myth that surrounds it. I am trying to effing eat my moon cake.

I didn't know the difference between a wot and a tib. I looked it up! I still can't really tell the difference between a flauta and a taquito, but when someone offered me one or the other, I fucking ate it. I didn't sniff and wrinkle my nose. I didn't demand to know every single ingredient before putting it in my mouth. It's just one bite! From that point, I formed an opinion. It's a simple system. I encourage you to try it.

In closing, I implore you to take a bite of this or stfu.

Love,

Anh

happy fall!

come again?

Waitress's name tag read: Fatrick.

Immediately after she left our table, one of the guys said, "Did her parents seriously name her Fat Trick?"

In case you were wondering, she pronounces it fuh-treeq.

Mid-Autumn Festival

That's right; I do stuff on the weekends now.

Why do girls get into clubs for free?

I hate this question! David So mentioned it in one of his vlogs on clubbing. My boyfriend comments on it regularly. "Is it because you guys have boobs?"

No, idiots. It's because event promoters and club owners who set the rules are mostly men (Correct me if I'm wrong, and clubs and promoting companies are actually overwhelmingly headed by women). Men want to entice men to come to clubs by packing it with women. Men want to entice women to come to clubs by giving them free admission.

If the incentives were reversed, would the strategy be just as successful? For example, women are enticed to come to clubs that are packed with attractive young men. The young men, on the other hand, are enticed to come by the offer of free admission. I'd like to think that in a gender equal world, the strategy would have the same effect whether it was men or women who were given the free admission.

However, from my own personal experience, it seems like men are the ones who are requesting to be outnumbered by women. Most women I know don't care whether or not there's going to be a lot of men as long as there are "cute" men. Men I know tend to care about the numbers. They express revulsion at attending a "sausage fest" and whenever they throw parties, they specifically tell me to "bring girls."

So let's think about this. It's men who have decided that a great party is one where men are greatly outnumbered by women. It's men who run these promoting companies and clubs and set up these policies as part of their business strategies. It's the overall fantasy of being surrounded by beautiful women that fuels these enterprises and you, penis possessor, are getting all upset as if women are somehow responsible for manipulating club owners to gain some nominal advantage? Stupid.

"You know me, I like giving answers like, 'Possibly you can do this. Maybe that's not the strongest argument. Technically you can, but it might not work,' while Anh is just like, 'No, that's not going to work.'" - Staff attorney. I love her.

Friday night wedding

I caught the bouquet!

it's tough out there

I'm in the twilight zone--awaiting bar results.

I turned down one tutoring job after being in the learning center for 2 hours. It was that hectic. Still trying to get paid for those hours of tutoring I did. I might have to call it a loss if I can't get a fee waiver for Small Claims court. $35 to file a claim for $50. Doesn't sound so smart, does it?

My friend got me a job at a market research facility where I am a glorified housekeeper. I make sure the rooms are stocked with cookies, coffee and water. I clean up after the clients leave. The facility is 5-10 minutes from my apartment. There's plenty of downtime when the focus groups are in session. I can work at night after the pro se clinic. By day, I'm someone and by night, I'm just a nameless girl in all black that appears silently to fill important people's water cups. It keeps me humble.

The market research "hostess" job makes me think about how I see mostly young women as admin assistants or office housekeepers. At this job, I have to empty the dishwasher, wipe down kitchen counters, and keep things tidy and well-stocked. It's domestic work, but in the public sphere. Is that why you rarely see men as admin assistants?

More job musings to come.

I've seen better days

This guy backed up into me in the parking lot at dim sum on Sunday. He said he'd pay for my damages. Now he's alleging that I'm 50% fault! I wasn't even moving!

Spent 1+ hour giving recorded statements to the insurance company. Saw my phone bill. Great, just great.

fun times at the clinic

I haven't really written much about work on the blog. I work at a legal clinic that helps people who don't have attorneys comply with the rules of federal civil procedure. I make sure their pleadings are in order and that they understand what the rules are for each phase of the lawsuit. Sometimes I research and ghostwrite their pleadings.

The other day, we had to turn away someone, because she was already an attorney. She went to a top 5 law school! I said, "No offense to us, but why is she here?" The other volunteer attorneys nodded in agreement. The attorney who met with her told us she was sued. I guess being the overly cautious type, she wanted advice from experienced lawyers. I would have probably done the same.

on a peddle boat in Catalina

All smiles since the seasickness has not kicked in.

In other news, the fruit flies are gone, but now I have real flies. Internet, you did not warn me of this.

homemade fruit fly trap

Oh internet, what would I do with you. You can't see, but there are definitely fruit flies drowning in wine at the bottom of this trap.

Bonus, the internet taught me how to uncork a wine bottle (to supply the bait for this trap).

Fish fail

I went fishing for the first time last Saturday. My brother's friend, Jordan, just bought a boat. No one on that boat knew how to fish. No one knew how to launch a boat. Jordan had never driven a boat. Recipe for fun times.

We went to Huntington Beach early in the morning with sandwiches, coffees and a grill ("just in case we get lucky"- Jordan). Jordan and Greg attempted to launch the boat. They told us there were far more YouTube videos on how not to launch a boat than how to launch a boat. Objective: don't drag the SUV underwater.

Successfully launched the boat. 2 other friends were late/ got lost, so we did donuts around the port waiting for them. OC Sheriff's department asked if we needed assistance.

Went out to sea. Had an anchor but nothing to secure to the anchor. We floated toward the shoreline and had to drive back out every 20-30 minutes. Lifeguard tower warned us we were getting too close to the swim zone.

Docked the boat. They were total noobs at this too and I saw other groups staring at us. After that, we went to "Claws" in Garden Grove. Enjoyed seafood caught and prepared by professionals.

Vegas!

We headed out last Friday night. My cousin generously let us stay in her condo. We went to Encore Beach, Studio B buffet and Marquee. Silly me, I didn't know that there were "hot" clubs in Vegas. I guess those are always the new ones? My friend tells me Studio B and Gallery are the place to be. I felt bad, because Steph and I got comped everywhere and Kevin had to pay. =/ Next time, an estrogen only trip.

Here are the few pictures from my camera.

The girls:

The couples:

Boring posing.

She's giving the camera ferocious tiger.

My instruction: "Give me pensive. You're thoughtful. You're wondering where to put your money now that T-bills have been downgraded."

There's a lot of a dumb pictures of Steph and me dancing which have been omitted.

We left early Sunday morning. I got back and realized I was missing a BBQ. Sad.

I started my first week of work! I got a call from another tutoring place and I was at the courthouse, so I couldn't call them back right away. I'll be persistent this time.

Last night's dinner. I ate everything but the pasta. Gotta keep the stomach empty in preparation for Vegas gluttony.

clothing haul

Still don't have a tripod. Bear with me. I usually buy clothes piece by piece and never really do hauls. This is kind of a collective last month/ finally updating my wardrobe haul.

I LOVE these wedges. They were such a lucky find. $16 at Crossroads (my local thrift store).

Lace top from F21- $13ish

necklace from F21

belt from Uniqlo

shorts (originally Citizen jeans that ripped)

Dress from H&M- $20
necklace from American Eagle

I love that they are little bows! I'm glad that bows are still somewhat in style. I can see this dress paired with a cardigan and headband to make the look extra saccharine sweet. I also enjoy the pockets on this dress. All dresses should have pockets.

Vegas dress! I was determined to find a cute cut out dress, but I fell in love with this one in the store. After taking pictures in it, I started feeling a little buyer's remorse (it was final sale). I haven't really seen a dress like this and I like the draping.