Songs I've been feeling.

All I Have - Jennifer Lopez
Apologize - Timbaland
Beautiful Girls - Sean Kingston
Hot n Cold - Katy Perry
Right Round - Flo Rida
Goodbye, My Lover - James Blunt

sospecho.

i need to start being a nicer person. or find new friends...

me: i'm so mad at you! i was going to be nice to you all day today!
p: wait, why?
me: i made a resolution to be nice to you today!
p: umm, why?
me: wait, don't you like it when i'm nice to you?
p: i mean, you're nice. enough.
me: WHAT?!?!
p: i mean, it'd be nice if you were nicer, but also i'd be suspicious...

sadly, this is not the first time i've received that EXACT response. my niceness is often met with suspicion.

what does this say about me as a person?

i'm just trying to BE a nice person ... but if you all are suspicious, that does not help!

H1N1

ring ring

daddy: hello?
me: hi daddy! i'm thinking of coming home tomorrow
daddy: what's wrong? are you crying?
me: no no, my voice is gone from this weekend
daddy: YOU HAVE SI
me: what? no!
daddy: are you sure?
me: what? you're not going to let me come home?
daddy: you have SI, i'm not even gonna shake your hand
me: WHAT?!?! cmon! i'm not sick anywhere else, i just lost my voice from this weekend
daddy: ok. if you're sure.
me: yea, come get me tomorrow
daddy: talk to your mom

Poster shopping

So I currently have ONE poster in my room. I bought it earlier this year when I came across the idea of a New Year's "theme."

The poster in my bedroom is this one:


Anyway, while renovating our house, reassigning and redecorating my bedroom at home, my parents and I decided to get rid of the two framed posters I had received as a much younger girl (one movie poster from Disney's Beauty and the Beast and one American Girl poster of Molly reading). They were going to throw them out with our spring cleaning and I told her to save the frames since I had been looking for a frame online for the poster I have right now.

So now I have to find a poster for the 2nd frame. Ideally it would also go in my apartment room next to my New Year's theme poster.

My whole room has a pastel pink and green theme. I have tulip art squares above my headboard. So I went to posters.com and the first thing on the homepage that matched my color scheme was this:


But I don't want a teenybopper girl on my wall. My friends give me a hard time as it is because I'm so into early childhood education. I can't help it that I'm on the same intellectual level as those 5-year-olds and we are BFF!!!

Anyway, so I continued searching on Posters.com.

These are my criteria:
1. Pink should be the color that ties it together
2. Fit the color scheme
3. Don't be too cliche (image, logo, overall tone)
4. Should brighten my day/make me smile
5. Should be something clever and out of the ordinary

Didn't think it would be too difficult...

Here are some pretty flower posters from the website, and while they pretty much fit all the criteria, they're all missing #5. These flowers are pretty but boring.

Flower 1


Flower 2


Flower 3


Flower 4


Then I found some alcohol posters I liked. But this also seems a bit cliche, not clever, and just too young for my room.
Sauvignon Blanc: a few too many colors and just doesn't go with the "flow" of my room


Cosmopolitan: I don't actually like or drink these


Absinthe: Feels like I'm trying too hard to be cool...


They just don't feel "me" enough. Here are a few others that are NICE but not quite "right."
Too monochrome


I don't like cats


Too bright/harsh


Here are my two favorites so far, although they aren't quite big enough to put in a frame by their lonesomes and I haven't yet contacted the creator (Etsy.com) to ask if they do bigger prints, I was thinking I could put both of them in one frame with a dried flower, a bit of lace or beading, and some other small pretty things to do a collage framed work.

NYC poster


Shopping


Let me know if you have any suggestions or have come across something you think I might like. Remember to keep my criteria in mind!

(Aren't you so glad I'm back? If only temporarily.) This is a preview of all the fun you/I/we'll have on my blog this summer =)

For my birthday

Things I want/need:

pretty manila folders

more file folders
a thing to hold all my file folders
some more file folder ideas 1 2

now, you may be asking, why this obsession with file folders?
and i would answer, oh, you mean in addition to how i love to organize everything i can into file folders already? it's because i want to start a GTD tickler file system!!!
then you say: GTD TICKLER FILE SYSTEM??? why you're spouting more nonsense than usual!
and i say, check DIS out!

my amazon book list

another bookstand

DVDs
The Office
30 Rock
Arrested Development Season 3
Gossip Girl
Desperate Housewives

the other thing i really needed was a headband holder. i made my sister buy me this: PRETTY HOLDER

mostly, i love things that organize other things. A LOT.

i already got these orange flower shoes for easter which was probably the only thing i saw this season that i REALLY REALLY had to have.

this was the FIRST year that i didn't mention my birthday until less than a week away. normally my countdown starts like 2 months in advance. maybe i am growing up. or maybe law school is that miserable and time-consuming. all in all, this is probably my most MODEST bday wishlist ever.

43 file folders and a holder so i can start my tickler file system, please. =)

i know it was a bad day when ...

remember this?


i stand on the corner of your block, staring at the grocery store on the next block and deliberate for at least 2 minutes:

"do i want to be thin or do i want to eat cookies?"

then proceed to said grocery store, and purchase the following:

3 boxes of cookies (chocolate chip, english toffee crunch, swedish mint chocolate thins)
(because the look on the old lady's judgmental/disgusted face made me put the 4th box of cranberry walnut cookies back)
1 box of crackers (because my friend made me dip and you can't have dip w/o crackers)
3 snickers bars
2 kitkats
1 qt of milk

and the only reason i didn't buy m&ms was b/c there wasn't a dark chocolate peanut bag (in the BIG bag size)

ME, right now


THIS


+PLUS+

THIS


=EQUALS=

THIS (HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?)

moneys.

i keep meaning to update, and keep jotting down notes and then saving the posts as drafts.

but i haven't been able to get back around to actually fleshing out full posts.

and this time i was NOT lazy, school has been crazy busy and i've been super-exhausted but creepily uberproductive. and so i'm not gonna let the productive streak go to waste, right? so let's just say i've been riding the wave of productivity.

within this productivity, i forget how or where i came upon this article but it got me started on taking some control of my financial future. it has some simple no-brainers (plan ahead, have a marketable skill) but also told me i should get a roth ira.

SOOOOOOOO i started doing that research and after being intimidated into inaction, talked to a friend tonight w/considerably more money-savvy than me (considerably more savvy in the how to use it to make more of it - i'm clearly more savvy at how to use it to get rid of it) I JUST OPENED A TRADE-Y account (all the websites are like, etrade, scottrade, ameritrade, tradeking...) and i THINK i get to buy/start/put/open/begin/deposit a Roth IRA tomorrow when my deposit goes through!!!

Step 1 to retiring as a millionaire ACCOMPLISHED!!!

(haha, yes i am aware that I am in a very chipper mood about the market despite what AC360 tells me - and AC360 is the TROOF)

korea lookback (part 1?)

Originally drafted February 5, 2009.

For the Fulbright program, I was placed at an elementary school with
about 1700 students from grades 1 through 6. I actually taught every
single student at least once during my year there. I was chosen for
that school because they were running a pilot program to begin
teaching English in 1st and 2nd grade. Currently the English
curriculum in Korea begins in 3rd grade. My main responsibility was
preparing and teaching the 1st and 2nd graders. There were 7
homerooms per grade with about 40 students per homeroom. I had to
teach in all English to students with NO previous English experience
with the aid of the native Korean homeroom teacher, who also had
little to no previous English experience.

I was given a provisional textbook created by the school I believe in
the year prior to my arrival and had to use it. There were many
challenges and difficulties in this process. The textbooks had no
logical order in the way things were presented, there was little logic
to the themes of the chapters that I could deduce. This was not
really anyone's fault, as the textbooks were prepared by the same
homeroom teachers I was working with (no previous English
experience!). Nonetheless, I found ways to try and introduce basic
verbs and nouns along with classroom English that would make the
classes flow smoothly.

I had to learn to relax a little and go with the flow. I figured out
the best way to engage my students was to institute a bit of a routine
for the beginning of class (something they could recognize and use to
gain their bearings when we met each week) and also to work with a lot
of visual aids and hands on activities. I tried to keep the materials
relevant to their experiences and relate the lessons to things they
were familiar with (using Korean cartoon characters for a body parts
lesson/puzzle, using ancient Korean artifacts and traditional games
and instruments to learn the "what is this?" "it's a ...").

I also got a lot of experience in showmanship and presentations. We
held open demonstration classes at least once a month. My class was
taped for two different shows on Korea's English education TV station.
And near the end of my year we held a truly open demonstration class
for all the teachers and principals in the province. For several of
these classes (especially in the beginning) I often would come to
class to find that the AV stuff didn't work or they had considerately
taken DOWN my projector and taken it away for cleaning without
accounting for the fact that I would need it back FOR the open class.
It was definitely a year of interesting experiences, I learned to be
patient, creative, to deal with stressful situations, and to make the
best of every moment.

In the end, I think the biggest thing I learned that it wasn't about
me. There was so much of my year there that was about the students
and the school and I was just there to do what was necessary to help
them. I guess this is the thing that is really different from being a
student. In the big sense, students are necessary for college to
work. If NO one showed up for class or paid tuition, colleges would
become obsolete. But, if I personally didn't show up every day ready
to do my part, it really didn't have a big effect. But in Korea, I
guess it was my first real "job" and I realized that I really had to
step up to the plate and always be accountable and responsible and
what it was like to have other people count on me, to be part of a
team. And even if I didn't completely sign on with the things I had
to do or support, that's what being part of a team was. There was
compromise and negotiation and I finally learned what, "I scratch your
back and you scratch mine" applied to.

I guess that turned out to be a lot longer than I meant. I apologize,
but it was kindof therapeutic in a way. I haven't had to digest it
quite like that for someone yet. Other responsibilities in brief,
like I said I came into contact with EVERY student at the school at
least once. They really put me to work. In addition to the 14
regular 1st and 2nd grade classes each week, I taught 2 teacher
classes (1 general to all teachers and 1 intermediate level with the
English subject teachers). And I designed, created, taught an
afterschool English "camp" for 3 hours each week (rotating grades 3
thorugh 6) and also taught advanced language "club" type classes 2x a
week (3-4th grade and 5-6th grade). So, a lot of responsibility. I
came up with and designed all the materials and curricula for all of
the programs.

At Columbia, so far I have been taking a bit of a breather to get back
into the swing of things. Last semester I focused mainly on my
classes. This semester has been a bit busier just by the nature of
the programs I'm involved in. I'm on the Career Symposium committee
for the Columbia Society for International Law. We're puttng together
panel discussions for a 2 day event from attorneys who do
international law 2/18-19. I'm also involved witht the Public
Interest Law Foundation, which grants stipends for alls tudents who
work with nonprofit or governemnt organizations in the summer. I am
involved with their Annual Bid for Justice charity auction (held the
first week of March). The money from the auction helps fund the
summer student stipends and also grant requests from public interest
groups.

I am also a member of a student-faculty committee that is
working on the design for a new reading room in the law library.
there is currently a dearth of space, it's kindof similar to the
before (Perkins library) and after (Bostock) on a smaller scale. I
love libraries but hate the law library because it's the opposite of
everything i think a library should be (inspirational, beautiful, with
a sense of calm and yet energy) and so I applied to be on the reading
room committee to help the library realize its potential. (definitely more on this later...)

PEE MY PANTS!!!

THIS IS HOW I FEEL!!!! times a thousand!!!! click the picture to see the whole thing, i can't seem to get it to format so the whole thing fits (or maybe it's bc i'm on my tiny 5" laptop monitor).



ok first. AAAGHHH they changed the model and picture for my hat and how she's scary and significantly ugly!!!

ok but the real thing. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG i'm sooooooooooooooo excited i could pee my pants!!!!

but i can't say anything yet bc i don't want to jinx it.

buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut every step gets me more and more excited. i can't wait. I CAN NOT WAIT.

gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh why do i have a stupid moot court assignment due? that i haven't started???

ok, need to focus. hopefully will have super exciting update soon. =)

i love my life. don't ever let me forget it.

Daddy's take on Obama's stimulus plan.

me : I'M NEVER GOING TO GET A JOBBBBBBBBBBB!!!!!!!!!
mommy: don't stress yourself out. what? if you don't get a summer job, you can always live here and we'll feed you
me: it's not about the money!!!! i need to have some amazing experience this summer!!!!
daddy: hey. if you don't have a job obama will give you one.
me: .............................
daddy: call his blackberry.

sad hat.

i am so sad right now i can't even talk about it.

but i think since i am so sad, maybe i am allowed to buy this hat.



it's $59. which means i'll buy it in NJ to avoid the 8.5% or whatever it is NY sales tax.

=( will report on reasons i'm sad later ... after the wound has scabbed over a little.

O!

normally, i'm pretty apolitical - if i don't know a lot about something, i generally don't like to have an open opinion or discuss it b/c that seems kindof stupid. so unless i've read or researched a lot about a specific topic, i try not to verbalize a preference (or i try to stick in a disclaimer). many people pick sides based on limited knowledge and i'm not a fan of getting all passionate or heated over something i don't really know much about.

nonetheless, i heart this poster/image from this site. i THINK it means community organizer, but i just HEART HEART HEART ORGANIZING!!!! (remember, OCD anal). so yea, this one makes me smile.



in other news, my conlaw prof was saying the faculty took bets whilst watching the inauguration on how long before someone brought suit claiming that obama wasn't really the president yet since the oath was messed up. (dunno if she was joking). but apparently it's a good thing obama was a law prof and stuffed his OLC with other legal elite b/c apparently he was thinking the same thing and got the oath done good and right on the second go-round.