9.30.2010

Favorite Thing Thursday:


Justin Timberlake. Jimmy Fallon. Dancing and singing together. Nuff said.




P.S. It's raining today!!!!! (I adore rain). Today is a randomly awesome Thursday!!

P.P.S. I've had TWO dreams about Justin Timberlake this week. WTF?!? Last time that happened was when I was a 16-year-old teenybopper. So random.

P.P.P.S. While we are on an *NSYNC subject (kind of), check out my friend Ali's blog, about the time we both met Lance Bass. She's just created a blog for the first time a few days ago :)

9.28.2010

I'm Proud of Me

Passing my TEFL exam has made me pretty proud of myself (and thankful to God).

Not because it's an exam I got a passing score on. I've done that plenty of times. Rather, it's because I am actively pursuing something that I have always wanted to do, and I am actually making progress at achieving it. This is big for me, because the last two years since graduation, I've felt like I've been unmotivated, or stuck, or whatever kind of a funk you want to call it. I've enjoyed my job working with children, but right now it's not my dream job, or dream life.

Now, teaching English in a different country--that's not a 'dream job' of mine. But, it is a challenge, which excites me. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be exciting and thrilling. Moreover, add that to moving to a different country, and that has always been my dream. There is something quite fulfilling about going after a 'dream,' and watching it edge toward reality.

This makes me feel extra alive. And in more control of my life. There's no real profound way to simply say, I'm feeling really good about all of this. I. Feel. Good.

So what's left is to spruce up my resume and apply, apply, apply like crazy all this week. And then I'll play the waiting game. So wish me luck, and thanks for all the "congrats" from the other post. I appreciate all your support and love. And hey--I love you back, little blog community of mine :)

9.27.2010

Perfectly Acceptable Ashley

It's soooooo acceptable:
  • to mistake a license plate that says Purdue University with "Purple University." Oops, guess I like purple THAT much! I thought to myself, "Man, what a great sounding university!" ha.

  • To watch rerun after rerun of House Hunters International and wish I was the person buying a house overseas. OBSESSED with this show! Why yes, I'd like to buy a house in Costa Rica right next to the ocean!

  • to race a six-year-old up a hill and legitimately give it my all. But he still beat me! I called him "Speedy Gonzalez." What? The kid's Mexican, so it works! Oops, maybe that's not PC. But it is PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE!

9.24.2010

It's all becoming a little more real!



I passed my TEFL exam...WHICH MEANS, I can apply for jobs in Turkey now!!!

Wow, I can't believe I can finally do this!


9.23.2010

Favorite Thing Thursday: Sweet Sweet Perfume

PERFUME.

It's not just a favorite thing of mine, it's an OBSESSION. (no, no...not the Calvin Klein kind of Obsession...haha).

It all started when I was 15 years old and I visited my family in Turkey. My older cousin, Begüm, had this interesting bottle of perfume on her dresser, and it was called Gucci Rush. After getting my first whiff of a designer scent, I have worshiped perfume. Also, it helps that I have always looked up to Begüm, the most fashion-savvy relative of mine. (In case you are curious, she works for a Turkish designer called Vakko).

Anyway, on to my favorite scents (of the moment, at least)!!!

4. Burberry Brit

I have to be in a *very* sweet mood for this scent, like I am going to go frolic in a bed of daisies, or something. It's got a sharp vanilla smell to it, among other sweeeeeet smells: amber, pear and mahogany.

3. Laugh With Me Lee Lee by Benefit

Nice and cheap! And so out of character for me to choose something so floral. But it is one of the most unique scents I have come across. It has some violet, lily, jasmine and melon in the mix.

2. Light Blue by Dolce & Gabanna


I have loved this perfume for a long time. I love the mix of citrus, jasmine and bamboo (YEAH, BAMBOO!). It's an in-your-face, sultry scent.

1. Miss Dior Cherie


Everytime I see this perfume bottle, I think of the song "My Cherie Amour" by Stevie Wonder. :) That instantly puts me in a good mood! This has got to be my favorite scent right now. I know plenty of girls who love this perfume, and it's no wonder--it has CARAMELIZED POPCORN as one of its notes. Whhhaaatt? No wonder I'm addicted! It also has notes of: strawberry sorbet, jasmine and tangerine. Whenever I wear it, I get, "Oh! You smell good!" <---that makes it a winner.

Another scent I don't have, but have been dying to buy soon? Coco Chanel Mademoiselle!

Yep. I ♥ Perfume.

(p.s. all pictures are from Sephora)

9.21.2010

Three Films You Should See:

1. Flipped

An innocent, endearing tale of a boy and a girl living next door to each other, and figuring out the complexities of a first crush. I fell in love with this movie, mostly because of it's relatable and honest lines. An example, when Bryce (the boy) was getting ready for a dinner with Juli (the girl he has a crush on) : "I need to put on a shirt that makes me look good, but also makes it seem like I'm not trying too hard. It's a fine line." <---and can I just say, the young man they got for this movie is the kind of boy I would have TOTALLY had a crush on in high school? Yep, they did perfect casting.

The best way to describe this movie is: damn cute! Rating: ★★★

2. Eat, Pray, Love

I was really nervous to see this because I had read the book and LOVED, no, ADORED it. Easily in my top 5 favorite books.

So this is what I did. I gave the movie a chance, knowing that it would NEVER stack up to its literary counterpart. I gave it a chance to be a movie, and not a perfect adaptation of a story I love.

As a movie I really liked it. It was lacking in some areas, but overall the movie was good. Not great, but good...mostly due to the spunkiness of Miss Roberts. I was also pleased that they didn't skip over everything spiritual, which I thought Hollywood might do. A bonus: getting to see breathtaking scenes of Italy. Rating: ★★½

3. Waitress

So my other two movies are more chick-oriented. But this movie...this is a movie both men and women can see, and thoroughly enjoy.

What a gem of a film! It's about a waitress (duh) who is in a dead-end, abusive marriage, who then gets pregnant from her dead-end, abusive husband. I don't want to give too much away here--but this is a story about feeling helpless and trapped, and coming out of that.

It's sweet, it's quirky, it's a bit dark, with a little bit of humor. Mix that all up in a bowl and put in into a pie shell...and you've got Waitress! (You'll get that reference once you've watched the movie). Rating: ★★★½

***
Off the subject of movies, I finally took my TEFL exam yesterday. I'll get the results in "up to 10 days," as the school told me. *Crossing Fingers* and hoping I've passed! (Once I pass I can start applying for jobs in Turkey)!

9.19.2010

My Best Friends:







< ---- Miss Seltzer














<--- Chlora





























<-- and my personal favorite, Blowy. haha.





Yep, I am sick. I checked my blog archives, and last time I was sick with a cold was 2008! (I always write about it cause it's an unusual occurrence for me).

Not the best way to spend a Sunday...oh well. Just passing the time currently watching me some Bridget Jones's Diary. Bridget is my other best friend ;)


9.17.2010

Turkish Tabouli


Alright, so I am no cooking expert like my friend Jackie. Seriously, if you want great recipe ideas, go to her blog!

However, I have a recipe that is SUPER simple and easy peasy, and healthy to boot! I forget the real name for this dish, so I'll just call it Turkish Tabouli, because it is like tabouli, but without all that parsley.

Turkish Tabouli

Ingredients:

1 cup cous cous
olive oil
green onions
tomatoes
mint
1 cucumber
2 to 3 lemons

Cook the cous cous so that it is fluffy (follow directions on the box). Scoop into a large bowl.

Chop up your vegetables. The amount of vegetables you use is truly up to you! I love putting EXTRA tomato, but that's just me :) My mom also prefers to skin the cucumbers; however, it's to your discretion.

Keep in mind that the key ingredient here is the mint, so make sure to add plenty of that!

Mix vegetables and mint with the cous cous, also stirring in your desired amount of olive oil (think 3 tablespoons) to make the combination less dry. Add lemon juice to the mixture and stir (I like to add about 2 lemons worth of juice). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving. Provide a couple lemon wedges on the side when you do serve it!

There you go...I told you it was easy. It's almost TOO easy! Enjoy! And happy friday!!



9.14.2010

Perfectly Acceptable Ashley

It's perfectly acceptable:

  • to make an itunes playlist called "So Fresh and So Clean" for when you want to blast music while in the shower (shout out to Outkast!)

  • to laugh heartily when you ask a kid how his vacation in Europe went, and he replies, "The Gelato is good, but the people are smelly."

  • to eat a fattie-pants GENEROUS portion of chocolate peanut butter-cup ice cream (with extra swirls of peanut butter in it) and not feel the least bit guilty about it. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

9.12.2010

Daydream Believers & Homecoming Queens

I had the song in my head, and it seemed like an appropriate title for the pictures I am about to show you.

Plus, my friend Beth and I were wandering around Hillcrest, the well-known gay district, so there were a lot of "queens" around. ha.

Manicures...yay!

Tea Time, anyone?

At Pinkberry getting some frozen yogurt :) I put EXTRA mochi in mine.

I had to borrow tights from Beth (I am surprised they fit) because it got cold and windy today. HELLO FALL!


9.10.2010

Wuz Up With You?

hahahaha...I can barely keep a straight face as I post this. Just though I'd share something fun for Friday.









I think you all know know that I love Michael, but this is just bad. And not the good kind of bad. I just can't take the floating peace signs!!

"Sexual Chocolate! Sexual Chocolate everybody!!" --know where this quote is from? Anyone? :)

9.09.2010

Favorite Thing Thursday: Rockin' Robyn

It's Thursday! So I wanted to share one of my favorite things. And if you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you've already figured this one out :)

ROBYN!!!!!!!!!!


She is a spicy Swedish meatball. She is a pint-sized MEGA force. She has a sweet little voice with a deadly punch to it.

She is one of my favorite musical artists.

I first heard Robyn in the mid-90s, with her first hit, "Show Me Love." Remember that one?

After the blurry tornado of 90s pop finally fizzled out, I thought Robyn had too. She was an afterthought to me, until I was reading People and I stumbled upon an album review for none other than Robyn! It had given the album 4 stars, the best rating, so I knew I had to check it out.


Once I did, I was blown away!!!! Was this the same sweet, poppy Robyn making fierce new dance tracks, even rapping on a few? Oh yes. It was. Once I heard the smashing, "With Every Heartbeat," I knew I had found a musical love of mine.

Ever since then, I have been hooked.

By the time 2010 rolled around, I was ecstatic to hear that Robyn would be releasing THREE WHOLE ALBUMS in the same year. THREE.

She's already released two, and they are the Body Talk series. She's finally gaining popularity in the States again, and deserves to steal some of the attention away from overplayed Lady Gaga songs. (and I enjoy Lady Gaga, but not every 5 seconds on the radio!).

I've seen her in concert (even held her hand from the stage), bought her albums, and I will forever love and support this pretty little Swedish pop powerhouse, with every heartbeat...





P.S. Robyn is performing at the VMAS on Sunday. Get it girl!

9.07.2010

Perfectly Acceptable Ashley


It's perfectly acceptable:

  • to turn off your phone until the late afternoon as a virtual "Do Not Disturb" sign.

  • to drink more than one cup of coffee a day, especially if it is the yummy foamy kind.

  • to watch ghastly bad chick flicks, that have no real importance as works of art, but still produce a preteen-esque smile across your face. This includes: What a Girl Wants, A Walk to Remember and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, among others that are even more embarrassing to mention.


^
Just thought I would do this sometimes, as a sort of pseudo-series. A list every now and again of things I wanna do, cause I wanna do it! Just because.

On a different subject all together, Robyn's second album (out of three) is released today! Love that girl! Yayyyy!

9.06.2010

MacBook Photo Monday (With a side of Ins & Outs)

Photo of my nephews messin' around with my MacBook camera. They adored it!

Happy Labor Day! Not too much to say today (cause my head is up in the clouds), so I provide you with a list of Ins & Outs that Krystal tagged her blog readers in:


Ins:
  • Sheryl Crow's new song. I love her and her sultry smoker's voice :)
  • Getting a new Ipod Nano in a svelte black.
  • Hearing your baby nephew put together his sentences...ADORABLE!!
  • DRESSES: ALL YEAR LONG!!
  • Getting measured for a bridesmaid dress (my friend's wedding is October 23rd).
  • The Other Guys. I haven't laughed this hard at a movie in a LONG TIME. Now I can't keep a straight face when I see a Prius. hahaha!

Outs:
  • The lack of summer weather in Cali this year. So not cool.
  • The Back-Up Plan. Don't see this horribly done chick-flick!
  • Girls who pluck their eyebrows way too thin. MAJOR pet peeve of mine!
  • Un-flattering boyfriend pants!!
  • Getting stuck in Labor Day traffic for an ungodly amount of time :(
  • Doing dishes (this is never in style for me).