Bienvenue

Where is my lip chap?

2012-01-14T12:35:00.004-06:00

Happy 2012! I know this is kindof late and I haven't updated in quite sometime... sorry.

I am back and started my last semester of law school. It is crazy how fast time flies. I can still vividly recall when I started 1L year. All the nerves, anxiety, stress. Still ever present, but to a certain degree, a little less. I am taking some really interesting classes - criminal procedure, law of armed conflict, business associations, and professional responsibility. Oh yeah, I'm also taking a skiing class. And possibly a golf class. Got to end the last year of school (possibly forever?) with a bang! :)

And to top it off, I just booked a flight for my graduation travels! I initially wanted to do Europe but not enough funds. And then I thought about an eastern tour of Canada with a side trip to Boston. But that didn't work out. Vancouver, Banff, and an Alaskan cruise were also contemplated and researched. But I eventually decided on Hawaii. Oahu for four days and Maui for six. Yes. A group of law students are going so it should be super fun! I don't think I have ever been on a tropical, relaxing type of vacation. Most of mine have been all about touring, seeing sites etc. Granted I want to do touristy things like visit Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Center, a volcano (?), I will definitely be beach bum, snorkeling and surfing. Ah. Sounds blissful.

Anyways, I hope you are doing well - whomever you are. Happy New Year! I hope this year will bring everything you hoped and dreamed of.

Why is law school so hard at times?

2011-12-13T13:25:00.002-06:00

Why?!?!

FTW

2011-11-28T00:08:00.003-06:00

I just emailed my classmates and professor my draft to my disaster law paper. Twenty-four pages! What what! For some reason, this paper wasn't as painful as my substantial writing paper last semester. Hmm. I have no idea why.

Oh and mom and dad got me a PS3 for Christmas. You may ask why and how I know since it's not even December. But there was a killer deal on Amazon over Black Friday so yeah. Nerd alert? Yeah. Probably. Especially considering the title of my blog post. Hah.

Okay, going to bed now but not slowing down (in respect to school). Night!

Gratitude

2011-11-23T17:17:00.005-06:00

I am currently working on a paper for my disaster law class. I just finished my intro to pandemics section and am now researching my terrorism section. BAH. So sad. So incredibly sad. Specifically, the deliberate acts of 19 extremists on September 11. I can still recall where I was when I heard about the attacks - in science class. This boy named Brad P came into the room and shouted "the CN Tower is next!" Um, I don't think so. Nevertheless, reading about it now as opposed to an adolescent changes things. I have a different perspective. A more mature and thoughtful point of view. Especially now that I live in America. It's just so sad. Terrorism is crap.

Not to diminish the horrendous nature of the act but a country must be pretty important for a group to direct and plan such dreadful attacks. I don't know if I am conveying that statement correctly. Essentially, the U.S. is pretty much the top dog. Why else would it be targeted? Yes, there may be other factors but unfortunately this country is considered a threat to some. Yet, a little over ten years later, it is still an incredible country. So much resilience.

Anyways, I don't have time to write about all my feelings. But considering it is the Thanksgiving season in the U.S., I thought I would say I am grateful for this country. Even though I absolutely love my country and this sort of patriotism is surprising to me, the U.S. is pretty incredible. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to receive all my post-secondary education in this country, all the American friends I have made, and the freedoms and liberties this country so dutifully advocates and protects.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

It has begun... again

2011-11-16T22:31:00.007-06:00

Stress. I'm currently in comfy sweats, at my carrel, working in the law library. This started much much earlier last semester but I think 16 credit hours was a contributing factor. To be honest, I am very bummed Nikki isn't here with me.. We used to have such successful study/work nights. It's kindof lonely to be here too. Oh well.

So I randomly told my friend Rachel how I like when people wink at me. Not creeper winking I am hitting on you gross winking, of course. But natural winking. Yes. Confident, smooth, natural winking. Tehehe.

That's all. If I am MIA, please find me at school. Thanks.

My carrel at the time I wrote this post.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T20:38:00.008-06:00

It's November 11, 2011. Woot woot! I spent the majority of my day at H&M's Grand Opening at Fashion Place Mall. I left my house a little after six, got in line before 7 and waited for the doors to open at 12. It was great! I had some much needed cousin time, made some new friends with strangers, and bought significantly discounted H&M goodies (i.e. $20 peacoat, $10 pencil skirts). Oh I also got $10 off and a free H&M <3s UTAH shirt for being among the first 500 in line.

Now you may ask, was it worth it? Sure. Obviously waking up early and waiting outside in the cold is not ideal but I love doing things like this. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I grew up with Boxing Day adventures? Now that takes dedication. Long lines on December 26 in Canada is much much colder. However, I think I will sit out on the Black Friday shopping this year. Maybe.

Anyways, Michelle and I also decided that if we are both single on Valentine's Day next year, we are going to watch The Vow together. This was decided on 11/11/11.

Okay. Back to school work on a Friday night.

Department of the Interior

2011-10-28T17:02:00.004-05:00

I don't think I mentioned it before but I am currently externing at the Department of the Interior. Due to certain confidential papers I signed, I am unable to discuss specific things... but I just wanted to say I LOVE IT. I recently had a really wonderful experience that was immensely fulfilling and exciting. My legal education is being put to use! It is absolutely incredible to study something for so long and so hard and see application of it in my personal life. FTW.

P.S. Isn't it great that if Prince William and Kate Middleton had a baby girl, that girl could someday be the Queen? Yes. Awesome.

Powerful Women

2011-10-25T18:37:00.003-05:00

I have a lot to do. Namely, a 25 page paper on the feasibility of amending the Stafford Act to include pandemics, terrorism, and technological disasters, secured transactions studying, water law review, externship research on issues concerning the Federal Tort Claims Act, a source pull and tech edit, class readings, and some firm and research assistant stuff. Goodness. It's kind of overwhelming to list all that stuff out. Despite all I have to do, I still procrastinate. This blog post is... a perfect example. Hah.

Okay the real reason for this post is to showcase Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women. Wow. It was incredible to read the accomplishments some of these women have made in their lives. And some are relatively quite young. I also saw that Germany, Australia, Thailand, Brazil, Argentina, and others currently have female Prime Ministers/Presidents. Cool beans! Okay, please note that I knew Australia, Germany and Argentina had female heads of state. It was just unexpected to click through the Forbes' list and consistently see "Prime Minister" or "President."

I also found out from the Forbes' list that the founders of Forever 21 are Asian. What? That was a huge surprise. Oh and maybe it's because I'm in law school and slightly biased.. but I think at least one of the female Supreme Court Justices should have made the list. They do have tons of power and influence. And no Canadian women? Aw sad.

Okay back to work. I may need to go to campus to actually get work done...

I miss Rue

2011-10-22T23:31:00.013-05:00

Rue is not currently with me. She is in Texas with my parents and Charlie. What? Why?

The first week of October was my placement break. I brought Rue with me. I was terrified. I had no idea how my 5 month Yorkie would do on a plane. She had previously demonstrated stubborn and rather loud objections to confined spaces (which is odd because I had read dogs are den creatures). Anyways, fortunately Rue actually did quite well on our plane rides. Our first flight was at 6:40am to Denver. The flight attendants kindly dimmed the cabin lights and so it was a pretty dark and comfortable ambiance on the plane. But soon after take off, Rue starting whining and later barked quite sharply a few times. I heard surrounding passengers murmur to their neighbors. AH! NO! Crap. With each whine and bark, I cringed, sunk deeper into my chair, and shut my eyes uncomfortably. This cannot happen. Imagine a dark and almost perfectly quiet plane. It's early in the morning. People are trying to sleep. And every once in awhile, you hear misplaced whining and barking. Bah. No good. I did not want to have a bunch of people angry with me. Luckily I soon learned that when Rue and I made eye contact, she would respond. So I situated my legs where she could not see my face. Oh and in the flurry of my morning, I also somehow forgot to bring the child's benadryl the vet had recommended. Yep.

But like I mentioned earlier, Rue did quite well. With the exception of some whining and barking, she did not make a lot of noise during the flight. She eventually settled into a little ball and slept until we landed in Denver. The second flight was even better. Rue barely whined and only barked once. Perfect. Well, almost perfect.

I still remember my dad's face when he picked us up at the airport. This was his daughter's puppy. A puppy she had talked about wanting since undergrad. My dad seemed amused and mentioned she was larger and lighter (as in color) than what he had thought.

Now onto why I decided to leave Rue in Texas. My parents rescued a puppy from the shelter in January. He is so sweet and so adorable. His name is Charlie. Well, Charlie and Rue got along quite well. Rue is a singleton (no other pups in the litter) so I don't think she ever really had a playmate with the same level of energy and playfulness. Even before going to Texas, I had my suspicions that they would get along quite nicely.

In Texas, Rue would come to me but she did not seem to need me. She had a new friend that she could chase, bite, and tackle. She was so happy. She was also surprisingly never hyper. Rue exerted all her energy playing tug-of-war and other fun things with Charlie. It was sweet.

I knew school was going to be super busy after break. Not to mention my commute to the city two days and sometimes three times a week. I didn't think it would be fair to have her locked up in a kennel all day. My parents are also amazing. Before even going to Texas, they offered to take care of her until my internship was over.

So on the day when I had to return to Utah, I hesitantly decided to leave Rue with her friend and my parents :((( I do not regret my decision because I will be going to Texas in less than two months. And my parents are great to her. But I miss Rue terribly.

The catalyst for writing this post was seeing my chewed up Barbri yellow highlighter while reading water law... I think of my puppy often and bug my parents endlessly for reports and sweet anecdotes. Some of my favorites thus far are Rue admiring herself in the mirror, tossing her rawhides to play catch with herself, maintaining that mischievous look when she is doing something bad, digging in the mud, and standing up for herself when Charlie plays rough. Oh I miss Rue. I miss her so much.

As you can see, Rue is clearly not a black puppy anymore. I didn't know how I would feel about the silver, but I love it.

P.S. If all goes to plan, I am going to get Rue a friend next summer. It's been decided. And I will probably name that puppy, Darcy.

Before 3L Year

2011-09-29T00:18:00.010-05:00

Hello! So I promised I would post pictures from my summer. I know it's almost October but better late than never right? Here we go. Oh and please know that I had descriptions accompany every picture in the following three updates. But because I uploaded the images left justified, the format was all inconsistent with the wording and it was just ugly. So I am sorry there are just pictures and no details... :(

Let's start from my trip to Beijing, China:

First day. There was a wall just like this in Toronto.

Forbidden City! So grand. Some buildings in the Forbidden City were repainted for the Beijing Olympics. Beautiful colors. The number of dragons on the roof represent the status of royalty. I think seven meant the house of the "Yellow King."

Mao and Tiananmen Square

Malaysia

2011-09-29T00:04:00.002-05:00

LA & Zion Narrows

2011-09-29T00:03:00.013-05:00

!

2011-08-25T15:06:00.002-05:00

Wow! So many people either getting married or having babies! I guess that's what happens when most of your peers are in their mid-twenties... It's awesome. To my friends getting married or having babies, CONGRATS! I am so happy for you!

Last First Day of School Ever (Probably)

2011-08-22T20:36:00.009-05:00

Today was the first day of my third year of law school. Unless I decide to pursue a PhD or another graduate degree, this will be my last first day of school ever! Crazy! A lot of my classmates are excited to be finished with school. And in some situations it is completely understandable (i.e. when your soon to be husband lives out of state). But I love school. I don't want it to be over. I'm sad it's going to be over in eight months.

I want to make the most of my last year in law school. How? I'm not completely sure. But I will definitely try.

I'm pretty excited about my classes. As of right now, they are water law, disaster law, white collar crime, and transactional lawyering. Doesn't sound too intense? Even almost fun? Exactly. That will not be the case next semester though. I really wish the fun classes could be my last semester but I have no say in class scheduling. I also have an externship in Salt Lake. The horrible I-15 commute is not over yet.

In other news, what else has been going on in my life? Rue (nicknames: Ruey, Ruey-Boo, Rue-Girl, PUPPY!). I had no idea how much work it takes to care for a puppy. Granted, I am pretty involved... I suppose there are people who are not as particular in raising their puppy.. I just know these months are essential to her development and socialization. I want Rue to have manners. Good, polite manners. Generally, I think she's pretty good. I just need to work on her barking. I also think she's pretty smart. I'm happy about that. (Rue has grown a lot since the picture on the left was taken)

Nikki and I are going to Zion National Park to hike the Narrows. I am so excited! It's going to be absolutely wonderful. I will post pictures.

Thank you for reading my blog. You the best.

Rue

2011-07-16T12:35:00.007-05:00

After years and years of wanting and planning, I finally adopted a puppy of my own! She is a Yorkshire Terrier, 10 weeks old and so adorable. I thought really hard about names and came up with a bunch but ultimately decided with Rue.

I first met Rue on Tuesday. When she fell asleep in my lap, it was over. I had to have her. So I picked her up last night and have been hanging out with her ever since. She sleeps a lot! And like a log.. so that's good. She was pretty depressed when we left her mom but she soon perked up. Potty training is going alright and she already doesn't like the collar and harness.

I know it's a huge responsibility to have a dog. There are also a lot of sacrifices involved. For instance just today, waking up at 5am on a Saturday morning, passing up on watching Harry Potter 7.2 with my roommies, certain traveling plans, costs, etc. But I am already so overcome with joy, love and happiness for this little pup.

She's the best.

Jet lagged.

2011-06-23T03:48:00.002-05:00

It's currently 2:52 am and I can't sleep. I am jet lagged. I can't say I have ever been jet lagged before. In the past, I have been able to sleep on long plane ride and that has helped for when I arrive at my final destination. Although I slept a fair amount this time, it obviously did not help very much. Michelle described me as "bright eyed" at almost midnight tonight and I still feel that way.

Not being able to sleep really sucks. Maybe this is how people with insomnia feel? I am not envious. Especially since I have to get up in less than 3 hours for work.

Alright, I'm going to try and sleep again. Good night.

@Singapore

2011-06-20T10:05:00.004-05:00

Hello! Ok, so I have exactly less than five minutes on this public computer in the Singapore Airport. So this will be quick. My summer vacation is nearing its end. BOOOOOOO. China was amazing. I had a great time. Saw lots of incredible places and tons and tons of walking with a pretty decent tan. Who knew one could get so dark in China? Spent my second week in Malaysia. It was absolutely AMAZING to be with family. The last time I was in Malaysia was when I was 3 or 4 so it's been awhile. I have the coolest relatives and I am so happy I got to spend quality time with them. Truly amazing. I miss them already.

It is currently 11:08pm Singapore time. I have no idea what time it is in the states. But I will be traveling a lot over the next day. Leaving Singapore, stopping in MOSCOW (!), layover in Houston, then finally back to SLC. I am so sad Nikki has moved out. Seriously. But the new roommate is great too!

Okay, less than a minute left. Pictures to come if I find enough time to upload them on blogger.

@Vancouver

2011-06-04T13:59:00.007-05:00

Hey there! I am currently at the Vancouver airport in CANADA. Wahoo! My homeland. I feel so home/country sick here. It just reminds me of all the wonderful things I love about Canada. And it sucks that I am at an airport and can't go out and do some adventuring.

I apologize in advance if this post is a little scattered. I am very sleep deprived and medicated (on dramamine and cold medicine). I haven't slept more than 7 hours in the last two days. My flight to LAX yesterday was at 9:00pm. I arrived in Los Angeles around 10:00pm. My awesome law school friend and her bf took me around the city a little bit. It was great! I really want to take some time and visit LA in the near future.

My flight this morning was at 7 so we left my friend's house around 4:50 am. I didn't sleep on the plane from LAX to Vancouver because they were showing a movie. And I have this tendency to not fall asleep during movies. Anyways, arrived in Canada, went through customs and shopped around a bit. I probably circled this international terminal about three times. Why? I was on a mission to find sweat pants.

So prior to my flight to LA, I was given mixed instructions. Some airline peeps said I would need to pick up my baggage at LAX and others said no. To be sure, I asked the guy when I checked in and he told me to pick up my bag and that it would not automatically be transferred to my next flight (the morning after). I waited for about twenty minutes at LAX but no bag! A lady at LAX said Air Canada picked up my bag and it was en route to Beijing. Crap! My change of clothes, pillow, toiletries, makeup etc. were all packed in my bag.

Sooo sorry to be gross but I am still in my work clothes from Friday. Which was yesterday, so that's not too bad I suppose. I'm wearing a skirt and a cardigan. Not exactly what I consider ideal international flying material but at least I have my flip flops. Going back to sweatpants - I knew there was a Roots store but found out it is located in the US terminal. Booo. So no sweatpants. However, I did just purchase timbits from Tim Horton's, a caramilk bar and Ketchup chips. Love!

Wow, this is seriously all over the place. I cannot think straight. So I think I will end.. but even though I had a minor set back re baggage, I am not letting it upset me. Optimistic thinking shall prevail. Wahoo! Interesting to note, there are a lot of Asians here. I haven't seen so many Asians in one place in awhile. I'm hearing Chinese, Japanese, and Korean frequently over the intercom. It's awesome. An elderly man also started speaking to me in a language that I couldn't really identify. I think maybe he thought I was Korean? Unsure.

Ok. The end.

P.S. I love all the Vancouver Canucks love here. I hope they win the Stanley Cup finals!

Next 2 1/2 Weeks

2011-06-02T22:36:00.007-05:00

In Asia.

Specifically en route to Los Angeles, Vancouver, Beijing, Singapore, Malaysia, Singapore, Russia, Houston.

Wahoo!

Zion National Park was so fun. I caught the hiking bug. I want to hike the Narrows with Nikki in August. Planning on it. Friends are the best.

No time. Must pack. A few pics from Memorial Day weekend trip:

More pics to come!

Excited!

2011-05-28T01:24:00.007-05:00

Lots of fun, exciting happenings in my life recently. To mention specifically:

-Just finished week 4 of work! Wahoo!
-Camping in Zion's National Park with best friends for the long weekend
-Cousin time
-China in a week!
-Malaysia in a two
-Sperry boat shoes and Asics running shoes
-Utah Symphony featuring Igor Stravinsky
-Scarlett friend
-Skirts, skirts, and more skirts (for work)
-Discovered sincere love for Red Velvet cake. Mmmm.
-Vancouver Canucks in Stanley Cup Finals!
-Not disappointed about my grades. So this is how it feels again...

I will be sure to document our little weekend trip. Check back soon! :)

Who says chivalry is dead?

2011-05-21T16:38:00.005-05:00

I think I mentioned it before but I take the bus to and from work everyday. Depending on traffic, the bus gets to my work stop in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Lately, the bus has been pretty full in the mornings. Monday through Thursday in the least, usually do not have enough seats for people that get on on later stops. So they have to stand the entire commute.

Yesterday was the end of my third week. In this time, I have seen on numerous occasions where men have offered women their seats. I was always impressed by that and took a mental note of their thoughtfulness. Like "oh that man is really nice."

Thursday was the first time I was in such a predicament - standing for the entire commute. It was also the first day that I didn't bring my "commuting" shoes. Great. Standing awkwardly in the middle lane for over an hour in high heels. So that morning, instead of getting my usual nap in, I stood the entire time. Okay, I sound like I'm complaining. I don't intend to. But why was I standing? Did no nice men offer me a seat like they sometimes do?

No. In fact, I was offered a seat by more than one guy. How nice eh? But in all those instances, I politely and appreciatively refused. To be honest, I didn't really want to refuse. I was actually pretty tired from my late night the previous night. Nevertheless, in the moment, after being offered a seat, I said no. Why? I just felt bad. I can think of two reasons right now. First, I got on the bus later than them. How would it be fair to take their seat just because I was a girl? Second, I don't offer standing men my spot when I have a seat on the bus. (Unless it was an elderly man; then I probably would.) It just seemed like I was taking advantage of something I would never reciprocate. Does that make sense?

I don't know where I am going with this. I just think this was interesting situation. As I discussed this with my co-workers, the question of feminism came up. Did I refuse the spot because I wanted to prove women can stand like men? No. Did I think those men that offered me a spot believed I was unable to stand the entire commute? No. But we don't have to get into that discussion today...

Despite everything, I thought those men were nice. I hope they continue to be such nice and thoughtful individuals.

So chivalry isn't dead right?

Persistence Pays Off

2011-05-15T19:28:00.004-05:00

As you may or may not know, I am traveling to China (first time!), Singapore, and Malaysia in less than three weeks! Wahoo! I am so excited. The last time I was in Asia was when I was 14. So that's been awhile now.. Anyways, my original departure date was Monday with an arrival in Beijing on Tuesday. I didn't want to waste two potential days in China since I am getting work off. So I hoped to change my departure day to Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Essentially, use the weekend instead of the weekdays to travel. For this reason, I called Continental every day for the past week. A couple of times, I was placed on hold for more than an hour but to no avail. Not really fun.. but yesterday, this nice man used some creativity and arranged a new departure itinerary. Such great customer service eh? I was originally going to fly to San Francisco then to Beijing. Now I am flying to LAX, then Vancouver, and then Beijing. Although it's an additional layover, two extra days in Beijing makes it totally worth it. Plus, I will be IN Canada and flying Air Canada! :) So excited. Haha Pathetic? Maybe slightly. Since I am only going to be in Canada for about... three hours. It's just I haven't been back home in awhile and am really missing it. So yeah. Perfect! As cliche as it sounds, persistence pays off. But whatever, no need to justify. I love cliches! :)

Insert Witty Title Here

2011-05-08T19:10:00.017-05:00

Hey there! I started my internship last week. So far so good. The people are really nice and I have had some really great learning experiences. The commute however, is absolutely terrible. I-15 is under construction right now so it took a whopping two hours to get home on Friday. And I was on the express bus. On the non-express bus that I took on Tuesday and Wednesday, it also took about two hours. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, it usually takes only about 45-50 minutes tops. Blah. I get motion sickness when I read on moving vehicles so I can't be productive with work stuff. So unfortunate. I do nap but when I can't, I basically sit there and listen to music. I downloaded a bunch of podcasts this weekend so that will be nice, slightly more entertaining and possibly productive?

No school = I can have fun again! Wahoo! I went to the tulip festival yesterday. Never been before and it was amazing! Colors, flowers, beauty galore! I got a DSLR several months ago and went with a friend who also happens to be a really talented photographer. It was so much fun. My DSLR looked so little compared to his. I haven't looked at my pictures yet but here are some of the pictures he took:

What quality shots eh? It was a pretty warm day. Why did I decide to wear a "sweater" again? I fully got a 3/4 sleeve tan. It's awesome. Also I don't know if it is obvious, but I am incredibly camera shy. I do not know in the slightest how to pose naturally for pictures. I can for the typical, point and shoot shots. But when posing for pictures for a time and other than just smiling, I have a hard time. I want to work on it because it's so awkward. Haha.

Well Michelle and I are going to take a walk in the rain... so got to go. I hope you're having a wonderful day!

P.S. I am slightly embarrassed this posts has so many pictures of me...

I Love Break!

2011-04-26T14:34:00.007-05:00

Hey there! The past few days have been bliss. No school. No homework. No papers. No finals. Ahhh so this is what life was like pre law school eh? Just kidding. My life isn't too bad for the first bit of each semester.

What have I been up to while at home? Well, I went shopping with my mom and brother on Saturday. I got some good work clothes for my first real paid legal job ever (I start next week!). Including a Theory suit. In heather grey. I love it. And shimmery flats, Jackie cardigans (slate, corral, purple), dress shirts, a CUTE pencil skirt, belt, some non-work shirts, and yeah. I think that's it. Oh and some work out gear for my training for Ragnar. That might sound like a lot in just a shopping trip.. And trust me, I don't usually buy so much stuff at one time. But I do have to build up my work wardrobe. At the expense of my regular clothes though... ANYWAYS, I don't need to ramble about my clothes.

This trip has been better than usual because I got to meet Charlie! My parents adopted Charlie from the Humane Society in January. He looks like a mini-German Shepard. His coloring is really unique for a little dog. Black, white, and tan. I am in love. He is the sweetest little thing. I wasn't "in love" with him on the first day. He kept biting my face. But he has the sweetest temperament and soon won me over. Charlie is very much a lap dog. He loves cuddling with people. For example, the other night I was preparing to watch a movie. I moved his bed close to the couch so he would be near me. As I looked down and smiled at him, he happily and almost startlingly jumped into my lap and slept on me while I watched the movie. So sweet. He follows me around the house, upstairs, downstairs, to the garage, outside in the yard, etc. He's sleeping right beside me right now. Cuuuute. I love it! It has also been really refreshing to be around a puppy. Almost everything is new and interesting. I took him out for a walk and he wanted to smell everything. He had quite the scare with a nesting duck. Charlie relishes on the small things in life. It's a great perspective and example. I want to take him back to Utah with me.

Tom got a MacBook Pro a couple of weeks ago. He was kind enough to leave it for me to use while working during the weekdays. Macs feel very sturdy and quality. Better than my Thinkpad. Which I just prepared for shipment because it is broken again. I think this is the fourth time I had to have it fixed? Ugh.

I took some pics on Photobooth using Tom's Macbook. Have a look:

Done and done.

2011-04-20T15:30:00.008-05:00

I AM FINALLY DONE with finals and am a 3L now. CRAZINESS! I don't know what to do with myself. I didn't go to sleep until 3:30 last night so I am struggling to keep my eyes open.. Mind you I had a paper due on Monday, a final on Tuesday, and my monstrous substantial paper due today. I handed in my 32 page pager in at 11:46am, cleaned out my carrel and went home. I was planning on taking a nap but ended up surfing the internet instead. That was seriously thrilling. I have been super busy the past month so I haven't been able to do non-school stuff without the smallest inkling of feeling guilty. Let alone play with my friends. This semester was especially grueling. Possibly more than 1L year. I think all those papers can take the blame. Did you know I wrote 100+ pages this semester? But that is no longer the case! I AM FREEEEEEE!!!!!!! Thank you friends for supporting, encouraging, and not forgetting me. No more, "It depends on how I feel...or how far I get..." and "Umm.. probably not." HAH.

I'm celebrating my newfound freedom with friends and roommies tonight. Then on Friday, I am going home and meeting Charlie! EEEEeeeeee! :)

SUMMER HAS BEGUN!!!! Hulu+, PS3?, summer movies, concerts, training for Ragnar, flying AROUND THE WORLD!, family, friends, life, FUN!

Disclaimer: I am not one who usually uses all caps and excessive punctuation marks but I wanted to convey how I truly feel.

Ok, sleep now. Life is good again.

Festival of Colors & Barrister's Ball

2011-04-02T19:58:00.007-05:00

Festival of Colors, BEFORE:

Haha, notice the random behind us?

AFTER:

---
Barrister's Ball (aka Law School Prom) with some 2L lady friends!

In finals mode. Super stressed.. but okay.

Do you know what I absolutely, truly love?

2011-03-22T17:06:00.008-05:00

Nice, thoughtful people. They are the best. If you are nice and thoughtful, please know that I probably love you. Well, maybe appreciate you is more appropriate (can't go throwing around the "L" word too much). I have had a pretty good day so far but someone just sent me a really kind email. Although it probably didn't take very long to compose it, I really appreciate the gesture and thought. Thank you, you! :) Oh and my dear friend Katie baked me chocolate banana bread. It's almost all gone. I love her!

The semester is nearing the end... so FINALS. I only have two scheduled law finals in April (I have a soccer one too!). What a nice relief from my four last semester. BUT, fewer finals = more papers. I am also completing my substantial writing paper (30+ pages) in addition to other final research papers, journals, assigned readings... so saying I have been quite stressed is a bit of an understatement. I am optimistic I can manage it all but it is still really overwhelming.

Goodbye social life! I hope to be with you again on April 20!

"It's Ma Berfday"

2011-03-11T14:31:00.014-06:00

This past Tuesday was my birthday (and also International Women's Day!). It was awesome. I opened my bedroom door to pretty yellow and blue streamers. A big sign, more streamers, and balloons were downstairs. Aren't my roommates the best? Cards, candy, a life-altering CD, vegetable straws, a visit from a sweet dog, and... a KINDLE were some of my birthday gifts. School was good because I only had three classes and finished all my Wednesday homework on Monday. In the evening, I went to John and Megan's house. MORE balloons! Megan also made me some delicious chocolate cupcakes. Yum! They treated me to P.F. Chang's so the tradition lives on! (Seven years!)

I had such a great day. Everyone was super nice to me. Except a guy in soccer class pushed me.. and we were on the same team. But he didn't know it was my birthday, so I suppose that's okay. I was thinking - if everyone treated one another like it was the other person's birthday, life in general would be so much better. Right? Birthdays are your "special" days. I would hate to be a bearer of bad news or be unknowingly mean to someone on their birthday. Can you imagine: "We regret to inform you that we have decided to let you go." or "Let's break up." on a birthday. Sad! Anyways, that was just a little bit of a ramble. I'm grateful my birthday was great! :)

Megan's birthday is next Thursday. I'm so glad we are sisters!We posed by this because we saw The Adjustment Bureau last week.

The birthday festivities is not over yet! I am doing stuff with my best girlfriends tonight. YES! I'll be sure to take some pics. UPDATED:

---

In other news, Japan got hit with an 8.9 earthquake last night (my time). I watched videos of the destruction and when the tsunamis hit. So devastating. It is apparently the fifth strongest? earthquake ever recorded. Wow. At the same time, I think mother nature is incredible. So insanely powerful. I respect her. It reminds me of the time when I was in Hurricane Ike. It was only a category 2 hurricane but it was still nevertheless, quite scary. These realities reiterate just how fragile life can be. You never know what can happen. Utah has been due for an earthquake for some time now. I was hitting golf balls a few hours before the earthquake in Japan hit. I was relaxing, enjoying myself, completely carefree. What if instead of hitting Japan, it hit Utah? My life could then change forever. Just some things to think about...

San Francisco

2011-02-26T16:59:00.007-06:00

Hello! Wow, time flies. I cannot believe it is almost March! That reality is a little scary because it means finals are approaching... Ahhh stress. My birthday is also coming up. Oh goodness, I am getting old.

This past week was my winter placement break and I traveled to San Francisco with Nikki and one of her MPA classmates, Julie. We stayed at Nikki's brother's house and it was absolutely lovely! It was great to see the kids again. They are incredibly articulate and so cute! I am not around kids very often so I am always happy when I get the opportunity. "I am not really keen on bananas." Haha.

The intent of going to SF was for Nikki and Julie to have a "career trip." Since I already have a job in the summer, I didn't go for that purpose; rather I wanted to tag along. On Monday, we visited Alcatraz. It was a really neat experience. We took the self-guided tour and it was really informational. The view from "The Rock" was incredible. San Francisco is a really beautiful city. We also volunteered to go into solitary confinement for a minute. If that isn't a deterrent for doing bad stuff, I don't know what is. After Alcatraz, we visited Muir Woods. Amazing. The redwood trees were so grand and beautiful. I loved it!

Nikki and Julie were busy with interviews Tuesday and Wednesday so I elected to go do stuff on my own. I found UC Hastings and studied at the Law Library both days. I wasn't as productive as I could be... but it's cool. I also visited City Hall, California Supreme Court, Union Square, to mention a few. I purposely sought out two Canadian-founded stores (Artizia and Club Monaco). Oh joy! Aritizia was on the right and Club Monaco was on the left. I didn't buy anything because the prices were pretty steep. One day... Maybe, hopefully.

I had a great time. The weather was also amazing! It didn't rain until we started loading our stuff into the car to leave on Thursday. Perfect. It was also a really nice break from school. Though I always seem to put myself in these predicaments... So much to do! Not enough time.

Pictures to come.

I MET KRISTIN KREUK

2011-01-22T22:58:00.023-06:00

BEST DAY EVER. Truly!

I don't know if you knew but I was a BIG Smallville fan. Specifically, a Clark and Lana fan.. and I think I even wrote a teary post about the end of Clana way back when. Regardless, I was a Clana fan essentially because I am a really big Kristin Kreuk fan. I have been a "fangirl" since I was 14... so that's been awhile now. I admired her as an actress and watched basically all her work and even followed GBD. Wow, sounds so stalkerish. But I'm not. I just really admire her and she inspired me greatly while growing up.

I knew her new film, Vampire, was having its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. Since I live in Utah, I was ecstatic! There was no one I would rather meet than Kristin. Even Angelina Jolie! Anyways, I registered to purchase tickets in December and was allotted a time slot when I could buy tickets. But by the time I could purchase tickets, the Vampire premiere was sold out. That was disappointing but I looked into other ways of getting tickets, i.e. wait-list or day-of tickets. Plus, I didn't even know if Kristin was going to attend the festival.

I committed to be a judge during a negotiation competition for the 1Ls this morning so I wasn't able to go to Park City at 8 am to get day-of tickets. I tried thinking of ways to un-commit but didn't feel that would be very responsible. Nikki and I just figured out we could arrive somewhat early and hopefully get in via the wait-list.

Long story short and three hours in the car later, we didn't get enough wait-list tickets. We had one wait-list stub and three people (Clara joined us!). Anyways, my friends were sweet and amazing enough to wait out in the cold with me. We knew we probably couldn't get in via the wait-list so we just stood outside in front of the Egyptian Theatre so I could possibly get a chance to see Kristin.

We waited for about 1 1/2 hours. Mind you, it is winter in Park City and pretty cold. Clara and I had just walked a good distance from my car and our boots and socks were wet. It was also snowing on and off the entire time. I eventually asked my way around to know which door the actors would probably enter the theatre. So we stood there and became somewhat chummy with the Sundance staff person. That man was later kind enough to tell me the full cast would be arriving shortly. Nikki had my DSLR and Clara was going to be my moral support.

At around 5:42 (the premiere was scheduled for 6 pm), a SUV pulled up and a bunch of people got out. I spotted Kristin Kreuk! OMG. OMG. To Clara, "I am so scared. Can you do it for me? I can't ask her for an autograph."

"Do it, you have to do it. Or you will regret it." This exchange continued on as Kristin was walking towards the entrance of the theatre where we were standing. She had a serious/concentrated look on her face and I was almost too intimidated to approach her. I don't know how because I was so freakin' scared but I took a few steps and walked up to her with my Partition DVD in hand and a blue Sharpie in the other and said:

"Hi sorry, can you sign this for me please?" Kristin appeared somewhat surprised as she was looking for something in her purse just as I approached her, smiled,

"Yes, sure. Whom should I make it out to?"

"Eileen. E-I-L-E-E-N." (She may have asked me how to spell it.. I don't remember. Maybe not. It's all a little fuzzy.)

As she was signing, I said something like, "I am a really big fan." In retrospect, I should have said something better, more insightful at least.. those were definitely not the most eloquent choice of words from a law student. But how do you convey that you have been a fan for 10 years without sounding creepy?

"Thank you." How nice. Then a Sundance person apologetically interrupted and said Kristin had to go.

I said "Thank you," and Nikki took some pictures of me all excited and in disbelief with my signed DVD. I then gave my friends a huge hug.. and was just SO HAPPY! As I looked around afterward, strangers were looking at me and smiling. I was initially so embarrassed and scared to ask for an autograph fearing that it would look stupid. But people around me looked genuinely happy for me. I thought that was really sweet.

Rachael Leigh Cook was also in the movie and Clara saw her behind Kristin but I totally missed it. Kristin was so beautiful in person. And wasn't as short as I thought or expected.

So that happened about 5 hours ago. Although it was a short encounter, I am still so so happy. I really appreciate Kristin's kindness and willingness to stop and sign something for me. And she personalized it for me too! So cool. Ah! And I loved how supportive and happy my friends were for me. It was the best. I only wish everyone could be this happy at least once in their lifetime.

Hello Twenty-Eleven

2011-01-19T00:10:00.004-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR (18 days later)!

It is 11:11 pm right now on a Tuesday night. Tuesdays are my busy homework days because Wednesdays are my busiest school days. So essentially, I should not be blogging right now. But too bad. Too late.

I am currently loving school. My finalized class schedule is as follows: Social Policy & Feminist Legal Thought, Evidence, Immigration, Advanced Legal Research, Advanced Estate Planning, and Negotiation. Oh and my soccer class! It's been a great start thus far. The topics I am learning are of great interest to me. I really enjoy the readings. Especially in SPFLT and Immigration. I am writing my substantial paper in SPFLT and my thesis overlaps a lot with an area in immigration law. Should be a really interesting subject matter to research. I will discuss the topic once I have more information on it.

My pops got me my ticket to my China/Malaysia summer 2011 trip today. That's right, I'm going to China and Malaysia! It's my first time traveling to the motherland, i.e. China. Though, is it my motherland? Or is Canada my motherland? Technically Canada because I was born there right? Because I am definitely not "Chinese" as in citizen-wise.. Anyways, I am super excited. I will be arriving in Beijing from San Fransisco and will be returning back home from Malaysia/Singapore from Houston. So I am basically flying around the world, with a pit stop in Moscow. BAM.

In other exciting news, on January 11, 2011, my parents picked up a new addition to our family. He is a little puppy that I named Charlie. I will provide pics as soon as I receive some. He is seriously so cute and sweet. Granted, I haven't met him yet since he lives in another state. But I have skyped with him on numerous occasions and would snatch him up if I could.

Need to go back to the homework. But here's to 2011 -- a year full of health, happiness, travels, and dreams fulfilled.

FREEDOM!

2010-12-17T14:24:00.011-06:00

At last! For the past three weeks I have been studying like crazy... I tried to think of a cool, witty metaphor but couldn't do it. My brain is fried! It all started when I got back from San Diego. Fifteen+ hours/day in the library. Specifically, in the basement, where it is dark and to the point where my eyes have a hard time adjusting to anything beyond that yellowly dim florescent lighting (like right now at my desk at home with my blinds open - ow). Though, it should have started a lot earlier so I didn't have to put 15+ hours in the library. Oh well. I truly hope I learned my lesson this time.

And it didn't help that Lily passed away right at the beginning. But I suppose that was better than during right? Anyways, First Amendment was last Thursday, Wills & Estates last Friday, Administrative Law this past Monday, and Environmental Law this morning. Bam. The back-to-back last Thursday and Friday was a little tricky. I'm sure my W&E grade will see the repercussions of that. And my whole weekend was obliterated by Admin. BUT you know what? It is all over. FREEDOM!

As I was taking my final today, and with 30 minutes left, I could feel and sense the end in sight. Oh joy! I don't even know what to do with my self. However, I know I am lacking in sleep as can be demonstrated by my current mood swings and glazed-over eyes. I will work on that in a bit.

Overall, this was an amazing semester. Probably my favorite in law school thus far. I thoroughly enjoyed all my classes (with the exception of W&E sometimes). I feel like I learned a lot. Not only about the various subject matters (e.g. CERCLA, APA, revocable trusts, Incitement/Obscenity/Fighting Words, ESA, RCRA, non-delegation doctrine, etc.) but also about myself. My interests, my passions, my political views, my moral inclinations, and my ambitions. It has truly been a challenging semester with an über rigorous ending that I would never recommend to anyone but still a rewarding four months nevertheless.

I am off to Texas tomorrow to a home without Lily. A first in 16 years. I am sure I will have a good cry but it's going to be wonderful to see my mom, dad, and brother again.

Also, "hump day" for me and the rest of my class. We are officially half way done law school! :)

LILY

2010-12-04T13:25:00.012-06:00

My dog passed away today. My parents and brother brought her to the vet in Texas. She developed some breathing problems a couple of days ago and it wasn't looking very good. I am really sad and heartbroken but I know it was the right decision. The lethal injection took effect pretty quick and my brother said she looked really peaceful. The most peaceful she has looked in a long time. She was 16 1/2 years-old so she had a long, happy life. I am so grateful to have had Lily and hope she knows how much happiness, love, and joy she brought to my life. Maybe she's with Enoch now.

Requiescat in pace Lily. June 1, 1994 - December 4, 2010. I love you and I will miss you forever.

+

End of Semester 1, Year 2

2010-12-02T20:10:00.012-06:00

Kindof. I still have four finals to get through. Nevertheless, today was the last day of classes! I cannot believe how fast time flies. Way too quick for my liking. I feel like time flies as I become older. Hmm. I wonder what my life will be like in five years. Cause at this rate, I feel like I will be turning 50 tomorrow. Right. Not.

San Diego was so much fun. I had a wonderful time with Nikki's family. Nikki's niece and nephew were also present so I got to spend some time with children! Ah they were so cute! And extremely well-behaved. I only hope and wish my kids will turn out like that.

Highlights of the trip?
+SURFING/BOOGGIE BOARDING
+Beach/Ocean
+Black Friday shopping at H&M
+Super classy hotels
+Super classy buffet, dinner, and breakfast
+San Diego Wild Safari Park
+Mini-stop in Vegas

Have a look at a few of my pics...

I am in finals prep mode from now until December 17. Wish me luck! :)

Have A Look

2010-11-22T17:18:00.006-06:00

A picture I took while in Denver last month. It's not an amazing shot, but I do like the light. I'm still considering possibly taking a photography class next semester.

Leaving for San Diego tomorrow. Hopefully I will get some good pics. Happy (American) Thanksgiving all!

Sara & Harry

2010-11-19T17:58:00.008-06:00

Great week!

Wednesday: I went to Sara Bareilles' concert in SLC. AMAZING. She oozes pure, raw talent. Such a strong voice, she played the piano standing up as well as guitar and ukulele. Skills! I have been to a fair amount of amazing concerts (i.e. Coldplay!) and Sara's concert was definitely up there. Let it Rain, Gravity, Machine Gun, Uncharted, Love Song, Fairytale were some of my favorite songs. I have been a fan of hers for awhile but this concert solidified my fan girl status for sure.

Thursday: I was called on in environmental law. It went fairly well. I discussed TVA v. Hill. I discovered that I love love love the Endangered Species Act! I also learned that I like the Clean Air Act as well. Not so much a waste or water person. I would love to specialize in the ESA or CAA, if at all possible sometime in the future. We also have this event, "Stump the Professor" at the law school. My question that I submitted before the event was, "Who is the prime minister of Canada?" Surprisingly, eight of the law school professors did not know the answer. Wow. Guess that demonstrates how much some Americans care about Canada. Possibly, I know it's not a representative sample. But because I "stumped" the professor, I received a $800 bar review course! What what!

Friday: I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter! I am tired but it was completely worth it. The movie was very much establishing, or setting up the final installment of the HP franchise. I would compare it to the second LOTR. However I didn't like the second LOTR as much as this HP. Ah! I am very excited for summer 2011 movies. It's going to be great!

Who am I in the above picture? Cho Chang, of course. I am pretty sure I was the only Asian person in the theatre. Hah.

To be honest, I probably shouldn't have had such a fun week. I have A LOT of studying to do... and having so much fun makes me feel guilty. Ugh, see what law school does to you? I was actually going to take a power nap at my carrel in the dungeon but wrote this post instead. Look how much I love you! Ok, but I seriously need to buckle down. Let the stress begin...

Have Courage

2010-11-10T23:59:00.009-06:00

That's the phrase imprinted on my new purse (which I am still contemplating keeping). I like it. Have courage. That can mean so many different things. With love, a career, relationships, life goals, overcoming fears, etc. I have been thinking a lot about my future and what I would like to do. I still haven't figured it out yet and can't imagine I will anytime soon.

---
But do you know who has courage? Elizabeth Smart. I have been following her story since the beginning and presently, the trial. I was still in Canada when it happened. I remember feeling a specific interest, or rather attachment (?) to it. Maybe it was because my familiarity with Utah and Elizabeth being a young Mormon girl. I'm not sure. But I even wrote a paper on her story in my media studies class in high school. It was something I cared about.

Eight years later, I am in law school. I live in the State where it happened and where she was found. One of the prosecutors conducted a mock interview with me at school. One of the defense attorneys spoke at a lecture I attended. The judge of the trial was my criminal law professor. I even met her briefly at a friend's house in undergrad. Regardless, I think Elizabeth Smart is an inspiration to us all. To me, she represents courage, strength, and resilience. Being able to go in front of your abductor and tell a room full of strangers deeply personal, intimate details of your most traumatizing life experiences... And because of such international interest in the story, transcripts of your testimony are readily available on the internet and in the news. The entire process just seems so invasive. Anyone can do a quick google search and find out exactly what happened to you. Ugh. Conversely though, from a law student point of view, the public nature of the process is essential for the courts. And by extension, achieving justice.

I am grateful to see such strong individuals in this world. Elizabeth Smart really inspired me and I have nothing but utter respect and admiration for her. I wish and hope the very best for her and all her future endeavors.

I Should Be Doing Homework

2010-10-31T19:17:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope it was a good one!

I wasn't too crazy this year. I got back from Denver late Friday night so missed most of the Halloween festivities and the big law school costume parade. I did watch The Skeleton Key with a group of friends yesterday. That was completely sufficient for me because I had a major MAJOR headache. The following may have contributed:

My new bookcase! Although we painted it on Monday, there were readily identifiable fumes once you enter our house. I didn't initially think my bookcase was giving me headaches but eventually connected that possibility. So right now, my window is open while my space heater is on. Lovely eh? Besides the fact that I have had killer headaches for two days, I love it. Michelle and I made ours at the same time and she described it best, "Forever we will be together though apart!"

Also, I have a habit of taking Sunday naps. My roommates are well familiar with this tendency I started since sophomore or junior year of undergrad. Possibly even high school. Just not as consistent. Anyways, my little habit has developed to a whopping four hours today. CRAZY. I need to start setting my alarm or I will sleep the whole day. Seriously. It is definitely not the most productive thing to do considering how much I have to do. I don't need four hours... However, I have been feeling a little under the weather so maybe my sleeping can be attributed to that? Yeah?

Tu Me Acostumbraste?

2010-10-26T23:30:00.005-05:00

Hey you. I'm just taking a break from my First Amendment reading. We are on the topic of libel! Memories from 1L year is rushing back with all the discussion of New York Times v. Sullivan, actual malice, private figure or public figure, voluntarily thrust into the vortex, injected into a controversy, etc. Good stuff eh?

I feel like I do this frequently rather than write a post about each specific happening in my life.. but that's all I got. So recently:

+I got an offer for a summer job! :D
+I am going to Denver tomorrow for an environmental law conference
+Possibly LA in three weeks and San Diego in four
+Starting to feel the stress and angst of school again...
+J. Crew peacoat for a killer deal (-75%)
+I have long hair again
+Broke out the space heater for the year
+BYU Law hoodie for $10 (see photo that I just took with my cell phone specifically for this entry.. sorry for the graininess)
+Going to China in June 2011
+Made a bookshelf out of two planks of wood (with the help of a professional, of course)
+"You attract more bees with honey than vinegar"
+Snowed today
+Serious cravings for taro bubble tea
+And I'm running out of recentlys

+

Next Friday

2010-10-13T22:57:00.004-05:00

Soooo... I need a date for next Friday. I am receiving an award and can bring a guest. Should I ask a boy? (AH!) Or no? I am seriously considering asking my roommate, an ex-roommate, or my sister-in-law. Haha! What a life! :)

Thoughts? Suggestions? Recommendations?

Placement Break

2010-10-08T12:25:00.006-05:00

At my school we get a week off each semester. It was this week. I had plans to go to Vancouver, British Columbia but housing fell through. Such a bummer but understandable. My cousin and I were then going to go on a day trip to Moab, Utah but the weather wasn't ideal. Something about flash floods, thunderstorms, and tornado watches? Yeah.. so we spent the day in Salt Lake City and Park City instead. I had a lot of fun. We shopped, ate lunch, visited University of Utah's law school, and went to a matinee movie (The Social Network - it was good but not 97% Rotten Tomatoes good). I got killer deals on my two boots, pumps, messenger bag, utility jacket, and a shirt :) I almost forgot how much I loved shopping! Just almost.

I also found out some exciting news! I was selected to attend an environmental law conference in Denver! Wahoo! It's at the end of this month. What a great opportunity eh?

Oh and lately at our house - Scrabble and Fort Perils! Yes, there is a real fort in 20-somethings girls' living room. We're classy like that.

"Is she done with me yet?"

2010-09-29T23:43:00.004-05:00

That's the question I asked my friend as my professor lectured the class while not asking me questions about flat bans on time, place and manner restrictions. I was called on in First Amendment today. I have no idea why but the socratic method terrifies me. You would think I am used to it by now but no. I got really nervous, my hands were shaky and abnormally cold. My friend even noted that she could tell I had some anxiety. I think the fact that I was severely drilled in Con Law last year traumatized me for life. I don't get nervous when I teach class, have interviews, go on dates, etc. Just in class. Specifically the socratic method and not the panel system. Weird. But I think it went relatively well today. Good.

And you know what? I am over mean boys.

Thanks Mom!

2010-09-23T01:00:00.002-05:00

My mom is a teacher so she gets various gift cards from her students every so often. Being the fortunate daughter that I am, my mom sometimes gives them to me! She's the best. After experiencing extreme indecisiveness for two hours at Barnes & Noble today, this is what I got. Bam:

I don't have a lot of time to read non-law related books right now but how exciting! I'm also still going to try to read for pleasure. And notice my red Moleskine on top? Pretty fabulous. I have a thing for red right now.

"An emotionally intelligent protagonist"

2010-09-22T00:28:00.013-05:00

Wow I am terrible at blogging. It has been exactly one month + a day since my last update. Sorry.

I don't have a lot of time and have stuff to read so quick but not exhaustive recap of this past month:

+My second year of law school started
+Racist, tedious technical edit
+24 hours in St. George with the roommies
+Yoga
+Plenty of major life disappointments :(
+Realization that I would very much like to write a novel
+Giddiness and butterflies
+Absent laptop
+ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
+New friends & catching up with old friends
+Sunday school teacher
+Finally shot a 9mm gun
+Long hair
+Upcoming Sara & Ingrid concerts
+Real mountain biking
+Crazy dreams (i.e. I was an arms dealer for an assassin. Whaaaat?)
+Sessions with Salt
+And hope for my future

Puppy Love

After Yoga

D S L R - Salt

2010-08-21T21:08:00.007-05:00

My brother bought me a DSLR. I know, he is amazing. I've had it for less than a week and I am already in love. Photography is so refreshing. This past year I haven't been able to be very creative. Law school isn't very conducive to creativity, unfortunately. So I am happy to get back into it! Well, at least before school starts on Monday! Which I am not excited about... Summer has just been too great!

Anyways, I created a flickr account. Please keep in mind I am a total newb. Have a look:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eileenheng

LV Pictures Like I Promised

2010-07-30T10:58:00.012-05:00

Here are some pictures from last weekend. It was hot!

Welcome to Arizona!

What a big sign.

The bridge is such an incredible engineering design. And the dam too. Of course.

Part of the CityCenter. Big eh? I would love to live in such a high rise.

Bellagio! I always like to see what they have going on inside. This season - big green shovels, hot air balloons, and fighting ants.

CityCentre Mandarin Oriental

Travels

2010-07-28T16:26:00.002-05:00

Hello! I am back from Vegas and back to work. Vegas was great! Over the years it has become the city I visit to get away for a weekend or so. I visited friends, the pool, fabulous shopping malls (i.e. Fashion Show Mall and Town Square), the Hoover Dam, a few hotels/casinos, and ate some delicious food/dessert. Vegas has been developing the "CityCenter" for awhile. Some of the CityCenter was open and I was very impressed. The city only seems to becoming more quality (though because I have been to Vegas several times now, I tend to gravitate more towards the places I personally like). But it was SUPER hot. It literally felt like I was in an oven or a gigantic invisible hair dryer was constantly blowing on me. It was nice by the pool, but not so ideal when I was just walking around and touring. Bellagio fountains is still one of my favorites! My friend told me they upgraded their pressure system so the water shoots up über high now. Interestingly, the third last and last song they played were very patriotic – Proud to be American and the Star-Spangled Banner, respectively. Hmm…

Work is great! I have really enjoyed my time so far. I can’t believe it’s almost over – next Wednesday! It has been a wonderful experience and I have met some great, admirable people.

Next Thursday I will be traveling to Houston to visit my parents and brother and dog! YAY! I was also just told that we will probably be able to go to SeaWorld in San Antonio! :) What a lovely way to spend the remainder of my beloved summer break…

In retrospect, I had a pretty good summer eh? DC (April – June), North Carolina (May), New York City (June), Las Vegas (July), soon Houston, and San Antonio in August. Maybe, hopefully, I will be able to go international next year!

Pictures to come!

VEGAS Tomorrow!

2010-07-21T22:35:00.002-05:00

:)

I was also asked to write a summary judgment for work today. Well a memorandum in support of motion for summary judgment. It was super exciting! My very first one. For a REAL life client. Wow. Yes, I guess I am a nerd.

I'm Alive!

2010-07-10T23:55:00.005-05:00

Hello world! I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I had more things to report when everything was new and lovely in DC. I'm back now.. been back for almost a month.

After DC, I traveled to NYC with John and Megan. Good times. Trip/life highlights include: Wicked and shaking hands with Meredith Vieira from the Today Show. I watched the Today Show every morning while getting ready for school last year so it was a very thrilling moment for me. Matt, Meredith and Natalie were there. Ann and Al sadly, had the day off. Nevertheless, it was great! And Wicked was amazing. Completely worth all the money I didn't have.

This was right after the show. Don't we look happy?

Though I do very much love the East Coast (and would most definitely move there), it's nice to be back in Utah as well.

I started my second internship of the summer in Salt Lake City. I finally figured out my bus commute last week. It takes about four hours to get there and back. I get motion sickness so I can't be productive and read/write. But I do get in some solid naps! Another benefit of working in SLC is I get to hang out with my cousin. My building is only a couple blocks away from her building. It's wonderful. She's so cool.

Other news is I finally bought a mountain bike! She's a Specialized Myka. I love her. We're becoming great friends so far!

Other than that, I am just enjoying my summer. I love not being in school and having time to play! I am in my very first book club. We're reading Jane Eyre. I rode my bike to a park, read my book, got some sun on my legs, ate a nectarine, had a nap under a tree, and yeah. Life is great!

P.S. Best comment of the week: "You are spending your Saturday night with a married man?" -My mom implying I should hang out with single men and not my brother on a Saturday night.

LILY'S BIRTHDAY

2010-06-01T13:20:00.013-05:00

Happy 16th birthday to my dog Lily!!! Am I really dedicating a blog post to my dog? Yes. Don't judge. Sixteen for a dog is a big deal. I wish I was home so I could celebrate with her...

Some pictures taken over the years:

Motherload of Videos: National Gallery of Art - Monet, Van Gogh, East Wing to West Wing, Chinese Vases, Rotunda, Leonardo da Vinci

2010-05-25T07:47:00.012-05:00

I love love loved the National Gallery of Art. I visited the gallery on my first full day in DC but was having major feet issues so I was a tad bit distracted. My "married friend" Rachel (she thinks I only refer to her as my married friend, but I don't) and I ventured our way to the gallery this past Saturday. It was amazing. Have a look:

National Gallery of Art - East Wing (more contemporary pieces)

"I like it... I like it." - Recap of East Wing

A Rotunda

Qing and Kangxi Dynasty Vases/Artifacts

Only Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere... BAM!

I Love Monet, Van Gogh, Modigliani

I will be going on Canadian soil at 4:30 PM EST today. I was fortunate enough to arrange a personal tour with an employee from the Canadian Embassy. Wahoo! I will keep you posted ;)

Discovery Used Me!

2010-05-24T11:11:00.003-05:00

Discovery used my lion mating youtube video in a news article. Cool! Oh the wonders of youtube!

http://news.discovery.com/animals/lion-cub-birth-celebration-turns-tragic.html

I will update with other videos soon.

EPIC

2010-05-21T12:32:00.003-05:00

Truly.

Ford's Theatre, National Zoo, and Holocaust Museum

2010-05-18T07:56:00.005-05:00

Great weekend! I started it off on Friday by going to Ford's Theatre. I was really lucky because I believe I was the last person admitted in. They stopped issuing tickets but because (I assume) I was by myself, I was able to be "smuggled" in. Hah. It was really neat to be in the building where Abraham Lincoln was shot. Across the street from the theatre is where President Lincoln died. So it was nifty going there as well. Video:

On Saturday, Rachel, Karleen and I visited the National Zoo. We saw a panda (I love), tigers, leopards, and other pretty animals. But the highlight of the trip was capturing a lion trying to mate a lioness on video. Yeah. CRAZY. To be honest, it made me feel a little awkward. For those brief seconds, I felt I was invading their privacy. Watch here:

After the zoo, Rachel and I ventured our way to the Holocaust Museum. It was an amazing exhibition. Very well done. I didn't film anything inside because we weren't suppose to. Here are our thoughts after going through:

Only a few weeks left in DC. Sad. It has been such an adventure. I still have to tour the Portrait Gallery, Jefferson Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, maybe the Washington Memorial at night, Georgetown, Old Town, and re-visit the National Gallery of Art... among other things. Oh and I'm going to a Nationals game on Thursday. Should be good!

Zi8, US Capitol, Library of Congress, US Supreme Court, Canadian and UK Embassy

2010-05-11T09:34:00.005-05:00

My parents bought me a wicked pocket camcorder for my birthday. So in addition to having my friends take pictures, I also have them record videos for me (aren't they the best?). These are my past weekend adventures with my camcorder... Sorry the sound isn't the best. It was a windy day and apparently you need to speak towards the camcorder in order for it to capture sound. Who knew? So please just enjoy the pretty scenery behind me. I don't say anything spectacular anyways.

Abe, Memorial, Smithsonian, H&M, CVS

2010-05-07T13:39:00.004-05:00

First week of work is over! Four weeks left! It's hard going back to an office environment. Granted, I haven't had much experience in an office environment… I'm just used to school. However, thinking about it, my carrel was located in a very dungeon like place too... So maybe I am? Anyways, work is good. I have my very own office. And a window! But the window is of the hallway and not a beautiful DC landscape. Heh.

I am sometimes given some pretty challenging material. For instance today, I had to research a topic that was immensely complicated. I was suppose to sift through the decisions and find holdings favoring the respondent. But when key terms specifically concerning the industry are used (might I add acronyms as well?) to explain the holding, I have no idea what the court is saying. None. Sooo... too bad. Just kidding. But Google even let me down. That is how perplexing some of the stuff is.

Anyways, I worked out a pretty great arrangement with my work. I come in early so I can leave early. A lot of places in DC close at 5 so I get some time in to see stuff. I went to the National Museum of American History and Museum of Natural History yesterday. I was pretty impressed by the latter. Not so much by the former. The First Lady dresses were very cool though. I think my tendency to enjoy the museums depends largely on how my feet are doing. I have a rugby injury on my right foot and a lot of walking aggravates it. And considering I didn't do much walking at all last year, my feet were VERY angry with their new predicament of being a commuter in DC. Because you walk SO much in DC. My commute including walking to the metro and from the metro to work is about 40 minutes.

The shopping is great! After the first day of work, I found myself the closest H&M. There's a Zara right beside it too! I've have gone three times already this week. Hah. Need to budget though...

One of my law school friends is also here. Rachel! It is so nice to have someone visit places with me. I am completely fine doing stuff by myself but it is really great to have a friend close by.

Below is a video of Rachel and I visiting Mr. Abe on Tuesday. We attempted to see Jefferson but didn't make it. He was so far!

Hello DC!

2010-05-01T17:12:00.005-05:00

I have arrived safely in DC! I got in yesterday at 11:30pm. One of my friends was super wonderful and drove me to my new place of residence. I am subletting this girl's room and I really like it. It wasn't exactly what I expected but there's a bed (with a really comfy pillow and feathery comforter), a desk, TV and DVD (haven't got the cable to work yet though), a closet with a laundry basket and hangers! I am so glad I subletted. And my subleter was nice enough to leave some stuff for me. Or I would have ended up sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag somewhere...

I started my DC adventure by going on the metro. I was a little confused at first but after taking it three times, I think I have it down. There was a lot of walking today. A LOT. I first walked to the metro. Then I walked to my work. I walked to the White House and then to the back of the White House. I saw the tall pointy thing. I didn't remember where it was (because there was an incident with a lady leaving her red thermos by the south side of the White House. As a result, the popo shut down the area) so I started walking a few blocks in the wrong direction. Turned around. Ahh. Found the tall pointy thing.

I walked towards the Smithsonian Museums on Constitution. I didn't want to go into American History Museum just yet. So I walked to the Natural History Museum. I walked towards the entrance but there was a long line so I decided to check out the next museum. So National Gallery of Art was the winner! My feet were starting to hurt so walking around an art gallery wasn't the most ideal thing to do. But I found Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso :) I needed a new journal so I walked to the gift store and browsed around until I found the one. Twenty minutes later, success. It is burgundy and on the front is a quote by Picasso: "Everything you can imagine is real." Love it. And I hope so!

My feet were seriously hurting and I was super parched. I kept eyeing the hot dog stands but a hot dog for $2.50? No thanks. I have to be thrifty. My mouth was dry and I had started walking with a limp. People were looking at me. So I decided it was time to head home. There was a Smithsonian Metro stop near Madison. I walked in that direction. Came across a huge field. Turns out it was the National Mall. HAHA. (See video below) I sat on a bench in the shade for awhile.

After what feels like an hour, I struggled towards the Smithsonian Metro. I needed to get groceries so I stopped at a shopping mall that had a grocery store nearby. I was in a mall, a GOOD mall, so I had to check out my stores - Club Monaco, J. Crew, Express, Banana, etc. I wasn't familiar with the mall so I was very inefficient in my navigation. More walking. Up and down levels. Then I went to the grocery store beside the mall. EXPENSIVE. I also recollected a freshman year experience when I didn't have a car and had to walk home with super heavy grocery bags. I learned my lesson then. Thankfully. So I didn't go off on a grocery shopping frenzy. I also brought my backpack so fortunately my back and not my arms took most of the weight.

Yes, so walk back to the mall. Then to the metro. Took the metro to my stop and walked home. And here I am. I am pooped.

Recently

2010-04-17T22:30:00.010-05:00

1) I flew to Texas for a week to take care of my elderly dog, Lily (missed the second last week of school). Yup. Completely justified and worth it.

2) Bought TOMS shoes but have to exchange them because they are too big.

3) Attempted to start jogging weekly after running/walking a 5K with Megan. Failed.

4) Received some fabulous goodies from my mom from when she went to China.

5) Learned how to correctly pronounce "rebuttable" and "scintilla." Credit to my study group.

6) Finished 2/4 finals. Currently studying criminal law on a Saturday night (I am on insanity as an excusable defense and will soon be delving into the intense subject material that is murder: malice aforethought). However just a bit ago, while browsing through my exam candy stash, I found a fortune cookie. It said:

Oh yes please. And what a lovely thing to say eh?

Favorite Quote of the Day

2010-03-08T17:50:00.006-06:00

My brother: "Happy birthday. You are old and single."

HAHA...

My mom also did not fail to mention that she got married at my new current age.

Good birthday thus far! :) Now back to Constitutional Law reading... what joy.

Portrait

2010-02-21T01:48:00.015-06:00

My cousin is super talented. She recently requested pictures so she could paint a portrait of me. I didn't have portrait-like pictures so I asked another talented individual to take a few pictures. After a few (actually many) awkward poses and facial expressions, we were able to get some okay shots. All credit to David.

These were the images I decided to send to my cousin:

I'm excited to see the finished product!

P.S. I am LOVING the 2010 Olympic games. Go Canada! <3

Crazy, Interesting True Story

2010-02-06T21:07:00.005-06:00

Excerpt from my criminal law casebook:

"On 23 March, 1994, the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound of the head. The decedent had jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit suicide (he left a note indicating his despondency). As he fell past the ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast through a window, which killed him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the decedent was aware that a safety net had been erected at the eighth floor level to protect some window washers and that Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide anyway because of this.

The room on the ninth floor whence the shotgun blast emanated was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. They were arguing and he was threatening her with the shotgun. He was so upset that, when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife and the pellets went though the window striking Opus.

When confronted with this charge, the old man was adamant that he did not know that the shotgun was loaded. The old man said it was his long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to kill her. That is, the gun had been accidentally loaded.

The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun approximately six weeks prior to the fatal incident. It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.

There was an exquisite twist. Further investigation revealed that the son had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's death. This led him to jump off the ten-story building on March 23, only to be killed by a shotgun through a ninth-story window.

The medical examiner closed the case as suicide."

Source: Cases and Materials on Criminal Law, Fifth Edition, Joshua Dressler

True story. I read this last week in the criminal homicide chapter specifically about unlawful conduct. Crazy eh?

D.A.M

2010-01-20T18:46:00.012-06:00

A boy that was a big part in my life passed away this weekend. I am sad.

To DAM: Thank you for thinking of me. Thank you for everything. I hope you are at peace.

District of Columbia

2009-12-23T01:29:00.009-06:00

I am going to DC in the summer! I will be interning at law firm that specializes in international trade regulation. I am very excited! My office is only two minutes away from the White House... so very downtown. The internship seems pretty solid. I really wanted to get an internship in DC and am so lucky to have been given the opportunity. Ah bliss! In addition to being a determined and hard-working little legal extern, I also plan on being a complete and total tourist. Maybe to the point of pathetic. I even want to get a Flip to document my adventures. Hah. Hopefully I will be able to venture over to New York and Boston as well! Eeeeeee!

Home is amazing. I love being able to do nothing and just relax. Shopping, sleeping, gaming (I beat Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare!!!), eating, spending time with family and Lily, watching movies on HBO... is pretty much all that I have been doing. SUCH a fab time :) Also, major success in shopping today. Big cities are wonderful!

P.S. I am probably not going to be posting in the next couple of days... so MERRY CHRISTMAS! xox

D O N E

2009-12-17T17:20:00.013-06:00

Hello! I had my last final this morning! AHHH! I can't believe I am finished my first semester! 1/6 of law school done. The past two weeks have been quite... umm.. stressful. I am so glad it is over. We don't get our grades till late January which is a bit unnerving.. but meh! Three weeks of no school! :)

To celebrate, Nikki and I decided to take a trip to Salt Lake. We first observed court at the Matheson Courthouse. Such a pretty building. We loved it. I asked an attorney about appropriate "courtroom etiquette" then later observed his trial. He gave a little shout out to us before he started his cross-examination which resulted in the the judge directly welcoming us. We felt pretty special. It was on record too. Heh. Now we are at the Salt Lake City Public Library. Really pretty building as well. Free internet too! I took some pictures with my camera phone and transferred it via bluetooth to my laptop. Isn't technology so great? Here are some images I JUST captured...

Doesn't Nikki have such big pretty eyes?

Really modern building. I love it. A guy was having his picture taken right there a few minutes ago. I think he was a wannabe model? Building a portfolio maybe?

Wow, so inappropriate to do in public...

WAHOO! (notice my laptop has K and L back?)

I am going home tomorrow! Not to excited about going on a plane.. but should be a fantastic break! LILY!

First Final Done

2009-12-09T20:16:00.010-06:00

I had my first law school final today. It wasn't too bad - I'm still alive! It could have been much worse... MUCH WORSE. It could have been killer hard and I could have had a panic/anxiety attack resulting in me not breathing, passing out, hitting my head traumatically on the corner of a desk and incurring a fatal head wound. Who knows (a 2L and I came up with that unlikely scenario). Yeah, it wasn't that bad. But wow, the three hours flew by! It was the quickest three hours of my life! Maybe even faster than the extended versions of LOTR... Anyways, this has to be short because I'm studying for my 8:30 am property final on Friday. But I wanted to share this:

No, this did not happen during my exam (thankfully). I was stupid and put my outlines, textbook, powercord, mouse, etc.. on top of my keyboard instead of just closing my computer and putting everything on top like a normal person would. (I didn't want my computer to go into hibernation if that is any consolation). I think the powercord dug into the keyboard and popped out my K and L. So it's been quite awkward to type this out. It happened as I was leaving the test room and it was quite upsetting. I arranged with Lenovo to get it fixed asap. I really hope it can be done tomorrow so I can type efficiently and accurately on my Friday final.

I also wanted to share this:

I heard the song awhile ago but just saw the music video. Love it! Shoutout to Alana because she actually reads my blog... :) I hope you like it! I will come study with you guys as soon as I feel ready.

Christmas!

2009-11-30T10:45:00.004-06:00

I am so excited for Christmas! Yesterday I helped Megan and John decorate a bit of their Christmas tree. Since my mom has already decorated our tree in Texas, I was so happy to help with one this year. My roommies of current and old are also trying to arrange a night to see the temple lights in Salt Lake. Yes! I hope I can make it! I am also super super excited to go home. It will be such a nice break. Can't wait to see my family and Lily! :)

Exams are approaching quickly - I have my first one on December 9! Ahhh! Crazy! Anywho, got to go. Class starts in 10.

Have a wonderful day!

Space Button?

2009-11-20T21:46:00.005-06:00

Question: which finger on which hand do you use to hit the space bar?

I think most people use their right thumbs... but I use my right index finger! Weird. However, this might just be on my laptop (the keyboard is smaller). I swore I used my thumb before though. Hmm. I will have to check with my desktop.

Am I done my memo 3 yet? Nope. Am I blogging to avoid finishing it? Yes. I am also alone in my house on a Friday night at 8:55 pm. I guess this is what happens when you're in law school.

New Moon tomorrow with Megan and John though! :) Don't hate.

Memo 3 = :(

2009-11-17T23:10:00.006-06:00

Memo 3 is basically my final for my legal research and writing class. Considering it is worth 80% of my entire grade, it's a pretty big deal. I was on campus from 8am to midnight yesterday and will probably be doing the same today. I have to admit I was pretty proud of myself. If you ask any of my roommies, they will tell you I strongly dislike staying on campus at night. However, the law library is not too bad. Especially later during the day because most people are gone by then. Anyways, yes, so one of my classmates wrote on my facebook wall, "if you get a chance to talk to my memo, can you tell it to give me my soul back? thanks." HAHA. Yeah, it's pretty bad. Probably even that bad. I'm not exaggerating. Sooo what am I doing on here you ask? Well, I hate to neglect stuff, whether its friends, family, etc. I suppose? And there is a small possibility that I am desperately trying to avoid writing another paragraph on voluntary injection.

But on a brighter note, even though I am the most stressed and busiest I have ever been in my life, there is no place I would rather be... Except maybe Canada because my favorite store is having a sale... :) Oh wait, I don't have any money so never mind.

For your viewing pleasure, this is where I currently am. But just imagine a ton of papers spread across my desk. Oh and my laptop and a turkey bear.

MaryJane

2009-11-01T23:46:00.004-06:00

Ok, so am I the most naive person in the world? I just found out that "Mary Jane" is also another name for marijuana. WOW. Who knew. I sure didn't. How embarrassing that I wrongly addressed that in my law paper. Plus, it is "an LPPF" NOT "a LPPF." Seriously, you learn something new everyday. And feel stupider as well. Thanks Nikki (for your help that is)!

Oh and Memo 3 is kicking my trash. I will attempt to kick it back. Wish me luck please!

Halloween At Law School

2009-11-01T01:01:00.008-05:00

Back already! I was a ninja! In retrospect, I should have come up with some more creative poses... Oops. However, there was one where I actually had that stance with the hand, but that was on another person's camera. Too bad. I had a lot of fun though! Did you notice Nick is Justice Scalia? Not my favorite Justice, but he did well :) Oh and yes, I was quite stealthy...

I Love Photography

2009-10-28T23:16:00.020-05:00

A couple of days ago, a nice boy took my shooting. Photography, that is. He had a really great camera with fabulous lenses. I LOVED it! I want a digital SLR so bad! I also want to take a photography class. I probably won't get to this year, but hopefully sometime soon! :) Below are seven pictures. The latter ones are mine, and the one with me is not. Obviously. Haha. Hopefully I will get to go again soon. I'm still such a newb.

P.S. I'm going to be a ninja for Halloween! Michelle is being a pirate. How awesome! Maybe I'll post pics again soon.

I WANT:

2009-10-15T00:22:00.004-05:00

So CUTE eh? Now I am off to bed.

Happy October!

2009-10-01T10:23:00.006-05:00

Hello! Happy October all! September seriously flew by. I can't believe I have been in school for 1 month and 2 weeks (I think). Anyway, when fall comes, it can be expected that various illnesses come too. I have been fighting a pending cold for some time and can officially say I am sick now. My throat started hurting yesterday and now I am not feeling so hot. Oh and I am also wearing a skirt because I'm hosting a lawyer from Canada today.. so it's really cold. However, on my way to school I bought some Halls cough drops and grapefruit juice. Yum yum. Good thing it is also placement break next week (I have a week off of school). Oh and General Conference is this weekend. Yay! Should be a good next week if this illness doesn't completely ruin my fun.

Oh The Killers concert was awesome! I had a lot of fun.. They are really impressive live. I want their albums.

I haven't posted music I am currently listening to in awhile.. so here it is. Kylie Minogue - The One. Fab song! "Love me, love me, love me, love me!"

Updates For You

2009-09-22T00:29:00.006-05:00

Hello! Wow, it's been awhile. Sorry! Really busy these days. Probably the busiest I have ever been in my life. Updates...

Lily is doing okay! I am so extremely grateful for that! I love Lily!

Montana was awesome. We went kayaking, canoeing, hiking, shooting, eating, and just having a fab time. I shot 3/9 clay pigeons with a massive shot gun. It was a lot of fun but guns still scare me.

School. Oh school. How I love and loathe you. More love though. I was up till 3 am yesterday writing a paper about a Vermont statute discussing whether a ski resort had duty (in regards to negligence) to a skier that sustained injuries as a result of falling on ski resort property. Compelling stuff eh? I also had a midterm last Thursday and will be having another one next Tuesday. Busy busy busy! However, placement break is in two weeks! Eeee! So excited! A whole week off! :)

Other cool tidbit.. I was invited to go to The Killers concert coming up on Saturday! Yay! How am I so lucky? I do not know.

Umm... that's about it. Oh I am very serious about possibly going to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics! Wouldn't that be awesome!? I am really trying to figure it out. I would love love love doing that!

Pictures from Montana below (isn't Montana pretty?). Got to go to bed!

Don't you like my hat bag? It was raining okay? I was being innovative. Heh.

Road Trip, LS & Lily

2009-09-04T00:25:00.011-05:00

I'm almost through my second week of law school! This week was much more manageable. Well.. maybe because I procrastinated less.. or had less reading. Either or. It has been great so far though! I am learning a ton and am really loving all the intellectual stimulation. I've missed that.

So I took a brief break from studying tonight to get something from the store with my roommate. And wow. We were a really happy. Like dancing in the streets, heads out of the car type of happy. I wondered and asked why and my roommate replied, "because we're not doing homework!" So true. I really am always just doing homework now. Oh and I just have to say my roommie is amazing. She is in her first year of the MPA program and is totally going to rock it. I feel so blessed to be able to share this whole grad school experience with one of my "besties"!

Oh and did I mention I'm going on a road trip tomorrow?! To MONTANA! We're going to a cabin for some hiking, kayaking and canoeing. So excited! I know this probably doesn't seem like the most studious thing to do just after two weeks of law school... but hey, it's labor day. Isn't this the holiday where we are suppose to relish and enjoy our day off from all our labors? (I don't know, but that's what I will keep telling myself.) It should be good. And beautiful. I have never been to Montana so it will be lovely!

On a sad note, Lily was really sick this week. We thought she wasn't going to make it. (I seriously just about died when I found out.) However, it seems that she has recovered. To what extent, I don't know. But people. Be warned. Paint inhalation can be very toxic to dogs. I seriously pondered about any possible legal actions that could be pursued against the paint company. Or some kind of investigation, at least. Like seriously. If a product causes such severe and detrimental damages to a dog (i.e. multiple seizures, coughing blood, all things awful, etc...), it must be equally bad for humans. What if a newborn was in the house? Or elderly individuals? It just seems too... strong and poisonous. Ugh. Boo. I just hope Lily will continue to recover. I love her so much! And in honor of Lily, this is an old pic of us... (Isn't she the cutest thing?) :)

Orientation

2009-08-21T21:11:00.002-05:00

I had orientation for law school this past week. It's been long but very interesting. So much information all at once! I have also met some really great people. My professors have constantly said one of the best things you will experience in law school is the relationships you make. Oh and did I mention it has been stressful? I am quite overwhelmed right now. I have a ton of reading, some quizzes, and a paper due on the first day of class. What? No first day dedicated to reading the syllabus anymore? SAD! I kid. It should be good :)

I'm Back

2009-07-31T09:01:00.005-05:00

After nine hours of driving on Wednesday and 15 hours yesterday, I am back in Utah! My lovely mother accompanied me but didn't know how to drive my manual car... So I drove the whole way. Seriously, I had no idea I had it in me. I used to get tired driving from just Utah to Las Vegas. But yesterday's drive totally beat my previous record out of the water. And why am I up at 8 am writing this? WHO KNOWS.

I will be moving to my new place on Saturday. I am so excited to be roommies with such fab girls in such a cute house. It's is going to be such a great time! School is starting soon and I am super nervous. My T400s is en route from China as we speak (or me type). YAY! The only real sad thing about being back is not being close to my parents, brother, and Lily. I am going to miss them so much!

I will be running a ton of errands today so wish me luck!

P.S. I wanted to write and post videos about Coldplay but this isn't my personal computer. I will try to post some later. FYI, Coldplay was my BEST concert ever. It beat out Spice Girls.. and that's something I didn't think would happen anytime soon. Oh and I thought Chris Martin was über attractive. He looked so fine singing his heart out on that stage! Oh how I love talented individuals!!

COLDPLAY

2009-07-21T15:08:00.003-05:00

I am so incredibly happy and excited! An amazingly nice friend invited me to see COLDPLAY tomorrow! Can you believe it? How awesome is that?! And how lucky am I? Tehehe! I am SUPER excited.. Yes it is true rock music isn't my most favorite genre but I can definitely say with certainty that Coldplay is my favorite rock band. If there was any band I would actually want to go see, it would be... COLDPLAY! :D

I will let you know how it goes. I hope it doesn't rain!!

I ♥ NY

2009-07-16T17:38:00.019-05:00

First of all, I just wanted to say I am unhappy with blogger. I had this post all written out with pictures and captions and it suddenly disappeared. Argh. Okay whaaatever ... Anyways...

I am back from my New York trip! Katie and her hubby were so kind to let me stay at their place and steal the lady of the house away for a couple of days. During my stay, we had touristy days, food days, errand days, driving days, chill days, movie days, etc. All so fun. I loved it. Thank you Katie and Riley for letting me come stay and being great hosts! You're the best! :D

Alright and here are some pictures that I had already previously uploaded but blogger deleted (I'm not mad... Can't you tell?)

This was the first Ontario license plates car I saw in New York. It made me so happy and giddy. Tehehe.

Us using the New York City subway. I am proud to declare that we were asked directions several times by different people throughout our time in the city. It must be because we obviously look like native New Yorkers and very untourist-like individuals.

Central Park is so incredibly pretty. I want to take a romantic stroll with my SO one day.

We bought hot dogs and Sprite. That is what New Yorkers do right? I kid. I kid.

Yea, I don't look like a tourist here at all... Do you see Ms. Liberty?

New York City Supreme Court. Being the Law & Order fan that I am, I loved coming here! Oh and also as an upcoming 1L of course.

Authentic New York pizza. We went to Lombardi's Pizza in SoHo.

SO GOOD! And of course we ate the whole thing!

Our NYC days were quite busy and eventful. The first day we went to the Met, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and 5th Avenue for shopping. Mind you, this was after hours and hours of driving (all credit goes to Katie). The second day we went to Columbia University, Lincoln Center for the temple and Juilliard, Statue of Liberty, literally came across Wall Street and the NYSE, visited the Met again, found Literary Walk and Bathsheba Fountain in Central Park, shopped and ate in SoHo, then traveled to Greenwich Village for some cupcakes, banana pudding, and rainboots. Yeah. What a day. Oh how I love traveling! I think Europe should be next!

~~~

In other news, I am so happy to let you all know that Michelle, Nikki, and I won't be homeless this fall! We found a place! Hallelujah! Oh and I also decided which laptop I am going to get for school... a Lenovo T400s. I love it and am so excited to order it and have it in my hot little hands! Yes, I originally planned on a Mac but things change. Maybe next time.

Ni Hao

2009-06-21T21:39:00.009-05:00

Hello all! Sorry for the lack of updates. It has been either: 1) I have been really busy and have no time or 2) Too much time and nothing to report. Who knows ;)

Recently: Birthdays, Lily is 15-years-old!, canning/packaging, some WoW, laptop hunting (new t400s coming out soon), dinners, films, tv, sun, swimming, bad tan lines, little ponytails, bright nail polish, cooking and baking, reading, preparing, cuddling, vacation bound, yard work, cleaning, envious of ivy, walks, sleepovers, great company, exercising, shopping, daydreaming.

I will return to the blogging world. Promise. (That is, if anyone cares).

Have a wonderful Father's Day to current and future daddy's of the world!

NY & CA

2009-05-28T18:16:00.002-05:00

I will be going to New York (state) and CANADA in July! WAHOO! I am super SUPER excited!!!

WoW

2009-05-26T22:30:00.006-05:00

I gave in.

After years of watching my brothers play what they referred to as "Wow," I finally joined the World of Warcraft community. They have asked me if I wanted to play since the start of it in 2004. However I had always declined because I didn't want to spend a lot of time on a game. But then two days ago, I thought I would just give it a try. There's no harm in trying right? Surely I won't get sucked in that quickly. Well, I was wrong. For the past two days, I have gone to bed at 3 am. Goodness. My friend was right in that World of Warcraft is the "cocaine of gaming." Maybe not the best idea on my part considering I am starting law school in 3 months. Oops. Haha, nah.. I have pretty good self control.

This is my character. She is a Blood Elf Hunter with a wicked sexy name. I also currently have a pet lioness and a baby polar bear companion.

Go ahead and think I am a nerd. Whatever. I think life is and should be about what makes you happy. And if a computer game currently makes me happy, good for me. Oh and World of Warcraft is an incredibly stunning, amazing, complicated, and innovative game. All the hype and addiction of it is well justified.

Laptops

2009-05-22T11:43:00.009-05:00

With law school approaching, I need to make some decisions. The current "big one" is which laptop I am going to get. This may seem trivial to some, but this baby is going to be with me for at least three years. Plus, I will be using my loan to buy it so I don't want to just make a rash decision on something I will be paying back for years to come. It really has to be worth it. No second thoughts or regrets.
I am currently 75% in favor of buying a Macbook. I noticed when I look at Dell, Vaio, Lenovo, etc... I keep comparing it to the Macbook. Does it have the seamless glass screen? Is it aluminum? Is there a backlit keyboard? I like the multi touch trackpad. Thirteen inch screen? Blah blah blah. However, the law school highly endorses PCs. When we take our exams, the software used is only compatible with Windows. Also, I have heard rave reviews about OneNote - which is also only available on Windows. Of course, I can get the Macbook and buy XP/Vista and run these programs in bootcamp. But that can end up being really inconvenient. I have been a PC user all my life so I don't know if all that hassle is worth it. In regards to technical specs, I can get a PC with a much better processor and memory for less money.

In addition, Macs are quite pricey:

Macbook - $1,299
Apple Care - $249
Windows XP - $80
MS Office - $60

Total = $1,688

OH CRAP! I didn't realize it would be THAT much... OOoohhhh... Sad day! Prior to this, I didn't crunch any numbers. $1,700+ for a laptop is very pricey. I may just have to end up getting the Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell Latitude, or Dell XPS 13.... :(((((

... Apple always has a "Back to School" promotion in the fall. If they give a free iTouch, that may help with my decision.

So Content

2009-05-14T16:59:00.018-05:00

I went to the Galleria today and bought the most fabulous raincoat/trench ever. Originally priced at $249, I got it for $79 at Club Monaco. BAM! I have been eyeing this trench for awhile (i.e. months). It hits around the thigh and has a black, white, and grey plaid pattern. I was so happy to snatch it up and make it mine! :D Update: I found a pic -->

Obviously it is not currently jacket season.. but it will be put to good use in the fall at school.

I also got a really cute dress shirt from J. Crew for $19 (originally $58). Now I just have to wait for one of these pretty lady suits to go on sale...

Girls Aloud

2009-05-11T11:12:00.011-05:00

Last week, I discovered a fantastic girl band. They are British and sing the type of music I love love love. They have been together since 2002 and are absolutely amazing. Before I didn't really have a "favorite" group or artist of any sort. But I am now wholly converted. Sadly, Girls Aloud doesn't release any singles in the US (which is such a shame!). So hallelujah for youtube!

See, I can't even put just one video up. I had to put two! Oh and I am determined to go to the UK and watch a Girls Aloud concert one day!

Indecisive

2009-05-05T17:10:00.012-05:00

I can be an incredibly indecisive person. Food and restaurants readily come to mind but my most recent experience with my tendency of indecisiveness involved jewelery. Ok, so I was allowed to choose a present at the lovely Swarovski. I narrowed it down to three rings (gold, sapphire, and pink) and a necklace. Eventually after some (actually extensive) deliberation, it came down to the sapphire and pink ring. I ended up choosing the pink one. Two days later, I had doubts. So I went to the store and exchanged it not for the sapphire, but gold one. Hah. Figures.

I reasoned that I don't have a lot of gold jewelery. I am also not of the little schoolgirl age anymore so I should refine my taste a little. Well, that is my hopeful goal. I am 98.1% happy with my decision. We'll see in a month though. ;) Thank you to Swarovski for having such a fantastic exchange policy!

Here it is... my Helios Desert Glow glacier-cut crystal ring. It will look okay with a lady suit right?

Diseases

2009-04-29T16:59:00.005-05:00

Why do I live in areas of serious pandemic viral outbreaks? First was Toronto and SARS (in 2003) and now the Swine Flu... Hmm...

Burn Baby Burn

2009-04-25T15:37:00.010-05:00

I have always wanted to burn an objectionable letter:

... and it felt so good! :)

Friday Class

2009-04-22T14:54:00.006-05:00

For the next two days, I will be a substitute teacher at a high school. I just got my lesson plan for Friday... and lucky me! I will get to watch this fine man all day (via House of Flying Daggers). Bam!

A Little Bit of Controversy

2009-04-21T14:15:00.006-05:00

On Sunday, I watched the Miss USA pageant. For those who are unaware of what took place, check this out:

KUDOS to Miss California Carrie Prejean for standing up for her beliefs. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to answer so blatantly and honestly in such a setting. I really commend her.

After the show, Perez Hilton goes off on a internet tirade trying to discredit Prejean. He called her "a dumb b*tch" on his video blog and eventually recanted an earlier apology. He even told MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell that he originally wanted to call her the c-word rather than b*tch. Ew. Hilton asked her a question and she gave him her honest answer. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. America was founded on the right to freedom of expression and free exercise of religion. How can people call her a bigot for carrying out those entitled rights? As well, the question was incredibly inappropriate. None of the other girls in the top five were asked such politically charged questions. What did Hilton expect?

I don't know. It's just so frustrating to see. I cannot definitively say I am republican or a democrat. I agree with political ideals from both sides. However, I am so sick and tired of the liberal band wagon people keep jumping on and the obvious liberal bias in the media. It taints objective news broadcasting and poorly informs the public on very important issues. Argh.

I Want One!

2009-04-16T22:16:00.002-05:00

Look at that face... It warms my heart!

I Got A New Haircut

2009-04-11T10:22:00.010-05:00

So yesterday... I cut off 8-10 inches of my hair! It hits just below my chin in the front and even shorter in the back. I can't even put my hair in a ponytail anymore. Cutting it dramatically has been something I have been considering for months now. At first I decided not to, then yes, then no..., then eventually yes again. Why not?

When I showed a picture of how I would like it cut, my hairstylist was like, "Wow. That's very short. Do you want to think it over?" Haha.. If I hadn't mentally prepared myself, I may have very well decided not to cut it then.

It is very different. But I like it. I haven't had short hair in... 10 years. It's a nice change and my hair feels very healthy. I would liken it to wearing a dress during a hot summer day - very breezy :) I'm going to see if my hair can be donated to Locks of Love or something.

This is my hair now. I posted a few New Orleans pictures from a few weeks ago so go check those out if you want to see a comparison.

OH and I also bought a new Gaiam yoga mat yesterday! It matches my water bottle (it's the same company). I LOVE IT! Below is part of the pattern. Very Asian eh?

"Ethereal"

2009-03-29T19:46:00.008-05:00

Yu-Na Kim is amazing. This made me excited for the 2010 Olympics. Vancouver!

I Made A Decision

2009-03-25T17:31:00.010-05:00

It is official! I mailed in my notice of intent and seat deposit today. I am going to BYU LAW!

EW

2009-03-23T11:33:00.019-05:00

This is an excellent example why some countries have very negative feelings about the United States. Such ignorant, insensitive, and disrespectful comments are extremely inappropriate. Why say such things? And on a national news network? Really? To make matters worse, this was apparently aired recently close to when four Canadian soldiers died in an IED explosion in Kandahar.

The guy at 1:34 needs to SHUT UP. What an idiot... He needs to actually do some research so he doesn't look like an absolute uneducated and stupid fool.

Ew. This reaffirms my dislike for Fox News. I will never support them.

Clarification: I in no way think all Americans are like this. In fact, I think it is absolutely ridiculous to assume all Americans are ignorant, egocentric individuals. Americans are among some of my favorite people in the world! I just hate the media allowing such shameless nonsense. That is all.

NOLA

2009-03-21T11:18:00.010-05:00

Hello! I am back from New Orleans. It was a great trip! New Orleans is truly a unique place. I don't think there is anything else like it in the States. Though, I am not sure because I am not an American. Maybe there is. ANYWAYS, it was really fun. I love traveling and seeing new things!

We were able to do most of the touristy things - visit the French Quarter, Garden District, ride the St. Charles street car, eat authentic New Orleans food, see Lafayette cemetery, Jackson Square, eat Café du Monde beignets, visit Laura and Oak Alley Plantation and other things. Oh we were there on St. Patty's Day so Bourbon Street was a little wild... ALSO, being the Brangelina fan that I am, I found their NOLA house! Well, it was their house. They may have sold it.. but they lived in it while Brad was filming TCCOBB.

Below are some pictures. There are more on facebook! :)

Master of Public Administration

2009-03-16T19:16:00.003-05:00

My good news that I didn't state in my previous post is... I was accepted to the MPA program! I received official notice today. I'm pretty sure I will pursue both degrees. THANK YOU to Katie, who was one of my letters of recommendation writers! It wouldn't have happened without you!

I'm currently in New Orleans.. so I got to go!

Good News

2009-03-12T11:56:00.004-05:00

I may have some exciting news! I don't want to say anything because it's not official yet. But it's looking pretty good! I'm very happy.. :) I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I started using Twitter in February. Bismark is my only real conversationalist (which is fab, thank you!). It is quite addicting.. so beware!

http://twitter.com/canuckette

25 Random Things About Me

2009-03-06T15:32:00.005-06:00

I didn't think I would do this whole 25 random things about me thing. But then I started thinking.. In five years, I can look back at this and read what I was into and see what's changed. I also just read a couple emails from a few years ago.. and wow. I am embarrassed by my past immaturity. Anywho, here it is. 25 Random Things About Me:

1) Dermographism. I am among the 5% of the population that has it.

2) I like to collect DVDs.

3) I want to take a culinary and photography class.

4) I occasionally live vicariously through fictional characters.

5) I can bend in ways that make me become a "human pretzel."

6) I was suppose to have a paralyzed leg. Or at least have a limp.

7) I hate carrots.

8) "Eileen" isn't legally my first name.

9) I was in a music video.

10) I don't trust anyone 100%.

11) If at all possible, I would get a puppy right now.

12) I love euro dance music.

13) I aspire to be a strong, independent, and inspirational woman.

14) I prefer twizzlers over red vines. I actually don't even really like red vines.

15) I love pajamas.

16) I want to travel all over the world. Especially Europe and Asia.

17) I love thoughtful and romantic guys.

18) I love buying jackets. Especially winter jackets.. Pea coats!

19) On a date, dinner + movie + good company = content Eileen. Ice cream wouldn't hurt either.

20) I prefer quality over quantity in almost all things.

21) I may have commitment issues. Maybe.

22) I love black cars and black clothes.

23) Las Vegas nightclubs are neat. I like them.

24) My favorite fruits include: blackberries, apples, guava, grapefruit, nectarines, Chinese pears, and mangos.

25) I have been making "Eileen's MusicMix" CDs since grade 9. I am currently at number 69.

New Orleans

2009-03-04T12:21:00.007-06:00

I have the most fabulous parents in the world. For my birthday (in four days!), they wanted to take me on a trip. I had the choices of Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and New Orleans. I don't even know why I had to think about it, but New Orleans it is! I just booked a hotel reservation in the French Quarter. I've been reading about various travel reports and am so incredibly excited! It's also my first time! Although I currently live in Texas, I don't really feel like it's the "south." So this little road trip to Louisiana should be fantastic!

Things I want to do/see: French Quarter, Garden District, Plantation tour, Lafayette/St. Louis Cemetery, eat yummy food, shopping, Jackson Square, WWII Museum, and other stuff.... :)