The 17 Day Diet (Part II) -- Day 2

Well, today was eventful! 

This morning started out with the best breakfast ever. We have a basil plant growing in the yard now, so we have access to fresh basil at all times now. So I went to the plant, picked some basil leaves, washed them, and put them in the eggs. The basil enhanced the 3 eggs tremendously, I practically didn't even need to add salt to them. I also took my two green tea tablets and weighed myself before leaving.

Then, after class, my boyfriend and I did some special exercises and worked up an appetite. I had a variety of nuts. We ended up going to this French bakery in Fashion Island. I ended up soon regretting the decision to go there, because there was bread EVERYWHERE. We ended up getting this apple, goat cheese, spring mix salad with a sweet vinaigrette and walnuts. It was delicious! We also had a cup of carrot soup each, which wasn't as tasty in my opinion. It was hilarious, though, because I took two more green tea tablets and I kept asking for more and more water because for some reason, I could not swallow the second tablet! I looked ridiculous and ended up spilling a bunch on the table.

After meeting with our lawyer for this horrible car accident I was in, I went back to his place. There, his brother and his neighbor were watching The Boondock Saints, one of my favorite movies ever. I helped myself to a cup of honey greek yogurt, ignoring the blatant box of pizza that was just tantalizingly sitting on the table. 

I dipped out of the viewing early and headed to 24 hour fitness. It took me forever to find a Sport in Costa Mesa, but I finally got there and started working out at 8:45 pm. After working on arms, abs, legs, and 20 minutes of cardio, I sat in the steam room for 10 minutes. The entire session was glorious. I was out by 10:15 pm. I got home and had a protein drink. All in all, it was a good day! Looking forward to tomorrow.

Today's weight: 133.7 lbs

(*Note: I am weighing myself every morning after waking up from sleeping and before I've had anything to drink or eat to get the most accrue results.) 

The 17 Day Diet (PART II) -- Day 1

So, my first day of actually doing the diet again. I'm feeling good! Despite many, many, MANY temptations, I stayed true to my diet! So, on to the list.

This morning I woke up to go to work (I currently intern at Steady Clothing) and I scrambled up 4 eggs, made green tea, and chopped up some strawberries and paired them with a glob of cottage cheese. A very good, healthy, and hearty breakfast! The first good breakfast I've had in a long time.

Work was torture for my stomach. 10 am til 3 pm without a bite, just bagging clothes up for the web store. The highlight of my work day, however, was when Katie, one of my bosses, came up to me out of the blue while I was working on the sample line and handed me a red clutch. "What's this?" I asked. "For you! The people from Roadkill sent purses for all of the girl here, so here you go." The perks of working at a clothing brand's headquarters.

After work and before I headed up to LA for a voiceover audition, I stopped by Pick Up Stix. I saw all the delicious Pad Thai, Cheese Wontons, and Fortune Cookies attacking me, but I sensibly went with their Signature Chinese Chicken Salad. It was delicious, a spring mix with mandarin oranges, wontons, chicken and a delicious dressing.

I drove up to LA, went to the audition, then went to FedEx to work on some last minute school work. Then I rushed to get down to IVC and was an hour and 15 minutes late to class, but still-I made it!

My friend Alex was there so afterwards she insisted on something greasy and fast (as she usually does).  So we went to Jack in the Box. Man, that was tough and Alex did not make it any easier! She bought a burger and their delicious curly fries! But I held strong and got the chicken strips. They were breaded and I had them with ketchup, so I don't know how healthy they were, but it was a lot better than any of their other options.

As I'm writing this, I'm at home and I just brew myself some chamomile citron tea that my boyfriend and I got from a very special place. And for the first time ever I took these two green tea tablets that I got in China. They're supposed to do wonders for getting skinny and cleaning out your body of any toxins. I don't know how well they work, but they're green tea tablets, so that makes it easier than brewing anything.

Until tomorrow!

Starting weight: 135.1 lbs

Let's Do This Again: The 17 Day Diet (PART II)

So, I've realized that what made the diet work last time was that I was writing down everything I had eaten every night and was weighing myself constantly. So I will be doing that again, because holy shit I have gained weight! And I need to lose it ASAP.

So, as of 1 am this morning, I weigh 135.1 lbs. That is a lot.

The guidelines are just like before.

I can't have any bread or heavy carbs like potatoes for 17 days. I also can't have bananas. Other fruits are OK, but only if I eat them before 2 pm. Dairy products are also fine to eat, but everything in moderation. The only sure things I'm allowed to live off of are veggies, grilled chicken, and fish (ugh). I am also supposed to drink green tea or chamomile in the morning.

Starting tomorrow night, I will write down everything I ate and how I exercised that day for 17 days and hopefully beyond. Because I don't want to just stop at 17 days. I want to continue to eat right and be skinny and feel healthy! YAY, GOALS!

Wish me luck!

Uh, wow. I am not a consistent person.

My last blog was in January of 2013.

That was a while ago.

SO MUCH HAS CHANGED. SO MUCH. Just looking back a year ago I feel like another human being. Which is such a cliche, but, hey, cliches are around for a reason. I don't even know where to begin.

-Debate changed my entire college experience and outlook on life
-Went to MOTHERFUCKIN CHINA and had an insane experience that I will cherish for life.
-Delved even deeper into the vintage and 50's world and sub-culture
-Started a band: Morning View
-Met amazing new friends due to another year of debate
-Went to Venezuela (again)
-Played Whisky A Go Go and House of Blues on Sunset with my band
-Started first ever internship at Steady Clothing, one of my favorite vintage brands ever
-Have had my most serious relationship to date and the only one I've ever openly had with my parent's reluctant approval
-Booked first TV gig

^^That was just the tip of the iceberg of 2013 and 2014 so far.

Every year I feel myself inching closer and closer to that abstract term "adulthood". I find myself growing up in so many different ways. It's scary, yet rewarding, knowing how many of the things I wondered about when I was younger have now happened in ways I hoped it would. I feel (and I don't use this word lightly) blessed over how many things I've been able to experience. It's kind of crazy. Sad, confusing, exhilarating, maddening, hurtful, exciting, fun, unbelievable, and yes, crazy.

I'll never be consistent about this blog, but whenever the urge comes over me, I'll visit, write, and update. And hopefully I'll be using this again for keeping a record of my new workout regimens and diets. So, maybe I'll be consistent there, not for my imaginary audience, but for my own sake.

Magic in the Form of Interpretation

Movies, as with any art form, is open to interpretation. In our modern world of constant visuals, everyone has an interpretation and opinion on everything. That's the blessing and the curse. When two people watch the same movie, their reaction can be so drastically different from each other. Your experience and knowledge will affect what you take away from watching that particular story. And that's why movies (and books and music and paintings and sculptures and buildings, etc) are so magical: they can open up a new world or idea in someone who probably needs that world or idea to survive.

This just something I realized I had experienced first hand when watching the same movie with a friend. The movie I watched was something much, much different than the movie they watched. I hope that that story opened and helped. I also hope to be privileged enough to partake in a eye-opening movie one day.

Communication and Bad Timing

This post right here is a tip for the guys out there.

Very clear flirting is still not the same as explicitly asking someone out.

Girls will obviously know when you like them if you're being very flirty -- we pick up on that stuff. But, if you really like her, actually and verbally express this sentiment, because if not, girls will just assume you're a flirty player and not interested in her, but the conquest of her. Remember, she will have noticed how you are with other girls and put two and two together.

And don't play hard to get and force a girl to have to actively pursue you just so the two of you can hang out. If that happens, don't be surprised when a "hang out" is just that, a hang out and not a date. Because, after all this time, she might have a boyfriend. And when you nonchalantly call it a date, when you never specifically entailed what it would be, don't be offended when she has to call you out and explain that it can't be a date, because she has a boyfriend. Even if you pay for everything and she coyly flirts back, know that it can't mean anything. Because she now has a boyfriend. And you now have a lost chance.

But know this: she will agonize over this fact. She will have wished you had been more communicative sooner. She will have wished that she had had the courage to ask you how you felt sooner. She will have wished that she didn't like you as much as she did...or does.

So save yourself a couple of mistakes and regrets: Take the chance and always be clear.

Female Costumes on Halloween

I. Love. Halloween. It is my favorite holiday by far. It celebrates all the things I love: dressing up, weird characters, bothering strangers for candy, etc. Conveniently, my usual style of dressing doesn't seem weird around this time, it just seems like I'm just extra festive.

Now, the best part about Halloween (besides the November 1st sales) is dressing up. As an actress, getting fully into character and getting the makeup, costume, and mannerisms just right has always been the thing I most enjoy. I also think that now in modern times, Halloween truly allows people to get creative, funny, and intricate if they want to be, when most of the time this behavior is not considered to be "normal."

I respect creativity and going all out. So, that's why I get pissed off when I see the trend in female costumes. Apparently, if you put on a red tutu, basic white T-shirt, and mouse ears, you're automatically Minnie Mouse. ...The fuck? What the hell happened to at least TRYING?

The problem with female costumes always coming in either "Slut" or "Sluttier" is that it takes away from the original character for the sake of "sexiness." I always thought that the point of Halloween was to pick a character (preferably something completely different than regular you) and completely embody it. That's what makes me dislike female costumes on Halloween. Why, in most cases, do guys get to resemble a character more closely than a girl? Popeye will always be Popeye, never "Buff/Shirtless Popeye." If you want to be a Crayon, get an unflattering cylinder and triangle-shaped hat and BE that crayon! Last time I checked, crayons didn't come in hourglass shapes! Or at least HAVE that option available for girls, so that they, too, can be that unflattering crayon!

Now, as I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, I do understand that female versions of patriarchal characters have always been "slutified." Look at She-Hulk or Super Girl! I was "Miss" Edward Scissorhands this year! I had a skirt & fishnets instead of the the body suit. But, I very closely resembled the original character and tried my best to embody him, rather than put a tight miniskirt, black tank top, and crazy hair and call myself Edward Scissorhands.

The point I'm trying to (muddily) make is that you can still look "sexy" and still BE the character. Don't call yourself something just for the sake of saying you have a costume, when clearly the point was to look as good and cute as possible. In that case, be a "kitty."