What Is This Thing Called Love?

OMG, a teaser trailer for Disney's The Princess and the Frog! I know Ryan already posted this on his blog (being that he is far more attuned to these kinds of things than I), but I must include it here as well. For my own fulfillment.

Watch now and be filled with joy!

This past weekend was one of fun times and frivolity. Saturday afternoon, Yuval and I journeyed north to Canobie Lake Park (which I will always mispronounce) for half-price tickets after 5pm. Now, it was no King's Island and definitely not a Cedar Point. BUT! It was wholesome and fun and hilarious riding mildly thrilling rides and not having to wade through 8 billion people to get in an hour-long line for something. Thankfully Yuval didn't seem to mind my habit of cackling in happiness and hilarity when I experience that "stomach dropping out" feeling. We timed the end of our visit perfectly: we were able to watch the fireworks from the ferris wheel. We left, exhausted, 5 1/2 hours after we'd arrived, completely happy with my decision to give this a shot.

Sunday was a big day for my friends Eric and Amanda: their wedding. I put on the dress I wore to graduation, some ballet flats, and we headed downtown to the Chinese restaurant/banquet hall where the reception was held. Apparently, if you're Chinese, you're not allowed to exclude any family member--no matter how distant--from your wedding guest list. Good thing the room was huge. There was a 10 course meal (a tradition), dances a' plenty, wedding cake, an open bar, a photo booth, and lots of good times. I got "drunk" for the first time in over a year ("drunk" because just about every time I was drunk in college my BAC level was higher than what it was at this wedding). Girly as it is, I actually teared up a little during Eric and Amanda's last dance of the night--I was thinking of how happy they are now, how happy they're going to be, and how happy I was that I could witness all of it. I've always had a good time at weddings, and this one was no different.

Congratulations, Big and Asian! Hope you're enjoying yourselves in Bermuda. :o)

At this time next week I'll be in my new apartment. Adrienne's moving on Friday, I'm moving on Saturday, and our apartment is in a general state of chaos. I've got most everything packed that can be packed and simply await the arrival of my U-HAUL truck.

Also, I found this to be hilarious: Hamlet (Facebook News Feed Edition)

Read
The City of Ember by JeAnne DePrau
Paper Towns by John Green

Seen
Deadwood (Season Two)
The Usual Suspects

Stone Cold Fox

I went to the orthodontist this morning to see if anything could be done about the gaps between a couple of my molars and pre-molars.

Good News: I have one of the best results of orthodontics that the doctor has ever seen. He called my overbite and underbite "perfect." He said whoever did my braces deserves a pat on the back for a job very well done.
Bad News: My perfect teeth means I cannot get any kind of further orthodontics: no retainer, no InvisiLign, nothing. Apparently the gaps are just a result of a few of my teeth being smaller than they should be, and attempting to move any of them would ruin my whole bite. So I either just have to live with it or get my dentist to just put a little filling material between the teeth.

Oh well. It's nice to know I've got perfect dental structure, at least!

That's about all the news I've got--boring, I know. But now I leave you with an (educational) funny video that explains what exactly caused this whole subprime mortgage crisis this summer. I promise you do not need to know anything about mortgages or finance or anything to find this video funny. Great British dry humo(u)r!

What Created The Subprime Mess

Read
Batman: Dark Victory by Joseph Loeb and Tim Sale

Seen
The Dark Knight
Mongol
Kung Fu Panda

p.s. Heath Ledger deserves that Oscar 100%. He'd deserve it if he was still alive, and still deserves it in death. Transformative performance.

Bring On The Rain

Today is Friday for me, hurray! I don't have to come into work tomorrow, thank Allah, since things are so slow around here. I anticipate getting a lot of reading, laundry, and maybe even some writing done tomorrow. As Robin Hood would say: Oo-de-lally!

Tennis is going well, as is kickball. We routed our opponents last week in the first game of the season, 9-0. Let's hope The Green Team can keep it up today! This weekend will hopefully give me a chance to attend a screening of Michou D'Auber at the 13th Annual Boston French Film Festival. I loves me some foreign films.

Next Tuesday I have a consult with an orthodontist at BU's Dental School. Hopefully there's a (relatively) inexpensive way to correct the spaces between some of my bottom molars that have been pains dans ma bouche for years now. I hope so. Speaking of BU schools, I've started looking into another interesting possibility for grad school: an MA in International Relations and Religion, or an IRRN (one subject, not two). It's a year-long program that would let me focus on either a region (Africa) or a functional specialty (e.g. development). I'm most interested in specializing in West and South Asia, which means studying how Islam affects the region. With everything that's happening in the world right now, trying to change America's general impression of the region and its religion is something I am really passionate about.

And now, I leave you for the weekend. Please enjoy the following clip of Cookie Monster's appearance on The Colbert Report back in mid-June.

Read
Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out edited by Fawzia Afzal-Khan

Seen
The Bourne Ultimatum

Deja Vu

Once again, my love of Deadwood brings me joy. Specifically through a hilarious McSweeney's piece entitled AN OVERHEARD CONVERSATION AT THE SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD POOL, IF THE SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD POOL WERE IN DEADWOOD.

TGIF, man. At first I spelled that TFIG, which definitely means I need a weekend of rest.

Today I officially registered for the MSPCA's Walk For Animals being held on Sunday, September 7. I wish I had a dog that I could bring along for the walk, but I'll just have to content myself with being surrounded by them instead. I think I'll live. If you'd like to donate or join my team, that would be super. Helps some puppies & kitties & other cute nom nom's! And for the sake of completeness, I've also created a Facebook Event page for it with more information.

Although if you're reading this blog, changes are I've already harassed you about this through the Book of Faces.

If you're the kind of person (like me) who loves magazines and having information arrive in your mailbox on a monthly or weekly basis, then check out two new magazines I've discovered. Ode Magazine has a tagline of "For Intelligent Optimists," which I think describes a lot of you readers. Good Magazine's tagline is "For People Who Give A Damn," which I think also applies to a lot of my friends. The former plants a tree when you subscribe, while the latter donates 100% of your subscription fee to a non-profit partner of your choosing. Both are very interesting and very refreshing in this world of "You're Too Fat!" consumer magazines and "The World Is Going To Hell!" news magazines. Give 'em a shot!

Seen
Spirited Away

Put On Your Sunday Clothes

I'm listening to Fresh Air on WBUR (Boston's NPR) right now and have developed a huge crush on the guest. Andrew Stanton, director and writer of WALL-E, is a super cute geek who really loves what he does. Also, it makes me want to see the film again--not that I didn't already. I say all this whilst stealing loving glances at the plush Wall-E on my desk (thanks, Yuv). Obsessed, me? Maybe a little.

I hope everyone had a fun and happy and safe Fourth of July. Having a day off from work at the end of the week pretty much ensured that I would enjoy my day no matter what. I slept late; met up with Margaret, Adrienne, Dena, Danielle, and Bruce; and followed them to a delightful spot on the bank of the Charles where they would have a magnificent view of the fireworks. After reveling in their company for a couple hours, I bid goodbye and made way across town to Newton for a celebration with members of my kickball team. Once it started getting dark, some of us decided to take up another team-member's offer of a roof party to watch the fireworks. We made our way to what turned out--to my great surprise--to be Beacon Hill (which, for those non-Bostonians, is a ritzy brownstone part of town where many politicians live). We had a great view of the fireworks, but alas there was no wind to disperse the giant pillar of smoke that resulted from the colorful explosions. The finale ended up looking like a big light-up cloud with very few fireworks actually visible. Still a fun time, though!

Saturday was mostly spent with Yuval and his family: a brunch and dinner. In between, while he was out bike shopping with his family, I went home to nap and clean in preparation for a visit from my aunt and uncle. Dinner was followed by a viewing of The Prestige, which I forgot how much I enjoyed. It kicks The Illusionist's ass, regardless of the latter's inclusion of one of my actor-crushes, Edward Norton. However, on the way home, Yuval and I got into quite the argument over our interpretations of the two main characters (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale). That part of the evening wasn't so fun, but it was only a bump in an otherwise very fun day.

My aunt and uncle (one of my mom's older brothers) were in Boston over the weekend and I spent most of Sunday with them. I took them to see one of my favorite Boston sites, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, followed by dinner at Upstairs on the Square and ice cream at Herrell's. A wonderful and delicious time, and I managed to navigate us all around Boston by car without once getting lost! A big achievement considering I don't know that much about the roads here since I don't drive.

I went to the dentist for the first time in Boston on Monday, and there was good news and bad news. Good news: my hygiene is excellent, and I got compliments on my good-looking teeth. Bad news: I have two cavities developing between my lower molars. They're not actually cavities yet, since they aren't even halfway through the enamel. But it looks like I'll eventually have to get them filled, ending my lifelong streak of never having any cavities. Damn. One of the problems is that, since it's been a while since I had braces/a retainer, my teeth have spaced out slightly, which makes it very easy for food to get caught and my gums to get infected or sore. That's where the pseudo-cavities are. So my dentist recommended an electric toothbrush, a prescription mouthwash with super-fluoride, some Super Floss, and a consultation with an orthodontist to discuss some retainer-like options for my teeth. I have an arsenal of mouth-care now, so prepare to be squashed, plaque!

Tonight is the first game of the new kickball season. Most of the members of our old team are back for this one, known as The Green Team. Very excited, though it's frustrating because there's a Farmer's Market near my apartment that I'd love to go to but it's only on Thursdays and I have no time between work and kickball. Hard knock of life, y'all.

This weekend is when I reveal Yuval's long-awaited Birthday Surprise by kidnapping him. Sort of. I mean, I'm taking him somewhere, but not blindfolding him for the journey. Much.

Also, Nate's coming to visit Boston on Monday. Yay! But I can't see David Flaherty tomorrow for lunch. Boo! Them's the breaks, I guess.

Read
Crossing Midnight Vol. 2: A Map of Midnight by Mike Carey
Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham

Seen
The Secret Life of Alex Mack (Season 1)
Mulholland Drive
The Prestige