Finals are over!! Time to start bloggin'!

As you can infer from the title of this blog, I have at last been released from the suffocating kung fu grip of finals week. I was one of the "lucky" ones to have to take a final on the very last day, which was two days ago. I decided to take a couple days to catch up on sleep, but now I am ready to blog again! woo!

While I was trying to think of what I was going to write about, I thought I could just give everyone an update on my life since it's been a while since I blogged. (Blogged...is that a word?) I don't want to ramble on too long though, so I'm going to put everything in list form and try to make it as succinct as possible. ahem...

• Thanksgiving was fun! And delicious! I had dinner with cousins on my mom's side of the family whom I just love. I wish I could spend more time with them.
• I stood in a line outside Capitol Theatre from 6:30am to 12:30pm to get tickets to the musical Wicked...and they sold out!!! That wasn't a very fun morning...
• School was pretty tough this semester, but I think I did well enough to keep my scholarship. Barely.
  
• I went to the Christmas concert at the conference center with the Tabernacle Choir and Brian Stokes Mitchell. It was fabulous! I sometimes take for granted how blessed I am to have family in the choir who can get me tickets to these events... thanks Jeannie! =)
• I got to hang out and catch up with my good friend Kandace last night! Since high school, we don't see each other much, but when we do hang out it's totally effortless. I love it. We went to Salt City Slam downtown, which is like an open-mic poetry thing. It was so cool! And interesting! And hilarious! People actually snap their fingers when they like a poem...it's not just in the movies!
• I'm finished with Christmas shopping! hooray!
• Sorority is over til next January...I miss my girls!
• I made an amazing snowman a couple days ago. Or...snowhuman. Snowperson..? Ughh being politically correct can be exhausting.
  
• For my LDS institute class next semester, I signed up for the missionary prep class. Yep..I think I'm gonna go!

I think that's about all, folks. I'll hopefully be writing more now that I have the time. And I promise the future posts will be much more interesting and creative than this one. Merry Christmas, and drive safely!!

P.S. I made a new Christmas-y playlist! You should take a gander if you'd like. I think it's on this side somewhere...---------------------------->>

Tagalicious Taggity Tagness...8 facts!

Another tag game! Woo hoo! I love these tag games... perhaps it's because I don't have to be creative and think of something to write on my own, I just write what I'm told to write! :) So here are 8 facts about me. Actually, more like 48 facts since there are 6 categories...

8 shows I love to watch

1. Friends
2. The Office
3. Utah Jazz games
4. Wimbledon
5. So you think you can dance, dance, dance...
6. history channel stuff
7. the Olympics!
8. The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Hong Kong Tea House and Restaurant
2. Moki's (Hawaiian food, and live Hawaiian music on Friday & Saturday nights!)
3. Olive Garden
4. Happy Sumo
5. Iggy's (especially on game night!)
6. Bombay House
7. The Mayan (like Suzy said, ONLY for the atmosphere)
8. The Pie (again, mostly for the atmosphere... and it's close to my school!)

8 Things that happened yesterday

1. bought more floss...I'm obsessed with floss! and toothpicks!
2. played Lord of the Rings Scene It
3. ate half a bag of marshmallows (with Jake's help)
4. attempted to play soccer, but got schooled by Jessica
5. tried to learn an old Coldplay song on the guitar
6. played Rock Band!
7. went jogging at 10pm...yeah, that didn't last long
8. reminisced about the amazing game the night before

8 Things I'm looking forward to

1. the end of this semester
2. Hawaii in December!
3. ski season
4. seeing my niece again...she lives so far away!
5. Jan. 20th 2009...Bush will be gone! (and it's Jessica's birthday! haha)
6. seeing family on Thanksgiving
7. learning how to make Chinese food in my Chinese class next week! mmm...
8. Christmas!

8 Things I love about fall

1. the beautiful scenery - the colors, the smell, the crunchy leaves - i love it all.
2. Halloween
3. wearing warm clothes
4. NBA basketball!
5. playing in the leaves
6. bundling up with lots of blankies
7. hot chocolate
8. the anticipation of snow!

8 Things on my wish list

1. a new acoustic-electric guitar
2. to move out! (if I can just survive one more year...)
3. the ability to solve that darn rubik's cube
4. better time-management skills
5. to go on a mission
6. to be a good teacher
7. eternal happiness for my family and friends
8. a magic carpet!

And now I'm going to tag....YOU!! :)

Just some thoughts of gratitude...

As this election day comes to an end, I just had some thoughts I felt I should sort out, and share with others.  It has been a long day, but an amazing and historic one nonetheless.  Barack Obama has been elected as our next President.  I believe this man is a wonderful, humble, and honorable human being who will be a great leader, and I am so happy to see that the people of the United States have come far enough to be able to elect a black president.  It was only a few decades ago that segregation in public places was finally abolished; only a generation ago was a Civil Rights act finally implemented.  In the short time since then, we have come a long way.  Of course, we still have a lot to work on.  But it truly warms my heart to see Obama be elected President, and to see the diversity of the people in the crowd as he gave his victory speech.  

Today was my first time voting in the U.S. presidential election.  I've taken time to reflect on what my vote means and what it represents, and by doing so I have become increasingly grateful and humbled when I think of those who allowed me the privilege to vote - to have a voice.  I'm grateful for the way our government was set up to be one "by the people and for the people."  For Abigail Adams, who asked John to "remember the ladies".  For Mary Wollstonecraft and her progressive ideas about the rights of women.  For Elizabeth Cady Stanton who held the First Women's Rights convention, and was president of the NWSA.  For Susan B Anthony and her amazing courage, endurance, and determination.  For many other women who recognized their natural right to vote and fought for it in the midst of opposition.  

This country is truly unique, and truly inspiring.  What a privilege it is to be a part of it.    

My 7 Random Facts. TAG!!

So I was "tagged" recently to write seven random facts about myself. For some reason I had a difficult time thinking of 7 things, but I did it! Here they are...

1) I'm currently learning Mandarin Chinese. I've been learning for over a year now, and I still only feel confident in my ability to say "hello", "thank you", and "give me your money!" (Thanks Jess!) :)

2) One time, my friend and I did Tai Chi in an elevator. (It was an experiment for my psychology class...I'm not that crazy, I promise!)

3) I can bend my left thumb all the way back and have it touch my wrist/forearm area.

4) I have all the U.S. presidents memorized, including their political party. (Completely useless information really, but one day I randomly decided I wanted to memorize them all.)

5) I once had a serious addiction to ice cubes.

6) I still have a crush on John Cusack.

7) I did NOT like the book Twilight. I tried, I really did!

So now I would like to tag anyone who is reading this who hasn't already been tagged. Tag!!!

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin!

To make up for my super-serious previous blog, I thought I'd add this comedic political video to lighten things up a little. Enjoy!:)

Why I'm Voting For Barack Obama

While I have many reasons for my decision, I feel these are somewhere at the top of my list. As I contemplated writing a blog about my vote, I felt it would be a good thing to do for myself--to help me sort out my thoughts and put them into writing. I also wanted to share my thoughts with others...I've had many people ask me why I'm voting for Obama, and sometimes it's hard for me to give a full, complete answer on the spot. Hopefully this blog solves that problem.

Why I'm voting for Barack Obama:

1. Regarding foreign policy, he values diplomacy over aggression.

2. Under his healthcare plan, he would mandate that all children have health care coverage. Also, if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down by as much as $2,500 per year. For those who don't have health insurance, they will have new affordable options to get insurance. Everyone will be able to buy into a plan similar to those of federal employees. Essentially, his plan is appealing because it isn't totally universal (which would probably require a tax increase), and it also helps to better regulate private insurance companies so that they can't keep raising their prices to ridiculous costs. (And yes, we would still get to chose our doctor!)

3. He understands the need to utilize other sources of energy (wind, solar, bio-deisel, etc.), and to create more fuel-efficient vehicles. (We already have the technology...we just need to escape from the monopolizing grip of the oil companies!)

4. He understands that the war in Iraq cannot be "won" or "lost" - we just need to pull out as soon and as safely as possible.

5. He will not raise taxes for people making under $250,000, and he will cut taxes for everyone making under $200,000. Also, he want to close corporate tax loopholes and end deductions for certain industries (like gas and oil).

6. Regarding education, he understands that the voucher system does not work. He also gets that Bush's No Child Left Behind program is failing (I haven't met a single teacher who likes the No Child Left Behind program!) He's also discussed his intentions to make tuition more affordable...I'm interested to see how he could actually do this, but at least it's on his mind!:)

7. He doesn't accept money from lobbyists. Being a politician, I think this really says something about his character.

8. As a decision-maker, I believe he would be more collected and calm rather than impulsive and angry.

9. Consistently, he has stood his ground in opposing war with Iraq and Iran, and in focusing on weakening al-Qaeda and stabilizing Afghanistan.

10. His words inspire me in a way that only a few other human beings throughout history have been able to accomplish. (I know you're thinking this is cheesy, but trust me when I say I usually cringe at anything remotely cheesy...unless it's pizza. So when I say things like this, I mean it.) :)

Reasons why I'm NOT voting for John McCain:

1. His ideals and policies are too similar to the Bush Administration's, which, as everyone knows, failed miserably.

2. In the past, he has repeatedly opposed increasing funding for education. He’s even supported abolishing the Department of Education.

3. Regarding healthcare, he wants to offer a $2,500 or $5,000 tax credit for families. This actually sounds nice, but without implementing rules for private insurance companies, they could just raise their prices...which would make the tax credit worthless. Also, McCain’s health plan would tax health benefits for the first time in history, eventually forcing families to pay more.

4. He has accepted over $2 million in donations for his campaign from big oil companies. This makes me worry about where his loyalties will remain...

5. His campaign and commercial ads have said some of the most outrageous, dishonorable, and completely false things about Obama.

6. He wants to make Bush's tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 permanent--which are tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Also, McCain's economic plan would give big oil a $4 billion tax break (what the?!). It would also support tax breaks for companies that send American jobs overseas (outsourcing = bad!).

7. As a woman, I find it offensive that he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. There are plenty of other politicians (both male AND female) he could've chosen who would be much more qualified for the job, but he chose Palin. Was it because of her extensive experience in foreign relations?? Her experience as a political figure on a national level?? No...she has neither of these qualifications. I believe she was chosen not only because she's a woman (to try and sway Hilary Clinton supporters), but because she's a "pretty", "hockey mom" type of woman. This is the same thing as exploitation, is it not? If I were Sarah Palin, I'd be offended!

8. His campaign publicly stated that they wanted to shift their campaign from talking about important things (like the economy, healthcare, etc.) to making personal attacks on Obama. (I guess they are desperate...but that is no excuse!)

9. McCain has made clear that he plans to stay in Iraq for a very long time.

10. He uses politics of fear. He focuses on trying to make us scared of Obama, rather than focusing more on telling us what he himself would do as President.


As I said before, there are many other reasons for my decision, but I think these are the ones that are most important to me. I also want to invite anyone who is reading this to ask me any questions that you might have - if anything I have written is confusing, or if you'd like me to give you any sources, etc. I always try to find my information from unbiased sources (like factcheck.org - I totally recommend this website!), but we all know that this can sometimes be impossible! Please give me any feedback you have...I think seeing things from all different perspectives is the only way to truly understand an issue, and only then can one's opinion be completely validated. For those of you still reading this looong blog, thank you! You are awesome! :)

Sam Weller's adventure!

First of all, if any of you have not been to Sam Weller's, I highly recommend it. It's the awesome-est (Yes, I like to make up my own words) book store in Utah! It's downtown right on Main St. west of the Gallivan Plaza. And you don't have to be a nerd like me to enjoy it - it's very cool and it kinda reminds me of the little shop around the corner on "You've Got Mail"...but bigger.

Anywho, so my friend Jessica and I decided to go to this poetry open-mic night that they had going on last Friday. It was called "Cringe" because the theme was we were supposed to bring stuff we had written in the past that makes us cringe when we read it now - so stuff like old journal entries from our awkward adolescent stage of life, or lame poems/songs we had written when we were younger...hilarious stuff like that. I was just excited to hear what other people were going to read, so I didn't bring anything of mine. And plus, I still don't feel very mature myself, so I'm sure I STILL write embarassing stuff in my journal! And as you can see from my latest poem ("Family"), I still gots to work on those poem-writin' skillz too.

As we all know, if you really want to meet some eccentric and odd-ball people, spend some time downtown. Appropriately, there were many of these peculiar people at the open-mic at Sam Weller's that night. The first man to stand up was probably the oldest one there, he had googley eye glasses and I think he was holding some sort of hiking stick (kind of like Gandalf on Lord of the Rings...I was waiting for him to say, "YOU SHALL NOT PAAASSS!"). He read about 3 poems that he'd written when he was younger, and after reading each poem, he would pretend he was "cringing"...but the way he did it, he looked rather like he was having a seizure. He was a very awkward character. It was freakin hilarious. I can't tell you how many times Jess and I looked at each other and just laughed. This one girl got up, and read a past journal entry where she talked about how she went to a cocaine party...and then she went to some other party...but it was boring, so she went back to the cocaine party...and there was an old man who was trying to put the moves on her at the party and she said, in her exact words, "G stands for g g g gross!" And then her and her friends started dancing...and she was "dancing like a robot with a fresh battery". That was my favorite line of the entire open-mic session! She had a lot of funny lines in this journal entry of hers..I wish I could remember more. I'm sad that she was doing drugs, cuz drugs are bad, but she had a very funny sense of humor. Another girl got up and read some stuff she had written when she used to have an eating disorder...that was interesting. Another old man got up and read some poems/songs he had written - some he said he had written while he was in jail haha. One of the more memorable ones was this guy who got up and read journal entries supposedly from high school (which Jessica and I decided was totally a lie because the way he read it made it sound like it happened a while ago). Apparently he had a major crush on his gym teacher (who was a male) and he would have weird fantasies about him (which he explained in detail), and he wrote a letter to his teacher telling him he wanted to ride naked with him on a horse...I don't care if you're gay/straight, teacher/student...that's just creepy in and of itself! And I guess he had a best friend (who was also male) and they ended up hooking up...awkward. And then as he was reading all of this, he started crying! It was so weird and uncomfortable...everyone's face in the audience was just like "uhhmm....." I don't think he really understood what the theme of the night was - we were supposed to read kinda more silly stuff that just makes us chuckle because of how stupid it is. We were NOT supposed to read self-confessions of our most deepest, darkest desires or whatever. He obviously had some issues - I think he actually mentioned that he used to go to therapy - hopefully he still goes.

Well those were probably the most interesting ones we heard...when I got home, I tried to look for old journals of mine, and I finally found one from 3rd grade. I was so funny! What happened? haha but in conclusion, if you haven't read old journals in a long time, I would recommend trying to find one and reading some entries...it's really fun! And I would also recommend going to Sam Weller's sometime, and also to an open-mic poetry night, whether if it's at sam weller's or somewhere else...it's quite the adventure. :)

Family

So lately I've been able to see family that I haven't seen in a while, on both sides of my family, and it's been pretty awesome. As a result, I have been inspired to write a poem! ahem...

Family family,
they make me so happy.
They are so cool,
even cooler than you, fool!
They have many talents they like to share,
like singing, hula dancing, and cutting people's hair!
They're always there if I'm in need,
even if my need is...weed?
But..it wouldn't be weed since i don't smoke,
i'm going to stop writing now cuz this poem's a joke.

THE END:)

I love concerts! Woo!!

So last night, Suz and I went to see Marié Digby at Kilby Court and it was amazing!!! Neither of us had ever really been to that small of a venue before...we really liked it. It was such an intimate setting and we were right up in the front the whole time. Yeah, we were totally rockin to the music. The guy that opened - Eric Hutchinson - was awesome and FuNkY! While he was performing, he was having a secret contest to see who had the most enthusiasm in the audience, and he picked me! So I got a free cd! woo! That was pretty sweet. I fell in love with Marié's acoustic guitar...it was a custom Gibson with a beautiful pick guard, fret board, and sound. Her and her band totally rocked...music is so much better live! She is so talented - she rocked out on the guitar, the piano, and her voice is amazing. After, Suzy and I met her and I felt like a total idiot because I was so nervous. Isn't that so weird how that happens? You just don't know what to say... you want to tell them "I love you, man! You rock! I love your music! blah blah..." but then everyone says those things and you don't want to be trite. So then you want to say something interesting or witty or funny, but then it just ends up being awkward. Anyway, I thought it went pretty well, and she was way nice probably because she could sense my nervousness. Oh, and she signed my guitar strap! Hooray!!! Even though she's not way popular yet, I think this is the most star-struck I've ever been. I'm just a really big fan of hers, and plus I haven't really met a lot of famous people in the past besides the random bands I've met at warped tour. So it really was amazing. I feel like such a dork for making such a big deal out of it! lol. This was basically the best night I've had in a really long time. And going with Suze made it even more fun - I love hanging out with my sista. And Suze is basically the person who gave me my musical taste - I grew up listening to everything that she listened to, like Tori Amos, DMB, Metallica, Nirvana, Blues Traveler, etc... so now we like a lot of the same kind of music. Thanks Suze!:) So to sum up, if you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed, complacent, sad, (or even if you're not) go to a concert!! It'll definitely give ya a lil boost of joyness! :)

I don't get it...

So evidently, I am horrible at blogging... although I have maintained my goal of blogging at least once a month. I've decided that I'm going to be better at this, starting...NOW!:)

Now on to what I actually wanted to write about... so today I had an interesting discussion with one of my friends. I was venting to him about my job, about my parents, about what I'm going to do this fall for school, and just all these issues that have been preoccupying my mind for quite a while lately. And then on some random tangent, we started talking about the earthquake in China and all the people who were devasted by it...and this led me to think about all the other people who are suffering in this world - people who don't even have the luxury of a cup of clean water, girls being sold and exploited, people dying from natural disasters and from genocide - and I suddenly felt the urge to slap myself in the face. Who was I to sit there and complain about what now seemed to be just silly, trivial problems in my life? I may not have the greatest job right now, but at least I actually have one that pays me decently and I feel safe. I might have issues with ma and pa, but they really have been great parents and they kept me safe and fed and clothed. School can be stressful, but I at least have the opportunity just to go and to be able to afford it. And on top of all this, I was born with the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. My faith might not always be as strong as I wish, but I know that having this church in my life has blessed me and made me a better person. I guess my point is...as I think about all of these amazing privileges I have and how millions of others hardly have anything, it truly makes me wonder WHY. Why am I so lucky to have the life that I have, when there are so many others who suffer so much? I don't feel like that great of a person to deserve all that I have. Perhaps I have been blessed so much so that I might be enabled to help those in need? I dunno... it just seems so unfair. I feel both incredibly lucky, and also incredibly undeserving. With everything that I have, it would be a shame if I didn't reach out and try to help people in need. I need to do that more often... man, I'm such a pansy.

Jazz! Jazz! Jazz!

This was the most amazing way to celebrate the end of college finals and exams!

Tonight, I was reminded why I love basketball so much. The Jazz obliterated the Rockets. The crowd was insane. D Williams is sick nasty. This was one of the best NBA games I've ever been to, definitely top 3. If you've never been to a playoff game, I highly recommend it! Even if you're not a big fan of basketball, I guarantee you will have fun! Go Jazz! Woo hoo!

I Love Baby's Giggles!

I realized I haven't written a blog since my first one (which was laaame) so I decided it was time for another one. This bloggin business is tough...

So my big sis Randi and her husband Jason and daughter Layla have been living with us for about a month because they're going to be moving up to Logan in May, so they're kinda making the transition right now. There's always noise in the house somewhere and it's been pretty chaotic, but in a good way. It's been such a privilege to be able to spend so much time with my beautiful niece! Randi and Jay are cool too, but Layla is the most fun;). Layla is so hilarious... she does the quirkiest things. She has a recent tendency to growl. It's the most funny when we're in church. The ladies in relief society look at her and think "demon child!" haha. Layla's latest trick is clapping her hands! It's so cool! She's only 7ish months and she can totally clap! It's quite impressive. But out of all her many good qualities, my favorite thing about her has to be her laugh. I've gotten her to laugh before (it's not really that hard - she's so silly), but last night I got her to laugh harder than I had ever seen her! It was so random too - I was just laying down with her on my bed just chillin and I pretended to sneeze... and that was it! She giggled, and so I pretend-sneezed again, and she giggled harder, and so on and so forth. I had to pause for a few seconds between sneezes so she could catch her breath! ahh it was the most precious thing. It started sounding like a real giggle rather than a little baby giggle haha. It went on for about 10 minutes, and she probably would've kept laughing, but it was ME who was too tired to keep going! Jason recorded it on his phone... I wish I could figure out how to upload it on here! If I can figure it out later, i'll try to post it on another future blog or something. Anyway, just thought I'd share that lil story with y'all... I've noticed a lot of people post blogs about their children, and since I don't have any, I can just talk about other people's kids! that sounds kinda creepy...

Since I don't have a video of her, here's a recent picture of her at the top. And it has Will and Tanner in it too!

Monika's First Blog!

So this week is my spring break, and rather than going on a carazy road trip with friends - I decided to take it as an opportunity to start a blog. I consistently write in a journal, but lately I've been having a hard time getting around to it because I'm always at school or playing tennis or basketball or I'm at the library... well, something that keeps me away from my house. So I figured since I always have my laptop with me, why not have my journal be online? I still have yet to decide if this is a good idea... it might not be a good thing to let my friends and family read my random thoughts about life - because when I say random, I really mean random. So really, this blog is for my own satisfaction, and to help me sort out my thoughts and contemplations. If others happen to enjoy it as well, that would be excellent. I don't really have much else to say right now... so I guess this is it!

(After re-reading this, I've decided I haven't gotten off to a very good start. This is my very first post, and all I can talk about is how I've decided to start a blog. Wow.)