These Monkeys are Overrated

Everyone thinks these monkeys are so cute, but I see them for what they really are: annoying, ugly pests.

Yes, their fur is cute for the first two milliseconds, but their chirping and jumping all over you annoy me. Don't these monkeys know the meaning of "personal space"?

In addition, they are not as cute as they look. Everyone fawns on them like they're little animals and super adorable, but their faces irritate me.

I HATE MONKEYS!!!

It's Official: Facebook Makes Me Feel Bored

I've finally done it. I reactivated my facebook account. I haven't gone on since late June/Early July.

I was just so frustrated with Facebook for 4 reasons:

1) No one was talking to me: It's like everyone logs onto facebook in the summer, but does nothing productive (i.e. Post lovely wall posts on my wall....)

2) I wanted to lessen my dependency on technology for staying in meaningful relationships.

3) Anyone I really cared to talk to I could talk to using alternate means (i.e. phone calls/ texting)

4) It was super boring!!!!

I caved in and reactivated it this morning. Not because I was craving cyber-relationships, but for one reason:

To make sure the guy I fancy is still single.

Yep. Your girl Sandra is a bit of a lunatic. I don't have his number, so I was counting on Facebook to start a little cyber-convo that could hopefully translate to real talk when we go back to school

I know it's totally hypocritical, but I'm desperate!

Needless to say, he's still single. Obviously holding out on me ;)

Sandra

Pilates or Yoga...or Both!

Hey, all.

Recently, I've been going through a Fitness Revolution. I've been working out well for the last two weeks. Although I am happy pounding the pavement (or conveyor belt of a treadmill), jump roping, and elliptical-ling to my heart's desire, I feel as if my fitness is one-sided.

I've steadily avoided weights (after reading that my body shape shouldn't add weights until I lose weight...irony!), but I know that strength training and cardio are just two pieces of the puzzle.

The last remaining factor is flexibility. I may be fit, but ask me to reach my right arm over my shoulder to touch my left hand and we've got problems.

As such, I've resolved that I want to start incorporating Yoga and or Pilates into my fitness regimen.

I've always hated Yoga. Ever since my gym teacher played the DVD non-stop in Body Shaping (thanks Ms. Herr!), I've been convinced that Hell is comprised of Downward Dogs and Warrior Poses. However, I cannot deny the beauty that constant Yoga does to a body. Look!

Bundchen Yoga">

In addition to giving people hot bodies, Yoga is great for flexibility. I can't wait to see what my body is capable of after STICKING to a Yoga routine.

Not only that, Yoga fanatics can make one go glassy-eyed over their descriptions of how at peace they feel when they do Yoga. And as much as I'd like to say they're on something, I can attest to that fact.

During one of my numerous dalliances with Yoga, while I was wishing my instructor death in the most horrible way for putting my very inflexible body through the thousandth Downward dog, I could not help but admit that when I stopped focusing on my rage, I felt a connection with my body. When I close my mind and focus on my breathing, my mind isn't wandering as it usually does. It is focusing on each inhale and exhale and time stops.

We'll see. Hopefully I can do both Pilates (which I don't hate at all) and Yoga at the same time. It'd be nice to start the morning off with Pilates and cool down with Yoga before bed.

Awesome body (and spiritual awareness), here I come!

Until Next Time!

Film Fridays: Marie Antoinette

This week, I watched Sofia Coppola's Marie Antionette. As seen by the title, the movie was based on the life of Marie Antionette, from her marriage to Louis XVI to the eve of her execution.

Marie Antionette is History's scapegoat and this movie does a good job of showing how helpless she really was. As a woman, she had no political power in the French court, yet she was blamed for all of France's troubles.

Likes:

-Costumes:

Have you seen the dresses? They were amazing! If there is anything historically correct about this movie, it is the dresses.

-Jason Schwartzman

He was a great King! He was perfectly awkward and endearing. He made you feel sorry for him being unable to, erm, perform. He got his key to work, eventually.

Versailles:

I love the palace and the setting for the movie. The setting was absolutely stunning.

The Camera Angles

The cinematography was exquisite. The swift shots kept you fully engaged at all times. There were really interesting angles that put the audience right alongside Marie Antoinette and all her debauchery.

The Food:

The food in the movie looked so appetizing. Half of me (okay, fine, ALL of me) wished I could just float through the screen, grab a couple pastries, then come home and stuff my face. But alas, not all dreams come true....

Dislikes

-No Accents

None of the main characters had any accents. French, Austrian, anything! It takes away from the magic of the movie.

-Casting

As much as I love Kirsten Dunst's voice, I feel that the casting of a mostly American cast in a French-specific movie was a slap in the face. The casting of French/European actors and actresses would have been refreshing and more authentic.

-Rock Music:

It was an anachronistic with the movie's history. I would've preferred some classical music or something, but the rock music was a jarring reminder of how this period piece was out of sorts of reality.

Bottom Line

This movie was entertaining, but don't expect it to give you a quick Sparknotes overview of what really went down. The cinematography was outstanding, but the best part of this movie was the display of all these events from her point of view. She is historically viewed as a selfish ice queen, but this portrayal shows her as what she was: a naive, sweet, but ill-prepared queen with no one on her side. Try ruling a kingdom with that kind of negative chi.

That's all for now. Have an awesome Friday!

Sincerely,

Sandra

Move-In Day!

Hey, all! Today, my sister Steph moved in (finally...) lol. It was rather swift and no tears were shed this time around. My parents, my sister, my little brother, Uzoh (a family friend who's like a brother to me, Steph, and Chudi) and yours truly helped move her in today.

Here's a shot of all of us as we walk to the garage to go home after dropping off Steph's stuff in her dorm.
Here we are again. :)
Here's Steph, BEFORE our 11 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS journey to Steph's new dorm room.

Here's my little brother, guarding Steph's stuff like a real G.

This is all Steph took with her to college. All she took was a suitcase, matress set, her lacrosse stick, Boris the Panda, and some shoes. Like she always says, "Minimalism is in." I should keep that in mind when I'm bringing my whole house with me to move in next month.

Watching Steph settle in was refreshing! Not that I won't miss her, but her leaving usually signals that my departures is not too far off. As much as I love hanging out here at home, I yearn for the city. For dorm life. For people my age. For good-looking collegiate men.

Oh, well. It's only 24 days from now, but who's counting? ;)

Sincerely,

Sandra

I Want It All

Hey, all.

I was just listening to Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush. It's a show that features 4 young men who create a pop band. Initially, they were wary about the pop-star lifestyle and were all convinced they all wanted different things. Little did they know that deep down, they all loved music and they truly enjoy following their dreams.

Cheesy antics aside, this show is a good way of showing kids what they are getting into when they say they want to be stars. It also instills good values that you don't see often in Hollywood: loyalty, hard work, and genuineness.

In between commercials, there was a couple "Behind the Scenes" look at the REAL band, Big Time Rush. It filled me with pride, watching these 4 fulfilling their dreams. They are gambling everything (their privacy, anonymity, time, future) for a shot at stardom-- and they're succeeding.

Listening to their theme song, there were generic words like "never quit, make it big, make it real, make it count, play it straight" etc. The one that got me was:

"Come on, shake it up/What you gotta lose...If you want it all, lay it on the line/It's the only life you've got/so you gotta live it big time."

These Nickelodeon pop tarts are right! I can't get what I want by wishing.

Time to stop wishing on a star (here's looking at you, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White) and start working on my dream (like Princess Tiana).

See y'all. I gotta get to work ;)

Until Next Time,

Sandra

Spring/Summer Cleaning!

I started cleaning my massive pile of organized school junk and I saw my special folder where I kept all my college booklets. I'd been obsessing over college since I was in elementary school (my elementary school teacher reminded me about a time when I cried about a B on a test, thinking "it would affect my application to Stanford")


It just makes me nostalgic for those days when the world was my oyster. Although I am in no way unhappy with my current school, I still kinda wonder what could've been if I'd changed my high school experience. What if I spent a little bit more time studying for my SAT/ACT instead of playing sports? Would those extra hours of watching the news helped me relate to my interviewers?


Most importantly, the main question I have is: Could I have gotten into an Ivy League like I always dreamed if I had worked just a LITTLE bit harder?


I guess we'll never know. I just have to make this Public Ivy help me forget about those silly East Coast schools. But UCLA's no consolation prize anyway ;)

The 2 Month Itch....

Hey, all. I have an announcement to make:

I miss school.

There, I said it. What can I say? I love the change a new school year brings. I love taking new classes, meeting new people, and (dare I say it?) Learning. I didn't even know I that I loved to learn until this summer.

Usually, summer's a chance to recharge my battery and rest my brain after a "strenuous" year of school. However, after one year at college, I am itching to go back.

I thought it was because I wanted to return back to the safety of my dorms to allow myself to get into whatever nerdy shenanigans I usually engage in, but I realize that is more than that. I want to return to school to become a better student. There is so much knowledge in the world, and I want to challenge myself to become a more intelligent person. Nothing is sexier than an intelligent woman. ;)

I go to UCLA, and it is extremely inspiring to be surrounded by so many smart people. It just makes me eager to finally join the ranks. My goal when I matriculated was to become "that one smart girl at UCLA". I haven't accomplished that title yet, but I want it so badly now.

I feel like I sort of wasted my freshman year. Yeah, it was my first year of college and all, but that's not an excuse for mediocrity. This is my year to shine. Nothing, not even my own laziness is gonna stop me (hopefully)

Until next time,

Sandra

I've Been Unfaithful

Hello, all.

I have to admit...I've cheated.

Before you start crying and wondering how I could've done something so selfish since what we had was special and all, let me explain further:

I went and got a tumblr.

When I first heard of tumblr, I thought it was a dumb idea; why have a mini-blog when you can get a real, legitimate blog for free? It's like having a Twilight book in a shelf full of REAL Vampire literature: LAME.

Yet, I found myself getting stir-crazy and restless with my nowhere blog. I thought of awesome blog topics, but I can't organize my thoughts correctly. Moreover, I can't decide where this blog is going.

So, I decided to step back from the exhausting task of blogging once a month and get a mini tumblr. I got one, posted a post...and immediately returned back to my blogspot.

It meant nothing, I swear! lol

All jokes aside, I'll try to keep a real blog going from now on words. What it'll entail, I don't know.

But you sure are welcome to sit along for the ride ;)

Sincerely,

Sandra

I'm Back...from Vegas/ Laziness

Hey, all. I'm sorry, I've been away so much. Just have been uber-lazy/busy at the same time. I went with Vegas with the family, but it wasn't so funny. I discovered that these are the four people who have the most fun in Vegas:

1) Those who drink
2) Those who have money to buy drinks/ eat in expensive restaurants
3) Those who are coming with their hip, young friends, but not their family
4) All of the above

Basically, since I didn't fulfill any of the requirements, I didn't have a super swell time. No matter; a family friend's family (that's right, right?) came over and their older son and my siblings and I had a lot of fun just talking, watching movies, and playing this random hotel key conspiracy game.

Anyways, just wanted to update y'all on what's going on. Stay tuned for more updates because I've got a lot on my mind and I need to unleash it to the masses (or just me, but it's okay ;)

Until Next Time,

S.

The Fallacy of Nigerian Parenting

Hey, all. I'm not my usual happy self. Yesterday was a day full of tears, insults, assumptions and just all around negative chi. It was the most honest conversation I've had with my parents, yet nothing was resolved. I feel like after all that, nothing has changed except for the temporary walking on egg shells.

One thing that was established last night, or better yet, re-established, was the hierarchical system of parent and child. Parents tell their children what to do, no matter how rudely, harshly, or unnecessarily mean they do it. They are validated because they are Nigerian. Children are supposed to blindly obey and do whatever you ask (whether it is to clean the kitchen or eat hot coals) with a grin.

I thought I reached a breakthrough with my mother, but every time we seemed on the verge of doing so, she just got back up and mocked me, saying things were 10X worse in Nigerian.

Let me just start off and say: WE ARE NOT IN NIGERIA!!! I don't know how many times we have to say that. Yes, y'all had it rough and we understand your sacrifice, but don't blame us for everything. Don't take out your anger on the outside world and bring it to your home, then say you have a right to do whatever because you are Nigerian.

Another thing, it's like Nigerian parents are NEVER wrong. My dad, who has never tried to pursue a relationship with his daughters, is validated because why wouldn't I go downstairs and tell him about my life? He's a Nigerian man, so it's all okay. It's all my fault, see? My mom isn't wrong to beat me STILL when there's a miscommunication. She can use her harsh tones on me, but she catches the slightest detection of disrespect and I am super evil.See how quick the whole "we don't understand we are yelling" excuse vanishes?

Nigerians are more like Americans than they believe, because they are both hypocrites. I hope to God that I don't raise my kids as hypocritically as my parents have done so. I appreciate everything they do, but I can no longer deal with trying to balance the two worlds. They want my American independence, but Nigerian obedience.

From now on, I just need to be the dutiful Nigerian daughter they want. They'll probably be too overjoyed to not hear me speak to realize that I'm just an empty shell. Oh, well. Three more summers of this (if that) and I'm living in LA full time.

Until then,

S.

World Cup 2010: A Review

I highly doubt it, but if you haven't heard, Spain won the World Cup. I'm happy, because I was pulling for Spain to beat Netherlands. Nothing against the Dutch; I just knew more players (Fabregas, Torres, and Casillas) to the only player on the Dutch side (but my heart will always belong to you, Van Persie ;)

Despite the happiness I felt, I also felt a bit of disappointment. I wasn't super excited about this World Cup. I was super excited to see it start, but with the daily shuffle of going to school and working, the World Cup fell to the wayside.

A Couple Factors contributed to this lukewarm feeling to the World Cup:

1) Big Disappointments:

Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka, and Rooney. All were big-name superstars expected to lift their teams to glory. Unfortunately, they all choked. I don't want to be a douche about it and say mean things, but when you're at the professional level, it shouldn't matter how much you're being paid to play for a club. Every soccer playing kids' dream is to play for the World Cup and I feel like they wasted their opportunities.

In addition, France and Italy: Returning finalist were booted first? What is the world coming to? Both teams failed to make it out of their brackets. I guess it's true what they say about soccer never being constant.

2) Spoilers

Everytime I wanted to do something innocent like check my e-mail, the score would be plastered on my homepage. That's how I learned the score of several important games. In fact, the games that I really wanted to watch were already posted.

It wasn't just me. My dad, a huge soccer fanatic, complained that many American radio stations who couldn't tell a corner kick from a penalty kick, would ruin the score at midday.

It's hard to enjoy a game when you know what the score is. I can't sit there in agony, knowing my favorite will meet their demise when I watch the recorded games with my dad.

3) America's Obsession with Landon Donovan

Landon Donovan and the US Team. That's another subject that still pisses me off. US got a few good wins, but their wins were based of last minute moments of brilliance and sheer luck; no good team should skate by on that alone.

Besides that, the American media, who has never taken a liking to soccer, decided to hoist America on their shoulders, join the World Cup bandwagon and overestimated US's potential. Needless, they got served by Ghana (Black Stars, ftw!). Which leads me to my next point.....

4) Ghana Getting Cheated by Suarez

This still really makes me mad. From a tactical point of view, it was a very smart and self-sacrificing move. From an ethical point of view, it was cowardly and dishonorable. I don't care if Ghana had a chance to make it up after, Suarez single-handedly (or double-handedly?) stole a victory from them. I couldn't believe it when I heard it and I can't believe that all the wanker got was a red card!

It's okay, Ghana had the support of all of Africa and we still love them for going farther than the other four countries in this World Cup. Plus, they got to meet with Nelson Mandela!

5) Cristiano Ronaldo has a Baby??

He waited til NOW to say he had a son! What the hell, man? I thought we had something special? Sob, sob, sob.

That's all for now! Thanks for listening :)

Until Next Time,

S.

Feeling Unhappy....

Hey, All. Sorry for the long absence. Decided to throw a quick blurb out into cyberspace about my body image.

For the most part, I look healthy. I have an hourglass shape (that you can barely depict, but hey, measurements don't lie) and I'm athletic. If you were to guess my weight, you'd be astonished. I've been blessed with a great frame to hide unpleasant weight gain. I've been able to coast off of the fact that I'm playing sports or that muscle weighs more than fat and all that.

But today in church (Catholics, holla!), I felt very subconscious. Throughout the day, I was dissatisfied with my green t-shirt because I felt that it wasn't super flattering. Of course, I wore the same outfit to church. My normally perfect-fit skinny jeans gave me a muffin top that I could actually feel. I felt uber-sensitive, as if someone from the pew behind me would reach over and grab my love-handles.

Suffice to say, I never feel this self-conscious. But being me, I'm determined to do something about it. I'm gonna live my life by three simple goals (at least until summer's over):

1) Eat healthy and right.

2) Exercise regularly

3) Buy clothes that FIT, regardless of the size.

I'd rather be a perfectly fitting 8 or 9 then a barely-contained size 6 or 7 (or better yet, I'd rather be a perfectly fitting 4 or 6.....).

That's all. Thought I'd share :)

Until Next Time,

S.

P.S. Spain won the World Cup. More on that later...

Why I Love to Exercise

Hello, all. I hope you had a "Happy Americans Who Didn't Want to Pay Taxes Day", or Independence Day, as it is commonly known. I had a surprisingly chill one myself, which is really weird, since I am the daughter of immigrants. On the other hand, "Happy 4th of July" was not explicitly expressed, we just happened to have a barbecue that same day.

Regardless, after stuffing my face (and stomach) with countless rolls of bread (I'm gonna pay for that later), I woke up this morning with the resolve to go to the gym. I surprised myself with sticking with it (I usually talk myself out of it before rising from the bed). I went to the local gym and busted out a 20-minute treadmill workout at about 6.5mph.

This is great news for me, because it is helping me reach my goal of running straight for 30 minutes. I'm trying to get back into soccer shape, so the more I run (and faster, too), the better shape I'll be in for tryouts in the fall.

I was feeling full of cheer, so I decided to dedicate this post on why I love to exercise. Check it out:

1) I get to escape the stress of the day and just focus on one thing: my training.

2) My body image improves (I look at my legs and am pleased to see the muscles in my quads working as I run)

3) I feel more confident and proud knowing that I'm working to chisel a body that I will be proud of later.

4) I actually feel energized and ready to go about my day's activities

5) I eat less, knowing that I can't overeat and waste the calories I spent so much time burning.

6) I guzzle so much water during the day after I exercised.

7) I sweat and I actually feel pretty sweating :)

8) People see me as a healthy individual, and although you shouldn't care what other people think, it does boost your confidence.

9) I feel good knowing that I'm losing inches and buying smaller sizes in clothes.

10) It just makes me happy.

I posted it here, so next time I think of a reason why I don't want to workout I have proof of my euphoric feelings later.

Until Next Time,

S.

I Got a Job!

Hello, all! Today, I got a job offer at......

Best Buy! This is sweet for a couple reasons:

a) I've got a job. Now I can spend my hard-earned money on stuff like vanilla-shea butter and clothes (I've got to add more skinny jeans to my collection. I've been wearing the same 3 in rotation, hoping no one notices, lol)

b) I passed their personality aptitude test. Last time I applied (two years ago), they threw out my application because my personality was "all over the place". Believe me, when you answer 200 questions on whether or not you're "creative" or "like to work with people", your answers will also get kinda scattered.

3) Money! Need I say more? I'm a broke college student. Give me a break.

4) I get to work with my cool bud, G-Bach. We went to high school and now we are going to college together. Apparently, he's my superior/training person, so I need to go through him to earn my blue shirt. I'll just have to expedite that process so I'm not wearing a white shirt like a noob.

5) It's close to home; I can ride my bike like the French do. The French are so glamorous.

6) Hot guys. Hot guys + Love for Electronics= Naturally stopping by Best Buy. Hello, flirting ops.

That's all for now. The environment seems coo and relaxed, so hopefully I'll like this job better than the last ones. Now to move onto that pesky drug test....

Until Next Time,

S

She's the Man

I'm sitting here with my little bro watching She's the Man. I got inspired to watch it for two reasons:

1) I wanted to see someone go through the same struggle as me as they reach their soccer goals (I'm trying to make the club soccer team at my school)

2) I watched Coach Carter for a hot second and remembered what a hottie Channing Tatum was.

Anyway, here's an ode to the hottie that was Channing Tatum. He used to be super hot. Observe:

He's sort of lost his...edge recently, but who can blame him? It must be hard work making a body like that, and even harder work maintaining it. Either way, his six-pack is forever branded in my mind's eye.

Until Next time,

S.

P.S. I'm kinda sad that Amanda Bynes retired from acting. She's a natural. At least she left at her peak rather than her downfall.

Hello, Lovers!

Good evening, random viewers! I don't know how you managed to stumble upon my humble little blog, but you are cordially welcome.

You may wonder what the purpose of this blog is. Basically, it's a place for me to drop my random musings into one neat little package.

Hopefully I can use this blog to write about my favorite topics (fashion, hair, health, fitness, movies, celebrities, music and books) so when I'm almost 90, senile, and trying to seduce my hot male nurse in my old folks home, I can have this to look back on and remember the good old days of a 19 year old in the beautiful state of California (queue "California Gurlz")

Since you are gonna get to know a lot about my interest, you might as well get a sliver into the person behind the blog. I'm a 19 year old college student (UCLA, holla!!) I'm Nigerian, a vegetarian, and a very quirky chick. But I've grown to love my quirks, because quirks are cute :)

Anyway, it's about that time (the time where I can't think of anything else interesting to write).

Until next time,

S.