Awkward is the New Cool

My semester is fantastic. I'm totally on top of (almost) every class, my living situation is fabulous (hello, two minutes from campus), I see at least three Jerusalem friends everyday, my outside-of-Jerusalem social life is picking up, I got through the Provo temple in a record-breaking hour this week, scripture study and prayer have been really satisfying lately, and my arms are sore from swimming. Life is soooooo good and that is an understatement. Really people, I am convinced if everyone lived the quality of life I do Israel would tear down the separation wall, Iran would dismantle their nuclear program, and we would all ride unicorns under rainbows sucking on lollipops. My Miss America crown should be arriving in the mail any day now. I know you watched that pageant so don't you dare tell me I wouldn't win with that platform. Like, please. If Miss Wisconsin can win on a platform based off of her father's incarceration then I can definitely win off a platform based on unicorns.

I don't know that I have anything in particular to say, other than male infertility is a huge problem in Mali. But you already knew that. I could offer an entertaining story? Cassie and I were lovingly picking out eggs for the week in the grocery store as three boys from our new ward passed us. And naturally I was friendly, "Oh hey guys! Fun times grocery shopping? Awesome." which was met with blank faces and mumbling. Being the oblivious person I am, I totally did not realize they had no clue who we were and they definitely thought strangers were hitting on them in the grocery store. Cassie tried to save the day by yelling out, "We're from your ward!" a tad too late though one of the boys apparently heard. Imma interject here with some outrage. I KNOW one of those boys helped us move in and we met the other two at our ward party. So who do they think they are, going about and not remembering us?? We're memorable people, alright? Later one of the boys tried to ameliorate the situation by confirming our new-ness in the ward and then conversing with us. Of course I then made the situation worse by interjecting awkward one liners in inappropriate places of the conversation, " Jerusalem reunions are so great, we just like to touch each other." Don't worry, my social standing in that ward isn't totally shot...yet. I've heard that awkward is the new cool. Oh you've heard that too? Cool - I mean awkward.

I Love to Love!

I think I have an incredible ability to love. Like the love I have for my beautiful new Country Dance TA? Incredible. This, however, gets to be a significant problem especially when faced with life decisions. Exhibit A: a list of BYU majors I wish I had.

Acting

Arabic Language

Bioinformatics

Economics

English

Exercise Science

Food Science

Geography

Graphic Design

Industrial Design

International Relations

Korean

Landscape Management

Mathematics

Media Art Studies

Microbiology

Middle East Studies

Music Dance Theatre

Nursing

Nutritional Science

Photography

Special Education

Theatre Arts Studies

...these can all be hobbies, right???

Mitt is So Mormon...

I've found a new favorite kind of joke and it's of the Mitt Romney flavor. Probably, you'all have heard of these but I find them delicious. From Religious Dispatches:

Earlier this week, Florida evangelical Christian leader John Stemberger endorsed Rick Perry’s campaign for GOP presidential nominee. According to Stemberger, Perry was more “trustworthy” on social conservation issues like abortion rights. On Romney, Stemberger said: “The issue not that he is a Mormon. The issue is that he wasn’t Mormon enough.”

Apparently Stemberger's comment begun a string of 'Mitt is so Mormon' jokes on twitter @askmormongirl that I find hilarious. My favs?

Mitt is so Mormon he’s related to the other Mormon presidential candidate and half of his own campaign volunteers as well.

Mitt is so Mormon that his campaign “oppo” team has done all the other candidates’ genealogy.

Mitt is so Mormon he’s organizing his precinct walkers in pairs to knock doors with a very special message.

Mitt Romney is so Mormon that he’s afraid to join the Tea Party because of Doctrine & Covenants 89.

Mitt is so Mormon he’d ask the Elders Quorum to move him into the White House.

Mitt is so Mormon, he has four cats named 1 Nephi, 2 Nephi, 3 Nephi and 4 Nephi. (4 Nephi is the small one.)

So in case you didn't catch that: Mitt is sooooo Mormon.

Calling All Lovers Of Fotobooths

Maybe it's the Asian pride in me or maybe it's just too much pinterest but I have an undying love of all fotobooths, even those itty bitty ones in the mall that only seat 1 1/2 people. So when Asia asked me to put together a guest sign in for Leslie's bridal shower all I could see was cheesy props and pictures in groups of three. Considering our limited supplies in Jerusalem I think it turned out really nicely. End product:

I might be a little proud, but mostly I'm completely stoked that this could actually work for my (distant) future wedding. Of course I'm planning a wedding without a boyfriend. Who needs a boy when you have pinterest? ...Don't answer that.

Happy One Year Anniversary, Ling Ling!

When I started this blog, and all 800 of my journals, I didn't have any particular goals or any general audience in mind. In fact, I didn't even intend to tell people about my alternate persona 'Ling Ling'. You know, the alternate personality who admits how in love she is with her TAs, proudly proclaims her accomplishments across the internet, and thinks she is pretty funny... oh wait, that last one is me. I just meant to write about myself for myself and see where myself would lead me. And after a lifetime of failed journals and one surprisingly successful year of a blog, I have learned quite a lot about myself. I do not care at all about deadlines. I like lame jokes. I care about the real world...the one that exists outside of this Utah bubble. I take pictures. I overuse question marks and colons. I think my family is out-of-this-world hilarious. And lastly, but probably most importantly, I don't care enough about what I'm putting on the internet. Like my dream crush on Devin...totes not approp.

Of course, I guess I did tell a few people about my blog (but only out of honesty when directly asked the question 'do you have a blog?') and so I begun posting with only one goal in mind: entertainment. Maybe I've strictly adhered to this, maybe I haven't. In reference to my journal I once told a friend, "My general goal is to write something that someone will eventually want to read, so I throw in some dinosaurs here and there and call it a day. Historical accuracy? Not really a priority." I apply the same philosophy to my blog, hence the tagline "I reserve the right to exaggerate as much as possible". I sincerely hope you, whoever you are (my sources tell me mainly the continental US, Alaska, and Canada), have been entertained this year. I certainly have. And if you find this need was not met, just follow the links at the bottom of this post. I know plenty of entertaining internet treasure troves.

From some cute girls at BYU who I will probably recognize on campus and then have to pretend like I don't: http://awkwardgirls.blogspot.com/

This is a sophmore at BYU-I and she gets all her clothes thrifted alllllll the time. It's incredible. She's also inspiring me with her No-Make-Up-November: http://thriftedthings.blogspot.com/

You don't know this girl but I do and she is saucy:http://freethebody.blogspot.com/2010/10/shark-week.html

Fuuuuunnnnnny: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

I'M DONE

This is normally how I feel about Finals Week:

but this Finals Week I'm already partying!

I finished my last final this afternoon and lemme tell you IT FEELS SO GOOD. In celebration we spent another night at the Western Wall dancing and singing with the Jews as they welcomed in Shabbot. BEST END OF FINALS PERIOD. Now I have one week of homework-less Jerusalem and two weeks of Christmas bliss at home to look forward too. With only one week left, I'm feeling fairly ambivalent. I'm sad to leave one of the most incredible places on earth and all the family I've found here but I just know there are so many equally exciting and awesome things in my future, whatever they may be.

In the name of posterity I'll be posting all those things I was supposed to be blogging in November in the next few days but also saying I blogged them in November. Confused? Don't worry about it, just be checking posts in the month of November.

C. S. Lovely

On the book list: Mere Christianity

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. That is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of [an] army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of the wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives into temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because he was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means” (Mere Christianity, 126)

Isn't that interesting?

I Like People

Looking back at my Jerusalem posts, it's me and...me. I promise there were other people in Jerusalem I interacted with on a daily basis. They are some of my favorite people in the whole world, yes, all 82 of them. I lubba lubba you guys!