Happy Holidays & Hawaii

Hmm... no new posts? It must mean that finals season is over! For what it's worth, I went to Oahu for the first time this past week. It was wonderful, although I did learn I enjoy adventure vacations more than relaxing vacations :) A few favorite pics:

Hawaii: Where the firetrucks have surfboards!

[my friend] on the Manoa Falls trail

traditional Hawaiian fare at the original Ono Hawaiian Food-- Laulau, Kalua Pork, and Poke (we even tried a little Poi later-- a sour purplish paste they eat as Asians would eat rice-- wasn't used to it at all!)

beautiful Hanauma Bay

"fresh cut pineapple" served with all your McD's value meals :)

a view down from Diamond Head

classic Waikiki Beach, love how shallow and clear the water is

the crazy Banyan trees

listening to Hawaiian music at sunset

beachfront drinks at the "Pink Palace" while watching the sun set. wonderful.

pretty hibiscus flower spotted in Waimea Valley


huge, comforting trees of Waimea Valley

sunset at North Shore...

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No Picture of the Post since there were so many pictures :)

Downtown LA

I give quite a bit of thought as to where I want to live in the future. I really love urban cities, public transportation, and walkable neighborhoods. I also like sunny weather [year round], diversity in population, and laid back attitudes.

Finding a cross between these traits is actually quite difficult. For example, I love SF but the weather is a bit too gloomy for me. Moving outside of the city to the bay area would be taking away the awesome walkable urban city part. LA and SD have the great weather, but they are better characterized as a collection of suburbs than a true urban city. And don't get me started on public transportation. SD also lacks a bit in the diversity sector.

The winters in European cities are too cold. Hong Kong is a possibility, but the attitudes there are a little rough for me. I've never been to any cities down under so it's hard for me to say.

SOOO, with that extremely long introduction, I have come to be very interested in the development of downtown LA. I've grown up in LA, generally like the weather despite the pollution (gotta admit SD's weather is better), there's great diversity here in both people and things to do, etc etc.

But I hate that there is no city center. I would love to see downtown grow to become a walkable area that is lively and safe at night. It seems like it's really possible.

There are many issues, of course. The homeless and others living in low-income housing is probably #1. That needs to be dealt with fairly. Not that I want downtown to become all 'pristine' like Century City-- the character is actually why I would prefer to work in downtown rather than the westside. "Safe" is different from sterilized. I think I'm in the minority though, because a lot of professionals I talk to want to work in the westside, or are really glad that they work in cc instead of "eww" downtown. I hope the Hollywood attitude doesn't migrate to downtown-- one west side is enough... although it seems a bit inevitable with all the fancy restaurants, hotels, and clubs popping up.

Anyway, I can't wait for all the developments to continue. Hopefully there will be widened sidewalks, more retail spaces at street level, better public transportation (the extentions of the subway are a start), improved safety measures, etc. The Nokia theater looks nice, and I'm sure the Ritz Carlton high rise next to it will change that area drastically (some cons but mostly pros to me).

My most anticipated project, however, is the Grand Avenue development. It's going to run from the Disney Concert Hall to the city hall, with a huge park area running down the middle. Frank Gehry's team is designing the bit, so it'll look pretty fantastical. A lot of people (architects) criticize his designs, but from a layperson's point of view, I really enjoy them. Brings some happiness and thrill to an otherwise boring landscape.

Some renderings:

I totally want to live here, at least for a few years!

The 8th and Grand development looks interesting, too:
http://www.8thandgrand.com/

(all pictures above are from google searches)

Anyway, it'll be really interesting to see how downtown grows in the next decade. I hope to be there to witness it! Here are a few good blogs that follow the downtown scene:

http://www.angelenic.com
http://blogdowntown.com
http://mydowntownlosangeles.blogspot.com/


Ok, back to studying for wills & trusts...

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Picture of the Post:

while I'm on westside vs. downtown thing:
in the Mondrian on Sunset

Lawry's in a Mall Food Court

So in Westfield's Century City mall, there is a pretty nice food court. I used to love getting chili from this one vendor called "Red Rock Chili," so I was pretty sad to hear that it is no longer there. But then my informant casually mentioned that it was replaced by a Lawry's steak sandwich joint-- Lawry's Carvery.

Yup, that Lawry's that everyone in my high school seemed to think was the fanciest place to go to in LA. In a mall food court ahah. YAY! Isn't Century City just so fancy schmancy? Well, I guess you can get Lawry's products in Ralph's. Anyway, so that became next on my to-do list for quick eats.

Actually to be honest when I went to the Lawry's in Beverly Hills, I didn't have the best experience. But I will admit that it was probably because I was foolish and got my prime rib medium rare (maybe even medium... ::blushes::). Which is kind of weird because I don't really mind red red meat as long as it's not still moo-ing. But anyway, it was pretty damn chewy, like secretly-spit-chewy-portions-into-my-napkin chewy.

So I was ready to get a steak sandwich when I realized you could just get a regular plate of prime rib with sides. Well I love mashed potatoes like no other so W and I went for it. and..... It was awesome. It was actually even better than what I had at the restaurant, isn't that sad?

So if you ever want Lawry's prime rib and don't care about the atmosphere, head to the CC food court! It's not exactly food court prices, but I thought it was worth it-- $14.99 for 6 oz., $19.99 for 9 oz., and $24.99 for 12 oz., all including two sides.


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Picture of the Post:

while we're on the topic of food:
traditional Bavarian fare in Munich's Hofbrauhaus

More Shootings

Another disturbed teen has gunned down random people and then shot himself. It's kind of sad that it's to the point that, while this news is upsetting and very sad, it is hardly surprising or shocking anymore. I remember when Columbine first happened, it was just horrific shock.

I'm sure there are some interesting studies on the psychology and sociology surrounding this worrisome trend (which has even carried over to other countries). It's not just about access to guns (although more limits would be nice...) or parenting (there have always been bad parents, bad friends)... or even bullies at school anymore (trend of mall shootings?). I don't know what it is. Obviously one part of it is just seeing other people do it and get media attention from it, and wanting the same. But this 'wanting the same' must come from a new psyche that wasn't there before, I think...

Oftentimes these shooters want to leave the world with some mark, any mark. Want to be noticed. I wonder if this is different from before. Most humans have always wanted to be known and/or remembered, but this is different in character. I wonder if it has something to do with our society becoming more complacent and in turn more frustrated. Does that make sense? And why it seems to have a particular effect on teenage boys... can it really be explained away by hormones or gender differences? Maybe a twisted sense of recapturing loss of masculinity in this culture.

I don't know. All I know is that I'm done with two finals. And thus we return back to our little world and lives.

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Picture of the Post

A cloudy moment in the German Alps

Finals Time = Posting Time

Only 9.5 hours until my first final of 2nd year. I'm less stressed that I was last year, but I'm not as stress-free as some people said I would be during 2L~! Anyway, here I am, studying for my favorite course this semester: Intro to Fed Tax. I love posting while I'm supposed to be studying.

Tax is probably the most interesting course I've taken so far in law school. Maybe it's because of my professor... I think everyone loves him. He has that dry humor-- in that way that if someone else did it (like me), it wouldn't be very funny.

E.g.: "so over the weekend I got a flood of emails basically asking two things. The first had to do with [tax topic here]. The second batch all kept asking me, 'so did you really hit an awesome game of golf this weekend??,' and well I'm surprised so many of you wanted to know, but frankly, yes I did." Ha.. Ha.., right? well, it's really funny in class :)

Anyway tax is interesting because of both policy issues and also just learning about ways to reduce your own taxes. It's interesting to see what behaviors are encouraged through the tax code--buying a home, owning a business, getting married (for some anyway... for two high wage earners it actually hurts the couple)... and how much our lives/options are affected by seemingly minor changes in the code.

In some ways, I feel that something as boring-sounding as "Fed Tax" can be more interesting than the sexy-sounding classes like "International Criminal Law"...

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Picture of the Post:

Looking across to the Santa Maria della Salute church in Venice, Italy

My Golden Compass Daemon :)

This is my Golden Compass Daemon :)

I want to see this movie. Even though I've never heard of the book before... to be honest, as much as I love the Narnia books, I didn't really like the movie that much, so I hope that this movie does better. I really like Nicole Kidman too.

I love these fantasy stories, although sometimes it can make reality sad. After reading the Velvetine Rabbit when I was young, I really wanted my favorite stuffed dog to become real. And I thought maybe it didn't because I didn't love it enough, which made me sad.

Anyway you can take a quiz and find out your own Daemon at the website hahaha
http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/

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Update:

So I found it interesting that these books are based on a trilogy with atheist viewpoints. And that the author hated C.S.Lewis and wrote these as "the other side to the story" of Narnia's allegories. Apparently there is a little bit of upset from the religious side that they are making a film that introduces kids to 'anti-Christianism' and atheism.

I guess I'm not surprised that some more extreme religious groups would be upset, but I doubt that the message is carried over too much. I mean the Narnia movie wasn't a religious movie to me. Hollywood is a business and I doubt they would try to endanger their market by making it too one way or the other.

Besides, there's really not much wrong with making a film on 'atheist' books if it's okay to make a movie (Narnia) based on Christianity. Why censor kids from a fair debate? Plus, crazy adults are forgetting that symbolism, religious or atheist, is often lost on kids. The allegories in Narnia were lost on me when I read then in 2nd, 3rd grade. I just thought it was a great story. Oh poor Susan didn't get to go back to Narnia because she no longer believed in Aslan! Sad turn of plot events'... wait a minute... anyway, I haven't read the Golden Compass books but I would think that it's a similar situation.

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/10/is_the_golden_compass_too_anti.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

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Picture of the Post

A Dragon fires on the crowds in Paris' train station.
(the dragon is made out of crumpled soda cans... I thought that was cool)

Amazon

I spent a good hour today reading reviews on Amazon's new e-book devise, the Kindle.

It's quite interesting-- at first I didn't really pay attention to its big ad on the frontpage of Amazon because... well, it looks kind of ugly, and I have never warmed up to the idea of an electronic device replacing the experience of reading from a real book.

But after reading reviews from people who have actually tried it out (most of the negatives are from people who haven't), it actually sounds like it might be something worth buying when I have the money.

The main point is that the screen reads like paper, with something called "e-ink" technology. There isn't the subtle flicker of, say, laptops, and so it's easy on the eyes like a normal book.

Some other major features include the fact that there is free wireless on it so that you can review, purchase, and download ebooks without having to find wifi or be plugged in. You can also subscribe to newspapers and blogs and magazines, which automatically dL onto the Kindle. There's even access to wikipedia-- I don't know the extent of the wireless usage beyond that.

This isn't meant to be a multi-media devise. For example, there's no color (I believe the technology for color 'e-ink' isn't there yet) and mp3s supposedly can only be played at random. But it seems to be really attractive for someone who wants to be able to easily carry a lot of reading material around (esp for traveling). It's light, so you could just pop it out and read it when you have a random five minutes here and there. That would be nice.

But at this very moment, $400 would have to be spent more wisely for me...


Some books I bought/ordered today:















I've been wanting to get Water for Elephants for a while... should be a good beach read in Hawaii :) The reviews on it are great, and from people who like similar books as I do.

Well, actually, these all have great reviews because I am OCD when it comes to reading reviews. I will research all similar products to death before coming down to a decision. It's probably a big waste of my time but I can't help it.

The Knowledge Book I bought from Borders, so it's the only one I have so far. It's awesome. It's by National Geographic and is very well laid out, with full color and lots of pictures (my favorite :) ). It was also really inexpensive for such a well made book.


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Picture of the Post:

What used to be on the Hotel Figueroa (next to the Staples Center). I really liked it.

Moth has turned into Butterfly

I will probably get sick of this super sweet design in a month, but change is always fun :)

Finals are in a week and I couldn't be more Procrastinatey than I am right now.

Picture of the Post:

in an alley in Mexico City's San Angel district

Aptera

an electronic car starting around $26K that will be available next year. interesting. i wonder how long it will be before electronic cars will catch on. It's good that, among other things, it will reduce emissions in areas where populations are most concentrated. And obviously the mileage issue (in the hybrid models). But you still have to consider that it takes gas to generate electricity in the first place..

http://www.aptera.com/

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Historical Drinking Stories

an interesting article on CNN....

"Drinking stories that put yours to shame"


1. Admiral Edward Russell's 17th-Century throwdown

Think you can drink like a sailor? Maybe you should take a moment to reflect on what that truly means.

The record for history's largest cocktail belongs to British Lord Admiral Edward Russell. In 1694, he threw an officer's party that employed a garden's fountain as the punch bowl.

The concoction? A mixture that included 250 gallons of brandy, 125 gallons of Malaga wine, 1,400 pounds of sugar, 2,500 lemons, 20 gallons of lime juice, and 5 pounds of nutmeg.

A series of bartenders actually paddled around in a small wooden canoe, filling up guests' cups. Not only that, but they had to work in 15-minute shifts to avoid being overcome by the fumes and falling overboard.

The party continued nonstop for a full week, pausing only briefly during rainstorms to erect a silk canopy over the punch to keep it from getting watered down. In fact, the festivities didn't end until the fountain had been drunk completely dry.


2. The London Brew-nami of 1814

The Industrial Revolution wasn't all steam engines and textile mills. Beer production increased exponentially, as well. Fortunately, the good people of England were up to the challenge and drained kegs as fast as they were made. Brewery owners became known as "beer barons," and they spent their newfound wealth in an age-old manner -- by trying to party more than the next guy.

Case in point: In 1814, Meux's Horse Shoe Brewery in London constructed a brewing vat that was 22 feet tall and 60 feet in diameter, with an interior big enough to seat 200 for dinner -- which is exactly how its completion was celebrated. (Why 200? Because a rival had built a vat that seated 100, of course.)

After the dinner, the vat was filled to its 4,000-barrel capacity. Pretty impressive, given the grand scale of the project, but pretty unfortunate given that they overlooked a faulty supporting hoop. Yup, the vat ruptured, causing other vats to break, and the resulting commotion was heard up to 5 miles away.

A wall of 1.3 million gallons of dark beer washed down the street, caving in two buildings and killing nine people by means of "drowning, injury, poisoning by the porter fumes, or drunkenness."

The story gets even more unbelievable, though. Rescue attempts were blocked and delayed by the thousands who flocked to the area to drink directly off the road. And when survivors were finally brought to the hospital, the other patients became convinced from the smell that the hospital was serving beer to every ward except theirs. A riot broke out, and even more people were left injured.

Sadly, this incident was not deemed tragic enough at the time to merit an annual memorial service and/or reenactment.

(skipped #3, thought it did not meet the same level as the others)


4. The worst aftertaste in history

In 1805, British Admiral Horatio Nelson was killed during the Battle of Trafalgar off the coast of Spain. Most sailors were simply put to rest at sea, but as an admiral, Nelson had to be brought back to England for an official burial.

To preserve his body during the voyage home, the second-in-command stored Nelson's body in the ship's vat of rum and halted all liquor rations to the crew. Not a bad idea, but when the ship reached port, officials went to retrieve Nelson's body and found the vat dry.

Disregarding good taste (in every sense), the crew had been secretly drinking from it the entire way home. After that, naval rum was referred to as Nelson's Blood.


5. Indian elephants raid the liquor cabinet

No wonder they don't sell beer at the circus. Apparently, elephants like to get wasted. In fact, an outpost of the Indian army in the jungle region of Bagdogra has been under attack ever since a local herd of elephants raided the base in search of food and discovered the soldiers' entire winter rations of rum.

Since then, the pachyderms have regularly raided the base for a drink and have smashed down all defenses put up by the army, including electrified fences and firewalls.

According to The Daily Telegraph, "An officer recently posted there explained that the elephants broke the rum bottles by cleverly curling their trunks around the bottom. Then they empty the contents down their throats. They soon got drunk, he said, and swayed around. They enjoy themselves and then return to the jungle."

This is by no means a singular incident, though. The animal kingdom is well-known for its ability to identify fruit that's begun to ferment. Anthropologists even believe this is how early man discovered alcohol -- by observing the strange behavior of animals on a fruit bender.

fine dining v. furakake

Lately I've been dining at several fancy shmancy restaurants because it is recruiting season. Firms can't stoop to the level of Applebee's or Claim Jumpers (both are restaurants that I like), so we have to go to Craft (top chef Tom's restaurant), AOC, Patina, Nick n Stef's, etc.

... Which is pretty awesome for me since I otherwise would not be going there on my measly grad student budget. Orrr I'd be going there and ordering one entree, MAYBE one drink, and nothing else. Not that there's anything wrong with that :) Anyway, the food is generally pretty dang good(notwithstanding my very sad experience at Nick and Stef's, a STEAK restaurant, where I felt compelled to order a SALAD oh horrors I don't even like salads at salad joints). Seared this, braised that, simmered something.

But today, as I was sitting at my desk savoring every mouthful of rice and furakake (japanese rice seasoning mmmm), I remembered thinking that as much as I enjoy eating the snazzy food, it really just doesn't hit home like an in n out burger or slice of really cheesy pizza with a glass of newcastle does. MAYBE an awesome steak with mashed potatoes will, but that's not really part of the fancy artsy crafty food party.

So at the end of the day, it's nice to be able to try these restaurants and I'm sure I will try more out once I have an actual income, but I don't see myself ever being one of those people who are ALL about trying out the latest trendiest restaurant so that I can feel super cool and tell my friends all about it. As delicious as the food is, and as much as I can appreciate the talents of the chef, it just won't do it for me like a steak, burger, or crunchwrap supreme will.

creepy ads

I love the marketing tactic where the spokesmodel unleashes some not-so-subtle subliminal message on you that you MUST have what they are harking. Example: Britney's fragrance, Fantasy, has the logo "everybody has one"

The latest one: Sarah Jessica Parker's "Covet"... the whole reason for this post was because I was watching Beauty and the Geek (great show btw ahah) and every time this commercial came on (which was quite often), I had to switch to the next channel because the ending freaked me out. She looks CRAZY! Which I assume is what she's going for but it just stepped over that line from "funny creepy" to "creepy creepy" for me.

It looks scarier on TV, I must admit.

Recover Lost Temporary Files

I almost had a heart attack this morning because a memo I had spent hours working on was suddenly goooone. Turned out it was because I was saving it as I had opened it from a Gmail account, making it a temp file, making it disappear when I decided to be responsible and actually shut down my computer. So it wasn't in the recycle bin, wasn't in the temp folder, was unsearchable.

3 failed recovery programs and 1 hour of Google research later, I found a cure:

First, download this program: Restoration

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/restoration.html


Then, go to the application you need (word, excel, etc), click on the restored copy, and do one of two things (it should become evident which you need):

1) on the "Open" button, click the little down arrow on the right of the button and select "open and repair"

2) on the drop down menu "File Type" select "Recover Text"


It won't be formatted but it will be a hell of a lot better than starting from scratch.


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Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee Flavor

I just tried this for the first time yesterday and it is deeeelicious. While searching for an image of it, I came across a negative review of it >:( So, as a disclaimer, I must first say that I really enjoy very sweet things, and that I like creme brulee.

The best part of this ice cream is the swirl of caramelized sugar. It really tastes like the crunchy top of creme brulee!!! and I love custard ice cream in general mmmmm.... and since it's pretty damn sweet, I can only eat a bit at a time which is good for me :)

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I also tried the black berry frozen yogurt flavor for the first time this weekend, which was also deeeelicious.

Cutest Grim Reaper Ever

I'm not a big cat person, but this article was interesting:

When death comes calling, so does Oscar the cat

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) -- Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

Oscar the cat doesn't like to be put out in the hall when a patient is dying.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means the patient has less than four hours to live.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," Dr. David Dosa said in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.

The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.

After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.

Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.

Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill

She was convinced of Oscar's talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn't eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near.

Oscar wouldn't stay inside the room, though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor's prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient's final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.

Doctors say most of the people who get a visit from the sweet-faced, gray-and-white cat are so ill they probably don't know he's there, so patients aren't aware he's a harbinger of death. Most families are grateful for the advance warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.

No one's certain if Oscar's behavior is scientifically significant or points to a cause. Teno wonders if the cat notices telltale scents or reads something into the behavior of the nurses who raised him.

Nicholas Dodman, who directs an animal behavioral clinic at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and has read Dosa's article, said the only way to know is to carefully document how Oscar divides his time between the living and dying.

If Oscar really is a furry grim reaper, it's also possible his behavior could be driven by self-centered pleasures like a heated blanket placed on a dying person, Dodman said.

Nursing home staffers aren't concerned with explaining Oscar, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to the dying.

Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care."

A Thousand Splendid Suns-- B+

The only book review I have left to do is Khaled Hosseini's (author of The Kite Runner) second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. I give it a B+ with the kindest praise possible. Just as in The Kite Runner, I couldn't help but get sucked into the story, so it is definitely a quick read. That's always a good sign.

However, perhaps because it followed The Kite Runner, I just wasn't as blown away by this story. It is still very interesting to read about the region during this time, but I felt that a lot of the styling and descriptions seemed overplayed the second time around. Hosseini is praised for his ability to aptly describe emotions and surroundings. I definitely felt that with The Kite Runner. Here, while it is mostly true, there were a few times that I found it to be a bit forced, almost cheesy.

The story itself is wonderful. The book transitions between the viewpoints of two different women whose lives start out very differently but end up very intertwined. Hosseini is undeniably masterful at this. Despite my criticisms earlier, I do find his ability to write from a woman's viewpoint impressive.

I would definitely say this is a successful second novel, no sophomore slump here. I just personally enjoyed his first work more.

Like Water for Chocolate- A-

Great book. Just finished reading this as part of my "self-prep" for my Mexico City trip, to get a flavor of Mexico. The short novel is broken up into monthly installments, each beginning with a recipe that is tied in to the story of Tita, the narrator's grandaunt. A classic love story with some unexpected fantasy thrown in. The book's unusual format and exaggerated storylines are hilarious and insightful, making for a unique and enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-- B+/A-

7/27 Update: WITH SPOILERS!

So we did make it out to the B&N store (party was pretty disappointing besides the costumes), but when 1130 rolled around we took one look at the MASSES of people forming outside the door (seriously I think a thousand people were there)and realized that this was not going to go down smoothly. So we hightailed out of the Grove and drove to the nearest Ralph's (yes, Ralph's), where we picked up a copy at midnight without any wait.

I liked the story a lot, right up to the epilogue. Just like any other Harry Potter book, I couldn't put it down... I liked Dumbledore's backstory and I LOVED the Snape story... even the Kreacher story was cute. What I didn't like was JKR's odd pacing of the story. She spent so much time elaborating on Harry, Ron, and Hermione being lost and hungry, and then hardly any time discussing the end of the book, which is what people really care about!

The ABSOLUTE WORST part of the book was definitely the epilogue. This was supposedly written a long time ago, maybe even during the first few books, but it doesn't mean she couldn't edit it. It's not so much the "perfect clean ending" I oppose, but more what was included and what was NOT included. Case in point: I do NOT care about Percy, but I DO care about George/Luna/etc. I wish we knew more about what everyone was doing, that Fred's death was addressed better (she seriously spent more time on George's ear than Fred's death), that Harry's reaction to learning the truth about Snape was developed more, etc etc. I have read that she may publish an "encyclopedia" of sorts to explain every character's back story and what happens to them, but it won't be the same.

But all in all, the story was good. Some people thought the Deathly Hallows themselves were pointless, but I thought it was important to show that even though Harry could have decided to possess all of them himself, he chose to give them up. A lot of contrasting done between Harry and Dumbledore/Voldemort/common person. I think JKR had several glitches in her story, but they all could have been forgiven easily had the epilogue been better...

All in all, I can't believe Harry Potter is over! :*(

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I'm going with my two co-workers to a Harry Potter book release party tonight at a Barnes & Noble. W thinks this is very nerdy :) I'm excited! I've never been to one... I've never even pre-ordered a book. But I think my co-workers and I fuel each other's HP craziness. It's fun to get excited for things. I'm avoiding all media outlets until I finish the book... I just better not overhear someone on the street spoiling the ending!


My predictions: - Snape is good. I think it'd be a great story if he died showing his good side.
- Harry will die or lose his wizardry powers (become a muggle)
- Dumbledore not making a Gandalf-like comeback.
- Horrible romantic plots.

Can't wait!

By the way, I saw the UK covers for the first time and think they are ugly. One of my co-workers prefers them though. Look how old Harry looks in these!! When did Clark Kent start playing Harry Potter??

the Octonauts: so painfully cute

W knows me pretty well. We were browsing the Aquarium's giftshop, looking for a cool sea dragon thing I could buy, when he bought me this book and because he knew I'd like it:





The Octonauts are SO CUTE!!! The story is so cute too :) The Octonauts awake one morning to find their octopod home is under attack-- but it's really just a lonely monster who is trying to give the home a hug because he mistakes the octopod home as a monster like him! Man I love children's books.

AHHH!!! It's so cute!

Visit: http://www.octonauts.com/index.html

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Sea Dragons!

I went to Long Beach's aquarium this past weekend. I was excited just because I like to be excited for things, but I wasn't expecting to be wow'ed since I have been to quite a few aquariums and they usually have the same things. But the Aquarium of the Pacific was to prove me wrong!!

BEHOLD!!

The Weedy Sea Horse!!


So I saw that and I thought, "wow, that's pretty crazy looking!" A little Puff-the-Magic-Dragon-y. (Btw, I didn't take any of these pics cuz my digicam had died by then due to my manic picture-taking of the Lion Fish (also very cool).)

BUT THEN!!! I SAW...

THE LEAFY SEA DRAGON!!!!


Now I was really blown away. CRAZY!!! I have never seen these creatures before :D