I'm Just Going To Rant!

I'm just going to say it.... I'm sick, sick, sick, sick, SICK of seeing women of any sort barely clothed everywhere I look. -_- Whether it's on tv, online, a magazine, a movie, or even a freaking anime (I'm sure you all catch my drift), I'm tired of it. I definitely don't enjoy seeing other women's butts and boobs in my face all the time. It may seem like I'm overreacting, but seriously, why is it almost always women who are being put out there like this and constantly being objectified (also, why are there so many women who are willing to be objectified? I don't quite understand that...)? I mean,  it's so easy to find provocative pictures of women even when you aren't looking for it, but you seldom ever see provocative pictures of men. Heck, even when I try to look for yaoi/shounen-ai wallpapers (mmhmm... I've been a fan of yaoi and shounen ai for awhile), there isn't much selection at all, and of course, I always spot a bunch of pictures of naked/half naked anime girls in there.  -_-

I'm not saying that there should be penises and naked men about everywhere or anything like that, but it sucks and it's kind of unfair that this is the way things are; so one-sided and over the top. Of course, that's life for you, right? Even so, I just wish that things were different, or at the very least toned down a bit. Honestly, I don't believe it's healthy at all for this type of thing to be so common and so open in the public eye. It really can have a negative effect on both men and women. Think about it, there's lots of women out there who try to compare themselves to these over-sexualized ladies and feel bad when they realize they may never be like them. As for men, I feel that this is partly the reason why some men don't respect women or view them as fellow human beings. It doesn't just stop there, either. This can even have a negative impact on children as well. Children are very impressionable, as most people know, and often will imitate the things they see others do around them or what they see on tv. Now, would any of you want your daughter to try to "be sexy" and emulate these women? Would you want your sons to turn out like the men who think women are objects and treat them as such? I don't think so.

What I'm trying to say is, we need to bring some decency and modesty back into our world. I don't know if writing this will ever change anything or reach anyone, in fact, I doubt it will. Still just felt the need to get this off my chest. Now, I have nothing further to say on this matter. I've said my piece, and that's all there is to it. Good night all!

I Hate Packing...

We finally have started packing our bags for Japan today. We're just a few days or so away from leaving now! I can't believe how much work still needs to be done. We still have so much stuff to put in to boxes and organize. O.O We also still have to sell the furniture that we aren't taking with us and donate our clothes that we don't use anymore to the Goodwill and Battered Women's Shelter. It's kind of stressful for both my husband and I thinking about all of the things we need to do still... You would think that we both would be used to it since we both have moved quite a few times in our lives, but no. Packing never does seem to get any easier or less tiring no matter how many times you've done it before.

It's not like we have to pack everything on our own, though. On the 1st, the movers will be here and will be helping us out with that. That will definitely make things a lot easier on us, but at the same time, I can't help but feel a little paranoid over having them handling our stuff. >.> My main concern is having one of them steal something valuable from us. Apparently, it isn't an uncommon occurrence... Kind of crazy that people who are supposed to be professional and are being hired to help would do that, right?  I'm really hoping that  doesn't happen and that I'm just worrying too much like I always do. It's amazing that my blood pressure isn't ungodly high and my skin isn't breaking out like mad what with my constant worrying... -_-

The good thing about packing though is that it gives you a chance to get rid of a bunch of junk that you didn't even realize you were storing! There was so much that we landed up throwing away! If anything, that will help lighten our load significantly! ^.^ Also, I'm a bit proud of myself for being able to squeeze 14 different outfits, 4 pairs of pajamas, 3 pairs of shoes, all my makeup, my hair products and styling tools, accessories, razors, perfume, and skin care products all into one luggage bag! The best part is that it's all under the weight limit, too! <3 My bag weighs in at 37 pounds~! I know it may not seem all that exciting, but I'll have to be living off of the stuff only in that bag for about a month or more as soon as the movers come, since everything else will be shipped to our new address and most likely won't arrive there for quite some time.

 I would never have thought it would take so long just for us to get our belongings over there. Even our pets will have to be kept somewhere for a few weeks before they'll be at home with us... I really hate that they won't be with us for such a long time. :(  I hope that wherever they land up during that period of time, that they'll be well taken care of.... Ugh.... There I go with the worrying again. I can't seem to just relax because there's just so much going on. I can't wait until all of this is done with already!

So Nostalgic~

Does anyone remember those Sailor Moon dolls that were released by Irwin Toys? I used to have one when I was younger, and it was my most favorite doll! Unfortunately now, that doll is at my dad's place, and I would rather not stop by there to go and get it, even though I've been wanting it back for so many years. Amazingly enough, my husband had found the exact same doll off of ebay and he got it for me! I'm so stoked over it!

It was listed as mint condition, but..... I opened the box anyways. >.> ( I can hear the hearts of collectors shattering everywhere... Sorry guys!) I didn't want it just to keep it in a box and put on display, anyways. I wanted the doll so I can play with it like I used to! Think what you will of an adult like me playing with a doll, but it just brings back such fond memories for me. In my opinion, reliving those happy memories is what makes this doll valuable, not the condition it's in. Now I just need to find Tuxedo Mask so Sailor Moon won't be lonely!

Layouts!

Okay... It is really really fun playing around with designs for layouts! <3 Making my own backgrounds seems to have become a new favorite hobby of mine~! I've actually made two others today. ^_^ It's really getting easier and easier with each one I make~! It's all about practice, practice, practice! Hehe~! Soon, I'll be cranking them out by the dozens and I'll have plenty of backgrounds to choose from! x3

Here are the two I had just finished making:

 You can bet that you'll be seeing these on my blog eventually! As you can probably tell, I have been downloading the materials I've been using for my backgrounds from digital scrapbooking sites (thank you thecutestblogontheblock.com for this tip!). :3 You can find so many different types of papers, patterns, banners, and elements, mix and match them together, and make such pretty and unique layouts with them. It makes the process of making a background so much simpler! Not much tweaking is needed at all! ^.^

I Did It!

I finally had made my own background! <3 Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think it turned out really nicely, especially for my first one! ^_^ All those tutorials I've read and watched on youtube seemed to have paid off! ^.^ (I used so many sources, that I can't even remember or list them all, but if you google "how to create your own blog backgrounds", you'll surely find lots of helpful tutorials and videos that will walk you through the process step by step!). It took me awhile to actually understand them, and it also took a lot of playing around with Gimp to figure out how to use the tools and how to layer images, but I did it! Aaah~! The fruits of my labor are sweet indeed~! Now, I need to move onto the next step and see if I can't make my own custom tables... :3 That would be so nice~! 

Once I start getting better with creating my own layouts, maybe I should think about posting my own tutorial to (hopefully) help others with making their own personal blog backgrounds, too! One that's simple and easy to understand for people like me who are pretty much clueless when it comes to stuff like this. I guess that means I better start studying some more!

Ouch!

So I got into my first bike accident today. I was trying to ride down the big hill from my place down to the park my husband and I have been frequenting ever since I've learned to ride a bike. There's this pretty decent sized bike path that's about 8 miles long! ^.^ Anyways, as I was riding down the hill, I crashed into a pole, and I kind of flew from my bike onto the cement. :( I scraped up my left hand and elbow pretty badly and also, I can barely use my arms. I think I may have hit a nerve in my elbows, mainly on my right side, because I really can't lift up my arm up to my mouth. It made eating dinner a little difficult. :P It's even a bit hard for me to type right now. :(  I forgot how badly it can hurt to get injured like this. I haven't experienced this sort of pain since I was a kid! It makes me remember when I first fell off my scooter. I hit my elbow so bad that my arm was super swollen for days. >.< Hopefully this time around it won't be that bad.

I can't wait to heal up. I'm kind of disappointed we weren't able to ride our bikes today like we planned. :( I also hope that my scrapes don't scar. D: I think that's actually my biggest concern over anything, oddly enough. Looks like neosporin is going to be my best friend for awhile... -_- Anyways, time to give my arms a break...er.... rest. It would be good for me to try to speed up my healing process as quickly as possible, for my sake, and for my poor hubby. He's been feeling pretty bad about the whole incident and has been really attentive to me because he feels that somehow this was all inadvertently his fault, even though I've told him it isn't at all. :( Still, in a way I feel lucky that he cares about my well-being so much! He really is such a sweetheart! <3 If anything, that makes me feel loads better already! ^_^

Random Stuff I Want For No Reason

I got the idea for this post from a thread I saw in the miss bimbo forums (yes, I play miss bimbo), and I realized that there are a whooole lot of random things I want that I don't really need; things that are useless but still make me want them because they're just pretty or would be neat to possess. So, without any further delay, here's my list of random stuff I want for no reason:

1. Perfume bottles

I've always wanted to collect a bunch of decorative perfume bottles and put them on display~! x3 So far, I've only got one, but I definitely plan to get more someday. ^.^

2.  Lip tars

I really don't need more makeup, but I have to say that I really really reeeeaaaally want the lip tars from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics! <3 They come in so many vibrant, fun, and unique colors, and you can also mix them together to create your desired shade~! The possibilities are endless with these! Also, even though the tubes they come in aren't all that big, these can definitely last you a long time since you really don't need to apply all that much product. A little drop will go a long way. :3

3.  A Deco Kit

I've always wanted one. x3 Well, actually, I would probably need more than one kit, since I plan on going deco crazy whenever I get around to purchasing some. I'm definitely going to cover my Nintendo DS, my Tamagotchi ID L, my cell phone (whenever I happen to get one, anyways), my compact mirror, and so on. :D Lols! I would so deco anything and everything I possibly can! xD

4. Tokidoki USB Flash Drive

Okay, so maybe a flash drive can be useful, but the reason I want this is because not only is it so adorable, but it comes with cute tokidoki themed desktop wallpapers, icons, avatars, and screensavers for your computer! <3

5. Tokidoki Figures

My husband started me off on wanting to collect these little figures. I've been a fan of Tokidoki merchandise for awhile now, but I never once thought about buying the figurines, until I received one of Polpettina as a gift. x3 Now I simply must get them all!

6.  More ID! Tamagotchi Home Station Plus

I've been keeping my eye on this ever since I got my Tamagotchi ID L. With this, you can play new minigames and create your own wallpapers for your home and clothes for your tamagotchi to wear, as well as make your own meals and toys, too! ^.^  Before you can create anything though, you first must collect ingredients by playing the mini games. This is compatible with both the Tamagotchi ID and ID L. 

7. Nintendo 3DS

If you had read any of my recent posts regarding video games, you would already know why I want this. 'Nuff said.

8. Hello Kitty Toaster

.....Who wouldn't want to have Hello Kitty's face toasted on their bread?

9. Kobato Manga

I recently finished watching the anime for this series, and fell in love with it~! <3 It's really sweet, innocent, and touching. Now, I want to move on to reading the manga! ^_^ 

10.  Kaomoji Plushies

So cute, you can just eat them up, right? xD  I want these soooo much! They're just so adorable!!!

And that concludes my list... For now. ^.~

Happy Anniversary~!

Today marks the day of mine and my husband's one year anniversary! ^.^ I can't believe it's been exactly a year now since we've gotten married. :3 It seems to have went by so fast! Oddly enough, he and I don't really want to do anything today to celebrate. We both actually almost forgot that our anniversary was today. If it weren't for people bombarding us with "Happy Anniversary!" messages, we probably would have never thought of it. It's not that we don't want to celebrate it, it's just that it's kind of an inconvenient time for us at the moment. Everything has just been so busy for us, especially with the seemingly never ending stream of people that keep coming to visit us (yes, we're still getting visitors left and right, almost to the point where it seems like we don't get much time to ourselves to just sit back and relax). Also, it kind of doesn't help now that we've sold our car, so we can't just go off somewhere at our own convenience anymore. :P

It doesn't really bother me though, staying at home and resting. It may not be the most exciting way to spend our anniversary, but it's alright. It kind of makes me feel bad though when people get all shocked over us not doing anything and fuss over it. Someone even said that the honeymoon phase must be over for us, which doesn't help make me feel better at all. It actually makes me more paranoid than anything else... I dread the idea of the spark of our romance fizzling out. Sounds so.... miserable, boring, and blah. I know people say it's normal for that to happen over the years of being married, but really, I don't think I can accept or be satisfied with such mediocrity. Honestly, I do everything in my power to avoid that sort of thing, so hearing that really just irks me and puts such a bad taste in my mouth. It completely sours my mood. Ugh... Curse my semi-easily influenced mind...making me stress over what other people say. It would be wise for me to just follow the caterpillar's advice:

Easier said than done, but I should try harder to not let what other's say get to my head so much. Getting upset over things like this does more harm than good, anyways, especially since people will always say what they want without knowing what it is that they're even talking about. I need to just brush it off and move on! *nods* I won't let anyone else ruin the rest of my day, that's for certain!

My Decal Came In!!!

My bike is even cuter now! x3 ........That is all. 

A Nice Night Out :)

My husband and I had just come back from a party with his soldiers (their family members and spouses tagged along, too) It was at this really good Mexican restaurant called Lopez (our favorite place to go for Mexican food! Their burritos and fried ice cream are to die for!). We had a pretty big table to ourselves, and it was wonderful because everyone seemed to be in such high spirits and were talking and laughing while munching on tortilla chips and sipping our drinks. It seems every time I see them, they're always so happy and seem to be so friendly and warm! :3 They're all really great people, and amazingly, I don't ever feel uncomfortable around them. Even though I have never spent nearly as much time around them as my husband had, I have to say that I'm going to miss them once we leave.

Oh! Also, there was this one little boy there that was extremely adorable! He was so sweet and funny! He went up to me and said "Can I ask you something? You're pretty!". It was so cute and I couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit. xD Normally, I'm not so good with children and usually am shocked by how most kids today lack discipline, but I was truly amazed by how well-behaved, social, and nice this little boy was. It was nice having him there with us. His parents are such good people, and it definitely shows that they're great parents, too, judging by how their son is. I hope he doesn't change! Lols! ^.^

*Sighs happily* There's really nothing better than good food and good company. To me, those things are the  best part of life! No doubt about it! :) There's no way anyone can possibly feel bad when surrounded by close friends and eating and sharing a delicious meal with them. Now, to finish off the night, it's time to get a little R&R. Good night everyone, and have a lovely weekend!

I Finally Have a Bike of My Own!

It's not the hot pink Hello Kitty one I originally wanted, but I actually like this one a lot better. It's a Schwinn bike, and it's a much prettier shade of pink in my opinion. ^.^ I also love how it has a sort of retro look to it! x3

I absolutely love it! It's perfect for me! This was the kind of bike I originally had in mind when I was shopping for one. I'm so glad I was able to find it. ^_^  Also, to get my little Hello Kitty fix, I ordered a metal Hello Kitty decal from amazon.com to stick on it! :3 It's actually a decal for cars, but I figured if it could work on a car, it should be able to work on a bike, right? 

Picture taken from here

Hello Kitty Strawberry Marshmallows!!!

Just a couple of hours ago, I went out to dinner with my husband. After we had finished eating, we decided to stop by this sushi place/market nearby to grab some pocky, and lo and behold, I spotted a package with a picture of Hello Kitty on it! Of course, with my sick obsession of all things Hello Kitty, I had to find out what it was, and it turned out to be a package of strawberry marshmallows with strawberry jelly filling! We landed up grabbing a pack, and the clerk had told us that these marshmallows were so good and so addicting, that she landed up eating two packs of them at once. xD I've never really been a huge fan of marshmallows (I only like them in cocoa and s'mores), but I figured I'd try them out and see if I liked them or not. Anyways, if I happened to hate them, I could always just give them to my husband, who will eat almost anything. 

So! Once we arrived back at home, I opened the package right away and examined them. They were actually really cute and round in shape, and quite small, too~! <3 I popped one in my mouth, and I was pleasantly surprised by how sweet these little marshmallows were and how much softer and fluffier they were compared to Jet-Puffed marshmallows. The strawberry filling had a nice flavor. I was expecting it to have a grossly artificial taste to it, but it actually tasted very much like normal strawberry jelly. Now I'm hooked on these sweet little heavenly puffs! I just can't stop eating them! x3 Lols! It has easily become one of my favorite snacks. I feel like rushing out and getting more! I can definitely see why that clerk ate so many. ^^;

They're almost gone..... :(

It's As Easy As Riding a Bicycle!

This may seem to be a bit unbelievable, especially for a 21 year old,  but I have never ever learned to ride a bike. I've tried to learn once when I was around 9 or 10, but never tried to since from being scarred by that one experience. What happened was, my brother tried to teach me by riding down the huge hill by our house, and I was doing pretty well until I turned around and saw he wasn't holding me. Instead of having that "wow!" moment after discovering I was riding the bike on my own, I landed up freaking out and panicking, which then lead to me crashing and then tumbling down the hill and scraping myself up pretty badly. -_-; I pretty much made up my mind right then and there that I would NEVER get near a bike again in my lifetime....

However, today, I had broken that promise I had made to myself. My hubby pretty much pushed me to learn to ride a bike today, so we walked all the way down hill, rented a bike, walked with it to the park, and then began the training. xD Thankfully, I'm not afraid of embarrassing myself (I pretty much do embarrassing things all the time, anyways), because there were quite a few people there, and I'm pretty sure some of them figured out that I didn't know a thing about riding a bike. There were a few people who were sitting on the bench near us for quite some time during my bike lesson and would glance over at us occasionally, but that's about all.


 It was a bit frightening for me when I first got on the bike, especially not having a helmet or knee pads (don't follow my example please!). Because of that, we thought it might be less scary for me if I started out on the grass and then move on to the pavement once I felt more comfortable ( I soon figured out that it's a lot more difficult to pedal through the grass than on the sidewalk). Luckily, I didn't fall once (the only injury I sustained was a blister on the inside of my thumb from gripping the handles too tightly). I mainly had trouble with balancing and riding in a straight line (I was riding like a drunk person and swerving all over the place in the beginning), but within a couple of hours, I started to get the hang of it! ^.^ Now, the only thing I can't do very well is making big turns. xD For the most part though, I've got it down. I seriously didn't think I would even make as much progress as I did! :3 I guess my hubby's a good teacher. Lols! It also probably helps a bit that the bike was a good size for me, unlike when I was a kid trying to learn on a bike that was too big for me. :P I also never realized how fun it could be riding a bike. I liked it so much that I'm looking for a bike of my own now! (I've got my eye on a hot pink Hello Kitty one at the moment!).

I feel like I achieved a lot today.^_^ It may seem like a small feat to some, but for me, it was a huge step to take. Honestly, I'm really proud of myself, and I'm thankful to my husband for dragging me out there even though I was reluctant and being stubborn almost the entire time he was trying to teach me. ^^; I guess it's a good thing for me that he's even more stubborn than I am, otherwise, I probably would have never learned. xD

Also, I can now sing this song whenever I go for a bike ride:

Another Reason For Me To Buy a 3DS

Rune Factory 4! I'm interested in seeing how this one turns out, and I hope to learn more about it soon! It'll be coming out this month on the 19th in Japan, and will be released in the US December of this year!

Not too much has been revealed about the game other than you can play as either a boy or a girl, who falls out of the sky. Somehow, the main character develops amnesia (yes... more amnesia...), and eventually, the character you play as has to agree to become the prince/princess of the town in order to continue living there. That's all I could dig up from my research on the game's story.

It seems some new features have been added, such as being able to have up to 3 party members in battle when you explore dungeons, and being able to have a sort of boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with someone before getting married to them. Also, some of your marriage candidates include monsters, more specifically, boss monsters! Apparently, from what I've read, you need to beat them in their monster form, and once you've defeated them, they take on a more human form, and then you'll be able to court them!

I'm really looking forward to trying this one out! It's got my interest! ^.^

My 4th of July!

WARNING:  This post will contain an overload of pictures!

My husband and I had spent a lovely 4th of July with my mother and her boyfriend this year! ^_^ We actually had went over to their place on the 3rd and stayed over, since we also wanted to celebrate my mother's birthday (which was really on the 1st). It was so nice being able to spend more time with her, and also... I got to see my little monster, Lady! Seeing her just makes me miss having a dog so badly! 

Isn't she just so cute?!

Another great thing about staying with my mom is the food! I swear, if anyone out there is a better cook than me (my cooking is the one thing I'm cocky about! xD), it's her. She prepared a huge, juicy steak with a baked potato and some asparagus cooked with onions on the side (I absolutely hate asparagus and I usually just feed it to the puppy in the picture above, but the way my mom had prepared them was delicious!). I couldn't even eat everything because the steak itself took up nearly the entire plate and the potato was pretty big, too!

Following dinner, was shortcake for dessert!

Afterward, my mom decided to open her birthday present that we had bought her!

As you can see, we picked out a very pretty glass teapot along with a canister of a variety of blooming teas for her, and she loved it! As soon as she saw it, she wanted to use it right away! Lols! It was funny too, because all of us were just sitting there around the teapot with our gazes fixed on it as we waited for the flower to bloom. xD Oh! On a slightly random note, I had also learned that giving away a teapot as a gift brings good luck to the person receiving it! Isn't that interesting? :D I hadn't any idea of that before my mother had told me so.

The next day (the 4th), we had to get up early to catch the 4th of July parade! For a small town, I thought the parade was very well put together! Some of the floats were outstanding! I had so much fun watching it!

Amazingly, the parade lasted for 2 hours! I never expected it to be so long! Lols! Still, it didn't really bother me so much, the only thing I regret is that I didn't put on sunblock... TT_TT Now my shoulders and the upper part of my chest are sunburned.... 

I was pretty hungry after the parade was over, and I decided that it's not really the 4th of July if we didn't eat hot dogs, so we spent quite awhile walking around trying to find a place that sold some. My mother and Rick said that there was one place in the area where the farmer's market is held all the time, but that it was always closed every time they passed by it. We figured we'd go to see if it was open or not, and by some miracle, it was open for business! :D Lucky, right?!

I thought the sign was adorable... ^^;

Once it was finished, we went to the car show where we were able to see some of the cars that were in the parade!

Unfortunately, the phone died and we weren't able to take more pictures.... :( There were so many cool, old cars! 

The day was finished off with a movie (we went to see the new Spider-Man movie in 3D! I was pleasantly surprised with how good it turned out to be! Definitely worth the watch!) followed by fireworks. ^_^ I have to say, I think that this was one of the best 4th of July celebrations I've ever had. :3 

What Do I Do....?

I've been stressing out for hours now all because of a dream I had a few nights before, and now here I am typing out a blog post at 2 am, unable to sleep. It seems to have been a prophetic dream... You know, one of those dreams that pretty much land up actually occurring in reality. Normally, I don't make such a big deal over these, as the ones I usually get tend to be trivial and don't have any positive or negative effects on my life, but this time, it's different. This time, my marriage could be at risk.

In my dream, my husband was playing WoW (which really isn't so out of the ordinary to begin with, since he plays often) and he was talking to someone on there. I could see the username, and in my dream, I had asked who that was, and he had told me that it was someone he had met the day before while playing. He said that he didn't plan on getting to know this person or asking them personal questions about themselves and that he just likes having friends in the games he plays. Sure enough, today (well, I guess technically it would be yesterday now...) I saw that same exact username on his screen while he was playing WoW, and when I asked him about it, he said the exact same thing that he said in the dream. Now of course, this alone isn't even that big of a deal, but I promise that it gets worse.

Fast forward a few days (or weeks, or even months maybe...?) in the dream, and all my husband wants to do is play WoW all the time and talk to this person. He lands up forming a bond with them, and then finding out that this person is a girl. He starts talking about how awesome he thinks she is, and flirting with her online all the time, and eventually he tells me that he thinks he has feelings for her. The very thought of this happening is devastating to me, and I have no idea what to do. On one hand, I can bring this up to him and try to prevent it (which I want to do), but on the other... I wonder if this is going to really land up happening, if I should just let it be. If this is what's going to happen, would it be wrong if I try to fight against it for my own happiness and possibly preventing my husband from being with someone who could make him even happier than I could ever dream of making him as a result? Would it be selfish of me to do anything but stand idly by and watch everything as it unfolds? Do I just leave? Or do I just try to stay calm and hope that the rest of my dream doesn't come true?

I'm nervous about what may happen if I bring this up to my husband... I want to trust him and I want to believe that our relationship is strong enough to overcome anything, but this is just too much of a coincidence so far. Then again, it could very well be just that... mere coincidences. Ugh... A few days ago, I wouldn't have even given that dream a second thought, and now it's driving me insane! I don't know what to do.... I feel so conflicted and I can't get it out of my head. *sigh* Maybe I should just gather up all of my courage and talk to him about this, and then see what he does... I'm crossing my fingers and hoping everything will turn out alright. Wish me luck!