"These are my Confessions..."

I started last week's post off with an allusion to a YouTube video I had been featured in. I don't want to sound redundant, but now I'm going to say, "Go subscribe to this channel Here!" to understand what I'm about to blog about. Alex Day, "nerimon" posted a video entitled "YouTube Survey 2011". Considering I've yet to be able to conquer the procrastination I constantly endure, I haven't started vlogging, and am not on YouTube. This is getting wordy, so here it is: I'm responding to Alex Day's YouTube survey via Blogger. 

Question 1: Tell us about your first kiss

My "technically" first kiss happened when I was in pre-school with a boy named C.J. I remember chasing him around the playground and demanding him to kiss me. I finally tackled him behind the big yellow slide and told him if he didn't kiss me, I'd tell everyone he liked boys. His twin brother David saw the whole thing and told his twin that he better just do it. And so poor little threatened C.J. of the big yellow slide kissed me. Not on the hand. Not on the cheek. Right smack on the lips. I felt awesome. And then never talked to him again. 
The real first kiss happened on a rainy afternoon in 7th grade at Silver Sands Middle School with my first boyfriend, "Pseudonym". I don't feel like embarrassing myself and him in one blog.We had been dating 3 weeks and he kind of just grabbed my face and kissed me. I didn't really know what to do so I just stood there. It didn't last very long because how long does one keep kissing a mouth unpuckered? Suprisingly, the relationship lasted over a year. Even after 4 months when he told me he was going to make out with me whether I liked it or not. But that's another story. 

Question 2: What was the most expensive item of clothing you ever bought?

I don't buy many expensive items of clothing. But Junior Year of high school, I ran for Miss Atlantic and the contestants needed a dress for the Poise and Presentation portion of the competition. My mum bought me this gorgeous satin, sequin, ball gown for around $350. Needless to say, I lost the competition and am $350 poorer. 

Question 3: What was the first job you ever wanted as a kid? 

I wanted to be a professional figure skater. I used to watch figure skating all the time when I was little and would've given anything to skate in the Olympics. The "at-the-time" Daytona Ice Plex opened and my best-mom-in-the-world-mom put me in private lessons. 6 days a week, Monday-Saturday. I'd get up at 5:30, skate from 5:45-7AM, go to school, and get back on the ice after school until 4. Then, Saturdays consisted of 10AM jump class, 11AM ballet, then skating the rest of the afternoon. I honestly don't know how I did it as a mere 8-year old. But it was my passion, and it was my dream to be a Michelle Kwan when I grew up. And now, I want to control airplanes. Didn't stray too much from the child inside me. :D 

Question 4: Tell us about your group of school friends

I didn't necessarily have a specific group in high school, I floated with all of the cliques on campus. But in middle school I ran with a group that called themselves...K-JAB. Again, not writing names for courtesy purposes. K-JAB, of course, stood for all of our initials. And we were the most popular girls in school, your typical snobby clique that everyone wanted to be friends with and was jealous of. We had a notebook we all decorated after the tragic loss of our first one. "B" lost it at lunch one day and we were freaking out because everyone's secrets and rumours and drama was in that book and we were going to be "so dead." So we passed around this notebook everyday unless someone needed an extra class period or day. When someone had the notebook too long, everyone got all grumpy because they couldn't write down their drama for the day. The biggest drama I remember about the notebook was a massive fight that broke out between myself, A, and J. Pages and pages and pages of cattiness vomited all over a shared notebook between four girls. In addition to this beloved book, every Friday night we went to the movies. No matter what movie, we were there. We saw the movie, had a sleepover, and called boys all night because that's how cool we were. Oh, and we ate lots and lots of birthday cake ice cream. 

Question 5: What would you name your kids?

I've thought about this a lot and I always either 1) forget the names I picked or 2) meet someone with the name I picked and they turn out to be someone I disgust. However, boys' names I've stuck to include: Ashton, Logan, Aiden, and Lucas. Girls' names: Skyla, Sophie/Sophia, Lucy, and Riley. Not sure why the majority of my boys' names end in an "en" sound and the majority of my girls' names end in an "ee" sound... o.O 

Well, that's all we have for today, folks. In the meantime, enjoy this picture of Usher singing "Confessions."

I'd Eat My Words, but I'd Rather Eat a Cupcake

A few explanations: If anyone saw the terrible and highly unpopular video of Chantel and I singing an Improv Duet at Atlantic's Cafe AMARD two years ago on YouTube, a) I'm sorry and b) you know that I prefer muffins to cupcakes and provided a well-detailed argument in regards to the ever-ceaseless: Muffins vs. Cupcakes War Saga Thing in acoustic song-form. However, despite my irrefutable zeal for the muffin, particularly blueberry and banana nut, I am, in fact, craving a cupcake. This could be due to the fact I just walked down the hall and two very nicely dressed women (I don't why I felt the need to say these ladies were nicely dressed) were talking at exceedingly loud about how much they wanted cupcakes. Normally, I'm quick to jump and say, "Hey, nicely dressed ladies, go get a muffin instead!" But rather than me being at the front lines of defense for the moist, fluffy, baked good, I kind of wanted to follow them out of the office and go wherever they were going to get a cupcake as well. <---That's actually really creepy now that I write it out. Anyway, in hopes of quenching my craving for cupcakes, I searched "Making Cupcakes" on YouTube. The only video I got through was the low budgeted adaptation of a Food Network Home Cooking show, where this highly unenthusiastic woman made cupcakes look like ice cream cones. They look so pretty, but I seriously think I have contracted diabetes upon watching this video. In case you feel like contracting diabetes as well, the steps on making an ice cream cupcake are as follows:

1. Fill the cone halfway with jellybeans (or candy of your choice) for that extra sweet punch in the face

2. Unwrap your cupcake and ice the top, then stick it face down into the cone

3. Take your MINI cupcake and stick it face down onto the larger, iced cupcake (ice that, too!)

4. Then, take as much icing as possible and spread it thickly onto your cupcake stack. This way, you'll be able to feel the icing glue your organs together with every bite. 

5. Don't forget to ice it like a soft-served cone, so if you need more icing, don't worry about it! The more, the better. 

6. Finally, sprinkles! Because who doesn't like a heart attack without sprinkles.

It's safe to say that after watching this video, I have reaffirmed my Team Muffin status. And now, a cute Muffin Cupcake Conflict War Photo:

The Weekend Lineup

This is going to be a relatively short post because a) I have very little time b) I don't want to post too much because I have to give reflections about everything I did over the weekend; therefore, c) you, as readers, will get antsy if I post two long blogs about the same events. And no one likes an unhappy reader. So here we go!


Friday: I'm finally going to get sushi! I haven't been since The Boyfriend left - I guess because it was kind of "our" thing and I felt like I'd be betraying him in a way.. if I got those amazing little delicacies of the ocean that ride around on cute little boats without him. Up until about three days ago, this was my adamant belief ... until I realized how much I missed eating those ocean delicacies. So gathered up some friends to go with. And I'm going. We're also doing the usual watch/mock Terra Nova thing, and then back home to make signs for...

BUM-BUM-BUMMMM!

Saturday: THE BIG DAY! I'm absolutely so incredibly excited about this. Hopefully everyone's all caught up on the news about Occupy Wallstreet that's going on right now and how that the event has exploded world-wide. It's even made it's way to little ol' Daytona! For those of you who are unaware, in the dark, ignorant, or a hermit, Occupy Wallstreet is the protest happening right now to get our country back in order - the citizens back to being individuals rather than under corporations and government control. Some topics being protested are unemployment, food recalls, oil spills, pay cuts, funding cut from public schools, tax increases to the poor and tax decreases to the wealthy, foreclosure, students in debt, people who can't even afford education, groceries, or a family. Et cetera. Pretty much anything wrong that the government has influenced on it's people, is being protested. Again, I will have more to say on this after the event Saturday. If you're in the Daytona-ish area, the info: 

When: Saturday, October 15th from 9AM-6PM

Where: At ISB and Nova at Tuscawilla Park across from Steak and Shake

*Don't worry, this is a controlled, organized event. We have permission to do this - see here for details.


Sunday: Going to see Footloose with my dear friend, Ashley! I'm so excited to see her AND this movie! :D


And that's all, folks. <3 See you at Occupy Daytona!  

"I Vaant to Eat My Chapsteek!"

I know fall officially started on September 23rd and that I should have posted an I-Love-Fall post on the 23rd, but I just feel that fall shouldn't officially begin until October 1st in Florida. I know this sounds incredibly hypocritical of me, considering I've been preparing for the holiday season since August. I was caught playing the ever-faithful Christmas radio station on Pandora and yes, I was mocked without mercy.  But I've seriously been obsessing. I've watched Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown(s) 1 & 2, The Scream Team, Don't Look Under the Bed, and Tower of Terror. Oh, and the Johnny Bravo Meets Scooby-Doo episode. I also have this really delicious Fall-Fusion chapstick that tastes like pumpkin and vanilla and if I were three or really desperate, I would definitely be eating it right now. In addition, I tossed around the idea of decorating my cubicle in Halloween spirit, but decided against it for "professional" purposes. 

It's that time again where Ashli confesses a part of herself that no one thought true - but I'm a major wimp when it comes to scary movies. (I had nightmares about Edward Scissorhands, [which apparently is a love story?] for weeks.) But with the hurricane we had last weekend, and Halloween upon us, I took it upon myself to gather the courage and watch the Scream Trilogy. During the day, with my sister awake next to me, and popcorn to semi-occupy me, I was completely okay with Scream & Scream 2. But when my sister fell asleep, and the day grew into 2AM, and I couldn't pack any more popcorn kernels into my teeth, I was terrified throughout Scream 3. My eyes were shut most of the movie, and before I went to sleep, I had to run to my room, turn on all of the lights, and watch Aladdin to take my mind off of it. I also thought my dad's jacket hanging in the garage was going to kill me. It's really, really pathetic. But I'm definitely sticking to Halloweentown from now on... o.O  

Besides the decorations, colours, movies, costumes, candy, and chapstick, the fall runs of all of my favourite shows resume! 

I usually stick to the same shows or don't watch telly at all because either the shows I love get cancelled, or they're absolutely horrible. But, I branched out this fall. (Pardon the pun.)

New show: Pan-Am (ABC, Sunday nights, 10PM) When I was first introduced to this show, I thought it was going to be some lame airline documentary. (Pardon the ERAU blasphemy). But it's the most un-documentaryesque show. Set in the early 1960's with flashbacks to the 1950's, the show draws out what it was like to fly Pan-Am, be a stewardess for Pan-Am, and your occasional Cold War conspiracy. The majority of ABC dramas all have that "ABC touch" - and it's very similar to the styling of LOST with the flashbacks, and the secrets, and how the island airline brought all of these very different people with very different backgrounds together, and each story is released a little bit more as each episode goes on. I'm 4 episodes in and I'm absolutely hooked. I definitely recommend this show. 

Oldie but Goodie: CASTLE! (ABC, Monday nights, 10PM) I've been with this show since it aired in 2009. The best way I can describe it, is it's your classic crime scene investigation show with less melodramatic acting, more humour, an underdeveloped love story, and the "ruggedly handsome," Nathan Fillion. Last season ended with the most intense finale *SPOILER* with Detective Kate Beckett being shot and Castle telling her he loves her (FINALLY). The premier was just as intense. And so far, I have yet to be disappointed. There's been super villains, Shakespeare, disappearing bodies..AH. I recommend this show in a heartbeat. <3

New Flop: Terra Nova (Fox, Monday nights, 8PM) I was so excited for this show because anything that has to do with a dystopian society trying to reach utopia interests me. Plus, it has dinosaurs. I could have not wanted to eat my words more than after seeing the season premier. The writing is poorly done: your typical corny humor and really bad acting. And where a child getting a scratch on his/her knee calls for the S.W.A.T team to investigate. And there's ALWAYS a power-hungry, "men-suck", blood-thirsty woman, who always speaks in sarcasm and downgrades the male species with her ability to shoot 36 different targets at one time. There's so many flaws to this show, I can't even list them all. Last week, it was Attack of the Birds at Terra Nova, and among the pecking and scratching, one poor soul was knocked unconscious and rolled away on a gurney equipped with oxygen mask. I was informed that perhaps the victim was allergic to birds and that's why he was in need of oxygen, but I'm still convinced it was another one of Fox's ploys for a dramatic moment. I will say though, the only thing this show has going for it is it's indefatigable way to keep giving me reasons to laugh and mock the show. And it gives me something to do every Friday night because a few of my friends and my sister get together, and over our pizza, drop jaws at the man who just fell 500 feet flat on his back on a pile of thorns and manages to miraculously stand up quick on his feet, without a scratch to his back. It's remarkable. If it isn't obvious, I don't recommend this show. Unless you really enjoy commentating on poor writing and lack of acting talent. 

On Fish Puns and Drowning

My financial advisor of my blog has informed me that for the good of the people and our business, he recommends a new post every other day. Considering I have a tendency to break 90% of goals I set for myself, I don't plan on blogging every other day. I feel as if my life-that-is-characterized-as-non-mundane will become mundane. You can't force a good story, they just have to happen. So anyway, now that I'm done going against my CFO's advice on how to make billions of dollars via blog post, let's make it aware that is in fact, October, and also in fact, the end of my mini-bucket-bucket list time.                                                                     

 RECAP:

1. Completed - I read 1 chapter every night of a new book. And it felt amazing.

2. Completed - I said "as many as possible" for a reason. I ended up finishing the first 3 seasons of Sex and the City. Considering those are the only complete seasons the library has shelved. 

3. FAIL - I was working out every day up until about 2 weeks ago when I got sick. Then, I got lazy. 

4. FAIL - I realized, once again, how I poor I am. 

5. Extreme fail - I think I went 10 days without a blog post. 

6. Failfailfail - Still wearing the same polish from 3 weeks ago. 

7. COMPLETED! I got an A on 3 Biology quizzes and my air traffic exam.

8. Completed! (For now) - I finally met a normal bloke in ATC. He's hilarious, hasn't stabbed me in the back, and doesn't look like a creature from the black lagoon. (Yes, this is how I judge Friend Criteria) 

9. Uhm, fail - I think I fell asleep once in weather. 

10. Completed - I actually earned 7.5 hours of lab time. 

Honestly, 5 pass and 5 fail is a lot better than I thought I would do so I'm not punishing myself because a) I just feel like being a rebel b) I'm happy with the outcome and let's be honest, c) No one's going to send me punishments anyway. 

Moving forward: Last week, a few of my friends and I suddenly decided we'd dive into a reely big war of fish puns. Soon enough though, we felt pretty gilty for being so crabby towards each other; we realized it was because we were so jelly of each other's ability to be the class clown fish. In the end, we roetated our way of thinking and decided we didn't want coralling within our grouper and remain friends instead of anemones. And whale, now we're the best of friends again.
I realize this isn't my best material as far as stories go, but it was a major highlight to my week because I sat in my cubicle, silently laughing to myself - probably looking slightly deranged. But, what else is new.


So this past weekend my family and I were at a timeshare-pool-hotel-thing. And for some reason, children have this tendency to seek and find me in hopes of becoming my best friend. Which, they always succeed and I always end up babysitting this stranger's child. At the current time, I had a 6 year old girl following me around in her floaties and inner-tube - dressed to the nines in safety devices. While I, the near-20-year-old from Daytona Beach who has yet learned how to swim, is doggy paddling for dear life in this 10-foot deep water-filled pit of doom. As I'm envying the child's safety gear, she notices my struggle to stay afloat, and offers me her inner-tube. Normally, I'm not one to disarm a child of her safety device, but I was like, dying, so I figured I had a legitimate reason. Anyway, I was in this tube for all of 4 minutes when I realized the tube sort of shape-shifting from this: "O" to this: "0" and curving up on the sides. I decided it was time to squeeze myself out of this tube and paddle myself to the safe and welcoming, 3 feet 6 inches area. But as I was struggling to get out, this child decides she wants a piggy back ride and I, of course, am the piggy who sinks to the bottom upon the child clawing her way up my back. Naturally, my body decides to swallow a ton of water..because what would drowning be without swallowing water, right? And I'm screaming and trying to throw this piggy-back-riding-six-year-old off of me and after much struggle, she finally gets the hint that I'm like dying, like, again. So I'm choking and all of the post-drowning-things you're supposed to do after being held under by a six year old in pink princess water wingies. No big deal though, I'm just never being dubbed babysitter in the pool ever again.