I love F1. Mainly because there's an abundance of chillies and garlic chillies walking around, and also, the loud zooming sounds the race cars make are awesome. Too bad I can't actually see them flying past.

Did I mention I'm working at Gramophone now? The Capitol branch at City Hall. I was chatting with Renie on the phone for a few minutes yesterday and she had no clue I was working there! You know what this means? WE NEED TO GO OUT TOGETHER SOON!

On a completely unrelated note, I am deeply disappointed with The Used's new album, Artwork. I read online before its release that they'd be reverting back to the sounds of their first album, so I got all psyched up, because their debut album was awesome.

But then when I listened to Artwork, it was bland. I only liked the last three tracks. Even the single Blood On My Hands got boring after a few plays. So now I kind of want to buy the first album, but sadly Gramophone is all out. And HMV is fucking expensive.

We have it on vinyl though. That other day when it came in, I was at the counter when Bernard (my supervisor/'big sister') came round, called, "Cheryl!" and when I looked, waved the huge vinyl in my face.

"I don't have a turntable!" was my pitiful wail.
And he strolled away cackling, with my beloved vinyl in hand.

DISCLAIMER: I TEND TO EXAGGERATE, AS MOST OF YOU ALREADY KNOW.


Man, I want to watch Jennifer's Body in theaters next month! The soundtrack is so awesome.
But it's probably going to be M18 at least, I'm guessing. Although, if it was NC16, I wouldn't really want to watch it then, since there're probably a lot of cut scenes and censored stuff.

MAN, I WANNA BE EIGHTEEN!! I already missed out on The Final Destination, I don't wanna miss more.

If I get someone older to accompany me, will I be able to watch M18 movies? Seriously, I need an answer!


I saw this picture on someone's post on the RJA Alliance website, and it cracked me up majorly:




There's a question that we all ask - either ourselves, or others - everyday.
"Why?"

"Why is the sky blue?"
"Why does Miley Cyrus exist?"
"Why am I born so short/stupid/fat/skinny/awesome/weird/fantabulous/etc.?"

That other day, I asked my mom why she bought this hideous magenta scarf thing. I was being rhetorical, actually: "Why did you buy it, oh Mother of mine, why??" but she mistook my despair as interest and began explaining how it got really cold, blah blah blah. Anyway, my point is,

...

Well, I just realized I don't really have a point. So, uh, I'm just going to carry on like that awkward no-point moment didn't happen, and rant about what I wanted to rant about in the first place. That whole first paragraph didn't really have to be written. Pardon me.

WHY is RJA's sophomore major-label album so subpar??
Compared to their debut album, Don't You Fake It, Lonely Road is supremely inferior (in my opinion). But comparing the latter to the former is kind of unfair, since DYFI holds a very special place in my heart, i.e. the top spot on my List of Awesome Albums. But as any person with auditory sense can tell (considering that they also have some taste regarding the alternative genre), their latest album is definitely lacking the blow-your-mind awesomeness that their 2006 debut packed. There's no punch.

It's sort of like they're moving into alternative pop territory. But I say moving, because they're not there yet. Lonely Road is, like, stuck in this weird place, what with songs like 'Godspeed' and 'Believe'. So I'd say they're in the alternative-rock-hippie-pop-country genre. Well, for the second album, at least. Yes, it's breaking my heart. I just hope their next album pieces it back together.

Another why: Why do my parents have to talk so insanely loud?
They sound like they're fighting all the time. If you were waiting for the elevator downstairs, you'd hear my parents yelling at each other, and think they were having a huge row.

Mom: HEY, EAT MY [FUCKING] NOODLES, I CAN'T [FUCKING] FINISH THEM!
Dad: I'M TOO [FUCKING] FULL TO EAT ANYMORE!

Mom: PASS THE [FUCKING] REMOTE or GET ME SOME [FUCKING] WATER or WHAT [THE FUCK] DO YOU WANT FOR DINNER TONIGHT?

And that's not all. You should hear them in phone conversations. They're basically screaming at the person on the other end. The most frustrating thing is, they love to yell when I'm asleep. I was jolted wide awake at 8AM the other day by the sounds of what seemed like the apocalypse. It never ended.
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I hate Facebook so much sometimes. I just spent 10 minutes waiting for my RJA concert pictures to be uploaded, and when the progress bar was almost full, this pop-up, well, popped up and told me, "Upload failed. Please try again."




Whoa, the new Blogger New Post page looks good! Or is it just my computer and its weird effects?

Anyway, I'm here to blog about Ugly Betty, Season 3! Yes, I've finally watched it. God, I need to start watching the new seasons on the Internet, instead of waiting for the DVDs to come out. But it's just, I really like to watch Daniel Meade on the bigger screen, you know? And Gio, but he's only in one episode. Sigh. So now I'm turning my attention to...MATT HARTLEY.

He's the new love interest in Betty's life. He's so damn cute, I actually squish my face up and go, "AW! HE'S SO CUTE!"

Case in point: He said "Yay!" when Betty told him over the phone that she just received his messengered jellybeans. Which were in a jar, with a gold heart-shaped balloon tied to the jar cap. HOW CUTE IS THAT!?

Okay, if you haven't watched Season 3 yet and want to watch it, don't read the rest of the post until you see a red colored line, since these are all my thoughts and feelings upon finishing this season.

Stop reading now if you don't want to be bombarded with spoilers.
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I can't freaking believe that Matt and Betty are over! This is so irritating!
I used to like Henry, you know, until Gio came along, and I began to see the annoying side of Henry. Then Betty dumped the both of them, and had a crush on Jesse, whom I liked at first, then his annoying side came out.
THEN came Matt. Who was perfect. (Well, in my opinion, anyway.) I had no evil thoughts towards him, because he didn't vie for Betty's affection with Gio. He just got it. And while Gio was smooth and funny, Matt is eager and awkward. I mean, his jokes are sooooo bad! And usually it's even hard to tell they're jokes, until he clarifies! It's a damned cute thing he does.

Of course, Gio is still The Guy. I'm just gushing about Matt because THERE IS NO GIO IN SEASON 3!! (Whatever, that one teeny tiny episode of him was so not enough.)

BETTY IS MATT'S FIRST LOVE! DO YOU KNOW HOW HEARTBROKEN I WAS, AT THE LAST EPISODE, WHEN HE TELLS HER THAT? WITH TEARS IN HIS EYES? BETTY, YOU ARE HIS FUCKING FIRST LOVE, AND YOU BROKE HIS HEART. YOU ALSO BROKE GIO'S HEART. AND YOU KINDA ALSO BROKE HENRY'S HEART BY NOT ACCEPTING HIS PROPOSAL. SO, YOU'RE A HEARTBREAKER. I HATE YOU, BETTY SUAREZ.

Okay, that was uncalled for. Sorry. But argh, it just gets me so mad that such amazing guys (Gio, Matt) fall for Betty, and Betty still has feelings for Henry.
Okay, I understand, actually, because Henry was her first love, and we all watched the both of them develop their complicated relationship. But still! GET OVER IT! It's already boring for us to see Henry and Betty together; surely they're bored of each other themselves?
And the really weird thing is, while I was watching the part where Henry's abs were being talked about, and Matt showed his belly button talking, and that he doesn't have any abs? I liked Matt's non-existent ones better.

I know! It's so shocking for me to dismiss abs for a cute, pale, belly button!
But I really, really like Matt. He just makes me feel all fluttery inside! There was this part, when Betty was telling him on the phone that yes, she's willing to move in with him, and he just LEAPED INTO THE AIR WITH JOY, and it's not even for effect, because Betty wasn't there to see it! He's just really excited! IT TOTALLY MADE MY HOUR, LEMME TELL YOU.

And I loooooooove the fact that Matt's so involved with the familia Suarez. I mean, he's always there, eating breakfast with them and all. It's so damn sweet. I really like the part where he's having preparing for breakfast in their kitchen and Betty kisses him with chocolate doughnut in her mouth. And he went, "Mmm, chocolate." I just like that whole scene, with him and Betty being so affectionate with each other right in front of her family, and nobody even cares because it's so natural!

Oh god, I love Matt. STUPID BETTY. I'm so jealous. [Sidenote: Gio is still in my top spot.]
Although I do appreciate the fact that Betty screwed their relationship up in the end by not telling him the truth about her kissing Henry. I mean, of course, throughout that whole ordeal I was crossing my fingers and yelling at the screen for her to just tell him, idiot, but actually, I like that she didn't, because she just can't be that perfect all the time.
She's just so bubbly, efficient, fortunate, and gets things right all the time (even though she screws up a lot; but she always gets it right in the end), and finally she purely makes a mistake in judgment. Sure, Hilda guided her a little, but still, it was still Betty's decision.

Boy, when Matt told her that he was her new boss, my mouth dropped open. I didn't expect that! I mean, sure, I knew his dad had something planned for him, but I didn't know that the whole thing was going to be so dramatic!

When he said that, I was hit by a barrage of feelings at the same time. There was shock, of course; sadness, because hello, he just broke up with Betty! I was so rooting for them; elation, because that meant there would be a lot of him in Season 4; and sympathy for Betty, because she has to endure that he's gonna be her boss after she just broke his heart.

I was really emotional throughout the second half of the season, I don't know why.
When Christina gave birth, I burst into tears!
And a lot of the times when Matt and Betty were having problems, I started sobbing.
Especially when Matt saw Betty and Henry kissing in the park. I took one look at his face, and crumpled into a pool of tears. My whole shirt was wet, because I refused to pause the show to grab a tissue (or ten).
And oh my god, I don't know how many times I cried over Molly and Daniel. It's so sad! Cliché, but sad.

But all in all, I really liked Season 3, because Betty's finally gotten somewhere with her career! (But seriously, too bad about The New York Review. I was so happy for her!) But [okay, way too many 'buts', sorry] I just don't really like that her relationship with Matt ended so quickly and abruptly. I mean, can't she just have one relationship that lasted more than one season?? Henry doesn't count, because they weren't together for most of the time; things kept getting in the freakin' way.
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Man, this is a really long, and rambling post. Even I wouldn't read it.

OH MY GOD, I just checked IMDB and Daniel Eric Gold, the actor who's portraying my darling Matt Hartley, is in Taking Woodstock! YES YES YES!!

Ooh, he was in War Of The Worlds, and Definitely, Maybe. Wow. Didn't know him at all.
Ugly Betty sure introduces a lot of great actors to me!

OH MY GOD, I just checked Wikipedia, and his birthdate is 19 September 1975! HE'S THE SAME AGE AS FREDDY!!!!

Okay, I don't know why I got so worked up over that. It's just a fun coincidence.

Gio's going to be in Season 4! And so is Henry, but I'm only going to focus on the good side.
And also, Randy! Justin's friend from school! He was hot, for a teenager.

Great. Now I am missing Gio, the adorable, hot, funny, sensitive, caring sandwich guy.




There's been a long-running joke between my parents and me, about the timings when my body decides to expel its toxic waste. Usually, I'd announce after dinner: "Okay, I'm going to shit!" and disappear with a book into my bathroom in the master bedroom.

Tonight, my parents were feeling particularly chatty and high on their self-deluded sense of humor, so as I stood up to clear my dish, my mom asked, "So, what are you going to do now? Go into the room and read your books again?" Her tone indicated that she wasn't really pissed at me, just a little resigned to the fact that her only daughter's idea of fun post-dinner activities included further deterioriating her eyesight.

Before I could phrase my reply in a way that made me not seem like such a loser while heading off to do exactly what she just said, my dad answered for me: "No, she's going to shit."

At which my mother burst into laughter, which prompted my father to join in with her. I straightened my back and replied indignantly, "No I am not going to shit!" with an affronted expression.

Those two cows continued laughing.

So in protest, I dumped my dish back onto the table for them to clean up, and stormed into the room with my book. FYI, I was planning on just reading the book, on my bed, NOT while on the toilet.

After a peaceful five minutes, I heard my mom call for me from the living room. "What?" I hollered back.

"Are you shitting?"

As my face contorted with disbelief [that my own biological parents (unfortunately) were attacking me like that, with their oh-so-funny one-liners], I heard evil cackling. Those cruel dictators. Who were they to assume they know my bodily functions?!

"I AM NOT NOT NOT SHITTING!" More sniggering. Then, in a bout of elementary school-fury, I yelled, "I DON'T 'FRIEND' YOU GUYS ANYMORE!!"

This time, outright laughter. I imagined they were rolling around on the floor at my expense, and then I imagined them rolling out of the door and onto the streets and out of my post-dinner defecating life.

Ugh. Parents. So immature sometimes.


P.S. Is there anything wrong with your Blogger? Mine is whacked.


Whoa you guys have got to watch The Hangover. It's freaking hilarious, although I could do without the sudden flashes of boobs.
And there's this line about the Jonas Brothers. I had tears in my eyes, seriously.

I've been sleeping so much lately, and having strange dreams. For one, I woke up bawling the other day. It was a nightmare consisting of one judgmental bitch and I also had another dream about these two hot guys asking for my phone number at a wedding. It was mostly weird. (Although the arms weren't bad; I was ogling even in my sleep.)

I just wanted to say how much I love waking up and not having to get up out of bed right away. I can just lie there pondering my dreams and freezing my head off since I absolutely refuse to get moving and turn off the air-conditioning.

I know, I know. I'm a lazy ass. Hmm, I don't even know why I'm blogging right now; I have nothing to talk about, except how I am re-loving the KFC original recipe nowadays. I practically salivate (more) when someone mentions it.

Oh, and that I've been watching the first season of Friends on my computer, thanks to my cousin Ryan who downloaded the whole ten seasons. Episode 7, The One With The Blackout, is a riot! Now I know why Chand loves Chandler (ha), because I adore him too! He's so sarcastic. And Monica is funny, too. Joey is just hilarious. Oh, and I loooove Ross! The whole Carol-lesbian-baby thing cracks me up so much.

Right, sorry for boring those of you who don't watch Friends. But it's really a great show. And so is Better Off Ted! I need more episodes, Kiat Yi, if you're reading this. Get me Ugly Betty while you're at it, thanks!

Hey, are any of you still reading books? Because there's this series by Shanna Swendson that I'd recommend. It's great. [I was gonna color the words so that you guys would know it's a link, but there's something wrong with Blogger, dammit. So click on the words "Shanna Swendson" if you wanna click on the link.]


I just remembered Barney Stinson's blog [y'know, Barney from How I Met Your Mother], and I came across this hugely entertaining post. I've copied it here. It's filarious.

Getting out of a ticket -- turns out -- not as easy as getting out of a second date. Nor apparently, are cops as easily manipulated as say, the Dow Jones. But when the po-po pulls you over on your way to your next pharmaceutical sales convention, you need to be ready. Here's a Stinson approved practice test.*

Which answer will get you out of a ticket?

1. You pull an illegal U-turn on a two lane road. Freddy Fuzz waddles over and asks for you license and registration.

A: Apologize and promise to never to it again.
B: You explain you have diplomatic immunity. You're an ambassador from the country of Awesome.
C: Cry

2. There's a girl fight happening across town. You're doing 95 on the highway. Carl Copper flashes his lights. You pull over. He asks for license and registration. You:

A: Explain you're dyslexic. You thought you were going 59.
B: You do your duty as a bro and tell him about the fight.
C: Cry.

3. You run a stop sign. Trudy Trooper wants your license and registration. You:

A: Say you thought that sign was for your heart, because that's what it did when you saw her.
B: Hand them over. With your phone number.
C: Cry

Answers:

Question 1:

A: Ticket
B: Ticket
C: Ticket

Question 2:

A: Ticket
B: He turns on the sirens and you get there just in time to see the girls yank off their tops and roll into a conveniently placed puddle of mud. Then he writes you a ticket.
C: Ticket

Question 3:

A: Ticket
B: Ticket but also a fun night with handcuffs and a lot of "Yes, Officer!"
C: Ticket and she laughs at you.

*Please note that if you are a hot chick, you will never get a ticket. If you are borderline hot, (we're talking 4-7 out of 10), crying should do the trick.

Whoa, I just realized it's been ages since I've blogged.
I'd apologize, but there wouldn't be any point since everyone's probably given up on reading my blog.
[Insert smiley face here so as to not appear too jaded and/or hostile. I meant the above sentence as a self-deprecating remark, so no offense!]


I downloaded The Used's latest single, Blood On My Hands - from their upcoming Artwork album - last night, and oh my god. It is THE BOMB, MAN!

It so rocks, I can hardly wait for the September 1st. They'd better not push back the release date again.

But somehow its volume is tuned higher than my other songs, so when I first clicked on it this morning in my iPod, I almost went deaf, and the aunties around me gave their you're-so-impolite-teenagers-these-days-have-no-consideration-for-other-people-don't-their-mothers-teach-them-any-manners?-I-would-never-let-my-children-or-grandchildren-listen-to-their-players-so-loudly-because-they-would-develop-hearing-problems-and-inconsiderate-manners-like-this-teenaged-girl-wearing-a-black-t-shirt-how-inauspicious-tsk-tsk-tsk glares.

Well, pardon me, aunties, can't you see my ears are bleeding?

Anyway, I also found Taking Back Sunday's New Again bonus tracks! Thank goodness. I've been searching for them since last week. Gotta love zip folders!

SIDETRACK:
Because I'm a member of Austenfans.com, I got an email about this new book to-be-released in August, called Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, written by Amanda Grange. It combines "two of the hottest topics in fiction" (Mr. Darcy and vampires) and looks promising. I hope it doesn't turn out to be like Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, which, according to reviews, was just Jane Austen infused with horror.

And OH MY GOD, I visited Amanda Grange's website and she's wrote lots of other retellings of Jane Austen's novels, from the heroes' points of view. There's a Mr. Knightley's Diary, and Mr. Darcy's Diary, which are basically their points of view, not their diaries, mind you. I read a short excerpt of the latter, and it is giving me the shivers, because Mr. Darcy is so damn hot.

As of now, I still like Mr. Knightley better because Mr. Darcy was such a jerk at the start that I can't get over it. But reading the novel from his viewpoint might make me fall head over heels in loooove.

Now there're two more things to add to my birthday wishlist!
END SIDETRACK

I can't stop gushing about The Used. There's a song by them called Burning Down The House, which is a cover of the original by The Talking Heads. It's on the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Soundtrack. It's also on this compilation album, called Covered: A Revolution Of Sound, which features songs produced by Warners Brothers Records, covered by bands like The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Staind, Avenged Sevenfold, and singers like James Otto and Michelle Branch.

These two recent The Used songs are what I'm addicted to right now. I CANNOT STOP listening to them! Burning Down The House is freaking awesome.


P.S. Sorry about the rambling! But The Used really rocks. *HEADBANGS*