Things I do in the office...

Well, I have zero dogs at the moment, so does that imply that all it takes is ONE dog for me to become a "crazy dog lady"? (Source.)

...to distract myself when there is no work to be done:

1. Repeat phrases in my head.

Example: in contemplating the title of this post, "things I do in the office...things I do in the office...things I do in the office..."

2. Move my head in all directions, like a bird.

3. Drink water.

4. Refill my water bottle when it is empty.

5. Go through Pinterest and laugh (sometimes too loudly), pin, repin, like, at the "humor" pins.

6. Listen to music on Spotify (regular business hours haha).

7. Think about awkward moments in my life.

Example: like when I used to wear the "slim fit" jeans in middle school, even worse that I would wear a black belt and black dress shoes with white socks along with those jeans. Or like when I unconsciously make weird faces at friends/co-workers/strangers who are not in the "super-secret-approved-Euni-list-of-people list."

8. Read the good old "Mathematics for Economists" textbook. Guaranteed oodles and oodles of fun.

9. Daydream. --- Well, we all know I do that even if there is work to be done. I think I am 75% in daydream mode, and that's not taking actual bedtime slumber into account.

10. Walk around the office, stretch, balance on one leg, pretending to be a flamingo.

Now, my distraction activities aren't just limited to the above list; I have been known to apply unnecessary amounts of chapstick, browse online for dresses, look at webcomics, play with Google maps, cut out funny pictures from the junk mail the office receives, draw and color dinosaurs, etc. Wow, when I mention all the things I do when I'm not working, my job sounds super awesome. But don't think that I neglect my work; I just that efficient that I have so much extra time on my hands.

Best July EVER (...so far)

Happy July greetings to all!

I know we've only gone through like one full week of July, but man, has it been good to me. In the span of one week I did the following: signed up for yoga classes again, got a 100 on my latest Calculus exam, and got to drive around a few times by the end of the week (oh, and of course on the 4th of July as well). AND, I successfully drew a brontosaurus (long-neck herbivorous dinosaur) on green felt.

Anyway, enjoy the following pictures, as I do have a few new posts coming up in the next few days/week. I found these whale treasures, by the way, in the ONE DOLLAR SECTION at SuperTarget. (How does Target know that I love whales?)

Whale basket. Needs no purpose other than to be adorable.

I couldn't help myself. I bought ALL the $1 whales they had.

I LOVE WIRROW.

Oh yes, wirrow makes me oh so happy. Go check out his tumblr. So whimsical, nostalgic, and just plain CUTE.

And FINALLY...

MY FELT DINOSAUR. Don't know what I'm gonna do with it yet! :)

New Bath Curtain

I think the title of this post says it all. In case y'all didn't know, I kind of sort of really like birds. Like, a lot. So much that I always preferred budgies, lovebirds, finches, and cockatiels as pets over dogs and cats.

I still do. And now that I'm an "adult" I have the freedom to buy whatever the hell I want [most of the time]. And so, I bought the following curtain for my shower/bathtub (tacky or awesome: I really don't care, I LOVE it):

BIRD CURTAIN! I love it. (Photo taken by *ahem* yours truly.)

On a very related note, my morning shower mood has become a lot more cheerful. :)

Snooping Birds --- and Other Tiny Tidbits

It's Tuesday, and the weather has been love-ly! And the birds, well, the birds are just as amusing and adorable as ever. See for yourselves:

Just a couple of pigeons walking around, NBD.

It was but a charade. These seemingly innocent birds were making their way around the office perimeter. Oh sure, they were adorable, and I undividedly gave them my attention, when suddenly---CHOMP!---one of these innocent birds turned...FOWL. {Yes, yes, I was aching to use a bird pun. I apologize for choosing not to apologize for this bad pun.}


Anyway, I decided to make an MS Paint rendition of these curious creatures, and then, just because I could, I went ahead and inverted the colors. The end result:

I admit it: I might have a little bit too much free time.

So there y'all have it: my Tuesday in a nutshell. Oh wait, no you don't. I have another---kinda CREEPY---story to share. So last week, I had to make an appointment for a physical exam (long story, no real explanation needed, nothing serious or anything like that). First thoughts: I get to go to a lab and have blood drawn out and pee in a cup, etc. etc. Reality: the lab would come to me, to MY house, MY dwelling! I don't know about y'all, but when I go to a lab/doctor's office, I immediately go into "doctor-visit-mode" (as in, yes, I will pee in a cup, and no, I won't faint or shudder when I see my blood fill test tubes to the brim). But to have a stranger come into my home and do those same exact things...I dunno, my mind just couldn't calm down.

And you know what happens when you don't calm down...things go...awry. With me, this morning, it was the dreaded drawing of blood. Like I said, normally, drawing blood is no big deal. I'm tough, you know! And the nurse/technician/professional-blood-drawer is always proficient enough to easily find the right vein and quickly fill the tubes and be done with it all. This guy today, however, NOPE. He had a New Yorkean (sp?) accent, white hair, carried a roll-y luggage bag [filled with lots of medical goodies], and was (in kind words) pompous. "I've been doing this for 42 years! BLAH BLAH BLAH what happened to you today I only see about once or twice a month BLAH BLAH BLAH."

What happened, you ask? As the man stuck the needle in my left arm, all was going well, I could hear that little "WHOOSH" sound, signifying the test tube was becoming full, and suddenly, I hear, "Nope, that's no good. You're drying up. I'm gonna have to do this again." And as he was saying this, he kept trying with another test tube on the same vein.

His excuse? It went something like this: "Oh it's not my fault. I've been doing this for 42 years. If anything, it must be that you haven't had enough to drink, so you're dehydrated, and when the needle goes in and acts like a vacuum, the vein collapsed." Oh okay, Mr. Labman, it's my fault obviously, since I have inferiorly-constructed veins. Only not, since I've had this done many times before---even when I've gone longer without food or drink---and this thing never happened.

His solution? Let's do it again, ON THE OTHER ARM! (Now, I will admit, my right arm has bigger veins, so it was really really easy to fill all the test tubes again.) Shortly after though, I felt out of sorts, dizzy, like I was going to throw up. I had to lie down on the couch with my legs up to get the blood flowing. And Mr. Labman said again, oh yeah, I see this like 16 times a year, BLAH BLAH BLAH. Thanks Mr. Labman, thanks. Anyway, I'm better now, but the vein on my left arm looks a little beaten up, but no worries! In related news, I successfully peed in a cup. Not that y'all needed to know that, but you know how it is. No one likes to pee in a cup, especially when forced to on a constricted time frame.

Music Monday: Simple Song

Happy Music Monday! Ok, so maybe I'm on a Shins binge, today's song is their latest single Simple Song. I just can't get enough of The Shins, and I can hardly wait for their new album Port Of Morrow (March 20th, everyone!!!).





I daydream too much, by the way. Sorry if it shows through my choice of music.


In other news:

Source: imgur.com via Teddi on Pinterest

Something about captioned birds illustrated doing regular bird things just tickles me so. Who doesn't love these avian creatures? I don't really like that word, by the way; avian reminds me of that infamous "bird flu" madness. And don't get me started on swine flu...I hate pigs enough without their connection to illness.


Let's end on a happy note, though. Did you know we're less than a month away from SPRING!?!?!?!? I'm ready to start wearing dresses-without-cardigans, sandals, and flattering sunglasses! *siiiiiiiiigh*

birds

Birds flying straight at me.


Saved by tree
Saved by window.
Seagulls are kind of creepy...


I had birds.

Budgies.

Finches. love making finches.
bad parenting finches.


Loud lovebirds.
Narcissistic cockatiel.
Most loyal cockatiel
dying cockatiel. 

Treasure Island---I mean, Desk

Today was my second day at my new job, and let me tell you, it's a whole lot easier than my previous job. The only thing I've really had to get used to is answering the phone on the first ring. (Down with phones!!!)

I'll get to the good part of this story. Today, redundantly, my second day, I decided to clean out my desk---I know, my desk!---and I found a few little treasures amongst the dust bunnies and scary wires. Ok, so I only found two treasures: cute paper clips and a trashcan figurine with pigeons.

Cute paper clips, you ask? Yes, adorable, colorful plastic paper clips, shaped like isosceles triangles. I found them in a glass jar by accident. I don't know how this jar got there, but judging by the nice thick blanket of dust embracing it, this jar had been in the dark corner of the desk for a long, long time. I opened the jar, thinking it was just full of big, ugly rubber bands, poured the contents out and guess what came out?

Cute triangle paper clips!

You're probably thinking, what could possibly be more awesome than adorable paper clips? Well, let me show you.

Yes, it is what you think it is.

Who makes this? Don't think this was the only small-scale trashcan (with pigeons) I found---I mean, it literally was the only trashcan, but I also uncovered little "Homies" (i.e. "cholos," "gangstas," etc. lolol). I'm not lying, they really do exist, but I preferred my little trashcan with pigeons figurine over any of those mini human renditions.

See, they do exist!

So yeah, today was a pretty productive day, what with the cleaning of my desk and the discovery of the treasure. I felt like an explorer, really, uncovering things left behind by previous owners of this desk. I myself am not one to leave things behind, but if I do, I hope the next owner of this desk will have the same curious spirit and discover the new treasures. (That mini trashcan is coming with me though!)

Now, I really must go to bed. Yoga has been intense, and I need to rest up. Good night!

Lights

Good evening, and Happy Sunday to everyone! :) Noted, it is quite cold and rainy outside, but it's quite alright---it's the holiday season! My mother and I have been getting more and more into decorating our home for the holidays, and this year, Mom really outdid her crafty and creative self with a string of Christmas lights, a vase, and some decorative filler stones---so I'm showing off the creation with the following pictures:

I love Christmas lights. Bright, but not too-too bright, you know? And you should see our Christmas tree: we opted for a skinnier tree this year, and decorated it with white/frosted-white/red round lights and redbird ornaments...so pretty!

On a side note, I'm feeling a lot better than last week. I was ill since before Thanksgiving, and I was bedridden on both last Sunday and Monday. I actually lost my voice, and let me tell you, it was not a fun experience. Luckily, I'm getting over the sickness now, with only a nasty cough that scares children as the last dwindling piece of evidence of illness.

On ANOTHER side note, isn't that Pop Tarts commercial jingle super adorable? Or is it just adorable because of those unrecognizable and androgynous critters?

Why does only one of those Pop-Tart eating creatures have hair? Anyway, they're adorable, and their charm might convince me to buy their advertised product, even the product itself isn't quite as precious as these little guys.

One last note: I'm working on a Whales post, so y'all best be getting ready! You're gonna have....a WHALE of a time...(yes, I totally just went there...)

Much love to all! :)

Tidbits Adventures: New York

Good evening to all!

It's quite blustery-windy tonight (and it has been practically all day) in good ole Dallas. I cleaned out my purse last night and I found all of my New York receipts, plane ticket stubs, and other little mementos. This ablution of sorts brought with it a moment of reminiscence: I remembered the thrill of exploration, the thrill of getting lost and finding my way back home. I miss New York dearly, I miss my love, I miss my limitless freedom. While I can't exactly have all of those things here, it does feel good to remember all the crazy things I did on my trip. (And since I did mention before...if I had a chance to write about the actual trip, more than just the "catalyst story," here's what happened...)

Wednesday:

I woke up in Texas, briefly touched Georgia soil (well, Georgia airport floor), and arrived in New York in a span of 6 hours (give or take that time zone change). The moment we got off the plane at the LaGuardia Airport, we were greeted by a different rhythm. Everybody moving along, nobody stopping, all with a purpose. Taxis and cars and buses honking in the airport traffic. My sister and I called for our shuttle bus and shared it with a bunch of Canadians talking about Rugby. Upon arriving to our room, we were famished; we hadn't eaten since morningtime, unless you count the tiny pretzel baggy from the plane ride. Nani used her awesome food ordering skills and ordered pizza. Dinner was served and we were exhausted from traveling. Sleep.

Thursday:

Our first time at a subway/train stop.

So we got on the 7 train, Times Square-bound. I unknowingly sat next to a homeless man with a crossword puzzle---it's okay, he was dozing off. We kind of knew where the train was headed, but we didn't really have an idea of where we would get off---it was, after all, our first day in the actual city. Luckily, Grand Central Station was the penultimate (I think) stop, so we got off there. To this day, I still don't know how we wandered up to the well-known center-lobby-place-thingy, you know, the setting for that big scene from Friends With Benefits, but we did, and with just my Google Maps app on my phone, we navigated out of the station.

The great thing about being in a city for the first time and wandering around in it is that you never really know where you might arrive. New York has a surplus of very interesting, unique, and always worthwhile, places and attractions to see, and frankly, I was overwhelmed. If I want to see everything New York has to offer, I'd have to move there. (And I'm seriously considering it, no lies.) Anyway, we toured the UN (an unexpected educational visit, I suppose), and after getting our dose of international relations, we decided to walk to Times Square. In perambulating aimlessly, we found several clothing stores (and it wasn't until Saturday that I was kind of able to piece my mental map of our travels together, we were on 5th Ave. without knowing it!) and bought a few things.

And then...there it was. Times Square.

So many colors. Ads and people.

Bright lights, screens, and purpose.

So we were there. And then I impulsively decided to buy tickets to The Phantom of the Opera that evening at the Majestic. It was, by the way, awesome. Amazing. Getting back home afterward, not so much.

Yes, this is the part of my travel story that gets kind of scary. It was impossible to get a taxi to take us home, not to mention unnecessarily expensive, and we reluctantly decided to take the train back home. Unfortunately, I got us off at the wrong stop, and oops, we were super far away from the hotel, in the middle of Queens, in the middle of the night, AND it started pouring down on us. But there was no time to be scared, I was in SURVIVAL MODE. I mentioned before that if a rapist or murderer or some kind of felon had attempted to attack us, he would've regretted that decision. I would have mostly likely severely injured (if not accidentally killed) that poor hypothetical criminal. Thank God no rapist was around! Thank God indeed, actually, for I really don't see how a taxi appeared out of nowhere right in front of us. Some passenger got out and Nani immediately slid into the taxi and I gave the taxi driver the address. We shortly made it back home then, too late for our tastes! The adrenaline was still pumping through my body, but I eventually fell into a deep and restful slumber.

Friday:

At the Met, with my friend Vincent van Gogh.

It was another day, and we were ready for another adventure. I mean, we had already gotten lost---at NIGHT, mind you---what else could happen to us now? We went back to Times Square and did some more shopping and walking, and then we walked all the way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You know, that museum, in all its magnitude and glory, seems like a microcosm of New York in retrospect. Just like New York, the Met has so many works and so much rich history that one day, let alone five hours, is not enough to take it all in. Overwhelming. I contemplated not meeting with the former-love-of-my-life so that I could enjoy as much as I could of the Met, but we were hungry---and tired from all the walking---God, the walking!---so we ended up meeting with him. And well, you know that part of the story: if you need a refresher, here you go.

We had some lovely tasting pizza and some really good gelato with a rather bland name---Grom, I believe? It was a nice evening, and we all parted ways at Union Square. (I do apologize, I didn't take any pictures of that evening, it was better that way, my own sense of foreshadowing, I guess.) This time, when we got on the train back home, we didn't get lost. I felt a real sense of accomplishment.

Saturday:

Our last full day in New York consisted of trains, walking, walking some more, and Coney Island, and the moment I decided to leave my heart in New York.

I wonder what these buildings would say if they could talk.

 The days before this Saturday had been mostly gloomy: the sky had been mostly cloudy and rainy, and the weather was kind of stuffy at times because of everyone crowding around and walking so near to each other.

St. Patrick's Cathedral. So majestic and stoic.

St. Patrick's Cathedral had been on my list of things to see at New York, but I had given up on finding it, since we were pressed for time. But I guess St. Patrick found me.

And of course, we had to take a picture in front of the hotel from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

And then, we finally made it to Coney Island, which I didn't know was in Brooklyn, but yeah, it was, or it is, actually. It was the perfect way to end our trip to New York. The sky was gorgeous, the great big clouds billowing above us, the seagulls letting themselves be navigated by the wind. It was then that I truly wanted to stay in New York forever, and all those moments when I used to say "I'm scared" did not compare to the things I had encountered there. I realized that I could (and can) do a lot more than I thought I could...

Boardwalk, mid-afternoon.

Some of the Coney Island attractions, empty.

Of course we couldn't forget the hot dog (or in my case, the fries)!

I am happy to say, that while I am back in Dallas now, it's quite alright. After this trip and the end of the former-love-of-my-life, I've been making more positive life-changing decisions. And regardless of how things work out with my career, studies, and love, I'm not going to regret any of my decisions and actions. It's all for the best.

Till next time, New York!

Life, Meet Death

My workplace is prime real estate for birds year round. In Spring, especially, birds find it perfect for building nests and raising a family. This little tale I'm about to tell, well...is actually a mini-tragedy, but kind of crazy-weird because of my proximity to the goings on.

Anyway, I was working one day with one of my close friends (co-worker), when we got this one girl customer. As my friend worked on her transaction, this little bird -- a tiny, fledgling sparrow baby, who appeared to have barely learned how to fly -- flew down onto the girl's car. There. Standing on the windshield. On the windshield wipers actually. Quite still and motionless. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't want to look like a creeper on that girl's car...

Little Sparrow (we'll call him that) couldn't find his way off the car, but eventually it managed to fly away onto the nearby curb. There, he was joined by its sibling, Little Sparrow's Sibling. View pictures below:

Little Sparrow (left) with Little Sparrow's Sibling (right).

A few minutes later, this creepy pizza business customer drove in. I took the picture above right before creepy pizza business customer drove away. This is what happened after he left:

Little Sparrow's lifeless body, unintentionally sideways.

Poor Little Sparrow, he died so young! This mini-tragedy broke my heart not only because I had just taken a picture of Little Sparrow when he was full of life, but also because it reminded me of almost a decade ago, when my younger sister and I had tried to raise a runt baby sparrow after his mother had thrown him out of their nest! We had kept him in a little crib of sorts -- a small, snack-sized, baby blue plastic box, with feminine pads for bedding material -- and I had fed him tiny wads of bread soaked in water with my pinky finger. He had started to grow a few feathers (really tiny feathers), when suddenly, he stopped breathing while I held him in my hands. Rest in peace, Cuchi (that was his name).


The story is kind of funny, if you really think about it, referring to Little Sparrow, but still a tragedy. After his death, Little Sparrow's Sibling just kind of stood there, next to his dead brother, and then learned the "survival of the fittest" lesson; Little Sparrow's Sibling flew away quick!