jo wrote me a bday blog too! hahaha. made me laugh =) but i think you girls are much hotter ;-) i don't mind you being late...being down under does funny things to your sense of time. thanks, my dear!

[edit] shoot, i should've just been ungrateful and not tried to thank everyone. now i have to be consistent with bday blogs =P

seriously though, you guys are so cute. when i read those bday blogs, i don't know whether to get all misty-eyed or laugh.

deb's bday blog made me all nostalgic. it was a big "awww" blog...and freaking embarrassing. can't believe you remembered all those names...damn you! =D

oh, and that little sister wrote me one too. sort of. psh. yeah, you'd BETTER love me! =)

a great big thank you to everyone for wishing me a happy day =) yes, shirley was the first on my xanga, anthony was the first online, and bea was the first in person (although that's just cuz you LIVE with me).

michelle wrote me a happy bday blog. damned mushy too. ;-)

claudia and my mom sent me ecards. claudia hoped i wouldn't die and my mom sent me an ecard of hello kitty "swimming in a pretty pink sea." haha. makes me wonder whether my mom just randomly picked a birthday greeting or whether she still thinks i like hello kitty. and seas of pink.



lunch with my big and lil sisses was very nice too. unfortunately, i had to work extra hard at keeping my eyes open. love you two =D tina even got me the cutest wooden paddle. it's so cute, i wish i had a webcam just so i could share it. ah well.

sadness of the day: my sister forgot to wish me a happy birthday until i prompted her about half an hour into our conversation.
me: and uh...hey amanda
me: what's today's date?
amanda: ahahahahah
amanda: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! =D
me:: you big dork
amanda: hahah sorry..i was still thinking of right now as tuesday =P
amanda: goodness
amanda: the whole world doesn't revolve around you
amanda: hahah jk =D
i feel so loved. by my own flesh and blood! just wait till august 20th rolls around...

and just because i love happy bunny...

you are the cute but psycho happy bunny. You're
adorable, but a little out there. It's all right,
you might not have it all, but there are worse

which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

* * *
"What a Good Boy" -Barenaked Ladies

when i was born, they looked at me and said
"what a good boy, what a smart boy, what a strong boy"
and when you were born, they looked at you and said
"what a good girl, what a what a smart girl, what a pretty girl"

we've got these chains that hang around our necks
people want to strangle us with them before we take our first breath
afraid of change, afraid of staying the same
when temptation calls, we just look away

this name is the hairshirt i wear
and this hairshirt is woven from your brown hair
this song is the cross that i bear
bear it with me, bear with me, bear with me
be with me tonight
i know that it isn't right, but be with me tonight

i go to school, i write exams
if i pass, if i fail, if i drop out
does anyone give a damn?
and if they do, they'll soon forget 'cause it won't take much for me
to show my life ain't over yet
i wake up scared, i wake up strange
i wake up wondering if anything in my life is ever going to change
i wake up scared, i wake up strange
and everything around me stays the same

this name is the hairshirt i wear
and this hairshirt is woven from your brown hair
this song is the cross that i bear
bear it with me, bear with me, bear with me
be with me tonight
i know that it isn't right, but be with me tonight

i couldn't tell you that i was wrong
chickened out, grabbed a pen and paper, sat down and i wrote this song
i couldn't tell you that you were right
so instead i looked in the mirror
watched tv, laid away all night

weve got these chains, hanging 'round our necks
people want to strangle us with them before we take our first breath
afraid of change, afraid of staying the same when temptation calls...

males : game :: females : makeup

from michelle:
and then there's that idea of guys with "game"
what the hell is game anyway?
it seems like such a front

i've decided that a male's "game" is equivalent to a female's makeup. in contrived situations that depend completely on first impressions (e.g. club, party), a guy depends on his game and a girl depends on her makeup to put the better foot forward.

now a guy's game is best when it seems like he's not playing one. case in point: as the female, would you think a guy who says something like "hey girl, i saw you from across the room but your beautiful sexy eyes drew me here" or "damn girl, you got some foine fingernails" rather than "hi, my name's ___. i was wondering if you wanted to dance with me" is more or less sleazy?

along those same lines, a girl looks better with makeup that doesn't make her look like bozo the clown, tammy faye baker, or marilyn manson and powders that haven't been caked on to the point that they're about half her bodyweight and look like they will crack upon smiling. the whole less-is-more thing applies to both males and females, folks--while still hiding unsightly faults of both physicality and character.

the best and/or worst part: after you really get to know a person, the game and the makeup fade away. sooner or later, the guy's going to show his true colors and so will the girl when she washes her face.

keep in mind that what's underneath the game and the makeup is what you have to live with.

yeah, finals. [insert disturbingly hostile rant here.] yet i still go to bed at insane hours. boo.

i'm half-heartedly thinking about making a certain change these days. i consider myself fairly independent, but when people i truly care for and respect feel strongly about something, i have to wonder whether they can see more clearly from the outside. perhaps i was just being lazy and taking the path of least resistance...but change is such a bother. i know it will happen eventually...maybe i should make it sooner rather than later.

enough vagueness. sorry. so yesterday was beautiful. when bea and i were walking to my car, i discovered what my favorite type of spectator sport is: anything that is being played shirts vs. skins. best case scenario: i get to pick the teams too. =D

paloma and i had an interesting discussion during the car ride back from verde today. what is it about an organized group of women that scares people so much? they're either deemed frighteningly extreme feminists or hoes. evidently nothing exists in the middle. at the same time, i consider myself a feminist although people visualize butch militaristic females who don't shave their armpits when they hear that term. it doesn't have to be that way at all. my personal definition of feminist is someone who celebrates femininity, stands up for women's rights as human beings, and knows that females are not "an inferior gender." i believe all females should be feminists. grow up, people.

* * *
“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.” -Rebecca West

"In my heart, I think a woman has two choices: either she's a feminist or a masochist." -Gloria Steinem