My Pet Peeves

Spit/gum on the sidewalk:
 
I hate it when people spit on the sidewalk. That is so damn disgusting. Hello, inconsiderate people! People walk on the sidewalks. The worst is when you don't see the spit and end up stepping on it. Yuck! I know I'm wearing shoes, but still. I don't want someone else's nasty germs on my things. Even worse than stepping on someone's spit is stepping on gum. It's the most annoying thing when you're walking and you get gum on your shoes. If you've ever stepped on gum, you know what I'm talking about. And then the gum leaves unattractive black spots all over the sidewalk. Why are people so lazy? Spit out your damn gum in a trash can or something. People caught spitting gum on the street or sidewalk should be punished with 10 hard smacks to the face with a paddle.
 

Leaving carts in parking spaces instead of putting them in their stalls:
 
Don't you hate it when you're looking for a parking space and you think you find an empty one but just as you are pulling in to that spot, there's a damn shopping cart right in the middle of it? How hard is it to put your shopping cart in the cart return? OK. I understand if the whole parking lot had just one cart return all the way at the other end of the lot. But this is very rare. Usually, there are plenty of cart return stalls all over the parking lot. Yet people are too damn lazy to return their cart there. You may say, "Why don't they make more cart return stalls then? Maybe that will solve our problem." It does not. There was this supermarket back in my hometown that provided its customers with plenty of cart return stalls. I'd like to say there was at least one cart return stall between every five parking spaces. So wherever you parked, you would have to walk no more than two parking spaces to return your shopping cart. Despite that, people would still leave their shopping carts everywhere, except, the designated stalls. No wonder why Americans are so fat!
 
Littering:

It irks me when I see people throwing trash out of their car window or just throwing trash on the street. Why don't they wait until they see a trash can to throw their trash away?Are you really that lazy and inconsiderate that you will just throw your trash wherever you please? People caught doing this should have their hands cuts off.

Honkers:

There are drivers that honk their horns at anything. And sometimes, you don't even know who the fuck they're honking at. Horns are used to maybe warn another driver if they're about to hit your car or get their attention when there's a green light to tell them to go. Horns should not be used if you are mad that someone cut you off because your selfish ass wouldn't let them into your lane or if a driver is too slow (to your standards) when you are in a rush. I mostly notice white people like to honk for the littlest things. Where did these people grow up? Where I grew up, if you honk at the wrong person, you might get yourself shot! No joke. My BF was a honker (he is also white). Not so much anymore since he has met me. He still has a bad habit of sometimes inappropriately honking and I want to smack him everytime he does it. I usually say something like, "I guess you're not scared to get shot, huh?"

So generally, I am annoyed by laziness, selfishness, and impatience. So if you're not one of those annoying people who do any of the things listed above, you are cool. But if you are one of those inconsiderate pricks, maybe you can look inside your heart or whatever you have there and consider changing your ways. Because really, these are very bad habits to have.

No one should be offended...ever!

So it seems that we're living in a society where no one should be offended by anything anymore. Yes, everyone is forced to be politically correct about everything, lest someone gets offended. Why is that? What is wrong with us? Of course someone is always going to find something offensive no matter what anyone does.

I bring this up because the other day, I read an article about how a mom sued a school district because of a father-daughter dance. You see, the particular school that her daughter attended had a long standing tradition of having an annual father-daughter dance as well as a mother-son baseball game. Well, since the woman is a single mother, her daughter did not have a dad to take her to the dance. Therefore, her daughter was unable to attend.

I just don't understand. If her daughter doesn't have a dad, why doesn't she take an uncle or brother or something? Or just not go. But don't ruin it for everyone else. There were times in school when I was unable to attend a school event for one reason or another. It didn't bother me that I could not go.

What are we gonna do next? Get rid of proms because there may be people who are too poor and cannot afford to go? Oh, I know! We should ban dances all together because there are people who are rhythmically challenged and cannot dance. We don't want them to be left out! It's not fair that women cannot play in the NFL. I demand it gone!

Why do we have to ruin it for everyone just because a few entitled individuals complain? Why must we try so hard to include everyone in all things? It's already bad enough that we tell kids that everyone is a winner to make them feel better about themselves. Sorry to tell you this kids, but it's not true. In this world, there are winners and losers and it's wrong for your parents to lie to you like that. Instead of lying to kids, we should tell them that anyone can be a winner as long as they work hard enough. And in order to stay a winner, you must continue to work hard to stay on top. This way, we don't raise a nation of lazy individuals who feel entitled.

I'm tired of all this political correctness. It seems like people are getting more and more sensitive about everything. We are slowly becoming a nation of wussies.

I think it's about time that everyone just chilled out and not take life so seriously. In life, there will always be someone that will be excluded from something. Sorry to say this but it's true. It's impossible to please everyone. So quit complaining and suck it up!

Breaking Bad. How will it end?

My boyfriend and I are big fans of Breaking Bad. Who isn't? One thing that's frustrating about the show is that it is unbelievably unpredictable. Just when you think the show is headed in one direction, it totally surprises you with something else. I'm truly impressed by the genius of the writers of this show. They are absolutely amazing.The show is down to its final season but the last episodes don't air until summer of 2013. Aaah! That's almost a year from now. Ugh! It's just torture having to wait that long. Anyway, my BF and I are trying to predict how the series is going to end.

Before the final episode of the first part of season five, I hated Walter and wanted him dead. But alas, the writers have a way of making you change your mind. Before the last episode of this season, here was my prediction for the end of the series:

Walter gets out of hand and still continues to produce meth, with his new partners as distributors. Since he now has a new protege, he no longer needs Jesse to help him produce meth. Since Walter wants to get rid of all of Mike's men in order to eliminate any possibilty of tracing anything back to him, he must also get rid of Jesse. Jesse finds out and yada yada yada...skip to the final scene. Jesse and Walter get into a confrontation. Remember season four when Jesse almost killed Walter because he thought Walter poisoned his girlfriend's son? Yeah, just like that. But this time, Walter is unable to talk his way out of it. Jesse says a few choice words. It's all emotional. Close-up of Jesse pulling the trigger. Fade to black...

Yes, Yes. I know it's a lame ending but for some reason, I like "fade to black" endings. No, not really. But that was all I could think of. haha. I think the "fade to black" scenario tends to happen when you can think of no other creative ways to end a show.

The final episode of season 5 part 1 totally ruined my prediction. I have no idea what's going to happen and now I'm rooting for Walter again. No matter what, I hope Jesse gets out of this unscathed.

Anyway, Breaking Bad is an awesome show with great writing, a wonderful and talented cast, and a unique and brilliant premise. If you're not watching it already, I suggest you start. Or at least wait until the end of the series so you can marathon it. :)

Ombre Hair?

A few weeks ago, my friends came to visit from out of town. I hadn't seen them for a few months and the first thing they noticed about me was my hair. It had grown so long and apparently, it was also in style. I really don't pay much attention to hair trends so I didn't understand what the trend was.

Apparently, this hairstyle called "ombre" is in and all the celebrities are wearing it. That's when you wear your hair dark at the roots and a lighter color closer to the tip. Here's a sample pic below:

                                                      In this picture, actress Jamie Chung is sporting ombre hair.

I was pretty shocked because I was thinking I looked all ghetto with my hair this way. You see, I had enjoyed maroon colored hair for about a year until I decided I wanted my natural hair color back, so I grew it out. The color treated parts eventually faded into a pleasant copper brown color. Earlier this year, I started getting compliments for my hair.

The first time someone complimented my hair, I actually thought they were mocking me or something. Some girl came up to me and told me she liked my hair. I swear, I wanted to kick her ass because I thought she was pulling a "mean girl" on me. haha. A few weeks later, I got a compliment from an acquaintance. I just gave a her confused look and told her she was crazy.

Can you believe that? I didn't even realize that it was the trend. And there I was, embarrassed about the way my hair looked. All the while, everyone else is trying to get the same style. And now that I think about it, the hairstyle is pretty cute, no? Alas! Now I can let my hair grow out without being ashamed of my cheapness. Yay!

This reminds me of the time in sixth grade when I had dug through my mom's old clothes and found some cute bell bottom pants. I decided to wear them to school one day, not really thinking anything of it. Well, one girl came up to me and said (referring to my bell bottoms), "this isn't the 60's." Or something to that extent.

Needless to say, I was embarrassed and did not wear them again. But you know what? A few months later, bell bottom jeans came into style and everyone started wearing them. WTF?! Why did I let that stupid girl shame me into not wearing my mom's bell bottoms again?

Moral of the story? Who cares about what anyone says or thinks about the things you do or say. Just do your thing and be yourself. Because you never know when what you're doing today becomes what everyone else is doing tomorrow.

Kids? No Thank You!

I'm at the age now where I SHOULD be having kids. At least that's what society, my mom, and my friends say. In fact, I don't even get the "When are you going to get married?" questions anymore. I get the "When are you going to have kids?" questions. Umm... I'm not even married! I'm quite traditional and wish marry BEFORE I have children. But since I don't believe in changing my last name after marriage, I doubt any guy would want to marry me. Therefore, I will not have kids. :)

It's odd but it seems that the older I get, the less I want children. Shouldn't it be the other way around? My biological clock seems to be confused or something. For one, I think I am still too young to have children. I'm not even thirty! Practically all of my friends have children. Most have at least two or three. My mom already had all four of us by the time she was my age.You would think this would pressure me into having them. On the contrary, this makes me want to have kids even less.

Honestly, parenting seems like an everlasting pain in the butt. I see my friends with their children and I am quite repulsed by them. Firstly, you lose all of your freedom when you have kids. When, they are young, you can't just go out and do whatever you want on a whim. You have to make sure you have a babysitter or someone reliable to watch them and plan everything ahead of time. No room for spontaneity. How sucky is that? I just love my life too much right now and I'm not ready to give it up. If I want to go on a long vacation, I can. A lot of the time, we can't do group vacation trips because my friends don't have babysitters. Yuck!

When you become a parent, your needs are no longer important. Your life is dedicated to fulfilling the needs of your child now. You will spend the rest of your life hoping your child makes the right choices. You also have to put up with their annoying rebellious stage, while telling yourself the stretch marks, sagging breasts and unflattering figure were all worth it for these ungrateful little twerps.

I'm not ready to give up my life just yet and I'm not sure if I ever will be. I really don't have time to worry about other people when I'm too busy taking care of myself.

I know plenty of people who became parents at a very young age, yet refuse to grow up. Grandma and grandpa ends up raising the grandkids while mom and dad party and do all the young people stuff. Isn't that selfish? I'm sorry, but once you have kids, no matter the age, it's time to grow up. Your life is over. No one forced you to have them. Also, some couples decide have babies, hoping it would fix their ailing relationship. Isn't that selfish too? Children should not be used as therapy for couples to help solve their conflicts.

I used to think that I was such a selfish person for not wanting kids because I still care about myself too much. But now that I think about it, I'm actually not selfish at all. People who decide to become parents when they are not ready, are actually the selfish ones. At least I have the sense to wait until I am ready (if that time ever comes).

Stretch Mark Miracle!

Generally, most people attribute having stretch marks to someone who is either overweight or had been pregnant. What they fail to realize is stretch marks on the skin may also occur during puberty, a time when an individual experiences rapid growth. Unfortunately, I was one of those people who incurred stretch marks through puberty. Because of this, I always felt self-conscious of my body.

Being young and naive, I was only a size 5 but always felt overweight because I had strech marks on my buttocks, inner and outer thighs, and even on my calves! I never wore shorts or anything shorter than capri lengthed pants and skirts. Not to mention, none of my friends (who happened to be heavier than I was) had stretch marks. This caused me to have a distorted body image; I was viewing myself as heavier than I actually was. My reasoning: if I had stretch marks, but my much plumper friends didn't have stretch marks, then I guess I must be bigger than they are. Otherwise, why would they not have stretch marks? Obviously, I know now that my reasoning was incorrect.

How unlucky it is to be a healthy size, never have been pregnant, yet have such hideous marks on my body? I couldn't believe that many of my luckier friends didn't know that one could get stretch marks just from puberty. For years, I hid my legs, embarrassed by my scars. I tried countless amounts of expensive creams, claiming to reduce the look of stretch marks, to no avail. One day, I decided enough was enough. No more hiding! I worked too hard at keeping my body fit and looking good to hide it from the world, just because of these hideous marks. I started wearing shorts and just didn't care anymore.
 
One day, I stumbled upon a Youtube video from Tonyatko proclaiming that she was able to rid of her stretch marks with a simple cream. She was nice enough to share this secret with us, which was actually quite simple and easy to replicate: unrefined shea butter and olive oil. "Unrefined" meaning the shea butter has not been stripped of all its nutrients. You can find her video on Youtube.

Despite my skepticism, I went out and bought olive oil and ordered shea butter from an online source (it was quite inexpensive, after all) and mixed my own formula, following her instructions. I diligently rubbed the stuff all over my legs everyday. To my surprise, after a few weeks, the stretch marks on my inner thigh had dimished. I wish I had taken photos before to show you the difference, but it actually worked! Of course, you can't get rid of stretch marks due to the fact that they are scars, but you can definitely diminish their visibility. Over time, I have modified the recipe to make it more effective. If you want to try this yourself, here is what you will need:

You can order your unrefined shea butter from an online source. Shop around to find the best deals. It MUST be unrefined shea butter. I order mine from this website called summitcraft-oh.com but you can get yours from anywhere. I buy from them because they are cheap and the product arrives quickly. I usually get 2lbs at a time. This amount lasts at least a year for me. While you're at it, you can also order a 1 or 2 ounce size of essence oil. You might not like the smell of the shea butter so using essence oil will help with the scent. I buy grapefruit essence oil but you can buy the scent that you like. You will also need a 16 ounce size frosted plastic or glass container. The container needs to be frosted to protect the cream from sunlight, which causes it to deteriorate and lose its nutrients faster. Lastly, you will need grapeseed oil. I have found that grapeseed oil is more potent than olive oil. This can be found at any supermarket or specialty store but I have found it at Costco for a great price. For the formula to be even more effective, you must exfoliate. You can use whatever you want to exfoliate with but I use a natural loofah. You can also order this online for cheap. Tonyatko sells them on her website but I have also found them even cheaper on Amazon. Here is how to create your cream:

Start a steamer pot on the stove. Get a glass bowl or measuring cup and put it on the steamer (ceramic will also do).  I use a glass measuring cup with a wide mouth and narrow bottom because it's easier to measure the ingredients out and also keeps the water droplets from dripping into the shea butter. Take a few chunks of shea butter and place it in the measuring cup. Let it melt. The ratio of the shea butter to oil should be about 3:1. Meaning three parts shea butter to one part grapeseed oil. I usually melt one cup of shea butter and then add 1/3 cup of the oil. Once all of your shea butter has melted, take your glass off the steamer and turn off the stove. You can then add your grapeseed oil. This is also the time to add your essence oil (a few drops will do, don't overdo it). Pour this into your frosted plastic or glass container. You can mix it if you like but the pouring action pretty much mixes the ingredients up. Let stand for a few days. Do not cover with the lid until after 24 hours. Your cream should harden in about three to four days. The consistency should feel like body butter but if it feels harder than that, it will be fine. If after a few days, your formula still looks liquidy, just mix it with a wooden stick or something and give it a few more days. If after a week, it is still liquidy, it will be fine and can be used. It will eventually become harder after a few uses. To apply:

Remember to exfoliate with the loofah before every use to ensure optimum results. You can use the cream everyday but every other day is good enough. Just be sure to only exfoliate every other day. It's important to not overexfoliate. Apply liberally to affected areas and all over your body if you like. Just don't apply to your face or other areas that are prone to breakouts. I usually exfoliate in the shower, dry my skin with a towel and then apply the cream. After you apply the cream, you can get dressed. Don't wait for your skin to dry because it will take forever. You should see your stretchmarks diminish over time, depending on the size and severity of the stretch marks. Remember, this cream only dimishes the appearance of stretch marks. Stretch marks cannot be erased as it is a scarring of the skin.

If, by chance, you are too lazy or just don't have time to make this cream yourself. You can just go to Tonya's website and order it from her. I usually make it myself because it's much cheaper. Be patient because this takes time. Take a picture and then take pictures over time to see the changes. If you happen to be unlucky and this cream does not work for your stretch marks, at least you will still have soft, healthy, and glowing skin.

Good luck! Hopefully, this cream will work as well for you as it did for me. Tip: the shea butter is also good for healing sunburns, scars and other skin ailments. Just don't use it for acne. Remember to continue using this cream even after your stretch marks disappear to keep them away.

What's the Deal with Tipping?

I've always wondered who set the standard for tipping when dining at restaurants. Somehow, it doesn't make sense to me. So it's recommended that you tip at least 15% of the total bill. But how did they come up with that number and why do we have to base the amount off the total bill? Not only this, but they suggest that the minimum should be 15%, no less, regardless of the quality of  service. 

So even if the waiter or waitress did a bad job, we shouldn't punish them by reducing their tip? What do you suggest I do then? Go online and Yelp about my bad experience? Yeah, that'll show 'em. Ask to talk to the manager? I don't know about you but I'm very passive aggressive so talking to the manager would be the last thing I would want to do.  

In one experience, all the waitress did was take our order and bring us our food and drinks. After that, she never bothered to even check up on us. She didn't even come refill our water. Excuse me? I have to give her 15% for doing her job?! The least she could've done was refill the water. This is one of my pet peeves. My water better be refilled regularly or I'm subtracting tip.

Some people may excuse the waitress's behaviour because she is also responsible for other things that we don't see such as: setting and stocking the tables, making sure everything is sanitary, and cleaning before or after closing hours. Well when I worked at McDonald's in high school, I had to clean the tables, stock the cups and napkins, prep the food, clean the bathrooms, etc., all while maintaining good customer service. I didn't expect any tips from it. You know why? Because it was my job to do all those things! So if a waiter wants to get a good tip, they better go above and beyond for the customer, not just do the minimum. And then there's the issue of tipping based on the total amount of the bill.

OK. So we know that fish and seafood is usually more expensive than say, chicken or beef. So if I ordered one $20 dish of the seafood instead of the $10 dish of chicken, I'm gonna have to pay more tip for the seafood versus the chicken? What did the waiter do any different to deserve more tip for my more expensive meal? And even if the waiter has to tip the busser and the cooks at the end of the night, what did ANYONE do differently to deserve that extra money? I don't understand! Maybe the difference is in the way the dishes are prepared? Maybe the seafood dish is more complex? If anything, seafood is easier to cook because they have a faster cooking time.

In California, where I live, the server gets paid minimum wage and then earn tips on top of that. So if they work at an expensive restaurant, they can make a pretty good living. Wow! What a great gig considering you don't need any special skills (except maybe an extreme tolerance for stupid people) or education to do the job to begin with. They're making way more than minimum wage, which is more than they deserve. Why should I have to pay even more for them to live comfortably? I don't get tipped for doing my job well.

Sometimes I get mad at myself, or my bf, when we get crappy service and we still tip 15%. WTF is wrong with us?! We're pretty good customers because we're not picky and are fuss free. We don't even complain when they get our order wrong or if the food is nasty. So we're pretty easy to please. If your service disappoints us, you must really suck.

Now they're saying that the standard should be 20%. Really?! In this economy? Fuck that! If I'm going to give you 20%, you better have done something to blow me away. Sorry, but that's my hard earned money and I'm not gonna give it away for nothing. And if I feel your service was so bad to warrant no tip at all from me, then that's what you're gonna get. If your job is so hard and you feel you're underpaid then you're quite free to pursue a different occupation.