Check this out!

http://www.swrnn.com/southwest-riverside/2009-12-09/sports/cif-championship-linfield-battles-rio-hondo-prep-in-battle-of-similar-teams

Congrats to Linfield Christian High School!

My dear old Alma Mater made CIF Championships!!! Best of Luck.

Go Lions...RAWR.

It's been awhile..

Hello!

Since law school has officially taken over my life I haven't been writing much!

Today I am brushing up on some last minute things before I leave for home!!! Can't wait to see my family-- especially my sister who sadly leaves tomorrow before the Thanksgiving festivities begin.

OK, not a Turkey. But it is the first chicken I proudly roasted myself!!!

Random, but one reason I love LA:

Diversity.

Now I know I consistently claim that diversity is not my thing- but that isn't quite accurate. While diversity aimed MEASURES are not my thing-because forcing diversity is stupid- I love diverse people!

For instance: yesterday on the elevator I was with a woman, probably late 20's and she barely spoke a lick of English. I tried making some small talk, she misconstrued my words. But as I left the elevator, she said, "Happy Turkey Day." Cute, right?

Anyways, hope your Thanksgiving is full of love, happiness and most importantly good food and good company!

Is it odd

that I:

* can eat sugary sweets and nothing else- "too rich" just does not fit into my vocabulary...

* that i love taking showers but hate washing my hair...

* that i have two blogs for my split personalities...

* that i am really loud but often hate being the center of attenion...

* that i set my alarm for times that make mathematical sense (7:07 as in 7 + 7 =0)

* that i feel uncomfortable when i'm not doing anything productive...

* that i can't study effectively after dark...

* that i have never changed my screenname from the 7th grade...

* that my room is always a mess but i can't stand a dirty kitchen/bathroom...

* and for that matter that doing dishes makes me gag...

* that despite everything...i still think im completely normal!

Happy Tuesday!

Don't care how, I want it now!!!

Things I really want:

1. It is Halloween- time to carve pumpkins!!!!

I have already decided on my costumes! One day I will be a girl scout (a law school appropriate costume of course!) and then the next a witch (did I mention I'm going to a rave?)

2. To get in shape! I went to the gym for the first time in months and almost died.

Let's get Physical!!!

3. To go on a vacation! I am really missing my family these days! Especially my sister who is far, far away in ATX!

Miss you Meow!

Rules Long Forgotten...Table Manners!

So, I wouldn't say that I am always Miss Prim and Proper but at the same time, I believe that good manners go a very long way. Nothing is a bigger turn off than poor etiquette. If I can't handle your table manners, surely, I will be mortified to take you anywhere.

Here are some of the biggies:

Mealtimes:

1. Napkins: The rule of thumb is that if you are in a restaurant, your napkin goes on you lap. And when you excuse yourself you put your napkin on the seat of your chair. That's where most people fail, but think about it--do you REALLY want someone's dirty napkin all to close to your meal...YUCK.

2. Knives: USE THEM. It is rude to stuff any food item into your mouth. Where it is your meat or an oversized piece of lettuce it's always best, and much less awkward, when you trim things down to bite sized portions.

Funny Story:

My high school boyfriend almost choked on his steak when he didn't cut it enough.

Worst Part: He almost died at my mom's birthday dinner, just a month into dating me! Awkward.

3. Gentlemen: On a date, please pay the bill...chivalry is not dead!

Ladies: SAY THANK YOU.

4. Buttering your Bread: Technically you should take butter from the dish and put it on the side of the plate, the tear bite sized pieces and butter them.

Bonus:

You may eat less bread, because following this rule makes eating a pain in the butt.

5. When you are finished, place both your fork and knife at the right side of your plate at an angle...this signals that you are no longer eating!

Weddings!

I love weddings! I love bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses. I love flowers and free flowing wine. I love that weddings are a celebration of my most favorite-est things: love.

But, this wedding was a little different for me...

You see, this was my first wedding with a date! Lucky me got invited to a wedding with a special someone.

Weddings stir up some funny romantical emotions. As you sit there and see those two people declare their promises of undying love, you can't help but feel the heartstrings pull. STILL, I am so far from thinking marriage! I've got tons and tons on my plate and TONS I want to do before I jump down that road (or aisle...teehee).

So, what was so surprising for me was to have all of these people coming up to me for the sole purpose of staring at that little finger on my left hand.

"When is it your turn?"

"Where's your ring?"

"Ooooh...bouquet toss, get on out there!"

REALLY PEOPLE?! I mean, not only is it a little rude to point out your apparent disappointment with my tax bracket single status...but it's also a little presumptuous.

I'm freaking 23 years old! I mean, how old are you? We live in a new millennium....didya hear?

Sigh...I should be kinder. What I mean to say is that I love a good wedding. And one day I will love my own.... Until then, how fortunate am I to celebrate the love of others? :)

Renewing Perspectives

Would you like you if you met you?

I stumbled across this quote on one of my favorite blogs today. For the first time in a long time it struck me: would I?

How often do each of us take stock of out lives? Sometimes I don’t think I do enough of it. I can be selfish, petty, mean. Then that Catholic guilt kicks me in the ass and I re-evaluate.

Today is one of those days.

Time to stay present. Time to pick my battles and concede or compromise when possible. Life is just too damn short to be anything but pleasant and enjoy the ride…

Happy Labor Day!

FUN fact: did you know labor day was started bc Americans didn't feel we had enough holidays? yeah... the puritans hated the english and their partying ways and when America grew up they didn't have as many holidays for people to break away from work. ENTER: labor day.

labor day weekend was fantastic! game night and korean barbeque with friends, a couple of days in malibu on the beach!

life is good, good, good...

'It's ok, you're sooo busy'

So, I have a thought...

After a long summer of the usual soul searching I've decided to give up relationships. This may come to a surprise to many because I've always been the 'relationship type.' I love love. I love being in love and going on dates and all that. But the thing is that ship has sailed. There have been times in the past where I've been single and while it has been by choice I still was open to the idea of a relationship. Gone are those days.

What really gets me going though is people's reaction to this. Instead of getting any sort of feedback, I hear others' justifications. You know, the ones that people use when they want a relationship but haven't found Mr. Right (Now). 'Oh, well you're in law school, you're so busy anyway.' There's also, 'Well, when I gave up on men, that's when I met my boyfriend/fiancee/husband.'

NO PEOPLE! You are missing the point! I simply do not want a boyfriend. I want to do as I please and not worry about another person: about the hurt I might cause them and the hurt he might cause me. Is there something so wrong with that? I guess that's what gets me thinking. For one, why is it that guys can enjoy being single, never pursuing a relationship and no one will second guess them and determine that deep down they really want one and are just copping out by saying they don't? No one tries to appease them by justifying it? Why is it a given that women need an excuse if they are not playing the field? God forbid we as women choose to enjoy the single life, you know?!

I came to this decision not for a lack of prospects but FOR ME. I'm not looking for sympathy. Shoot, even a little praise might be appropriate! When a person finally comes to what they really want in life and she believes it is the best thing for her I think support is the best reaction to have. People too easily let their own perceptions get in the way of understanding others' search for happiness.

And I am happy. :-)

The latest and greatest...

So, I am a big fan of a good inspirational song. I can remember my senior year of high school it was Christina Aguilera's "Keep On Singing my Song." Then freshman year I had Mae's "Sun." There was Rascal Flatt's "I'm Moving On" and the list of course continues...

Well here is the latest. Lady Antebellum with "One Day you Will." I was feeling down one day and got a text from Leigh and she introduced me to this song. Thanks to my friend Leigh!

Happy Thursday! Enjoy!

You feel like you’re falling backwards
Like you’re slippin’ through the cracks
Like no one would even notice
If you left this town and never came back
You walk outside and all you see is rain
You look inside and all you feel is pain
And you can’t see it now

Chorus
But down the road the sun is shining
In every cloud there’s a silver lining
Just keep holding on (just keep holding on)
And every heartache makes you stronger
But it won’t be much longer
You’ll find love, you’ll find peace
And the you you’re meant to be
I know right now that’s not the way you feel
But one day you will

You wake up every morning and ask yourself
What am I doing here anyway
With the weight of all those disappointments
Whispering in your ear
You’re just barely hanging by a thread
You wanna scream but you’re down to your last breath
And you don’t know it yet

Find the strength to rise above
You will
Find just what you’re made of, you’re made of

Click here to hear the song!

Born-Again

So here's the thing:

Today a friend and I got to talking about born-again virgins. And unlike many mythical creatures whose existence I also entertained as a child it seems these people DO exist (just kidding, wear it PROUD). Anyways, we were talking it over because while neither of us have shut that door, we do know people who have. And, to us, that is just fascinating.

So what exactly is the deal? I mean I get the notion- people that once (or twice or thrice and so on) have had sex, give it up. No sex until marriage/love/whatever. Seems simple. But then I got to thinking. Well, what is sex? Are we talking the whole playing field or just home plate?

If we're just talking about "sexual intercourse" then I say "WHAT THE HECK?!" As grown born again adults, do people try to play that sort of rationalizing game for reals? Sex is sex. To draw the line somewhere in the gray seems so arbitrary and childish. And if they are, I would LOVE to know the reasoning behind drawing these distinctions. We all know that sex is some serious (seriously fun) business. Sex is the most intimate thing and it complicates many a relationship. But once you've had sex (we are talking about the born agains, remember) you know that engaging in any form of sex complicates things.

I mean, I get that this sounds a little absolutist of me. But after having sex and then giving it up it seems like that is a pretty extreme choice and one that I'm sure arises for all the best of reasons. I just wanna know more!

Friendship

Even though I've already written one post about friendship I thought it was worth writing another. Probably won't even be the last.

Friendship is really important to me. One of the biggest lessons I've learned about friendship is that friendship takes effort. It is not all fun and games and here's why:

Well for one there is the friendship of inconvenience: one where you don't see the friend on a daily basis or even at a routine function. If your friendship with another is one of inconvenience, then it takes compromise. You have to PLAN to see these people and you have to put forth the energy to stay involved with one another.

Also, when a friend goes through a rough patch, real friends don't jump ship. They are there--calling to check in, bringing over dinner or taking the friend out for a night on the town! Even when a friend is being a Debbie Downer, a real friend will overlook it and ride it out for better times.

Thank God for all of my good friends. <3

Happy Harry Potter Day

What does it take to watch all 5 Harry Potter DVDS?

- Really amazing friends.

- A comfy place to sit.

- 3 meals: french toast, Chinese Food, pasta and salad.

- Lotsa sweets- Brownies and Tollhouse Frosted (aka Orgasm) cookies.

- 12.5 hours!!!

And yes, that was my day.

Just saying...

All of a sudden there has been a lot of news programming dedicated to the legalization of marijuana. I'm way too out of the loop to know exactly why this is but I definitely think it is a good thing that the country is starting to seriously coonsider this! The adverse effects of weed are pretty minimal and comparable to the use of alcohol and legal prescription narcotics.

In America, everything is sensationalized. Sex, drugs and rock and roll. I think the government needs to start pciking their battles a big more. Holland has long legalized the drug and their consumption rates are much lower than the States. Making pot taboo doesn't help anyone.

Alsoooo, if 60-70% of the Mexican drug cartel money comes from marijuana sales, isn't this a no brainer? Legalizing pot would cripple the cartel and cut down on the influx of crime that spills over onto American soil.

Ok, done ranting. Happy Saturday!!!!

A few of my favorite things...

1. Mani/pedis- M&M colored fingers and feet!

2. The gym- workin on my FITNESS

3. The YOGURTLAND that just opened up next to me.

4. Time with my fabulous friends!!!

5. Getting my single girl swag on

Aaaaand most importantly: feelin' girlie, gettin' pretty for a night out!

and we're back...

just got home from the long, long trip to ATX. it feels so good to be home. soooo good to have the boss lady away for the week to ease myself back into working and everything as well.

i love when i feel the way i do right now. there's just a calm, relaxed feeling that washes over me from time to time. it's just the right amount of being comfortable in my skin and content with where i am. this year was full of a lot of confusion and disappointment and it's finally starting to feel like the all the pieces have crashed.

even if it's just for now.

Roadtrippin'

Being with family is one of my most favorite things! It's so nice to get away and completely relax without a care in the world. We drove over 9 hours today. Just sitting in the car with my sister, blasting her crazy party music....not for a second did I want to be anywhere else. More to come!

A little something to put in your back pocket....

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." - Michael Jackson

10 Things I will NEVER try

10. Skydiving: me and heights do not mix. Fast drops in pressure hurt my ears, actually. I once went on Motezuma's revenge at stateline and thought my head was going to explode! :(

9. Eat Beets: It's true. Beets are the world's most disgusting food.

8. Cybersex: awwwwkwaaarddddd.

7. Give up Sugar: My greatest addiction in life. I can eat sweets like it is my J-O-B.

6. Give up Gossip: Everyone talks about everyone...deal with it. On a related note: I will give up perezhilton.com- that guy is on my list right now.

5. Eat ANYTHING on: www.thisiswhyyourefat.com (Self explanatory)

4. See a scary movie in 3D: Final Destination 45 in 3D...I TOTALLY don't think so. As if scary movies weren't torture enough...now shit is gonna fly at my face. No gracias. Nothing is fun about being scared out of your mind! And the nightmares that follow- soooo not fun.

3. Long Distance: Yeah, I did it. For FOUR years. I'm not saying it wasn't worth it- it was. There were some really good times but overall there was a lot of frustration and compromise.

2. Twitter: It's creepy. No one needs to anyone's every minute activities. People are so obsessed with themselves that they think others want to hear every tiny life detail...pulease. Yeah ok, a little harsh...sorry if you're on twitter (but who am I kidding- no one reads this!)

1. Sex Tape: ALWAYS A BAD IDEA. It'll get out, you'll get hurt and ruined. Not a good idea. Leave the taping to the professionals folks, grab a mirror and enjoy the present!

Make new friends, but keep the old...

Now that the insanity of my first year of law school has finally subsided I have had more and more time to get back to the friends I have regrettably forgotten about over the past 9 months.

This weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out with some friends from college and then some friends from grade school (crazy that these people still tolerate me after over 10 years). Even though the weekend was full of some insanely fun, drunken times, I got to thinking...

Friendship is one of the most dynamic things. I feel like every friendship I have is either a chapter, a paragraph or even a small blurb or short sentence in the book of my life journey. My friendship with one person can be completely distinct from another, whether it is that it highlights a different part of my personality or has gotten me through some good times, bad times, or just simply indifferent times.

Take for example my friends from grade school. They knew me during on tumultuous time of my life. They sat by me as I learned of the heartache of betrayal and were there when I had to leave one comfort zone and enter into a new place in life altogether. Then, there are my college friends who have always made me feel like my truest self. There is nothing I can do that will shock them. My law school friends are the only ones that can possibly share in the experiences I have had in the last year. It is crazy how quickly people can get so close to one another when thrown into a highly stressful position.

And all the while, all of my friends have shown me love. Each of them highlights a different part of my personality and maybe there are some in my history that these friends do not highlight my greatest attributes and strengths, but instead accentuate my weaknesses. They have seen my at my best and stood by my side and they have seen me at my worst and some have stuck around--others have moved on. And for each experience I am probably a better person--good or bad.

Isn't friendship great?

Love and Music

So, I have the weirdest most expansive music taste ever. But one this is for sure and that is that I am a sucker for a good love song.

I love love. Love comes in so many forms and evokes so many different kinds of emotions. Love can be happy. Love can be angry, sad, remorseful. It can be passionate and it can be resigned. Everyone deserves it and I think everyone is required to share it.

This just needs to be shared... Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIADdtY9pQA

Getting Started

Wow...here we go!!! So many people I know have started blogs. I was never sure if I would ever have anything too exciting to contribute to the supersociety that it is the millions of people blogging all over the planet but there's never any hurt in trying. Even if I bore you all to tears I've always found that I get a kick out of myself so no matter what it's a win for me!

So here's the plan folks: I am going to write what I want. Shocking, my name is Maelesa and I DO WHAT I WANT! :) There will be quotes, posts, pictures...my blog, my rules.

Enjoy!