Hawaii

Best spring break I can ever ask for.

Europe

Studying abroad has so far shed some light into me. This is a kind of experience that I would want some time in my life. There probably won't be any other chances when I can do something like this. I am currently staying at a university in southern England and using my free weekends to travel across Europe. It's an opportunity that I have to seize. Because when will I ever do this again? Definitely not until a long time if ever.

While being here on my own, I've also learned some lessons about independence. My transfer to a university back in California did nothing for my independence. I still went home to mommy and daddy and ate what they cooked and mooched off them like I did when I was 8. Mom and dad did the grocery shopping, there was always rice in the house. Now when I get back I find that I am screwed for lunch and dinner. I don't have anything in my fridge and I don't know the first thing about cooking! While at the supermarket, I found myself reenacting my mother's shopping habits. I was looking at items and was picking over the price. "This is 5 pence cheaper, I have to get this." Or "One carton for £1.60 or 2 for £2? Do I really need that much orange juice?" I got the cheapest dried spaghetti I found and attempted to make some. I had accidentally bought something called tomato puree instead of tomato sauce so it came out a disaster. So this is what it's like to be domestic!

This is also the longest I have been away from my family for the first time in my 22 years. I spent one month in Hong Kong and was terribly homesick by the second week. It's a little better here in England. I certainly miss home and I can't wait to get back to my family and friends, but this is also something I have to experience. My parents are encouraging me to have fun, my friends are telling me to have a great time, so I will. I'm going to make the best of it while I can, so I can say that I've (almost) traveled the world. England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, and Germany. That's a good amount that I can put in my journal.

I've always thought that I would never "backpack" because it sounded too risky, complicated and even dangerous. But I did my first backpacking in Dublin and it wasn't bad at all! I got lost a couple of times but I wasn't at all afraid. I kept thinking that it was the part of the experience, and it just made me enjoy it even more. I probably looked like an idiot every time someone tells me I've gone the wrong way. It's okay, because I'll find the way. I'll see the world, see what it has to offer and maybe make friends with it along the way.

I'm having the time of my life! I may be in debt for the next couple of years but I don't care! I know I won't ever regret this.

London

Hi, I'm Big Ben.

Hiking

Twilight Saga brings new meaning to LOL

I'd tried to like this, I really did. Reason being 1) I'm a total sucker for romance and 2) vampires are sexy. But not surprisingly it was a total disappointment. I'm not just talking about the latest sequel (among many I'm sure), it's the entire series itself. I should've known when I couldn't get passed chapter one of the book that it ended there. I should've known that anything with the plot revolving teenagers was anything but substantive (ahem High School Musical).

I've read plenty of romance with lines that are cheesy, but it doesn't sound cheesy in books. And I am sure that even in movies, when the actors can do it right, it wouldn't sound as cheesy either. But this movie adds gas to the fire. Bad acting + enhanced corniness = series of rude guffaws from me in the theater.

Honorable mentions:

The scene with Edward making a grand entrance as he is walks lazily in slow-mo, with the wind blowing at him. and emits a glow while smiling devastatingly at Bella

Can you read that line and not even feel the urge to roll your eyes? Sure, he's good looking. And a brooding, tortured vampire who has just found love after a hundred year is just the recipe to intrigue every dole-eyed, naive teenage girls in the world; but no need to bring out the runway theme here. All that's missing is Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt" song.

Edward and Bella both seem to have trouble trying to get things out of their mouths

That is, they have a hard time saying things. In general. About anything. I don't know if that's their character because I didn't finish (any of) the books, or if it's bad acting, but you literally see them pause for a long time before any words come out. It kind of reminds me of some of the Korean dramas that are so popular nowadays, because they too take forever to say anything. (Anyone notice that?) It's like they lost the ability to speak. Which is inconsistent, because the supporting characters spoke fine and fluidly. And the supposed "pained" expression that Edward tried to sport every time he pushed Bella away (because he wanted to keep her from danger) actually looked more like he was constipated than suffering.

It isn't just Edward, Bella sounded like she either has autism or brain damage, maybe both. She avoided eye contact, had very few facial expression, stuttered profusely, and spoke with a monotone. The stuff she said is a mixture of convoluted phrases crammed together that I don't understand a fuck of what she's trying to say.

Just because werewolf boy has abs and muscles that can crush walnuts doesn't mean it's tasteful to flaunt it around

A shirt is enough to outline his godly muscular contours. The body is hot, I get it. But it was so obvious that they were trying to find excuses for him to strip - Bella gets a scratch and bleeds from hitting a rock and SHAZAM Jacob whisks his shirt off and delicately dabs the blood from her forehead. This cues for hormonally challenged teenage girls to reek havoc in the theater.

What is with the vampire and werewolf language?

Maybe I've mistaken, but were they talking in their own language?? They get their own language?!11 Which by the way were blurbs of nonsense.

The corniest, cheesiest, lamest lines to ever be presented on national movie screen, not including stuff coming from Shakespeare of course

Something along the lines of "Bella, your gift for me is by merely breathing" hands down.

Edward doesn't look pale, he looked like somebody dumped a bunch of baking flour on him

You could see his real skin color along his hairline. Vampires are supposed to be pale, not pearly white.

All I can say is the money was worth the amusement and laughter that it brought. Plus the thirteen year old kid next to me laughed along and made the experience a lot funnier.