Iker Casillas in Spain Vs. Portugal

This allergy made me puffy and I don't want to blog or move so I will post this video of Casillas doing the most amazing thing the world cup has ever seen:

Spain National Team: Hot Men

Spain has some of the hottest players ever. Today I realize that I love Iker Casillas and David Villa. I love the Spanish team:
1- Iker Casillas
3 - Gerard Pique
7 - David Villa
9 - Fernando Torres
14 - Xabi Alonso
19 - Fernando Llorente

My attempt to rank my love:
1. *Xabi Alonso & Steven Gerrard
2. Zinedine Zidane
3. Iker Casillas
4. David Villa
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
6. Ricardo Kaka
7. Fernando Torres
8. Fernando Llorente
9. Gerard Pique

*Xabi and Stevie are first. I can't rank them individually. They have to be together and they have to be number 1. That is the only way I can do it.

I also like David Beckham because he is so hot, but he has become more of a Hollywood star than a soccer player for me so I won't put him here. If I were to rank him, we would probably fall right before or after Kaka.

Beckham and Zidane Slash

I don't understand why I can't find Beckham and Zidane slash. They are so cute. I like the contrast of Beckham's full head of hair against Zidane's shiny scalp.

Zidane desperately wants to hold Beckham's hand in this one.

 

This is the moment before Beckham pulls Zidane's head to his face.

Zinedine Zidane

 

I know he is retired, but I like Zizou so much that I am dedicating today to him. I didn't care so much for today's teams: Germany, England, Argentina, Mexico. I am glad that England went down with us (except our lost wasn't quite as embarrassing), but I do pity Steven Gerrard. I think it is his first time being captain in the world cup. *sadface* There is always a spot for you in Real Madrid with Xabi.

I am getting really anxious for Spain's game on Tuesday. I hear that Spain is predicted to win, but you never know. Spain has never done well in the world cup. Neither has Portugal, I guess. I wonder how Spain and Portugal are ranked second and third, respectively. I am sorry Cristiano Ronaldo, but Spain must win this one. Brazil, Germany, Argentina and even Uruguay have won enough cups. I am afraid that one of them will win again. Honestly, I think I am fine with any other country winning. Except maybe Ghana. That still stings.

United States 1 - 2 Ghana

I am so upset that we lost. ): Well, at least there is still one African team in the game. I would root for Ghana a little if they didn't just defeat us.

I am going all out SPAIN now. I love Stevie, but England has to go down with us. The English fans will get way too cocky otherwise.

Gerard Pique, the hairy one, looks really good in this picture.

USA! (and England because Stevie is too cute)

The US is down one point against Ghana right now. ): I really hope we make a comeback. And even though I have not been rooting for England as of late, I have decided to for tomorrow's game. I have been going back to the heart & the brain to look at pictures of Stevie and Xabi. I miss them. I really want Steven Gerrard to move to Real Madrid now. If it goes through, Real Madrid would be the best (looking) team ever. That is if Zidane gets bored of retirement and comes back to Real Madrid too.

Stevie is such a wonderful father. How can Xabi ever break this up? *sadface*

South Korea, I am sorry. I was rooting for you guys too. ): Good job though.

St. Moriz Tanning Mousse; Silvia Spanks Ronaldo!

I applied the St. Moriz tanning mousse after my shower this morning. It applied smoothly and consistently. I have not noticed any streaks as of yet. The color is not in any way orange, which I totally adore. It is not as dark as I would like so perhaps I will apply it again tomorrow to build the color on my legs. The downside to this product is the smell. It is not intolerable or noticeably strong, but it has been lingering on my body for the whole day so I cannot stand smelling myself. Self tanners are supposed to smell, I know. It will probably fade after a shower, but so will some of the color. I hope the tan does not go patchy after I shower.

.edit// I have noticed that the color actually intensified after one day. I love the color of this tanner. It is absolutely gorgeous and natural. It has been two days and it has not become patchy and the color is fading quite slowly. I really think this is going to become a staple item for me. Oh, and the smell is totally gone after one shower.

---

I am glad that Spain won it's group cup today. (: I hope you enjoy the picture from today's Portugal versus Brazil game. They are both on top of their group as expected. All my teams made it to the top 16 this year. What about France? Zidane is not there anymore so I can see why it would suck. He was the main reason I rooted for France last world cup anyway. I love how shallow a sports fan I am.

In honor of the world cup, I will post pictures of soccer players daily:

What the hell is that? You know what I am talking about.

USA!

It has been eighty years since we've won a group cup! I am so happy we advanced. (: I am also rooting for Spain this year.

Time for an inspirational picture from Real Madrid:

These men are together doing things like this on a daily basis. I would have posted the American team, but this is about as good as it gets.

Cherry Hill Mall Haul

I picked up a few things from Cherry Hill Mall today.

Express 2 1/2" EMBELLISHED PATCH POCKET SHORTS - $16

Charlotte Russe boyfriend fit jean shorts - $16

Wet seal tank top - $6

wet seal butterfly tank top - $6

Wet seal light Floral Scarf - $3

I love the fit of the Express shorts. They make such excellent clothes. All of the other shorts I own pale in comparison. Express clothes are pretty expensive except when you get them on sale. :)

I absolutely love my new scarf. It has a little boho/vintage kind of vibe. The other clothes were so-so. Wet Seal does not impress me.

i am bursting

Because I possess absolutely no self control whatsoever, I have given up on the 3-week diet plan. I will try to maintain some sort of regular exercise routine. I will still attempt the "healthy" lifestyle, but calling it a plan is just disgraceful at this point.

my birthday cake

I ran for twenty minutes and did my DVD. And then I ate a lot of food and my birthday cake. Ice cream cake and cheese cake. I don't want to blog anymore.

vegetable soup

My mom and I made vegetable soup today. I just wanted some mushrooms and cabbage, but she threw in some carrots and cauliflower. And beets, which I am a little weirded out about. It turns the entire soup red.

I ran for half an hour today but did not do my DVD because my brother's friends are here. ): And now I am super stuffed from the vegetable soup.

fail day

I ate a lot of food today. This includes bread. I saw the loaf of bread and I did not stop myself. I had a lot of things. I would not mind it that much if I have not been on a fruit and vegetable diet for the last four days. My body is rebelling the sudden splurge.

I ran for half and hour and did my DVD routine diligently. Everything else was a fail.

things sent and things ordered

 

After hearing so many good things about this self tanner, I ordered St. Moriz (St. Moritz if they hadn't made that typo) from UK ebay. The only similar product in the US is St. Tropez, which is about three or four times the price of St. Moriz. I am crossing my fingers on this one. I hear it fades after 2 to 5 days, but I am planning to use it along with gradual tanners to give me more color. I will tell you how it goes.

Today I received Kiehl's Cryste Marine Firming Serum from L'oreal. I didn't even know that L'oreal owned Kiehl's until today. It is pretty generous of them to give me a full size product that retails at $50. I think I may be a bit too young to use this firming product, so I may give it to my mom. I am also considering using it on my expression lines. Well, I will update with how it works if I ever get to it.

Slovenia 2 : 2 United States

The US should have won, but the referee Koman Couilibaly fouled our last goal for no apparent reason. Cheat much? I am in no way expecting the US to make it to the end, but I'd like us to get our fair points. So far, we have two tied games. ): I would usually root for England over Algeria, but today I think I would like them to lose for the sake of our country.

 

I usually go for the foreign ones (Real Madrid), but America's Michael Bradley is not bad. Not bad at all. Neither is Francisco Torres and the other kids. I guess at young ages, most athletes would look good. Another motivation to root for my home country. I am also hoping Spain will make a comeback.

Banana Leaf's satay tofu

I did order the satay tofu at Banana Leaf today, so good for me. I even shared some of it. It was delicious, but could have used some hot sauce for flavoring. The problem was that the waiters never came by until the very end. Other than the excess oil, I will say that it is a pretty decent dish.

I only ran for 10 minutes this morning because I am lazy like that. I did my DVD routine. I am determined to do that every single day because it just takes so little time. I have absolutely no reason not to do it. Running takes a little more willpower because it is on a treadmill in the basement.

My new diet is working so well for me. I am always eating so I am never hungry. It is a little costly though because apparently healthy food is just that much more expensive. My blueberries will be gone tomorrow.

huge haul

First of all, I'd like to talk about all the stuff I got today. Sue ordered me a bunch of makeup things from Cherry Culture. I got two NYX lipsticks in Circe and Jupiter. Circe is amazing but Jupiter is quite disappointing. It is not as pigmented as I expected. The coral lip gloss was a bit too sheer, but I'll see how it goes. I love the Jordana eye primer. It was only about $2 and really helps eyeshadows show up. I would say it is way better than the ELF mineral one. I got an Amuse lip liner that may be a bit too dark for something called natural.

I bought a Guess amor necklace that is a total dupe of the one I saw on Urban Outfitter's website. The necklace has a 16 inch chain so it stays close to the neck, which I like. It seems there are a lot of similar designs out there. I also bought this huge flower statement ring from Joyce Leslie and an adorable nautical tank top with a cute back design. It is my new favorite shirt!

I stuck to the plan pretty well today. I had a lot of fruits and vegetables (if corn counts) and some cashews. I ran slowly for 30 minutes and did my DVD routine. I need to improve on the working out part. I get so lazy. I used to do a lot more but now I can't even bare the thought of doing lunges and squats. And I don't really count what I did on the treadmill as running. It's more like actively participating. Tomorrow, I will try to get back into it. Oh, I did girl push ups again. One day I will progress.

Tomorrow I am going to Banana Leaf for a goodbye dinner to Ron. ): I am determined to just get the tofu satay. It's fried food, but it is one of the cheapest and seemingly healthiest options. But what do I know? They* say McDonald's salads are higher in calories than their burgers.

*You're right, I don't know who they are.

walk not run

I did not run today but I did walk a lot. I did my 20 minute DVD thing which is actually only about 15 since I don't cool down. Oh, and the fruit/veggie thing is totally working except I think my mom is still planning to make me tofu tomorrow. I thought she understood when I told her yesterday. Oh, mother.

The gift that I picked up from Sephora is much smaller than I had anticipated. I should have known that it was too good to be true.

Did you know that it is illegal in Maryland, Maine, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to use coupons for free milk? I requested for a promotional free milk coupon online and the milk company sent me a check instead.

My Letter to Twix

I wrote this email to Twix a few days ago:

To Whom It May Concern:

I am loyal fan of the Twix fanchise. My family and I have been eating Twix for what must have been our entire lives. I have always respected the values that Twix instilled in its dear customers and supporters. In fact, I presume that the “Twi” in Twix is derived from the “twi” in twin. Twix candy bars always came in two in the past and that gave me much comfort. I knew that Twix valued togetherness, familial bonding, friendship, romance and sharing. I have always and probably will always be grateful to Twix for that.

In the past years, however, I have noticed that Twix has produced products that break its traditional values.  Some of these products include Twix ice cream bars and chocolate bars that are individually packaged. My question is this: What the hell, Mars? What the hell?

Sincerely,

Twix Lover

Today, I received this:

Dear Valued Consumer,

In response to your email regarding TWIX CARAMEL COOKIE BARS.

Thank you for your email.

We are sorry to hear that you are disappointed with TWIX CARAMEL COOKIE BARS.

We appreciate your feedback and will share your comments with our Marketing Associates.

Have a great day!

Your Friends at Mars Chocolate North America

 Is that what they're officially called? Twix Caramel Cookie Bars? I guess I should have known the proper name before declaring myself their biggest fan. You learn something new every day. The Twix people will share my feedback with marketing. Okay, Mars. Okay.

not an improvement

Although today was not a good day, I did not fail completely. I woke up at 9:30 in the morning, which is a vast improvement from 2:30 in the afternoon. I only ran for 20 minutes because I thought that I might have been short on time (I wasn't). I got the security alarm installed. I attempted my 20 minute DVD routine for about 10 minutes before my mom came home with Chinese takeout. I really need to work on my eating habit. Oh, and right now I am trying to lift little weights while sitting/lying in bed.

.edit// I have convinced my mother to let me go on a one week vegetable/fruit (with the occasional cereal) diet. I hope the diet clears up my skin too. It has not been behaving.

My many uses for Vaseline/petroleum jelly

There is always a giant bottle of petroleum jelly in my house. There are many things you can do with petroleum jelly. Here are the appropriate ones:

Lips: Petroleum jelly is one of the best lip moisturizer ever. It moistens and protects chap lips. It is the only thing that really works for me when my lips are really bad. I prefer using regular lip conditioners because they apply better and are more convenient, but this stuff really does the job. It's best for nighttime application. In addition, you can use it to exfoliate your lips. Just add some to your lips and use a old toothbrush to brush away the dead skin. The jelly will keep your lips moist.

Skin: It soothes dry skin. I sometimes use it on my old burn mark. It also works well on foot blisters, etc. The skin of my foot became really dry at one point and a few night of this stuff cured it. :) Great healing powers.

Heels: Put some petroleum jelly on the inside of your heels or shoes to prevent blisters and pain. It adds some moisture and a layer of protection between your shoes and your feet. You should definitely try it. Just don't add too much or it could get slippery.

The only ingredient in Vaseline is petroleum jelly, so feel free to pick up the generic petroleum jelly. There is no need to buy the Vaseline brand. They charge you extra only for the name. (The same goes with Advil/ibuprofen.)

Sunscreen Causes Cancer?

So you know that I have been going crazy with the sunscreen. I slather it all over my face and body before leaving the house nowadays. Today, I found some interesting information.

Oxybenzone belongs to the family of benzophenones that is commonly used in sunscreen. It blocks out UV light that causes sunburns and damages. Ideally, it would do its job and then get washed off in the evening. A study by the CDC shows that this may not be the case and that the chemical may actually get absorbed into our system. In lab setting and in high concentration, oxybenzone has been shown to cause damages to the cells. In everyday life? Nothing that anyone has been able to prove as of yet.

My Neutrogena Ultra Sheer contains 6% oxybenzone. Am I going to continue using it? Probably. Skin cancer and damage is a more imminent danger. Oxybenzone, if harmful at all, may never affect me in my lifetime. People who look for the alternative sunscreens still get stuck with titanium dioxide or something of the sort which gets absorbed into the skin anyway.

It is a good thing I am not a huge fan of the sun.

Neosporin

I accidentally gave myself first degree burn a few days ago and have been using Neosporin and cocoa butter lotion to aid in the healing process. I hear that cocoa butter is supposed to prevent scarring, so I hope it works. Neosporin is an antibiotic ointment that helps prevent infections.

While I was applying the Neosporin I found in my mom's room this morning, I noted the expiration date: Expires 07/2005. Yes, that was five years ago. How is it possible that my mother has something that expired five years ago sitting on top of her vanity? I really need to go through the medicine cabinet.

On the bright side, the burn seems to be softening and ready for peel. I am not sure if it is the cocoa butter or just the fact that I have been moisturizing the area like crazy. Regardless, what I am doing is working.

Workout Motivation

There are only three weeks left until I leave for California. I want to get semi-fit before then. I am putting together a three week plan for myself and hoping that I will stick to it. I will try to update daily. If you see me faltering from my plan or not updating, please yell at me. I have been so unkind to my body since college. I really need this. Here is a general outline:

Healthy Diet:

No chips or fried food. My skin will also thank me for this.

Low carbs. I eat way too much carbohydrates for my own good.

Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I am lacking vitamins, I'm sure.

Take my fish oil pills. I need to finish that jar I bought so long ago.

Workout Plan:

Run/jog every morning for at least 30 minutes.

Follow the 20 minutes cardio DVD everyday. 

Lift some weights everyday.

I have been running pretty consistently for the past month. I haven't cut back on my junk food but I will start now. As soon as I wake up, I will start on this plan. :) I tried that cardio DVD today and I thought it was great. The only problem is that when I was supposed to do push ups, I did planks. :( I have no arm strength at all.

Also, have you noticed how much I have been blogging? I am trying to make up for an entire year's worth of laziness. The idea right now is that if I stick to my 3-week plan, I should be blogging consistently to update you on everything.

Lonsdaleite

While in Borders with Deb the other day, I came across a book called the Perfectly Useless Book of Useless Information. One of the useless facts state that lonsdaleite is 58% harder than diamonds. I jotted that down to remind myself to look it up because, well, maybe I would like to buy lonsdaleite one day.

The truth is that lonsdaleite is only harder than diamond in its pure form, which only exists as a simulation currently. Lonsdiete forms when meteorites containing graphite strike the Earth. The "heat and stress of the impact transforms the graphite into diamond, but retains graphite's hexagonal crystal lattice." It has also been synthesized in the lab.

Snapple Real Fact #103: Frowning burns more calories than smiling

Frowning burns more calories than smiling.

This is probably true since scientists confirm that frowning uses more muscles than smiling. In reality, I think it depends on what kind of frowner you are. I am sure exaggerated frowns require a lot of muscle strength, but I think I have this passive frown that comes naturally. I am so used to it that it is not much of a workout anymore. So to keep up a good workout routine, I recommend you alternate between smiling and frowning. There is also this in between kind of face where you stretch your lips horizontally.

Note: This is an officially retired Snapple Real Fact because "Real Facts need some time to just kick back, put on a pair of slippers and play some shuffleboard."

Yes, I've decided to address random Snapple facts throughout this month. A few years ago, I emailed a Snapple representative to ask whether Snapple real facts were true. He kindly confirmed that they were. Many of them have been disproved since. To this day I distrust Snapple -- though I must say that I did go through a Snapple Mango Green Tea phase in high school.

i want to blog today

I am determined to leave my house tomorrow. Today, I must read something or my brain will melt into my skull. Television is not good for the mind.

.edit// Haven't read yet, but I will. So far, I ate cereal while watching TV. I ate so much cereal, just straight out of the box. ): I think that is a strange sad face. This appears to be a normal face :( but ): is just so strange.

@Deb Send those books to my psu or google email. Did you know that you have your very own blog label? When I say those books, I mean everything you have.

still thinking about it

It would suck not to die. We've all been working our way towards death.

Deb and I are starting a club, I've decided. I am going to pitch some ideas:
1. Letter Writing - We can hone our writing skills while having fun. We can write to hot celebrities and sick children. :) Like a nonprofit for fun.
2. Something Else - You think of it.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 55

I am not ready for any sort of wrinkle prevention creams, so I going to use more sunscreen from now on. Since 70-90% of skin damage is caused by the sun, I figure this is a good choice. This Neutrogena sunblock contains SPF 55 and protects against both UVB and UVA. This should get my mother off my back about skin care and make me feel a little better about aging. I am a little concerned about using this in the eye area though. Is it too harsh? I think it's fine and prevents sun damage to the sensitive skin in the area, but most people use specialty sunscreen just for the eye area. I think it's quite excessive and may be some marketing gimmick to sell a smaller bottle of sunscreen for a higher price.

This sunblock feels very dry, but that also means it dries very quickly. I kind of forget that it is there except when I sweat. It comes off quite heavy. It just feels thick, but it works well to prevent me from burning.

twenty years old

It's quite alarming to realize that I am turning twenty in a few weeks. I feel like I have been a teenager for so long that I can't quite grasp the concept of being in the twenties. It's a little early to worry about, I know, but I still worry. A few days ago, my mother told me that I should start taking care of my skin. Here I am still dealing with acne and my mother tells me to prevent fine lines and wrinkles. I feel so overwhelmed. It's not the skincare or aging part that concerns me, but the growing up part. I feel useless and unprepared. I am nothing that my mother was at my age. I'm afraid that I won't become all the things that I had hoped to become. I used to throw out promises of a bright, great future because reality was so far away and anything was possible. Now it's approaching rapidly and here I am, lying in an unmade bed with nothing planned. I may not become anything at all. I may not be successful; I may not even find a job. It's scary to think that in less than ten years, I will have to consider building my own family.

I don't actively think about these thoughts on a daily basis, but they're always in the back of my mind. I feel like I am wasting my summer because I should be working towards my future. While I spend my day lying in bed, I tell myself that I should not relax. The truth of the matter is that I am never relaxed because even when doing nothing, I worry about something -- or nothing.

june: month of contradiction

For the month of June, my plan is to write down my thoughts and then contradict them. I'll be too lazy to follow through with that. See? It is working already. I could go on and on.

Things I Have Won from Girls Life

Girls Life magazine is a magazine for tweens that offers daily sweepstakes. I don't read the magazine, but I often enter their online sweepstakes to win prizes. Here are the prizes I've accumulated from Girls Life over the years:

* Primal Elements XOXO Candle from Freidala
* Sport Hoodie
* Field Pack Tote from Farm Girl
* Louisiana Bag from Lulu's.com
* Nancy Drew Ransom of the Seven Ships for PC
* SNAPP CAM-4000 Digital Camcorder from Coby
* Hint QA30 Phone from Motorola
* Recycled Glass Pendant from Space Mermaid
* Ballet Flats from Zigi NY
* Osiris NYC 83MID Sneakers from Osiris
* Hannah Montana Towel from Disney
* Sunglasses from Sketcher's Eyewear
* Sunglasses from Pastry

You can only win once per month, but your siblings can enter too. I have a little trick to increase chances, but you're bound to win if you enter daily. I have only won maybe two things from other magazines, but I have won a bunch from GL, so I keep trying. This month's theme is tween books so I am not interested, but the grand prize is another story. I have never won a grand prize but this month's reward is an IPad.

I've given away some of the things I've won and sold others. I only use the handbag from Lulu's (my favorite bag) and the Primal Elements candle. Even when the candle is not lit, it smells good.

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