Procrastination is my favorite thing!

*This was suppose to be posted last Thursday, but my internet decided to stop working right when I wanted to post it...

Charm Used: Accio (Professor Trelawney)

To this point, at 9:54 pm, I have not started a wink of homework. Despite the mounting pressure and anxiety of the coming IB exams in less than seven days (holy crap), I still manage to be so unmotivated I neglect to start homework until nearly 10 pm. Shoot (and many other words).

I guess that's what caffeine is for.

That's a bad habit... Drinking caffeine at 10 at night.... I should stop..........Nahhhhh.

GPA > sleep

Anyway, the purpose of this post was to tell you all about my most recent, and ridiculous, dream. I realized that even after I set up my dream deciphering page months ago I never followed though with telling you about what my subconscious was trying to tell me via dreams.

So here we go.

Disclaimer: "I swear to you, before you read this next bit of information, that it is 100% true. I am not making this up. It really happened to me- despite how unrealistically awesome it sounds. Do not be fooled by its greatness."

This dream was about two weeks ago during a nap I took instead of studying for chemistry (what else).

It started off with me and a bunch of other people on Sophomore Street having some kind of lunch party. There was a Taco Cart ("Roach Coach" as my mom calls them) and a little plastic, blue kiddie pool parked in the middle of the road. We were all dancing, having fun doing whatever you do in dream Dance Parties. Then everyone decided that they wanted to go in the kiddie pool to cool off. Problem was, the pool was filled with pH 12 liquid (CHEMISTRY) and it would burn when it touched your skin. So they decided to compromise and only dunk their shoes in the liquid and then put them back on to "feel the burn". (I feel like this was a drug reference in my dreams, because I remember I felt bad about the whole thing and I didn't want to take part in the activities.... Maybe it had something to do with acids... DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME, I AM NOT A DRUGGIE. I THINK DRUGS ARE STUPID AND PEOPLE WHO USE AND ABUSE ARE EVEN MORE STUPID.) Everyone was pressuring me to just put one of my boots in the liquid and nothing bad would happen. Of course, being awesome me, I said no and did not fold to the peer pressure. But right before I was going to walk away, this crazy Swiss lady came running up to the group and started screaming out for someone named "Methane" (CHEMISTRY). Accent and all, she kept screaming for "Methane" and that, who ever "Methane" was, needed to take a math test retake. She then proceeded to grab me and start yelling/scolding for not coming to take my math retake. I kept insisting that I really didn't have a math retake. She kept dragging me along saying it was imperative I take this test. I started to get heated with her saying, no, as a matter-o-fact, I was not. She kept calling me "Methane". I started to yell.

And then I woke up.

Deciphering:

Food- "Selling food is a dream of contrary and signifies a stroke of money luck; buying food predicts a happy family celebration."
Pool- "A swimming pool is a symbol of social gaiety, unless it was empty, dirty, or in poor condition, in which case it is a warning against gambling or speculation...To dream of playing in a pool suggests that you would benefit from cultivating new interests and new companions."
Exam (didn't have "test")- " The classic daddy of obstacle dreams with a classic simplicity of meaning. If you failed the examination, the dream is telling you that your ambitions are beyond your ability... If you passed the exam, it predicts comfortable achievement of all your hopes." (Not sure how to interpret this in regards to my 'non-existent retake'...)
Foreign- "A foreigner in your dream, whatever the nationality, is an auspicious omen if he or she was friendly." (NOT)
Boots- "If [the boots] were shabby and/or ill-fitting, you would be well advised to give more serious attention to your personal affairs."
Didn't have the meaning for "base" or "chemistry".
Didn't have the meaning for "math".

Thus, in conclusion, within the next month or so, I could possibly have a family celebration at which we may or may not go to a casino and gamble. If this were to happen, I should watch my money because I might loose everything. However, it being my lucky day, I will come into money luck because of my awesome skills at casino games (because I play them all the time............. *sarcasm*). This might piss someone off though because I am so inexperienced yet still manage to win money. This bad vibe between me and this "personal affair" person could end in a complete disaster.

Ohh, I'm good.

"Your voice is a resource."

Spell Used: Sonorus

Considering I only learned about Invisible Children's existence about a month ago, I am floored by how quickly I have become an advocate for their organization and a such a strong supporter of their ideals. It's an intangible quality, or power, that they possess over people, I swear! The news that they bring to us in the States is stuff I have never heard of before, and amazes me all the same because I haven't heard of these atrocities even though they've been going on for some 25 odd years. And better yet, they're appealing to the youth of today, the future leaders of our world to help stop these atrocities. Maybe the power they hold over me and the thousands of other supporters is the fact that they place responsibility and power in our hands- letting us run with it and see how far we can take it (the opposing of the mother who fears us to run with scissors, i.e THE MAN). Nevertheless, this binding power transfuses into inspiration. And of course, the inevitable, this inspiration drives us to do something crazy-- to "shut-up" for an entire 25 hours (in honor of an IC event). In a society where communication is the bread and butter of our life, this task seemed impossible; which it, unfortunately, proved to be.

Before I get going, I just need to make sure you know who the Invisible Children are and what they are doing.

"Invisible Children is a non-profit organization who is helping save children (and now the general public) in Uganda, Sudan, and Congo from being forced into a rebel army led by Joseph Kony. If abducted into the army, these children are forced to kill and inflict as much destruction on surrounding villages as possible... The premise behind 25 is that after signing up, you stay quiet for 25 hours (on April 25) representing the 25 years this war has been going on and also how children in that area don't have a voice to call for help when they need it.

"25's focus is to raise awareness for the next stage of the Invisible Children's mission called The Protection Plan. The purpose of this is to set up radio tower across the remote regions of Central Africa so that they can communicate with each other about the LRA's (Lord's Resistance Army, lead by Joseph Kony) movements and provide forewarning to these rural communities. The goal of this radio system is to allow people to escape from villages before the LRA attack and virtually save people's lives. The Protection Plan would also set up a rehabilitation center for children who have escaped from the LRA and provide the psychiatric help they need before reintegrating into society." (Directly from an email I sent to people in my address book informing them about 25 and ways they can help.)

The IC (Invisible Children) event that took place on April 25th, 2011 had many goals. First were for the people in the "developed" counties. The people who participated in 25 on the giving end were to:

1. Be silent for 25 hours
2. Raise $25
3. Spread the world about the event/IC

While numbers 2 and 3 were probably the most important overall for IC and the central African people, they were not the hardest. Number 1, if taken seriously, was in fact the most arduous task of them all. Metaphorically speaking, not speaking was representative of speaking in central Africa. Confused? This whole "not speaking thing" was the bases for 25. It acted as a silent manifestation of the repression people in areas such as Sudan, Uganda, DR Congo, and the Central African Republic suffer from every single day. Not being able to call for help when they need it, not being able to appeal to their government in resolution of their problems; the list goes on and on. When you dissect what you talk about on a day to day basis, you realize the degree to which you take advantage of this resource. As I thought this up last night,"Your voice is a resource." (And one that we often take for granted.) I actually had one person tell me yesterday when I wasn't responding to her that she thought when people don't respond to her, she perceives them as sad and empty. SO PERFECT. Do you see how in our culture when someone doesn't speak, their seen as disconnected and sad? So then why doesn't this strike the same nerve with the American people when we learn about people overseas who LITERALLY CANNOT SPEAK OUT IN FEAR OF DEATH? What possible factor continually inhibits the same empathy we show for our peers than those people in central Africa?

I will tell you.

Because we're stupid.

No, just kidding (haha, I'm hilarious).

But in all seriousness, why do we automatically turn off when we hear someone telling us about a charity that they're doing, or a event that their participating in to save babies in Mongolia? In response to the third item we were suppose to do as part of 25, I emailed nearly everyone in my address book, I asked my church elders if I could talk to the congregation about this event. You want to know what happened? Two out of the twenty odd people I emailed replied. None of the church elders responded to my email asking if I could share this with the church body. People who I repeatedly asked if they would donate or at least go the the IC website never did. So why is it that people are so concerned for you, here in America, when you don't speak, but not for a person who can't speak on a different continent WHEN THEIR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT? Ponder that.

But anyway, that little tangent leads me to me final point. While I did not manage to be silent for the full 25 hours (to my dismay), 25 has provided an eye-opening stepping stone to my participation as a global activist. Maybe not a super intense activist, but at least one who is doing what they can at home to make a difference in their community.

One step at a time my friend, one step at a time...

If you would like to learn more about Invisible children and what they are doing, go to:

http://www2.invisiblechildren.com/

I also highly encourage you to watch this video by Invisible Children. It explains what The Protection Plan is doing and how it will affect the lives of the African people, as well as our own, in the near future.

http://www2.invisiblechildren.com/videos/20031808

And last note, 25 raised just under $1.7 million for The Protection Plan (worldwide). The best part: 100% of the proceeds will go towards implementing this plan.

Booyah!

Never Think....

Charm used: Confundus



Robert Pattinson, actor in famous Twilight movies, is not only an actor but also a composer/musician. He plays the guitar and piano, and probably some other instrument no one knows about... like the ukulele... (He's mysterious in that way.)

One of his songs on the Twilight soundtrack is Never Think. (Click here to listen to it.) I must say, the first time I heard it, I was extremely confused. (I suggest listening to it before continuing reading... it might make more sense.)Ignoring the first minute of normalcy (guitar solo), the last two-thirds of the song is....how do I put this... outlandish. For the longest time, I've tried to decipher the mumble-moaning-talking of Pattinson. Then, one day while listening to the soundtrack in the shower, I understood him. OH MY GOODNESS, I understood him! I say it's a impressive feat for my communication skills. (If you haven't listened to the song yet, GO and listen to it now!)

Here is my interpretation of the song:

You never think
Seenin' your woman, within our home,
S'all I want.

You learn to hate me, she said never call me 'baby',
Hold on... Just call me by my name.

Mehhhehehee

Say your soul, say your soul,
For you're too far gone,
for nothing can be done.

Cause I don't wanna' win,
...something.... something...
I got no fight in me in this whole damn world.
until you hold off, you should hold on
It was something that I'd known
...something.... hold on
Cause I don't know what's so wrong,
She's standing outside on her knees,
She sayin Oh please I'm in love.
I'm in love.

Girllll-ehhene say your soul-ehehhee,
Say your soul-ehhehe.
Before you're too far gone, and before nothing can be done.
Allow me, you got it all, so hold on
Tell me you got it all, hold on
Tell me you got it all.
Tell me you got it all,
So hold on.
Tell me you got it all,
So hold on.
TELL ME you got it all,
So hollddd on-onnnon.

After doing so intense web surfing, I found the "real" lyrics. Personally, I believe my version sounds more accurate.

"True" Lyrics:
Never think
What's in your heart
What's in our home
So I won't

You'll learn to hate me
But still call me baby
Oh Love
So call me by my name

And save your soul
save your soul
Before you're too far gone
Before nothing can be done

I'll try to decide when
She'll lie in the end
I ain't got no fight in me
In this whole damn world
Telling you to hold off
She said hold on
It's the one thing that I've known

Once I put my coat on
And how I know it's all wrong
She's standing outside holding me

Saying oh please
I'm in love
I'm in love

Girl save your soul
Save your soul
Before you're too far gone
And before nothing can be done

'Cause without me
You got it all
So hold on
Without me you got it all
So hold on
Without me you got it all
Without me you got it all
So hold on
Without me you got it all
So hold on
Without me you got it all
So hold on
Hold on

What do you think, my version or the Internets version?

TTFN!

BEST DREAM EVER

Spell and Charms Used: Accio, Stupefy, and Expelliarmus

I swear to you, before you read this next bit of information, that it is 100% true. I am not making this up. It really happened to me- despite how unrealistically awesome it sounds. Do not be fooled by its' greatness.

Last night, I had one of the greatest dreams of my life.

I was Harry Potter. (Now lets ignore the fact that I am a girl, and Harry Potter is a boy. You know you wouldn't mind if you were the opposite sex in a dream if it involved such a great character as Harry Potter. Just bask in the glory of being so close to a famous/awesome fictional character that could only be possible in a dream.)

The dream started off with me and Neville Longbottom sitting in Professor Dumbledore's office; we were applying to be part of a school club that only great wizards and witches could be apart of. Then, all of a sudden, Draco Malfoy burst into Dumbledore's office and started to attack us! Dumbledore vanished because he wasn't suppose to be at Hogwarts, leaving only me and Neville to fend for ourselves. (I believe Malfoy had his evil friends with him when he attacked, but I'm not entirely sure... It's one of those weird dream anomalies.) But before Draco and his minions could capture us, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny appeared out of nowhere and started to battling with us. (This part in the dream reminded me of the scene in the fifth movie when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny are fighting the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries.)

The good part of the dream is that I actually remember casting the spell/charms accio, stupefy, and expelliarmus at our opponents. Bad thing is, I don't remember the fight scene/best part of the dream in much detail. My wand would turn yellow when I cast a spell, but that's about it. Oh wait, I do remember casting the expelliarmus on Draco's wand, and then saying "Accio wand!" and put Draco's wand in my back pocket.

There was one moment in the middle of the dream where I specifically remember Hermione and I stopped casting spells and looked at each other and smiled, like we were having fun vanquishing Draco. Me and subconscious Hermione had a great connection- it's undeniable.

Anyway, we defeated Draco and his friends and they disappeared.

Dumbledore then reappeared into my arms as the size of a lawn gnome (he actually kind of looked like the Tavelocity gnome in the commercials, ha). As I walked back to his desk, he slowly started to grow. By the time I got back to his desk, he was full sized again.

And that was the end of my dream.

I have a lot of these kinds of dreams- where I remember every single detail of it. It truly is fascinating to think about my dream when I wake up, especially because then I can look up what it means in my dream dictionary!
I think I'm going to dedicate an entire page to my dreams and their meanings!!! So then everyone can know what my subconscious is trying to tell me.

I'll set up the page soon-ish.... After I have another dream in great detail. :)

Ta-ta for now!

Medford Retirement-ies

For the remainder of my summer vacation, I decided to go down to Medford to stay with my cousins, aunt and uncle. Earlier today, I went to have "dinner" (which is really our lunch) with my grandpa. While there, I came across some quite hilarious elderly people that I thought I should share with you. So, here you go!

Otto

(One of my grandpa's friends) Otto is Swedish, 90 years old, and actually adorable. He still has a pretty strong Swedish accent, wears green suspenders with goats and flowers on them every day, and is very opinionated for a 90 year-old (At "dinner", he made a comment that pretty much encompassed all bosses in the "ignorant fools who don't know squat" boat. Of course, there was a strong rebuttal from my aunt and cousins because my uncle/their husband/dad is one of the bosses at a construction company down here in Medford.... Or something like that.). Anyway, at the beginning of "dinner", my oldest cousin, who is an optometry student, was talking to my grandpa about giving him a free eye exam. Then Otto chips in and reminds everyone that he's blind in one eye. And I quote, he said this about his eyes:
"That's why you have two eyes- so if one kicks it, you still have one other to see out of." Oh gosh, I already thought the guy was great, but this added the whipped cream on top.

Otto had also mentioned before "dinner" that he wasn't feeling very well. At the end of the meal, we got out of him that he was still dizzy/seasick feeling. I asked him if he was just dehydrated. Then, and I quote, he said:
"Sometimes when I'm dehydrated, I eat some cheese." Like I said, this guy is hilarious.

Okay, so there was really only one funny person I wanted to tell you about, but I like to think there were more in the retirement center that I just didn't get to meet.

TTFN!

Shout Out

Spell Used: Sonorus

Melanie, you da' bomb.

Zoo Run Stalker

Curse Used: Locomotor Mortis

This last Saturday I was running with a friend up in the trails above the Oregon Zoo. It was a normal run for the first three miles.... nothing special. Me and Jaymee were running our nice eleven minute pace, completely content (Please refrain from telling our coach about this). Around the middle of the third mile mark, we came to some switchbacks with berry bushes on both sides of the trail. I had just gotten done telling Jaymee about a creepy hobo who I had seen sleeping in the bushes last week, when we ran by a man eating some berries. Not thinking anything of it, we kept running.

About a minute later, I see the berry-eating man running behind us with a stick in his hands. There wasn't anything unusual about that- there are quite a few runners on those trails (of course, not at that moment though... just Jaymee, me, and berry-man). But as Jaymee and I neared the bottom of the switchbacks, through the corner of my eye I saw him getting closer and closer to us- like he was speeding up. He wasn't dressed in runners clothes, for as much as I could tell. (I asked Jaymee about this later, and she verified for me that he wasn't in running gear.) Maybe it was the fact that he didn't have runners clothes on or how he was running with a stick in his hands, but whatever it was Jaymee and I both started to freak out. He was, without a doubt, following us.

I whispered over to Jaymee something about how I was getting creeped out by how close he was getting (he was maybe ten feet behind us, if that). She said something in agreement, and we both started to pick up our pace. Still on the switchbacks, I saw him drop a little further back. However, on the next turnaround the guy had sped up again and was getting extremely close (I was trying to do the inconspicuous look-out-of-the-corner-of-my-eye-thing, because some IDIOT had to decide that staring at people was rude. Those dang Brits.). Jaymee and I started flat-out sprinting at the bottom of the switchbacks, and of course, there was an uphill at the bottom of the hill.

We could still hear the stick guy running behind us, not far back. (Jaymee swears he started sprinting when we did. I didn't notice- I was focusing on getting away from the creep.) I remember telling Jaymee as we sprinted up the frickin' hill, out of breath, that all we had to get to the road, then we would be relatively safe.

If I had the skills of Harry Potter, that's when I would have used the Locomotor Mortis curse (on the berry-man).

We got to the road, no problem. We were both dead, but we crossed the street and kept running (no way were we going to stand there and let the stalker guy get us!). We just wanted to put as much distance between us and the creep as possible.

Creepiest part: another running group from Southridge saw the same guy, except speared on the stick he had was a dead rat.

Like I said, zoo run stalker.