Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scout Cookies are basically the most amazing thing in the whole world. I was a Girl Scout for about four years and my favorite part was the cookies. It was actually basically the only reason why I stayed with the program for so long.

My favorites are the Thin Mints, followed by the Samonas and Trefoils. I have just ordered some today and can't wait to indulge in these delicous treats. After all, these cookies only come once a year and might as well enjoy the boxes while I can.

Selling cookies as a way to finance Girl Scout Troops began as early as 1917, five years after Girl Scouts came to the United States. The cookie sale was run by Mistletoe Troop in Oklahoma. The troop sold cookies in their high school cafeteria as a service project.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Girl Scouts across the country baked sugar cookies with their mothers and sold them door to door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen(don't you wish these cookies were still this cheap today?)

However, World War II halted the sell of cookies. Since there was a shortage of sugar, flour and butter, the Girl Scouts sold calenders instead.

In 1951, new flavours of cookies were invented, including the Thin Mint(one of my personal favorites)

Today there are 8 different types of cookies sold: Thin mint, Trefoil, Samonas, Do-si-Dos, Tagalongs, Thanks- a -Lot, Shout Outs and Lemonades.

Each Girl Scout Cookie is delicious and they have been warming the hearts of people for ages. And will continue to warm the hearts of others for years to come.

The Good Side of Pandora

I love pandora! It is like an online radio station that plays music it thinks you will enjoy. If you type in an artist, song or genre, it plays music similar to what you typed.

This last weekend, I was listening to pandora and discoverd a new music group I really like. I was introduced to Boyce Avenue. They are a great band that plays covers of popular songs. Sometimes the covers are even better than the orginal. Check me out on youtube!

Quick TIp

Here is a quick Disneyland tip to avoid crazy lines and get in the best 6 or 7 rides in just a few hours. If you stay the night in one of the Disneyland Hotels, you get into the park an hour early on Magical Morning Days( which are usually Sunday, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). So instead of getting into the park at 8am, you can go in at 7am with a hotel room key. There are not many people there that early and you can pretty much walk onto any ride.

Then around 1pm, when the park starts to get too crowd, take a break in the room. Have some lunch, take a nap, lay by the pool, have a glass of wine or whatever floats your boat. Then after dinner time, go back in the park and ride more rides. By that time the park starts to clear out.

And that is how you do Disneyland the right way!

Bucket Lists

While talking with my sister this weekend, the subject of Buckets Lists came up. We each have a list of things we want to do before we die. Of course my sister’s list has actual accomplishments, like design a ride for Disney, become a Disney Imaginer, make an app for the iPhone blah blah blah; However mine has a list of random things that does not really accomplish more than a good laugh.

I wanted to try chocolate covered bacon (which I actually did last summer. I went to a brunch with a chocolate fountain and dripped in some bacon. I got a few stares but it was totally worth it, it tasted amazing)

I want to walk into SeaWorld with a fishing pole
Try Bacon Ice Cream

Go to P Sherman Wallaby Way Sydney in Australia ( the address from Finding Nemo)

Play Quittich

Jet Ski

Break a weird in every state

Celebrate Mardi Gra in New Orleans

New Years in Time Square

Lighting of Tree in Rockefeller Center

Watch The Bucket List

And much more

And I would also like to travel to more places in the world, like Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, Switzerland etc.;

Of course it really doesn’t matter what is on my bucket list, as long as I have a good time doing it. Life is too short to focus all your attention on hard work and your career. Life needs a little laugh and a little excitement. That is why I created a list of things that guarantee a good time and few bits of laughter.

Disneyland

I spent the last weekend in LA visiting my sister. She goes to USC and showed we all around LA, she was my tour guide Barbie. But my favorite part of the whole weekend was something we do quite often.

On Friday we went to our favorite spot pretty much in the whole world. We went to Disneyland! Growing up in Bakersfield, we were just about two hours away from Disneyland and because of this we went almost every year. Eventually my family decided to invest in annual passes. There are various different types of passes, all of which have different block out dates and prices. There is the Premium(which has no block out dates and costs $499), there is Deluxe( which has 50 block out dates and costs $379), there is the Southern California Annual Pass(which is only available to Southern California residents, has 150 block out dates and cost $269) and there is the Southern California Select Pass(which is also only available to Southern California Residents, has 195 block out dates and costs $199). We have the Deluxe Pass and go as often as we can.

There is so much to say about Disneyland; after all it is the Happiest Place on Earth. I have been there dozens of times and every time I go I have a blast. I have been so many times that I can basically navigate the park with my eyes closed. I love the rides, the music, the shows, the food and the feeling that I am away from the stress of life. It is said that once inside the Disneyland Park, you cannot see the outside world. All you see is the park and the magic within. When you are at Disneyland nothing else matters. The outside world doesn’t exist. All you see is the park and the magic within. When you are at Disneyland nothing else matters. You don’t have time to worry about tests, papers, homework, jobs or anything else that may occupy your mind. All you have time to focus on it the moment. That is way I love Disneyland. It is a place where I can escape and be a kid. Kids usually do not have as many worries as typical young adults and I really miss that carefree stage. When I am in the park, I get to travel through time to when I was a child and get to experience being carefree again.

Another reason that I love Disneyland so much is my absolute love for all things Disney. I enjoy watching the classic Disney Movies and even own a few merchandise items. When I was younger, my favorite movie was the Little Mermaid. I watched it so much that I wore out the VHS. My mom would even place me in the front of the TV and play the Little Mermaid over and over again and I would be entertained for hours. I would sing-along with the songs and have my Little Mermaid toys sit next to me so that they can also watch. Disney movies made me happy and they still do today.

The food at Disneyland also makes my experience magical. There are so many different options that I could write an entire different blog just on Disney Dinning alone. However, I will just mention my favorite treat at the Disneyland Resort, their white chocolate chip cookies. I am in love with white chocolate chip cookies to begin with, but add a little magic to every bite and you have yourself an amazing treat. Every time I visit the park, I head over to Pooh’s Corner, a store next to Splash Mountain and buy myself this delicious treat. It tastes so amazing; it is like a miracle in your mouth. I have yet to find a cookie as delicious as the white chocolate chip at Disneyland.

Disneyland is the greatest place on Earth and I can’t wait till my next trip down there.

Valentine's Day

Here it is; the overrated Valentine’s Day rant. Today is Valentine’s Day or as some know it as, SAD (single awareness day). Valentine’s Day just points out to the single folks that they are not in a relationship. All the people getting flowers and chocolates just points out to others that they are special and loved.

Valentine’s Day is a made up holiday anyways. It is a just a ploy for card, flower and candy companies to make bank.

Seriously, who needs a day to celebrate love? Every day should be valentines. One should not have to wait till February 14th to declare their love or show someone what they mean to them. Why not give flowers on a random Tuesday or make them a romantic dinner on a random Sunday night? If I were in a relationship, I would want little romantic surprises and not a big gesture on a day like February 14th where I knew it was coming or he thought it was expected of him to do something.

Well, I have better things to do with my time then feel sorry for myself about being single on Valentine’s Day. Tonight, I will celebrate with my friends. Love is not only romantic. It can also be between family and friends. I love my family and I love my friends. So I will try to make the most out of this stupid holiday and spend it with the ones I love. Even if it doesn’t not include a boyfriend.

Bakersfield

I am from Bakersfield California and am in a love/hate relationship with it. It was a great town to grow up in, but looking back I can't help to make fun of it.

First off, we have one of the worst air qualities in the country. According to an SF Gate Article, Bakersfield, CA is number 2 out of 25 of the cities with the worst air pollution, number 1 out of 25 of the cities with the worst air pollution long term particulates. Great to know that a town some of never heard of is on a list for having bad quality. I was immune to it as a kid, but now as I go back to visit from college, the air gives me headaches. Not to mention the heat Bakersfield gets in the summer. In the past couple summers, we have had temperatures reach over 100 and sometimes even over 110! That is just way too hot! And that is why I spend a majority of my summer indoors or away from Bakersfield.

Do not get me wrong, there are still some great things about Bakersfield. Like our 10sonics that everyone from my high school went to after school for happy hour. Seriously from 2-4, half off any drink. That is one amazing deal! And our amazing family owned old fashioned ice cream parlor, Dewars. Dewars has amazing ice cream and the most delicious taffy chews I have ever eaten. It has been apart of the Bakersfield tradition since 1909 when Grandpa Dewar opened its doors. If any of you are passing through Bakersfield ever, I recommend stopping at Dewars and trying a black and white and a handful of their chews(which come in flavors caramel, peppermint, almond, chocolate almond and peanut butter)Seriously, once you try once of these candies, you will never be able to eat another taffy again.

So air quality and heat aside, Bakersfield can have some great things. The heat and air quality are totally worth it, only if you can stop by Dewars Ice Cream and Candy Shop.

Why do computer hate me?

Seriously, why do computer hate me? I am nice to them and even love them, but they always seem to freeze up or do something stupid at the absolute wrong time. Today whie taking a midterm, I was tpying away on the computer in the computer lab on my first essay question when my computer froze. I was frustrated. Stupid computer interperted my thoughts. I walk over to the professor and told her about the problem. She told me to log on onto another computer and continue typing and we will figure out what to do with the first half of my content later.

Well, that would have been great if i could log on to the other computer. Time is ticking away and I can't even log on. Really?

So finally after talking to my professor again, we figure out the problem and I am able to log on to another computer.

So basically a big chunk of my midterm time is gone and i only have half an essay written. Time ran out and I still am missing half an essay. After trying to fix the problem, we decide that it is better if I just retype the first portion. So I do and finally finish! YIPEE!!!!

Nope, another problem comes around. It won't print! Really now? What did I do to this computer to reserve this? Computer hate me for some reason and I can't figure out why.

This by far was the most stressful midterm ever. And I studied too. Computers make things so much more complicated. I love my computer and computers in general, I just wish it would one day love me in return.

Fresh Healthy Cafe

Deciding where to eat on a given Friday or Saturday night is chore. If one does not have reservations, it hard to get a table somewhere nice without waiting hours. Instead of spending hours going through the options and spending more time waiting to be seated, waiting to order and then waiting for the food to come, try a quick café located right in the Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, CA.

Fresh Healthy Café is a perfect restaurant for those health conscience folks. The menu has a variety of paninis, wraps, soups and salads to choose from. Every sandwich combination can be made into a wrap, Panini or salad. The restaurant also offers fresh squeezed juices, smoothies and espresso drinks.

My favorite thing on the menu is the combo deal. One can either choice a half combo or full combo meal. The half combo meal comes with either half a Panini or half a wrap with veggie chips and juice or a smoothie. The full combo meal comes with the same thing but with a full wrap or Panini. Their veggies chips are amazing, but have one slight problem. They don’t give enough of them. They seriously just put a couple chips into a small zip lock bag. If I am paying $7 for a meal, I expect there to be a good portion of chips. However, the other portion sizes are perfect. The sandwich size can be adjusted to fit any one’s appetite.

I have only been to this café twice, but both times I was impressed. The quality of the food was great and fresh. The service was fast and the workers were friendly. The person at the cash register even gave suggestions of what to order.

There are several locations of Fresh Healthy Café. There are some in various parts of the US and in other parts of the world as well. The café can be found in Canada, Australia, India, Morocco and various other locations. Check out the Fresh Healthy Café website to find a store near you.

Eating out doesn’t have to stressful or unhealthy. A nutritious meal is just around the corner.