centre pompidou museum
freaky | cool | random mural on the side of a restaurant's building
my first meal in paris: raw salmon!...i didn't know until it was brought out.
...more pix tomorrow. promise.
Monday, August 31, 2009
a few pix
centre pompidou museumfreaky | cool | random mural on the side of a restaurant's building
my first meal in paris: raw salmon!...i didn't know until it was brought out.
...more pix tomorrow. promise.
Summer internship ♥ Bon Voyage à Paris & a little bit of venting..
So I've really been slacking on my entries. I left off saying that I would elaborate on the last 2 of my list of 4: end of summer internship and voyage to Paris. Long story short: i completed my internship on the 19th of august. It was short and sweet. I did basic things that interns usually do such as organizing, labeling, cutting swatches and samples, tagging clothes and photographing. I loved every minute of it (the majority of the time--other times I may have been a little hungry or tired) I mainly worked under the senior designer and did whatever she needed. I think highly of her because despite the bs politics going around...she kept it positive and with a smile (not to mention she never took it out on me:).
I left there with experience for my resume, a letter of recommendation, and a sense of accomplishment. I had went into this past summer (which is quickly dwindling away) with a few goals in mind: 1) get an internship, 2) take Speech 1 & Spanish 2 so that I won't have to at davis 3) spend more time with brother 4) kick it big time with b.f.f and barbiez, 5) enjoy the days with the boosky, 6) RELAX!!
I can gladly say that I was able to check off 1 (Thank You Lord)!, 2 (omg, i can't believe i finished 2 classes on my "break"), 3 (wasn't much but it was more than usual)...well i guess that's it.
I tried very hard to do 4 but one moved away, one was always in a dilemma with her dude, another never made it to the beach, and lastly, idk...i did get to hang out with ann though!
4--I enjoyed it to the best of my ability...internship during the day and class at night til about 10pm...my best days were Fri-Sun
5--although I did no such thing as study (actually I did a little bout 30mins-hour before thursday's Spanish test) I'm not sure if I would call it very relaxing...NONETHELESS i felt as if i accomplished some great tasks...for example, i was able to squeeze in time to go to the French consulate in LA to apply for my student visa
The part(s) I sort of disliked the most were: 1) not having my mother and older brother (& my father, i suppose) there in arms reach so that I could hang with them as well & 2) i really wished i'd had more time to prepare for my trip...throughout the summer i was going to class/internship...in fact, i officially completed my last class on aug 20th...THREE days before my departure....
Voyage to Paris
The student visa process went well; I recieved my visa in less than a week. HOWEVER...everything from that point was a little bit...lets just say "bizarre and hectic and stressful and OMG! YOU'VE GOT TO BE F'IN KIDDINGME!!"
So, I had originally a one-way flight from LAX (layover for an hour 1/2) into Charles de Gaulle in Paris. My mother plans on visiting towards the end of my stay, thus we wanted to get the same one way ticket back...which i'd planned on probably going to arkansas for the holidays to see my extended family (in which i haven't seen in who knows---but that's another day). So basically, I had a 1 way to get there and was waiting to buy my ticket home with my mother.
SIKE!! that's what United airline should have sneered at me. because that is definitely NOT what happened. After being denied check-in and the viewing of my e-ticket, I decided to call the airline and get more information. The woman tells me that i will NOT be permitted to board the aircraft without a roundtrip ticket--it didn't matter if it was with a different airline or that it would be another 1way ticket--all that mattered was I had proof of a purchase way back to the states. PLEASE DO KEEP IN MIND THAT I AM FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS ALL THE NIGHT BEFORE I AM TO BOARD MY 10:40a flight TO PARIS.
Are you wondering what happened next? What did I do? Etc, etc, etc?? (Probably not-but i'll tell u anyway).
The bf searched the internet for a good price on a one way home...he had to do it because i had declared that i was sleepy, tired, and wanted to wake up from this bad dream--all through my river of tears. please do keep in mind that i do not come from a wealthy family, so this problem to some may have been nothing. but to me...it was a conspiracy!
eventually, with the necessary help and hardwork of the bf, i had a one way ticket from CDG to LAX for dec 19.
OK. sooo, here you go. brother takes a few shirts and put them in his car's front seat.
now i just gave them up, what about this. well i really like that.
i probably won't need those.
that's kinda too small anyway...i think i like it that way :) nahh... here ya go brother. a mini skirt.
i may get cold...whatever. here. a pair of socks. & here. a couple of tank tops. now try it.
62 lbs. WTF, STILL??
OK. 12lbs needs to go.
here. about 12 pairs of panties.
here. about 6 shirts.
here. mouthwash and about 3 bars of soap.
here. 3 pairs of jeans.
here. here...
here..here & here!
now this better work. here! a wife beater to top it all off.
...actually, i'ma need that soap. put those into the smaller luggage's outside zipper part.
weight now: 48lbs!!! that's wassup.
so i am on way inside. brother brings baggages in then he goes back to his car. the line is suppppppppperrrrr long. it's moving along but b/c there were so many ppl and because it was self-check in, it felt like it took forever for me to reach the front. 2 people are in front of me....wait, huh? 45 minute cut-off for check-in??? wait! what time is it? 9:48am. great.
OK. hurry the f* up...black girl on a mission here! move!
MY turn! yay! i input my confirmation number. ERROR on screen. pick up the phone your left and speak with the operator **s h o r t of b r e a t h
Operator: Hello. Confirmation number please.
moi: dkshfergh whatever
O: I am sorry to inform you of this mam, but we can not allow you to check-in. your flight is scheduled to leave in 41 minutes.
moi: sorry. come again. uhhmm, excuse me?
O: you will not be boarding today ma'am, you have the options of looking for a different flight to purchase for today or choosing to do standby.
..........................
s t o p b r e a t h i n g
.........................
O: hello? ma'am? are you there?
....
moi: ....
i will NOT cry, i REFUSE to cry, suck that shit up raena, You're the fuckin best!!*
I had to pump myself up by tooting my own horn to keep myself from buckling at the knees…..
...OK, well i honestly did think about rolling on the floor as if i was a top model told to give them "playful" BUT "angry & wild...letting my inner leo take over, pretend swimming across the tiles as if i was michael phelps, i even thought about shouting as if what i had to say was the most important all awhile doing summersaults. every possible ridiculous, attn-seeking action went through my mind, but wat would that accomplish other than getting me and my bags ushered out of he airport....
i did none of the above.
instead, i collected myself like the young lady my mother raised me to be. took my poise back--threw my shoulders and head back--and replied "yes, OK. how do i do standby and thank you for your patience."
i got a flight...basically the same flight but leaving the next morning (mon) and arriving the morning after that (tues). the lady who worked with me...a true kind-hearted woman. she confirmed me on the flight and everything...i was no one's standby.
brother...sorry, but take me back.
...o how i should have just told him to go park in the structure and just went inside.
i went back. threw on some jeans and took my butt to church. ...only God, his angels and their miracles can help me.
So the next morning i am there bright and early and ready for take off. the lady told me if the lines were long i could come and see her and she would check me in. OK, great. but i was there so early that i didn't think i would need to bother her. WRONG.
i get up to the self check in...guess what?? ERROR; call operator.
i call.
u are scheduled to be on standby, right?
yes, that is correct. (can she hurry up and get to the point!!)
well you're going to need to call your travel agent and have them re-issue the ticket. then check-in.
oh. ok. (this can't be happening). goodbye and thank you.
...i forgot my ticket was not only non-refundable but also non-exchangeable! darn the luck!
long story short. i remained collected and refrained from taking my anger out on the woman who wouldn't stop staring at me.
i eventually boarded the flight and made it to PAris safely the next morning (not before almost missing my flight in Chicago though---my plane to Chicago was late and Chicago's plane was early...the time flew by very swiftly).
All of this happened in such a short period of time.
so my goal is to NO MATTER WHAT, i must enjoy myself to the best of my abilities and not allow the small stuff to get me down. i went through tooooo much stress and teeth-gritting to get where i am...and i'm not leaving until december 19th!!!
I left there with experience for my resume, a letter of recommendation, and a sense of accomplishment. I had went into this past summer (which is quickly dwindling away) with a few goals in mind: 1) get an internship, 2) take Speech 1 & Spanish 2 so that I won't have to at davis 3) spend more time with brother 4) kick it big time with b.f.f and barbiez, 5) enjoy the days with the boosky, 6) RELAX!!
I can gladly say that I was able to check off 1 (Thank You Lord)!, 2 (omg, i can't believe i finished 2 classes on my "break"), 3 (wasn't much but it was more than usual)...well i guess that's it.
I tried very hard to do 4 but one moved away, one was always in a dilemma with her dude, another never made it to the beach, and lastly, idk...i did get to hang out with ann though!
4--I enjoyed it to the best of my ability...internship during the day and class at night til about 10pm...my best days were Fri-Sun
5--although I did no such thing as study (actually I did a little bout 30mins-hour before thursday's Spanish test) I'm not sure if I would call it very relaxing...NONETHELESS i felt as if i accomplished some great tasks...for example, i was able to squeeze in time to go to the French consulate in LA to apply for my student visa
The part(s) I sort of disliked the most were: 1) not having my mother and older brother (& my father, i suppose) there in arms reach so that I could hang with them as well & 2) i really wished i'd had more time to prepare for my trip...throughout the summer i was going to class/internship...in fact, i officially completed my last class on aug 20th...THREE days before my departure....
Voyage to Paris
The student visa process went well; I recieved my visa in less than a week. HOWEVER...everything from that point was a little bit...lets just say "bizarre and hectic and stressful and OMG! YOU'VE GOT TO BE F'IN KIDDINGME!!"
So, I had originally a one-way flight from LAX (layover for an hour 1/2) into Charles de Gaulle in Paris. My mother plans on visiting towards the end of my stay, thus we wanted to get the same one way ticket back...which i'd planned on probably going to arkansas for the holidays to see my extended family (in which i haven't seen in who knows---but that's another day). So basically, I had a 1 way to get there and was waiting to buy my ticket home with my mother.
SIKE!! that's what United airline should have sneered at me. because that is definitely NOT what happened. After being denied check-in and the viewing of my e-ticket, I decided to call the airline and get more information. The woman tells me that i will NOT be permitted to board the aircraft without a roundtrip ticket--it didn't matter if it was with a different airline or that it would be another 1way ticket--all that mattered was I had proof of a purchase way back to the states. PLEASE DO KEEP IN MIND THAT I AM FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS ALL THE NIGHT BEFORE I AM TO BOARD MY 10:40a flight TO PARIS.
Are you wondering what happened next? What did I do? Etc, etc, etc?? (Probably not-but i'll tell u anyway).
The bf searched the internet for a good price on a one way home...he had to do it because i had declared that i was sleepy, tired, and wanted to wake up from this bad dream--all through my river of tears. please do keep in mind that i do not come from a wealthy family, so this problem to some may have been nothing. but to me...it was a conspiracy!
eventually, with the necessary help and hardwork of the bf, i had a one way ticket from CDG to LAX for dec 19.
OK. sooo, here you go. brother takes a few shirts and put them in his car's front seat.
now i just gave them up, what about this. well i really like that.
i probably won't need those.
that's kinda too small anyway...i think i like it that way :) nahh... here ya go brother. a mini skirt.
i may get cold...whatever. here. a pair of socks. & here. a couple of tank tops. now try it.
62 lbs. WTF, STILL??
OK. 12lbs needs to go.
here. about 12 pairs of panties.
here. about 6 shirts.
here. mouthwash and about 3 bars of soap.
here. 3 pairs of jeans.
here. here...
here..here & here!
now this better work. here! a wife beater to top it all off.
...actually, i'ma need that soap. put those into the smaller luggage's outside zipper part.
weight now: 48lbs!!! that's wassup.
so i am on way inside. brother brings baggages in then he goes back to his car. the line is suppppppppperrrrr long. it's moving along but b/c there were so many ppl and because it was self-check in, it felt like it took forever for me to reach the front. 2 people are in front of me....wait, huh? 45 minute cut-off for check-in??? wait! what time is it? 9:48am. great.
OK. hurry the f* up...black girl on a mission here! move!
MY turn! yay! i input my confirmation number. ERROR on screen. pick up the phone your left and speak with the operator **s h o r t of b r e a t h
Operator: Hello. Confirmation number please.
moi: dkshfergh whatever
O: I am sorry to inform you of this mam, but we can not allow you to check-in. your flight is scheduled to leave in 41 minutes.
moi: sorry. come again. uhhmm, excuse me?
O: you will not be boarding today ma'am, you have the options of looking for a different flight to purchase for today or choosing to do standby.
..........................
s t o p b r e a t h i n g
.........................
O: hello? ma'am? are you there?
....
moi: ....
i will NOT cry, i REFUSE to cry, suck that shit up raena, You're the fuckin best!!*
I had to pump myself up by tooting my own horn to keep myself from buckling at the knees…..
...OK, well i honestly did think about rolling on the floor as if i was a top model told to give them "playful" BUT "angry & wild...letting my inner leo take over, pretend swimming across the tiles as if i was michael phelps, i even thought about shouting as if what i had to say was the most important all awhile doing summersaults. every possible ridiculous, attn-seeking action went through my mind, but wat would that accomplish other than getting me and my bags ushered out of he airport....
i did none of the above.
instead, i collected myself like the young lady my mother raised me to be. took my poise back--threw my shoulders and head back--and replied "yes, OK. how do i do standby and thank you for your patience."
i got a flight...basically the same flight but leaving the next morning (mon) and arriving the morning after that (tues). the lady who worked with me...a true kind-hearted woman. she confirmed me on the flight and everything...i was no one's standby.
brother...sorry, but take me back.
...o how i should have just told him to go park in the structure and just went inside.
i went back. threw on some jeans and took my butt to church. ...only God, his angels and their miracles can help me.
So the next morning i am there bright and early and ready for take off. the lady told me if the lines were long i could come and see her and she would check me in. OK, great. but i was there so early that i didn't think i would need to bother her. WRONG.
i get up to the self check in...guess what?? ERROR; call operator.
i call.
u are scheduled to be on standby, right?
yes, that is correct. (can she hurry up and get to the point!!)
well you're going to need to call your travel agent and have them re-issue the ticket. then check-in.
oh. ok. (this can't be happening). goodbye and thank you.
...i forgot my ticket was not only non-refundable but also non-exchangeable! darn the luck!
long story short. i remained collected and refrained from taking my anger out on the woman who wouldn't stop staring at me.
i eventually boarded the flight and made it to PAris safely the next morning (not before almost missing my flight in Chicago though---my plane to Chicago was late and Chicago's plane was early...the time flew by very swiftly).
All of this happened in such a short period of time.
so my goal is to NO MATTER WHAT, i must enjoy myself to the best of my abilities and not allow the small stuff to get me down. i went through tooooo much stress and teeth-gritting to get where i am...and i'm not leaving until december 19th!!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
saved by the (((( bell ))))
E L C A M I N O C O L L E G E
U N O F F I C I A L T R A N S C R I P T
xxxx, Raena DOB: xx/xx/xx August 28 2009
0x3x6xxx High School: Wilson Senior High School 2006
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
COURSE COURSE TITLE GRADE UNITS UNITS GRADE FTNOTE
NUMBER ATTEMPTED COMPLETED POINTS GPA
________________________________________________________________________________________________
---------------------------------- Summer Session 2009 ----------------------------------
SPCH 1 Effective Speaking B 3.00 3.00 9.00
SPAN 2 Elementary Spanish II A 4.00 4.00 16.00
SEMESTER TOTAL 7.00 7.00 25.00 3.571
CUMULATIVE TOTALS 7.00 7.00 25.00 3.571
* DEGREE APPLICABLE SUMMARY 7.00 7.00 25.00 3.571
TRANSFER UNIT SUMMARY 7.00 7.00 25.00 3.571
* Total Units may include CR/NC Courses
Page 1 of 1
***********************************************************************************
Any questions?? =)
very excited that i got 2 classes out of the way...i'm 2
more classes to graduating n june!!
as u can see, summer school went well--had two 5wk courses
& earned 2 wonderful grades (too bad they won't be affecting
gpa:( )
.......anywho
the bad part of attending summer session, 2 at that, is that
1) not much of a summer break
&
2)i finished spanish II on aug 20th...3 days before my trip
and 1 week and 3days before the semester starts
but it was all worth it.
i'm closer to my 2 diplomas.
thus closer to livin life to the fullest with the bf
& especially knowing that i will be super busy working on my
collection upon return to school...now it's a little less
stress to worry about. ...that's always a plus =)
forever XXI
hmm...a lot has happened in these past 2 weeks.
let's see:
1) i turned 21!!
2) done with summer sessions!!
3) finished my summer internship!!
4) arrived in paris!!
so i will post a couple of postings to cover all of the events.
1) el dia de la reina (i.e. my birthday)
well let me start off by saying that the b.f. did a very VERY extraordinary trabajo with buying me gifts (he knows me o so very well=)
** i took a picture of the majority of his gifts to me. missing are miscellaneous toiletry/school items and access
ories that he bought me in preparation of studying abroad.
<> shoes&stilletos. M.A.C lipstick n gloss vvv
close up of fierce stillettos
((funtabulous&GirlAboutTown))
my mother is such a wonderfully, SUPER FIERCE lady. she sent me two boxes filled with accessories (including my fav-costume jewelry), totes, words of wisdom, a beautiful card, a beautiful photo album for my endeavors in paris, a cute little passport cover, an awesome traveling diary to document my stay in france, and lastly, an adorable young-lady teddy ear that sings to me...awww! lol :)
so, i started my satuday birthday morning at the nail shop. i came out looking supppper regular, wishing i'd had taken that trip to leimert park for that good-good.
............
anywho, then after finally getting ready, my boyfriend took me to bj's for lunch. now the waitress KNEW it was my birthday so WHY would she bring out a horribly ugly looking personal pizza to the birthday girl....i am NOT a regular girl!! it had big bubbles of nothing...all of the ingrediantes were in the middle where the slices tips met hmm..not a good look.
& lastly, later that night i, along with dean, kandy, j, the bf, and about 3 of his guy cousins went to the ivar bar/club in hollywood, ca. lucky for me....the security team at the entrance were acting like a*holes and decided to not let the guys in which i didnt realize until 2 1/2 hours later....hey, what can i say? <>...just kinda thought they were in v.i.p or something.
.............
also lucky for lil ol' me...ray j, his last 2 contestents and vh1 decided to bring their behinds to ivar
the same night.... to sum it all up...i was sorrounded by stubby|short|fat lil guys who insisted they needed attn from a 5"6 1/4' girl with 2-3 inch stilletos. the nerve of them!!sheesh!
wat a night?!?
let's see:
1) i turned 21!!
2) done with summer sessions!!
3) finished my summer internship!!
4) arrived in paris!!
so i will post a couple of postings to cover all of the events.
1) el dia de la reina (i.e. my birthday)
well let me start off by saying that the b.f. did a very VERY extraordinary trabajo with buying me gifts (he knows me o so very well=)
** i took a picture of the majority of his gifts to me. missing are miscellaneous toiletry/school items and access
ories that he bought me in preparation of studying abroad.
<
close up of fierce stillettos
((funtabulous&GirlAboutTown))
my mother is such a wonderfully, SUPER FIERCE lady. she sent me two boxes filled with accessories (including my fav-costume jewelry), totes, words of wisdom, a beautiful card, a beautiful photo album for my endeavors in paris, a cute little passport cover, an awesome traveling diary to document my stay in france, and lastly, an adorable young-lady teddy ear that sings to me...awww! lol :)
so, i started my satuday birthday morning at the nail shop. i came out looking supppper regular, wishing i'd had taken that trip to leimert park for that good-good.
............
anywho, then after finally getting ready, my boyfriend took me to bj's for lunch. now the waitress KNEW it was my birthday so WHY would she bring out a horribly ugly looking personal pizza to the birthday girl....i am NOT a regular girl!! it had big bubbles of nothing...all of the ingrediantes were in the middle where the slices tips met hmm..not a good look.
& lastly, later that night i, along with dean, kandy, j, the bf, and about 3 of his guy cousins went to the ivar bar/club in hollywood, ca. lucky for me....the security team at the entrance were acting like a*holes and decided to not let the guys in which i didnt realize until 2 1/2 hours later....hey, what can i say? <
.............
also lucky for lil ol' me...ray j, his last 2 contestents and vh1 decided to bring their behinds to ivar
the same night.... to sum it all up...i was sorrounded by stubby|short|fat lil guys who insisted they needed attn from a 5"6 1/4' girl with 2-3 inch stilletos. the nerve of them!!sheesh!
wat a night?!?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Saturday, August 08, 2009
11:48 pm on a lovely friday night.
mood: grateful and happy (but a lil anxious :()
"allow me to introduce myself...my name is [R I C E ki$$es C O U T U R E]..."
my very 1st entry, i feel unstoppable. i've been meaning to do this for a couple+ years now...but i'm not exactly the journal type of girl so things will be kept to a minimum (unless i'm feeling extra-ordinary).
a few rule:
* u may NOT judge me >>if u don't like it..back away and kick rocks
* be positive
* be urself.
^--more rule are subject to appear at a later date--^
i'm a little all over the place.
so much to do in so little time.
i am in southern california on summer break from school.
..some break this is...i am still taking classes even away from my home institution.
i have a very, very long "2 do", aka "2 accomplish", aka "2 succeed" list that i WILL get through...eventually...EACH will be succefully completed and excitedly checked off. (i have to keep telling myself this)
i will be leaving in about 2 weeks to paris, france. so excited.
so...basically this blog is all about experiences, enjoyments, love, and things worth sharing.
they are not meant to please anyone but...
...who knows. hopefully it can bring a smile (or maybe a laugh) to someone
i will be as weird, confusing, and silly as i please w/o any mercy ;)
soooo...lets get started.
** peace. royalty. smooches.
12:07 am
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