mood: proud
music: Into the Night – Santana

This is the news that I woke up to, and I hardly even know what to say about it. I am flat-out floored. Delighted. Thrilled. Triumphant.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been really passionate about gay rights ever since I found out there was controversy over them at all (I think I was eleven, maybe?). It’s an uphill battle, but civil rights is what I’m all about. I know we can’t win everything, because our society is not ready for that kind of advancement yet. But I am absolutely confident that we LGBT(QQIA) folks will have equal rights in the name of the law (de facto discrimination is another thing entirely, of course) eventually, even if I don’t know how long it’ll be until that day. I just hope I live to see it, or dare I say, even experience it!

The fight over Prop 8 was a beautiful thing to behold. I am so glad that I turned eighteen that year and could put my vote in what I believe is right. Besides just voting, though, I also did a fair amount of campaigning back in Fall 2008 (protests, door-to-door stuff, Facebook posts and debates) in my rather-conservative Orange County city, but part of me was always convinced that despite the tremendous effort put into the campaign, we would still lose because so many Californians just weren’t ready for this big step. But this is seriously amazing! It’s so good to know that the fight wasn’t for nothing and that this will really encourage everyone who didn’t give up fighting, along with bring the fight to the forefront of the minds of everyone who stopped paying attention.

And yeah, I know Prop 8 backers are going to appeal and all that, but this is a fantastic victory for us! The fight goes on!

Has never felt so damn good.

Am back in the States at last and loving it. Long ramblings about China trip incoming, but first, I’m catching up on e-mails, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Livejournal, Comic-Con, and coupons/sales. Oh, and cleaning my room and opening birthday presents. Not to mention going back to my regular dose of cartoons, TV shows, and comics.

Can you tell my sleeping schedule is whack ALREADY?

WTB [Self-Control]!

That’s what I am right now.

Also, my computer (netbook, not the main one) is broken.

FUN TIMES YO!

Super upset. Paying for Internet at the airport right now but I gotta get off soon. Will hopefully get back to the U.S. and be able to go on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, etc. soon.

Until then, I guess…

mood: inspired
music: Show Me a Good Time – Drake

Once again, I will reiterate, I love the Internet. Earlier this year, the LiveJournal community help_haiti raised a whopping $115,000 in fandom auctions. Big-name writers and artists banded together with fans of their work to raise money to help in the rescues, recovering, and rebuilding of Haiti in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake. This time around, gulf_aid_now is providing monetary relief for those affected by the disaster in the Gulf.

It’s so inspiring what strangers from all over the nation can achieve when they band together to take action. It’s so inspiring that such a thing is possible at all.

Technology is the subject of criticism all the time, but I think we sometimes need to remember how much we have achieved through the Internet and all its different assortments of social media.

mood: happy but a little impatient about Megavideo
music: Push (Acoustic) – Matchbox Twenty

So I’ve cooked for myself at least one meal (it’s like brunch at 2:30 p.m., haha) every day of the summer so far. Part of it is to save money and the other part is to prepare myself for having to cook when I go back to school in the fall. I’m really proud of what I’ve come up with (with only minimal help from the Internet) so I decided to document my dishes. Most of the dishes in this first batch were made before I actually went grocery shopping, so a lot of them are just made of stuff I found around the kitchen. It was kinda fun improvising with only the ingredients that I had at hand.

Udon tossed with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and mirin.

Rotini w/ creamy garlic pepper white sauce.

Rotini pasta salad w/ basil, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, pepper, parmesan cheese.

Udon w/ chicken broth and egg.

Rotini w/ lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, artichokes, mushrooms (cooked). Salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Spicy crab udon w/ egg.

Penne w/ spicy marinara, garlic, mushrooms, basil, and parmesan.

Mixed pasta tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, tomatoes, basil, artichokes, mushrooms, garlic, lemon.

Udon with kamaboko, egg, mushrooms. Don’t remember what the broth was anymore.

Sandwich w/ turkey, avocado, tomato, mozzarella, basil, mayo, olive oil, salt/pepper.

Honey Bunches of Oats, chocolate-chip Eggo, and sliced strawberries.

Ravioli w/ marinara sauce, onions, and Lil’ Smokies.

This is only the first batch! More to come.