Fun.

The Rules : post the rules (obviously) : post of photo of yourself : write 11 things no one wants to know about yourself : answer the previous questions the prior asked : create new questions : tag, tag tag.

one : Once, I threw up out of my nose at these guys' apartment. It was lovely.

two : The first thing I do when I wake up, besides pray, is pee.
three : I used to pee in my shower in high school.
four : I brush my teeth in the shower, now. It's a great feeling.
five :  If I have a wedgie, I am going to pick it.
six : I don't PMS. At all. You will never know when it's that time of month for me.
seven : I am no longer a nervous pooper.
eight : I know this all sounds so gross, but I'm actually such a clean freak/germaphobe. I am always washing my hands or using hand sanitizer.
nine : I never sleep on the same side of the pillow more than twice, so I change my pillowcase every 3 or 4 days.
ten : Leggings should NEVER be used as pants; leggings are NOT pants.
eleven : If I hadn't chosen to attend BYU, I might have dyed my hair cotton candy pink, gotten dreadlocks or shaved the bang-less side of my head.

1: If you met yourself this day two years ago, whats the number one piece of advice you'd give yourself? 
"Stop trying to hang out and be best friends with your ex (Mickey), Melissa! You will forget him, don't worry. Remember the one boy (Marky Mark) who's been there all through the years since sixth grade. Focus on your Savior, Jesus Christ."

2: What is your ideal, go-to outfit?
My black or red skinny pants, black and white polka dot shirt, black knee-high boots, and MAC Russian Red matte lipstick.

3: If your life were made into a movie what actress would play you? Or more importantly, what actor would play your spouse?
I personally think Kirsten Dunst would be perfect. If you watched Elizabethtown and know me, you'd agree.


Also, I made this fun and asked people what they think-
Stepdad: Taylor Swift
Mickey: Scarlett Johansson
Chris: "Cat Woman. Fierce."

4: If you had one million dollars whats the first thing you'd buy?
A CAR. A CAR. A CAR. Not three cars, of course. Just one.
It would either be a red Mazda 3, a red Jetta, or a yellow X-Terra.

5: If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would you meet?
Hayao Miyazaki (alive) and Fyodor Dostoyevsky (dead). I would love to prod their minds about their art.

6: Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe?
I am not particularly a huge fan of either.

7: Favorite Dr. Seuss book and why?
Horton Hears a Who! 
It teaches about the worth of every soul and the worth of unborn children/it's anti-abortion.
"A person is a person, no matter how small!"

8: First kiss story, let's hear it.
After a youth temple trip to the Orlando temple and Islands of Adventure in sixth grade, Rio gave me a kiss on the cheek as we were getting out of the van in the church parking lot. I was so incredibly giddy, it was silly. He pop kissed me later that week or so, and I was also giddy.

9: Your wedding day is tomorrow. What are your colors, your dress, and the temple?
Orange/coral and teal/turquoise. I would have a J.Crew wedding dress made modest or a lovely, knee-length, 3/4 sleeved dress with a bow and lace. I would be sealed in the Orlando, Florida or Portland, Oregon temple.

10: Whats the best advice you'd give to a girl who is trying to forget a boy who she reeeeeaaaallly likes?Don't bother trying to like boys that like you just to get over the boy. Have patience in forgetting the boy; you WILL forget him (stop hanging out with him and it will help).



New questions for the next person:


1. What should you be doing right now rather than here, reblogging this?


2. "Worst date ever" story, let's hear it.


3. If you met yourself this day back in your senior year of high school, what advice would you give yourself?


4. Tell us about your absolute favorite pair of shoes.


5. Imagine you were stranded alone on an island. You see a golden lamp peeping out from under the sand. You rub it and it turns out to be a food genie! He will give you with unlimited supplies of your three absolute favorite dishes (entrees, desserts, junk food, whatever they may be)- essentials like water are not allowed. What do you ask for?


6. Stripes or polka dots?


7. If you could magically attain a single talent overnight, what would it be and why?


8. Be specific & detailed: What/where is your favorite place to be and why?


9. What is the best way for you to relieve stress and re-center yourself?


10. Favorite thing to cook & favorite thing to bake:

I'm so attractive, guys.

On Monday, I threw up at a guy's apartment... out of my nose.

Yes, I threw up out of my nose.

My nose was burning.

I was drinking water and they made me laugh so hard I threw up out of my nose, on to their pillow and carpet and my shirt and pants.

Don't feel bad or sorry for me, though; I was laughing the whole time.

It was actually really hilarious.

I know how to win the hearts of men.

♥ Melizza.

P.S.: I seriously love my life so much.

Guess who's going to be a certified Zumba instructor in April?

THIS GIRL.


I haven't been this ridiculously excited about something in a while.
I'll be showing people how to be fit in the most fun way, like teaching this dance:

I AM SO EXCITED.


♥ Melizza.

Photography update.

I'm currently taking Classical Portrait Photography and Intro to Color Photography with Val. These two classes, particularly the Portrait class, cause the most stress in my life but are also the result of crazy growth and discovery.

Portraiture: Low Key {Bronte}

Color: Contrast of Hues {Bronte}

Note: I received my first A in the class with this photo. You cannot imagine how ecstatic I was about it. Val was so pleased with it!

Portraiture: On-location Ratio lighting {Heidi}

Color: Saturation vs. Desaturation {Heidi}

Note: Val called this one "Dynamite!"- it's his thing to say when he's especially pleased with a photo. The only negative was that he wished the eyes were more in focus and that he wants me to re-do it. Don't mind if I do.

Can I just say that I love my two Washington women? So very much.

♥ Melizza.

P.S.: "Nothing worth having comes easy."

I was inspired by Tori to do this.

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Living in the apartment on the water in Miami.
2. Admiring my super-long, super-slender fingers. Not kidding. They have not been so slender and slim since then, though, as I have picked up a nasty habit of cracking my knuckles 24/7.
3. In fourth grade, in my second year the gifted program in my elementary school.
4. Hiding in the bathroom for a whole class period because I didn't know my times tables.
5. Watching The Ring. Bad idea as a kid. Totally scarred me for life. I will never have a TV in my room again.

Five things on my to-do list today:

1. Sing some electro-reggae tunes for Cory and Jordan
2. Write up my Color Photo class Theme Project Proposal
3. Fill out my two homework sheets for Contemporary Dance
4. Study for my Jazz Listening exam tomorrow
5. EAT DINNER.

Five snacks I enjoy:

1. ANYTHING peanut butter-related. Seriously.
2. Special-K blueberry bars
3. Bananas
4. Wheat Thins
5. Chocolate-covered pretzels

Five things I'd do if I were a millionaire:

1. Pay tithing if it was money I earned.
2. Buy a butt-load of food, clothes, Bibles and copies of the Book of Mormon and do homeless outreach.
3. Buy a car for myself.
4. Buy a butt-load of things on my wish list: a new camera body and camera gear, an iMac, a new guitar, maybe a Macbook Air.
5. Pay off and/or buy each of my sets of parents (my mom and Rich, my dad and Zulay) their/a home.

Five things I'd never wear again:

1. Belt bottom/flare jeans
2. Wiggly, butterfly clips in my hair.
3. Eyeliner on my bottom lid.
4. Colored pants with ridiculous, white fade effect.
5. Gel ALL throughout my head while wearing a ponytail.

♥ Melizza.

I was feeling red.
I was also wearing red skinny pants with knee-high black boots.
It was a great day.


♥ Melizza.


P.S.: It's MAC Matte Russian Red ;D

Random news:

• Two days ago, I was approved for a student credit card! Woohoo for building up credit and growing up!
• I can't believe we've only been in school for two weeks.
• I ADORE MY SCHEDULE SO MUCH. There is not a single class I am taking that I don't love.
• LDS Marriage & Family with Brother Goodman (with whom I took Mission Prep freshman year) is my teacher and wow. Just wow.
• I love being sore. Is that weird? No. Sarah (my roommate) agrees with me. It's that good sore when you know you've been working hard. In my case, dancing hard. I LOVE my Contemporary Dance class. I am always sweating bullets afterward. And sore.
• I am working ALL day Friday. And I mean ALL day: 10a-9p and that isn't even including closing, which takes longer.
• I am working Saturday night, too. With Sarah, of course! I work Fridays with her, too.
• Liz, Sarah and I are absolutely LOVING living together. Now that we know each other, we are getting along ridiculously well. I love them so much. We're praying about finding an apartment (staying in the ward boundaries, hopefully) where we can all three live together (but we want to move out of this one).
• Speaking of praying, we've started apartment prayer. Sarah and I thought of it. Our minds are ridiculously in sync this semester, it's weird. Apartment prayer usually only consists of Sarah, Liz and I because Ashley's always with Oliver (they are dating).
• I have been eating peanut butter sandwiches every night for dinner the past few nights. And no, I'm not going to plead the lame "I'm a poor college student" excuse; I have money to buy food and I buy good food. PB sandwiches are all I want to eat for dinner! It's weird! It's because I eat two granola bars throughout the day as lunch; my body, however, craves PB sandwiches for lunch, and me not giving my body PB sandwiches results in me eating them later in the day.
• Today, I forced myself to eat broccoli-cheddar soup, though. Yay me!
• This Portrait Photo class is DEFF pushing me out of my element; it's all in the studio (for the most part) and working with lights. BUT IT IS SO, SO FUN!
• I should probably go to sleep. It's 12.30 am, I still have studying to do, and I have to wake up for a 9 am class. And no, I will not plead the lame "I never get any sleep because I'm a college student" excuse; I SLEEP WELL! Minus Tuesdays and Thursdays, my long days.
• I need to buy more milk, more orange juice, more bread, more granola bars, more grapes and tomatoes, red and green peppers. Hurray for healthy eating!
• It really is SO important to whole-heartedly do daily scripture study and pray on your knees multiple times a day; I have been finding myself relying on it more than ever these past two weeks- not because I have some major issues or problems and not because I need to check it off my "list", but because I want to. I sincerely want to and it's filling my heart with that desire more and more. God is just revealing such amazing, great things in my life and teaching me so much. It's unreal.
• I adore Indian food. It's probably my favorite.
• "Because I have been given much, I too must give."
• I just really love my life.
• It's ridiculous how much I love my life.
• I am so thankful God gave me life.

I treat this blog as a journal of sorts, if you haven't noticed. I enjoy it very much.

♥ Melizza.

Definitely missing my best friend right now.

Elder Mark Daniel (or, Elder Marky Mark Daniel as I like to call him) has been serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for the past eight months and has about sixteen months more to go. He has been doing ridiculously amazing work for the Lord and I am so, so proud of him.

I sent him this big package for his six months in that included: two GIANT jars of JIFF peanut butter, a bunch of candy, Oreos to dunk in the peanut butter, EFY/Church music (he totally needed it), a card/note of awesomeness, little cut outs of him and me attached to orange straws, and a few other little things. Gotta start planning what will be in his twelve-month package (with time so it actually gets to him on his year mark)!

But really, he is so focused on the work. He is so focused on our Savior, Jesus Christ, which is what life is ALL about. He has always been such a man of God and such a righteous Priesthood holder, ALWAYS upholding his callings.

I miss him. So, so much.
I have always said I have wanted to marry a Mark.
I look forward to him coming home May 2013 :)

April 2010. ATL, Georgia. MoProm.

He made this for me about a year ago and put it on my desktop before he left.

♥ Melizza.

God amazes me and excites me in ways I can't even describe.
God is mind-blowingly mind-blowing.
I don't even know where to start.
Just. Wow.

This life really is a constant work in progress.

Surrender.

The thought of surrendering to anything/anyone is seen as a sign of weakness, but I beg to differ.


I think in many cases, surrender is a sign of STRENGTH. This is not true when people surrender out of fear- this is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the people who surrender, that know themselves SO well and have their heads well on their shoulders, because they see the bigger picture.


Before I go on, let me declare one thing: Art is in everything. Art is everything. When I say this, I go beyond the general idea of art that involves stages, scripts, violins, paintbrushes and cameras. I am also talking about doctors, teachers, lawyers, paramedics and anyone else in a career.


To me, surrender is a sign of SELFLESSNESS, or the desire to be so. As an artist, you HAVE to surrender. If you are selfish with your time, you can make decent, good art, but you cannot make REAL, TRUE, GREAT art. You cannot truly progress and grow. I know this from personal experience. The artists I look up to give up whole days and days to their art. Even a few hours isn't enough. The artists I look up to aren't perfect, they DO mess up, but they take extra hours and days out of their time to make improvements and alterations. They stand in front of a sheet or sit in a library with their noses in books for hours upon hours to try and learn, become better. They surrender to become better.


To go even further, I think surrendering to someOne, the One and Only God, takes even more strength and eternal perspective. This is the ultimate, great surrender. There is no single thing a person can do that takes more courage, strength and selflessness, nor is there no one thing/person that can provide greater happiness than when you surrender to Him. When you surrender to Him and truly surrender to Him, you love with His Love. Unconditionally. You put your family first. You serve your family. You seek the weary, the poor, the broken-hearted and tend to their needs. You think less about yourself and more about Him. You think less about yourself and more about His children, His work.


In a world that screams that people should stand upon a mountain proclaiming their individuality and greatness, with all else and all others beneath them, the world is ever in need of more people that are willing to lie low (figuratively-speaking and spiritually) and under those at their lowest to tend to them, LOVE them, lift them, encourage them, unify with them. It's easy to be high and mighty; it's harder to lower yourself. A lot of times, what is easy also tends to be the cheapest. Don't go for easy. Don't go for cheap. Humility is the greatest strength. Loving is the greatest thing we can do in that strength. Loving like He did is going the extra mile- like Jesus Christ always does for us.


Status: currently trying to embrace all this in my own life.

♥ Melizza.

I CAN'T WAIT TO GO HOME ON WEDNESDAY.

When I'm home, I will:

• finally get my hair trimmed. My hair has grown a ridiculous amount in +four months and my ends are dying to be cut.
• go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the second time- this time with two of my brothers and a baby sister. I'll get my roommates' Christmas gifts from there, as well :)
• go to my brother's EHS Legacy Choir Winter concert.
• sleepover my dad's house.
• see Joeffrey, who's been on a mission for the past two years and has just returned!
• go to the beach at night (my favorite thing to do).
• see my best friends.
• read the Hunger Games series while I have some free time to breath.
• hug my dog Brandy lots and lots.
• go to Santa's Enchanted Forest.
• RELAX.
• give and make gifts for my family and friends.
• show Jon every single Remi Gaillard video on Youtube and play Rockband.
• spend Christmas with my family, remembering my Savior's coming to earth and all He did for me.
• BE WITH MY FAMILY :D

But this is on Wednesday.

First I need to get through finals, packing, and cleaning the apartment.

Oh, and I need to find a ride to the airport, too.

That's kind of important.

Wish me luck! :)

♥ Melizza.

Early birthday gifts from my mama!

Throughout the week, I've received these in the mail individually. Each have gotten me super excited and made me smile.

1. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Childhood favorite. I remember my math teacher reading this to us in class back in 4th grade. Fun read with super awesome illustrations. I highly recommend it.

2. Hayao Miyazaki's "Howl's Moving Castle". My favorite of his and one of my favorite movies period. SUCH A BEAUTIFUL FILM. Yes, it is animated and anime. Even if that isn't your cup of tea, I recommend it because it WILL make you swoon for Howl. Hayao Miyazaki is a film genius. SO much depth.

3. Probably Hayao Miyazaki's most well-known film, "Spirited Away". Also makes you swoon. So, so beautiful.

I turn 20 years young on Friday. Feels surreal. I am no longer in the teens, which I have been for the past  seven years. For the next ten years, there will always be a 2 leading my age instead of a 1.

I will be a score old.
I will be two decades old.
I will be a fifth-of-a-century old.

20 is the new 21.

It's kind of, sort of a big deal in my head, but I'm not making it a particularly big deal; just a yummy Indian dinner with my closest friends here, and Cocoa Bean + country dancing the next day. I am very much looking forward to it :)

♥ Melizza.