The Ultimate Fangirling Experience - "One Perfection" [Day #34]

My view of the stage,
not too shabby for $20!

1. So yesterday was the One Direction concert at the Key Arena. All afternoon I watched Zette and my cousin, Amica, prepare for the show. They got their tickets over a year ago and I had already accepted the fact that there was no way for me to be united with Louis Tomlinson, the sassiest of the 1D bunch. Low and behold a friend texted me saying nosebleed seats were still available so I ran to the box office and copped tix for $20 right as the show started! I was literally in the very top/last row of the arena but it didn't matter because I was at a One Direction concert. CRAY. And when I say 1D concert, I actually mean an arena full of screaming teenage girls and sleeping dads. Never have I witnessed such extreme fangirling until this experience, the walls and ground were literally rumbling from the constant screaming and singing-along. The slogan of the night could have been "Strangers Unite" because we all bonded over our love of the singing British boys, and it was GREAT.

Such a cool view of the crowd,
lights up for "Little Things."

One of my fave 1D songs, "Last First Kiss." Please excuse 

the horrible singing from me and my 1D neighbors... haha

They performed a couple songs in the center-ish of the arena
after floating across the floor seats on a giant moving platform,
which was awesome!

2. Got a little crafty and made this fringed/high-low/beaded/muscle tee. I may have to add it to one of my Coachella outfits.

http://instagram.com/p/cVGrSxHpf-/ 

3. Got a part time gig working as the Admissions & Outreach Coordinator for the UW School of Music and I am totally stoked to work with incoming students and freshmen! Since it is part time, I will keep this Funemployment blog running "part time." (:

Catch ya on the flip side!

A-Tran.

"Insert Witty Blog Title Here" [Day #29]

1. Went to the John Mayer/Phillip Phillips AND Bruno Mars/Ellie Goulding shows back to back this past weekend with some of my best pals! We basically did a "DIY Music Festival," and it was AH-MAZE-ING. John was as suave as ever, Phillip was genuine, Ellie was flawless, and Bruno was ON POINT, to say the least! (Bruno definitely ties with Muse for best live performers, ever. Like, EVER). If you want a more detailed recap, check out my BOTW blog: http://atransbandoftheweek.blogspot.com/2013/07/diy-music-festival-feat-john-mayer.html

The Gorge was GORGE, per usual.

2. Call Me, Maybe?
So for those of you that are also in the state of "The Funemployment Life," you are probably familiar with the phone interview. Having done a few myself, I have gathered up some tips on how to get through them:

• Have a glass of water close to you. (I just had a 40 minute interview, and I was PARCHED... the thirst was real)
• SLOW down! (I always talk fast because I don't want to think the interviewee is waiting on me)
• Don't be afraid to ask them to repeat the question. (That way you understand what you are being asked AND you can buy yourself a few extra seconds to think of something witty)

3. Off to Joann's to get some supplies for my next DIY project, stay tuned!

We outty,

A-Tran.

Food, Surf, & "One Size Fits Most" [Day #23]

1. Went to a Luau at the Paradise Cove in Ko Olina, and it was awesome! The pulled pork was on point, and the dancing was beautiful. We also got to make our own flower leis, headbands, and got hand-drawn tattoos!

Mac salad, taro roll, rice, pulled pork, fried chicken,
macadamia nut fish, lomi lomi, and more! (times 3 plates... haha)

2. Loco Moco (a tradition Hawaiin meal consisting of white rice, hamburger patty, fried egg, and gravy) and the best garlic fries ever from Loco Moco Drive Inn in Kapolei!

3. Surfin' USA! My first time out on the waves, and it was gnar out in Waikiki! (and the water was extremely salty... blehhh haha)

4. Brandy Melville! The "one size fits most" store that all the hipsters are talking about def lived up to the hype. The store's look-book is reminiscent of Urban Outfitters, Nasty Gal, and Pac Sun. Everything really is one size in that store (but more like "one size fits most people who wear small or maybe a medium.."), luckily I fit the skirt I got! (I never try things on at the store! #LazeForDaze)

http://instagram.com/p/b5FXxXnpWt/

Mahalo for reading this installment of The Funemployment Life!
A-Tran.

Hang Loose! + #SOT [Day #19]

1. The beautiful sunset on Ko Olina beach in Honolulu! (and the Illuminati is real)

2. #SOT #SplitsOnTrees 

I'm not exactly sure why this isn't viral yet, but it should be...

                                 

Off to the beach again, hang loose!

A-Tran.

Home, Sweet Home! [Day #13]

1. Whataburger < Dick's < In-N-Out
So, I don't get the Whataburger hype at all. The patty was super flat, the buns were too thick, and there was no special/distinctive flavor or sauce. Although it is awesome that they are a 24 hour joint, we had to wait 15 minutes for our food AND it was cold! Any who, (before this turns into a Yelp review.. ahah) Seattleites and Californians don't need to feel they are missing out in the burger department because our burgers are better!




2. THANK GOODNESS for Seattle weather! I have never been so relieved to be home in this lovely cool weather (besides the time after my Vietnam trip), aka 30 degrees cooler than TX at any given point in the day!

3. Definitely just spent the last hour quoting Napoleon Dynamite, pretty sure we covered the whole movie...


I love technology, but not as much as you you see.
A-Tran.

NOLA = Nawlins = New Orleans! [Day #9/10]

1. You can't go to Nawlins without eating an authentic poboy! Luckily, my mom asked a local and he gave us the BEST suggestion, ever! "Short Stop" has been around for 47 years, and there's a reason why! #noms

Catfish poboy! We also had the BBQ beef and
the oyster, but we ate it before I could get a pic... :P

2. Café Du Monde is the original coffe stand in the middle of the french market. They serve French doughnuts, beignets, their special brew, AND is open 24 hours a day! 

http://instagram.com/p/bR5sPbnpWI/

3. So we went on a swamp tour, and saw a bunch of swamp animals, especially alligators (I thought they were crocs haha)! I even held a baby gator, it was uber cool.

4. And last, but not least, what is NOLA without some jazz!? These guys were just casually playing in the park in the middle of the city and they were KILLIN' it! These guys were SO good, like SO SO good. I'm pretty sure they were marching band alum, southern style! I am so inspired to go home and pick up my tenor sax!

                                 

We out,

A-Tran.

106 DEGREES [Day #8]

1. Six Flags Fiesta Texas was awesome! However it was the HOTTEST day so far this summer... I have never drank so much water in my life time!

2. The San Antonio Riverwalk runs about 5 miles beneath Downtown San Antoniono, and it's definitely a place to visit! It is lined with restaurants, shops, and is super close to the historic Alamo site.

3. Today, we ate Froyo and Pho TWICE. We stopped by a Texas chain, "Orange Leaf" (it was alright, limited flavors and NO mochi... blasphemy! However, they did have cute orange froyo spoons called "shovels"!), then my uncle took us straight to Menchies because he wanted us to have mochi... haha. (Yogurtland still takes the cake!)














Catch y'all on the flip side!
A-Tran.

"It ain't a road trip til y'all stop at Buc-ee's!" [Day #5]

Chillin' with Buc-eeeeee!

1. So apparently Buc-ee's is a huge part of the road trippin' community in TX. I overheard a mom exclaim "It ain't a roadtrip til y'all stop at Buc-ee's" (in a thick Texan accent of course), and I nearly LOL'd. This place is like a super sized 7-Eleven, complete with fresh beef/turkey jerky products, hot/cold deli, Icee machines, coffee and coffee grinders, all your convenience store necessities and TONS of merchandise/souvenirs with Buc-ee's logo. After all, everything is BIGGER in TX.

2. Seafood Linguistics 101: Crawfish, Crayfish, Crawdads, & Mudbugs... all the SAME thing!

Had about 1.5 lbs to myself and pretty much
burned my mouth from the extreme spiciness!

3. In other news, y'all in Seattle be complainin' about 88 degrees, when I'm here melting in 100+ O_O...

See y'all soon! (In my country voice... Few people know of my country singin' obsession haha)

A-Tran.

"Tell me about it, stud." - 'Grease' studs, DIY studs, & more [Day #2]

1. So I'm sure everyone has that one movie that they can re-watch nth amount of times and never get sick of it. For me, this movie is Grease. I have probably seen Grease at least 50 times or more and I love it every time!

2. My mom and I are low key hoarders of sorts. (She keeps our kid clothes for when we have our own kids... haha) These jeans are classic flares from my 7th/8th grade years that were cut into high waisted shorts and went through some DIY studded treatments. You can see Zette sporting them this summer! 

3. Sorted through spring quarter ethnographies and readings.. this is stuff from ONE class. #DoubleSided10PointFontArticles #AnthropologyStudentProblems

4. After neglecting my closet for the past three months, it is finally back to its true form. Complete with color coordination and a double-sized shelf dedicated to black concert tees.

(Zac says hi!)

5. Netflix Syndrome - a.k.a. The "Just One More Episode" disorder. 

Anytime I watch a TV series on Netflix, I end up finishing it in a day or two. (i.e. Gossip Girl S1 in one day, The O.C. S1&2 in three days) Once I start, there is no looking back. If you're looking for a horribly cheesy sitcom, check out "Baby Daddy." (It airs on ABC Family, go ahead, judge me haha) It's about a kid in his mid-20s that finds out he has a baby and decides to raise her on his own after she was left on his doorstep by the mom a year after their one night stand. But let's be real, I watch it because the main character's brother (who plays a hockey player) is a sight for sore eyes. 

That's all for today, fellow funemployed friends!

A-Tran. 

Welcome to The Funemployment Life! [Day #1]

Come one, come all! This blog is dedicated to all the recent grads out there and the struggle we face everyday in the world of job hunting. I'm sure we can all agree that looking for a job should be considered a fulltime job... and so until the day that I am employed, I will keep up this blog to inform the internet world of my daily shenanigans (or lack there of).

So to kick things off, my first official day of funemployment consisted of...

1. Finished recording an a cappella cover mashup of Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows" and Little Mix's "Going Nowhere" around 2am... Listen to me sing, beatbox, and attempt to rap here: https://soundcloud.com/amandatranrocks/going-nowhere-bust-your

2. Woke up at noon.

3. DIY: I made a muscle tee that is strikingly appropriate for any and all music festivals. See you at Bumbershoot 2K13 and Coachella 2K14!

http://instagram.com/amandatranrocks

4. Movies:
"A Good Day to Die Hard" - Awesome action movie with crazy car chases and an intense music score to back it up!
"Jack the Giant Slayer" - This fairy tale revamp of "Jack and the Beanstalk" definitely surpassed my expectations with great visuals, exciting plot twists, and a very fitting cast.

5. Started to clean my closet... (scarier than you may think)


Live long and prosper, friends.
A-Tran.