Copilots & Homies

  Been making good on the promise of doing more with my time. Some homies and I went and checked out Korean HipHop pioneer group, Epik High on their North American tour. A show that solidified in my mind just how stable and solid these artists remain. I was a fledging amateur with their discography rolling with two actual fans, so leading up to D-Day, I did my best to familiarize myself with their newest album, Epik High Is Here. There were some stand out hits so I didn't feel like a total newbie and out of the element. And it was surprisingly more packed that I had thought. It wasn't a sold out show (one of the super fan homies legitimately bought her ticket day of) and it was on a weekday, so to my shock I was wondering what all these people were doing out and about...as I myself was out and about knowing full well that I had work the next day.  But I digress. It was a fun night and even though I didn't vibe 100% with the opening act, I discovered my newfound respect, alo...

The New Year's resolution is kicking off on a good note. After a particularly lackluster of day at work, I came across tickets for an Eric Nam concert for his There and Back Again tour. I only know of him, and nothing really pertaining his music, but for $50 to avoid going home and streaming some Netflix? That was a no brainer. One of the homies came through and with that we were off. It was her first Kpop adjacent concert and coupled with the excitement of an impulse activity on a weekday (!!), the overall night turned out pretty dope. Because we were working gals, we managed to get there a little over thirty minutes before doors open. And if you're going to know anything more about me, it's this: if I'm on time, I am late and if I am early I am on time.  Anyway, like any promising concert, the line just wrapped around like a wild thang. The venue was bigger than I expected and even from the way back, the views were great.   The opening act was Lyn Lapid. As this was a...

Masterpiece  Much like a lot of others, the last two years or so feel like a wash. Besides the obvious with the raging pandemic adapting and claiming lives daily, as well as the world adapting (whether they want to abide by it or not) to what is now the New Normal, it's been a time where I sincerely believe and hope that people are learning, growing, living and loving. Whether you took on a new hobby (I truly expect that at least 60% of the home cooks are now experts in baking with the shortage of yeast that started at the beginning of the lockdown...otherwise, WHAT WAS THE REASON?!), came to the awareness that work can really be as flexible as it has been (isn't it wonderful to be able to work from home...for those of you that have the capabilities  where home life situation allows for you to do so, I hope the advantages were in your favor), got addicted to TikTok (not me, never catch me slipping when I have too many social media addictions keeping me up at night as it is to ...

A mere $55 dollars later, plus the $2 batteries, and I was in uniform A bitch is living. I have finally recovered a week later after finally seeing the babies up close (well, as close as I'll ever get to see them really beyond the screen..haha, BTS, beyond the screen) and personal. I was lucky enough to score a ticket through a friend of a friend (you know how that goes) so shout to OG Uh-nuh for the heads up and Anna-cubed for the follow through. But on a typical why-we-pay-outrageous-amounts-to-live-in-California sunny day, I made my way to Pasadena to see them perform at the Rose Bowl. My poor over saturated, high cholesterol-probably heart was fangirling to the max. And I was totally unprepared. I arrived about two hours before the venue doors were even to be opened thinking that that was enough time. And sure, it was for: making your way to general parking, walking from the golf course to the stadium, finding Anna-cubed with my ticket and standing in line for a bathroom. ...

Tomorrow is work. Work is tomorrow. But I broke out my dusty ass laptop because I just needed to do something else other than watch another Criminal Minds episode, pay my bills and begin the fret of mentally preparing myself for another day at the office. Seriously, I'm at the point where I've adopted their lingo as well. Ask me why I began labeling anyone remotely annoying "Unsubs". A bitch thinks she's Dr. Reid right now.  I digress. It's more than just the routine I'm stuck in post-secondary higher level education. I want something different. And as we all know, wanting and wishing doesn't necessarily equate to actual results. My reservations about my routine are exactly that: I like routine. I like predictability and safety and comfort. Yet I seek more (don't we all?). In trying to treat that nagging, incessant itch, I have made some out of comfort, yet still safe, decisions. For one, I applied for another job. It's a temporary one that ...

It's a three day weekend and in celebration and lack of funds, I've been binge watching movies on Netflix for the past few hours. I took note of a particular film that came highly recommended by the homies, so in broad daylight and with the TV on for background noise, I decided to take on Na Hongjins' thriller, The Wailing . Standard "Had to do it on 'em" pose I don't do horror films, so to my immediate relief, I found that I could actually sit through this one and was able to turn off the TV and focus. In short, some sort of epidemic causes villagers to just lose their shit and go on a rampage, killing their family while leaving their minds in a state of vegetation or sorts until eventually they just...well, die. I don't really like summaries nor enjoy retelling the story line just because it ends up being lackluster, so just watch it if you have 2.5 hours to kill and nothing else of Netflix screams out to you. I did enjoy the movie, but what I ...

{Uh-nuh and our KBBQ adventure} Been a while. I'm out here trying my best to live life and it has been surprisingly been kind in return. Two of the chillest homies and I have been trying out best to meet up for "Weekly Adventures" wherein once a week, we allocate some precious time in our hectic lives dedicated to, well, eating mainly. We'll catch up on the happenings over some good food, good company, and lately some bomb ass adventures around SoCal. And though it may seem like such an easy enough feat to accomplish working around everyone's schedules can be taxing, but I'm proud to say that it we have made it to, yes, SEVEN WEEKS! You honestly don't understand how fulfilling it is to say that with an immense surge of pride. We've lived withing a mile, a mile and a half, of each other for years on one solid street and we've struggled to meet up maybe, once or twice a year. Yeah, that bad. And it's not like we're any less busier; I...

Today we cried. And then we danced. A room of virtual strangers and yet it was a safe enough environment for some of us to break down and confess our hardships and oppression that had riddled our lives.  I've recently been really into sociology and one of my favorite classes so far has been a race class. I know, hot topic. And as we circled around in preparation for another one of our dreaded group discussions, I was wholly unprepared for what went down: truth.I think none of us really want to indulge in the issue of immigration because of the palpable division each side strongly assert: those who are antis are regarded as racists who want to "make America great again" by ridding the U.S. soil of, criminals they would say, unwilling to follow the law by doing the right thing, waiting their turn as others have regarding citizenship. Very un-American they might argue, just jumping borders and taking up all the resources and abusing this country (and let's face it, in t...

I have spent the past two days finding out just why the K-Drama world is so obsessed about. But why they gotta be so extra, though? I mean, one flyer makes its way through the wind and lands right on her face and the next thing you know, super sexy man is has caught her in a super sexy dip like she would've died otherwise. How you gon' let a piece of paper take you down? If you were a boxer, you'd be paperweight instead of featherweight. My complaints aside of the over theatricality of it all, I do admit it's one of my favorite things about it. If they pulled the same kind of cheesiness in an American show, it would be a Lifetime or hallmark movie, and I would write it off completely. But with Korean dramas, I just find it endearing. My first experience with it was with Oh My Venus. It was rated one of the more popular shows from 2015 and, though I was skeptical about it at first, I was enthralled all the way through. I even skipped my last two classes to finish up th...

~A bit of a late post to the homie, Em.~ The first time I ever really met you was during a study session in high school. From the get-go I knew you were gonna be the shit because all you were talking about was food, listing all these snacks and cookies for God-knows what reason (But do we ever really need a reason to bask over the deliciousness of processed junk food? I think not). And then Mr. G was halfway into his lecture and wham--(wake me up before you go-go)--you break through the silence with an excited gasp and said, very loudly, "Double stuffed oreos!". I and a few sane-minded individuals were looking around like, "This bitch cray. She gon' interrupt the teacher who was talkin' bout European monarchs and assassinations and equally depressing things (but to be fair, European history in a nutshell is just depressing period) to mention the name of some goddamn cookies that she didn't put on her list?!" But the rest of the class just shook it off ...

**Had to write a short about me for some scholarships**                                        This was my honest to Gawd reaction after finishing it all 🙌🏽✌🏽️ My name is [ommitted unless you give me money]. I also answer to my alias, Rumé [ommitted] (an alias I came up with after watching too much Travel Channel and becoming too enthralled with the French culture). Occasionally I'll acknowledge the Raquel and Raychee that gets thrown my way at work. I even go by my blog name, Rasela Müller, the former being the Samoan translation of my name and the latter after the wondrous German forward and former FIFA Golden Boot recipient, and my dream boat, Thomas Müller. I hail from a long line of Samoan chiefs dating back to the times Jesus Christ and George Washington, or so my grandmother used to tell me time and time again; I would have liked to point out the disparity with the ...

I have been AWOL since Princess Riri dropped her newest album, ANTI. I'm still recovering from it, but despite my faint heart, I've been cleared to continue doing the good lord's work on re-tweeting and sharing and converting other non-believers to Riri-ism. I mean, honestly, how do you escape the infectious island tune of "Work"? Or the sexy track of "Kiss it Better" (if I could dance, I would make a banging choreography to this jam; but alas, I am dance-impaired). So just to keep it short, get your groove on to ANTI. Find a pole and go wild. Make some babies, Because that's in essence what it is, a baby making album, Oh, shit! There's Drizzy!

Wallowing in self-pity. My third year at college will soon close to an end and then I have one last year before the deadline I've set for myself since freshman in high school follows suit. And I am freaking. The fuck. Out. I haven't taken that semester abroad in Germany that I had always envisioned. I have yet to make a lasting impact on campus thus far. I see my friends less and less, it seems. And I have just changed my major from something that I really detested, to something I don't hate as much. I have no confidence in my future, and I want a change. But all this uncertainty has really made a girl critically evaluate her life and the war path she's on. Because as much as I hate being decisive about anything concerning a time other than, well, right now, I hate not having a somewhat solid plan even more. I'm trying to juggle a demanding and exhausting job with the already demanding and exhausting workload for school. It's only the second week! And I know I...

For awhile now we've been graced with ten second Snapchat videos of the majestically inspirational DJ Khaled: Another one. You smart. You loyal.  Congratulations, you played yourself. Key to more success is clean heart and clean face , [And thanks to the power of the inter-web and the mega trolls across all social media sites, memes come rolling aside them]. But I have had an epiphany to the real key to success. No, it does not lie in more coco butter as the Almighty Khaled claims. But we can appreciate dat, can we not? Coco butter soothes your skin and your soul. You go, Coco. The key to success, the reason they don't want us to win, is because they don't want to hear no. Or we don't want to say it, I'm still working out the details. We're all, on various levels, people pleasers. We want to give people, even the ones that don't deserve jack scheiße from your glorious self, everything. Or at least, that's how it went down on my end for me to come to ...

Oh, chocolate. I remember when they first invented it. Sweet, sweet chocolate. I always hated it! Do you remember 1975? Great year, huh? There was the Watergate Scandal (oh, you bad boy Nixon). It was the year Spanish dictator Francisco Franco dies. Iron Maiden is formed (to all the fans). What a great time in our history. Just kidding, I really wouldn't know; I googled all this shit because, hell, I wasn't born until 20 years later. But I'm not just talking about 1975. No homie, I'm talkin' about The 1975. You know, the one with a singer and a guitar and a drum set. A more recent one. Is that jogging your memory? "Noooiicceeee"-every college frat douche. I'm sorry to all the frat dudes, that was uncalled for. But the it's kind of dark and the backspace button on my laptop is just too far for my sausage fingers. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. If ever you feel like you want to wallow in your pit of despair, whether you have been...

       Disclaimer: The following post may include spoilers for Daddy's Home. It's up to you to keep going or not. I'm not your keeper. So instead of staying home and having a relatively quiet Christmas evening with the family like everyone else is undoubtedly doing, we decided to hit up one of the few places still open, Cinepolis, and catch a movie. Now, I love Will Ferrell. As Buddy the Elf, as President Bush on SNL and especially as Brennan on Step Brothers. He can do no wrong. This is probably where you think, "Oh noooo. He did do wrong!". Well, no. He did right. Again. He's basically a pushover who just wants to be a Dad to his step-kids and all the progress he made has been successfully halted and backtracked with the arrival of Dusty (WTF where do people get these names from? And meanwhile, we're always cracking jokes about names like Laqueesha and Bon Qui Qui) the ex-husband and daddy extraordinaire portrayed by the annoyingly handsome Mar...

Fröhliches Weihnachten, Feliz Navidad, Manuia le Kerisimasi and Merry Christmas! This was it. Our last 2015 holiday as the year quickly wraps up. It was a week well spent with homies, friends and families alike, and one for the books. After a challenging week at work, I relaxed with the Sisterhood with some Chardonnay and Apple Cider (the home girl Titties is on her way to being our resident alcoholic, you go girl), dates (or prunes, we will never know) and walnuts, some cold pizza, a box of tacos (shout out to Kenny G for coming through), awesome gifts (homies Ah-nuh squared hooked everyone up with custom made mugs, so thank you), and though I missed catch-ups with the other homies, Amee, Bee and Dee were there to fill the void nonetheless, and a wonderful hostess that knows how to entertain (our future Martha Stewart-esque party planner: Queen D). And after receiving some kickass presents from the family, we enjoyed a very early Christmas dinner followed suit by a day out...

We are so lacking nowadays. All these talks about #squads and shit means nothing when your team is full of Michaels and Tobys. What we lack are little Dwight Schrutes in our circle of friendship. It's Winter break and I'm now on the third round of watching The Office and revelations and realizations are coming at me left and right. Who I found to be the most annoying character the first time I watched it back in, what 2010?, became absolute #goals for homies. And here's why: 1. He's of German descent. Er spricht Deutsch und das it's über sexy.  2. He's a man of nature. It is kill or be killed and you need someone in your #squad ready to throw down when shit goes down. Despite living on a goddamn beet farm, he is resourceful and comfortable about dealing with dead animals (I.e. Using the dead bird as a can opener).  3. He's gives great advice: "Just as you plant your seed into the ground, I am going to plant my seed in you." You need a #squad motiva...

Courtesy of Read Spirit    Yeah, another movie review. That's what I'm saying.  So today was my last day of finals and celebrations were in order, starting with a guilt-free Amazon video binge. And today I was lucky enough to stumble upon the gem that is The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. I shit you not, that is the entire title. The synopsis said it was Sweden's most successful movie based on a novel of the same name by Jonas Jonasson. And in honor of my favorite Swede, Alexander Skarsgaard, I gave in. And it was not disappointing. It's got a heavy Forrest Gump vibe, in that the protagonist is involved in all these life defining situations that is unbelievable and yet, painstakingly hopeful as well. The plot revolves around the said 100 year old man, Allan, who bails the retirement home he was forced to live in after blowing up the fox who killed his beloved cat, Molotov, and his chicken. I know, it's great already, isn't ...