Elina is so pretty, I can’t believe she got eliminated. But she’s only 18, what an overachiever. Analeigh is really pretty too.

Okay, call me crazy, but I surprisingly watched three episodes of Paris Hilton’s new reality show, My New BFF. For some reason I found it interesting enough that I actually sat through 3 hours of the show (although I HAVE muted it or turned it off after getting really annoyed at its absolute lack of anything that was remotely interest-grabbing, just to turn it back on to see what happened next!). I think I’ll blame it on the fact that there was really nothing more to watch on T.V. since I’ve pretty much watched each Hannah Montana rerun at least 5 times. Pretty much all the show has given me is that Paris has a very monotone voice, she can look very fat despite trying hard to look gorgeous in a trashy way, and she has absolutely no acting skills at all. It has also taught me that the absolute wrong way to chose a best friend: put her through a series of tests to see if she’s the only one who survived all those catty girl fights by knocking everyone else down? I’m not really sure, but I do hope the girls realize that what they’re fighting for doesn’t seem to exist at all: the ability to be Paris’s BFF? How long has Paris sustained a BFF? Also the scripts, “challenges,” etc. – basically the whole show – was stupid and boring. At least America’s Next Top Model has some interesting plot points.

There’s one thing that this show has taught me, and it is that Paris does lead a busy lifestyle, in between partying and flying from one function to another and shooting this flop of a movie and that failure of a t.v. show. It’s probably pretty hard to sustain your international fame if you have absolutely no talent in anything that could keep your “fans” entertained for any certain span of time. So basically the only way for her to keep herself in the limelight is to…stay busy and stay on the front page! Otherwise that’s one face we’ll all forget about soon.

Federer is back! The veterans prevail: Roger Federer, 5-time U.S. Open champion, and Serena Williams, 3-time U.S. Open champion, take the title in straight sets from two new competitors, Andy Murray and Jelena Jankovic, both players who have never been in a Grand Slam final before. Playing with post-Australian-Open-semifinal-lost style, Federer has taken his 3rd title and first Grand Slam of the year–a surprisingly bad year for his high standards. The matches were postponed by Hurrican Hanna’s winds and downpour, with the Sunday-scheduled Men’s Final played today.

This win will mark Federer’s 13th Grand Slam singles titles, and only one more and he’ll match Pete Sampras’ record! Of course, the young Scot Murray and the 21-year-old Serb Jankovic both have wonderful opportunities ahead of them as well.

Congratulations Federer on being the first person to win 5 straight Grand Slams in two different tournaments: Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Ana Ivanovic lost in the second round of the U.S. Open, repeating her demise at Wimbledon this year, now to 188th-ranked qualifier Julia Coin from France, not having lost to a 188+ ranked player since 2003 when she was ranked in the 700s on the tour. She suffered the earliest exit from the U.S. Open by a top-ranked player in history.

I’m guessing that it would be almost impossible for her to end this week as the World No. 1.

First-Round

11 Daniela Hantuchova loses to Anna-Lena Groenefeld: 3-6, 2-6
10 Anna Chakvetadze loses to Ekaterina Makarova: 6-1, 2-6, 3-6

Ana Ivanovic drops a set but scrapes through with a win 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 against Vera Dushevina.

Second-Round

8 Vera Zvonareva loses to Tatiana Perebiynis: 3-6, 3-6
1 Ana Ivanovic loses to Julia Coin: 3-6, 6-4, 3-6

At the end, he leaves with a gold medal…but in doubles, and Nadal leaves with the singles Olympics title with Djokovic with the bronze.

This vintage coach flap bag in dark navy blue looks really cute. My roommate has one and I love how it looks old and “used.” The inside is lined with velvety leather which makes it even better. This particular one must be about 10 years old, yet the quality leather still holds and looks beautifully stylish! Prices at this age aren’t too steep either; just about $20-$30 including shipping on eBay. This particular one is going for about $17 right now. Granted, there are still 3 days and 7 hours left of the auction, but if you’re lucky you might be getting an authentic Coach purse for less than dinner! Its being used does not bother me; in fact, when I was searching for this particular bag, “used” was one of my criteria–in my opinion, it just looks much better with light scratches and fraying leather ends. It (1) makes the vintage look adorable and (2) would relieve me of guilt if I accidentally get one drop of oil on it or create one light nail mark. I would go crazy if this was a new $500 bag!

Get it while it lasts–which is not for long.

So I just saw Batman: The Dark Knight, and it was actually surprisingly really really good. Of every movie that I like, I always have a favorite character, and this time it’s surprisingly the Joker played by the late Heath Ledger.

First of all, I loved Heath Ledger’s acting. It was almost perfectly characteristic of the evil villain: careless, deep, and at times “accidentally” funny. The Australian actor may win a posthumous Oscar for his role.

Second, I loved the Joker as a character: suave, deceitful, and all-knowing. Everything goes according to plan for him because of the depth with which he understands the entire city and everyone in it. His plans are another reason he is my favorite character: His plans are all scientific, very smart, very interesting, and very complicated. As a Joker, he jokes around. But his words are also very deep and philosophical. The way he leaves clues as to who his next target is makes his actions even more suspenseful, tactful, and makes his actions seem absolutely flawlessly according to plan. And his plans are not just hit-and-run; they take the time to master every small detail. My favorite one was where the Judge holds the map in a manila folder in her hand, and the piece of paper inside says: Up. And at that moment her car blows up. No matter how much anyone tries to outwit him, they are always just falling right into the palm of his hand…

I love his clothes as well. They totally match his character: outstanding, confusing, and unforgettable. The purple suit and purple gloves just complete him impeccably.

Lastly, I loved his personal “card”: the Joker card of a 54-card deck. He uses it as part of his plans and as part of his finishing touches and his intimidation tactics. When he killed a few policemen at cards, he replaces their cards with a deck of many Joker cards. The sight must have been frightening.

Well anyways, I was reluctant to go see The Dark Knight and would have rather gone to see Mama Mia, but I am so happy that I did see it. One thing I would like to complain about is the rather cliffhanger ending. When the credits began rolling, I was surprised and mad: where was the happy ending? And when will the Joker die? I guess I haven’t exactly been a big fan of the Batman comics and so did not know the entire plot beforehands, but I wanted a better ending than Batman escaping into the dark, wanting to escape from society and laying all of Harvey Two-Face’s murders onto himself! I didn’t mind the death of Rachel Dawes; she was a minor character anyways. I’d rather have her death than Gordon’s. Plus, Rachel’s death was much more applicable to the storyline. The only thing I can complain about is the dropped ending.

I’ve heard they weren’t going to make a sequel, but money makes people do things they weren’t planning on doing (think Terminator and Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars). So I think it’s safe to say that Batman will return. The Joker, however, will not.

I understand the coziness of living in a small, isolated community, because I would rather live in such a place than in a big city, but why any place in particular? Why not the middle of Kansas or Ohio or Idaho or Alabama?

And why are there enough people in East Lansing, Michigan, to create a community that needs even a high school?!?!

I also just kind of assumed that nobody lived anywhere other than where I lived (the U.S.) and all other countries are just sand and dust and little huts where nomadic tribes lived off of home-raised chickens. And if given the choice, they would live anywhere else.

It always surprises me when people say “I’m from Turkey” or “I’m from Sri Lanka” on a random site, with which I respond “They have computers in Turkey?” or just “Why?”

Funny, but it’s really just my ignorance. Hehe.