They say you should never go to sleep mad but I couldn't help it. But "they" are right. Going to bed a little upset can lead to some unwanted creepy dreams.

In my dream, I was driving by myself in the mountains enjoying the scenery and I start to run out of gas. I see a sign leading towards a town called Serra Falls and decide to find gas there. I drive around the seemingly deserted and empty town and don't see anything so I start driving back out towards the main roads. 

But for some reason, when I go towards the road I came from, I always end up in the same town, like a never ending circle. I couldn't get out of the town at all. I eventually run into some people, some of them I already knew (specifically, people I don't like), and they brought me to their mayor. The mayor said I can't leave the town and that nobody ever has. Everybody in the town is suffering from some sort of illness and we're all destined to stay in Serra Falls. 

obviously, I wanted to get out, regardless if I was sick or not. But surprisingly, somebody I really don't like in my waking life decided to help me. The person helped me with my car and then lead me to a road that I had not seen before, even though it seemed to just be there in plain light. I kind of felt like an idiot not seeing that escape road, but I couldn't remember ever even seeing that road coming in. 

And I escaped Serra Falls.

I tried to understand what this dream could mean but every symbol in the dream denoted something negative.

My illness supposedly symbolizes unpleasant changes or emotional breakdown or an inability to cope with a situation

Trying to escape means I'm trying to escape a restrictive situation or the refusal to face my problems.

An empty town? Supposedly it means social rejection. 

And then the enemy symbolizes conflict with a current situation or with myself.

I hate having downer dreams. Sure, the dream ended on a positive note with my escape, but the fact that I had it in the first place is getting me down. Its not just a dream to me. Its a manifestation of my problems in waking life and by not having pleasant dreams, I'm doing something wrong.

I was skimming through my old e-mails and found some little gems from my Creative Writing class from senior year high school. They were short, simple and not exactly eloquently written. But they were cute, funny and loaded with personality. At least so I think. My teacher always got a kick out of everything I wrote from my poems about perverts to heart felt vignettes about an ex's hoodie.

I found one little piece I wrote about my dimples and it made me smile, so I thought I'd share. Since I haven't written in so long anyway...

Khristine Herrera
Creative Writing pd. 9
 
Facial Dents
 
ATTENTION EVERYONE. DENTS ARE NOT CUTE.
            Dents are imperfections. A dent in a car is ugly, and so is a dent in your skull. So why is a dent in your cheek all of a sudden cute?
            I have suffered from these four cursed imperfections on my cheeks since I was born. And because of this, people have found it quite difficult to take me seriously. The countless jokes made about my facial distractions often sent me rambling (which is probably why I was known to have a short temper.)
            In middle school was the time my dimples were noticed the most. As I would talk about serious matters concerning tests, drama, and other topics, solemn mouths would slowly break into mocking smiles. "Oh, look at the cutie little patootie with her witty bitty dimples!" They'd coo at me and pinch my cheeks, causing me to consider taking up a cannibalistic habit of biting any fingers that came within a foot of my face. I guess this was all people saw me as; the smart petite little Asian girl with the adorable facial dents.
            As time went on, and hormones caused me to gain weight, my little imperfections began caving in on themselves. The 'holes' were filled with rosy cheek fat and throughout the years, began to slowly fade and disappear, leaving only one lonely dimple visible. The other three still shine occasionally if I squeeze my face into an incredibly nauseating smile.
            These days, no one really notices my little distractions on my cheeks, but I'm still never taken seriously. Maybe it's my tiny stature or my somewhat awkward knack for making things, well… awkward. But back then, dimples were a pretty good excuse for why I was always looked on as a joke. A petite, little, DENTED joke.

I'm quite embarrassed to admit that I actually LOVE Katy Perry. Its kind of like how I used to absolutely adore Lady GaGa (before she became a little too weird for me, which is saying a lot)

I feel like I'm not supposed to like Katy Perry because I'm 20 years old and hate the radio, mainly because everything sounds the same. But I just can't help but smile when it comes to Katy Perry. I used to hate her at first. That song, I Kissed A Girl? Hated it. I thought it was annoying and swore that the girl couldn't sing. Hot n Cold seemed annoying at first but it really grew on me. What really made me start to like her was Thinking of You. Its the hopeless romantic/emo in me that has a soft side for heartbreaking ballads. 

California Girls was cute at first, but got annoying REALLY fast. Plus, I'm a New Yorker, so the song didn't really resonate with me (biased, i know.) I couldn't help but love Teenage Dream though. I mean, come on! How can you not smile at a song about being so in love that you feel like a giddy teenager again? That's fuckin adorable. I listened to a couple of other songs on the album. Not Like the Movies is another song that caters to my hopeless emo heart. I feel like I need to find sheet music for that song, ASAP. Hummingbird Heartbeat is just so catchy and cute, even though the lyrics are a little.. err.. sexual. constantly craving for a taste of your sticky sweet not very subtle, Katy.

Another reason why I love her, is because she herself, I think, is adorable. Have you seen the girl's eyes?! They're huge! One of my friends told me that they look like giant blue targets. I love the bright obnoxious colors, the pinup style and her obsession with fruits. Her outfits seem to be outrageous and unique, but are still considered cute and flattering. I feel like she's the only person I've seen who actually looks GREAT in blue and purple wigs. 

I've seen her in interviews as well and random youtube videos, and the girl seems really funny and friendly as well as occasionally badass. Did anyone catch that video of her calling out her old crush at a concert in her old high school? That was epic. I would do the same. Plus, she has a cat named Kitty Purry! Seriously, I LOL-ed in real life when I found that out. You have to be one funny and cool chick to come up with something like that. There always seems to be something genuine behind her smile.

So lets break this down into the top 3 reasons why I love Katy Perry:

1) Her songs are insanely catchy and cute

2) She's straight up beautiful

3) She seems down to earth with a spike of kookiness

I mean, what's not to love? (other than she's a "mainstream drone" psh)

plus, she's got an amazing rack.¤