You're invited

I love having a reason to celebrate all occasions, big or small, so in celebration of my birthday, I have decided to start something new as a present for my future self. Writing has always been my passion, but if you know me personally, I'm quite the soft spoken type. But give me any topic to write about and I'll show you what's up.

So, with that being said, after about a year of hemming and hawing of how I was to go about this idea and whether or not I would stay committed to this personal project, I am proud to officially reintroduce my blog to you.

I started this blog in February of 2011 and originally thought about starting a brand new blog on a brand new platform that I have little to no experience with, but decided that the quickest and easiest way to get back into the swing of things would be for me continue to post my writings here because this is where I feel most comfortable.

These past few months have been challenging for me in having to adjust to a few new life changes, but after many family vacations, good food, good company, some "soul searching," and bit of research, I am more than ready to let loose this drive of creativity in hopes of pursuing something I truly love to see where it may lead me.

I am super excited to embark on this very special journey, where I will be sharing everything I love and all things that make life worth living for. And guess what, you're invited.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. - Walt Disney

Long Time No See!

Hello! Oh man, I can't believe it's been over a year since I last blogged on here. But if it's any consolation, I'm still alive! (I'm still alive!)


Lately I've been having the itch to blog again but haven't been doing much about it. Questions like "Do I stay here and continue blogging? Or do I start a new?" cross my mind every time I get that inkling to write, but do I anything about it? NOPE. Don't get me wrong. The writing fever has been in me for quite some time, but let's just say that it's just taking me even more time to figure some things out.

I've come to realize that as 2013 is nearing its end, my interests in blogging have shifted over time as I found myself reading real life blogs which have inspired me to take my writing and blogging towards a new direction. A direction that is more personal and intimate; focussing more on real life, real emotions, along with everything that I'm interested in. So while I continue to think of how I want to present my writings again, I feel like I should sort things out and really take some time to reorganize my thoughts so that when I am ready, I'll be back to my blog writings 110%!

We'll see how it goes. But even writing this short, little nothing post makes me super happy after being M.I.A. for so long and I seriously can't wait to start this up again. There's just something about reading and writing that lights my soul within, so I hope to be back, full-fledged and ready to conquer the world very soon, one blog post at a time. 

(And incase any of you didn't know I had a blog over these past recent years, SURPRISE!)

Life: Rhythm & 'Blues'

MY SCHOOL WEEK IS FINALLY OVER! Driving to one school and commuting back and forth to the next really exhausts me. -sigh- One more week and then I'll just be commuting for Japanese, which I'm sure I can handle more since I won't be waking up at 6:30am everyday for a boring history class. :3 Hope all of you guys had a great week though. Dude, I can't believe July is nearing it's end. What happened? o_o

Anyways, been really tight on money these days since there's been a hold on my respite care job (haven't been paid for 2 months T_T). Sparingly living off of the 1-day-a-week pay is quite depressing. *needsjobASAP* HENCE, the title of this post.

Just a few "blue" things to share...^^

Quite a few of you guys commented on my nail color and it's China Glaze's "Towel Boy Toy." (hehe, what a name). It's a vibrant and bold blue that is great for the hot, hot summer! It dries to a semi-matte finish which I think is pretty unique. Friends had gifted this one to my last year and it's my first ever China Glaze to own.

Went back to Yogurtland (but with my mom this time) to pick up the blue Chococat spoon! Super cute, right? ^^ Yogurtland was super packed for a Tuesday night! Reminds me of the times where frozen yogurt places weren't as convenient as they are now *cough*ktown*cough*. The next spoon to be released is Keroppi and I think the date is August 11?

If any of you guys are familiar with such Asian American artists such as Far East Movement and Wongfu Productions, they are taking the whole sha-bang out to Seattle this coming Sunday to kick off their ISA 2011 tour! I wish I could go to support and help out, but like I said before, I'm having troubles in the bank account so..as hard as this was, I had to pass. But, I'm still grateful to have participated during last year's concerts (one being in NYC!!) and will definitely be going to their upcoming ones. :D

But, if any of you guys are in the Seattle area and don't have plans for Sunday night, get your tickets now to ISA 2011!! :D (psst, spread the word!)

ARTISTS:
DAVID CHOI
VICTOR KIM
I.AM.ME CREW
FAR EAST MOVEMENT
WONG FU PRODUCTIONS
NEW HEIGHTS (JUST ADDED)

HOSTS:
CATHY NGUYEN
RYAN HIGA
KEVJUMBA

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS

Okie dokie. No class tomorrow = me catching up on all the Zzzs I've been missing! Soo looking forward to being a bum and catching up with all of you guys here and hopefully restarting my drama watching. :D

MAC "It's A Girl" Lip Bag + Foodies & Good Company

Hi guys! Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend. I swear...the weekends always seem to go back so fast. DISLIKE. I started my second class for the summer today, which is Japanese 4 back at my university. Super hot! My car's reading was around 101 at some points when driving back home. Aish. But Japanese is fun. Learning it again makes me miss Japan and Japanese culture all over again. Since the class is only 5 weeks long, we cover two lessons in one day with a quiz and homework due every day as well. がんばれます〜！ Must work extra hard this time around...but I was seriously exhausted today (probably because I frantically wrote a paper this morning...SO BAD).

Anyhoo, here's the MAC Cine-Matics lip bag that I uh impulsively ordered the day it was released to the public: "It's a Girl" ($38) I had them order it for me since this one was sold out at the 2nd locations...but yay for free shipping!

Exclusive to all MAC Nordstrom department store locations for their Anniversary Sale. I wanted "Real Drama" at first, but that one sold out so freaking fast. o_o I still like this one though. Unfortunately it's no longer available online. I swear, these lip bags were such hot items!

Comes with a small make-up bag, a cremestick lipliner in "CREME O' SPICE", a cremesheen lipstick in "INNOCENCE BEWARE", and a dazzleglass creme in "IT'S A GIRL." I've worn the lippie already and I like it a lot. It's so pink! Oh yeah, and this was my first MAC purchases and I'm very satisfied. :D The dazzleglass is a bit glittery though, but it's ok. Kinda gives a unique holographic effect. Kinda cool. ^^ Will show you guys swatches soon in a later post!

This past Sunday, I met up with an old friend from elementary school (who's back from spending two years in Korea ^^) to do a little shopping + lunch trip. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect. I refrained from buying since...I feel like I've done so much shopping this past month that I felt bad. :3 Instead, I agreed to everything that looked good on my lovely friend at the MAC location of Nordstrom. :D It's what I do best. :P She got lots of awesome goodies though~ I'm jelly. lol

But anyways, we ate at a Italian restaurant which was really nice. Felt so classy and mature...I don't know. It's different from the typical Asian cafe I'm used to going to. :P

I think it was the act of pouring the two bread vinegar dips that made me feel all fancy. keke.

:D

My veggie pizza that I thought I couldn't finish but ended up eating all but two pieces. heh heh. So good!

My lovely friend whom I'm so grateful to have. ^^ (kawaii nails!)

I think this was a tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad?

Looked good too. ^^

Alrighty, here's to a great week! ♥♥ Time to brush up and study my nihongo! じゃね〜！

Hello Kitty "friends forever" + Dinner with the fam. :D

Wooo! Happy weekend! Had a great day with two of my closest friends where we watched "Friends With Benefits" at our local AMC for $6! The movie was cute. Justin Timberlake is awkward...but still cute. heh. Even though the storyline was pretty similar to "No Strings Attached," I still enjoyed it. ^^

Afterwards we had a nice lunch at a local Japanese restaurant and then headed to Yogurtland for the Sanrio promo~ SOO KAWAII~!

It's the cup the cutest? :D They have different character spoons as well. Right now, the choice is between Hello Kitty and Chococat so naturally, I had to get the HK one!

Must stop photo op!

After that, we headed to a local nail supply store, but I ended up just looking around. Surprisingly they had all the new collections from China Glaze ("Metro") and OPI ("Miss Universe"). Then, we headed to a local thrift store just to look around. It was my first time "thrift shopping," and the only section I really looked at was for purses. Found some pretty good vintage Dooney and Bourke bags, a small black Longchamp bag, a BALLY one that I liked, as well as Coach and some other ones. The designer bags were $37.50, which is really good. But today...I didn't feel like spending anything. Maybe next time~ also stopped by LUSH but...didn't get anything there either even though I've been wanting to go visit a location for the longest time. -sigh- Must save for now!

In the evening, my mom and I headed out to meet with my relatives since some were visiting from Arizona. (My mom was born and raised in Arizona, so we have a lot of family over there.) We had a full course Chinese dinner~ so good! I'm stuffed.

My cousin brought her two kids. Sooo cuute right? :D Gavin on the left, RIley on the right.

Riley! She's the sweetest little thing. Every time someone takes her picture, she always wants to see it and then smiles and laughs in satisfaction. Such a happy little girl. Love her. hehe

Then after that, we all did a boba run. Shared with my mom since I can't take caffeine so late at night. :3 Overall it was a great day. Lots of great company. It's been a while since we had a family dinner like that, so it was nice. ♥

Work tomorrow! Should be easy though. ^^

Thanks for reading~ enjoy your weekend!

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Feature: Life is a Beach. I'm just playing in the sand.

Hello lovelies~ hope all of you had a great week! My quiz ended up being more difficult than I had thought. It was kinda lame though since the quiz was on 2 articles and a story the professor wrote on his life and whatever and he expected us to know such specific details...like names of schools and exact numbers. Aish. Oh well. I bs-ed my way through it so, we'll see.

Anyways, like I had mentioned before, I sunburned so badly last Sunday. I decided to wear my near swimsuit with a black tank that had deep, low cut arm holes since I did want to get a tan. BUT, being the brilliant person I am, I didn't apply any sunscreen from my shoulders to all the way down my back. I'm pretty fair skinned, but I don't burn that easily IF I apply some kind of SPF. Yeah, I don't know what happened but I ended not applying any and now, I suffer the slow process of recovery.

This was right after we got home. Not as red. More on the pink side.

The worst was the next two days. Wearing anything with straps hurt soo much since the burn was still "fresh." Sleeping and showering was also hard since it hurt whenever any pressure was applied to it. I kept apply the aloe we had to the affected areas. My mom suggested that I use this product called "Solar Cane" which is supposed to give instant relief by cooling, moisturizing, and relieving the itch.

SO PAINFUL...T_T

It sprays "upside down" meaning, I can just alternate my hands and reach my entire back. Pretty convenient.

But, starting yesterday (June 7), I felt a huge difference. The burn stopped hurting, and instead, it itched like crazy. lol. I don't know if that's any better, but I prefer itching over pain. Now, my burn is turning colors; from red to brown. I showed my mom and she said it's healing. But seriously, it looks like I have some skin disease. :3 -sigh-

Here are some more happier pictures prior to being burned:

:]

RAWR.

The sun that showed itself for at most...15-20min. *shakesfist*

My sister was smart...I should've joined her in this fort. lol

Grubbin' on Wahoo Taco! Nom nom.

Moral of the story: ALWAYS APPLY SPF NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO. The suns rays are super powerful and even if it shines only for a little while, the rays are that intense to damage skin. It's always better to be safe than sorry. =/ It was the first time in a very long time, exposing my back to direct sunlight...and look what happened. I usually do apply SPF when going to the beach, but I don't know what happened. Oh well. Now it's time for the waiting game; the wait for it all to peel. Ew. :3

Do you guys have any recommendations for all over body SPF/sunscreens?

And what # SPF do you guys use/look for in a sunscreen?

Ok, end of my story time. XDHope all of you have a lovely weekend!! Stay cool and well protected! (SPF of course...lol)

**AND I'VE REACHED 100+ FOLLOWERS!!!**

throws confetti~ XD

FOTD: Happy (belated) 4th! :]

Hi guys! It's been a few days since I last posted something, but it's because LIFE has been keeping me busy. I recently took a day trip to the beach with my family this past Sunday and it was pretty fun! I got MAJOR sunburned though...like MAJOR. =[ But, I'll post more details about that in my next entry or something...-sigh- I also started my first class of the summer today and it wasn't too bad. Even after a few wrong turns and getting "lost," I still made it on time. :D IT WAS SUPER HOT TODAY THOUGH! By 11am it was around in the 90s. O.M.G. Thank goodness that the campus has shaded parking. PHEW.

Anyways, to my fellow bloggers living in the US, hope all of you had a wonderful 4th of July! Did you guys eat as much BBQ and stuff as yourself with as much food as I did? hehe. My mom BBQ'd hotdogs and hamburgers and then in the evening, we went over to my Grandma's and had some really good Thai food, home fireworks, and playing poker (which ended up being pretty fun) I love holidays.

I like this SELCA pic of my hand + sparkler from some reason. Artsy, maybe?

Here's my simple FOTD for yesterday's celebration:

I started using my E.L.F. everyday palette (I think it's the bold one?) lately just to try different color combos and looks. ^^ I also started using my Physician's Formula concealer in Fair Light as well, but in very VERY tiny amounts and it's been working. Woot. Oh, and of course, I've been loving the two Lioele products (waterproof eyeliner + automatic eyebrow pencil - which I'll be doing a review on soon~) I've purchased recently as well. :D

SPARKLERS!

I started playing with the "Fireworks" setting on my camera for these to come out. Pretty cool, no? ^^ All designs courtesy of my sister. haha.

Having my dad put on a little home fireworks show in front of my grandparents' sidewalk brought back lots of memories of past 4th of July celebrations where he also said it home fireworks have a better effect when placed on a stand (lol), so it was a lot of fun. Good food with good company.

Did you guys do anything special for the 4th? ^^

Okie dokie~ I shall be posting more about my past beach trip, my sunburn (T_T), and the lovely package I've received TODAY from Kathy of Mai-Kat Oshaberi! ♥ I'm slowly catching up on my dashboard feed, so in the mean time, ttyl!

(Thank you to all that have commented about my latest vids. You guys are simply amazing~ will try to post more videos soon!)

Life: Weekend Getaway!

Hello lovelies! Skipped a few days of blogging, but I'm back! Took a quick vacay to the California coast for my sister's basketball tournament (hence why I couldn't make it to IMATS this year TT_TT) This tournament is pretty exclusive since teams have to be invited to play and be part of their "family." The family that hosts this tournament own a farm. A LEGIT FARM that grows such veggies as daikon and napa cabbage. Every year during this tournament, they cook up a storm for all the participants and their families. LEGIT BBQ and all the goodness of a home cooked meal. :D SO LEGIT!

It was a quick trip, but before we headed back home, my mom decided she wanted to go check out Morro Bay since we've always just stuck around Pismo Beach every time we visit. It's so pretty there! And yay for free parking! We thought there was going to be a beach area, but it literally was just a "bay." (boo) The weather was so beautiful today though. *happy*

Here are some pics from our little trip:

Morro Bay - literally just a "bay".

Known for that...big rock in the back. lol.

I HAVE WINGS! XD

I've been eating non-stop eating since Friday night. (STACKED burger was AWESOME too!) Feels so good to be back home though! Hope all of you enjoyed your weekend! Seems like I have a lot to catch up on again. ^^

Until my next post, じゃね〜！