Thank You for a Wonderful Christmas Eve!

Hi everyone! I had so much fun today in San Francisco with my mom. It was a very fun Christmas Eve full of ballet, food, and shopping! I've never walked around SF away from the shopping mall so the sketchy parts were pretty scary. I've always lived in a suburban bubble which isn't necessarily a good thing but I felt like my life was in danger a couple of times today.. but anyways! Here are some snapshots of my journey! 

The Nutcracker was amazing! I was captivated by how the dancers were able to capture such a story with the beauty of motion. I also had way too much fun with the google photos effect hehe as you can probably tell also later on. 

Union Square put up a beautiful tree and I enjoyed seeing it all lit up! 

Hehe here is the snow effect again :) this is the tree that was on display at the opera house where the ballet was performed. 

Lastly, here is one holiday card I made for my grandma :) 

I just want to thank everyone who worked today, whether it be the waiters/waitresses in the restaurant, the ushers in the opera house, the ballet dancers, the bus drivers, etc. I had a great Christmas Eve with my mom and it wouldn't have been possible without these people giving up their time. I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas! 

It's Beginning to Feel like Christmas SIKE

Christmas wishlist! It can't hurt to wish ;) 

 Hi guys! I'm on my winter break now and I'm catching up on all my movie favorites. On Friday, I had a half day so I went out to lunch with my friends :) One of my friends came back from Caltech and sighs, it really sounds like her love life is so romantic. It sounded like something straight out of the chick flicks I mean to catch up on. She had her first kiss while watching the stars on the roof. C'mon... 

Even if it's the holiday season, it really doesn't feel like it. I'm really excited to go watch the Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House! It's a wonderful Christmas present :) My past Christmases haven't been all that memorable. This year I forgot to even do a tree since I've been so busy with school and college apps. I totally forgot about Christmas... 

I rewatched Elf and Dirty Dancing and I absolutely recommend both! Elf is a classic holiday favorite and it's heartwarming :) I haven't seen Dirty Dancing for the longest time but I rekindled my love for it yesterday. Baby is such a strong female character. Yes, she's still in to Johnny but she's not afraid to fight for what she wants. She doesn't want anyone to tell her what she can and cannot do. Baby works really hard to prove that she's not a child and that she can be a great dancer. I miss the strong female characters that stir admiration. 

I'm almost done with college apps and can't wait to celebrate Christmas. Expect some short fiction pieces! Have a great 22nd! 

Diamond in the Rough

Being rejected sucks. It's hard to have anyone, even a superrrr prestigious university, tell you that you aren't good enough for their standards. But to all of you guys who are finding out this week, hold your head up high. Yeah, it hurts, but everything happens for a reason. There are so many other opportunities and colleges out there! Life seriously doesn't end here and you are still a beautiful, intelligent, kind human being!

If you did get in, congratulations!!! You're all done with senior yearrrrr :D I'm so jealous...heheh
I don't have the energy for a full post but I hope everyone is feeling okay :)

Hello December: Cats, Goldman Sachs, and Holiday Cheer

A stalkerish shot of the
neighborhood cat! 

Hello everyone! Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is rolling in. I've been listening to Christmas music for about a month now. . . and well the songs are becoming ingrained in my head. Today is the 3rd day of December and Thanksgiving has past so it's officially acceptable to be in the Christmas mood. I can't really believe that November is over. . . I've gotten that feeling that time is slipping away from me and there's only so much time before embracing a new world.

There is this neighborhood cat in the area and I've talked about it a couple times. I think we're friends now and it spent Saturday following me around as I studied Spanish outdoors. The nice weather is gone now and I'm left with the ravaging cold. . . I don't know how I'm going to do in the East Coast but I'm willing to give it a try :)

I realize I didn't give you guys a state of the union for November so today, to make up for it, is a 2 in one deal! I don't know when I'm going to post next so click below to read about my holiday wish list, and a full on economic rant. We're covering the dark side of banking in Comp. Gov. class and it makes me so angry. I'm wearing my leggings and totally ready for a rant.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Hello everyone :) It's been a long time since we've talked and I'm quite sorry about that one. There's been a lot of compromise between the things that I want to do and things that I have to do. I've been meaning to write another short story (like Scarf Boy) but I'm not sure when that's going to happen. However, it's Thanksgiving! We should be thankful for life every day but I know that's almost never the case. It's difficult to be thankful when the right colleges aren't sending you interview requests or your government teacher assigns you about four hours of homework. The sleepless nights and general exhaustion render it almost impossible to be thankful for that opportunity to be at a great high school with a wonderful community. So I'm going to take this time to tell you about some of the things that I'm thankful for :) [read more for life updates and little shoutouts].

About Time

This was such a great movie!

Hello everyone :) I'm sorry my life has been consumed by college apps. It seems I make this apology a lot but it applies every time. I'm just holding out until January when I can finally have a life again. January 1st will be a glorious start of a new year. For all of you who have college apps looming above you, I have a couple pieces of advice.

• Make an organized schedule with PRIORITIES. It helps setting up a bunch of mini goals (finish this school by next week, UC apps by Wednesday, etc.) instead of constantly thinking OMG I have 29137297398127983 apps due on January 1st. I'm never getting this done!!!! 
• Research schools thoroughly. I'm finally done compiling a college list but it is really important to look beyond the popular Ivy League schools. Have a hierarchy system of schools: reach (schools that you dream of but aren't quite qualified), standard (schools that are difficult but that you'll most likely get in), second tier (safety but barely..), safety (schools that you KNOW you'll get in). 
• Use your summer strategically. 
• Don't ask TOO many people to read over your essay. It gets annoying fast. 
• Do a little bit each day instead of waiting for a long break period (this does not mean my Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks will be spent doing apps). 
• Eat chocolate and drink copious amounts of hot chocolate. 

Anyway, that's a little bit of helpful ranting before I begin a movie review! Beware there will be spoilers. I can't recap a movie without spoilers. I'm one of those "strange" people who like knowing what will happen during a movie before watching it.. I'm always looking for websites/blogs/wikipedia links that expose what happens but no one ever uploads that. So here it is, view with your own discretion. Some weeks ago, I watched About Time with my friend D. It's directed by the same person who directed Love Actually.

Life Update: Cats, Public Speaking, and Social Life

Hello everyone :) There's been a lot of progress in my life and I've had an exceptionally busy, weird, and wonderful long weekend! It's all over now as I write this at 2 in the morning. I have so many funny things to share that it is appropriately called Life Update. Not too much has changed since we last talked. I really miss constantly writing for this blog. College apps are such needy, attention whores that get really jealous if I decide to write for anything else.

Beginner's Guide to Typewriters PART I

hello this is a guide

In the midst of metaphysical poetry and angular acceleration, my dad found me a typewriter! He found it at a thrift store for $20 which is a very good deal! I immediately fell in love with Ollie. It was a needed distraction from all the college apps, activities, and school work that have surrounded me in the past few months. It's nice to take a break from everything once in a while and just type away in an old fashioned manner. Typing on a typewriter is not really productive or effective but it's beautiful and relaxing. It's quite loud though beware. I love typing when I have time and somehow that ends up being around 12 am.. my dad thought I was chopping wood...... so yeah, you are warned! I have gotten better at typing though :) it's all practice and dedication! I introduced Ollie briefly in another post but I'm really learning how to embrace my inner hipster and use a typewriter. I have somehow become a quality hipster over the years? I love anything slightly artsy ("artsy") and vintage. The 60s were impeccable in style (Moonrise Kingdom anyone?) and I hope to design my house like that one day. I love indie music and flea markets/farmer's markets. Mason jars are my obsession. Typing on a typewriter been a huge learning process and I'm still learning new things :) Patience is definitely a virtue. I have a couple practically tips so come along with me!

Happy Halloween!

Hi everyone!!! Instead of boring you with more words about my awesome Halloween here is a little photo snapshot of my day! At last minute, I decided to be Kiki from Kiki's delivery service because I am a HUGEEEEEE Miyazaki fan :) It disappointed me that more people didn't know who I was!

Kiki hides in the forest! 

Kiki finds her twin! 

Kiki and her friends!

Oh my gosh... coolest costume everrrr! Kiki met No Face today :) Click below for more fun photos!

Inside the Bubble

Hi everyone! Welcome to another Yoga Tuesday. If you haven't checked out the last one, I'd highly recommend it. Yoga Tuesdays are a continuation of my musings in a more centered direction. I always sit at home listening to some indie music with tea and of course, wearing yoga pants. Thus the name was born: Yoga Tuesdays. I hope you put on a pair of your own comfy pants and take a little moment or two to ponder a random issue with me. Today we take on the Bubble.

Song of the day: Out of My League by Fitz and the Tantrums
(I'm weirdly obsessed with this song...)

"What is this bubble you speak of?" you may ask. I don't know about you, but I live in a very safe neighborhood. People here have literally known each other all their lives. There are four elementary schools nearby and this dictates the characteristics you have. Then people grow up to attend the same middle and high school most of the time ending up with lifelong friends, and the Bubble. I moved to this area after 8th grade so I'm relatively new. Four years is nothing compared to some of these friendships. O (short for my location) is a fenced off little community away from the harms of the world. I personally haven't ever seen bullying take place at school. The teachers are all very well qualified and dedicated to their craft. The worst horror story I've heard is that a teacher gives way too much homework. There are no pregnant girls walking the hallways. I know drug use isn't absent but I've never been peer pressured to do something I didn't want. The most popular people are so nice to everyone and care deeply about the school. They're not popular only for looks but rather their kindness and hardworking attitudes. People are very involved in their extra curricular activities and my school is especially competitive.

We live in a bubble away from "real world problems." A school only 20 minutes away has a completely different story. They grow up in a community where the same number of people who go on to a college equals the number of people who go on to commit murder. I had the luxury of taking the ACT at one of these schools and the head testing coordinator had to verbally communicate that students were not to bring or drink alcohol during the test. It's a completely different environment than the one I've grown up in. People grow up a lot faster in these parts.

I'm a very idealistic and happy person but it's easy to do that in such a Bubble. My mom was reflecting on her years living inside a Bubble, how naive she was at times. It's important to leave the Bubble once in a while, both in physical location and in thought. It's easier said than done but going to a less economically stable part of a city or country and experiencing life through that lens leads to development and personal growth.

As someone interested in journalism, I always have people tell me how I should look beyond myself and my community. I am absolutely in love with my government and economics class because it gives me a snapshot of what life is like outside the Bubble. We learn about health care problems and the military industrial complex and it opens my eyes to the realities of the world. It's not a happy place. It's not a happy place, but it can become a happier place. My mom was saying how it's our job as educated people to go out and make the world fair.

That's what I love about journalism, especially political journalism. Politicians twist their words and messages to appeal to the people who don't always know as much about health care. They make it seem like Obamacare is socialism instead of necessary and helpful. The people who need it most are often forerunners of the opposition. Journalists are the voice of truth and reason in this confusion. Although it's supposedly a dying field, we need these people to notify the public of what is going on.

One of the most exciting parts of the college process is the thought of leaving this Bubble. It's scary at the same time to leave something so familiar and safe and diverge into the unknown. As I finish up my supplements, I hope I've left you with some sort of thought for Tuesday.

To Bee or Not to Bee

Hi everyone :) I've had a very busy week as you can probably tell from  my lack of posts. Common App added this horrifying clock symbol to remind me that my app is due pretty soon.... it's scary!! Tests, supplements, 5 page English essays: the stress is very real. I promise it'll get better in January!! Next week is Halloween and I'm getting ready to dress up as a cat! I don't know if I have any other life updates . . . my life is pretty boring as the guy who sits in front of me in Stat always likes to tell me. 

In:

Ranting about politics (health care, elections, etc)

Hot chocolate 

King Lear 

Saying no to dastardly jelly beans 

Sweater Dresses

K-indie music 

Ti-84

Museums & Zoos

Writing Supplements

Sleeping late

Pears 

Small wallets

Puffy Vests

Out: 

Ranting about biology (Gibberellin, plant hormones)

Tea

Hamlet 

Jellybean Roulette

Sweaters. 

Spanish music (Laura no esta) 

Ti-89 (I thought this day would never come)

State run parks 

Studying for standardized tests

Sleeping early

Tomatoes 

Large wallets (even Kate Spade..)

Cardigans 

Music: 

Caffe Latte by Geeks

Growing Up by Run River North

Katy Perry Prism album

The Love Club by Lorde

Avicii

So here's the speech I've been working so hard on for public speaking! Enjoy :) NO STEALING!

How to Have a ME Day

Have you felt stressed out, sad, and hopeless over these past few weeks? I know I have. Although I rarely think about how my emotions are affecting other people when I'm unhappy, your unhappiness and snarky attitude towards others negatively impacts others as well. If you're not emotionally balanced, it's a disaster for all your friends and family. Lately, I've been getting into really serious arguments with S over nothing at all. Sighs, and I'm not the type of girl to get jealous easily but when I'm at such an emotional low, it's hard to not lash out at him. He's been stressed out too and it's just been a constant battle with a couple good moments. I decided to take today as a ME day, a day centered around me, doing the things I want to do. Having a ME day is really simple and a balancing act between things that make you smile and the work you need to get done.

Ollie, College, and Empty Sockets

say hi to my love, Ollie! 

Hi everyone :) It's been a terribly long time since I've posted. I'm going to start posting some things about the college process and how that's been going for me. I am applying early decision to a fabulous college that I love and I'm almost done with the supplements. The Common App is not my friend but it is one of my most visited websites. You can blame the Common App for the lack of my online presence. School has been hectic like normal and I haven't found any time to blog or even the motivation to think of interesting topics. I know I skipped a Yoga Tuesday this week but expect one next week! I had my first public speaking tournament of the year as well as the Homecoming dance. It's definitely a celebratory moment in the last year of high school. Due dates are everywhere and the post its on my wall are just growing in number and size. S and I have had some serious arguments but we're making things work.

As I write this, it feels like my eyeballs are going to fall out, most literally. If you haven't yet, check out my tumblr! The url is pinkstoryofme.tumblr.com! I reblog pretty photos and accidentally put all my blog posts on there.... follow me at pinkstoryofme.tumblr.com. It's really convenient!

My dad found me a typewriter and I named it Ollie! I'm so excited to buy some ribbon and start using her :) I am slowly becoming super hipster. . . I love artsy, crafty things and I'm so obsessed with Whole Foods. I love wearing pretty yet edgy and really interpretive outfits with lots of patterns haha. Oxfords are the best. read more for some college advice :)

I'm not dead, I promise!

Hi guys :) It's been a very long time since I've posted anything! I apologize for that but life has been inundating me with things to do. I'm memorizing my speech about bees, cutting trees out of wallpaper for my speech about bees, making posters for my speech about bees, fighting with my boyfriend about how much time I spend on this speech, writing college apps (not about bees..), trying to understand physics, studying for SAT, etc! I'm not trying to complain or ask for pity but rather tell you why I haven't been posting because I feel like you guys have a reason to know :) It's definitely not because I found something better than blogging (if such a thing exists...).

This is basically an update post about what's going in my life. I think I have finally finished test taking but I can never say that with conviction. A new member has joined my family! Meet Ferguson, my cactus!!! I picked it up from the Faire a while back and I can't believe I'm just introducing it (I don't believe in assigning genders for non existent things) now. Ferguson had a friend but I gave it away to one of my best friends for her birthday :) Spreading that cactus love!

I did have a pretty cool outfit for a college session in San Francisco but sadly, I didn't think to take a picture. I hate taking pictures of myself... I don't know how to get that fashion section up and running because pictures and me...we're not friends. Would it still be worthwhile having pictures of just outfits? Hmmm.

My life is mostly all the same. Public speaking tournament and Homecoming coming up soon (as in this weekend..) so I'm kind of frazzled and stressed for that.. Lots of tests and college visits this week so I'm sorry if I don't post until Sunday.

Here are some more pictures of the speech I'm working on! I went to a craft store and picked up all sorts of boards and paper all for just $7! I ordered A HUNDRED magnets on amazon.com and well... yeah. Not much else to say about that.

The big tree wouldn't stay still...

Heheh progression! 

The almost final product!

On the other hand, I cleaned up my room and now my bookshelf is really organized... AND one last update, creators of the Lizzie Bennett Diaries have started their new series called Emma Approved. Awesomeness! 

Yoga Tuesdays: Enraged Over Health Care

Hi everyone! I know my blog has not been a platform for much political thought. However, on this particular Monday-Tuesday, my love for politics and yoga pants combined into this particular thread. I know my fashion page is wayy lagging but that's because well, my interests have been vested elsewhere. Yoga Tuesdays is going to basically continue those Tuesday musings that sort of died out. I am taking a class of government/econ and it's giving me new things to enraged about. Gov is my new biology this year. I don't know if you guys remember all those bio posts but now I'll post all about the problems of government. If this isn't your cup of tea, I suggest you skip over it! But for the sake of our country, I do hope you'll put on a pair of yoga pants and sit for the show. This week's issue is Health Care (I promise they won't all be political...)

"Oh, there goes the Mint Girl"

I love this orange skirt haha.
this was after my last trip so I didn't
have much in the basket!

Hehe hi guys :) I spent my Saturday volunteering at the Pear and Wine Festival! The most memorable part about this year was walking around to sell all the cool things our sponsor? coach? producer? grows at home. I sold all the lemons, mint, tangerines, eggs, catnip, etc. Hahah, it's really fun walking around even if half the people get really annoyed at me. I am a very dedicated salesperson/marketing rep/campaigner. I went out so many times that people just smiled at me with this adorable basket. The basket really made everything better!

At volunteer, there was this really annoying girl who I hope to never see again. She seriously spent the whole time texting, gossiping, and hitting on this other guy volunteer.... she was also rather interested in my personal life..

I've been sick for the past couple days and mehhh it's the worst thing ever. I hate being sick! Why won't it go away already? Well see you guys soon ^^ bye!

One o' Clock Photo Feed!

I got this wonderful idea from Miss Ridx! I've been really busy working on my new public speech (the huge 10 minute one) about bees! I hope to share that with you later. I have to be a little secretive in fear of competition ;) So anyways, here is a brief little snapshot of my weekend.

Hehe my favorite kid and me :) we had lots of fun with the little stickers. Can you tell that I'm crying? xD

This little cutie won't smile whenever I try to take a picture. Oh wells, he's still very cute. 

Hehe more fun with the stickers! 

She's adorable, fact. Her nickname is Koala because she loves to cling on to you. 

This little child is precious. 

Do you see this glorious hat? I saw this when I went to Korea over the summer but I couldn't buy one because my head is too big :(

Heheh they're so cute!

I hope you enjoyed my little photo feed! I'll keep doing these when I'm low on time :) Have a great Wednesday, er Thursday!

Autumn Brings 200!

Hello everyone :) This is a truly momentous occasion!! TWO HUNDRED POSTS!!! It's quite sad that I don't get to post as often but this blog is truly my refuge and outlet for all thoughts, good and bad. I've been super frazzled about college lately and all the things I have to do . . . I hope you guys are NOT this stressed about anything. I get stressed very, very easily. Anyways, fall is officially in the air. Starbucks is selling their pumpkin spice lattes and the first rainfall fell on California soil (doesn't that sound at least a tad bit poetic?) this morning. It's time for all the sweaters to come out and the shorts to go hang out in the drawers. I find fall fashion to be pretty challenging but I'm always up for the challenge!

It's the Autumn Festival? (I actually don't know what it is......) but my mom bought moon cakes from Chinatown and we were having a really good conversation. It's rare nowadays to have a conversation that doesn't result in frustration or anger especially about college. We were talking about how by next year this time, I'll be eating moon cakes alone :( my mom also promised to send me lots of packages! College doesn't seem all that far away.... argh so much to do.

Hmm, my life has not been all that interesting. I did my first field reporting by the golf course on Thursday which you guys can check out. I'm starting my HUGE speech about bees using charts and diagrams which is exciting but daunting at the same time. S and I are still happy together ( hmm there's a little irking feeling regarding an aspect of this. I'll explain later). We were never the type of friends/couple that thinks everything is rosy all the time while pushing the strifes under the sofa. We have issues and arguments but we get through them every time. That means a lot to me because we both care so much to be able to say "I was wrong" and move on. I'm reading Hamlet for school and you know, Shakespeare isn't ALL THAT bad. I'm joining the mock trial team and attending my very first meeting on Tuesday! Welp, that's my life in a brief overview. Continue reading for the Autumn Tag and more about me.

Golf 101

Hi guys :) I know I've been missing for a long time... School has been hectic and physics is being really mean to me. That's definitely not my class. I went to a golf game with my friend D yesterday. She is on the golf team and I am writing articles about women's golf for the school paper. I learned a bunch about golf and the coach was superr nice to me! He drove me all around in the golf cart and I was slightly scared that I'd fall off at every turn. There was a lot of wildlife spotting at the golf course! Tomorrow I have another bout of testing and hopefully it will be the very last time! Life is busy, busy, busy.

Makeup Swap with Muddy Panda!

All this beautiful stuff!! D (smo) from muddypanda.blogspot.com gave me a whole box of face masks. I used them really really quickly because they were awesome and it feels weird taking a pic of an almost empty box..

This post is really belated and I'm sorry about that!! But better late than never right? I was a bit hesitant about this trade because I don't really wear much makeup. I've been waking up at 7:40am (school starts at 8..) so I haven't had much time at all to do anything related to my face and cosmetics. I've never really had that much interest in makeup so there's also that.

lols you can see my shadow.. sorry Why did I leave this pink little case in the pic? Well that's what I carry a couple products in when I am out of the house. 

This is what I normally put on for my daily school life. For formal events (senior portraits, homecoming, definitely prom..), the makeup products I apply at least double. My morning routine consists of BB cream (I did use Hanskin up until the swap with D), some powder (Benefittt!!), concealer (on bad days, this is just from Target I think. I'm looking for better ones..), and lipstick. I love this lipstick so much from Dior. It's not really a lipstick because it's purpose is to bring out your natural lip color instead of giving you hues of red or pink. It feels more like a chapstick than a lipstick which is a plus. I could never do lipgloss because it felt sticky and icky (lols..). The Dior lipstick gives your lips some shine without feeling heavy. It's a quick and easy enhancer. Makeup should definitely be about enhancing what you have instead of creating something unfamiliar. I'm also looking for a mascara. I tired Mac for a while but my lashes felt really heavy and clumped. Most of the time, I'm way too tired/lazy to properly apply mascara/eyeliner.

On to reviews :) [sorry I don't have individual photos]

The Face masks: They were from My Beauty Diary and so amazing! They didn't feel that sticky on your face and even smelled like peaches! I've been using these for about a month (there were 20 of them and I use about 2 or so hehe per week) and my skin has been a lot better! I use face masks as a substitute for ice packs a lot. When my face is hot and I feel kind of crummy while studying, I just plop one on my face. These masks especially were really good at keeping cool for long periods of time. They also had plastic sheets separate from the mask that made it easier to take the mask out of the bag. I'm not a scientist or someone really invested in makeup so I can't tell you the more specific effects other than the fact that it made my skin feel nice and I would definitely buy these again. You can never have too many face masks.

Strawberry lotion: The big round red strawberry container holds amazing lotion!!! It smells so good and is not sticky on your skin. One problem I face a lot with lotion is that it feels like it's clogging your skin cells.. Only problem: there's not enough!!!

Hair gel: Honestly I haven't used this all too much yet because I have pretty short hair and rarely tie it up. When I do tie up my hair, it's not for fashion but rather to get out of the house looking decent. I've perfected the "roll out of bed" look. It smells really good (as do all the products) and it's holds my hair in curled position for a long time. This is supposed to be used to smooth out your hair when tied but I use it to hold my curls in place for important occasions. (I have weird hair and over the summer I always get it permed so I need some sort of gel to accentuate the curls. This works pretty well for those purposes!

Strawberry chapstick: This stuff smells glorious and does what chapstick should do! It's easy to carry around and smells a whole lot better than the Honeydew Eos one I bought a couple months ago.

BB Cream: This is my favorite product! I use this every single day (unless I wake up super late...) and I love it. The skin tone is perfect for me (I think this is shade 2?) and it melts into my skin (that was a weird description). I don't have to rub it all that much to make it blend with my skin. It makes my skin feel really silky and light (I told you I have no idea what I'm doing with makeup) and smooth. During the summer (or hot days), I blend this stuff with sun screen and the process is painless thanks to this BB cream. The coverage is pretty sheer but that's what concealer is for.

Thanks guys!! I know I'm super inexperienced with make up... I probably WILL NOT be doing any more make up posts because I don't know what to say about any of the products other than a) it smells good b) it makes my skin look nice c) I don't like it. If you do have any specific questions about the brand or how it feels, feel free to leave a comment. Smo is one of my good friends and knows a whole lot more about different products than I do. So check out her blog for makeup and nail posts because you sure won't find them here. If you're interested to see what I got her, check out her blog!!! She also shared with me a very hilarious video that I will leave with you. WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?   

Shakespeare, Hot Chocolate, and Fall

It's a really wonderful study environment. :) 

Hi guys :) I don't know what to say in full posts so I think I'm just going to upload snippets of my life.. sort of like a tumblr... are you guys okay with that? I would love for some opinions. It's that time of year again for all the sweaters! I dislike wearing long pants but little can be done. I've been developing a terrible habit of oversleeping which is really bad... Fall is hereeee (at least where I live). School is uber stressful but hot chocolate is getting me through the month! I'm actually having a lot of fun with poetry and Shakespeare... which is a bit surprising. To add to that random jumble of facts, I have such a nice, wonderful, and awesome boyfriend :) lols because I didn't want to punch in 213291739712 numbers into my calculator for stat, he did it for me :D I'm sleeping early tonight! Yays, first time in 3 weeks? :D

Plus since it's the Shakespeare unit (we've just started Hamlet) and I wrote my very first sonnet :) I thought that I'd share! It's quite difficult yet fun to create 14 lines with a certain rhyme scheme. I don't know how to do iambic pentameter so I dunno what the rhythm is. All the lines are 10 syllables too (except the last one because I messed up...) yay enjoy :)

Wondrous vibes come from the city at night

tall skyscrapers and the wide ocean view

warmth exudes from milling crowds and bright lights

the aroma of street food and sweets draws you

Open the door to find treasures everywhere

silk dresses, emerald rings, ruby slippers

bags of every color and shape so fair

eye shadows and lipsticks, a soft whisper

Enveloped in eyelet lace with gauzy texture

Kate spade, red scarves, perfume it's all a blur

The mirror reflects a dazzling stranger

wanting to be the girl in the mirror

The experience alone satisfies

empty handed but happy, I tell the city good bye

fin.

Birthday Girl :)

Hi everyone!! I know I've been really MIA lately.... I've been so stressed out with a million and one things going on right now. It's so hard to keep track of everything and I'm trying my best not to lose it completely lol. I've been continuously having emotional breakdowns at late nights BUT today is a good day :) I really miss blogging and I'm going to try my best to post at least TWICEEE a week!! I'm also doing a series of guest blog posts about my college admissions process so I'll post those here too :) I hope it can help at least someone... Those probably won't be the emotional rants of a teenage girl who hates life at late nights because they're going to be edited.

It was super foggy and windy but fun :)

My birthday this year has been wonderfulll. My grandma came back withe me from Korea and she's leaving today... :( it's bitter sweet. I'm glad that my laundry will be all soft again (my grandma doesn't use the dryer) and that no one is nagging at me to eat but at the same time it's sad to see her leave. After church, I went shoe shopping and now I have a really pretty pair of fall shoes! We had dinner on Sunday at this really cool Japanese fondue place in Japantown, San Francisco after touring the San Francisco piers and the Golden Gate bridge. I bought a couple of nifty things at Daiso and my grandma gave me birthday money. Hehe. I think I almost have enough for an authentic working typewriter. . . or a couple sweaters from Madewell/Urban. My mom's mom (the grandma I grew up with) called yesterday for an early happy birthday and it's so nice to hear from her.

Hmm... I've been deemed a hipster. Lols, which I guess is sort of true. I don't have a hipster vibe though, yet? I blog, wear Ray Ban glasses, oxfords..., I like polaroids, typewriters, and all things retro. I like vintage stuff and sort of weird, artsy clothing. I don't want to drive ever and want to be some sort of writer.

The rest of my life is pretty boring... I hope to blog more in the coming months but I dunno how likely that is.

Girl Meets Beach (and Steinbeck)

Hi guys!! I'm so excited that it's September now!!! I seriously love September (partly because it's my birthday month) and the transition into fall. It's kind of needed because my mom threw away my pair of flat sandals. It feels weird wearing platform heels to school. . . even if it's just 1 or 2 inches (and absolutely doesn't click). Fall shoe shopping is always fun :) It was Labor Day weekend and I went to Monterey! If you remember I went to Monterey a while back with J. It's beautiful especially right now (and warm enough to wear shorts thank goodness). I love the beach and just standing with my feet under the sand. So instead of me blabbing about how wonderful the escape was, here are photos (and hopefully some nice captions). I made a new label because it turns out I go some interesting places. The weekday is hectic so I don't know how regular posts are going to be (it upsets me so much too...). Continue reading to find out more about my trip :) 

1 Year ♥

Hello everyone! Today I'm celebrating the one year anniversary of my blog! I cannot believe that it's already been one whole year (of tears, happiness, and all sorts of emotions in between). Thank you so much for always reading and taking the time to comment :) Being an eccentric person means having lots of strange stories somehow related to relevant topics and this is no exception. I was bored one day on the internet and I was looking to read stories about someone's personal life. I wanted to take a break from the dramatic interpretations that rom coms and chick lit created from . . . life. I was google searching but hadn't managed to find anything so thus I started my own blog about my own life. When I started my blog (a year ago), I wasn't expecting much. I wasn't even planning on regularly writing on it because I thought it'd be more of a summer fad. Well I was overjoyed with the feedback and the few people that started to follow me. I found a whole community of wonderful people all loving and doing the same thing as me. Thank you for the truly fantastic year. I look forward to many more! I love you guys so much :) 

10 Back to School Tips!

the 2013-14 schedule!! leggo! the phone numbers are wrong so don't try calling ;) 

Hello everybody! It's the end of August and time to go back to school. I'm going to really miss sleeping until 9-10 am. If you've been following me for a while, you'll probably know that I like to post things a bit early. I get really excited about everything and once an idea takes place in my mind, I have to carry it out. So this post is all about getting ready for school. It's my last year of high school and I have accepted the fact. I was really dreading this moment but I'm prepared to make every single moment of senior year count. I had the best junior year in the world and it just doesn't seem like senior year can top that but I'll definitely try. Stay tuned for my tips on starting school interwoven with my favorite school supplies! 

I am a Successful Landlady.

Hehe I am not good at gaming (I think we established that...) but I love kairosoft games :)) Do any of you guys play those games? This one is called Dream House Days and you have your own apartment complex. In all kairosoft games you manage some sort of institution and you try not to go bankrupt while expanding. I highly encourage them!!!! Here are some photos of my beauuuutiful complex haha. 

My first resident was Anne Houser. I am really annoyed that all the husbands/wives are homemakers ... anyways she became really rich and had like 2 romantic interests..which is normal in this game. She got married and was like the only one who paid all the freaking rent. Her kid Belinda Houser is also super intelligent and became a botanist and earns 12.3 k... her daughter Belle is also really smart. It must be a Houser thing. 

the map of my complex! I have expanded a lot :) 

one of the coolest apartments on my complex. EXCEPT this guy won't freaking pay rent.

Just a shot of some more apartments. The girl with the ribbon is mini me!

Here is Anne's family!! Belinda moved out and got married and had Belle. Belle is also super perfect.

If you guys do play this game then you should leave your id in the comments so I can add you :) 

Hello Mr. Moon

lol this just looks like saran wrap. 

My busy school life is starting again! I'm part of Link Crew (a sort of welcoming committee). Today we had our training day and my bestfrand and my sort of boyfriend (who was wonderful enough to help us out...) were working on candy necklaces. The wind made it very difficult to do this. I almost had a breakdown though. . . I don't think I'm emotionally okay. I'm not sure what exactly is wrong with me. I might be at risk for bipolarity. Tomorrow is the day where we get our schedules and time for me to show off my directional and tour giving skills (which don't exist...)! Although summer has come to end, I have missed my friends way too much. SENIOR YEARRRR.

the moon! 

update: even if they were terribly stressful to make, I received so many "compliments" teehee. It's so nice to see all my friends once again. 

In other recent news, I got a new phone!!! I had a Samsung Infuse for about a year and a half. It hated me as we all know but my new phone absolutely adores me. The case hasn't come in the mail and I'm still trying to figure out how to use all the features. I think I got a good grasp on it now but it's a lot different from my old phone! 

So I have a funny story for all of you here! I was talking to one of my friends, her name is also J (a different person with the same name...). I wanted some help with summer homework but instead of helping me figure out the answer, she told me she hadn't done it yet and to go watch a youtube video about being bored lols. She told me to also go see the moon because it was really bright. I tried looking out from the window and I couldn't see anything. I hurriedly ran outside to the front parking lot without any shoes but still couldn't see the darned moon! I changed my pants, put on some shoes, and went to the other side of where I live. Hehe in the midst, I called S to come help me find it, ah the benefits of only living 4 mins away. 

Amusement Park Date!

This Saturday, I had the good fortune of visiting an amusement park with S and his church. His church is a Chinese church with such cool people!!!! They were all so nice to me even though it's their first time seeing me. I haven't been to an actual amusement park with what everyone pictures when the word roller coaster is said. I went to Universal Studios with J a while back but Universal Studios doesn't have that many rides and the purpose is not to ride super fast, super tall, and super scary roller coasters. It's more of a tourist attraction with more shows, food, games, etc. We rode almost everything worth riding and I've missed that sense of exhilaration you get as the line inches forward or the moments before the first downhill slope.

This is not to say that there weren't any awkward moments. Everyone thought it was unacceptable that we aren't officially dating . . . except most of that pressure fell on him lol. After the amusement park, we went to In&Out and Snowflake, a tea house. At Snowflake, I went to go use the bathroom and apparently they yelled at him to make it official.

In&Out gives you hats if you ask!!! So cool!

In the middle of a line, we were doing calculus "together" . . . and one of the girls asked "is this what you guys do on dates?" in a a totally serious voice. We just both stared away.

I said that I wanted cotton candy on a stick because I have such fond memories of twirling the little stick around, watching the pink puff follow suit. Holding cotton candy around is such a timeless joy. Anyways... S and I went through so much trouble to find it. We couldn't find it in stick form so I just went with a bag of cotton candy. Hehe it was so good, but so much...

Amusement park? Check! As the summer is winding down, I've done practically everything that I've wanted to do, ever.

Back at Home at Last

Hi everyone!!!! It's been a long time since I've written here and I'm so sorry about that. It was really hard to blog in Korea because I was in the mindset of vacation. I'm back home in California now and I have really missed home. I really didn't want to leave Korea but I had long forgotten the hidden allures of home. It is weird not hearing Korean everywhere! I've missed sleeping in my own bed and eating a light breakfast in the morning. I have even missed the library. Can you believe that? When I was taking a shower this morning with my grapefruit and olive oil shampoo, it was the greatest feeling in the world. I love the feeling of walking outside and not sweating. I'm wearing jeans even though I hate jeans because it's so cold here! I'm spending my last moments of summer vacation studying and finishing up all the summer homework.

Surprisingly I'm not jetlagged and I slept at 10 pm yesterday. For me, that's SOOOOOO early! I haven't slept at ten for like 5 years.. Granted, I hadn't slept for 20 ish hours. Hehe, on the flight here I was watching movies the whole time on the little screen. My eyes are suffering but I think that's the only pain I feel.

I'm going to Great America (it's like Six Flags) on Saturday with S and ah I'm so excited!!! I haven't been to an actual amusement park for so long!!! I did go to Universal Studios with J (this post should be pretty easy to find..) but Universal Studios doesn't have that many roller coasters. I'm a roller coaster fanatic even if I get really scared and scream all the time. My parents, surprisingly, are letting me go but not without a round of questions. I have no idea where my mom gets her questions from.

When I returned I was dead set on getting an upgrade on my phone. My phone hates me and never functions properly. I've put up with it for about a year and a half. I just heard that Apple is releasing the iPhone 6 the day before my birthday (in September) and arghhhh. They're not selling it then so I'd realistically have to wait until like December..

My grandma from Busan is here with us and I'm not sure when she's leaving. She thinks it's strange how little my whole family eats. That's about all I have for an update. I cleaned my room yesterday so it looks quite nice. Here is a little state of the union for July.

In:

Slightly curly hair 

Korean boutique shopping 

Kiehl's 

Indigo (clothing)
Stripes and polka dots
Rabbit pencil case
San Francisco weather
Peplum tops
Jeopardy & I Hear Your Voice

Out:
Straight hair
San Francisco shopping mall
Skinfood (korean brand) shampoo
Pink (clothing)
Solid colors
Ribbon pencil case
Humidity
tank tops
Wheel of Fortune & Coffee Prince

Happy August 1st!

I had a lovely two day outing with my friend N. Food. Shopping. Cafe. 

It's already the first day of August!! I spent my first day of August (um, I live in the US so compared to US time, Korea time is one day ahead.. well 16/17 hours to be precise) in Gangnam!! Gangnam is a very foreigner friendly city. There are so many American brands! I saw so many Starbucks, American Apparel, McDonalds, and even a Johnny Rockets. Korea is the only country where there is a substitute for McDonalds.. I'm going down to Busan at 2pm to see my dad's side of the family!! I have a guy cousin 6 months younger than me, two girl cousins at 13 and 10. Korean age is so confusing. No one knows if I'm 17 or 18.

I don't know if I want to even do another haul post. It makes me feel bad seeing all the things I bought flash up on the screen. My mom told me to stop. :( I really regret buying this dress from a subway boutique though. Mehh, maybe I'll fix it at home.

Sorry for the constant stream of short posts...

Korea Adventures!!!

Hi everyone!!! It's my 6th day in Korea! I can't believe it's already been almost a week! Yesterday my uncle came over which was very exciting. His daughter is in 2nd grade and I am 12 years older than her omg. His son is 6, I think. We had Korean barbecue and it was so good! We had a lot of fun playing together :) I love little kids!! Sorry for the lack of detail.. I'm a bit tired at this point. I saw him two days ago!

Here are the photos from the last time I went major shopping (hair and boutique shopping on day 2, shopping mall on day 3, Daiso day 4, no shopping day 5, Hongdae day 6). I'll take a picture of all the shoes later.

Then I went to eat waffles yesterday! Yesterday was a slow, lazy day.

Today I just got back from Hongdae!!! Hongdae is a coffee/beer/club district and I had a lot of fun shopping. I bought two pairs of shoes and who can resist shoes? I've bought 4 pairs now... My friend N and I realized that the Eat Your Kimchi studio is located in Hongdae so we went to go see it. There were so many obstacles in our way. I'm so tired of it and I don't want to talk about it. But if any of you are ever in Korea and want to see it, make sure to email for an appointment before. I walked around for 5 hours in the baking heat so I'm really exhausted.

The darned studio. 

A really cool store!!

Coffees :D

I'm seriously so tired right now. Sorry for the short posts. I've been really busy/tired. I'm leaving Seoul for a short while and won't have much internet access. I promise to post post post post when I get back home though. :) byebye!