The · Life · and · Times

I'm only posting this because it's become somewhat of a tradition.

I only have one resolution this year.

1. Stop Making Resolutions
"Yesterday is just as different from today as today is from tomorrow. Want change? Don't wait for a New Year. Do it now." - Tyler Oakley. Homeboy says some insightful shit. 

I'm going to stop wishing, setting "will-do" dates and postponing action. If something needs to be done, I'm going to do it then and not wait around and come up with excuses.

That is all. Peace.

EDIT:

1. Quit the Gossip
I'm referring to my incessant checking of PerezHilton, ONTD, and the like. Not only I'm I cramming my brain with useless information and getting caught up in unimportant nonsense, but I'm also wasting valuable time that could be otherwise spent studying or researching or something! I honestly cannot start homework unless I've checked ALL the new posts. It bothers me if I don't. An hour wasted away is no big deal...I'm good at quitting things cold turkey, so I'm going to give it up entirely until I can control my intake of celebrity gossip. When I get really tempted, I'm going to visit NYtimes.com instead!

2. Eat healthier
I'm by no means overweight; I've actually been able to maintain my current healthy weight for about three years. I'd just like to look better and feel better by eating healthier. Ever since my mom got sick, it feels like our family has been under a lot of stress and eating well hasn't been a priority. Now that my mom's getting better, I feel like we can all eat well as a family and overall be healthier. :) Also, since I barely exercise, I've got to fulfill one half of the technique of maintaining a healthy weight- eating right.

3. Study Harder
I'm going to start reserving a study room and spending more time in the library so that I will be forced to study harder and more productively. Plus, I'm going to start going to this great library on weekends. It's a little far, but I think it's worth the commute. Plus, I'm going to give it my ALL during midterms and finals. I tend to give up when I feel that I'm not going to do well anyway, but from now on I'm going to stick it out no matter how unpleasant it is. Even when I'm nodding away and I feel like I'm going to die, I won't give up! Plus, I won't underestimate the difficulty of classes in the future.

4. Go to class
This brings me to my next point, which is...I should go to class! Lectures and discussions are usually really helpful, so I'm going to try my best to go to classes & overall, be more responsible when it comes to academics.

5. Be more outgoing
I've realized that being bubbly and outgoing helps you get what you want out of life. I'm going to try to make friends and learn how to appear more outgoing and be more friendly.

6. Have an optimistic outlook
Recently, I've held a very, very negative outlook on life and felt that my life was very goal-less. I'm going to try my best to find something positive about every single day.

7. Get involved
It's not really a secret that I like to keep to myself. In 2009, I'm going to try to find good extracurricular activities that I actually care about and want to do! Also, I'd like to find career opportunities that can help me in my future. I want to have a plan for the future!

8. Be a better friend, sister, daughter
When I think about my resolutions and priorities overall, I realize that a lot of my goals are self-centered. In the new year, I hope to be a better friend, sister and daughter and try to help others with their problems.

 

Just for fun, here are my resolutions from years past.
 
Sophomore Year of College
1. Stop checking ONTD & PerezHilton - when I get the urge, go to NY Times.com instead!
2. Eat healthier
3. Work harder - and give it my ALL during midterms. Don't underestimate the difficulty of a class.
4. GO TO CLASS.

Freshman Year of College
1. Act like an adult! I will be turning 18 after all. This resolution entails more responsibilities around the house, setting a good example for my sister and overall, being a more mature person.
2. Lose 10 lbs. This is a personal goal. A lot of people tell me I don't need to lose weight, but it's my choice and I think it's the right decision for me. I have gained a lot of weight over this holiday season >_<.
3. Get straight A's. I know this one might be a stretch, but I think I know what I'm doing now (when it comes to studying). I seriously goof off way too much and don't spend enough time studying like a good kid. I must find better techniques of studying.
4. Make some friends! It's really tough, especially in college, but I'm going to do my best to be less shy, reserved, and concerned with not looking stupid. AND I need to attend a college party.
5. Look less fugly / more presentable...I know most college kids are slobs, but I don't want to be one anymore!
6. Spend money wisely. A lot of my money is spent on worthless things that are "temporary thrills" such as clothing, stuff at Target, or dining out. I've actually improved a lot and it physically pains me to spend more money than necessary. I spent so much time contemplating whether or not to return a Dooney & Bourke purse my mom bought me for Christmas. On one hand, it is gorgeous and functional...on the other hand, I could buy eight other purses for the same price. Ay, decisions! (I think I'm going to return the bag after all...)
7. Smile more! Along with this goal is to be happier and have a more positive outlook on life!
8. Study harder.
9. Get better at driving! So far I've crashed into a wall, locked my keys in my car, almost got into accidents half a dozen times, left my headlights on for five hours and had my battery die. Let's just say there's room for improvement.
10. Improve my self-esteem. I don't know if this a process that you do willingly or if it's out of your hands, but I want to be more confident. I always beat myself down, but this year I want to build myself up.
 

Senior Year (of High School) 1. LEARN HOW TO DRIVE 2. Start Exercising 3. Lose 5-10 lbs 4. Procrastinate less. 5. Watch less TV 6. Spend more time with the fam 7. Be nicer (to Andrew) :D 8. Care less about people, like Finger 9. Be more religious :) 10. Develop a cute clothing style :D New Year's Resolutions from Junior Year of High School   1) Stay awake during homework. 2) Start homework as soon as I get home. 3) Tone up! (not steroid-y, but in shape! woooot) 4) Get enough sleep. 5) Be more outgoing & participate in class. 6) Be happier. 7) Don't procrastinate on long-term homework like Bio and APUSH. 8) Add more songs than Melissa on to my iPod! :D 9) Spend less. 10) Care less about people and what they think. New Year's Resolutions from Sophomore Year (of High School) 1. Sleep early 2. Don’t get distracted from things like hw 3. Eat less junk food 4. Be more active 5. Finish homework, then relax 6. Study gradually, not at the last minute 7. Lessen my obsession over guys >_< 8. Save money 9. Grow to be at least 5'7" 10. Read more 11. Go on the internet only when neccessary//have free time 12. Turn off the TV 13. Wake up earlier for school 14. Complete homework right away 15. Do things that require thinking first and finish busywork second 16. Excercise my right to party! lol...jk 17. Volunteer more than the minimum 25 hours...(i only did 28 hours last year -_-) 18. Get onto the Newspaper 19. Get into Dance 20. Do more things w/ my family

 

I haven't updated in months but I thought I might as well, since I don't have anything better to do. This is more for my own record than anything else.

I wanted to showcase my favorite products and my skincare regimen (which isn't very strict...)
1. Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser / Clean and Clear Morning Burst Cleanser
I just started the foaming cleanser but I really like it so far. It feels really silky when you put it on. I'm not exaggerating!



Before I got the foaming cleanser, I always used Clean and Clear Morning Burst Cleanser. It's nothing fancy, just your average cleanser. I didn't notice astounding results or anything, it was just ho-hum.



I don't use toner. I just moisturize after washing my face with


Clinique Moisture Surge Moisturizer

It's a great moisturizer for me because it doesn't leave skin feeling oily or dry, a problem I've experienced with other moisturizers. The only thing that's annoying about this product is that it's so good that my sister uses too much of it! Tip: I found this at Off 5th: Saks Outlet for $27! (That's a good deal.)

I hardly ever wear make-up. I'm not exaggerating. But if I do, I usually just wear the bare minimum.
This includes:

Blush (Clinique)


My mom got it as a free gift when she bought some make-up at Clinique. It's alright. I noticed that it doesn't last very long though, either because I rub it off or for some other reason...I like the pink color, although I probably wouldn't buy it for full price. I'll stick to a cheaper alternative.

Cheap Alternative: (I actually use my mom's blush, which is a bit orange-y for my taste, but it's still good. I prefer pinker tones.)



I really like Clinique Instant Perfector Pore Minimizer. It actually works and does a good job of covering the (huge) pores on my nose.


Finally, some random products that I like:

Foaming hand sanitizer. Efficient, and leaves your hands with a nice scent. I find that the foaming sanitizers' scents are less strong/abrasive than the gel ones.

This is a good facial sunblock because it doesn't smell like a typical sunblock. It's thick like a usual sunblock which makes it kind of a pain to apply, but the residue it leaves is not very oily.

The old stand-by, Chapstick. Appropriate and efficient! I love Chapstick.


My go-to hand lotion. I also like to put it on my elbows when they're dry. Its consistency is more liquid-like than the Aveeno sunblock so it is much easier to apply. :)

Well hope you were mildly entertained and informed. Good day!

So my long-term goals for spring quarter are, of course, to get straight A's. But in the meantime, here are my broken down, realistic goals that will hopefully lead me to complete my long-term goals.

1. Spend a lot less time on the computer
It's pretty amazing how distracted I get by websites. My goal is to quit cold turkey the websites that I get addicted to...Sometimes I go online just to avoid work and even though nothing immediate is wont of my attention, I just stay online to distract myself. It's an awful habit. So my goal it to hide my computer and focus when I'm at home. I'm going to quit cold turkey the following sites (let's see how long this lasts): fmylife, youtube, perezhilton, & ontd. *crosses fingers*. perezhilton used to be my #1 site but it has now slid down to #3. i guess that's an improvement?? What I meant by this quitting cold turkey thing is that I'm only going to go on these forbidden sites on Fridays after class.

2. Study during breaks between classes
This is perfect time to do actual studying, considering that I have good sized breaks between my classes. Anything less wouldn't be enough time. Since my breaks are 2-3 hours long, that's enough time to eat & go through a decent amount of material.

3. Spend a lot of time in the library studying
But the time I do spend in the library, I should be focusing on amount of material covered rather than actual time spent. Sometimes I feel accomplished because I spent 8 hours in the library when the amount of material that I went through wasn't that impressive.

4. Don't watch TV!
I've been pretty good about this one; last quarter I rarely ever watched TV when it was actually on. My new goal is to save all of the week's TV shows for Friday nights. Another good incentive I guess is that my favorite shows aren't coming back for a month or so, so I won't be tempted.

5. Try really hard night before a midterm!

I think my best bet to do well on midterms is to stay at the library late the night before a midterm and use caffeine. Give it my best :) and hope for the best.

6. Material Management!!
I'm going to stay on top of the readings and I think my schedule this quarter allows more time for that.

7. Stay in the Library After Class
Since it gets dark a lot later, I can stay in the library a long time after my classes end and I can study

8. Do All Extra Credit!
 I made the mistake last quarter of not doing all the extra credit that was available. I'm not making that mistake again!!

9. Eat Well

I know eating well helps you concentrate, makes you happier and gives you more energy so that's what I'll be doing from now on.

okay Gotta go byebye!

So today I went on an adventure wtih Alice!! 

I woke up kind of late so I asked Alice to come a half hour later than we originally planned. Then Alice decided to go to her apartment (20 minutes away from my house) so that she could get her coat & some other things. Unfortunately for us, the apartments are closed for spring break and we had to pay $25 to have them open it for us :(. On the way to her apartment, we stopped at McDonald's because we both were hungry, but I ended up eating most of the food, lol.

Then we stopped by my house (where we started out lol..o_O) and then we headed to Pasadena. Traffic wasn't too bad but we got lost a little bit along the way. We were parked and walking around the streets of Pasadena at around 1:30PM and it took us a long to find a restroom and get a crappy Oreo smoothie for Alice. Then we met up with my friend Christian and his friend Andrew (and some excessively eager BoA fanatic) at Forever 21; they had saved us spots and had been waiting for two hours. While we were waiting a car accident happened on the corner directly across from ours. A solemn security guard with a mustache was like, "What if that happened on this corner??" What a jerk lol.

But anyway, there were a lot of bad signs today. First, Alice's apartment was locked, then we got lost on the way, the weather starts to get dreary, we can't find a bathroom, a car accident happens on the corner across from ours and then we both get kinda sickish. :(

We waited around until 3ish when Alice and I both started to feel kinda crappy. I think waiting in the wind and cold made us feel kinda sick. So we walked to the pizzeria across the street and bought a slice each. I only ate the crust (cause I'm semi-lactose intolerant and didn't want to take the risk). I felt much better about 15 minutes after eating. We waited longer and longer and BoA FINALLY showed up, almost an hour late.

I went in and took paparazzi photos of BoA from far away and then when I was done, our group had finally reached the inside of the store. After about 10 minutes or so, we got to meet BoA. I asked Alice to take a photo of me and Boa on the SNEAK and she was sucessful. :).

I just said "HI. I LOVE YOUR MUSIC." and her jerk of a manager ruined my moment with Boa by saying, "WHERE'S YOUR CD?" and I was like "Umm it's..over.." and then I just ran away. I'm pretty sure I said "Thank you so much" before I left. I think she said "Thank you" too...It's very hazy.

Afterward, Alice and I walked back to her car and we drove home. Traffic was terrible. It took almost two hours to get back home (although we did take a detour to the $1 theater).

Overall, it was a fun and random and interesting day!

I never do this because I never have anything important to write. Well, I still don't but I feel like wasting some time.

I am such a slacker and I shouldn't be considering my major :(. I'm bored, I'm tired, I have a lot of work to do but I always put it off because there's always something more interesting on the internet.

I'm sad because my computer's broken, I'm sad because I am the biggest procrastinator, and I'm sad because school feels endless. :S.

Anyway, I just hope my computer is OK and I can get on with my life. Later!

~2006 - January 18, 2009.

Rest in peace, Monster. You were a great hamster and a great pet. You were always larger than life - literally. My sister thinks my mom overfed you but I think you were just big boned. You were such a sweetheart with a ton of personality. I remember the time you broke out of your cage, leaped iff of a three-foot-tall table and climbed twenty stair steps to make it to my parent's room. I remember how cute you were when you climbed on top of a corn cob and pulled off every single kernel with your teeth and stuffed them in your mouth. I remember how much you loved carbs - rice and pasta. I remember when I put mascara on your whiskers and you put it in your mouth and ate it too. You were a great hamster. Although I'm sad to see you go, I know you'll have a great time in Hamster Heaven. May there be infinite amounts of wheels to run, carbs and fruits to eat, and other hamsters to play with. Goodbye, Monster. You will be missed.

Sometimes I feel like I'm just wasting my time.

I know we aren't going to be lifelong friends.

Sometimes everything feels useless.

I hate the kind of friends that probably aren't going to be there when you really need them - the kind of friends that ask you how you're doing but don't really care to listen to your response. The ones that you call when you need an assignment and the ones who call you when they need the same. Friends that aren't true friends.