#life: disney california adventure & finals week VLOGS !

Long time, no update !

It's safe to assume that the times that I cannot update are because I've been overwhelmed with school. Which is true. I just finished my third year which is craaaaaazy because I'm about to enter my fourth year of undergrad and I feel like I just entered college yesterday !

But life has been pretty okay: school, relationships, friendships, blah blah blah. I'm just here to quickly share vlogs I made of two recent adventures I embarked on.

The first is a recent trip I went on to Disneyland California Adventure ! The boyf & I wanted to go for our two-year anniversary back in April, but we didn't get the chance to go until Memorial Day weekend because every weekend since our anniversary was super busy. I had a lot of fun going to DCA for the first time in 5 years, and the boyf had a lot of fun going for the first time. Watch below to see how our day went ! :)

The second adventure is more of a personal creative activity. I've always wanted to become YouTube "famous," which I joke about but is based on an actual dream. The boyf & I decided that we wanted to make weekly vlogs filled with clips of things that happened throughout the week so we can look back on it & remember the small moments we have in our lives. We were definitely inspired by our favorite daily vloggers, Judy & Benji from itsjudyslife. However, as students, we don't have the time or energy to do daily vlogs, nor are our lives as exciting, so weekly will do for now. And we have perfect timing and chose to start on finals week... eeeeek. Despite all the studying, it was a pretty eventful week (which is why it's so long... I apologize in advanced!). But if you'd like to see the day-to-day for some college students on finals week, then watch our vlog below.

I've been doing a pretty good job recording my day-to-day, so there will be some content for this week's vlog ! So far, it's been a one-woman job since I've been the one editing and recording... even though we both decided that we should do this. We'll see how the rest of the weekly vlogs go though !

Just a small update for all of you ! Subscribe to my YouTube channel if you'd like immediate updates for when the vlogs are up.

Have a good evening everyone ! :)

#life: staying motivated.

Hello, hello !

As I mentioned from an earlier post before the new school year, I decided to switch majors from chemistry to psychology... and I have been doing much better and am very happy with the switch. Last quarter, I got straight A's (though not a 4.0, sadly) and am confident that this is the path I'm supposed to be on. I feel more passionate and interested in the things I learn in class, despite those mornings where I decide to sleep in and not go to class times I start to doze off in class.

But this quarter I've been starting to slack off. I've been unmotivated. Having only three classes (when my usual load is four classes) and four-day weekends every weekend (no class Mondays or Fridays, just work) has made me lose the momentum I had last quarter because of all the downtime. Although my schoolwork this quarter hasn't suffered too much from this, I do not feel the urgent necessity to start studying for finals or doing final papers because I've gotten into the habit of having so much time to do nothing.

I realized that I need to be active daily in order to feel motivation to do something. I think I am this way because I constantly need to be thinking about something. Even if I have less classes and obligations than previous quarters, I need to have to be somewhere every day in order to structure my time wisely. Having to get up and knowing I absolutely have to go to campus every day will make me spend my downtime in the library or sitting somewhere and reading or studying. Downtime sounds nice, but too much is detrimental to my school performance.

I hope I'm not the only person who is this same way :P How do you stay motivated for school, work, or any projects you work on?

#life: Valentine's Day OC Adventure !

Hello, hello !

It's been a while since I posted, but know that I've been well & just busy trying to balance school, some fun, and some sleep. Typical college student stuff.

Nothing really noteworthy (or should I saw blogworthy hehehe ?) has happened since I last updated. I've had a lot of family & personal relationship stuff going on over Christmas Break, but nothing that I want to remind myself of. But everything is now well and I'm looking forward to a more positive rest of 2015!

It's been two weeks since Valentine's Day (and my boyf's & my 22-month anniversary~) and I haven't had the time to blog about the adventure my boyf and I had in Orange County. I spontaneously was craving Boiling Point (one of the food places in OC we actually went to) in mid-January, but we could not go at the time. So we kind of planned our Valentine's Day around that craving and the fact that the boyf hasn't been there before.

The first place we went to was the Orange County Great Park Balloon! It is not a hot air balloon since the balloon is attached to the ground with a wire, but it's the closest thing to one. I was really scared that it was going to be crowded, since it's Valentine's Day and seems like a romantic spot to be, so we left San Diego bright and early and got to OC at around 9AM. To my surprise, there were not a lot of people there! So we only had to share the balloon with a handful of other people.

We went up there!

A selfie from up above.

(Yes, I bought a selfie stick so we wouldn't have to ask other people to take our picture LOL)

After exploring the park for a little bit, we went to an asian fusion brunch place called Break of Dawn. There was a ~25 minute wait but it didn't feel that long since we were distracted by the "Me & Bae" filter on Snapchat & bragging about the places we were going on Facebook. I got the "Mac & Cheese," which was this block of macaroni with melted cheese & egg on the top and braised ribs/bacon in the middle and some asian-y slightly spicy red sauce at the bottom. The boyf got "Bacon & Eggs," which was tempura poached egg and pork belly bacon. Both were delicious. Kind of $$$, but it was Valentine's Day and the only time we'd probably go there so we had to go big or go home.

Mac & Cheese

Mac & Cheese cut open

We then went to UCI! I wanted to stop by this one market and get edible cookie dough but it needed to stay refrigerated and there was still a long day ahead of us, so no go on the cookie dough.

I've never visited the campus before, so I wanted to walk around for a bit (and get ourselves hungry for the next place). It's cool how there's a park right in the middle of campus and how the school is circular-shaped, but I was exhausted walking across back-and-forth trying to find cool places to go on campus. We were so tired we sat in a study room inside the library for about half an hour; I watched Gossip Girl on Netflix & the boyf took a nap. Visiting the campus made me appreciate UCSD's campus even more, since we have a lot of things to see. I struggled finding some cool spots apart from the park in the middle of campus.

This isn't Geisel?!?!?!

Infinity Fountain ????

Then we headed to Boiling Point just before their lunch time was over. Boiling Point is a personal hot pot restaurant. We didn't have to wait too long, but there were a handful of people waiting since we came half an hour before their lunch time was over (and lunch = cheaper price!). I went here for the first time two summers ago when I visited my best friend in OC. Not sure why I was craving it in mid-January (it was cold, I guess?), but I'm glad I had my craving fulfilled.

Free Green Tea Ice Cream Macarons!

Despite just having ice cream macarons, I still wanted to try this ice cream place called Creamistry. They use liquid nitrogen to make their ice cream in an efficient but time-sensitive manner. As a former chemistry major, things like this still make me freak out. We got cookie butter with marshmallow fluff. It was their #1 recommended combos, and I can see why.

Look at the smoke from the liquid nitrogen *___*

Typical. But I was seriously nerding out.

We were going to hit up a self-serve boba place called Class 302 Cafe, but I was craving the love cream with sea cream from 7 Leaves so we decided not to go there. Although I get 7 Leaves every chance I get (even when just passing by the area), I cannot pass it up even once because it's too good. Next time, next time.

Love Cream with Sea Cream & Boba

After taking a small rest in the car, we headed to Pokinometry, one of two places we went to for dinner. This was recommended to me by one of my closest friends I've made in college. I enjoy sashimi, so this was the perfect place to go. The restaurant specializes in raw fish bowls & is styled like Chipotle, where you choose type of bowl then you get to choose a number of fish depending on the size of the bowl, then the toppings.

After Pokinometry, we explored the area for a bit since we had like 45ish minutes left for parking. We explored a hipster branch of the thrift shop Goodwill called Rare. They had more trendy clothes and a lot of vintage items, like record players and old cameras.

I was so tempted to buy this since it was only $10, but I wasn't sure if it would work or not.

The boyf playing with one of the record players on display.

For part two of dinner, we went to the Anaheim Packing District. It's basically this old train station house converted into a hipster food court. It was so pretty... my kind of place (since I like hipster things hehe)! It's super bright and open (when not crowded by people). The center had plants hanging from the ceiling. Each store within the Packing District had its own style. The Kroft was more rustic, with wood walls and accents. We had braised rib poutine.

This section of the Anaheim Packing District had jars for lights & wood panel walls! #hipster

Braised Rib Poutine

And that was the end of our adventure ! We decided to skip on Snow Monster because we were just too tired and full. We drove home blasting High School Musical songs in the car and singing along quite obnoxiously to fill the 1 1/2 hour drive. You can kind of see how perfect we are for each other, hehe.

In addition to the pictures above, I compiled all the videos I took throughout the day into one vlog ! My attempts at becoming YouTube famous have been inconsistent, but I enjoy editing and creating these cute videos I can look back on when I'm feeling nostalgic.

I'm really glad I got to spend this food adventure fueled by the power of love (otherwise, I would not have had the stomach for all that food) with the person I love :) Look out for more adventures the boyf and I will have (& I will hopefully post about) !

#life & #ootd & #haul: thanksgiving & black friday.

Hello, hello everyone !

I know it's been a while and I have a lot to catch up on, but here's a little update.

I hope you had an awesome Thanksgiving and had the time to reflect on what you are grateful for and the blessings you have received since last Thanksgiving. I hope you had a wonderful time spent with family, friends, and loved ones... and ate a lot of good food too.

My family & I celebrated Thanksgiving dinner the night before on Wednesday. Straight after my flight landed home, we drove to my cousin's house. We feasted on usual fixings--turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie--as well as other food like adobo, cream cheese rangoons, salmon, and salad. My cousins & I played hours of Heads Up! and watched half of Guardians of the Galaxy before we headed home.

On Thanksgiving morning, my mom and I went to get facials/upper body massage at my mom's friend's salon. I was so relaxed that I fell asleep for part (or most) of it LOL. She removed all my blackheads via steam treatment & pulling them out with some special tool. My skin STILL feels smooth almost 48 hours later from the treatment even after washing off the products with face wash, as I do every morning. After taking a family nap, we went to the casino down the street. We wanted to eat at the buffet for the special Thanksgiving menu, but the line was a 2 hour wait. We ate at the restaurant across the street.

This was a pretty delicious steak.

Thanksgiving #ootd

This morning, I woke up at 5am to wait in line at Sam's Club in hopes for an iPhone 6 64gb. The deal was $99 for an iPhone 6 16gb, $199 for an iPhone6 64gb, and $299 for an iPhone 6 128gb. So that's $100 savings compared to other places, especially since other stores did not offer discounts for the iPhone 6 64gb. LUCKILY, when I got there, the line was short AND there were still vouchers available for Verizon & 64gb. I was so desperate to get the 64gb phone that I didn't care what color. Gold was the only available color left. Although silver/white was my first choice, I didn't hesitate to take it. I'm so happy I was able to upgrade because my iPhone 5 was long overdue to retire (the right side of the screen was basically falling out of the phone's casing).

Gold iPhone 6 64gb ! I'm so excited. Featuring my sister in the background because she ruined my selfie ugh. $199 - $100 saved

While waiting to get my phone, I walked around Sam's Club. I saw an ad for riding boots on sale and did not hesitate to get them, due to the sale price and how cute they are.

Kenneth Cole Reaction Riding Boots. $29.98 - $10 saved

I also bought some socks for normal ankle/calf boots and for tall riding boots like the ones I just bought. Not pictured because it isn't anything special, hehe. Look out for them in future #ootds!

My dad went cray cray at Sam's Club. In addition to also getting an iPhone 6 for himself (which he wasn't planning on getting... he just wanted an iPhone 5S), he bought a 55" Samsung Curve UltraHD TV, a Keurig 2.0, and a new GPS. I didn't expect him to buy that much, since he said he was only going to get a new phone and "look" at the TVs.

After my dad & I came home, my cousin who is visiting for the long weekend came over. Then we headed to the mall to get our Black Friday shopping on.

My cousin, sister, and younger cousin on the way to the mall!

You know... I kept saying that I didn't "need" anything else on the way to the mall because I already got my iPhone and some boots so I wasn't expecting to buy too much, except maybe a pair of high-waisted shorts. But boy, was I wrong.

Oops.

Our first stop was Urban Outfitters. Their deal for Black Friday was 50% the sale price. I couldn't find the sale section at first so I was panicking. Eventually, I found it in the back corner behind this wall, and it was CRAZY. Too many girls in there, man. I tried on a few things, but ultimately came out with just one item.

(WARNING: I apologize for some of the coloring of the pictures. I edited them via VSCOcam & the colors looked different on my phone than how they appear on my screen, so the colors may not be true.)

Olive v-neck with thin black stripes. $4.99 - $5 saved

While I was at Urban Outfitters, I ran into my Grand Ading ! I didn't know she had family in Vegas. What are the odds that we were going to run into each other ?!

My Grand Ading ! Isn't she adorable ?! #imold

Then we went to the Disney Store since it was right next door. My little cousin was begging to go there to buy a Tsum. I am obsessed to no end with this game (& have gotten a couple of other people into the game, including my roommate & little cousin), so I happily helped him choose which one to get. He chose Donald Duck hehehe (I have a Chip Tsum!).

TSUM TSUM <3

We went to Forever 21 next and spent quite some time there. The sale room was TOO HUGE, I only bothered seriously looking at the first few racks because that's where the shorts were and I was too lazy to look at the rest. Besides, I wasn't looking for any more new tops. Their promo was an additional 50% off the sale price, but was only applicable until 2pm. We didn't know that so we were surprised when we checked out at around 3pm. However, they gave us the discount anyways because we argued about how the signs were not obvious enough + the employees we asked never told us.

High-waisted maroon corduroy shorts. $5.99 - $6 saved

High-waisted denim shorts with floral trim. $7.50 - $7.50 saved

Basic dark pink v-neck. $3.80

Basic dusty pink v-neck. $3.80

I really needed a new card wallet so this was perfect! $4.80

After eating at the food court because we were all grumpy, we stopped by Topshop. I wasn't expecting to find anything I liked despite the sale (buy one get one free sale items) because Topshop is pretty expensive in the US. Back in the UK, I went to a Topshop and everything--sale included--was much cheaper than the clothes sold in the US. To my surprise, I found two pairs of shorts that I really liked & fit me very well.

Mirror pic inside Topshop ft. my cousin, sister, and an untied moccasin lace. #ootd

Another pair of high-waisted shorts. $20

Yet ANOTHER pair of high-waisted shorts. FREE - $15 saved

We stopped by a few more stores but I did not get anything. Our last stop was at American Eagle; they had a 40% storewide sale. We decided that what our family is wearing for Christmas is flannel/plaid shirts and AE usually has a good selection of them. Although their selection was limited this time around, I found one that was cute & definitely wearable for the holiday season.

American Eagle Red & Blue flannel. $24 - $16 saved

As tradition, my family and I always get the new Just Dance game on Black Friday because it's a great game to play when our extended family comes and visits for the holidays. Sometimes it can get pretty competitive (I'm not very good or anything, but I somehow always manage to win... ;D). So we stopped by Target to pick up the new Just Dance 2015. As our luck would have it, we got the last copy there. It came with the game and a Wiimote for only $25--a steal, since the game alone is $40.

Just Dance 2015. $25 - $15+ saved

That's the end of my Black Friday shopping adventure. A bit unexpected, but pretty rewarding since I've been doing pretty well in school and needed some serious retail therapy (although I could've gone without all these things probably). In total, I saved ~$175, which is pretty good in my book ! Regardless, I am excited to wear all these pieces in my future #ootds !

We didn't pretend to walk for this picture. Nope. My little cousin in the background made it look more believable though....

#life: rip.

Rest In Peace, Grandpa Momoy.

These are the last pictures (in my memory or that I possess) of just us two. These were taken the morning I left for San Diego to go to college two years ago.

I wish we could all see that smile once again.

I feel regret and selfish for going to school away from my family. It is times like this when I wish I stayed so that I would spend more time with them...

Despite you not knowing who I was the past two years, I appreciate everything you've done for me and our family.

We will live out your legacy. We love you.

#life: switching paths.

Hello, hello !

After finishing summer school and having some downtime to think about my education and future. I realized I was not happy with myself and where my education was going, so I decided to try to follow a path that I've been interested in a while and am overall doing better in.

I decided to switch majors, from pre-pharmacy to psychology.

I finally made it official! *Chemistry minor pending because advising doesn't want to talk to me lolol.

Ever since taking AP Psychology in my junior year of high school, I've always had an interest in psychology. I took the class because I heard we got to sleep in class (which was true... but only for one class period out of the whole year, and I didn't even fall asleep -___-), but it was so much fun and a great surprise. I would ace every test and understood almost every concept. Plus, the teacher really bred an environment (called The Cognitive Cave--and our class song was appropriately "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons) for learning and understanding and was truly passionate about the subject.

When I was applying for and when I entered college, I had the full intent of seeing it through as a pre-pharmacy student and towards pharmacy school. I was encouraged by all my family members (most of them nurses or in the medical field) because it was a good career to have in the future (and made good $$$). The way my general education requirements were at my university allowed for me to pick up a minor in lieu of having to take a certain program of concentration. With no hesitation, I chose psychology.

And after I considered other options for a different major, I also did not hesitate to choose psychology.

I didn’t want to admit to myself that I didn’t like chemistry/science anymore because everyone knew I wanted to be a pharmacist. I didn't want to disappoint all my family and friends who already knew I was on this track. I was constantly stressed because concepts in my classes weren’t just “clicking” to me the way I wish they would’ve, and my grades were suffering because of it. I felt pressure to keep going at it despite the stress. But after some introspection, I realized that it would be a waste of time and money to keep pursuing something I was no longer enjoying because of stress and was losing interest in.

I was scared to tell my parents (especially my mom) because they specifically let me go to my university because of the Pharmacological Chemistry major and the opportunities available. I was scared they were going to make me go back to college at home because I haven’t been performing well in my science classes and wanted to do something else. They always put pressure on me before and threatened to send me back home if I wasn't excelling, so telling the truth to them about my grades and why I wanted to switch frightened me. I already had a home at my university and I didn't want to leave. Surprisingly, their response was accepting. Of course they were worried that I was behind and that I’m changing majors halfway through college, but they were okay with it as long as I tried my hardest and got a bachelor’s degree in something.

Due to my psychology minor and the overlap of lower division courses between my Pharmacological Chemistry major and the BS Psychology major, I'm not behind in courses. In fact, I may be able to graduate early!

It was kind of nerve-wracking for me to change majors halfway through my undergraduate education, but I think I'll be happier pursuing something I have an interest in. I'm nervous for what's ahead in this new path that I'm taking, but I'm hopeful that I'll reach the end (grad school for clinical psychology, hopefully !) happier than I would have before.

This process has been emotional for me, but I have to thank my boyfriend, my "Ate," and a friend of mine who went through this exact same process in her third year for helping me with making this decision and going through it.

I know this is different than what I usually blog about, but I want to share my experience just in case someone out there is contemplating on whether or not to switch paths. If you are considering changing majors, I believe you should just pursue what you find more interesting and what will make you happier in the end. It is better to catch up to something more worth it than being on time with something you do not like or stresses you out. There is nothing wrong with you if you change your mind and want to pursue something else. We are not the same people we were two years ago, or even last week; our interests change. It may take some exploration, a few mistakes, and time to figure out what you're interested in, but once you figure it out... go for it.

Has anyone ever switched majors in college/university before ? Share your story or any advice you have for those that may be considering switching !

#haul: downeast basics surprise !

Hello, hello!

Usually when I'm home from school for a holiday, I like to shop. Not only do I have transportation to farther shopping places, but I usually find better deals than I do around school!

My mom and I went to a store that just opened near our local Marshall's called Downeast Basics. I've heard of this store before--there used to be one in the shopping center near my house next to a casino--but that store only held their own clothes. Apparently, this Downeast Basics also carried out-of-season/style name brand clothes (but are name brand clothes nevertheless!). So I was excited to check out what was in stock.

After finding my way to the back of the store where the clothes are (the store also sells super cute furniture!), I stumbled across racks of Anthropologie, Free People, and PacSun clothing. I didn't find anything worthwhile in the Anthropologie rack, but I found some cute things in the other two racks.

The first thing I found was this Free People bralette. The original price was $119 and was selling for $24.99, but I scored it for $7.50! Although it is "out of style" for Free People, it is definitely in style for me and something I look forward to wearing. I'm imagining a high-waisted hi-low pinkish skirt I own to go with this bralette. Or even just a plain black skater skirt.

Free People Bralette

The second thing I found was this striped crop top. It's not too fancy, but it was definitely a good find. I found it in the PacSun rack. The brand is Kirra. Originally priced at $89, on sale for $11.99, and bought for $5.50, it was such a good deal. I could not resist. A pair of high-waisted shorts or a skater skirt would look good with it.

Kirra Striped Cropped Tank Top

I didn't know that a store that seemed so "adult-y" could have good deals and items for the wannabe hipster/stylish youth such as myself. If you have one of these stores, Downeast Basics or any other adult-y stores, in the area, you should check it out and see what deals you can find! Expect the unexpected! :)