Sunday, January 17, 2016

  

I felt bad that my sisters didn't get to go to Disney with me and I'll honestly use any excuse to go to Disney again, so we decided to make the trip out again the following day. Luckily, we were able to stay pretty late since there was no school the next day! We got there in the evening and parked at Toy Story. We went to DCA first and stopped at Starbucks to get our energy going. Afterward, we rode on Mater, Radiator Springs Single Rider (the anxiety hahah), and California Screamin'. Then, we crossed over and hopped on Buzz Lightyear and Pirates of the Caribbean. On our way out, we checked out the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney, and I bought Camille chocolate covered pretzels because her energy was minimal. I felt like this trip was very happy and fulfilling compared to a lot of other trips. It even inspired me to start a Disney scrapbook.

  

  

Monday, January 18, 2016

It was a very relaxed MLK day. I woke up late, having slept around 3 (my latest in a while) the night before. Camille & I had bacon fried rice for breakfast. We went to Rialto to see my great grandma with the rest of our family. It was really funny, because all 18 of us arrived at the same time. I ate so much food. It was ridiculous. Two chicken tacos from Alberto's, some Super Nachos, Lo Mein, chicken, half a quesadilla, and mango cake. To this moment, I'm still ridiculously full and didn't even eat dinner. Camille wouldn't show them their dance, but Tori & Gillian happily obliged to do the whip. My mom took me grocery shopping at Stater Brothers before Ben's mom took him and I back to school. I went to my JumpStart team meeting, and right when I got home, I washed my face and hopped in bed. It's 9:19, but I'm exhausted. It's been a long weekend. 

  

This past Saturday, I finally made it to Disney with my best friends, Kathleen & Melanie. We'd been talking about going for the past couple of years, but since Melanie's attending school in San Francisco, it's hard trying to pinpoint our intersecting free time. Luckily, Melanie has a couple more weeks of break than we do, and Kathleen & I go to school in the LA area.

We left the house around 10 AM, after a few failed attempts at Camille's hoverboard. I was surprised that the Mickey & Friends lot was open! We rode Matterhorn, and my MU hat ended up flying off on the ride. :( Kathleen and I stopped for corn dogs at Stage Door Cafe. We met Ben, who had rowing practice earlier that day, around 1 and purchased a Matterhorn Macaroon and a Salted Caramel Mickey Macaron from Jolly Holiday Bakery. Indiana Jones was next on our list. When we crossed over, we rode Screamin'. We drew Minnie at Animation Academy. Melanie was dying watching the Mad Tea Party band.  We ate at Cove Bar and Marielle's drink was a bunch of hard liquor with "some blue shit". Ben really wanted a chimichanga. Ben's butt moves funny when he speed walk races Melanie. Melanie likes to imitate duck walks. It was my first time watching the Disneyland Forever Fireworks! I wanted to cry. We made it to our 9-10 PM fastpasses at HyperSpace Mountain (and even snuck Ben in with us). We hit a few little kid rides - Peter Pan, Pinocchio, and Small World. My feet were killing me because I was dumb and wore my black high heeled boots.

  

Sorry, I know that was so choppy. Overall, it was such a fun day. It's nice to go to Disney for the whole day once in a while and with new people - it just creates a different experience. Plus, anything that comes out of Kathleen and Melanie's mouth just makes me die, even if we do just scroll through Instagram and talk shit about people 80% of the time. ^-^

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

• I did Snowbunny Blast on Blogilates. It was no joke.
• Thankfully, my morning labs aren't in session yet, so I started at 1. However, my day went until 9:30 with only a half hour break for lunch, so I was exhausted. I can tell that Wednesdays are going to be the worst...
• I started Parks & Rec Season 7 (!!!) during dinner time.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

• I went to my JumpStart session in the morning. The kids make me smile so much. 
• I went to the first lecture of OT 261, Physiology. It was so nice to be reunited with my Anatomy classmates - we had a lot of catching up to do on the shuttle to HSC.
• The teacher is definitely very different from OT 260. I actually really liked Dr. Havens. Though Dr. Dominguez means well, his voice was so boring. I'm considering taking handwritten notes next week.
• I was so tired when I got home, but Ben pushed me to the gym!

Friday, January 15, 2016

• I got to wake up late again! Thank god for only one class in the afternoon on Fridays. I took advantage of my morning and did Snowbunny Blast again. 
• It definitely did not feel like a Friday. 
• Cheryl took me home later that evening and we stopped for dinner before I headed home. I'm so thankful for her presence in my life and that I have a friend who is down to get thai food with me at 9 PM on a Friday night. 
• I was so grateful to be home. School is exhausting, and I miss my mom and my dad and my dog and my sisters and my bed. I feel like I'm going to be going home a lot more this semester. I wish winter break went on forever.

Hi!

Campus is so pretty <3

I'm currently sitting in my apartment at USC watching E! with Ben on Twitter next to me. I just finished cutting name cards out for my JumpStart session next week, but, before that, I was watching the mid-season premiere of Pretty Little Liars (it was soo000ooo good I'm sooo00oo excited).

Ben and I returned back to school yesterday. I didn't get the chance to blog just because I was so busy getting back into the swing of things. I totally forgot what it felt like to have obligations, places to be, and not a lot of time to do it. 

Ben in his natural habitat..

My class didn't start until 1 PM yesterday, so I had the whole morning to get settled in - I unpacked some clothes, cleaned my room, and organized my desk before doing my makeup and watching Gossip Girl (simultaneously). Ben and I then went to have lunch at the closest dining hall to our apartment, Cafe 84. 

I struggled to find GEOL 107: Oceanography afterward. My good friend, Cheryl, and my apartment-mate, Christine, are both in my class, so it was nice to see some familiar faces. After all, the classroom was literally packed. Like, 240 kids elbow-to-elbow. I had never been in a class so full before. Our teacher was British and told us all about the mystery of the ocean and how interesting the semester would be. Compared to some of the GE's I've taken (East Asian Societies, Environmental Challenges), this one doesn't seem all that bad. Plus, I found an old version of the textbook online, so I just saved $90.

Afterwards, I had 10 minutes to get to my next class so I rushed to PSYC 355: Social Psychology on my bike. The classroom design is interesting and not like any other lecture I'd ever been in. I had to find a seat towards the back since I arrived a little late. The professor was funny, and the class seems so interesting (and there is no required textbook, which makes me happier than it should ^-^). We're basically learning about why people act the way that they do. I'm so happy to finally be taking courses that truly spark my interest.

Although we were supposed to end at 3:50, he let us out early. I met Ben at the bookstore and ended up buying a white USC hat that had caught my interest during our visit earlier that day at the sidewalk sale.

Doheny is never this empty - I had to take a pic

What's so funny is that my next class PSYC 201: The Science of Happiness, a general education course, is taught by the exact same teacher in the exact same room. He was still funny, but his introductory jokes were less funny the second time around. This class is highly-coveted, so I'm excited to finally have a good GE. I also feel like there will be some overlap between this and PSYC 355. I can't even convey how happy I am to finally have courses relevant to everyday life and to my major.

Afterwards, I went to the gym. It was my first time using the lockers because I finally purchased a (shitty) lock from the bookstore. I'm trying to go the gym every day when I have the time - as of now, I hate it. I want to die when I'm on the elliptical, but, somehow, I make it to the end (probably because I watch Gossip Girl). The gym is Ben's second home, and our breaks in between classes overlap, so I see him there. I don't know how I feel about Ben seeing me at the gym - I don't think I care, haha.

Walking back to my apartment

We ate at the dining hall for dinner again, just because we hadn't been grocery shopping yet. I went to a JumpStart team meeting afterwards. That evening, we relaxed at my apartment before going to sleep early. 

This morning, I unwillingly woke up at 8 AM to make it to my JumpStart preschool by 9:00. It was nice being there and hanging out with the little kids again - I'm so happy most of them remember my name and were there to run up and hug me when I walked in. My favorites are Estrella and Caitlyn and Tiffany - especially Estrella. She used to speak only Spanish but now she knows a lot of English, but seeing her communicate is so funny and adorable. She doesn't struggle  We played with puzzles, clay, popsicle sticks, and read books. I stayed through lunch, where the kids ate fish sticks and saltines (I had like 12 crackers, lol.)

On the way home from Ralph's

Afterward, I met Ben at home and we decided to take a trip on our bikes to Ralph's. We had never done so before, but we didn't want to waste money on an Uber when Ralph's is literally a half mile away. I'm wary about walking places, just because homeless people scare me. We got what we needed to get and biked back.

   

Ben made lunch (he's so much better of a chef than I am) - macaroni and cheese with bacon bits and bread crumbs. It doesn't look particularly good or sound good by its description, but it was fucking amazing. 

    

I went to the Tutor Campus Center Family Room to get some reading done for my classes before heading to the gym. I wanted to quit so badly and go home and eat coconut dark chocolate granola bits (my favorite lately). But I did 60 minutes on the elliptical. I met Chef Ben at home as he was finishing cooking up our dinner of breaded chicken and rice pilaf. I decided to sauté some spinach for a healthier alternative to the rice pilaf. Needless to say, dinner was also fucking amazing. We haven't cooked at home in a really, really long time, so I forgot how annoying dishes and cleaning up is. 

Afterward, Ben had a night class, so I stayed at home, did laundry, watched Pretty Little Liars and E! News, and finished up JumpStart prep. 

I'm so happy to get to relax here with Ben at the apartment and do our own thing, but I do miss my home. I got a letter from Camille today that she was assigned to write for her class, and it was really sweet to hear her say "thanks" for things since she's not a very heartfelt person. 

So far, I have a good feeling about second semester. My classes don't seem too work-intensive, and I think I have my priorities set straighter. Hopefully, this positivity will carry out through the whole semester. I think I'm going to use this blog more as a reflection of the days + a photo diary rather than an entertainment source. I do enjoy it and I think it will help me keep my memory of my days clear I'm also still figuring out the style and layout of this too - I'm not entirely satisfied with it at the moment. Hopefully, for my own benefit, I can keep it up.

I didn't really take photos today because I had an appointment in the afternoon to get a replacement phone, and if I had taken photos they wouldn't have been backed up on my computer. Tori and I went to 10:30 mass at Sacred Heart because Camille and my parents went to a Clipper game at 12:30 with my Aunt Odette, Uncle Bimbi, Grandma Olga, Uncle Carlo, and Camille's friend, Brady. Afterwards, we picked up Gillian and went to Target, where Gillian bought a 3DS. I picked up some groceries and toiletries for school. Then, we met Ben at Panera - I tried the Chicken Soba Noodle Salad with peanut sauce. Afterwards, we went home before leaving for Brea Mall around 4. I was so happy they were able to replace my phone for no charge! :) I also picked up some fleece-lined leggings from urban (the deal right now is so good - normally $16, but 2 for $10!).

Today is my last day of winter break. :( I'm still at home because my class isn't until 1 tomorrow, and I kind of want to relish in these last few hours of freedom, even though I'll be back soon enough. Since I didn't start this blog until the last week of break, following is a reflection of every day of these past four weeks - mostly for me to remember this break more vividly. So, I decided to just put a photo and a couple snippets of what I remember (p.s. these sentences are really choppy and have no flow whatsoever).

Wednesday, 12/16: 

Mom & I went to the DMV to get my replacement license. My balayage appointment went for 5 hours. We took Tori & Camille to voice.

Thursday, 12/17: 

I took Tori & Camille to Disney before we started to get blocked out for the holidays. We parked in a parking lot far away. We also went to animation academy this day, but I can't remember who we drew - it might have been Jack Skellington.

Friday, 12/18: 

We picked up Kristy & Camille from school because Tori went to her friend's birthday. We went to Ajisen Ramen and picked out our pajamas from Sears at Puente Hills Mall. We also went to Friendsmas at Lucy's house. Hubert's Secret Santa present was secret deodorant, much to Lucy's dismay. I got Justin Bieber's album and Ben got a Star Wars water bottle. We brought chicken.

Saturday, 12/19: 

We put together cereal boxes and tags as favors for Camille's birthday. Ben and I went to Katrina's graduation party. Kathleen's dad kept telling everyone I wanted the chocolate cake. It was raining. I also took Ben to 5:30 mass.

Sunday, 12/20:

 AHH! The pajamas & pancakes party for Camille's 11th birthday was a success. Everyone showed up in their pajamas, even the adults. Ben and I ran the omelet station, but I sucked. We also sang Marvin's Room on karaoke. That night, we went to Target but the gingerbread house I found was crumbled. We decorated Mickey gingerbread men instead.

Monday, 12/21:

 We ate sushi with a bunch of Camille's friends and then went to Puente Hills Mall. The only photo I took this day was this selfie. It was my first time curling only the ends of my hair inward.

Tuesday, 12/22:

 I ate Thai food with Sabah and Jessica. Ben and I were gonna go ice skating but it was too late so we went to Brea Mall for some last minute Christmas gifts, but I can't even remember if we got anything. I also bought the cardigan in the photo from TJ Maxx literally right before we went to Brea Mall because I thought we were gonna go ice skating. We got pho for dinner. I found a hair in my pho at the beginning. They still charged me.

Wednesday, 12/23:

 Ben and I had to go to USC to pick up my mom's gift that got delivered literally the day after I left. It was a Basin White scrub. Then, we went hiking with Lucy, Clarissa, Kyle, and Jessica, at Schabarum but we got lost. We then ate at Bulgogi House and went to zero degrees. I think I tried something green tea, and we also played Jenga there. I took Tori and Camille to Downtown Disney for ice skating. It was easier than Anaheim Ice, but there were still some falls and wall grabbing. 

Thursday, 12/24:

 I really can't remember. I picked Ben and Kristy up. We hung out at home. Ben and I made Tori take photos of us in the front yard, but I didn't love them. The Hernandez family came over. Ryan got a hoverboard and I couldn't figure it out so I just looked like I was taking a dump. We had White Elephant and a lot of the gifts were really good, but there was also spam and corn beef up for grabs. 

Friday, 12/25:

 I got so much makeup from my mom it was beautiful. My favorite is the Anastasia Beverly Hills contour cream kit <3 We opened presents before heading to church and going to grandma's house. Ben was happy with BB-8. I loved my Swarovski earrings. We also decorated sweater cookies that night. 

Saturday, 12/26:

 We went to the cemetery to visit my dad's mom - it was super windy. We then went to a Korean BBQ place after where you get what you want from the buffet. I won $40 from the Lottery. I got my rose gold iPhone 6s plus. 

Sunday, 12/27:

 We went to Paradise Pier for breakfast with the Gees and the Tubons. It was yummier than I remembered. We sang Happy Birthday to all the December babies. I also went to Melanie's Surprise Bday at Anaheim White House. 

Monday, 12/28:

 It was Camille's birthday! We went to Mountain High. I got better at skiing. Ben was a pro. We took lessons - my mom was over it after an hour. Tori's boots were too tight on her. Their instructors were really nice. I went up the Roadrunner but I cried before I did it. It was honestly probably the highlight of my break. 

Tuesday, 12/29:

 A bunch of us - like, literally, 15 or something, went to Peter Pan at the Pasadena Playhouse. The elevator was full. Adam Sandler sat in our freaking row. The show was funnier than I remember. I still think Sabrina Carpenter looks like a midget. It was basically her concert though. But Tori and Gillian and everyone else freaked out. 

Wednesday, 12/30: 

I finally took Ben to watch Star Wars. It was actually pretty interesting from my perspective, having never seen any of the movies before. Afterward, we went to go get poke and played Just Dance at home.

Thursday, 12/31:

 I took Tori and Camille to LACMA. We stopped at Urth in DTLA first - it was their first time having it. Camille was over the art. Everything was pretty aesthetic. We had a party at home with the Perez family. We danced to One Direction. I almost fell asleep. 

Friday, 01/01:

 Ben and I went to Irvine Spectrum, but all the stores closed pretty early. I was looking for tan booties. We waited forty minutes to eat tofu soup. I got boba at the lollicup nearby and was amazed at all the employee benefits. We then went to Snow Monster. 

Saturday, 01/02: 

I took Camille to dollar tree to get a gift for Corey Fogelmanis (teddy bear, sour patch, and a card). My mom is so nice to take us back to the Pasadena Playhouse so Tori could meet Sabrina Carpenter and get all her twitter videos. We ended up seeing her at Urth. I got a photo with Peter Pan. We went to Target. Sara Carpenter has an R2D2 bag. We waited for an hour by the cast entrance but the cast never came out. 

Sunday, 01/03:

 We ate at Cali grill after church and they recognized us. We went to Disneyland and took lots of PhotoPass photos. We got home late. 

Monday, 01/04:

 My dad and I went everywhere to try to get my phone fixed. I didn't have a means to take photos. I stayed at home for the night and made this blog. 

Tuesday, 01/05:

 It was raining but I had my USC umbrella. Ben and I tried this chinese place. I got biang biang but there was a hair. We played uno at this boba place on lemon after picking up the girls. We went to go see Sisters at Puente Hills Mall and then ate bomb Thai food. 

Wednesday, 01/06:

 I ate Boiling Point with my mom. She took me to Puente Hills Mall and I bought stuff. We later went to DSW. I made Ben take photos of me outside of Camille's gymnastics. We made s'mores. 

Thursday, 01/07:

 We had lunch at MJ. We went to the post office. We went to Disneyland. Details below.

Friday, 01/08: 

We were supposed to go to Universal. We went to Bowl of Heaven, then the Shoppes, then the park, then Ben's house, then my house to make ravioli and pasta carbonara. I bought 5 Second Rule..

Saturday, 01/09:

 We went to half & half, South Coast Plaza, watched Star Wars, and had pizza for dinner.

Sunday, 01/10:

 Tori and I went to church, then Target, then Panera, then Brea Mall, then ate curry at home and played Five Second Rule. 

It was such a relaxing and fulfilling break - I wish it never had to end. I feel like I got to do all the stuff I wanted to do. While traveling would have been nice, I am grateful for all the time at home and the people I got to spend this break with. 

I'm so happy I started this blog too. I realized I'm doing it mostly for me. I feel like I used to remember everything, but, now, it all becomes jumbled in my head. I hope I can keep this blog up, even though I know soon things will be so busy.