Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Update on Australia #3

WE WILL BE HITTING THESE MAJOR CITIES: Darwin to Perth, then Sydney to Brisbane!

Here is a map of the first leg of the trip....




And here is the second leg!





There is too much excitement that I can't contain. I'm already thinking to myself "drive on the left side of the road, left side, left side, left side." It'll be weird to get used to at first, but I bet we'll be so used to it by the end of 7 weeks.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Update on Australia #2

The camper van was booked this past weekend and I feel a bit more secure now that our plans are solidifying. I decided to post another update because I just finished applying for a visa! It was simple to do online, and the processing should only take one day.

I've been getting more and more excited about the trip ever since people have begun to ask "So, what are you doing this summer?" There are only 30 days left until we begin the trip of a lifetime and I'm getting pumped to be traveling with someone to share this experience with. At the beginning of this article, the girl on the left is going to be me and the one on the right would totally look like Dani.


Meanwhile, as the plans continue evolving, take a look at these adorable kangaroos.




Day 141 through Day 150

Day 141 ( Thursday, May 21 )
Finally conquered the potato chip hike which was approximately 7 miles round trip. It has been on my bucket list for a while and it was well worth it. In total, it took us three and a half hours to complete but I felt on top of the world afterward.




Day 142 ( Friday, May 22 )
Left for North Dakota at 4:30 am for NACURH. Here was our crest to represent the school. It was designed by our committee but one of our wonderful delegates, Christy, did an outstanding job creating this work of art in Photoshop.





Day 143 ( Saturday, May 23 )
Our delegation made it safely to North Dakota State University!



Day 144 ( Sunday, May 24 )

Group photo with everyone!


Day 145 ( Monday, May 25 )
Hidden batman!

Day 146 ( Tuesday, May 26 )
 Today is the day I became a part of the RA family during the "Willing of the Halls". I hope I can leave my own legacy and be as special as all these RAs that have come before me.


Day 147 ( Wednesday, May 27 )
Mayim Bialik decided to stop by our school today. She's the neurobiologist in The Big Bang Theory!


Day 148 ( Thursday, May 28 )

I was walking home and heard the band playing a variety Disney songs from Pirates of the Caribbean, Lion King and Tarzan. It was nice to take a moment to sit and clear my mind from a long day.

Day 149 ( Friday, May 29 )
Bonfire pit! I find it hilarious when people from out of state ask if we really do have palm trees in California. We live in palm tree paradise.

Day 150 ( Saturday, May 30 )

Went out for dinner with my favorite ladies. I've been munching on chocolate lately and saw this lovely message. Gave myself permission to relax and recharge today.




Friday, May 15, 2015

Day 131 through Day 140

Day 131 ( Monday, May 11 )
I spent a total of 7 hours in the basement today working with data and writing my lab report. The room has no name and it sounds unappealing but I like working there every now and then because I feel more productive.



Day 132 ( Tuesday, May 12 )
I found a girl who has the same cover as I do!




Day 133 ( Wednesday, May 13 )
Low ponytail for today. Low ponytail equates to not as much energy.


Day 134 ( Thursday, May 14 )
Went to view the premiere for pitch perfect 2. The seats were so fancy with the reclining options.
(Forgot to take a photo)

Day 135 ( Friday, May 15 )
Looked across the street and saw this view of the sky. Rain drops lightly fell while I was preparing to go out to class, so I bundled up. By the time I walked out the door, it was no longer sprinkling and when I reached the bus stop, the sun had come out and the sky was teasing me. Here was the view across the street from where I was standing.



UPDATE on May 25, 2015 regarding Disneyland Day:
Check out this video we created to record memories from this special day. Also! My friend wrote about our trip in more detail here.

Day 136 ( Saturday, May 16 )
I literally had coffee every single weekday this past week.
(mocha Monday, white mocha Tuesday, iced vanilla latte Wednesday, iced mocha Thursday, and an iced caramel macchiato Friday) Today was the first day I withdrew from coffee and it was not a pretty sight. Later in the day, I went rollerskating in a skater skirt! The last time I can recall rollerblading was probably about 8 years ago.





Day 137 ( Sunday, May 17 )
Disneyland day! Ate chili on a chilly day and four Tritons rode King Triton's carousel. Here are some pictures below:







 I haven't laid my hands on a park hopper pass in a while because it's so expensive, but we were able to obtain discounted tickets through the college. I finally rode the tower of terror for my first time!! It was way better than I anticipated. I haven't put myself on that ride because I was afraid of free falling. It was a great feeling to get over that fear a little.



Day 138 ( Monday, May 18 )
Rode on the back of a golf cart today! I've ridden a golf cart several times before, but I haven't ridden one backwards since I was scouting camp locations for Camp Firework approximately 4 years ago!




Day 139 ( Tuesday, May 19 )
Tonight was the night of the Rezzies, which is a ceremony to celebrate all the hard work of the student leaders on campus. Here's a photo of our planning committee! Cheers to my first time presenting a fancy award, with a thick shiny envelope in front of a ton of dressed up people. I have always wanted to open a fancy envelope at a ceremony and I finally had the chance to do so!!

I was able to say "This award is presented to a program that is original to the campus, original in design, and original in implementation." The microphone ended up falling off the stand and hitting me, but at least I didn't trip while I was on stage!



Day 140 ( Wednesday, May 20 )
Midterms were handed back to each student individually. There are approximately 400 students in the class and we each had to practice patience today.



Afterward, I got dinner with my good friend Dallas and I tried a gymnastics class for the first time in a decade. At the end of the class, I was able to do a front flip and land on my feet. That was a large enough of a success for me! 

Basically, there were a ton of "firsts" this week! Or at least the first time doing something in a long time: roller skating, riding tower of terror, riding a golf cart backwards, presenting a fancy award and performing a front flip. It feels good to step outside of the comfort zone every now and then. 



Sunday, May 10, 2015

Personalities of Positive People: Mom

I've been wanting to start this little segment for a while to celebrate and thank the wonderful people in my life. We are an average of the people we spend the most time with and this woman has most definitely shaped who I am today.

I can't think of a better way to begin than by celebrating Mom for Mother's Day. 



Dear Mom, I admire you for your endless strength and you never cease to amaze me by being the woman that you are. You're so very far away right now, but that's okay because my love will always travel halfway across the world for you. Thank you for always doing your best for me and Kevin as well as providing everything for us. I can never thank you enough for all that you do. You are absolutely beautiful inside and out. Mahal na mahal kita mama. 

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Day 121 through Day 130

Day 121 ( Friday, May 1 )
 Kuncocshun festival today! I was able to meet Haley Kiyoko, who played Velma in Scooby-Doo. 



Day 122 ( Saturday, May 2 )
Good life festival today!  "Lettuce turnip the beet" ;)
The hamster ball on the water was my favorite part! 





Day 123 ( Sunday, May 3 )
Sun God festival today! Had fun with friends, and we had a spontaneous,  mini - photo shoot beforehand. The funnel cake tasted amazing and it makes me miss the summer fairs. I haven't been on a super slide in a while and the last one that I can recall was probably 3 years ago at Oktoberfest!!




Day 124 ( Monday, May 4 )
My phone ran out of battery because it was a busy day and I was unable to snap a photo. 

Day 125 ( Tuesday, May 5 )
No photo. Tuesdays are my busy days with class from 9 am until 7:30 pm. I haven't been able to take a photo a day for every day of 2015 which is upsetting to me. But I have to come to terms that this project isn't perfect and it'll be okay. Life happens, you know? 

Day 126 ( Wednesday, May 6 )

Caramel Macchiato. Look at that swirl. 


Day 127 ( Thursday, May 7 )

Drew a marigold out of boredom. There's something so perfect about brand new expo markers when the ink flows freely.






Day 128 ( Friday, May 8 )

At the Dive- in Movie we provided Chipotle because Fat Amy gets shot with a burrito during Pitch Perfect. Since it's a movie in a pool, I guess it could be called a poovie; hooray for smashing words together! I always have so much fun prepping for events like these, where everyone comes together to have a great time. It did take a while to inflate all the inflatables though. Thank goodness for an automatic air pump because it really saved my lungs.




Day 129 ( Saturday, May 9 )

AVENGERS MOVIE. I'm getting too old for movie theaters though and it's difficult to stay awake in the comfy theater seats past midnight. 

Day 130 ( Sunday, May 10)

I have been having too many "lazy days" lately. I just have too much going on that I feel overwhelmed and I don't know where to start. I caught up on sleep, studied for a few hours, and did laundry. I forgot that enrollment is coming around so quickly but I was able to figure out my classes for next school year! The plan is to take biochemistry, genetics, and physics.



Thursday, April 30, 2015

Flashback to high school today...

 I finally treated myself to an iced white mocha this morning and the barista said I looked so happy to have caffeine. I've been limiting myself to a 2 cups of coffee a week because too much caffeine gives me a headache but just the right amount will give me a little extra energy when I need it.

This morning at 8 am, I spent four hours in lab and performed column chromatography in order to separate an unknown compound. The mixture contained several colored components and as they distinctly separated throughout the column, the red, orange and yellow hues were so pretty to look at.

The procedure for the lab was long in comparison to previous labs and I couldn't help but think back to four years ago in high school when I voluntarily took a biotechnology class. Someone was surprised that I was able to take that class at a public high school...(Shout out to my dad who worked hard to ensure I could go to a great public school, and to my mom for supporting these decisions.)

I was feeling so happy to be able to complete the lab procedure that I sent a message to my teacher, thanking her for all her hard work. Later in the day I came across this list of random acts of kindness and thanking a teacher was #13 on this wonderful list. What a great coincidence.

The weather feels pretty hot, at almost 80 degrees, and it's the first day that really feels so close to summer. While walking back home in the heat, there was a small street market going on and I noticed people huddling around tables set up with books. I browsed around and picked up an easy read just for the heck of it. I haven't "read for fun" in quite some time and I can't wait to sit back, relax and enjoy the book in this SoCal heat. 

My challenge for you today is to think of a teacher or someone who has made a positive impact on you. Really think about it...

Send a message to that person and let them know the impact they have had on your life. When was the last time you were able to send some heartfelt thanks to someone special? Do it today! :)

Link to the list:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/101-easy-ideas-for-random-acts-of-kindness#.rqO6nVjBO

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Day 111 through Day 120

 Day 111 ( Tuesday, April 21 )
Printed all my labs and notes for the rest of the quarter and I felt so guilty printing it all in one shot. This college journey sure is expensive.




 Day 112 ( Wednesday, April 22 )
Someone complimented me on my lip gloss today. I think it looks pretty good on my mug too. The mug was more of a spontaneous buy back in March. 



 Day 113 ( Thursday, April 23 )
Got some froyo from yogurtland today and it took me a while to decide which flavors to choose. I ended up selecting plain tart, cookies n' cream and tangerine sorbet. It sounds like a weird combination but I like each individual flavor. Topped it all off with cheesecake, mango popping boba and mochi!

I was later told I looked like a turtle with no neck while sporting my infinity scarf. The weather has been slightly chilly recently so don't blame me for wearing one in the second half of April! (Wait, it's already almost the end of April. How in the world did that happen?!) 





 Day 114 ( Friday, April 24 )
I was looking down at the ground and passed by this number 35 written in chalk. Whoever wrote this had really nice handwriting; I mean, look at those curves ;) I think this number spoke to me because I was #35 back in elementary school... (or maybe I was #33) It made me sad to think back and realize there were so many students in one room with just one teacher. Teachers really do a lot for their students...


Day 115 ( Saturday, April 25 )
This photo is of terrible quality and I don't pass by this tunnel of yellow too often so unfortunately this was the only shot I was able to take. 
I used to hate on the color yellow but one day I realized it can be bright and happy like yellow canaries, rays of sunshine, big sunflowers and beautiful daffodils :) 


Day 116 ( Sunday, April 26 )
Took a spontaneous walk to the beach today after work then bought a well deserved cookies n' cream milkshake. I didn't think I would tan, but I later realized that my face and shoulders were a shade darker. At the beach, so many people took the ropes and flew to the sky today. I spot 8 paragliders in this one photo below. There were others behind me as well when I took this photo. Paragliding and hanggliding are on my impossible list, which means I should complete them one day while I'm still here in this beautiful location.

I used Google maps and I just realized I wound up walking 5 miles. (No wonder it took 4 hours.) Usually it only takes about 2 hours or so and my knees end up being a little tired, but today, I was trying something new. I'm trying to slow down. I am attempting to make a conscious effort to slow my pace of walking and my pace of life. I was able to walk and take a moment to pause and reflect and you know what? It felt pretty darn good. Why walk so fast when if you could, instead, slow down to enjoy the moment and arrive in the same destination only a few minutes later. Try it. Take a moment, slow down and think. 


Day 117 ( Monday, April 27 )
No photo :( Sorry about that. 

Day 118 ( Tuesday, April 28 )
Today there was a vigil that was held for the Nepal earthquake. 



Day 119 ( Wednesday, April 29 )
Beautiful sunrise around 6:20 am on my way to work. There wasn't much color, but it sure was bright, spreading rays across the field. 

I was inspired by the sunrise to wear a dress full of sunshine and put up my hair in a braid. I would say it was for "no special occasion". but every day is worth it. I believe that every day is a special day because it's another chance to be happy and to make someone else happy. 

My hair took around 10 minutes or so, although I expected it to take longer. After braiding, I just had to stick a bunch of bobby pins all over my head to make it stay. Then Voilà. Bobby pins are magical.




Day 120 ( Thursday, April 30 )
As I was preparing lunch for myself, I noticed these inspirational paper towels. The one below says "Gardening is a way of showing you believe in tomorrow" and "Friends are flowers in a life's garden". There was another one that said "Seeds of the day are the flowers of tomorrow".



Here is my product from lab. After evaporation, it was such a pretty color and looked like the plume of a phoenix feather. Absolutely gorgeous.




Thursday, April 23, 2015

Random Quote

Came across this quote today: 

"If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely" 

Thought I would share it here because it made me chuckle. 

Be sure to smile today. Make today a good one!

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Day 101 through Day 110

 Day 101 ( Saturday, April 11 )
Today was a pretty lazy day. Only reason to get out of bed was to watch the sunset at the cliffs.  

 Day 102 ( Sunday, April 12 )

Someone complimented my necklace today. It serves as a reminder of summer vibes. (And Hawaii, of course)



 Day 103 ( Monday, April 13 )
No photo. The week just started and it's been stressful. I think I'm sinking because I've taken on too much this quarter. I need to be more aware of my limits and how much I can handle.


 Day 104 ( Tuesday, April 14 )

Pants and patterns. I like this pair of navy blue and maroon.


 Day 105 ( Wednesday, April 15 )
Went to an event called Tunnel of Oppression. The one scene that stood out to me the most was in regard to depression and suicide. Overall, after much consideration, I realized how far I have come, and how far my friends and family have come. It was refreshing to recognize the strength that it took to get through the tough times because things are all good now and I am so grateful for that.

I finally received my new glasses. I passed through this place that Wong Fu used in one of their videos. I even got to meet Manny the Mammoth. 



Day 106 ( Thursday, April 16 )
Went to the mall and passed by this fountain. I haven't seen real dolphins in a while, but these are pretty gorgeous.




Day 107 ( Friday, April 17 )

I may have gotten a new tshirt? I might return it though.

Day 108 ( Saturday, April 18 )

I slept through my alarm. No photo for today because it was just fairly...."average". Nothing too exciting.

Day 109 ( Sunday, April 19 )

No photo. Not on top of my game right now. My usual self is just all over the place recently because bills are stacking up, I haven't heard from people in ages, and miscommunication galore. My room is physically messy and my mind is frazzled. I am too overwhelmed at the moment. Summer vacation please come sooner. 

Day 110 ( Monday, April 20 )
Photo for basic points! I attended Office Hours... OH ... basic. Chem jokes...