Bloglovin' Platform

Hello everyone! I decided to create a Bloglovin' account again! About 5 years ago when I created one, I rarely used it and later decided to delete it. This time around, I like to really use Bloglovin' to connect with other bloggers, read other bloggers' content, and share my life and adventure stories with more people. I hope I can help others with stories, whether to motivate them, to chase after their dreams, to try new food spots or travel to new places, or just to be inspired. I hope I can someone in some way! If you like to follow me on Bloglovin', please click the link below! I'm excited to try a new platform to share my works with others!


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The Month of May

Happy 4th of May! May the FOURTH be with you! (Get it? Star Wars reference) Not only does the month of May encompass Star Wars's day, but the month of May have two very important meanings. Can you guess?

May is Mental Health Awareness Month AND Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Two very big topics that society needs to acknowledge and respect.

Mental health is a struggle for many people in the modern day, but most of us do not talk about it with others. We keep lots of our feelings inside, afraid to discuss our battles, our struggles, about our own thoughts in our minds with others. It's okay to be not okay. Nothing is more scary than to have lots of thoughts racing in one's mind. It is a constant uphill battle. But I like to say to all of you out there that are struggling with mental health, you are NOT alone. I struggle with mental health too. I get panic/anxiety attacks, and they aren't pretty. They terrify me to my core and each time I enter a state of panic/anxiety, I am worried I would not get out of the hole I dug myself into. I like to share some of the things I do to keep myself from spiraling.

1.) Breathe. Take a deep breath and breathe. Take multiple if needed. Know you are still living, you are still breathing, you are still functioning. When I get into one of those mental states, I forget I am capable. Taking a deep breath brings me back to reality, to earth, knowing I am okay.

2.) Write your worries down. A lot of times, I enter a panic/anxiety attack because I have too many things on my plate to do. What I do, I write them all down. I see what I can do now, what I can delay to do, and what I can push to a future date to work on. By writing them down, it allows me to see the big picture and sort out a plan on how to tackle all the tasks I need to do. BUT seeing all of the stuff one needs to do can be frightening. Don't worry, you got this. Know time is just an illusion, and you have the time to do them all. You are capable of managing your time wisely to be efficient and get things done in a timely fashion.

3.) Change your perspective. A lot of times, we see being busy as something overwhelming. Being busy isn't a bad thing. That just means you have things you need to attend to, whether it is schoolwork, work, or events. What should change is how you see it. Instead of painting a bad picture of being busy, paint being busy as a positive thing. You have things you need to do, meaning you have many opportunities out there waiting for you! This can mean to further your career goals, further your relationships with friends and family, or further your studies, knowledge, and personal growth. All good things! Put a positive spin on your tasks at hand.

4.) Self-affirmations-quotes and songs. For me, I love reading quotes that give me empowerment and the strength of encouragement or motivation to help me get through the difficult times. Music is another way for me to help me feel calm and rational and be able to tackle what's ahead of me. It just takes a little bit of stepping back, relaxing, and reassuring oneself that you are capable of handling it all. YOU GOT THIS. The quotes and songs also remind me that I am not alone. Many people struggle with mental health and needs that "pick me up" that will make them feel better. It's a little ray of sunshine, letting you know, everything is going to be okay.

With mental health struggles, there are also struggles for the Asian Americans. Especially in the entertainment industry. It is another constant battle that will be going on for years to come. However, we can try to change it, a little step at a time. I personally am doing a group project on the topic of Asian American representation in the entertainment industry and present some solutions to the issue. Asian Americans are making progress in the entertainment industry, slowly, gradually, but surely. One step to getting closer to representation is to support one another. Watch a movie with an Asian American actor or actress or go to a store that is owned by an Asian American. This support will speak volumes as the unity and number will be the voice for Asian Americans. This isn't only for Asian Americans either, it can go for all the minority groups out there. Support each other, and together, we can be stronger and better, together as one team!

May is full of challenges personally and ethnicity wise, but one this is for sure. May is full of strength and power as long as you see and believe it. Be strong and keep fighting. Always keep going and things will be better. Believe in the month of May. May the fourth be with you.

Heart Goes Out to Notre Dame Cathedral

It feels like just yesterday I was on my study abroad trip in Europe, lucky enough to be able to explore London, Paris, and Rome. To hear that the Notre Dame Cathedral was engulfed in flames breaks my heart. It was a beautiful iconic monument inside and out. Very honored to be have the chance to visit this gem this winter break. My heart goes out to the Paris community.

Spring Break 2019 Day 1

The first official day on Spring Break was definitely one for the books. My big sister works at St. Baldrick's Foundation and I always wanted to attend one of the head-shaving events. Woke up early to go to North Hollywood with my sister and honestly, the event was so inspiring and empowering. To see and witness the many people who come and shave their heads is amazing. I was just watching some of people get their heads shaved and felt this surge of adrenaline coursing through my spine, the chills in my veins. There's something about seeing people doing something out of the goodness of their hearts for a worthy cause that makes the event so much more meaningful. I love to one day shave my head; actually I wanted to get an undercut to meet halfway   but my sister talked me out of it. Next time! Plus it be hard to maintain as school is still in session. Maybe one day I'll have the same amount of courage to shave my head fully for a worthy cause.

Soon after staying to help out for a while, my sister and I went to Bea Bea's with friends for brunch. We ordered the black sesame pancakes and Sicilian omelet. The black sesame pancakes were moist, a little dense but still fluffy with a pretty strong black sesame flavor. The Sicilian omelet was so good! The house fries were amazing, loved and the omelet was beautiful. The omelet was had a great combination of meats and veggies, just the way I like it, without being to heavy. Just the right amount.

The next stop was my sister's Vin's place. We hanged out for a bit and waited for their other friend, Marvie to come. We went to Newport Back Bay to walk around and enjoy the beautiful blooming flowers. So pretty and peaceful. It's a secret gem that many don't know about according to Vin. I do recommend to those of you who want to check it out to wear long sleeves if you are visiting the place in the evening. I got two mosquito bites and still healing from them, so be careful! Then we headed to Eat Chow for dinner. My sister and I shared the cheesy tots and chow reuben sandwich. The cheesy tots reminded me of clam chowder. Super good! The bacon in it enhanced the flavor and the creaminess balanced out with the tots. It was also not heavy in my opinion. Beautiful cheesy tots. The sandwich was also really good. The corned beef was tender and juicy. the sauerkraut and 1000 island dressing was a great combination with it. My sauce was dripping out as I ate it, but the sauce was not overpowering at all. Definitely would come back. To walk off our dinner, we went to The CAMP, an eco-friendly retail plaza located in Costa Mesa.

A great way to start off my Spring Break. I don't think I have laughed so much in so long. All thanks to my big sister for taking me to a head-shaving event and tagging me along with her friends' adventures.

St. Baldrick's Foundation - head-shaving event 

Bea Bea's - Sicilian omelet

Black Sesame Pancakes

Newport Back Bay

Cheesy Tots

Chow Reuben Sandwich

The CAMP

March Adventures 2019 Recap

About a little less than a month ago, I turned twenty-one. Yes, the big 2-1. Feeling a bit older now, with more white hair, but definitely crazy to hear myself say I'm 21. Feels like just yesterday I was 18.

To celebrate my birthday, I was very fortunate to have spent it with my best friend, Kim, who had spring break during my birthday. Talk about perfect timing, am I right. We went to Chibiscus Ramen in the 99 Ranch Market in Alhambra and then got the Lady M Green Tea layered cake at Tan Cha. The Tonkotsu ramen was pretty good, despite it looking greasy. The cha shu was good, tender and juicy. The ramen was chewy and the egg was amazing. The Lady M Green Tea layered cake was just okay. It wasn't as fresh I have tried it at the actual Lady M store in the mall, but it was still decent and you can take the green tea flavor.

Next stop, Captain Marvel movie! I absolutely adored the movie. I love how there was so much women empowerment in the movie. It spoke miles for women, from having the main female lead played by Brie Larson show strength and power to discover her identity and stand up for herself and having Gemma Chan, an Asian American female, play a role in a huge superhero movie to playing music by female artists. Definitely one for the books.

Later on that day, I went out with family for a birthday dinner at Elite Restaurant. The food and service were not the greatest sadly to say. It used to be a great place to eat and my family would only go occasionally because the food was expensive but had quality. This time around, the waiter who served us kept telling us the stuff we ordered were sold out, so we kept changing our orders over and over again. I can't remember exactly what we ordered as a result, but we ordered dishes such as young coconut, chicken & herb soup, crab, veggies with tofu, chicken with wood ear fungus, and scallops (more reviews of food under the pictures).

A week after my birthday, my friend Melissa and I went to the Kids' Choice Awards. Melissa was able to get seats filler tickets and invited me to be her plus one. It was definitely something I was not expecting. I think the organization of the whole event could have be more structured and organized. Most or possibly all of the seat fillers were booted out of the seats the staff placed us in where the actors and actresses would sit in. It made sense to keep moving once the actors and actresses came to sit down, but the staff did not know where to place us. That was the issue. As a result, seat fillers missed about 20 minutes of the show, standing next to the restrooms outside. Later we got seated behind the technical people of the show, making it hard for majority of us to see what was happening on stage. At last, they finally gave us tickets to sit in actual seats (however my friend didn't get one so I'm not sure if it was given to everyone). It was a good experience to attend another awards show overall, especially because I was able to hang out with my friend.

After the show, we went to fill our bellies at Portillo's Hot Dogs. My far the best hot dogs I ever had. I loved it so much I had to get another after my first one! I ordered the Portillo's Beef Hot Dog that included mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickles, celery salt and sport peppers (I asked for no mustard and sport peppers). The price was really cheap as well. Low price and quality food, the best combo. My friend also ordered the strawberry short cake and offered me to try some. It was super light, not heavy at all. It was also very moist and fluffy. Definitely would go back and order both the hot dog and strawberry short cake.

The following week, I hanged out with my old roommate, Andrea, at Cafe Rio. A great catch up session and my first time at Cafe Rio. It was really good; I got the enchilada entree. Really filling and really good. The next day (Friday) before Spring Break officially starts, I hanged out with Andrea and Theresa and we headed to J's Korean Cuisine. It was so so good. We shared three dishes: J's Super Fries, Soy Garlic Wings, and Spicy Noodle & Spicy Rice Cake. The fries were amazing, very flavorful. The soy garlic wings were tender and juicy. the spicy dish was quite spicy but you just can't stop eating it! The rice cakes and the noodles were my favorite. After that, we got boba at Miss 6 Tea.  I got the jasmine green milk tea and it was just like any other jasmine green milk tea I tried in different places.

Chibiscus Ramen- Tonkotsu Ramen

Tan Cha- Lady M Green Tea Layered Cake

Elite Restaurant - young coconut, chicken & herb soup 

Chicken with wood ear fungus

crab

veggies and tofu

scallops 

Portillo's beef hot dog 

Portillo- Strawberry Short Cake 

Cafe Rio- Enchilada Entree

J's Korean Cuisine - J's Super Fries

 Soy Garlic Wings

Spicy Noodle & Spicy Rice Cake

Miss 6 Tea- Jasmine Green Milk Tea