Life = Pie

Life is like a pie. Our lives are divided into different slices of pie. These slices may include health, family, friends, school, career, and travel, among others. It is completely filled with multiple categories, but we, including myself, forget and focus on certain slices of pie only. Remember there are so many things in life that matter, not just ONE specific slice. It may be hard to spread one's time out to allocate to each slice, but one may CHOOSE to make time. I myself am learning this so much more ever since this summer. Yes, there isn't enough time to do everything. But YOU get to choose what fills your time to have a balanced lifestyle.

September Adventures Recap

September 14: LA Fair

Every year, my family and I go to the LA Fair. As always, it was another one for the books. This year the theme is: "LA County Fair Goes Pop!" This encompassed pop culture, popular LA landmarks, technology, contemporary artists, movies, books, and superheroes, among others revolving around LA. A year ago when I went with my family, I was having one of my worst anxiety attacks in my college career. It was hard for me to have fun, with my thoughts, overthinking, and overanalyzing consumed the best of me. This year, I let loose, focusing purely on family time and letting everything work itself out. The best way possible. It was so much fun sharing memories and taking a bunch of photos of my family with the the art pieces at the LA Pop Architecture exhibit especially, with landmarks including Hollywood sign, Santa Monica Pier, Chinatown, and Randy's Donuts, among others. Seeing all the collectors' items was also incredible. So many different collections, making me rethink all the items I have collected in specific categories over the years. We also tried a new drink this year, watermelon lime aid. It was good! The photography and artworks were always my favorite exhibits to see. So many different perspectives and amazing stories told through a single visual, hitting multiple emotions in me. Last but not forgotten, the baked goods! Cakes, cupcakes, and cookies, among others were so creative and delicious to look at. Definitely another family adventure in the books.

September 15: Ax Throwing

My sister and I tried something new! Ax throwing! It was so much fun! I was nervous at first, not really knowing if I'll be able to throw the ax and land on the actual board. After learning from our instructor and many many throws, my ax landed on the board finally! Like the movie, Dodgeball, "You gotta get angry! You gotta get mean!" I had this saying playing on repeat in my head for a bit to help me throw. It helped for a bit. After some time, I just throw without thinking too much. Just throw and have fun! That was my new motto soon after. Before we were about to end our session, I was able to hit bullseye! It felt so good! Ax throwing is honestly something different but a must try. 

September 19: The Port of Peri Peri

Caught up with a friend while trying a new place, The Port of Peri Peri. It was a really nice hangout and the food was good. We both got the chicken and rice bowl. I got it just lemon herb flavored. It was good but the rice was spicy. My tongue was on fire the entire meet up, but it was really good overall. The chicken was tender and the rice was just right.

September 21: Arts Tune Up

I went to my first networking event by myself! My parents dropped me off at the Arts Tune Up, an event that was hosted by Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. I was nervous at first going in, but it was really nice and a great opportunity to listen to people with experience in the arts and entertainment industries teach us about branding, opportunities, online presence, and safe space, among others. I'm really happy I decided to go and do this on my own, with the help of my supportive parents.

September 21: Concert Under the Stars

This concert marks the third concert I attended in the four years here at CSUF. I skipped one year because I got sick the previous year and was afraid I'll get sick again. I was able to catch up with a lovely friend of mine who I haven't sat down with in so long and just have a nice girl talk in a long while over dinner and the concert. The concert had the theme of Peace, Love, and Music! A great way to end my last year at Fullerton!

September 22: Golf Range

I never golfed before, except mini golfing. When a friend suggested golfing, I was down to do something new but a bit nervous. It was fun! Definitely have a lot to learn and a lot of wiggle room for improvement. I was happy though I was able to land my golf balls in the water and land one of my last ones further in the water than I did before. Woot woot! Progress! It was also really great to get to know a new friend. We got dinner at Zewadeh Mediterranean Grill. I got the chicken shawarma. It was good! It was a little dry, but with the hummus, it was great.

September 25: First ART POPS at Begovich Gallery and National Comic Book Day

As you may know, I love art. When I found out there was an art gallery pop up at school, I had to try to attend. That's exactly what I did! I went before my class started and loved it! It felt as if it was something I needed just at the right time. I was feeling a bit out of my element and reconnecting with my emotions with the help of art and enjoying the beauty and creativity of art was just the best thing. I left the gallery to my class with such a full heart. It was amazing. To top it off, I read my first comic book that night! I bought my first two comic books at LA Fair and finally read it. Little did I know it was actually National Comic Books Day when I read my first one. It was cool! I can't wait to read the second one I got when I get some free time to sit down and enjoy it. Until then! 

World Mental Health Day

Today is World Mental Health Day. Mental health has began to shed some light into society as people are aware of it more and making the topic less taboo. 

Everyone experiences mental health issues at some point in his or her life. Mental health ranges from a huge spectrum including but not limited to the following: anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, drug addiction, and personality disorders. Each person faces a different inner battle everyday. This inner battle can span from mild to extreme. It can last a few minutes to a lifetime. It is a constant uphill battle for many on the extreme side. Even for those on the mild side, the mental health issue may come in waves. One minute a person is fine. The next minute may be a completely different story. As mental health becomes less of a taboo subject, people are able to open up their mental health problems and share their stories and situations with others. Mental health conditions are not experienced by only a handful but many. We are all in the same boat. You are not going through this alone. 

I had my first major anxiety attack in my senior year of high school. At the time, I had no idea what it was until my freshman year in college after talking about what I went through in high school to a friend. As a current senior in college right now, I can definitely say, I have had my fair share of anxiety attacks, from mild too extreme. I am no expert, but one of my triggers of anxiety attacks is closely academic related. Not always we know how and why our mental health issue appears. But once we know where it stems from, we learn more about ourselves and learn how to adapt and see the triggers that associate to it. For me, it took me about four years to realize I cannot control and plan out my ideal schedule as events, assignments, and situations, among others show up without warning. I felt there isn't enough time to do all the stuff I need to get done as I know my limits as a student when it comes to learning, understanding, and studying. However, everything works out in your favor whether you realize it then or not. It will be okay. Take one day, one step, one thing at a time. This has helped me and hopefully it may help you as well. 

Know you are not alone on this. Mental health is a sensitive and important topic that we all need to learn to discuss with others more. It is something we should be talking about and not avoiding. Speak how you feel. Share your uphill battle stories. Check in with people who may seem everything is fine. Life gets hard as each day goes by. Just know it is and will be okay.  

The Chinese Lady

Weekends call for adventures! Sometimes it includes theatre and catching up with old friends.

Last Saturday, I spent the night with an old friend of mine who I haven't hanged out with since freshman year. Time really does fly by. Now we're both in our senior year in college. It was good to finally hang out again and pig out as foodies together.

First stop was dinner. We stopped at Savoy and got Hainan Chicken rice (not photographed). Then we got drinks popcorn chicken at Bopomofo. It was my first time trying the popcorn chicken here and it was good! It's not the typical crispy type, more meatier and just enough flavor. The sauce with it was perfect. The matcha latte was really good too. Very light and it wasn't the powder type matcha.

Then we went to see the play, The Chinese Lady, by Lloyd Suh. This play was one of the plays I worked on as a producing intern this past summer. To see it in person, the official production, from reading the actual play during the internship to experiencing the live version was amazing. There were parts of the play that I didn't even know were funny until seeing it in person, being performed before me. I definitely felt more emotions across the spectrum during the performance than reading it. I teared up and cried too. This play embodies so many messages. How others view the Chinese. What it takes to be American. What defines the American culture. The way people treat others. Inequality. Acceptance. The struggle in a different environment. Conformity. The list goes on. The Chinese Lady is about the alleged first Chinese woman to set foot on U.S. soil, Afong Moy, who is bought and showcased as a display to the American public that follows her story over a half a century. The story transcends over generations and time as it is relatable to many today and all ethnicities. I am so grateful to have been a part of this play is some way, during its pre-production stage. It was also great to see some of the people I worked with during the summer on this play. Seeing more stories that need to be told being chosen to be showcased and shared with the public is what really matters at the end of the day.

To top off a heart-wrenching story, we went to Oakobing to lighten the air with mango melon shaved ice. So good and so filling!

Definitely a night full of raw emotions, contemplating, gratitude, and lots of food I won't forget.

A New View on Women's Image

How we, females, are portrayed and viewed in society needs to change.

Currently, I am taking an Introduction to Gender Studies in Humanities course at CSUF. My professor, Professor Christian, opened my eyes to a totally different way of viewing society with some of the following issues discussed in class about the female image.

Females are portrayed in media, television, movies, and other mediums to be skinny, tone, slim, and above all, beautiful. But what defines beautiful for a female? In our society, it is to have flawless skin, to have curves, to have very little fat, to have amazing hair/hairstyle. We hold women at such a high standard, to this "ideal female figure." Do most of us females actually look like that in real life? Most of us don't. Then why do we have this as the image as what a female should be and look like? Why are we comparing females to this standard? The problem stems from a deeper and underlying reason: we, females, do this because this is what we think men want.

Females work on their appearances not exactly for themselves. They do it as they see there is this "ideal female figure" they should look like. As a result, females spend tons of money on their appearances. Hairstyles with the full-on transformation may cost a whole lot. This doesn't even include the makeup women spend for their features on their faces and nails. To top it off, most females take a longer time getting ready in the morning as opposed to males.

It surprised me to see this issue happening in front of me when I realized all my life, I knew, yet I never asked why. To hear males talk about how they spend 5 to 15 minutes in the morning was just a funny matter. It's a crazy difference but it never bothered me in the past, until now. We created an image that females are held accountable to at a very high standard, whereas we don't have an image created that males are held accountable to at a similarly high standard. It explains why females take longer in the mornings, spend on makeup, hair stylists, clothes, and nails that do not match the time and money that males take and spend by a long shot.

This image we created is all over the media. What media tells us is what we need to hold ourselves up to. We see Brie Larson, as Captain Marvel, vigorously training for nine months for her role. As a result, women and men see her on the big screens and this is one of the many that females should look like. The truth is the body Larson has developed and created took many months of training and isn't the typical body that most females will and should have. With the training, Larson was also on a Paleo meal diet. This brings me to the question again, why do we allow physical appearance and not the health of a female, to be an example of the "ideal female figure"?

Rather, we should ask an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) what is the "ideal female figure" in regards to height, weight, age, health, among other factors. The "ideal female figure" females should strive for should be healthy. A healthy female figure. A healthy female figure should be what circulates into the media, which makes males realize that should be what they want, that makes females know that this is the image of a female figure they should be comparing themselves to. By doing so, we stop and prevent the vicious cycle of making a fantasy image into realism.

The photo above is a picture of myself. I don't use human images for my posts but for this, I wanted to. As you can see, I have blemishes, I am not perfect. I don't have makeup on, I don't use it. I don't stylize my hair because I don't think it's necessary. Just a typical depiction of how I look on the daily. I want to show that it's okay not to have makeup and do all those things. We can break the cycle and create a new standard for females to follow. Create the real life standard for a female and put it in the media for the world to begin to change. Make healthy the new normal, the new standard. This will allow females to be equal with males slowly and surely. This will change the future generations to come. There will be less bullying. There will be less judgment. There will be more self-acceptance, self-assurance, and confidence.

This change is not going to be easy, as to undo what many females have learned over the years is most likely not going to happen any time soon. What we can do is to try and teach the younger female generations on accepting and creating a healthy female figure that is suited for each one of them alone. This will create a new view of women's image that is needed to reach equality in society between men and women.