Not Xmas Without You

Hey there,

Do you guys ever associate a holiday with one specific thing?

Every Xmas I look forward to looking at one specific piece of decor. This snow globe is just so amazing. May sound odd, but it has a certain scent to it. I can't really describe it though. Over the years I can tell that the scent is starting to go away. Before putting it away in its box, I sat on the floor and watched, listened, and smelled it lol I even got my doggie to sit there with me.

Again, sorry for it being side ways . . . have yet to figure it out still lol

ALG

Christmas [Belated]

Good morning,

I put belated in the bracket not because I had a late Xmas but because this post is well over due. Every year I look forward to receiving fuzzy socks from my grandma. These new ones were like butter compared to my old crusty ones (partly due to my baby that likes to steal fuzzy socks)! My grandma thinks that I can throw out some of my old ones, but I never do. I just keep adding to my collection!

My grandma brought all this yummy foods for us to eat for lunch. Did you see the bigger circle sushi? I love them, but that's after I poke out all the insides but the tamago and the pink fish stuff.




This year I shared the couch with my cousin (the child in the bottom left). I used to ask for all sorts of things when I was younger, but as I matured I realized the less "stuff" I get, the less "stuff" I have to find new homes for. So I mainly ask for gift cards or cash. That way I can buy what I need during the year. Didn't take pictures of the things I got but to give you an idea I got a cool little jewelry box thing, a box full of Bath & Body Works stuffs, and necklace.

After gifts I usually hang around the house or help out in the kitchen, but this year was different. My brother went to his girlfriend's house for a bit and I went to visit VW for a while. It was nice being able to hang out with my friend on Xmas. His house was so quiet compared to mine. (Get to see him tomorrow!)

That's our Xmas dinner. Being the picky eater that I am, I think I ate like 5 of the dishes on the table. Still enjoyed it though, as did the baby.



Instead of the traditional pie my mom bought these fancy little individual desserts. I let most of the family choose before I chose. I had the orange colored one in the back. Turned out to be some sort of mango jellyish thing on the outside with mango mousse on the inside.


SJ came over after dessert to give me my Xmas gift. He didn't text like usual so I was surprised when I saw him appear in the dining room. I told him a few months ago that I wanted holographic nail polish. I might have even mentioned it five months ago. He said he looked it up online because none of the places seemed to know what he was talking about. These six came as a set. I was very excited to finally get my hands on this new type of nail polish! If you have no clue what these are click here.

That sums up my Xmas. How was yours? Oh and btw Merry Christmas!

ALG

Xmas Eveish Presents

Evening,

Along with the Xmas Eve dinner we open gifts.





If you have been around me when I try to reapply lipbalm you know that my eox lipbalm is dead. I've been holding out for these babies! I have tried the green, red, and pink one so I am currently using the purple passion fruit one!





Remember the can of hot chocolate mix from a few blogs ago? Well mom bought me another one! Isn't the Stitch bag adorable?

This is the other side of the bag along with some cute gift cards and pink tights to match my lips sweater!








Sorry it's not straight, but interesting card










Found these at Kohl's last week with mom. Guess how much they cost? Originally $75!! Crazy price for these shoes in my opinion! But they were on sale for like $8! Now that is a better price. I have been looking for a pair of shoes with a rockish/edgy vibe. Saw a pair at Forever 21 but they were like $35, so these ones win!





Three new tops. Plan to wear the top two with leggings since they are long enough. The mint color shirt is so soft and comfy! What caught my eye was the detail on the shirt pocket.

Everyone ready for Christmas?

ALG

Xmas Eve Dinner

Hey there,

Every year around Xmas Eve my family has a special dinner. This is what we had this year!





If you couldn't guess, that would be my plate. Broccoli, mayo soy sauce, crescent rolls, cranberry sauce, ham, and twice baked potato.









The baby sat next to me to eat Xmas Eve dindin. Like a real baby, I cut up all her food and mixed it for her. If I don't mix the broccoli with the sauce she is less likely to eat it. When I gave her the plate she went straight for the ham, ignoring the veggies. So I mixed everything together lol She ate it all before I even made my plate of food.





We didn't need a huge ham so we got this adorable mini ham! This was my first time dressing a ham. Not too bad right? I tried.





Dessert was Cheesecake Factory cheesecake! This picture is for my sister specifically. The cheesecake was plain so I stole some of my brother's caramel sauce and topped it with cherries. It was so light and fluffy! Now I can say I have had my own slice of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake!

Hope everyone is having a Happy Xmas Eve!

ALG

Lash Extensions!

Afternoon,

Before I left to UCSD I was considering getting lash extensions. I didn't get them though because I was worried about how I would react as well as how I would maintain them in San Diego. I watched YouTube videos, read blogs, and reviews. For every pro there seemed to be a con. Some people loved their results, others said that their lashes fell out and took a long time to grow back. Being an Asian, I figured since my lashes aren't that great to start off I shouldn't risk losing them. 

I think I got my eyebrows done before I left to school so it has been a few months. Most guys can't tell the difference, or don't notice so I don't get them done too often. I got them done last week because I decided it was just too long. The lady that does my eyebrows recently learned how to apply lash extensions and put some on my mom. I asked her if she could do my lashes and she told me she could do em the next day! Went back the next day at 2 and left a little before 7. Usually takes 2.5ish hours, but she wanted them to be perfect. Plus she had some other customers in between. As usual not the best pictures, but I think you can see the difference. Before on left, after on right.

If you look up lash extensions online you will find prices from $50-200+. Crazy right?? I paid $20 and tip. Not bad. At first when I left I wasn't feelin the lashes, but I love them! I don't wear makeup too often, but with these I get that nice detail that gives my eyes a bit of a pop. Although, when paired with my colored lenses I look a tiny bit like one of those anime characters.

Would I get them again? Yes I would! For special occasions, not all the time.

ALG

Strawberry Poptarts!

Evening everyone,

After blogging this morning, more like while, I was watching AprilJustinTV. For those of you that don't watch them, April is pregnant and she talks about all of her different cravings. She mentioned strawberry poptarts and it made me want some! My dad just so happened to be at the grocery store so I texted him to grab me a box, along with some cinnamon apple oatmeal!

Grandparents paid us a visit and look at my dindin! I am not much of a meat fan but when it comes to Lucille's BBQ I devour the tri tip! Always get the same thing too. The tri tip sandwich with sweet potato fries and EXTRA pickles. Oh man that's the stuff!!

If you have dined with me at Lucille's you know how I pack my leftovers to go right? Well for those of you that haven't, here's what I do. I sauce each piece of meat, cut it into small pieces, and stack them neatly. Yes, I know I am strange!!

ALG

Sick vs Allergies

Hi again,

So I think on Friday night I started to feel weird. My body felt tingly, a bit achy, and cold but warm. I noticed that when I was washing my body it kind of hurt, but not really. Sorry, hard to explain but you catch my drift right? That's when I knew something was up. The next day, so yesterday I woke up with a sorer throat and felt warmer than usual, but cold at the same time. My body felt a tad weak too. Got out of bed and took some medication. I couldn't let it stop me from getting my haircut and shopping done! SJ was so nice, he offered to drive me around to get all my stuff done. He opened the doors for me, held my bags, made sure I drank water, held the clothes in the store for me, and paid for snacks.

For my fellow college peeps, do you eel distant from the holidays this year? I am usually home and out and about so I get my holiday shopping done, but this year I don't feel any holiday cheer. Bought some gifts for my suite mates and myself. I know you thinking I am selfish, but mom asked me to find stuff because she didn't have much stuff to give to me.

For dinner SJ and I went to one of our favorite spots, J Sushi & Ramen! I always get the same thing don't I SJ? Got my kids salmon terryaki meal, but this time I also got some masago sushi! Must have been another craving because I devoured it . . . I treated him to dinner because he has been paying for food lately, plus he drove me around and took care of me.

Got home and did some stuff for Christmas, eventually showered and tried to get some rest. Good news is that VW is going back home today!

ALG

Mimi's With Mom

Hey there,

Mom and I spent the day together Friday. We did some shopping and took a lunch break before getting my brother from school. I haven't been home in a while so I haven't been eating very healthyy . . . Mimi's Cafe has the perfect size salad and soup combo. Betcha didn't think I was talking about the kids menu!! Unless you did, then you know me so well lol Isn't that such a perfect size?? Comes with a side as well, the waitress gave me fruit. All sounds fine right? Well found a small hair on my plate. It wasn't touching the food so I wasn't bothered much, but then I found another one IN my soup!! That's when I told the waitress and she brought me a new one. The weird thing, besides finding a hair at Mimi's Cafe, is that the manager did nothing. I mean my meal was taken off the bill, but the manager never came by to say anything.



Mom's salad had no problems. She got this cute mini baguette looking bread. She liked it so much that she asked the waitress for another one to take home! Our waitress came back with a container with three baby breads.

Friday night SJ invited me to watch his nephew play in his high school winter performance. I don't go to these types of things anymore because of things in the past . . . but I wanted to go for hi nephew. I was glad I went. Sorry I didn't film or take pictures, but didn't want the children's parents to get upset. (I like to get everyone's permission before posting pictures/video) There was a bit of a religious part in the performance, but I just looked at the costumes and watched the instruments.

After the show, we went to Jack In The Box to grab some grub. I had some dental work done earlier in the day, so my mouth was still numb before the performance so I couldn't eat :( Before we got to JIB I knew what I wanted. I knew the night before! Must have been a craving. I got the bacon and cheddar potato wedges. Maybe I am having withdrawals from bacon. What do you guys think? For a fast food place I didn't have high expectations, but man did JIB amaze me! The potatoes were crispy not soggy! The cheese sauce was warm, the bacon wasn't chewy! Oh man, that was the food highlight of my day! Y'all should try it one day, unless you are vegetarian or dieting, but even then try it!

ALG

Cinnamon Rolls

Evening everyone,

My mom decided to stray away from the Christmas cookie tradition and make some cinnamon rolls instead. Since I am on break, I helped my mom bake over 100 cinnamon rolls. I'm not sure if cinnamon rolls or cookies are more work though . . . 

I think it took us like 5-6 hours to finish, and that's with the dough pre made (mom made the dough in advance)! I wanted to take more pictures, but I had to keep my hands germ free for sanitary purposes. Plus had butter and dough and stuff on my fingers.

Here's the cinnamon rolls before and after they had time to rise. Can you see the difference?

Doesn't that look cool? Mom made maple coffee cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip ones (shown above). They turned out great though! I may upload some pixs of em later. Forgot to take pixs of the final product lol Guess that's just how forgetful I can be.

Look at the baby, tryin to keep mommy from blogging! Then when I try to type she licks my elbow! Tried to move her and she growls and tries ta bite me. So now she's currently outside my bedroom. Her choice actually, she wanted out! You guys she did the cutest thing last night! I was sitting on the floor at my computer and she came to lay down next to me. She placed her head on my leg too! Then I moved over a bit and she wiggled her way over to lay right next to me again. So sweet!! That made my day for sure.

ALG

Halo-Halo

Hi friends,

SJ and I went shopping the other night so he could find some fabric for family. For all of you that have watched romance movies don't you always see the couple go eat ice cream or something? Well SJ took me to Jollibee so I could try halo-halo. I first heard about this drink when I was watching April on Thirsty Thursdays! (YouTube video series) Here's the online description for those of you that have never heard of halo-halo before!

Halo-halo is a favorite Filipino dessert or snack because it is cold and refreshing, perfect for beating the tropical heat that exists almost year round in the Philippines. It is a mixture of sweet preserved beans (red beans, chick peas), coconut meat (macapuno), jackfruit (langka), pounded dried rice (pinipig), sweet purple yam (ube), cream caramel flan (leche flan), shreds of sweetened plantain (saba), lots of shaved or crushed ice, milk (or coconut milk) and topped with ice cream (typically ube ice cream).

I am an extremely forgetful person, I'm sure my roommates and suitemates would agree, so I actually forgot all about wanting to try halo-halo. My favorite part was the jello looking square thingies. Don't think you can see them, but they were in there!!

Even if you don't like certain ingredients in halo-halo I highly recommend
giving it a try!! SJ also wanted me to try this butter mamon bread/cake. I probably should have tried it before eating the halo-halo because it didn't taste as sweet as it would have if I ate it first. SJ and I both ate before we went out so we didn't finish the butter mamon. He was nice and let me take it home!

So go give it a try!

ALG

Butterfly!

Good evening,

Weeks ago, my parents went Oak Glen and bought this sparkly butterfly for me to put on the Christmas tree! I think I am attracted to sparkly/shiny things.

ALG

High-Low

Hey again,

I bought a dress in the summer to wear for my grandparent's dinner, but I would have slimmed down a tad to fit in it. So when I was home for Thanksgiving I found a new dress at Kohl's. Love the dress! Never thought I would find a high low anything, skirt or dress. Being short, it is hard to fit into all the new trends. I was so happy when I found this one!

I bought this fuzzy black coat/sweater thing at Fashion Q at UTC before break. I thought I would just use it for chillin at home during break, but guess it came in handy! Not bad right?




An even longer time ago, my mom and I walked into Payless and I found these babies in my size! Most shoes don't fit me because my ankles are so small, but these shoes hug my feet. I tried telling my mom I didn't need them at the time, but she told me to buy em anyways. Glad I did! They were perfect!!




Worried my new contact lenses too! Surprised mom let me wear them to their dinner. They did match my dress though.

Was nice to get all dressed up!

ALG

Grandma & Grandpa's 50th Anniversary!

Hey there,

Sooo this is my first day home for Winter break. Slept in and got out of bed around noon I think. SJ and I went to finally get my Indian food! I did havta drive though, so we went a bit later so I could gather some strength. After I took him home I came back and started getting ready for the formalish dinner.

My grandparents, as you can tell from the title, were celebrating their 50th anniversary. Mom planned this dinner over a year ago . . . It was a beautiful room with Christmas decorations. When we got there, we had to put the flower arrangements, name cards, chocolates, candles, etc. Here's some pictures. The lighting was a bit dimmed, sorry.



Doesn't that look amazing?


I realize the menu is sideways, obvi I have yet to figure out how to rotate on here lol







This was one of the appetizers. I think it was mozzarella, tomato, pesto flat bread pizza. I think I ate like five pieces . . . The fruit was nice and refreshing.







Those of you that know me, or have been a regular reader, know that I don't eat too much. I enjoy eating off the children's menu. Sooo since my little cousin sat next to me I said she would have the kids chicken and I would take the filet mignon! I cut up her green beans and meat then we swapped plates. Look, my dino chicken looks like a shark! Liars!

Other family members had the lobster and lamb, but I didn't snap pictures of their food.

I think I will be 21 and still eating off the kids menu!








Dessert was chocolate cake. The waiter gave my cousin this thing of ice cream, since she had the kids meal lol








This is one of the decorated tables in the private dinning room.

Congratulations Grandma & Grandpa!!!

ALG

Xmas Finals

Hi,

Here's a quick post we found on facebook

ALG

Sacrifice

Good evenin,

Last night Dory, Bob, Leel, Biggie, and I decided we would do some sacrificing to the Curve God. Like the chalk drawing? Leel, our art major to be, drew it for us. She also provided the lovely candles on the sides. At 11:11 pm we all went out on the balcony and chanted "Curve God give us an A" eleven times. UCSD is supposed to (tangent: Bob just opened her door, straight faced, and said "I think I left my underpants in Mexico") be having 24/7 quiet hours, but sometimes we gota do what we gota do. It was a lot of fun actually, we stood in a circle and held hands and all.

We are all hoping that it works. Sacrifice will go down at 11:11 tonight

ALG

Rainbow!

Hi again,

Not the best rainbow, but oh well. Rained a lot that day.

ALG

Minions

Hey there,

As usual, let me fill everyone in since it has been a while.

Finals week has finally hit us here at UCSD. Bob and I have found a new favish place to study. Been going to lots of Chem help hours, different review sessions, and class of course! 

The first time we went to the roof, it was me, Bob, Sarah, and Dory. Sounds somewhat normal right? Well . . . WRONG! We each wore animal hats lol I had my bear hat, Bob had a minion, Sarah had a ram (yes Sarah, I consider it a ram. It has horns!), and Dory wore Bob's moose hat. It's a nice place to study because there's nobody else around to distract you. The pix to the right is from two days ago I think. Bob and I went late at night to do some homework. Grabbed a pizza at the market, made myself some Godiva hot chocolate, and bundled up to take on the cold.

Aren't these cute? Found em outside my Chem building.

Friday night, I think, Sarah and I went to a Disney themed study break Christmas event. We ate cookies, drank hot chocolate, and did a few little crafts. I won a little minnie and Daisy stuffed animal. I felt bad for them though because the event didn't have many people. I think there were only like ten people at one point.

 Yesterday, the dinning hall had a "special" brunch. I had crepes and fruit. Did you know crepes come premade in a bologna looking container? I have made crepes before, and it was never that easy. They are cheaters! Takin the easy way out. The cool part was the chocolate fountain.

 nice view right?

Thanks for reading!

ALG

Things Be Gettin Heated

Back Again!

Sooo as I was writing the last blog, Bob and Sarah's roomie were running round the suite and this girl comes up to our balcony and said if we could keep it down because it sounds lie a stampede. Funny thing is that Bob had our suite mate in a kind of headlock (don't ask why).


So we were like sure. We were having fun though and they are always loud! They never see us complaining! Then this guy comes up and started throwing a bit of colorful language at us, but he sounded like such a wimp . . . Bob had to hold her back from goin at the guy. The girl came up too and was throwing some colorful language too. Sad thing is that the guy ended up hiding behind the girl while the girl was pushing her away. They used the excuse that it's "finals week." Not true! That's next week and 11 pm today so they need some chill pills. Our suite rarely bonds, so they gotsta chill!

Note: was gona title this Shots Were Fired but for some reason was worried my mom would think real shots.

LOVE our suite's chemistry!!

ALG