Ponyo- my halfmoon betta fish

He's a true ninja. I've had him for 2 1/2 years now and he's still ticking. I swear he has characteristics of a dog. When I come home from work everyday he swims right towards the bowl, stares and waits for me. I think he knows it's his feeding time. Smart fella, I tell ya. He follows fingers too- talented!

Quarter Past

This weekend I'll be off celebrating my Birth-to-the-Day. My little trick has worked and everyone's confirmed their early arrival to my dinner invite.

Man. You know you're getting old when you catch yourself lying about your real age. Ha, I do it all the time, especially with coworkers. I don't know why. I guess I'm just trying to stay young at heart.


Today at work-

Friend- Hey, Michelle! Aren't you so excited for your birthday?? What are your plans this weekend?

Me- Oh, you know. Just hanging out with close friends and family. (I didn't want to give too much information, especially to someone that wasn't invited and with no intentions on doing so either.)

That's cool. So, how old are you turning again this year?

*hesitant* Oh, I'm turning *pause* ......23, no, 24.

*confused* Really?? I thought your were older?

Why?? Do I look old or something? *defensive*

Um, no. I just thought you were the same age as me.

Oh, well....how old are YOU?

Michelle, I'm 25 going on 26. You should know! After all, we did go to the same high school and graduate together!!


 *lose*

Tweet Tweet Twitter Time

Oh, yeah. I started a Twitter account. I didn't think I was going to like it, so all these years I pushed the idea aside. Now, I'm slowly getting hooked.

I always love a new friend to chat with!- @Seaweedkisses

Birthdays and Invites

Whoa. Look at that thick layer of frosting. Can you say "Sugar Overload??"

The last couple of weeks have been birthday galore at the work place. Just as I'm trying to be good, everyone whips out the good ol' sweet birthday cake. How could I simply resist? Although, I'm never really a fan of the cheap frosting used on store bought sweets.

Speaking of b-days, mine is coming just around the river bend. (Get it? From Pocahantas. I love that movie.)

I just finished sending out my invites, which took me like only 5 minutes. I love Facebook. I just did the batch invite to the selected friends, and viola, they're invited while I await for their reply. Now there no excuses such as, "Oh, I never received it in the mail...." Everybody checks their FB everyday and every hour. There's no way or excuse to miss this!

Also, a little tip I learned- For those certain people that like to show up fashionably late, I make sure I modify their times especially. This year my bday bash starts at 6 pm. But for those particular individuals that are always late (no matter how much you stress importance), I swapped their time to 5pm. Yep. It's been working thus far. They still haven't caught on.....and just as predicted, they still show up late, or more like on time now.

Kia Rio 2012

Walking through the parking lot I see the new 2012 Kia Rio model. I likey.

Happy Valentine's Day

"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person so perfectly."- Sam Keen

 

Anthony and I both had to work today, but we made the best of it.

My coworker decided to be Cupid and help pass out candy grams.

I've been trying to steer away from unnecessary sugar, but Ferrero Rocher is my ultimate weakness. I love those chocolates to death. A personal favorite of mine anytime of the year, especially on Valentine's Day.

And then, another perfume to add to the collection- Viva La Juicy. My favorite scent at the moment.

Getting over my quarter-life crisis

"'Tis better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly." -Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love


I remember thinking as a tween, anything passed 24 years of age was considered old.

Well, I'm pretty old then.

In high school or at job interviews, I was asked where I would see myself in 10 years. My answer was always, "Wherever my path takes me." But really, I didn't have the slightest clue. And that kind of scared me.

When I was younger, I could have pictured my life so easily. By 24 I had hoped to be married, children in the works, living in a house, and growing in my career. I think every 10 year old girl imagines that, right?

Fast forward to the present. Twenty-five years old, not married, no kids any time soon, not in my preferred career field, and for sure no interest in buying or committing to a house. Nothing to really show or brag about at this point in my life.

I was so happy and carefree then. Not really having any serious worries in the world.

Once I hit 23-24, depression all of a sudden crept up on me. I started to feel the pressure of society and wanted answers to all my questions now. Confusion and frustration started to build up deep inside. Did I know what I was doing? What were my short and long term goals after all? How will I succeed in life? Would I be financial stable? Would I be able to accomplish the things that I want? When will I be successful like some of my peers? How is success even measured? Will making more money really build a more fulfilling and happier lifestyle?

That's when it hit me. I was experiencing a quarter-life crisis. I was really starting to doubt myself.

I knew I was in the state of denial. I didn't want to face the fact that I was getting old....especially so fast! I hadn't accomplish more in the new year than the last. I was disappointed with myself and starting to feel discouraged. I even took down (or lied) about my date of birth wherever it was publicly displayed (i.e Facebook, public profiles, etc.) to avoid any reminders of my real age and how I had "nothing" to show for it.

I was feeling like everybody was doing better than me. Life started to feel like a race in which I was falling way behind. Friends were now working on their Masters, buying new houses, getting married, having cute little babies, becoming dentists/nurses/lawyers, driving luxury cars, and making good money.

One thing I wasn't doing- not paying or giving any attention to myself. I was so worked up and concentrating on others and the things that they had accomplished, that I was losing myself.

Lost, I thought that following bits and pieces of everybody else's path would help build a stable one for myself. It wasn't until last year I realized that there is no right or wrong way to live my life. There was no right answer and no clear path to success. There was more to life and more paths to take than what I was believed to see.

I had to be more optimistic, find my passion, and learn to build strong(er) relationships. This was the reality that I needed for my closure. And it worked.

I started traveling, doing more outdoor activities, getting more involved socially, started eating healthier, going to the gym 5 days a week, experiencing yoga (and loved it), changed my everyday routine around, became more productive, etc. I started to build a new lifestyle for myself and stopped letting my depression get to me.

Now I am in my new level of self-awareness and it feels great. I feel awakened.

Going through this bump in the road has really helped me. Without this experience, I don't think I would have realized how important it was to find myself first before anything else. The reality was that I was too quick to jump into something that wasn't meant for me and didn't promise any fulfilling results.

Going into debt for school to land that not-so-enjoyable job to make lots of money can make life somewhat easier, but it won't be enough to keep the soul happy. This is what I have learned and I'm running with it.

And I shall end it with a quote-

"You are, after all, what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." - Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Smiling more often

Even though I hadn't commit to a New Year's resolution, I was still planning on doing something different this year.

Smiling more.

There are studies that say smiling more often actually makes you happier. You start to feel better and this simple action sends out feel-good endorphins throughout the body.

As I started this new lifestyle experiment, I looked around myself and my everyday encounters. The people that I seemed more attracted to (personality wise) all shared one thing in common. Their genuine smile.

I think about my favorite coworkers and why I look forward to working with them so much. My neighbors to the right of me always get more of my attention than the ones to the left. Some of the friends I hang out with more (unintentionally) I noticed are the ones that always have a good spirit and smiling. And last but not least, Anthony. Every time I introduce him to someone it's all eyes on him. Besides his perfect straight white teeth *jealous* people always admire him and his powerful smile. "Aww, your boyfriend is so nice. I like his smile," they'll say. Or, " Wow, you two match. Oh and is he always happy like that?" And most of the time it's, " I Love Anthony! He's always so positive and has a smile on his face! Do you guys even fight??"

He can't deny that his smile was a big contributing factor to the job he now has today. All he  did and had to do was show those pearly whites and laugh few times during his interview. Okay, okay. Maybe not ALL he had to do, but I like to think it was most of what he did anyway.

It finally stuck to me. Everybody loves a happy person. Everyone likes to be surrounded with good people and positive vibes. So, what was wrong with me and why wasn't I getting the same reaction like Anthony?

Turns out I just wasn't smiling enough. Actually, looking back, I hardly smiled. I don't know what it was, but for some reason I got stuck with the "serious" face as soon as I hit my adult life. I guess when I entered the real world I thought smiling equaled vulnerability.

So here I am. A happy camper, a Mr. Rogers, and some colorful Teletubbies all mixed into one.

I would actually make an attempt to smile to every single body I came across all last month. Whether is was a dog walker, mail man, coffee barista, or a grumpy old man, I kept it up. And you know what? I felt and WAS happier. Even if the person wasn't responsive or showed any interest in smiling back, I still felt good knowing that I left behind my glowing aura of sunshine.

My problems didn't seems  nearly as bad, my boss was more forgiving with me, strangers smiled back, people replied with hellos, I made a couple new friends, and life seemed a little more interesting.

I was more approachable. Coworkers that I haven't spoken to since I started my job 4 months ago all of a sudden warmed, eased and walked up to me.That was a pretty big accomplishment and had helped open more doors in the workplace.

A smile has the power to make people feel good, not only towards others, but with themselves as well. So, smile more often.

Game on

The past weekend a group of friends and I decided to attend an Arizona Cardinals game. I must say, football is a lot better and much more entertaining when watched in person. We tailgated for a couple hours, hung out, and chit chatted until the late afternoon. The game went into overtime, but lead us to much anticipated victory!

Happy New 2012 Year!

Year 2011 has come to a close. Wow, the years really do fly by as you get older. One thing I can be proud of is my visit to Korea. If you read my last new year's post you'll know that this trip was really important to me. I wasn't going to let anything get in my way! Now that that's done and over with, I can start planning for next year's trip.....which will most likely be Korea again! Ha.

Aside from that much needed vacation, I'm glad I've accomplished other things along the way.

Reflecting back on my year 2011-

• I visited Korea for 3 weeks
• made new friends
• made more time for friends
• used my camera more to document parts of my life
• stayed active and attended the gym 4-5 days out of the week
• continued my interest in school
• pursued a different job opportunity and got the job
• slowly cut out processed foods
• started juicing and eating more raw vegetables
• got a new car
• enjoyed weekly sushi dates
• ate out less and cooked more at home
• stuck to eating smaller portions
• discovered more blogs/vlogs to add to my favorites
• used more of a positive mindset
• discovered Adele
• reminded myself to not depend on others as they can be unreliant
• less is more
• found interest in other hobbies
• received a nice painting
• saved money by cutting down on my shopping
• got familiar with my kpop before (and after) visiting Korea
• fell in love with shellac nails
• realized that I wore my croc shoes 95% of the time
• went hiking for the first time
• didn't cut my hair at all this year in attempt to grow it out faster
• started buying produce from my local farmer's market
• changed the name of my blog (so unexpectedly and without any notice...*sorry*)
• became a video game nerd again
• Got hooked on Mad Men and use that show for inspiration when picking out work clothes
• visited the northern part of Arizona such as Sedona and the Grand Canyon

For 2012 I hope to visit Korea again along with some other smaller destinations. I really don't have any new year resolutions because things that I wish to achieve are done right then and there. There's no waiting for a new year, month or week. I like to just start now.

'Tis the season

Merry Christmas to you all! I hope this day is filled with happiness, laughter, good times, and memories. I always like to reflect on the things I'm grateful for and the wonderful friends and family that surround me everyday. Cheers!

Some Days........

Some days......
-I wonder how my life would be if I could relive certain moments of my life
-I wish I had more
-I dream about traveling all over the world without the burden of work, stress, money
-I feel like futhering my education
-I'm curious to know where my life would be if my parents never divorced
-I wonder if I'm following the right path to my true purpose in life
-I wonder if money could really buy happiness
-I feel like telling people how I really feel about them
-I wonder how different my life would be if I lived in another place
-I wish I saw my friends and family more often
-I compare myself to my peers
-I wish I focused on learning more languages
-I just like to be alone
-I wish I had straight hair
-I wish there were more hours in the day
-I wish I took interest in other career fields
-I wish I could see into my future
-I wish there were shortcuts for everything
-I wonder if my parents are proud of who I've become
-I wish I wasn't so weak
-I wonder what it be like to be a size zero
-I wish I could bump into my exes on a day where I look great
-I imagine myself having kids
-I wonder what it'd be like owning my own business
-I wish I could eat whatever without having to worry about the concequences
-I feel obligated to do things even though it's not expected
-I think into things too much
-I wonder if people really can change

-I love the way that I am

Words of Wisdom mixed with Karma

In the mornings while aeating breakfast I like to read. Something about it just picks me up and gets me going for the day. (Sometimes I read a little too long and fall behind my work schedule.)

I was at the Barnes and Nobles the other day and these two books caught my attention. I couldn't help but to flip through them curious to know just what kind of words of wisdom they had to offer. Written by the same author both books share an enlightening feeling as your read through each page. Even though the're small in size these books have a lot of motivational expressions to offer.

Here are some of my favorites from each-

Instant Karma-

• believe that the best is yet to be
• be self-reliant
• life is positive; only your thinking is negative
• give your best to the world
• remember that how you say something is as important as what you say
• whatever you cultivate during good times becomes your strength during bad times
• care about the happiness of others
• be gentle and patient with an angry person
• make time for yourself
• give as much as you have received
• acknowledge your own positive features and qualities
• silence is sometimes the best answer
• look at things from someone else's perspective
• see everything in your life as a gift
• make kindness your true religion
• accept forgiveness from others
• seek elegance rather than luxury
• don't jump to conclusions
• do what you say and say what you mean
• wait for a door to be unlocked instead of trying to break it down (my favorite at the moment)

8,789 Words of Wisdom

• do not say no from pride or yes from weakness
• acts indicate intentions
• recognize opportunities
• lost time is never found again
• act like the person you want to be
• darkness teaches you to appreciate light
• you learn more on your own than from other people
• time is more precious than things
• keep good company and you will be counted on of them
• forgiveness is the ultimate lesson
• the smallest deed is better than the biggest intention
• opinions changes with age (so true!)
• the less you want, the more you have
• starve a fever and feed a cold
• people may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do
• character is what your are in the dark when no one is around
• the happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts (learned this first hand)
• there is no elevator to success-only stairs
• you are older longer than you are younger
• Don't throw away the old bucket until you're sure the new ones hold water

I've always had my own life saying. It's pretty simple and kept me in line at times- karma. Yep. That one word would remind me that sometimes I need to sit back, wait, and think before I act.

Do you have an expression or saying you go or live by?

To Keep in Mind

Leo Babauta - 

The Scourge of the Internet
I love reading stuff online, and get a lot of inspiration from blogs. I can spend hours reading online. And thus, I'm annoyed for hours, because there are a ridiculous amount of things that bloggers and websites do that are incredibly anti-reader.


What bloggers and major websites (like news sites) don't seem to understand is that they should want us to read their stuff. They should celebrate the fact that we're taking a few minutes out of our busy schedule to devote some of our precious attention to reading something they've created. They aren't doing us a favor by writing something interesting -- we the readers are doing them the favor of paying attention.


And so readers don't owe a few extra seconds to watch a video ad that we don't want to see just to read your article. We don't want to close your subscription popup just to read your blog post. We don't want a bunch of ads flashing us in the face as we try to read. We don't need a million share buttons at the bottom of your post or all along the sidebar -- we know how to share something on Facebook or Twitter or email or Google+ ourselves.


Let's end this scourge. Here are some things bloggers/websites should stop now if they want to respect their readers ... or else we, as readers, need to stop going to these sites. If we stop going to them, and only read sites that respect us, there will be a growing demand for sites that let us read.


Note: also read my followup post - The Untold Story About Making a Living as a Blogger
https://plus.google.com/u/0/109926473783208635050/posts/5haBJbHZvfW


1. Popups. These might be ad popups on a news site, or subscription popups on a blog. They are utterly annoying and disrespectful to the reader. They tell me that you care more about getting my email address than you do about me reading your post. They make me leave your website forever. They are effective for the short term, but for the long term, they ruin the reader's experience -- you should want to delight the reader, not annoy her.


2. Sidebar clutter. I just want to read. I don't need all your stuff screaming at me from the sidebar. Get out of my way, so I can actually pay attention to what you have to offer. Remove 90% of what you have in your sidebar, so I can just read.


3. Millions of share buttons. They are all over the place. They are annoying. They are unnecessary. I know how to share on my own. You are only distracting me.


4. Sales pitches. I'm always being pitched a product, always. I don't want a product. I want to read your article. Once in awhile, sure, show me something good you've created. Otherwise, leave a link in your sidebar and I'll find it if I want it.


5. Mega sales. A thousand bloggers or programmers put their products together for a short-term sale, and then all thousand announce it on their blogs. How annoying is that, if I subscribe to 10 of those blogs? And why sell me a thousand products when I only want 1 or 2 of them? The reason is that the bloggers make huge amounts of money, but at a huge cost: they disrespect their readers, they send the message that money is more important to them than their readers, and they devalue all the products contained in the sale. If your $50 product is one of 100 products in a $97 sale, how is it really worth $50? It's really worth $1, according to this sale. It's also false scarcity -- why is it on sale for 3 or 4 days only? What logical reason is there for having it at one price for these 3-4 days, and not the rest of the year?


6. Filling every available space on your site. It's usually filled with ads, pitches for your ebook, a big box asking me for my email address, products that you're an affiliate for, and social media stuff. It all distracts me from your article. Leave a lot of white space, so that I can just read in peace. Leave me alone to read!


7. Multiple pages for one article. Why do I have to click on 5 different "next page" links to read one article? Don't frustrate the reader who just wants to get the info.


I realize that most bloggers/sites will ignore this advice. And that's fine. You guys can do what you like, but I will not read you. I will find someone who respects me as a reader. I suggest other readers do the same.

 

 

 

 

I came across this post written by Leo (from Zen Habits) today and couldn't agree with it more. I know that being a blogger has some, if not many, perks to it. Some get wonderful sponsors, nice products to review, and invitations to exclusive events. Those are all great and deserving throughout time. I know bloggers work really hard at what they do and have accomplished many things to get where they are now. I think it's great to experience this growing advanced technology and seeing how social networking has come about to open the doors allowing us to meet people all over the world. Sometimes though all the advertorials and sale pitched posts can really be annoying once it becomes an everyday thing.

There have been a couple blogs I stopped reading because I later on got the impression that the only reason why they even began blogging was to make "lots" of money. Some are now consumed with doing nothing but advertorials and sales pitches just to keep getting their flow of free products.

 If making money is one of their reasons to start up blogging then at least show some appreciation to the readers that helped develop the success. Stay in their community of interest and don't lose sight of them. I've seen many times where a starting off blogger would do anything to catch readers and followers. They would join forums, answer back comments, spam up other people's blogs with their links, and just try to be "seen." Once they succeeded with a certain amount of followers it's like everything changes. The blogger gets this feeling of entitlement and therefor start to slowly disconnect from their readers assuming that they'll always be there. 

Now the sidebars and sponsor links don't really bother me so much like Leo had stated. It's the popups and "follow me back, tweet this to win, sign up for that" that kind of puts a kink in my neck. I feel like some blogs make it a challenging game just to keep up with them. Those  ones are no longer in my reader box, thank goodness.

Are there certain things that you look for or don't like when deciding to become a  loyal reader on someone's blog?

Always Thankful

This year has brought so many more opportunities and blessings for me. I'm always grateful and appreciative for the life I live and the people that surround me each and everyday. While it can seem like we don't have everything at times or things don't exactly go our way, we have to sometimes remind ourselves that there are the things that we can be thankful for and that there's always someone else out there isn't as fortunate.......

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin pie is a must for Thanksgiving in my house. Dinner just isn't complete without a slice of this for dessert.

Too good to use

Do you have a favorite shirt, pair of shoes, handbag, or something of that nature that's really nice so you try to use it sparingly?

I catch myself doing this quite often.

I realize saving that special item for that special occasion or moment turns out to be a waste of money and time.

I was reminded of this today when organizing my closet. I came across my Longchamp bag that my mom had given me this year for my birthday. I opened the box and it was still neatly wrapped in the tissue paper unused.

Why?

Why hadn't I used it yet?

I'll tell you- I don't want it to get dirty. I'm saving it for a nice matching outfit. Maybe the right month. The right season. The perfect occasion. I actually appreciate my belongings and try to make them last as long as possible......and so many other excuses I can think of.

What's the point of even having it if I don't use it, right? I guess I get somewhat of a satisfaction knowing that I have a nice brand new purse sitting in my closet waiting to be used. But it would be better if I actually used it and got to look at it everyday (being that I change out my purse like twice a year. ha.) I guess that's just part of being girl. We get things sometimes just because in hopes of one day using it......

I'll be using this bag starting tomorrow. :) Thank you , mom!

November Sun

It's already November and guess what? It's warm and sunny here in the lovely desert! My sandals are still being put to use and my jeans are still tucked away. This week has been in the high 80's and it feels so nice.

I've been enjoying my new job (but spending more money using the excuse that I must get more work clothes.) I still have to get use to working a 9-5, but it's been okay so far. Waking up in the morning isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be (now that I got my body on a new sleeping schedule.)

The holiday season is right around the river bend (remember that song from Pocahontas? hehe) This means heavy traffic, snowbirds coming in, and messy store racks every where I go. Hmmm....not really looking forward to it. :/

Not only is it November but it's only 19 more days until my Zelda game comes out! That's what I'm really looking forward to if you ask me. Oh, and the new Twilight movie. I know, yes, I am one of "those." I'm not the crazy fans though that must see the movie right at midnight and will wait 4 hours in line. No, no, no. I usually wait a week or so and go during the cheap matinee time. I don't like to go with other girls squealing down my neck and getting shivering pleasures while imagining Edward's on the honeymoon with them.....if you catch my drift.

You know how breakfast is my favorite meal of tha day, right? Well I came upon this interesting blog just recently called- Simply Breakfast. I love seeing what she comes up with next and I try to copy the exact thing, but............too lazy. I just whip out the instant oatmeal and drink a mug full of hot green tea before work. Less time consuming, but by far not as tasty as her posts look.

I've been wearing these croc shoes all summer long and I love this green skirt I found at F21. Olive green is my favorite color (along with mustard yellow) for clothing articles. And I'll let you in on a secret- I'm not the type of girl to change her handbag every day/week/month. I've been using this Coach bag for 3 months now......Hey, I got it because I like it, not to be stuffed hidden in my closet. Last year I only rotated my bags twice. My friends were getting annoyed seeing the same one every day......which lead to every month. Hahaha....What can I say? I like to use my things up and wear it as much as possible. This is how I feel that my money was put into worth.

Halloween Party

I've never been to a Halloween party up until this past weekend. *lame, right?* While everyone was parting and dressing up I was somehow always working...or just got lazy and lost motivation after my work shift.

This year was different.....but so close to me just lounging around like every yearly tradition. My best friend decided last minute that she wanted to go to this Halloween party. Good for her I thought. But then she asked me to go with her. I had to actually think about it and I felt bad. The last time we actually hung out was here and that was a couple months back. Not to mention she lives about an hour and some change away from me so I wanted to be a good bestie and make the effort to show some friendship effort as I mentioned here.

Well all in all it was a fun night! I'm glad she dragged me out of my comfort zone and we danced the night away!


Here we are- Me, as a teacher/secretary/foreign exchange student (pretty much whatever people wanted to think I was. This was on a last minute whim so I just threw some things together. Ha.) and my friend as a red riding hood.

Happy Halloween!

What did everyone dress up as? (if at all) As for me, I was nothing special. I'll be posting pictures of my halloween weekend soon. I was good this year I wasn't tempted to buy candy at all.....for myself. As I'm strolling through the store aisles it's hard to pass up $2 big bags of twix and kit kats. *must be strong, must be strong.* Now that tomorrow marks a new month it's even worse because that $2 just got dropped to 50 cents a bag! Aghh, I'll try to keep myself preoccupied by stopping for some sushi! Yeah......... Oh. I just started watching Cake Boss on my netflix and let me tell you, I'm so hooked. That show has so many beautiful and inspiring designs that I've already got ideas for my wedding that's not even due to come yet.

Game nerd

Okay. So I have a little confession/secret to share with you. Even in my twenties I'm still a video game nerd. Ever since my dad introduced me to the Sega game console more than 15 years ago I've been in love with video games. Growing up I just got better and better at them and got into more challenging game stories. It wasn't until I was in middle school and the Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released. I was in video game heaven! My Nintendo 64 got played everyday for hours straight....sometimes to the point where the system would overheat and I would have to turn it off for a couple of hours to let it rest. I've since then fallen in love with the Zelda franchises. Whatever game console I had I made sure I got the Zelda game available for it. It's been a while since anything decent came out for the Wii..........but next month my game obsession can be resurrected. I have my order in for the Zelda Skyward Sword. :) *nerd* Can't wait. Anyone else crazy for video games..or is it just me?? hahaha.