What 2015 Taught Me: A Year in Review

1.) Not all things broken are meant to be fixed...

FAMILY:

I have a very complicated relationship with some of my immediate family members. Over the years I have tried and tried to develop some sort of a relationship with them but to no avail. And as important as family is it is important to realize when enough is enough. No matter how much effort I make on my side, these particular family members didn't bother even trying and in any relationship it takes two to tango. And although I did spend a lot of time trying to cultivate these relationships with very little successful outcomes, I don't regret it. I rather I tried than just stand back. No family is perfect and it's important to spend time with those who love you just the way you are. 

RELATIONSHIPS:

This is a very hard topic for me to talk about. This year I got roped backed into a situation that I probably should've avoided all together. There has been this guy in my life for that I have held a torch for. Even today I still don't know why. This particular year I not only let him back in my life but my heart as well. There are no words to describe the pain that I went through going back and forth thinking that there was some hope out there for us. A part of me should have known better since he has hurt me before many times but at the same time I felt like I finally got closure to our situation. My heart is still broken but I am mending day by day. It has made me realize what I need to look for in a partner and also to take the toxic guys out of my life. As much as we hold on to our old loves, we need to ask ourselves is it really worth it? We all go through broken hearts in our lives but we have to make sure that those broken hearts were worth it. 

When things are broken in life, there is probably a good reason why it is. It is good to try and fix it and sometimes things can get fixed but if it doesn't don't stress out about it. Life is so short and precious that wasting even a second of it over something you don't have control over is just not worth it. 

2.) I despise driving...

So apparently this year I learned that I actually hate driving. I honestly don't know why I was so excited when I was 16 getting my license. I don't know if it is where I live or just the amount of asshole drivers there are out there but driving these days is more of a chore rather than an enjoyment. I need to make more money and hire myself a chauffeur.

3.) Don't ever let ANYONE talk down to you...

I had a professor earlier this year who was also my advisor that told me because I wasn't doing well in his class, I probably shouldn't be in the program all together. And even though I was doing well in my other classes it didn't matter to him. When he said this to me I literally bawled my eyes out for like 3 hours and was close to dropping out of the program. But with the support of my friends I got back up and retook the class. Not only I got an A in the class I ended up raising my entire GPA. It was honestly one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. Never let anyone talk down to you and tell you you can't do it even if it is an authority figure. As long as you give it your all you are capable of ANYTHING life throws at you.

4.) I enjoy eating vegetarian and vegan dishes

Ever since I was young I have been the biggest carnivore. I had to have meat with every single meal every day of the year. This year however on the road to getting back in shape, I decided to venture out my tastebuds and try some vegetarian and vegan options. And to my surprise I actually enjoyed them much more than I thought. Although I haven't completely cross over to the herbivore side I do try to incorporate more vegetarian and vegan meals into my diet. Being Asian has helped since we eat a lot of tofu.

5.)  Loving yourself first

The most important thing this year taught me is that no matter what situation bad or good always love yourself first. If you can't love yourself you can't love or help others around you. No matter what comes your way always charge and face it head on. Happy New Year guys! Thank so much for all the support these last couple of years. <3 xoxo

"Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about"

-Marylin Monroe 

Countdown to CHRISTMAS: Christmas Tag 2015

What is your favorite Christmas...

Song?

This is a hard one! I don't think I have one particular favorite but some of my top ones are 

MistleToe by Justin Bieber

The ENTIRE NSYNC Christmas Album

Snowflake by Jason Chen

Santa Baby by Madonna

Activity?

Making tons of junk food and binge watching Christmas movies with family and friends

Food?

Candy Canes (The fruit flavored ones... I know I'm unoriginal) 

Movie?

It's a tie between Elf and Love Actually 

Do you have a Christmas tradition?

My family watches Elf every single year... multiple times haha

What is your favorite thing about Christmas?

Just being able to spend time with family and friends. As we get older we are now farther apart and don't get to see each other as often anymore so the holidays are extra special when we can get all together. 

Countdown to CHRISTMAS: JINGLE JINGLE- Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Hey guys welcome to another Countdown to CHRISTMAS POST!!! Today I wanted to bring back an old series of mine that I do every year and as you can pretty much see in the title it is my JINGLE JINGLE series where I share my all time favorite Christmas inspired recipes. I have a delicious and satisfying peppermint hot chocolate recipe that will put the Starbucks version to shame.

What You Need:

No exact measurements, make as much or as little as you want!!! 

-Semi sweet chocolate (the good expensive kind trust me it makes a HUGE difference)

-Whole Milk (none of that reduced fat 2% stuff)

-Heavy cream

-Candy Canes

-Peppermint Extract 

-Coconut Sugar (White sugar will work as well_

-Whipped cream or topping

-Marshmallows (optional)

How To Make:

Using a double boiler (if you don't have one no problem just put a glass bowl on top of a small pot of boiling water) melt your chocolate. The double boiler helps your chocolate melt a lot more smoother plus it also prevents lumps and the chocolate drying out.

After the chocolate is melted, stir it into a mixture of hot milk and cream very slowly (1 part cream per 2 parts of milk) 

While stirring add your sugar and adjust to your taste. Then pour in a couple drops of peppermint extract. BE VERY CAREFUL this stuff is very strong. 

After everything is dissolved and mixed pour it into your mug of choice and top it off with some whipped cream or topping and some crushed candy canes. You can also add some marshmallows.

Serve warm and enjoy!!! 

Countdown to CHRISTMAS: Favorite Christmas Movies

I don't know about you guys but I LOVE Christmas movies! I am guilty of watching them all year around. Here are some of my favorites over the years and I think they will tailor to people of all ages!

1.) Elf 

2.) Love Actually

3.) How the Grinch Stole Christmas

4.) Nightmare Before Christmas

5.) The Holiday

6.) Last Holiday

7.) Home Alone

8.) A Charlie Brown Christmas

9.) It's a Wonderful Life

10.) Borrowed Hearts 

November/December Favorites (Tech Edition)

Hey guys, long time no talk! I cannot apologize enough for being so M.I.A these last few months. My work and school schedule have been insane and all over the place. Life happens... Any how I am back with a favorites post and not just any favorites post but one all about my favorite tech. I don't usually do these but there are a few things I have been loving that I wanted to share with you guys!

FitBit Charge HR

I picked up this little bad boy during my Black Friday shopping adventure and have been wearing it ever since. I was diagnosed with some heart issues awhile back and part of my treatment is to keep track of my pulse/heartbeats. I don't know why I never thought to buy this when it first came out. The sleek design makes it easy to wear and set up takes seconds. The Charge HR comes in a variety of colors however you can't switch the band colors like the original one. It also tells the time and date, calories burned, steps, stair count and number of miles you took in a day. 

I have the black one shown above 

MacBook Air 

The last year or so I have been dealing with a variety of technology issues mostly on my MacBook Pro. I have had my MacBook for about 8 years and it has been my rock however because I am a heavy computer user due to school and my work, over the past few months my baby has been slowing down on me and has needed quite a few extensive repairs. I recently had to take my computer in once again to the Apple store and they told me that the current repairs I had to make would run me about $400 +. I did go to other places to see if it would be any cheaper and honestly it wasn't that big of a difference. As much as I love my baby I knew it was time to retire it and buy myself a new one. I did some research and ended up deciding on the MacBook Air. It is very sleek and so much easier to carry around. The only downside is that all the new MacBooks no longer have a CD-Rom drive due to the increase in battery size. But overall I am very happy with my choice and can't wait to get more use out of it. 

I purchased the 13 in 8GB plus 256 GB flash storage 

iPhone 6s Plus

When the iPhone 6 first came out I regretted not purchasing a plus so when I had an upgrade for the 6s I didn't want to make the same mistake. While it is a pretty big phone it has made my life so convenient. It is not only clearer but I am able to get more things done and faster such as replying to email or sending documents to my clients. Not to mention it is also great for playing games.

I have the one in space grey