LOVE

From the hysterical and talented Woody Allen:

"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness."

Happy Valentine's Day everyone <3

Oh happy day

Where do I even begin? I'm so thankful for the wonderful friends and family that I have. It was a great start to a long festive weekend and turning 25 wasn't so bad after all! For starters, my cute grandparents came up yesterday from OC along with my auntie, to celebrate the New Year! I <3 them. What more can I ask for? I haven't had the chance to celebrate with my sissy for the past 8 years because she was always away from home. Not this year! You see, our bdays are 364 days a part, which means that we have back to back bdays. Happy bday Annie!! I've dreaded the big 25 for a while now. I guess I had much more to expect from myself by this age. Nevertheless, the friends and family that I have made it a memorable moment. Thank you to everyone who made it out and celebrated with us.


Of course my night wouldn't be complete without all sorts of craziness. Just to mention a few: Thank goodness Annie was the one who had to take the sadistic bday sake bombs from the teapot. Friends killed 4 bottles of alchy within 1.5 hours. Thank you Mr. Officer for not giving me a ticket when I peepeed on the street(He yelled at me instead). GF, I'll never forget your "deer in headlights" reaction...it was classic. No thanks to all of you who made me drink, knowing that I'm a weakling! I remember names and faces! Watch out until your bday comes around.



Here's to a 2nd chance of the New Year and the next quarter century. <3 you all.

Me & Annie's bdayyyyy

Ohhhh Oprah...your words of wisdom!!

http://www.oprah.com/relationships/The-Number-One-Thing-to-Look-for-in-a-Partner/1

One of my girlfriends just sent me this article. "The Number One Thing to Look for in a Partner" from Oprah.com. It's composed of 7 articles that say what characteristics and traits you should really look for in a guy. I know that you can find these articles anywhere, like on a Yahoo homepage or gossip magazine, but this one was just different. It was insightful and deep. I find most of it true and useful! Especially the first article. Know what to look for in a person and what is most important. In the end, your happiness and feeling safe is on top.



Little experts from the article:

1) The psychology of evil which included "The Psychopath Checklist." Criminal psychiatrists use this helpful list use to test the potential of someone being a hardcore psychopath, capable of committing repeated evil and violent crimes.

Guess which traits psychopaths share?
* Glibness
* Extreme charisma
* Need to always be doing something
* Feelings of high self-worth
* Pathological lying
* Proneness to boredom
* Emotional unavailability

2) Do you really prefer to place a higher value on a guy's superficial aspects (his sexiness, funniness, smartness, wealthiness) more than you value his character? His Soul?

If so, then there is a big danger you will wind up involved with a guy who's rude, angry, dishonest, disloyal, hurtful, non-communicative, unempathic and selfish! As a result, all of his inner bad qualities will make you feel unhappy, insecure, unsafe, frazzled, neurotic and totally crazy!

3) Reminder Time: The number one reason to spend time with a guy is that he makes you feel happier and he is improving your life. Not making you more unhappy, insecure, unsafe, or just plain frazzled!

Another way to explain all this is to make the following confession…

True love is a that—not a him

Hate it...love it.

I've been contemplating...whether or not I should stop this blog, for recent events have made me lose inspiration.

But with these changes, good and/or bad, I've decided that I will continue to document whatever comes to mind. I feel that life passes us by and I want a way to remember these moments.

Maybe I'll take the random bits and pieces of "Peace of Mind" and make my own collection of short stories. Maybe one day these thoughts will make sense.

Current state of mind: Feeling good. I can stand on my own two feet. No one else is on my mind. Nothing is in my way...and if it is, I could care less. I am done with one chapter and excited for the next... a strategic career move I hope.

Current appetite: All things scrumptious. With my sissy back, I've been eating all sorts of things. Thanks!

Current goal: Gymming more. With food comes exercise. Sissy motivates me to work out more. She's like a hamster on a wheel. Always running on the treadmill or on the streets. She wrestles with me and shows me what she has learned in the Marines. I am no match.

Current project: Reorganzing, redecorating, and updating the furniture in my room.

Hinamatsuri

What a sweet surprise. I came home to this cute little pop-up card from Hiromi, my dear friend from Japan! "Hi Lynn-chan" as she says. (Chan attached to the ending of a name means "young one".) She sent me a card for Hinamatsuri...which I googled! It's a Japanese holiday, significant for "Girls Day" or "Dolls Festival". They celebrate it on the 3rd day of March. By Mid or late February, families with daughters put out special dolls on display in hopes that their daughters will grow up healthy, happy, and with good fortune. They must be careful to not display the dolls for too long, for it will be bad luck for the girls. It is thought that they would become old maids or will never marry! I love learning about different traditions and cultures.



I can't stop looking at this card. Open, close, open close. It's so fancy and cute...as with everything from Japan. I think I'll send her a Valentine's Day card. I wonder if they celebrate it over there. Perhaps I'll send her some naughty panties from Victoria Secret too. hahaha.

Rainy Days

my 7 wonders

I always hear about the 7 wonders of the world. The architectural, natural, ancient and modern...whatever they are, I've taken the time to think about the places and things I want to see and experience. My own personal list of the 7 wonders. Some day...I'll conquer these one by one.

1. Aurora Borealis. location: Northern latitudes, like Alaska.

Why? A natural occurrence that is absolutely beautiful.

2. Taj Mahal. location: Agra, India.

Why? An architectural masterpiece inspired and dedicated to love.

3. Great Pyramids of Giza. location: El Giza, Egypt.

Why? Ancient and mysterious.

4. Eiffel Tower. location: Paris, France.

Why? Once the tallest architectural landmarks of the world + It sparkles so pretty at night.

5. Christ the Redeemer. Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Why? A glorious symbol of faith on a magnitude of its own.

6. Dubai. Location: Arabian Peninsula

Why? A series of man-made islands that is an epi-center for paradise, luxury and the world's tallest building.

7. The Grand Canyon. Location: Arizona

Why? A creation by mother nature. I want to kayak in its caves and rivers, hike its paths, and go horseback riding into the sunset!

Winter Nights

The sky resembles a back-lit canopy with holes punched in it -Incubus.

I was walking out in the streets right now and the sky looked especially clear tonight. I spotted a star that was unusually bright. It must have been the North star, but I stood there and looked at it to make sure it wasn't a plane. Most definitely, it was a star. Of course the usual can be seen: The big and little dipper. I can recall my first trip to Hawaii a few years ago. I was standing on top of a hill in Kona and seeing the most sensational star-lit sky. Being that Kona didn't have big city lights and was at a high elevation (volcanic ground), the sky was unlike anything I had seen before. The island was pitch black and every bit of the sky was filled with a star. We don't get that here at all. Anyway, I got a map of the constellations and for the first time, I found Leo the Lion! As geeky as it sounds, I was ecstatic that I saw it with my own naked eyes.

About to save the world, 'til I saw something sparkly

Dear Starbucks,

You did a damn good job of giving this plain cakey doughnut some pizazz. I typically wouldn't buy any of your desserts (except for the chocolate chip cookies) but when I saw this one, I had to get it. Was it because the white frosting was so perfectly white? Was it the lighting that hit the sprinkles and sparked a shine that hit my eye? Too bad the taste SUCKED ASS. You ripped me off of this time Starbucks!

Happy Friday.

Cheers to 2010

I'm laying in bed now, recovering from my spontaneous trip to Vegas and SoCal. I just woke up from a 10 hour sleep. I can't emphasize how important it is to invest in good bedding. For there are times like this when you are out and about in hotel rooms, sleeping on a friend's couch or even on the floor, it feels insanely good to just come home to your own bed. A queen sized all to myself with clean and cool 500+ thread count sheets, plush goose down pillows and my fav- the Nap blanket. The last two weeks of the December always seem to be the most chaotic time of the year. The birthdays, Christmas, and NYE popping up out of nowhere. NYE at Disneyland was brilliant. Who would have known that there'd be soooo many people going! It was crazy packed. We got the hopper pass for Disneyland and California Adventures and stayed there from 9am-1am and only managed to get on about 10 rides. The midnight countdown was insane. The entire park was an outdoor club and 2 sets of fireworks went off at one time. It was worth the aching feet and lethargy I had the next morning.

Vegas never disappoints! Except for the buffet at the new hotel of City Center: Aria. Don't go there. Actually I don't know if the City Center overall is worth visiting. It's a city within a city. Bleh. Anyway, I left Vegas as a winner and not a loser. For once! =)


What I love most about this time of year is reuniting with my lovely friends who live afar. I cherish the fact that even though I don't get to see them that much, we just pick up from when we left off. Nothing awkward, nothing different. It just comes to show that our friendships are solid and real. Another thing...guys come and go, friends stay forever. True. But there is always that significant person who stands out from the rest and stands through the test of time. I'm one lucky girl to have not lost that. I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be great.
p.s. Welcome home Annie!