Diet time!

I've been wanting to lose my jiggly arms and what else for a while now... And after being in and out of wanting to diet, I finally decided to do it! (cuz my arms really are too flabby D:)

I think I've tried different methods before but crash diets were all so bad... I ended up heavier than before afterwards, and metabolism and appetite all messed up. So I think I'll just take it slow, my specific plan is to cut out all pastries cakes and dessert-y stuff. (but not my fro-yo and bubble tea.... Cuz I'm weak :P) And change my dinner to oatmeal +veggies and of course some exercise!

Hopefully this goes well, I'll try to update a bit.... I must've been 20 pounds heavier at my max weight tho... I don't know what happened then.... It definitely wasn't my body's 'natural' weight and not healthy... And over past couple years it just dropped back down naturally.. Kinda weird haha

很有意境的图

 蓦然回首那人却在灯火阑珊处

 

前世500次的回眸,换来今生的一次擦肩而过

On tumblr I posted some cartoon depictions of Jeremy Lin and some of the Knicks game from Feb by a Taiwanese illustrator. Everybody seemed to like them and I remembered that Harvard guy that sorta knew Jeremy and also a big fan of his. So I forward it to him and he replied
'lol, forwarding to jeremy' 
!!!!! whaaaat.... didn't know he knew Jeremy that well to forward random stuff to his email or to call him by just 'Jeremy'
lol..... it's kind of funny that I'm freaking out about this..... the fangirl part of me at least haha. Below is the illustrations

PS. looks like I'm going to China this summer with my family! I don't think I've ever been there with my brother.... it's gonna be fun times!

Yesterday I went to laser tag for the first time....like ever!

 I'd always wanted to try it, especially since I saw Jeremy Lin's twitter/pic about it.... I didn't go to the same place he had, but it was still very fun! Each game was in 15 minute intervals..... but being out of shape, midway in the first game I was already needing a small timeout.

 One thing that slightly bothered me is that a lot of people weren't playing 'fair', like holding their laser guns in a way that blocks their sensor for others to 'hit' them. And of course double teaming with another player or just staking out one easy to defend corner. Yes I took it very seriously but I feel like one has to play with honour and dignity, ya know? Like if I hit someone, I move on.... not sneak behind them and take another shot after they revive. So over the two rounds I actually improved.... even though my 2nd time round I was just in the middle of the pack.... but still felt good and had fun :)

Aerial fabrics

I've seen them in various shows before but I didn't realize they had a name..... Well apparently Stanford has a class in this and my friend took me to their end of quarter showcase.

Pretty neat huh? A lot of them seemed dance-trained..... And I'm definitely too afraid of heights to attempt this!

interesting....

So last night I met this girl that's a roommate of my friend. And she's very interesting..... lol I think this is the 'new breed' of mainland Chinese I've been expecting.

She said she's wanted to do something related to fashion design or art for a career but her parents (profs) didn't think it was a good career option and then she got interested in medicine and went to medical school instead. And then she did rotations in gynecology and surgery but she was very angry at gynecology (retarded bfs of girls needing her help?) and liked surgery but her parents told her girls in surgery isn't 'good' for future family etc so she quit and came here to do international health policy. LOL, I really admire that she's got balls to go after all that.

And she likes making friends with ppl from all cultures/ nationalities...... <- I guess these are the type who are 'naturaly' good with ppl. She's never left her home city prior to a year ago and honestly I could never tell that.

AND the most 'heretic' thing she proclaimed is that 'she loves japan'. I'm pretty sure my parents would denounce me if I said that. (And also I don't think that) But yeah.... she makes things I've struggled with seem so easy lol

Anyways, I may have lost my iphone somewhere, kinda sad..... hopefully i'll find it :O

Recently I met up with some guy from a dating site..... I dunno.... I guess talking through Internet is very diff than in person? But yeah I dun think we have that much in common. Although a good thing is it re validates qualities I'm looking for?

And for some reason it's been painful for me to look at stuff / emails from like 2 years ago.... Cuz I feel like I've been wasting lots of time and wish could go back in time to slap some sense into myself..... Then again regret gets nobody anywhere.... So should try to do better now and not have more regrets in the future.... Sigh

I am kind of sad today..... I mean I get the feeling too from everyday life..... But how it's permeated everything is just annoying..... It's about I guess the 1.5 generation of immigrants..... Sometimes I wish I didn't know that much about either culture cuz when I talk to full cultured ppl on both sides they find faults with my thoughts what I'm saying or think I don't know enough about things that are very common for them....

And this is a pretty important factor for me with trying to find a guy too. Because I honestly think the super Americanized ones or the super Chinese-ified (is this a word?) don't agree with my world views. And the reason today pushed me off the edge is because I check this one forum sometimes.... To learn Chinese and see how the youth talks. And I posted something about Chinese culture on there that I found fascinating and thought they would too to make a nice discussion. And that forum can be hostile sometimes (cuz netizens, right). But I really try to filter my words when I talk there.... But still they didn't find my Chinese satisfactory and my insight wasn't deep enough for them (very basic knowledge they say). Even tho my parents and the other Chinese ppl around me don't know either. Maybe it's wrong for me to be so interested in Asian culture or at least try to interact with ppl in china..... But is it so wrong to want to learn about your roots and face hostility from both sides?

= =

Soooo.... today I was on the bus..... there's tons of hs kids and it seems elementary school kids too here for summer camp. They are soooo cute!! And 2 boys were playing rock paper scissors but saying 'pikachu' the whole time..... kyaaaa

Actually..... that wasn't the point.... the actual reason for this blog is the two camp counselors who looked pretty young.... maybe around 20? one guy and one girl. And the guy was asking the girl about makeup? And the girl was saying how she doesn't wear any except mascara and blush or something. And then the guy was like "what's mascara used for?" and "do you just lift it?"

And then the girl was talking about eyeliner and how some ppl use it to line the top and bottom and the guy's like "you can line the bottom?" and the girl responds "yeah but I only do the top"

And the guy asked about "the sides" too for eyeliner..... I was just being so utterly amused at their conversation.... and how curious the guy is about makeup...... so guys really don't know anything about this?? I thought it was common knowledge O_O

= =

Yo~
Haven't been here for a while.....
Anyways yesterday I met up with another old friend....who might be moving here with her husband! Yay!

They had interviews one in SF and one in San Jose..... and they were gonna stay in SF and then her husband drive her over early in the morning..... but then we decided that she was staying with me and I drive her cuz she doesn't like driving esp highways....O_O

He is so nice to her tho! So concerned for her and protective of her! lol

Unfortunately we also got a ticket parking..... but other than that I'm a pretty decent driver even without much sleep xD

and then we wandered around Japantown....but I think I'm finally over Japanese culture.... it's pretty kooky and crazy but not enough to hold my attention span anymore xDD (ok so maybe I still watch some shows)

AND the main reason I wanted to go with her was to check out Lush!!! Except we didn't have a chance to pass by.....so I'll have to make another trip soon. I need to make a list of what I want to get tho....so far I wanna try out the shampoo and conditioner bars.... and maybe something for the face.....

My dad gives wonderful advice about everything! Including love xDDD I love him soooo much!!!!

And yeah.... it's time to throw all those romance novels out the window because everything I 'thought' I'd learned from them.... well I still can't take it in real life and it's completely different. I still can't look at everything objectively.....

Also I might never find a guy for me....hurrah!

more randomness!

Hello everyone! Yesterday I was soooo excited cuz I finally received my DDR dance pad that I ordered. I had the idea ever since I saw this site: anybeats where you put in any song and then play an automated DDR-esque game. So I did run into some technical issues but searched online and found the solution and *actually* got the pad connected with the keyboard and everything! Soooo so proud of myself xD And now I'll have fun exercising time (at least until the pad breaks....)

The other thing I wanted to say was that there is this Chinese tv series that is very big and very very anticipated called 步步惊心. Anyways the name doesn't matter, the storyline is part of what's called chuan yue or 'fall through a time warp' genre. This plot seems to be very very popular, I've seen it in many of the BL stories I read, and also in many of the more normal romance novels as well. And the funny thing is that when I was like 12 I used to fantasize about this sort of stuff.... sooo they are kinda late xD So the story starts off 'X is a normal everyday office worker. She had a few bfs but they didn't end up anywhere, she has a job that she neither loves nor hates but needs to work to earn money that feeds her spending habit and thus spends her energy climbing up the corporate ladder but still so lonely....' <- this is a very very sad state for China if this is meant to be a portrait of 'every (wo)man'

Anyways.... the main point of mentioning this show is that this one theme music here song ..... Does the beginning sound familiar yet? (ok not to Steph.....maybe to Grace....lol) Here is a comparison of the parts that sound the same compare Soooo..... what do you think? (apparently it doesn't technically infringe on music copyright laws but they're gonna change it anyways) wheee I am kind of proud someone wants to copy his song xD And I just think the chinese fans are crazy and amazing at the same time for noticing and complaining til they changed it....lol.... in the land of copyright infringements.... but it's good that they're more aware!

wooooow

So I was all excited all last night and then some more this morning xDDD

fcwr or 非诚勿扰 or 'the chinese dating show' is opening applications for a special US episode! I got hooked on the show, as I said before, ever since I went to China earlier this year, more accurately me and WonRon got freaking hooked! It is very hilarious and I'm a big fan of it so I totally want to apply! And of course if they want you on the show they'll fly you all the way to China! Nanjiing!!

Soooo yeah..... that is all..... I still have so much energy that I'm bouncing off the walls right now xDDD I really hope I can get selected! It'll be so amazing!! And then I'll get my own 5 minutes of fame.....rofl

soooo..... Grace and Debra should totally apply too (tho Grace is not single?)

what's new

So as I mentioned before.... I have two new facial products!


La Roche Posay's Effaclear H, and quoting the salesgirl it's a 'shaving cream' consistency. lol..... and it feels pretty cool all over my face!

The second one is Vichy's toner for acne prone skin (that is supposed to reduce pores but i don't know how effective it is). It is also supposedly alcohol free but the ingredients lists denatured alcohol and I have no idea what that is.....

Both come from lines for acne/ combination skin, La Roche Posay is supposed to be formulated by dermatologists. I was originally gonna get both things from one line but the store was out of the toner for the first brand and I really wanted to try the foamy face wash. And the second one..... well I mostly did not like it because of the green-ness lol. There are many other products in this line and many people recommended it to me including the salesgirl, my cousin and my family friend.

So far I've used it for 2 days and a large pimple already dried up. (should I be worried that it's working too fast? lol) I asked my brother to try the toner too so if there's anything results I will report back

In other news I've been having fun playing this anybeats
It is like a computer DDR game. But you can upload any music you want and they will generate the arrows according to the rhythm. (of course since it is processed on the spot, it works best for songs with strong beats and singing right on the beats) I really want to buy a DDR mat now and connect it to my laptop..... it'll be great exercise! My mom actually suggested I get DDR before but I said no because I get tired of the songs too easily..... well with this, I can have an infinite amount of new songs and my favs!!

Just enjoying my last few days at home XD

So im just amazed at how much 'little kids' know these days! There was a 11 yo girl who pretty much listens to the same songs I do. Like she had Taylor swift, lady gaga and Katy perry CDs. And then my 9 almost 10 yo cousin talking about drugs and testing out of high school.... Actually all that is fine but I remember hearing a5 yo talking about this too at the foodcourt. So pop music is the great equalizer huh? But I still feel kind of strange that my interests are the same as these kids XD

Also has anyone heard of angry birds?? My brother is so into all these random trends and I can't keep up at all... And he probably thinks I'm old lol

And finally... I finally got some skin care products from Canada! I'm not sure how well it'll work but Canada seems to like French brands :P. And I'm not too sure mixing two brands will be good..... But I'm still excited to try..... ESP the foamy cleanser!

Fresh start!

I didn't realize I hadn't posted in 6 months!! Wow!!!

Anyways.... so this weekend I had a great reunion with many wonderful friends :)

And the glee concert was amazing! Well of course there were bits and pieces that detracted away from the experience but overall it definitely met and exceeded my expectations. Can't wait to go to more concerts..... but hopefully aimed at 'adults' next time rofl

And lastly..... I think one of the most exciting parts of this trip.... was my train home today. There were quite a lot of interesting characters on the train lol. First of all, the lady I sat next to, was like 70+ and surprisingly we had a lot to chat about. From our common fear of flight.... and analyzing why they don't have parachutes for us all, to how California is not a safe place to live and I should move asap because of the imminent earthquake. And then we studied the safety instructions for the train and where the emergency exits are located and how to open them. ROFL So my inner age is 70+..... I think once ppl get older they worry about more and more until it finally weighs them down. And lucky me that I'm like this since the start lol

The second interesting lady was dressed impeccably and very slender and tall. Like she stepped out of a French aristocratic catalogue complete with floppy hat and everything. And then she offered me some graham crackers (to go with my rice she says). And as I declined, she offered my 70 yo friend some too. And as we both refused she said she will feed the crackers to some sparrows for me then. And the 70 yo mentioned she had sparrows on her evergreens or something.... and the lady asked "do you know why evergreens are ever green?" And went on some long story about how a mother bird and baby bird needed to make a nest but kept getting kicked off of trees. And they kept asking and the trees kept saying no until they met the evergreen that said yes and kept all its leaves green year round for the birds to nest.

And then I realized I finally have no more imagination......lol. But yes she was very interesting and kept talking about God and the bible to everyone around us and saying things like "where do you hide your wings? Because you are my angel" etc. hmmmmm.... And I didn't realize how many ppl are actually Christian here because you would never be able to tell with many of these 'American' values. But I should not judge and leave the judging to God :)

ponders~

Happy Holidays everyone!

I've been having fun at home.

Going to random family parties and church gathering.

I must say that most kids here are very outstanding O_o

From the hs senior my brother idolizes that is going to yale. To the random 1st/2nd years at various top schools. And the seniors at college. To grad school/ med school students. (like today 3 of the 'kids' are from harvard O_o.....whyyy where are the MIT-ers T_T)

It's all very interesting, seeing what these kids think at various stages. And totally re-living those times of my life seeing them. Hmmmmm

I hope nobody takes my advice too seriously as I have no idea what I'm convincing them of either......orz. I guess the important thing is that they make a decision they're comfortable with? (lol@ the hs senior who is concerned about Yale's reputation as #1 gay ivy league, in which I assured him that Stanford has a lot too and it's still fine O_O)

Also it's very very interesting seeing different personalities and perhaps different americanization levels. Also it seems like us 'old' ppl are getting boring, not wanting to watch movies, or play card games, or video games, or whatever. Just karaoke xP OK, back to trying not to get scolded by my mom
Ciao~

skin makeup

Ever since I realized that *some* ppl are SUPER picky about skin..... (actually my cousin has been for a while) I started paying more attention.

I always thought skin was one of the things that's *less is more* and that most of those random products don't really do much.

But maybe I was wrong cuz my skin condition's not getting any better. I remember back in hs I went to some makeup counter with a friend. That counter had those magnifying cameras and we tried it to see what the "pros" said about our skin. My friend had very even skin tone, a bit dark, but apparently they said her skin wasn't good cuz she had large pores and i think skin elasticity not good?? Somehow they said my skin was good.....which is surprising cuz even back then I had more breakouts and some left over scars. I guess my skin other than the scar/ acne areas is ok?? lol

But yeah...... I guess now I still had the same issue. And for some reason the breakouts are even worse especially along my cheeks (probably due to stress as Steph said). And the redness from scars never seem to heal. Is there something that I should be doing? Maybe go see a dermatologist? (I did see some TCM doctor once.....that was a disaster..... the 'medicine' he gave reallly improved my skin but i'm scared to drink more cuz i have no clue what's in it..... other than it's "chinese herbal medicine")

I went to Sephora to ask about primer and stuff and they showed me some brand and was like "This is a japanese brand"..... like they expected me to go ...... "omg Japanese brand..... that is the pinnacle of all asian countries i have to get it"......or something O_o. Well in the end i did get it cuz it seemed nice. lol..... ok i ended up talking about nothing in this entry again. Maybe I should consult my cousin some more since she had red blotchiness on her cheeks before (rosacea?) and now has milky skin. Though I still think it's the skin naturally growing that way? i dunnooooo..... Oh and just recently I found out the difference between a mask and a pack

asian makeup and models

Before I forget, my roommate showed me this video: wow
skip to 2:10 without makeup
3:40 to see the girl's eye after makeup get magnified like 5X (and i'm not even exaggerating....)
8:30 for finished 'products'

And then..... I have a new favourite model.....that I think is soooo damn gorgeous
I just really like the way how her bone structure looks, from near to far and every angle, it's pretty much perfect in the way it directs light. And I was all.....this has GOT to be the one model that chinese ppl think is beautiful..... but apparently they don't think this girl is pretty......orz..... I don't get what "conventional pretty" is at all to asian peeps (in asia).






I started googling her because of the above pic..... doesn't she fit the look so well??


She's very pretty with makeup as well



See what I mean about 'pretty bone structure'?? Even her profile is so beautiful. I love her nose and eyes and forehead and cheeks....and pretty much her entire face xP I'm so picky about noses...... was almost 'dying' from the ugly Japanese noses. (cuz they like BIG noses.... no matter the shape, how wide, or if it's too big for the face or not....orz)


And then I was excited to find out she was the same model I pointed out to Yuan as 'what i consider pretty' when we were shopping in H&M. (on left) ahhhh it was love at first sight xP

hmmm

I'm kind of sad....cuz i was being stupid.... aka i uploaded a picture of my partial face to ask the chinese web ppl what they think about me getting those double eye lid surgeries. (since i thought.....asian ppl preoccupied with big eyes.....would know?)

Apparently chinese ppl don't upload their faces.....not even part of their face. Or if they DO upload it has to be extremely beautiful and perfect and everything.

And so they were picking apart my chinese T_T.... and my face

Sigh..... oh well.... at least some of the 'offensive' things they said were pluses in my book....

What else? Oh yeah my elementary school friend is visiting me this week. Not sure what we're gonna do tho. Apparently she and our other friend went on an MIT tour yesterday! So jealous!