Getting Thrifty

There are different ways of being thrifty. Some people practice amazing restraint with their money, cut out luxuries, and spend their money on only practical necessities. Then there are people like me who love to treat themselves but hate wasting money.

I’ve come to embrace Tom and Donna’s “treat yo self” philosophy. It’s so easy to talk myself into buying/doing something. It usually goes something along the lines of, “You work so hard to earn money and some of it might as well go to enjoying yourself” etc. There’s nothing wrong with a little self-love, but it shouldn’t involve going into debt.

I’ve found that by finding great deals, I’m able to indulge in my desires to shop, go out to eat, and have fun without breaking the bank. I’m quite talented at spotting a great deal. My motto is “never pay full retail for anything.”

This past weekend, I took my siblings to Belmont Park, a beautiful beach-side amusement park in San Diego. Thanks to Groupon, I was able to get us $10 unlimited-attractions wrist bands (a $43 value!). We played unlimited laser tag and minigolf, and enjoyed the pier, rides, and carnival food. I love amusement parks, but I’m rarely willing to pay the price of a full ticket.

My sister and I ready for some major laser tag combat. It was our first time and we really enjoyed getting aggressively competitive against 10 year olds

I’ve also done a ton of shopping since getting back home. I bought a bunch of stuff I need, but I also couldn’t pass up buying some really adorable things on sale. Here are my best steals:

This shirt and top combo cost a total of $4 at the thrift store, making each item $2. I loved the floral shirt (from Forever 21), and grabbed the skirt to go with it on my way out.

Grabbed this classy backless dress off a clearance rack for $3! Now I just need an occasion to wear it

A little bit of money can go a long way when you know where to look for deals!

10 More Days of Summer

It’s been a while since I last posted because I’ve been busy moving out, traveling, and spending time with family.

I also get extremely lazy the moment I start any vacation, so anything that requires even minimal effort (like a blog post) gets pushed to the side indefinitely.

I finished up my internship two weeks ago and moved out of Stanford. Then I headed to Las Vegas to visit my sister and her family for a week. I had a really wonderful time, and I also got to see some friends from college who live there. 

I got to walk the strip with my friends, shop, go to a water park, see the Michael Jackson Tribute show, and ride the High Roller at the Linq. Here are some pics from my time in Vegas. Enjoy!

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I got back home a week ago, and I’ve had a great time spending time with my family. The highlight of my time home has been visiting SeaWorld with my mom. While I have my feelings about SeaWorld and animal captivity, my mom won free tickets and really wanted to go. So, I went with her, while feeling uneasy about watching orcas with drooping dorsal fins forced to perform.  I know that SeaWorld does a lot of rescue work, but still… If anything, I try to be critical and cognizant of the issues with any form of entertainment.

That being said, here are some pictures of my mother and me:

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 I only have ten more days of summer, which makes me cringe to even write. I’m definitely not ready to return to school in ten days… sigh. I hope to make these last ten days meaningful. Stay tuned. 

 

Tattoos, piercings, and brightly colored hair, oh my

Today one of my co-workers was venting about her daughter, who wanted her ears pierced against her mother’s wishes. Most of my co-worker’s sided with the mom, and then she turned to me. She wanted to hear from someone her daughter’s age, specifically a nice, professional college student.

“Did you ever go through a rebellious stage?” she asked me.

I hadn’t. That’s mostly because I had nothing to rebel over. My mom took me to pierce my ears when I was 3 months old. When I turned ten, she took me to Claire’s to get a second piercing on each ear lobe: “double piercings for double digits.”  She helped me highlight my hair around that same time. Throughout the years, I’ve colored my hair burgundy, experimented with way too much makeup, and gotten a cartilage piercing – all without my mother caring (or my dad noticing at all really). 

This is a pic of my at the airport. Here you can see my cartilage ring, huge chandeliers, and a small black stud on my ear lobe. Earrings are my favorite accessory.

My burgundy hair phase. (squinting and glasses glaring because of the sun) If I weren’t so afraid of damaging my hair, I would dye it this color again in a heartbeat.

I’m a huge fan of doing whatever you want to your body. It’s your canvas. I don’t have a tattoo yet, but I haven’t ruled it out. My dad has sleeves all up and down his arm, so I don’t think a tattoo would be met with a bad reaction from my parents.

I explained this to my co-worker, who asked “Aren’t you worried about future employers?”

“Well, you hired me, so it must not have mattered too much.”

The thing is, I actually am worried about being judged because of my appearance. I’m a woman, I’m young, and I’m a person of color. With or without piercings or hair dye, people are going to make assumptions. That’s not going to stop me from making my own choices about my body, though. 

I’m not sure if I’m actually brave enough to ever get a tattoo, but the point is, that’s my choice and no one else’s. 

 

Getting Crafty: Starting a Scrapbook

Scrapbooking is one of those things I’ve been meaning to do for the past five years but I just never got around to doing. I decided now is a better time than ever, so I started by searching for a nice scrapbook online. Not only were all of my finds expensive ($15+ for a scrapbook is expensive by my standards), but most of them were plain or had generic designs.

I wanted to imitate the scrapbook Ellie made on Up, but I knew something like that would cost even more. 

Ellie makes her scrapbook to keep track of all the adventures she wants to have. Like going to South America, “It’s like America, but South.” I was instantly in love with her and her scrapbook.

I decided to use a blank book, the kind teachers give to their students so they can write and design their own story. Not only was it cheap, but I love the idea of a literal blank slate I could fill with my adventures. 

I designed the cover to look like Ellie’s Adventure Book using colored pencils and my own limited artistic abilities. I think it actually came out pretty cute.

Behold my masterpiece. Coloring with colored pencils actually takes a really long time. As in, two full episodes of the Mindy Project.

I’ve filled in two pages so far. I really don’t want scrapbooking to become some expensive, money-consuming hobby, so I really just want to use materials I already have or collect along the way. I love how they came out!

Sorry for the dark quality. These are pictures from this summer, which I pasted onto this beachy stationary my roommate had lying around.

And this is from Disneyland. This one definitely consists of more scraps than pics. I have the Disneyland map in the shape of a Mickey head, my ticket, and a fast past that I never used.

I think forcing myself to use random scraps rather than buying all the nice scrapbooking paper and stickers leaves room for a lot of creativity. 

For the back cover of the scrapbook, I left it open to more possibilities. (Again, this is taken from Ellie’s scrapbook in “Up”) This blank book is only 14 sheets (28 pages), so I’m hoping my future adventures will fill several more blank books.

A Brief Hair History

I have an interesting relationship with my hair. I guess you could call it a love-hate relationship, although most of my life was spent on the “hate” aspect. Only recently have I begun to embrace my naturally curly, thick, and yes, often frizzy hair.

Here is a brief history of my relationship with my hair.

Infancy

When I was born, I had only a small tuft of hair on an otherwise bald head. My uncle jokingly referred to me as “Bert” (as in Bert from Sesame Street). Although I have no recollection of this time, my mom still likes to laugh about it. So I still have to deal with embarrassment over a hairstyle that I don’t even remember.

Early Childhood (2-5)

This was the time of my life when my hair game was at its peak. My hair was still baby soft and fine, but it had already formed curls. My mom kept is short, so I had smooth ringlets in an adorable bob. If I could go back to a time when my hair was like this, I would.

Childhood (6-12)

This was around the time when I started resenting my hair.  My hair grew thicker and longer, so my mom kept me in ponytails. One thing I now know about my hair is that it does not agree with tight, pulled back ponytails. My baby hairs stick up everywhere and the pony tail frizzes out. I distinctly remember being asked by a blonde girl with smooth hair why my hair stuck up. I didn’t even notice it until she pointed it out, but from then on I wished to have hair that didn’t stick up in a pony tail.

Teenage Years (13-18)

Throughout middle and high school, I used the “crunchy head” approach to handling my hair. I had no idea how to care for it, so instead I slathered it in hair product: gel, mouse, and hairspray. I ended up with a combination of products that left my hair stiff and sticky. I spent my time envious of people with thin, straight, and smooth hair. Instead of even giving my natural hair a chance, I made sure that I never left the house without hair product.

Hair Damage Year (18-19)

Immediately after graduating and getting my first job, I invested in an expensive flattening iron so I could crush my hair into the straight, smooth hair I always wanted. I spent a summer straightening my hair three times a week, which of courses let to split ends, dryness, and damage that I’m still trying to recover from. To make matters worse, when I stated college I experimented with color, just adding to the damage to my poor hair.I stopped straightening it for the sake of time, but I continued trying out different products to fix the horrible damage I had left to my once healthy hair.

I still like the look of straight hair from time to time, but it’s not worth the damage.

The Present: Recovery and Natural Hair (20 years old)

These days, I’m trying to repair the damage that years of hair abuse has caused. I’ve stopped using heat and drying hair products. I’ve learned about how curly hair works and how to best care for it. My hair is prone to dryness, so I make sure to use a good conditioner. I don’t shampoo every day, and I only comb/brush when wet. The only product I use is a hair oil by Garnier Fructis for added moisture. 

My curls are healthier now than ever. For the first time, I’ve rejected fantasies of other people’s hair and embraced my natural hair. I can tell that my hair is getting healthier, and I receive all kinds of compliments from people who wish they  had curls. No matter what, there will be someone’s hair you want more than yours, but there will be someone else who wants your hair. Rock the hair you were born with, experiment with different styles, colors, and cuts, but make sure to take care of it.

No, I don’t curl my hair. #iwokeuplikethis #naturalcurls

Oh Captain, My Captain

Celebrity deaths don’t normally phase me, but when I found out Robin Williams died I couldn’t help but cry. I was surprised by my reaction. Like almost anyone with a soul, I’ve always found Robin Williams hilarious and heartwarming, but I wasn’t incredibly attached to the actor.

I couldn’t figure out why I was so personally affected by his death at first. I think there are a few reasons.

First, Robin Williams has been around since before I was born, He was in most of my childhood movies: Jumangi, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Aladdin. He was in the moving, heartwarming movies I only appreciated later in life, like Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets’ Society, and Patch Adams. Then, he constantly cropped up here and there, like in Night at the Museum and Happy Feet. In comedies, he was hilarious. In dramas, he was brilliant, and it always put a smile on your face to see him play small roles in recent movies. He was always there, a constant talent in the acting world. It’s hard to lose someone so familiar and comforting – a remnant of your childhood who is just as great in the present.

I think another reason it was so heartbreaking to lose him is the idea that he took his life. Robin Williams made audiences smile for dozens of years. He always seemed to be such a happy person, and it just goes to show that depression is an illness that can strike anyone. Untreated, it can be life-threatening.

I’ll miss the familiar crinkly-eyed smile and theatrical voice that brought so much happiness to audiences. If only someone could have seen through the happiness and intervened in time. 

Dorm Idea: Earring Display/Bookend

 

Yesterday, my friend and I stopped by Daiso, a Japanese chain store that sells random things for one or two bucks. I got this pink bookend for $1.50, and decided to double it as an earring display. Now I can see all my earrings when I’m getting dressed, plus it turns my earring collection into part of my room decoration.

$1.50 well spent.

Education and the Internet: A Love Affair

Like many millennials, it’s hard for me to imagine a time when the internet wasn’t in my life.I’m pretty sure that if you took a group of college students and forced them to live without internet, they wouldn’t last a week. It’s just that pervasive in our lives.

It’s no wonder that my generation is so connected to the internet. It provides countless resources and opportunities to enrich our lives and our education. My favorite thing about the internet is that it opens up a world of possibility for education.

The internet allows me to learn outside of the classroom, at my own pace.

I’ll admit it. Sometimes (okay, often) I don’t understand what’s going on in class. Large lectures are torture for students like me who need personal instruction and a slow pace. Over the years, I’ve learned to take advantage of educational resources that exist online to match my learning style.

Two of my favorite educational resources are Khan Academy and Duolingo.

Sometimes I make bad choices, like taking a multi-variable calculus class my first quarter of college. Thankfully, Khan Academy got me through the class with my GPA in tact. Khan Academy is an awesome resource whose mission is to provide “a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.” You can find videos on all kinds of academic topics which contain step-by-step explanations of difficult concepts. I loved that I could pause and watch over and over until I finally understood.

Duolingo is a website and app that allows you to learn or practice a language. I took French for my first year of college, but unfortunately did not have room in my schedule to continue courses. Duolingo has allowed me to practice and retain my French skills. I love having the option of learning something outside the classroom on my own time. Your learning should never be limited to the classroom. The internet makes it easier than ever to become self-taught in a new skill.

Of course, the internet has its downsides. There are times when I’m finishing an essay last minute at 3am and I curse the internet for ever existing. “Why did I spend three hours on Netflix instead of writing my essay? Why did I keep interrupting my studying to check Facebook?” It would so much easier to focus if the internet didn’t exist, I grumble to myself.

 

What? How did all these tabs get open? How did I even end up on this site? I’ll just check my notifications.

The thing is, distractions have and will always exist. We all know I’m a big fan of social media, but they should be strictly avoided when you’re trying to focus. Multitasking is one thing, but don’t sacrifice concentrating on something because you’re distracted.

My trick: use a website blocker. I use a Google chrome extension that allows me to blacklist certain sites for a designated period of time. I usually give it about an hour and a half, and then reward myself with ten minutes of Facebook and Twitter-checking glee.

The internet is the best thing that has happened to education. With more and more people gaining access to it, it is making knowledge and education accessible to anyone willing to learn.

 

 

My Magical Weekend

I’ve been meaning to post about the amazing weekend I had, but between moving apartments and working on a staff report that’s due tomorrow I haven’t had much time.

My friends and I all took a three day weekend this past weekend to bus down to Long Beach to stay with our friend Rebekah – and go to D I S N E Y L A N D.

I can’t emphasize enough how much I love Disneyland. I’ve been there four times, and each time is more magical than the last.

On Friday, my roommate and I woke up at 4:40am to catch the Caltrain to the Megabus station.

Eating a healthy Jack-in-the-Box breakfast while waiting for the Caltrain. We’re not morning people, in case you haven’t guessed.

The Megabus can be a really great deal if you book far enough in advance. It’s even possible to get a $1 ticket if you do it early enough. We didn’t get that great of a deal, but we still ended up paying less than half the cost of the Greyhound, Amtrak, or a plane ticket. In terms of quality, you get what you pay for, but it’s decent.

When we got to Long Beach, we had lunch at our friend’s house and then headed to the beach.

I’m a San Diegan at heart, so I feel right at home at the beach. I missed the warm, sandy beaches of SoCal. These Northern California beaches just don’t cut it.

After watching the sun set at the beach (an experience that everyone must experience in their lifetime), we grabbed a late dinner at Guppy Tea House, an awesome restaurant in LA.

The next day we woke up bright and early for DISNEYLAND. We got there at 9:30am and left at midnight, giving us over 14 hours of pure Disney magic.

It was the most perfect Disney experience. The weather wasn’t too hot, and we had short waits for every ride. We had park hopper tickets, so we got to go on just about every ride. I can’t even explain how much fun it was. It was easily the best day of the entire summer. When we finally watched World of Color at night, it was so beautiful and magical I couldn’t help but cry like a baby.

At the end of the day, we were all exhausted. We had to wake up early the next day to travel back home, and once we got back we had to move apartments. It was a lot to stuff into one weekend, but it was 100% worth every minute.

 

Art is a Silly Snapchat Selfie

The other day, I came across a poem online by B. E. Fitzgerald. It’s beautifully written, and profoundly relatable. It’s called “Art is a Facebook Status About Your Winter Break.”

Here is an excerpt from the poem: 

“The day after I taught my mother
how to send pictures over iPhone she texted
me a blurry image of our cocker spaniel ten times in a row.
Don’t you dare try to tell me that is not beautiful.
But whatever, go ahead and choose to stay in
your backwards-hopping-all-inclusive club
while the rest of us fall in love over Skype.”

At Stanford, the attitude toward social media is interesting. Because we’re located in Silicon Valley, we glorify innovation. Everyone is dying to create the new app that will make them a millionaire. At the same time, you hear conversations about how social media is making us shallow and incapable of real relationships. 

I love social media. 

Today, I messaged my younger sister on Whatsapp. She lives 8 hours away, but she got to tell me all about her first day as a senior in high school. We expressed our feelings and emotions through emojis and LOOOOL’s that made perfect sense to us.

My mom commented on a picture I uploaded to Facebook. I don’t always have time to call her, but she still gets to see my pictures from Japantown and know that I’m enjoying myself.

I took a Snap of the tiramisu I had for lunch and sent it to all my friends. I immediately got a silly face back from my younger brother and a “jealoussss” from my friend. We’re too far away to have a meal together, but at least I can get a reaction from them with my lunch. 

Social media has not stopped me from living my life; it has allowed me to share more of it. Maybe you call it self-absorbed or pointless or shallow, but when someone sends me a Snap of their latte, that just means that they wanted to share a bit of their life with me.

As for the selfies, the pictures of cupcakes, and the Instagram photos of flowers – these are not any less important just because they are mundane. Capturing and sharing the simple, everyday parts of your life is just as beautiful.