Happy Thanksgiving!

heyyoooo,

ugh it makes me so sad that we haven't been blogging much....

i mean..

1. we're extremely busy with school and work

2. quarantine and now being thousands of miles away makes it hard to really hang out (and yes, we can facetime..but...^ #1 listed above is clearly in the way of that)

That doesn't mean we haven't been chatting though! I still miss jackie sooo much and just spam her all day like an annoying person becauseeee dats what best friends do amirighttttt??

For the past two months, we've been snapping each other what we are grateful for each day...or at least we try to do everyday. 

I think that finding the simple, and happy things in life among all the stress and chaotic-ness in our lives, helps us to have a more positive attitude. It also makes me realize how lucky I am compared to so many people. By realizing at least one thing that I'm grateful for each day, makes me appreciate what I have more.  It makes me feel present. That's a lesson I think we all learned in 2020. We all took for granted of our everyday lifestyle and didn't really "stop to smell the roses." 

I'm so glad that Jackie and I have been sharing what we are grateful for each day. I'm actually going to start a gratitude journal and write down what i'm grateful for.  :) It acts as a journal, but also keeps me grounded and appreciate everything I have in my life. 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and being thankful, I will list some of the things I've been thankful for recently.

-ironically, quarantine. Lockdown has made our family closer than ever because we're literally stuck with each other lol. We've developed new hobbies. My family got into gardening. I've become a plant hoarder/mom. I learned to embroider. I also want to start reading, exercising, and cooking..but we shall see. LOL Lockdown has also made us utilize the things we already have. We don't need to keep buying things. During lockdown, I saw so many people buy so much clothes and items online because of sale. For me, I realized that I don't need much. I look at my closet everyday..and realize I don't even wear half of what is in my closet because I literally have nowhere to go and wear the same clothes like 3 days straight.... 😬 I hope that none of you go out for black friday shopping..or at least stay safe, Also, don't buy things unless you really need them...Anyways..I digress. I think I benefited pretty well from quarantine and love my new lifestyle. Alsoo...being in the class in the comfort of my home is AMAZING. soo...pretty thankful for this new lifestyle that quarantine has led me to LOL

-obviously thankful for my health. As an essential worker, I have a pretty high risk of contracting the virus. I'm grateful that my facility dealt with the virus and took precautious procedures in keeping everyone safe. I'm grateful that my family and I are all good and healthy.

-speaking of work, I feel grateful that I work with (for the most part) caring coworkers who look out for each other. That is pretty important, and I know not all working environment is like this.

-thankful for being financially stable

-state the obvious, but friends and family. They make me happy. I don't know what I would do without them. I love them. I miss them. The more I realize how big of an impact they have on me, the more I realize how much I need and rely on them. <3

hey jackie. I'm thankful for you!! I feel so comfortable talking to you about anything. and whenever I look back at our friendship and realize how friggen annoying and ew I was, I just feel so lucky that you still accepted me and are still around as my best friend. I wish you were here :( 

-tofu. she gets her own bullet because i love her like crazy. she's my little fluffy pillow friend. :)

-plants. I didn't know how much joy plants could bring me. Giving my plants the love and nurture they need, and seeing them grow. Very satisfying. It's also cool to see their different personalties, shapes, and color. :)))

-nature. thinking about how nature is designed just amazes me. like how did it all just work out like that? like how trees give us oxygen and we give them carbon dioxide? or like how do all these plants and herbs have all these vitamins and health benefits to help us improve our bodies? I think about this a lot lol...like how did nature just work itself out?

-sunrises. Before I started working, I never really saw the sunrise unless Jackie and I planned to see it together. Now that I get to see it almost everyday, I have a whole new appreciation for them because the sunrise view is so pretty and different everyday. The sunrise symbolizing the beginning of a new and fresh day is also beautifullll  and i think it's cool that i get to see the sunrise at Sunrise Senior Living. LOLOL

-walks & fresh air. when the cold crisp air blows in my face, it really reminds me of how clean and good the wind feels and how I easily take advantage of clean air...cuz looking at the rate of all our CO2 emissions and deforestation....clean air is getting rarer by the second. Also, I know there are people who may not be able to walk or breathe functionally, and I think I let that pass over my head daily. I have to remind myself that I'm lucky that I am not in that situation and that breathing, walking, and simple tasks are easy for me, but may not be to others. 

okay clearly, i'm really into nature..I will move on that from now LOL

-productive days-ahh that feeling of being productive and checking off everything on the agenda.. such a nice, warm feeling, I wish I felt more often. LOLHGUIFJDK

-sleeping in. so cozy and warm and the feeling of never wanting to get out. maybe this is why i struggle with productive days, but ya knowwww i'm taking my slow morning routines literallyyyy. lol. When I have to wake up sooo early for work, I really appreciate my days off where I can sleep in XD

^..i mean....come on..this beauty. i want to practice latte art :) 

-making myself a warm cup of coffee or tea. i think knowing how coffee beans and tea leaves are grown, processed, and then making it at home and customizing it makes my drinking experience more yummy and homey.

..this also deserves some appreciation lol. i'm thirsty now. :P

moving on.....

-netflix, youtube, and instagram. I spend way too much time on these platforms, but I learn a lot about people and their lives. There are so many different communities with similar aspirations and interests. Holy cow. Learning about people's personal lives is soo cooll and inspiring, It makes me want to do and be better. Social media can be addicting and toxic, but you can also learn so much from them. It all depends on your outlook and I guess the people you follow. I also just love that it acts as an easy way to get my mind off of things. 

-podcasts. like i said, i like learning about other people and i learn a lot from people's experiences and lessons. It changes my views on things and makes me more educated on things I never really cared to learn about. right now, I am listening to "Adulting like a Mother Father."  XD If you know any good podcasts, recommend me some plz! i love listening to them while walking tofu :)

-compassionate people. i love seeing people doing kind deeds for others. it gives me warm fuzzy feelings and makes me cry lol. i'm to soft help. lol. knowing that there's so much goodness in the world is UGH MY HEART. i love kindness and romancey stuff hehehe

-finding so-well deserved talented people and giving them the recognition they deserve. I feel like we give all the attention to like superstars and big business and they kinda just monopolize the whole stage that we don't recognize the people who are just as well deserving as the famous ones. I love finding small artists and businesses and supporting them. I feel like it's hard to find them at times, but once you find that connection..it ahhh..such a good feeling. 

^^hehe see...me snapping jackie what we're thankful for XD

-well, i actually didn't mention this on the blog yet..but I GOT INTO NURSING SCHOOLL!!! AHHH!! I still can't believe I got in lol, but I'm so grateful that I did. I'm grateful that I kept bothering the nursing department...and they're probably grateful that now I don't have to keep bugging them. LOL

love. hmm..i think being in love is really special. I fell in love with tofu, my friends and family, hsm, hsmtmts, and taylor swift...umm probably so much more.  But ya know, when you're just soo happy and in love with the things that you love and you get those happy warm feeling in your guts that just make you smile? I love that feeling. I literally just finished watching taylor swift's new music session thingy on disney plus, so this is where this love feeling is coming from rn LOL

wow, i realized that a lot of the things I'm grateful for is based on my feelings LOL. 

^my two favorite people. also, to have gotten this opportunity. forever grateful and lucky. 

-music....because like i said, i just finished watching taylor. Seeing the passion and emotion taylor and her cowriter and producer exert when playing is just magic. learning about their songwriting process, their inspiration, makes me appreciate their music even more. I am in just awe and envious of their talent and creativity. I love hearing Taylor's backstory but I know every musician has a backstory behind their pieces, and that is just super cool to me. Music transports people into a different world and open to interpretation. so yes, i love taylor and her music, but i also appreciate music in general because it connects people together in a different language. it's art. 

I can keep going! There is literally so much to be grateful for. I tried not to make it so cliche lol...did i? I realized that when you realize what you are grateful for each day, it sometimes only really applies on what happened on that day, ya know? But it's still good to notice and document these things in a notebook or as a way of keeping yourself grounded. 

I like to think that the major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hannukah,  New Year's, Earth day is a simple reminder to practice these behaviors if that make sense. Thanksgiving is about being thankful. Christmas/Hannukah is about giving. New Year's is a fresh start. Earth day is about taking care of the environment. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of other holidays, but you get the point. These holidays shouldn't just be a one day event for us to practice our good deeds because this should be part of our everyday routine, so these holidays remind us to be a good human being. XD

I know the holidays may look a little different for all of you... :\ But I'm wishing you a very happy thanksgiving. I'm thankful for all of you reading this. It keeps me motivated to write...which i don't really like to do lol. This blog also acts as another diary of personal growth and it lets me be my true self publicly..which I feel is kinda hard for me. Thank you for being interested in reading about our crazy, fun lives. We appreciate it <3

This Thanksgiving, I will be working..lol. I will also be spending time with my family after work. We're going to bake a homemade apple pie and I'm going to be making an all vegan dinner for myself. :) 

However way you are spending yours, I hope you have a lovely thanksgiving! <3

My 20th Birthday!

HELLO, MY TWENTIESSSS!!

lol, that's a kdrama I watched a month ago to welcome myself into the 20s. 

LOLOL...am i tooo extra? um probably lol..because idk that show was eh and probably not really worth my time BUT YA KNOW WHATTT?

maybe it's because of the show that I entered my 20's in a fun, loving, and unexpected surprise!! LOLOLOL

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much on my birthday because of the friggen virus. I already knew we weren't going to do anything months prior, but I love bringing up my birthday to my family anyways because i'm annoying and obnoxious LOL. And their response is always like "we can't do much. blah. we're just going to have a bonfire. merp" so ya, their response basically confirmed how i'm spending my bday lol.


So since my birthday happened to land on one of the days I work (Friday) and I had no plans, I was like eh. mkay. I'll go to work. LOL
Man, I already felt da love at the beginning of the shift. I got there a bit earlier than everyone else because I was the lead. But at like exactly 6:00, which is when everyone else's shift started, all the care managers came in AT THE EXACT SAME TIME (..which like never happens lol) and were like "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!" and in my head, i was like DA HECK. HOW'D YOU GUYS KNOW? LOLOL but that was so nice lol

And then during breakfast, the life enrichment manager came and got me an iced coffee from dunkin' donuts. :)
LOL, I've been into drinking like super cold iced water lately and I've been drinking it out of this cup because I don't like single use plasticcc XD

So ya, i felt pretty special during work that day from all the birthday wishes. :) BUT THENN, UGH GUYS. okay, so at 1:30, I had to go downstairs with a resident to meet with her family, but I was a bit stressed with time because I had to make sure everything was done by then. UGH, okay so i finally got everything done in time with 5 minutes to spare..and i was "oh you know what..let me wash the towels in the dining room because I always forget to wash them" AND AS I FRIGGEN WALKED IN DINING ROOM, I SAW MY COWORKERS ARRANGING A TABLE THAT HAD PIZZA AND FLOWERS AND CAKE AND I JUST WALKED IN LIKE..OH..UHH...GJIODFJGOIDFJIOJIJGOVFSDJ CRAPP LOL

so yeah, i basically ruined my birthday surprise because of STUPID TOWELSS. I still get mad at myself for it :(
yeah, and their plan was that i bring the resident down at 1:30, and then when everything was ready, someone would come down and take my spot with the resident and I would come up and BOOM SURPRISE. but atlas...that did not happen because imma fart...sighhh


^the pretty flowers on the left from work. and the pretty flowers on the right are from my neighbors next door <3
HAHA. okay and then I found out that the maintenance guy was the one who told one of the care managers that my bday was coming up. ...oh yeah..i forgot i told him about my bday and that I would be spending my bday with my dog. HAHAHAH. One of the care managers who i'm close with, Kristen, collected money and then got pizzaa, cake, and pretty flowerssss. and apparently, since I was the lead and had to come in early, she came in earlier than me so that she could put the cake in the freezer so that i wouldn't see it. UGH ALL THE PLANNING AND THOUGHT THAT WENT INTO IT AND I JUST. JGIROFJIDO

Eh, but regardless, I did not see all of this coming at all and I felt so special at work which I really thought was going to be a typical work day. I'm so grateful to work with such fun and caring coworkers/friends. :))
Actually, all my life, I had no school on my birthday, so this was the first time for me where I had to go somewhere on my birthday. AND THEN i found out, a lot of people take off on their birthdays lol..i thought it was normal to go to work on your birthday...idk
Honestly, i'm glad i did go to work though. :)


so then I came back home with all of these goodies and my mom was like oh good..pizza..save that for the boys. and i was like..what boys? and my mom was like ohh uhh ya know..james...i'm mad at him so i'm calling him boy. and i just rolled with it but then after i showered and ate my pizza, MATTHEW AND PATRICK (my cousins) WALKED IN THE DOOR AND I'M LIKE OHHHHH
DA BOYSSSSSSS. lol
and then my aunt was like oh yeah, we're just stopping by because we came back from a hike with our friends..we'll probably stay till dinner so i was like oh mkays.
We were planning to have noodles for dinner cuz MAH FAVORITE FOOD IS NOOOODLESSSSSSS :PPPPPP YUMMMZZ lol
but we didn't have enough vegetables, so my aunt, mommy, and i went to go food shopping to whole fooods and super fancy chocolate was on sale for 4 for $5 so we bought 8. Once we paid for everything, we realized that we were charged 2 for $5 and customer service didn't know how to fix it so she was like eh..i'll just give you everything for free LOLOL and the retail price for it all would have been $24 for all da chocolate. BWAHAHAHAH
AND THEN, we went to wegmans, and my aunt 
(i call her yima btw) was trying to put the watermelon on the conveyer belt, and the cashier was like, "oh don't worry, i'll scan that later" BUT THEN WE REALIZED IN THE CAR, THAT SHE FORGOT TO SCAN IT,  SO WE GOT A FREE WATERMELON.
WHOO HOO!!
626 is like Taylor swift's #13. lol


So flash forward to dinner time around 8:30, yima is like we have to get going soon. New York has a curfew at 8:00. AND I'M JUST LIKE DA HECK. WHY ARE YOU HERE? IT'S 8:30. and I was trying to come up with ways for them to get back home like..uncle jia is an essential worker and has a permission slip and he's picking up his kids from the babysitter. LOL.
and then i started googling NY's curfew because...why would there be a curfew if we moved on to phase 2 of covid stuff.
AND THEN I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS ONLY A CURFEW IN NEW YORK FOR LIKE 3 DAYS BECAUSE OF THE PROTESTING WHICH HAPPENED 3 WEEKS AGO!! LOLOL
EVERYONE WAS LAUGHING AND DYINGGG. at the time, i thought they were laughing with me...but now that I think about it, they were probably laughing at me lol
BECAUSE ALL OF THIS WAS A "SURPRISE"
apparently, they didn't go hiking and came here just to stop by. they planned to come over.
AND THEY PLANNED TO SLEEP OVER. they left their stuff in their car.
AND THEY JUST SAID THE CURFEW THING TO MAKE IT MORE BELIEVABLE OR ANOTHER REASON TO SLEEP OVER..but then i got all serious and started googling, and my family was just making faces and giving hints around the table like, "just go with it" and I didn't even notice LOLOL

man that was soo funnyyyy, but I really didn't see that coming.
I'm 20 years old now, but I'm still gullible and dumb as before. XD

6/25
The day before my birthday, I decided to make myself a vegan birthday cake..because I really thought we weren't going to do anything, so at least i would have a cake for myself.

the best part about vegan cake is that you can lick the batter and not have to worry about eating raw egg XD

and my grandpa was like WOWWW. BEAUTIFUL CAKE. and i asked him do you know what day it is tomorrow?

and he was like hmm...tomorrow is the 26th. Oh that's the dragon boat festival! AND I''M JUST LIKE AJTGIORJHDG -_-
AND APPARENTLY THAT WAS JUST A PLAY ALONG TOO. my mom told my grandpa not to say anything about my birthday or that family is coming over, so my grandpa said that. LOLOLOL
mannnnn...tooo funnnyyy

Then later that night, ava and naomi, my other cousins, facetimed me. lolol their so cutee and they were just playing with "fire" HAHA.

AND THEN WE HAD CAKEEEEEEEEEEE :)

we had my vegan chocolate cake which was actually really good and super moist. the secret to a vegan moist cake is apple sauce! ...i think..? :O and then a mousse cake from wegmans. :)

<3

hehe, ashleigh made me this chubby bday card with cute drawings of our funny memories and taylor swift lyrics on it. XD

aww hehe cuteee and jackieee texted me exactly at midnight on my bday <3 

I swear she's so fast, these last two years, I like forget or get distracted and don't even realize it's midnight until i get a text from jackie LOLOL 

 and a few days after mah bday when I was off from work, Jackie, Lauren, and I met on the bike trailll to have a little picnic and got fat. XD

hehe jackie got me this butterfly bracelet and the money she paid for it was used to donate to local hospitals and i love that :) it makes my present more special and i've been wearing it ever since XD

My 20th birthday was one of most special birthdays so far.
I feel like each year, my friends and family make my birthday so special and spoil me and make me feel so loved. I think I say it every year how I feel so lucky and how I love them, but it's true. I think on special days like your birthday, is when you realize how many people show their appreciation and love for you. Patrick texted me around midnight on my birthday saying, don't forget to count and let me know how many people wished you a happy birthday! Honestly, i lost count. In my last post, I wrote about the 20 things i've learned before turning 20. Well i'm 20 now, but I realized after patrick sent me that text, that there are a lot of people who care for me and it's special days, like birthdays, when you realize how many friends and family care and appreciate you for you.
I guess that's why we celebrate birthdays with our closest people right?
 we give love to the people on their birthdays because we're grateful that they were born. and we celebrate on our birthdays with these people because we're grateful that they entered our lives. :)

I truly expected this birthday to be most boringest birthdays of them all, but it turned out to be one of the most memorable!  :)

HERE'S TO MY TWENTIES!!

20 Things I've Learned Before Turning 20

Holy cow....I’m soon exiting the teenage dream and now entering the world of twenties!! (:) Not like age really makes a difference but idk...19 still seems young and innocent. 20 seems adult-like and weird. Clearly overthinking this age thing..i’m going to read this 20 years from now and be like “ya dumbfart. I wish i was 20...I’M FRIGGEN 40!!!” LOL

I’m constantly reminiscing the past to all the good and bad memories, and although they’re all sentimental and emotional, I’ve definitely gained a lot of experience, knowledge, and life lessons from it all that has made me the person i am today

So here are 20 things I’ve learned so far before turning 20 XDD 

1.   Age is just a number. It doesn’t define who i am. I feel like every year, I'm always like "UGHH I'M GETTING OLDDD" (<--i don't think i will ever stop saying that on my bday tbh), but my age doesn't make me any different.
   I’m going to learn and grow at my own pace and be myself. I don't want to act like "every 20 year old" because I feel like it will restrict me from becoming my true self.
   

   

   
   
2. There is no such thing as reaching the highest potential you can be as a human being.  Every year, I feel like I am a better version of myself than the year before and that I hit my peak of who I am as a person. I’ve learned that the more I learn and experience new things, the more I will change and strive to be a better person.
3. I’ve learned to accept and adapt to change. I don’t like change because i don’t like to readapt. But if we get too comfortable, then life gets boring and easy. Change is a restart and can lead to the better.
   
4. There’s not a manual for everything. Sometimes, you have to make your own judgement/ decision on what to do and what is wrong or right. I like things like math (sorta..not really eh), sewing/embroidering, driving, because there are steps to get to the result. But in real life, there’s no clear and exact answer on what to do. We just have to make sure whatever our intentions are, they're good and right ones. :) I've learned to do this because in healthcare, it's all about making quick and smart decisions and that there are many many ways to do things.
5. The value of money and that living in America is friggen expensive. I’m actually grateful that i have a minimum wage job because it really taught me the value of money and how hard people have to work for it. 
6. Appreciate the things I have. I realized I’m very fortunate to have all the things I already have in my life already. I started writing 1 thing i’m grateful in my journal when i feel like writing in it lol, and it makes me feel lucky of the things i have and have the ability to physically do. I think it makes me feel more grounded and humble
   

   
7. Step into the person’s shoes before judging or making assumptions about that person YEP. learned that from To Kill A Mockingbird. LOL. Actually, this was why I considered being a psychologist because I’m very good at understanding where people are coming from and their intentions based off their perspective, personality, and background history.. Clearly, i’m also very observant lol.
8. I’ve learned leadership skills. I was always usually the one who let others tell me what to do, but ever since I started working, I’ve definitely learned how to be more of a leader and a team player…..i guess video games can help you with important life stuffffs afterall. 
9. Let go of the people who aren’t there for you anymore. I always pictured my close friend groups to be in my life forever. Even when we started to drift apart, I still thought about my future with them because i didn’t want to move on (..told you..I don’t like change). But i’ve come to realize that there’s no point in trying to plan your future with people who don’t show equal support and love for each other. You can’t grow old with everyone. 
   

   

   
   
10. The best people in life are freeeeee. :) Lol, this is sorta the same thing as the last bullet but MIEH. I only need a few close friends and family in my life to keep me happy and wooble and i'm grateful for all of them. :) *I would put a group pic here, but I don't want to leave anyone out..but you know who you are XD*
11. I've learned to take care of myself. SELF CARE IS IMPORTANT YOO. I try to have a "spa night" once a week where I do face masks, moisturize, and overall just take care of my skin. I also like to treat myself and buy things I've been eyeing on for awhile that bring me joy because I feel like I deserve it sometimes after long days of work or studying. XDD
    
    
12. Time is weird mannn. Clearly i like to remember the past in different aspects because i’ve mentioned it several times already. Looking back in the past and comparing it to the present shows how much has changed in that time span and man….either so much has happened within that time, people change, lives change. ...I mean obviously..but idk it just shocks me sometimes. That's why I'm so happy that we created this blog because all of our fun and crazy memories bring outs out who we are and documents our growth, and different layers of ourselves. :)
    

    

    
    
13. Dwelling on the past is like opening a healed wound. My mind keeps going back to the past to when I was stupid and dumb and there’s no point in doing that because I know I’m a better and smarter person now.
14. Plan ahead, but if things don’t go as planned, it’s okay. I’ve been bulletjournaling these past few months and making short-term and long term goals for myself…(lol my new goal is to retire at 45-50 LOL) but we never know what’s going to happen or a certain factor that will change everything. 
    
15. Quality over quantity. My mom lives by this and has been enforcing it on me since forever. But I’ve also been the frugal type that wants more more more for less money or time. I now get that a little more time or money will result in a better and higher quality outcome in a more efficient way. Also better quality stuff makes me happy :) 
16. Ignorance is not bliss. I learned this in my philosophy class actually...and i’m pretty sure i’ve mentioned it in the blog already. I’ve been living in a nice civilized town almost all my life and it wasn’t till i went to college and met different people and learned things from a different perspective, that i realized that i’ve been blinded by the reality of what’s going on in this world. I learned so much about global issues, the environment, injustice..and i’m really trying to not be ignorant about these things. I think this is pretty relevant to what’s going on with the black lives matter movement and yemen and everything else and i hope that more people are educating themselves on it. It’s impossible to not be ignorant, but it’s important to educate ourselves on the important stuff..and man i feel like i’m rewriting my whole philosophy essay LOL. whoops. 
17.  Going vegetarian isn’t that hard. I'm a vegetarian but I try to eat vegan as much as possible. It's not that hard for me..but maybe that's because i have the passion for it. I actually learned a lot more recipes as a vegetarian and definitely gotten creative with it. Sooo...changing my diet has actually made me cook more :O 
18. People are complex and have so many different layers. It’s so interesting getting to know people, their stories, values, beliefs, lifestyle. It makes them so interesting and diverse and i love learning about people.
    
    19. No matter how old we are, we are the same person as we were when we were children, just more developed. I keep finding traits of myself, my interests, my thoughts to be the same as when I was younger. I guess some parts of you never change even when you think they had. 20. You are what you love. LOL, I was listening to "Daylight" by Taylor Swift (clearly.....) But i realized this is so true. I was actually going to include something similiar on here, but I didn't like the way I phrased it..but ya know..taylor is so good with words lol. so i'm putting it back in lol. The things we are passionate about seem to be what defines us. I'm super passionate in trying to save the environment and making animals and human lives fair and happy, healthy foods, taylor swift, cute things. All of my interests make up who I am as a person..and tie in with my last bullet of how we are all complex human beanss.
    
    
    While reflecting and thinking of some of the things I've learned , I also realized that I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about who I am and my strength and weaknesses...I guess it only took me 20 years to find myself right? loligrsf JK, I think we're going to be constantly learning about ourselves and life, and that's part of growing. :)

My Life in Quarantine

HEY HEYY!!

hope everyone is doing well!!!

so uhh...i spent literally like the whole day editing a quarantine week in my life video as a student, caretaker, and a potato....but I don't like how the video is turning out because I kinda just videotaped things without explaining in full detail of anything going on because i'm too awkward and don't know how to vlog lolol....

SOOO HERE'S ME SHOWING YOU MY LIFE SINCE QUARANTINE....which isn't much different than before quarantine honestly LOL 

March..the beginning of the crisis

wow, this is crazy. This was taken in march where I made a list of food that we have and need because i thought people were overreacting on the amount of food they're stocking up on LOLOL

but i think we've all been stocking up now lol because things got intense real quick

lol, we will never have a problem with toilet paper shortage because i bought a toilet paper subscription thing where they send me bamboo toilet paper. lemme know if yall neeed nice sustainable toilet paper that makes you less guilty of chopping down millions of tress while wiping your bum! lol

crazyyyy

OMG ARE WE EVEN CHINESE? james looks filipino in this pic lol and i'm always asked if i'm filipino or a mix....MOMMY AND DADDY...EXPLAIN YOURSELVES PLZ lolol

this was when FRHSD said they were doing remote learning and i curled james' hair and he really liked it lol. 

this was when I had to wear full PPE (personal protective equipment) just for precaution for one of the residents who just came back from the hospital..just in case she had the virus...

those were the simpler days....

those were the days when we only had to wear masks for those who were in isolation

those were the days when i hated wearing masks because it made it difficult to breathe and talk.....now I got used to it and literally wear 3 layers of masks lol (coffee filter, N95, and then a surgical mask)

honestly, i don't remember the early days of quarantining but we always went out on walks on the weekends because it was sooo nice out. 

my mom is finally using her hiking stick that's she's been soo excited to use. but everytime we go on like major hikes on mountains and stuff, SHE FORGETS TO BRING IT lol

euh..actually i think this was before quarantine, but maisy got me hooked onto this show on netflix, called "Crash Landing On You" OMG the amount of times I cried and showed up to work the next day with puffy eyes hUFOSGNJX. soo goodd!!!

also jackie and i started this korean drama too..and the thumbnail and description sounded soo cuteee but they put some kind of mystery in there that makes it so creepyyy and jackie got nightmares from it and we never watched it again lol....

jackie, we need to find a new drama to watch together that's cute and not scary

but yeah, i love this heart hand symbol. I WANT TO GO OUT AND TAKE CUTE PICTURES WITH JACKIE AND ASHLEIGH AND MAISY WITH THIS CUTE HAND SYMBOL...BUT WE CANT!

^^wow first world problems here ik. 

APRIL

heh, this cute plant i got that i thought would look nice hanging off a pot...but euhh...i killed it so now i need to go back and get another HFOISGHSOJ

OMG...THIS JUST REMINDED ME....I LEFT MY CLOTHES OUTSIDE..LOL brb let me go get it

hahahha 

UM MY MOM CAN RELATE LOL

eh i don't how i feel about these nails honestly..i was trying to be creative here. 

I've really been into painting my nails lately and doing alternating colors even tho they chip within a few days because of how often i wash my hands....omg MY HANDS ARE SO DRY AND UGLY. HALP

I think having school actually made me maintain a routine of classes, walks with family, dinner at 6, and then chill. I really like it..but sadly school is over so it's hard for me to keep that routine. I make an agenda every day and sometimes it's just so hard to start them and be productive.

I've been doing better though, and starting to be more productive. 

At the same time, I also learned that I don't need to be productive everyday. Usually after work, I force myself to be proactive but more recently, I've been so tired that i just let myself relax and it's pretty nice.

Sometimes you need to relax and take it ~slowww~. Not everyday has to be productive. 

sunshine after a storm :)

we will get through this :)

i look forward to these walks everyday :)

wow it's been awhile since i made dinner for the family hfsuohgojsk

i made tomato lentil soup and it was actually really gooooddd :)) 

SELF CARE

lol, these are just screenshots of what was supposed to be the vlog

i honestly love remote learning lol

I literally think i would have died if it wasn't remote lol because remote learning allowed me to manage everything at my own time and ~multi task~ and doing work in bed is a LUXURY. :)

things i learned this semester:

I HATE EXCEL SO MUCH

anthropology is really interesting...it made me more open minded

the way bacteria and organisms grow and spread is interesting and disgusting

^lol i compare the way plants look to mold cuz they look pretty similar

conidospores is like my favorite word now

ok im going to stop talking

LOL DO YOU LIKE MY TRIPOD? ..im really proud of my creativity lol.  my public speaking class isn't even public speaking anymore because i only have to present in front of a camera. I CHOSE THE BEST TIME TO DO PUBLIC SPEAKING BWAHAHA.

i don't think we ever bought this much stuff at costco before lol

i always feel so guilty when we go to costco because of how much plastic there is. but in a crisis like this, i have to put that guilt and mindset aside. 

HAHAHA...i have a crazy obsession with hsm and hsmtmts...if you didn't already know lol

and disney did a sing along thing and i thought it was just going to be the hsm original cast but it was actually the casts from both series AND MY REACTION IS SOO FUNNY

i can't....idk why i'm like this

ALSOOO...i'm going to regret posting this but i learned the dance to "we are all in this together"..and euhh here it is lol

LOLOL

CRINGE

but also i'm pretty proud of it HAHAH

^lol i know i messed up ish but i liked the random dance i did in the beginning so lol..enjoy. don't judge and cringe me too hard plz. LOL

um...straight up facts

disney has pretty good music not gonna lie

also, i've really been jamming to Lauv's new album..soo good!!!

also..why do like most of his song titles fit so much with what's going on rn?

i mean....

-for now

-sweatpants

-modern loneliness

-f* i'm lonely

-changes

lol, but yeah, his songs are so good

my favorites are: "for now,""canada," "mean it," "tell my mama," "feelings" umm basically the whole album

nobody asked for this lol but you're welcome 

also, "someday" by zombies is pretty good too. and all of taylor's albums are bops obviously.

HAHA, i'll stop. man i'm annoying

lol ashleigh's car battery died so my mom and i had to come and rescue them XDD

...and that was like the first time we've seen them in like monthsssss lolol 

I MISS MY FRANDS :(

 sadly i can't relate to the #workfromhome lyfe cuz well..i don't work from home..well i did school online so i guess i can relate lol

ANWAYS

i honestly kinda like going to work because i go crazy when i'm home all dayyy...so GOOD JOB TO ALL OF YOU STAYING HOME...idk how you do it. 

As an essential worker, you really have to put the fear behind you to do your job.

During this scary time, so many people are telling me to quit, cut my hours, etc. but honestly, what I'm doing is nothing compared to what the nurses and doctors are doing...especially cuz i do care for alzheimer's and dementia residents..so they literally haven't left the building in like YEARS lollll. 

 But I think knowing that i'm helping to protect these vulnerable elderlies really adds value to my job and it feels really good. it makes me like my job even more actually :) a lot of people don't get it because my job is honestly physically and sometimes mentally draining, but the feeling I get knowing the difference I make on these residents is really rewarding.

They make me want to like jump out of the window sometimes but i still love them. They are quite the story to tell. lolol

So yeah, I love my job :)

Don't worry y'all, im taking care of myself too!! 

My hands are literally dead from washing my hands so much. 

my hair is literally dry from washing it everday

my work clothes are separated from everything and washed separately. 

my masks used to be steamed but now i just quarantine them and reuse them because i think the steam is breaking down the material. 

euh yeah..lots of precautions here

hello!!

also, my family and my mom's coworkers have been sending me their extra N95 masks. I'm so grateful!! <3  the place i work at gives out N95 masks too but they're ugly cuz they make me look like a duck LOL. 

my "HOLY CRAP I SURVIVED THE 16 HOUR SHIFT ONCE AGAIN" LOOK

LOLOL

everytime i walk pass someone, i look at them and smile and then forget that they can't even see me smiling so it just looks like i'm just staring at them ahahahfoiusj

your welcome 

LOL GUYS I HAVE THIS A PROBLEM OF PLUCKING TOFU'S WINTER FUR OFF. IT'S SO SATISFYING. AND THEN I MAKE PILES AND THROW THEM OUTSIDE BECAUSE I HEARD THAT IT HELPS BIRDS WITH THEIR NESTS. AND TODAYY, I SAW A BABY BIRD WITH TOFU'S HAIR IN IT'S MOUTH!! OMG SOO COOL!!! I HOPE TOFU'S FLUFFY HAIR KEEPS THESE BIRDIES WARM AT NIGHT :) 

MAY

my parents are super into gardening now :)

we bought a lot of plants and flowers and stuffff :))

ALRIGHT FUNNY STORY:

so we went to costco the other day and bought coffee beans..and once we put everything in the car, we realized we didn't grind the beans, so we ran back to grind them. but they actually took away the grinder, so my mom amazoned (<--yes, i made that a verb) a coffee grinder and they're pretty expensive so my mom was like LET'S JUST GET THIS COFFEEE MACHINE INSTEADDD lol

my mom begged my dad by saying that he doesn't have to get her a diamond ring anymore lol

but honestly....this machine is worth the money and saves more money is more sustainable :)

AND THE COFFEE IS HEAVENLY. yummmmm :))

my grandpa keeps himself busy by taking cute pics of birds in his backyard and i think that's really cute. I feel bad for him because he literally hasn't left the house in months.

Lol, I wrote my photography history essay based off my grandpa's pictures and he was so happy and honored and i got a 100 on it soo BOO YAAA. THANKS GONG GONG! :)

lol, i literally had my lunch break outside of my house. daddy delivered me pancakes and coffeee :))) mommy made me breakfast obv

HAPPY MEALL!! 

lol so i didn't find out until this promotion was almost over. but i found out that healthcare workers and police officers get a free "thank you meal" which is literally a happy meal without the toy. 

so yeah, we went to two different mcdonalds everyday until the promotion ended. We all shared the meal tho...my mom and james shared the chicken nuggets and i had all the french fries :) 

definitely not healthy but whateva. also got free coffee at wawa

totally taking advantage of all da free stuff i get heheheheh

hehe my mom is soo sweett :) On mother's day, she bought coffee, donuts, croissants, muffins, and scones for all the staff. <3 soo nicee!!

and a lot of families have been doing the same too! lol the amount of pizza i've had in the past like 3 months is crazy mann and one of our residents' family orders sandwiches and pizza for residents and staff every week since it all started!! 

i'm telling you, SO MANY NICE PEOPLEEE OUT THEREEE 

families visit the residents by window or by a facetime call...it's so cute and sad at the same time :(

HEYO JACKIESSSS!! I MISH YOU GURL

it's so weird that we are literally 5 minutes away from each other and we can't even see each other in person :(

i think dogs and humans live the same lifestyle now....eat sleep and poop LOL

OH YEAH..GUYS I GOT PROMOTED!! :DD

i'm the lead care manager now!! :) BWAHAH i'm the bo$$ 

umm idk how we've been so blessed with such nice neighborsss but our next door neighbor made us a loaf of bread

our other neighbors bought us indian takeout food :PP

AND OUR OTHER NEIGHBOR MADE DOG TREATS FOR TOFU!! 

it's time like this where the world needs a bit more compassion and my neighbors are perfect examples :)

facetiming these cuties! <3

i miss them! <3

KAYUTE PIE!! lol..so i cleaned all my bedsheets and blankets a couple of weeks ago and i was too lazy to put the bedsheets on so i just slept on the floor...and euh i haven't slept back on my bed since cuz tofu sleeps with me every night now :)

but yes, i finally did make my bed....i also divorced my bed and married a floor mat thing :P

UP TO DATE TO TODAY..literally today 5/21

Lol, today I got TESTED for covid because it was mandatory for the whole staff. man, i was so scared for it man. There was such a long line to get tested but most of the people walked out with tears in their eyes or nose bleeds, but they were all like "it wasn't that bad" and i'm like HOW CAN YOU BE CRYING AND SAY IT'S NOT PAINFUL?!?!"

but actually once i took it, i understood....it's not painful..it's just uncomfortable and weird that someone is literally shoving a stick super high up my nose. lol....and the only reason why my eyes watered up was cuz the stick went so up my nose. 

WHEEE AND I HAVE TO DO IT ALL AGAIN NEXT WEEK in order to guarantee the results -_- YAYAYAY so excited! -_-

fun times 

they also tested all the residents...oh man...i was about to leave by then but i saw like 4 care managers holding down one of the residents as she was being tested :/ 

^heh lol ew. proof that i can't vlog lokgodkf

I've been wanting to get bangs for the past few days and i've been watching youtube tutorials for HOURS on how to do it....but then chickened myself out of doing it.

BUT UHH SOMEHOW IT LED ME TO CUTTING MY HAIR WHILE FACETIMING JACKIE.

i mean jackie is like the pro hair stylist tho..she has experience in cutting so many of her friends and family's hair...soo it was good that she was there to watch and give me feedback LOL

 

euh lol here's my mess that i still need to clean up merp

HERE IT ISSS :O

:) 

AYOO FINALLY GOT TO USE THE HEART SYMBOL!  <3

euh..i also can't wink at all lol

This is honestly so weird how this whole new lifestyle and regulations is literally our new normal. It's going to feel so weirddd when things actually go back to normal. 

During this horrible and weird time, I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.

This virus has definitely played a huge role in mental health, so i hope everyone is trying to find a bit of happiness through this.

we've all been affected by the virus negatively, but I think it also has benefited us in some way as well.

-for many of us, we get to make up the countless nights of all nighters lol and don't have to travel to work or school

-it's bringing families closer together..whether it's remotely or living in the same household..we're coming up with creative ways to having family gatherings

-euh well we get like $1200 for free from the government so like extraaa moneyyss $$$ UM YESHHH

-well for my family and i, this virus made us get an espresso machine and it starts our day off right. :)

i hope this blog is also brightening your day a bit :)

we have to find the little joys in our life right now!! :))

I think this virus also taught us to live a more simple life.

to enjoy life.

to take care of yourself.

to cherish your loved ones.

to enjoy nature.

to do more of what you love

to challenge yourself and start new activities

to appreciate the little things and don't take everything for granted

 this virus also showed how many good and compassionate people there are out there. There is so much goodness in the world. The world is working together to combat this virus and i think that is amazing and pretty close to world peace...sorta..ishh..still bad things happening at the same time :(  merp

We should find comfort and happiness in this during this unprecedented times :)

let's stay calm and focus on the positive!!..but also send love to those affected :) <3

I'm thinking of the patients who are fighting for their lives and the families who have lost their loved ones :(

to the essential workers and scientists/researchers who are working soo tirelessly for the world. 

to the people who lost their jobs (SUPPORT SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESSES). 

to those who couldn't have their proper graduation. 

Honestly, everyone has been affected by this virus, physically, mentally, financially. ugh it's horrible, but my heart is with everyone! sending you love!! <3

mkays with that said, stay safe and happy everyone! <3 :)