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. :)