Habits

I like lists. so I'm making a new "label", in addition to "blog" and "adventure". It's going to be a lists!
This is me kind of being lazy and lists are often easier than making a cohesive paragraph.. But you can get a lot of insight of a person from a list of their favorite songs, their goals, their closest friends, their hobbies, and etc. So yay!

I have a lot of weird habits [or so I think..] so I thought this would be interesting for the reader and for myself. So here we go! Ten weird habits.


1. organizing/cleaning things when I get stressed out. Or to procrastinate.
I guess I want to have control over something, and organizing is something that I can have control over. A lot of people don't like organizing and cleaning, but it's stress relieving for me I guess

2. cracking my knuckles.
I don't really like that I do it, but it's a hard-to-break habit.

3. buying whole albums.
I guess it's weird that I buy my music.. but.. I don't like buying only part of an album.. I don't like buying six songs out of ten on an album.. Even though I don't really like the other four.. I just buy the whole thing. I don't really know why though.. I waste so much money this way..

4. taking everything with me wherever I go.
I know that I will never be able to write notes, do homework for math, read my five articles, answer twenty chemistry problems, and have time to read a book in my two hours at the library; but it doesn't stop me from bringing all of the material I might need. Same with packing for a trip in the mountains or to the beach.

5. not fully understanding what someone else is saying, but pretending that I do.
I sometimes just nod my head in agreement if I don't really understand. I've been trying to fix it.. but it's hard especially when I'm sleep deprived..

6. starting over if I don't like the way something looks.
I will literally write a whole page of notes over again if I forgot one line in the middle. Or redraw a rose because I spilled something on it. I'm not sure its a habit, but it's something that I have to do or I don't really feel good.

7. telling people I'm going to leave and then actually leaving ten to fifteen minutes later.
This often happens at a gathering or an event.. I just hate leaving early, but I know that I should probably leave, so I tell people that I'm leaving.. but not actually leaving..

8. making weird faces at myself in the mirror.
I'm pretty sure a lot of people do this, but I don't know, I'm kind of embarrassed of it. I can make some weird faces though. haha.

9. Wearing rings.
I feel partially naked without them.

10. starting something and not sleeping until I finish.
This might be a good thing, but it usually applies to small things; like writing blog posts, making origami elephants, writing letters to friends, or something insignificant that can obviously be done the next day.. I kind of did that right now..

bye bye until next time ^ 

surrounded by strangers

It has been about eight weeks since I just got into UCLA and it has been a rough start, I have to admit. I feel like it has been a struggle..; from academics, finding new friends, adjusting to living in the dorms, looking for a church, and a particular relationship. At my high school, I knew so many people and I would be surrounded by my friends and my classmates, many of whom I have known for many years. But here, when I'm walking to and from class or even going down the hall to the bathroom, I feel like I'm surrounded by strangers.

It can be really lonely at times, but it can also be really refreshing at times.. Just to be isolated from the world and to be in your own space. There has been so much self reflection that has been going on in my mind because I'm constantly alone.. People have told me that college is where you really find yourself, and I'm beginning to see that happening with me...

Anyways..

bye bye until next time ^ 

a short break on Sawtelle

Last Saturday, after my friend and I finished midterms, we decided to take a break by exploring Sawtelle Blvd, which is a short distance away from UCLA. I have never heard of Sawtelle until my friend mentioned it; but I was nonetheless excited to go. Sawtelle Blvd is a street with many Asian stores [mainly Japanese]; including small clothing / speciality stores, Japanese restaurants and markets, and of course, many desert places. There was also a Michaels on the street, so of course we took inside as well

We headed out in the morning and took a bus. The Santa Monica bus [big blue bus] is only 50 cents for UCLA students! I should utilize the bus more.. 

a crisp fall day in LA

On Sawtelle, there are several small stores selling various of items, many with cute / interesting designs. Although they were much to expensive for me to even consider buying, just looking at these quaint products made me quite happy.

It has been a while since I've anything close to good sushi, so this lunch was quite satisfying. 

We stopped by a Japanese stationary store, which had a lot of cartoon plush, stationary, and overall very cute items, including the fruit bean bag plush that I'm holding 

Of course; boba was a must on this trip! 

Stop by Michaels! I forgot how much I have missed crafts and making handmade things.. Oh the summer days when I had time..

it's only November, but already Christmas - related items are appearing on the shelves. All the festivities is quite exciting!

Overall, this was a short, but relaxing trip..  I look forward to the many other small adventures I will have during college. 

bye bye until next time ^

birthday phone call

Something that I have been doing recently is calling my friends on their birthday to wish them a happy birthday. I'm not exactly sure how or why I started doing this.. But I'm really glad that I do this! It kind of forces me to take time out of my day to call a particular person that I might have not contacted otherwise. And I can't push it to another day because it's only their birthday once a year. And it is awesome just to hear their voice and listen to what's going on their life. I know a lot of people just post up a happy birthday post on each other's Facebook wall.. But there's something special about a phone call that makes it slightly more special. I hope a lot of people call me on my birthday ^^.. except the fact it's during finals week haha.

bye bye until next time ^