Cruise T-minus six days!

I have no idea how I'm going to make it through this week!!!! Rose Bowl is on Saturday, Drew and I leave for New Orleans on Sunday and we sail off Monday! This week is clearly going to take forever.

I'm definitely having post-Christmas blues. Because I'm no longer a college kid, I no longer get the luxury of having month-long breaks between semesters. College kids: Enjoy it while it lasts!! No more summer vacations, no more spring breaks or Fall breaks... sad days.

In other news, Christmas was AWESOME. I got a ton of new, trendy clothes! My mother essentially bought out Charlotte Russe lol. I'm going to be stylin' in the Caribbean! I hope I don't spend too much money... after all, when I get back, reality will sink in and I will have a TON of bills to pay. Hmph.

Day 22 – Something that upsets you

Oh, this one is easy.

Ok, so you know the drivers that clearly ignore the "Right (or left) lane ends" sign and then cut you off? Yes, I despise those people. It's one thing if you clearly accidentally missed the sign. BUT, for the jerks who decide that they are just going to speed by everyone else?! Rude. I wish I had a potato gun I could shoot at these inconsiderate fools! This is why traffic builds up on Hulen, just before the bridge. Am I bitter? Of course.

TCU uniforms... where's the purple?

Now, I appreciate Nike making Pro Combat uniforms for TCU and really giving them an edgier look, but I have just one problem: where's the purple?! Purple IS our primary color and all the new uniforms only have a hint of purple. I mean, yes, black looks nice; the lizard-skin pants look awesome; the helmets with the red lines ("blood") look cool. HOWEVER, our main color isn't black and I fail to see why that's the main color of the uniform.

Perhaps Nike has forgotten that TCU is all about the purple. Maybe someone need to remind them?

On that note, I don't really understand why we needed new uniforms in the first place. I LOVE our home uniforms that we have now. New uniforms specifically designed for the Rose Bowl seem like they are a waste of money and time. But hey, publicity is publicity and now everyone will know that TCU got new uniforms.

Day 21 – Another moment?

Here's a recent FUN moment -- actually, it was a fun evening!

Drew and I went to see The Nutcracker Sunday night, regardless of the fact that I felt like I was going to hack up a lung lol. With two bottles of water in tow, I was set to go!

Now, to be honest, I really didn't remember the plot line of The Nutcracker. It had something to do with a nutcracker (duh) and some girl's dream. That's all I remember from when I was like 6 years old haha. The Texas Ballet Theater did a wonderful job casting the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Snow Queen and the Prince. I forgot how small a role Clara really has. I mean, yes, it's her dream but she has a very small dancing role.

Anyway, the performance lasted two hours and I loved every moment of it! My only complaints were that I wish it had lasted longer and there were a few timing issues with the dancers.

Drew and I got GREAT seats! We bought our tickets off of Groupon and got 50 percent off! We sat in the Parterre Circle, which is right above the Orchestra seating section. We were right in the center and I had such a great view!

Drew commented that he thought it was funny/interesting that the songs that everyone knows from The Nutcracker ("Waltz of the Flowers," "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," etc.) play a fairly small role compared to the "Overture" and some of the more prominent pieces.

Anyway, after The Nutcracker, Drew really wanted to go to Scat Jazz Lounge so we made our way over there... it was literally two blocks down. We felt so artsy! First, a night out at Bass Hall and then after, a night of jazz music and drinks.

It was a fantastic night indeed.

Day 20 – This month?

Whew. This month is flying by fast. Currently, I'm feeling a bit under the weather. The weather's lack of consistency is to blame! Anyway, I hope I'm better by next weekend. I'm making a trip down to San Marcos to visit my BEST FRIEND, Jessica Caitlin, graduate from Texas State and I'm hoping to see my family while I'm down there.

I've also decided that I don't care if I'm hacking up a lung on Sunday, I WILL be going to see The Nutcracker... even if I have to live every 10 minutes to have a cough attack! I've been looking forward to this for the past few weeks. :)

On a better note, Drew and I will be happily sailing away to the Caribbean in less than a month! I'm counting down the days. We both are in serious need of a vacation. I think we're only planning on doing one excursion -- exploring some Mayan ruins! I'm a history buff and find it all fascinating. Too bad I can't go swimming with dolphins again lol. I'm also excited that we get to spend a night in New Orleans before we sail out. I'll be ready for some Cajun food.

So, I've been doing really well with my new workout regiment. I'm really excited about it all. I just hope I start losing weight soon. Granted, I can't complain too much because I still wear a size 2 in jeans... and some 0's depending on where I shop. But I nearly had a meltdown when I realized that I went up a pant size. I haven't changed pants sizes since like eighth grade or something like that.

Speaking of pants. I'm in a dilemma. I can't for the life of me find pants that are the right length! All I want are jeans that aren't too long and won't drag on the floor. I used to be able to wear American Eagle's jeans... but they changed their inseam lengths. Ugh. Now, while The Buckle does alterations for free, I can't bring myself to spend $150 on a pair of jeans! That seems way too ridiculous. For reals. I guess I'll have to keep hunting. So depressing. Really. I just want jeans that fit! Did I shrink?!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Thank goodness the holidays are finally here. I love Christmas. I always decorate and blast Christmas music in the car. The boyfriend, however, isn't all into excessive amounts of Christmas decorations, the music, etc. Sad day for him! He's missing out. ;)

I'm excited because a month from today, Drew and I will be on our cruise!! This vacation is definitely much needed. These are days when I miss being a college student. You get a loonngg break and time to relax and re-energize before the new year.

I wish I could go to TCU's bowl game... whichever one they end up in. Fun fact: The National Championship is on a MONDAY. How inconvenient! It should be on a weekend and if I looked correctly, that's the first day back to school for all the TCU students. Boo. If TCU ends up in a NC, they should cancel the first two days of class lol. However it all turns out, I'll be proud of our team! I think the Rose Bowl is a perfectly good consolation prize. :)

So as of the end of December, I will be a "real adult" and have my own health benefits. I will officially be entirely cut off from my parents! This is very exciting and scary... all at the same time! I just hope I'm ready to fully be on my own. I get the joy of starting to pay back my loans this month. Freakin' TCU... SO expensive!

Day 19 – Something you regret?

I don't like living with regrets. I feel that they are a waste of my time to dwell on the past! I prefer to look toward the future. :)

Day 18 – Your favorite birthday

I think one of my favorite birthdays was when Kim threw a surprise party for me at Rosa's a few years ago. I remember that was the week Chris and I broke up and Kim nicely planned a little get together for me. :) Needless to say, I was extremely surprised. That's why she's one of my best friends!! She makes me smile. :)

Another one of my favorites was obviously my 21st birthday. GOOD TIMES. That's all I've gotta say. If you were there, you were present for all the crazy shenanigans.

Dallas Cowboys...Finally a time for change

It's about time Jerry Jones got rid of Wade Phillips. Wade is too passive of a coach and always looks so confused anytime his team does anything wrong. His press conferences are what entertain me the most though. He doesn't sound all that intelligent when speaking to the media.

But on another note, the Cowboys have some extremely talented players... it's just that their team isn't "gellin'." It also doesn't help that Romo is out for the rest of the season and Kitna is rusty. The man hasn't played in ball game in I don't even know how long and now he's expected to play at the same level as Romo. Rough.

Regardless, I'm still a Witten and Barber fan. :) They have always been my favorite.. more so than Romo.

_______________________________

I just realized I never finished this post that I originally wrote last week. With Garrett taking over the Cowboys, let's see how they do today...

Day 17 – Your favorite memory?

It's hard to just pick one memory because really, there are just so many fantastic memories that I have!

More recently, this past weekend was a blast. The TCU game was everything and more! I'm so proud of my team, especially because I was concerned that it was going to be a close game. I'm glad I recorded that haha.

But in short, my TCU years have been fantastic. Thanks to band and Tau Beta Sigma, I had a very fulfilling college experience. Just like my high school days, band really helped me make a ton of friends and today, those friends are probably still my closest ones! I'm impressed with the people I'm still able to keep up with from high school and middle school. I take pride in the fact that I'm a social butterfly. :)

Happy Hump Day!

I'm halfway through my first week at GM Financial! I love it. I'm always excited to get up and go to work and see what each day brings. I cranked out two articles today--to the surprise of my co-workers. I guess I'm just used to working fast and thinking on my feet.

My boss also told me that her boss--the VP of our division--wants me to become their in-house MS Powerpoint expert. Now, my Powerpoint skills are mediocre, but I'll have to start cranking out detailed financial reports and complicated looking graphs and charts. So yes, I need to brush up on my skills. They want to send me to training... that should be interesting. It's hard to find a training class that isn't just teaching creative aspects of Powerpoint. My boss wants me to take a business-centric course. I hope I can find one.

In other news, my badge picture turned out nice! It's much better than what my Alcon badge looked like, ha.

I finally feel like a permanent employee. It's a great feeling. :) I feel so accomplished!

Day 16 – Your first kiss

Hahahaha. I nearly died laughing when I saw this one. Well, I was first kissed by a boy in kindergarten by Matt Lindeman. We were convinced at that young age that we were going to get married. Good times.

But seriously, my first "real" kiss took place in 8th grade with the oh so wonderful Sean Quillman... in a tent. Sean had those "trendy" bring blonde highlights at the time. Ha. I hope JESSIE WANG reads this lol. Impressively, that boy and I dated for like 6 months, which is nearly a lifetime in middle school. Oh wow, 8th grade was also when I was a cheerleader. Ha, such a long time ago.

Day 15 – Your dreams

I have had some CRAZY dreams over the last couple days... two of which have been nightmares and I usually don't have nightmares! One was of Drew awkwardly breaking up with me because I'm Asian (he laughed when I told him this) and the other was being held hostage with other people in a house and some guy going on a shooting rampage.

Not pleasant, to say the least.

My thoughts on the BCS (Week 9)

Like many others, I'm also irritated with the BCS. I always enjoy Sunday nights with the BCS Countdown. It's interesting to see what the commentators say, what the rankings are, how they differ from AP/Coaches Poll, etc.

But, I have a huge problem with the system. There is no love for the Non-AQ teams. Now, I'm partially bias because I went to TCU, but lets get real here. Take a conference like the Big East that is an AQ conference. The Big East has been a fail and has NO teams in the top 25 and none that are even close.

Both the WAC and the MWC have two teams in the top 25 and a team that's close making the top 25.

The bowl predictions that were previewed on the BCS Countdown showed that only one Non-AQ team will be in a BCS bowl, which they predicted as TCU and NOT Boise. To all my TCU friends out there who despise Boise, let's be honest. They have a GOOD football team. Boise has the No. 3 total defense in the nation and the No. 5 total offense. Their QB (goat-looking Kellen Moore) is in the Heisman race. You can't ignore that. Thus, it would be incredibly unfair for them and Utah to not go to a BCS bowl. (This is also assuming we beat Utah... and I never guarantee TCU a win. We EARN our way.)

But I digress further: How can you justify sending a one-loss team above undefeated teams, regardless of strength of schedule? Rankings should be about winning. And according the rankings tonight, there are only five undefeated teams left. This is kind of entertaining because it's putting the BCS into a pickle. The top five is being dominated by Non-AQ teams. I fully agree that if Oregon wins out, they should go to a championship. While I think Auburn is overrated (their defense is far from top-notch), if the BCS sent them to the championship, I wouldn't even be THAT mad. However, if Alabama wins out, beats Auburn in the SEC championship, and jumps the Non-AQ undefeated teams... I will be tempted to throw a heavy object at my TV. The commentators are convinced that Alabama will jump everyone and be in the championship. Pure crap.

On that note, I'd appreciate it if ESPN would stop giving Bama so many brownie points. Sweet Moses. On a good note, TCU got more love on the BCS Countdown today than ever before! It was nice. Chris Fowler said that if TCU or Boise played in a stronger conference--Big 12 was the example--they would do just fine and probably win, especially in the Big 12 South... which is all sorts of crap this year. Ha!

OK, my rant is over for now. We'll see what next week brings. I'm already looking forward to Saturday. BRING ON THE UTES! I'll be a nervous wreck that day...

Day 14 – What you wore today

Today is Texas Rangers Friday at work! This is great because we can wear T-shirts, jerseys, etc. If I could wear this kind of stuff every day, my life would be complete! I miss doing the whole T-shirt and jeans thing every day. That's definitely a college luxury. :(

Anyway, today is also my LAST day at Alcon! It's definitely a bittersweet day and honestly, it hasn't hit me yet that as of next week, I'll no longer an Alcon employee and I won't be coming into the office. For my co-workers, it'll probably be strange seeing an empty cube. I made this nook my home! Well, no worries. At GM Financial, I'm totally decorating my cube with photos, TCU memorabilia, purple things, etc. I'll take pictures and post them asap!

In other news, I need to go purchase "The Sound of Music" on DVD. After yesterday's Oprah extravaganza, I totally want to watch it now! I'm so glad that there were a ton of good musicals made before I was born. "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and "White Christmas" are still two of my all-time favorites, hands down. I also need to purchase a VCR so that I can bring all of my Disney VHS classics up to my apartment! Don't hate. I know and LOVE my Disney movies! I think "Robin Hood" and "The Rescuers" are two of my favorites.

Fun story about Disney... Kim and I used to sing "Forget About Love" to each other from "Aladdin:The Return of Jafar." We used to watch the music video and it was a grand ol' time. We were such dorks--and still are. :)

The Sound of Music... Reuinion after 45 years!

First of all, Julie Andrews is amazing! I discovered yesterday that Oprah was bringing back the entire Sound of Music cast! I was so excited that I immediately set my TIVO to record it. Right when I got home today, I immediately sat down and watched it.

It was truly amazing! I loved it. I want to be as graceful and as lovely as Julie Andrews when I'm her age! She's in 70s too. She was born on Oct. 1, 1935. WE HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY! Well, minus the being born during the Great Depression. I was so excited.

On the show, they also brought back the REAL Von Trapp family children and they sang! It was fantastic.

This must make me a musical nerd and I'm OK with that.

Check it out here!

Day 13 – This week

Oh my gosh. WHAT A WEEK. Alcon's Corporate Giving campaign begins on Monday and I've been all sorts of busy. I provided all of the written content for this and heck, I won't even be here the second week of the campaign! My last day at Alcon is technically next Friday, so I'll be around to get the ball rolling. I'm definitely sad I can't stay for the whole thing.

I definitely worked overtime this week. Luckily, they let me leave a little early today! I'm glad I get to start my week early.

I'm getting anxious about starting my new job. I just want it to start already! Next week is going to be bittersweet and Friday will be a sad, sad day. I know my Alcon co-workers will miss me and it will be weird not going to Alcon the following week! Hopefully, I actually remember to got GM Financial the first day haha.

On Wednesday, Julie and I went to our first TBS meeting as alumni. It was WEIRD. The meeting was much quieter than usual... kind of awkward to be honest. But it was nice to see everyone. I would say that's probably my first and last meeting I'll go to as an alumni! It makes me miss my college days. Now that I think about it, TBS was my life throughout my four years at TCU. No question about it!

In other news, Homecoming is this weekend! I'm very excited to see all my alumni friends. I just hope it's not pouring rain tomorrow... the game is sold out! Should be a good game. I'll be attending all of the TBS alumni festivities. I was going to go to the parade tonight, but it looked like it was going to rain cats and dogs. Good thing I'll be heading to Snookie's to see CAITY!! :D I'm sooo glad I'll be reunited with my love.

Frogs for the Cure

I've always loved TCU's Frog for the Cure week. The fact that TCU promotes breast cancer awareness and dedicates a football game solely to it, is so inspiring! More schools should participate and get with the program (no pun intended). Below, you'll see the half-time video with Tim Halperin's "We Fight Back." This video illustrates campus unity, TCU's passion for helping others and what we'll do to keep promoting breast cancer awareness!

Day 12 – What’s in your bag?

Funny enough, more recently, I've had a TON of eye drops in my purse! I've been fighting an eye infection for more than a week now and just when I thought I was cured... my left eye turned BRIGHT pink. Luckily, I found out it wasn't pink eye... just a strand from the same eye infection. What a pain. Not a fan.

I also always have a ton of other random stuff in my purse... I have this little green bag that's essentially a medicine cabinet on-the-go, which includes band-aids, tampons, Aleve, Claritin, more eye drops, contact solution, a thermometer, etc. Exciting, I know. One day, I'll learn to not carry so much stuff with me, but for now, this will have to suffice!

Day 11 – Your siblings?

Ohh my sister. She's a special one. We've definitely had our ups and downs. However, I'm proud to say that we've overcome some of the worst situations we, as a family have been in. Now, she and I are tight. We talk every week and it's so nice that we get to stay in touch. I love her to death and back! :-)

In case you don't know, her name is Julia, but our family and close friends call her Yulia, which is her Russian name. She's from Borivichi, Russia, which is halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg. My parents adopted her when I was in 8th grade... I was 13 years old. She was either 10 or 11 years old. I remember when she first got here, she spoke no English. My parents went over to Russia to get her. Oh my goodness, if you see her pictures from when she got here and what she looks like now, it's insane. She looks so different! She also still has a strong Russian accent... and kind of a valley girl voice haha. As I always tell her, she's quite the diva.

Day 10 – What you wore today ... Plus MORE!

First of all, what a GREAT Friday!!! See below for details.

In regards to what I wore today... Well, on Wednesday, I went on a small shopping spree at Kohl's! I got a few new shorts and in honor of Go Purple Friday, I made sure to get some extra purple to fill my wardrobe. :-)

So, let me update you on my life. Yesterday, I went and interviewed for a Communications Specialist position at GM Financial/AmeriCredit. It's a auto finance corporation that just got bought out by General Motors, and two of my co-workers at Alcon and my former boss all worked there. They gave me great recommendations to the VP of Investor Relations. I went in yesterday and went through a two-hour interview process with four people in the department I'd be working in and I took a quick writing test. I was so pumped after the interview because I was pretty sure that I nailed it! They also told me that I was the only the person they brought in for a face-to-face interview, so needless to say, I was feeling good. Anyway, they said I would hear back early next week.

To my surprise, I heard back today... and they gave me an offer!!! I was so ecstatic and was nearly jumping out of my own skin. All of my waiting has finally paid off! It's a 90-day contract to hire, and make no mistake: I don't disappoint. I'm going to go to talk with HR early next week and work out some finer details. I'm so excited! This just goes to show that networking really does help. So, to all you college kids out there, GO NETWORK. I'm proud of myself. I haven't really announced it to many people... mainly because I haven't accepted the offer yet. I'll get to that next week.

I'll definitely miss working at Alcon... I've met so many wonderful people and I know both my presence and my work is appreciated. I think it'll be a little difficult for me to say goodbye, but the show must go on! I think it's time for me to move on with my career. This internship/contract position has done wonders for me and without it, I definitely wouldn't be where I am today. I have so many people to thank and I don't know how I will do it.

My only complaint about this week: eye infections suck! I thought I was finally over mine, but then my eye turned crazy pink last night. I have an appointment with a new eye doctor on Monday... It's about time for me to find doctors here now that I technically live in Fort Worth. I don't go home enough to go through with those annual appointments!

New Hairrr!

I took Jessie's advice and got a bob. :-)

Day 09 – Your beliefs

Oh, this is perfect! I was just going to write a post on an in-depth conversation Amanda Diaz and I had last night, but thankfully, this post will take care of it.

So, here's the background story. On Tuesday night (AKA Glee night), I was truly inspired by Glee's episode. The producers did a great job by not pushing Christianity in your face and showed everyday situations where people, especially high school or college students, have their faith tested or where non-believers have to face believers on a daily basis. The conflict and controversy of religion is a non-ending feud, which unfortunately, will probably never be resolved--not in this lifetime at least.

Anyway, I digress.

I had taken a quote from Tuesday night's Glee and posted it as my Facebook status:

"I know you don't believe in God. You don't believe in the power prayer and that's ok--to each his own. But you've gotta believe in something, something more than you can touch, taste or see. 'Cause life is too hard to go through it alone without something to hold onto or without something that's sacred."

Now, I find that incredibly inspiring. One of the guys I went to high school with commented on my status and said: "This quote from Glee is kind of like saying, 'Okay, I know you don’t believe in religion, but you can’t NOT believe in it. So, believe already.'" And then he made some reference to Santa.

Disregarding Santa, I have to disagree with my friend's comment. I don't think the quote was trying force religion upon anyone. I interpreted it as that you should believe in something, as in anything. I think it's about having faith in something far beyond us as individuals, something intangible and something you value.

We can go on all day about whether God, Allah, etc. are "real." But really, when it comes down to it, if God is real to one person, then He's just as real as anything else in this world.

In my opinion, even the Santa example works for this. Millions of children around the world believe in Santa and believe in the joy he brings every Christmas. Yes, we all know Santa physically isn't real (unless the mall Santas count for anything), but the spirit of Santa is. Santa is real to all the children who believe in him, as is a higher power. For the millions of people who believe in a Higher Being, yes, they can't physically see him/her, but that doesn't mean he/she isn't real. The spirits of God, Allah, etc. are what make them real to us.

Believing in something that's greater than us as people, having faith in something far more powerful than any one person, is a wonderful gift that we should all take advantage of. Whether that faith is derived from religion, love, happiness, friendship, or even AIR. Yes, I said air. It's not something we can touch, taste or see. But for some, myself included, believing in air is waking up every morning and taking a deep breath knowing that every day is a new day and that you're waking up to another day of a life you've been given. For some, that might sound far-fetched, but you take a deep breath of fresh air and tell me what comes to your mind.

On that note, yes, I'm a Christian. But I think I'm very tolerable of other beliefs and faiths. I think I'm open-minded, and if tolerance is a sin (which I've heard people say), then so be it. I'd rather be open-minded then be someone who thinks her beliefs are better than someone else. I'd also just like to say that I really don't like those commercials that attempt to promote Christianity. Yes, I know God wants us to spread his word, but I don't think he meant to passive aggressively throw it in someone else's face. It's things like that that I think turn people away from Christianity.

I always interpreted "spreading God's word" as doing it through your actions, not your words. Showing people kindness, generosity, love, etc. are great alternatives. I feel that it's ineffective to put people in awkward positions by debating their beliefs against yours, trying to make a point that one is more superior than the other. What I believe is for myself only. My relationship with God is personal and isn't something I want to just toss around in casual conversation.

Ok, I'm done digressing.

Day 08 – A moment?

Well, on Saturday, Julie and Caroline spent Saturday night with me for my birthday. I was so much fun and I'm glad it was just the three of us! We went to Times Ten Cellar and we indulged in a bottle of wine and cheese and crackers plate. It was divine! This was post-Lady Antebellum concert, which was also a good time.

I'm so glad I got to spend time with these two! I enjoy quality time with my sisters... especially those who graduated in the Peanuts class with me. :) It's a pity we all live in different areas of the metroplex, or I'm sure we'd see each other more often. I'm glad that we've all seen each other a fair amount since graduation. I was worried that we would all get too busy and caught up in the craziness of life, but alas, I was wrong--and I'm glad that I was!

Well, that's my moment. I figured I should go with something recent. :) Here are some photos from this weekend!

Lady Antebellum

Oh my goodness. This was probably one of the best concerts I have ever been to! Lady Antebellum's music is not only wonderful, but live, their voices are amazing. Seriously, this is one talented group! I've found that country singers seem to be more talented live than others. But that's just my observation... and I've only been to a few concerts haha.

I watched some of Lady A's music videos last night and by far, my favorite is "American Honey." Actually, I think that's my new favorite song right now. I've heard it one the radio so many times and yet I didn't know who sang it!

I'm still shocked that Hillary Scott, the lead female vocalist of Lady A, is only 24 years old! She doesn't look old by any means, she just looks so mature for her age! Honestly, I feel quite unaccomplished at the age of 22 lol.

Birthday!!

Well, hoorah!! It's my 22nd birthday. Good news, I feel no different lol. I had someone ask me how I felt to be 22... well, it's definitely not as exciting as turning 21! That's ok though.

I'm taking a half day at work. YIPPEE. I think I've earned/deserve it. I fully intend on relaxing today and not doing anything remotely productive, other than hanging out with friends tonight. The family is coming into town tomorrow... I'll get to see my sissy! Finally! It's been too long.

Even better, Lady Antebellum and PEANUTS night tomorrow!!! It's going to be AWESOME. :)

Hump Day woes and ambitions

I think it's safe to say that I'm feeling a little bit under the weather today. The day started out great though. Woke up earlier than usual, which is a huge plus. The weather was cool but not cold. I got a lot of stuff done this morning at work and did some "house cleaning." However, once my 10:30 a.m. editorial meeting came around, things went downhill. To be fair, no one is really complaining, more or less, they are concerned about the work load, being overwhelmed, etc. These are all fair assessments.

Anyway, enough about my day. Over the past week or so, I have decided that my life ambitions are much greater than I had originally thought. There are some things I would love to accomplish, like obtaining a Master's degree and a Ph.D., becoming a successful businesswoman, living in the wonderful luxury apartments in Montgomery plaza, etc. Reaching my goals should be my No. 1 priority. I'm certain that once I get my first real job that's not an internship or contract-to-hire, etc. I will be able to jump start my career and become successful... I just need to get to that point.

In the meantime, I'll be perfectly content with my mediocre lifestyle and job. No, I'm not complaining about the job. I love my work and the people I work with... I just don't necessarily love the people I work for. Big wigs, really. People who reel in those bags of money every day and don't care about the "working bees." The workers are the ones who make the big wigs look good! After being in a large company, I am now seeing the importance of transparency and how the big wigs want to control the information that's being distributed. It's unfortunate that so many people yearn to learn more but other people essentially decide that for them. Too many secrets! It's just like our government. Ugh.

On a good note, my birthday is on Friday. Perhaps I'll take a half-day. I think I deserve it.

Day 07 – Your best friend?

Ahh! I have lots of best friends. But I'll go with my three favorites and they're all from my middle school/high school days: Jessica Smith, Jessie Wang and Adam Lemmons. Love them all dearly. Jessica, Jessie and I go all the way back to sixth grade. Damn, that's a long time ago. We attended UT's band camp together, stayed on the same floor and caused absolute mayhem. Our middle school split up when entering high school so Jessica, Adam and I were at Round Rock HS and Jessie ended up at McNeil HS. We still kept in touch though. Thank goodness. :-) Fun factoid: Jessie and Jessica are the only two girls who I have considered "bridesmaid" worthy since the beginning of high school and have stayed in that category all these years later. Really, ladies, you should feel honored!!

So, let's continue, shall we?

Adam Lemmons -- This kid knows everything about me and vice versa. We first met in our net/web class our sophomore year. Good times. We got almost nothing done! Since then, we've confided in each other about all sorts of things (including inappropriate, promiscuous conversations). I just recently gave him girl advice... he needed it. ;-) I always make a point to see him when I head back home for a weekend. Our usual routine is to get Starbucks coffee and head back to my place to chat and catch up. Every time we hang out, it's as though we were never apart to begin with! We talk just about every week... gotta keep up with the happenings. He nicknamed me "Noodles." Not entirely sure how he came up with that... I'm going to guess it has to do with Asian food. It's better than "Chopsticks." I have no desire to be named after an eating utensil!

Jessica Smith -- Oh snap. This girl and I go way back, although I think Jessie and I go back a little further. I must say, we're opposites in every sort of way but somehow, it works. She loves me so much that she even makes trips to come visit me in Fort Worth. :-) I have her to thank because if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have ever known TCU existed. She's a huge part of the reason why I even looked at TCU in the first place! We've been through everything together... crazy, CRAZY boys, band drama, guard drama, family chaos... you name it, we've been through it. She completes me. :-) We stay in touch pretty frequently. I haven't seen her in like two months though. Ugh. It's been too long.

Jessie Wang -- Now, I know I said Jess, Jessie and I all knew each other since sixth grade, which is true. But Jessie and I actually sat next to each other in band... so we go back a little farther. Luckily, this girl hasn't changed much. Still quirky, still very Asian and frankly, she puts up with my non-Asianess and deals with my lack of knowledge on the matter lol. She also brings me back fun things from Taiwan. :-) We've come a long way and I'm glad we've stayed in touch as long as we have. I enjoy our random phone chats at random hours at night... she's usually walking back from the library or somewhere on UT's campus. I'm excited that she'll be moving to Dallas after she graduates!!!  Makes me happy. She completes me too.

Of course, there are other lovely ladies (and gents) I consider my best friends, but it would take forever to right a nice saga for each. So to keep it short, I'll list them accordingly: Drew Talley (this should be obvious, thus I didn't see the need to add a description), Kim Little (roommates for four years and we still love each other), Jenn Haase (BEST little in the world) and Anahita Kalianivala (how is it that it took us four years to officially meet?! Ridiculous.)

Day 06 – Your day

I've given up on doing this 30-day challenge every day. Unfortunately, I've been super busy at work!

Anyway, my day was AWESOME. It was so relaxing! I woke up around 11:30 a.m. and made it to Buffalo Wild Wings in time to watch the rest of the Cowboys v. Texans game. Now, that's a Cowboys team I'm used to seeing! Glad they remembered how to play football.

Afterward, Drew and I came back, watched some more football and took a nap. For dinner, I made my mom's macaroni and cheese. Nom nom nom! So good. I'm glad I'm starting to make her own recipes now... it makes me love my mom's cooking even more!

Anyway, I'm excited for this week. My 22nd birthday is on Friday. My family is coming to visit on Saturday and there will be so many good college football games on TV! It'll be a good week/weekend. I'm not entirely sure what I want to do for my birthday... I really don't have any preferences.

On a completely different note, this weather is FANTASTIC. I went out side and thought to myself, "Christmas is only three months away!" This means Christmas music is only two months away! I'm excited. I love Christmas music on the radio. I love it. Honestly, I could listen to Christmas music all year. But honestly, I love Christmastime because it's such a happy time of year... even though apparently it's the season with the highest suicide rates... DO NOT understand that. One day, I hope to be in NYC during Christmas and ice skating at Rockefeller Center!! :-)

Day 05 – Your definition of love?

Definition of love? Love is a relative term... I don't think there's one right answer. Clearly, the best way to sum this up is to use quotes from "The Notebook." ;-)

"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds."

I've also heard other quotes like: "The true testament to love is how hard you will work to make it work." That is so true. So when someone tells you, "You can't do it," or "It's not worth it/your time," just look them straight in the face and tell that it's all worth it to you. I won't deny that Drew and I have had our differences and our ups and downs throughout the past two years, but we persevered, despite the comments I know my friends (and his friends) made.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

To me, love is something that can't be taught. It's something you have to learn on your own through your experiences. No one can teach it to you. It's a feeling that passionately burns inside you and brings you joy from the moment you wake up to when you go to bed. Love brings you peace of mind. It challenges you, makes you stronger, takes your weaknesses and forces you to deal with them. Love is a great thing and I hope everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. I'm just lucky that I've found love more than once. I know how it feels.

Now, I have a fantastic boyfriend who loves me, makes me a better person, challenges me, helps me see outside my own views and beliefs, takes care of me when I'm sick, lets me rant when I need an outlet, keeps me grounded, and he watches endless amounts of Food Network with me because it's my favorite TV channel. We've come a long way... I'm a lucky girl! :-)

Day 04 – What you ate today?

Son of a monkey. I can't believe I forgot/didn't have time to update my blog! Anyway, I haven't eaten anything today yet... but I can tell you that my lunch will be Pei Wei. DELICIOUS. It's a good thing there's not one of those right down the street from me... I'd eat there all the time.

Anyway, onto something else. I've become incredibly busy over the past week or so. After my bank dilemma, which was stressful and completely unnecessary (thank you idiot for writing fake checks and trying to take money from me), I now have a ton of work to do! I'm working on this big campaign here at work and it's probably going to take all of my attention for the next month and a half or so. By then, my bank problems should be 100% gone and hopefully, they will catch the culprit. I filed a police report yesterday... it's supposed to be assigned to a fraud detective today... hopefully they will find something. Luckily, I have more than enough evidence to prove that I'm not the one who is writing fraudulent checks.

In other news, GO FROGS! TCU football makes me happy and makes my weekends much more eventful. :-) We play SMU this week and it's going to be awesome. I'm leaving work early to head over to Dallas with our little possé of people. I'm sure it's going to be madness trying to get over there.

My birthday is coming up in roughly a week... I hope the parents get me that digital camera I've been wanting. :-) I'll even hand over my $20 Best Buy coupon to contribute to my gift! I just really need a camera so I can record my happenin' social life, haha, and the cruise in January!! Drew and I are pumped. It's going to be a blast.

Day 03 – Your parents?

My parents are cool people... and they're crazy. If you've met them, you know what I mean!!

My mom has helped me A LOT in the past two days. She essentially took care of my bank account dilemma when I was nearly about to have a heart attack. That's obviously just one thing though. I don't think I could ever repay her for all of the wonderful things she has done for me or all the brattiness she's dealt with between both my sister and I.

My dad is all sorts of smart and he's the rock of our family. He also has an awesome sense of humor and his inappropriate jokes make dinner time fantastic. He's also a hardcore republican and has sound Christian beliefs. If I were you, I wouldn't debate with him on the politics... you'll get more than you asked for. He keeps up with the news and trust me, he knows his stuff!

My parents have been through a lot... dealing with my and cancer sickliness at a young age with my sister's crazy shenanigans... I don't know how they've done it!

I think I'll turn to be a good parent someday because they raised me well. My sister, on the other hand... haha just kidding. ;-)

Day 02 – Your first love?

Well, this is awkward. I'm assuming first love would have to do with a person... and surprise, my first "love" was not my current boyfriend, the wonderful Drew Talley. He knows this already so no worries, it won't be new news to him.

So, my first love was Chris and that occurred back during my sophomore year of high school. It was quite the experience. I was absolutely crushed when he broke up with me at the end of our sophomore year. The next few months became a life-changing experience. I grew as a person and changed for the better. Anyway, Chris and I dated again my senior year of high school... it only lasted a few months, so don't get your hopes up! So after he and I broke up, I dated a few other guys that year and then happily graduated and moved on to TCU.

I can proudly say that Drew is the only guy I dated while I was at TCU. We dated my freshman year but it also only lasted a few months. Chris and I dated again, it was love all over again, and it lasted for about a year. Well, because we were doing long distance, it just wasn't working for me. I just wasn't in it anymore and I was shocked that I was the one to call everything off. I didn't think that would ever be the case. But honestly, he just "came to his senses" too late. The whole "third times the charm" saying didn't work this time... he brought me a promise ring and everything. It was extremely difficult, to say the least.

Anyway, that's the story of my FIRST love. And now, I'm happy with Drew. We will have been dating 2 1/2 years next month! I'm very excited. This has been my longest relationship and with all of the ups and downs, it's been worth it.

Now, onto a different kind of first love... I fell in love with writing at a young age. When I was going through cancer treatments, I remember I used to write all sorts of things on this little note pad. One of my favorite doctors once told me, according to my mother, "Never stop writing." Well, good news. Writing essentially ended up being my career! Some of you know this, but many don't: I used to write poetry! I even got one of my poems published when I was in sixth grade. I even got invited to this ceremony... but I didn't go. I was too nervous! Oh well. I still have the massive book it was published in.

Day 01 – Introduce yourself

Well, hello there. My name is Kimmy. I'm a TCU graduate with a B.A. in News-Editorial Journalism and a Spanish minor. I work at Alcon Laboratories, Inc. in Corporate Communications (in a nutshell, I do global and internal communications). As an official "adult" and "real world" individual, I'm determined to never let work become my life, or as some may say, "work to live, not live to work."

Meh, I don't feel like giving you my whole life story so I guess I'll throw everything into bullets. I likes lists.

• I was born in South Korea, put up for adoption and adopted when I was 6 months old.
• I'm a cancer survivor and proud of it. I totally made cancer my bitch at the age of 2.
• I will forever be a band nerd... I was in colorguard in the marching band for eight years and I've played clarinet since fourth grade.
• I'm a libra.
• My favorite color is purple.
• I'm proud to be a U.S. citizen and I come from a fairly patriotic family.
• I know a fair amount about wine... thanks to my parents who drink the stuff daily.
• Writing is my outlet for intense emotions, anger, aggression, etc.
• I give trust easily, which tends to hinder some of my friendships.
• I'm honest and I'm not afraid to speak my mind on the good and the bad.
• I'm also stubborn... I get it from my mom and my sister is the same way.
• I don't like to fight. It's not in my nature. Usually, fighting gets people nowhere.
• I'm an optimist and try to find the positive or "bright side" in everything. Consider me your little ray of sunshine!
• I'm 4'11 3/4". Sad days. So close!
• I take pride in having an active social life. I'm fairly good at keeping up with people... I still keep in contact with many of my middle school and high school friends!
• I say this in a non-arrogant manner, but I think I've lived a great and incredibly blessed life. I'm excited to see what the next decade has in store.
• I don't like politics, nor do I care who runs this country or which senator is kissing ass to who. Sometimes, I care about Congress--only because they actually have the power to make real decisions in this country, but for crying out loud, they were seriously talking about NCAA football. As far as I'm concerned, that's not a nation-critical topic.
• I love dogs! I want one asap!
• I used to be BAD at managing my money (thanks college life), but since I graduated, I've turned over a new leaf.
• And finally, I LOVE TO COOK!!

El fin.

New 30-Day Challenge

Well, that was one challenge down. Time to start another one. I'll begin tomorrow!
 
30-Day Challenge
 
Day 01 – Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Your first love?
Day 03 – Your parents?
Day 04 – What you ate today ?
Day 05 – Your definition of love?
Day 06 – Your day
Day 07 – Your best friend?
Day 08 – A moment?
Day 09 – Your beliefs
Day 10 – What you wore today ?
Day 11 – Your siblings?
Day 12 – What’s in your bag?
Day 13 – This week
Day 14 – What you wore today
Day 15 – Your dreams
Day 16 – Your first kiss
Day 17 – Your favorite memory?
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday
Day 19 – Something you regret?
Day 20 – This month?
Day 21 – Another moment?
Day 22 – Something that upsets you
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better?
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry
Day 25 – A first
Day 26 – Your fears
Day 27 – Your favorite place?
Day 28 – Something that you miss?
Day 29 – Your aspirations?
Day 30 – One last moment

Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy: 10 people I want (or would have like) to meet

Alright, there are quite a few people I'd like to meet... although a few of them will be impossible considering they have already passed away. Regardless, they will be on my top 10 list!

1. Frank Sinatra -- He is one of my all-time favorite singers. I love "The Way You Look Tonight," me and my daddy's song! I think Frank Sinatra is one of the first artist's I heard when I was a wee child.
2. Princess Diana -- She was a fantastic lady... with a lousy husband. But regardless, she did so much good for the world, even when it seemed that many were criticizing her for x, y and z reasons. She totally deserved the Noble Peace Prize when she was ALIVE.
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt -- He was an awesome president. While my AP History class often made me want to burn my textbook, learning about FDR was a highlight.
4. Rascal Flatts -- I LOVE THEM!! I saw them in concert when I was in high school. I think they will always be one of my favorite country groups.
5. Lady Gaga -- Now, don't judge me, but I really just want to meet her in person. The media portrays such a weird side of her... I totally want to meet the real Lady Gaga (her real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, by the way.)
6. Sara Bareilles -- She's an awesome piano player and signer. In some ways, I think I definitely idolize her.
7. Michael Jackson -- King of Pop, you were THE man.
8. Condoleezza Rice (that's totally how you spell her name, by the way) -- What a beast of a woman. I have so much respect for strong-willed women who know what they want and can really compete with men in this crazy society of ours.
9. Eleanor Roosevelt -- This woman was so inspiring to the nation. In my opinion, she was probably the best First Lady that America saw.
10. Mother Teresa -- Again, wonderful lady. She deserves so many high fives, it's not even funny.

Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

Too bad I didn't do this challenge (or kept up with my blog) last year. I would have had so many future plans! But not that I've graduated, I don't have as many future plans as before!

Anyway, I'll just keep this short and simple... and in a list form!

• Take the GRE at the end of September or in early October... The goal is to do well the first time and not have to take it again!
• Pay off TCU loans asap... no late payments!
• Find a permanent job... one that has a real salary and isn't hourly, but don't get me wrong, I still love where I work now. :-)
• Actually make sushi at my apartment. Now that I've taken the class, I need to use those skills at home!
• Buy a dog. I WANT A DOG NOW! :-(
• I would eventually like to go to grad school... but unfortunately, most of the places I'm looking at are out of state!
• I would also eventually like to get married and have two kids. Let's be honest, I probably couldn't handle more than that.
• Get into a daily (or weekly) workout regiment. I think I will be able to do this successfully once the club house and fitness center renovations are complete!

Alright, that's all for now. Whew! I'm glad this post was much shorter than the last one!

Day 28 — This year, in great detail

Oh wow... this year. There is no way I could write about my entire year in one post! I'll break it down by month... that will be easier.

January -- Ah ha, the first week of January, I was in Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl! While the actual turn out of the game wasn't pleasant and getting up early was a huge drag, the weather was awesome and we had a pretty awesome hotel. My lovely roommate was Myra! We had a fantastic time and socialized quite a bit. New Year's Eve wasn't exactly pleasant (for reasons that will remain undisclosed),  but we did get to go to downtown Scottsdale and enjoy the New Year's festivities. It was alright. The drinks weren't cheap though. The parade was so freakin' long... it was like three miles and spinning for that long was absolutely not fun! I'm surprised no one passed out during that time. For it being January, it was pretty darn hot outside!

Other than the bowl game, January was the month Tauship began. I bonded with my wonderful second little, Amanda. Ha, I'm glad I got to do a first degree redo since I wasn't at Jenn's first degree (darn hospital visit)! Amanda was so excited and luckily, I got her lots of fun gifts. ;-) I like to spoil my littles! Speaking of Tauship, the rose family got a lot of wonderful additions. And I'm pretty sure our family got closer throughout the semester. It was so nice! I especially love my grand little and great grand little, Rachel and Nicola. :-)

February -- While I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day, Drew and I celebrated it well! I cooked him a lavishing dinner the day before Valentine's Day... all recipes from the Food Network, of course. ;-) On Valentine's Day, he and I went to the Cheesecake Factory. Originally when we got there, there was a huge long freakin' line just to get to the hostess. While we were waiting, some random guy came up to us and gave us he and his girlfriend's little buzzer thing. Apparently, they got too impatient and didn't want to wait any longer. He said that name was under "Crystal" so I was "Crystal" for the next 30 minutes. Luckily, we didn't have to wait three hours like some couples did! It was awesome.

In February, I also got a corporate communications internship at Alcon. Actually, I also got a social media internship at the Fort Worth Opera. Obviously, I picked Alcon. Deep down, that's the internship I really wanted. I had also interviewed at Range Online Media, where Kevin works! Needless to say, I made the right choice!

March -- VEGAS!! Now, this was a great trip. Mark and I were totally traveling buddies. The last time I was in Vegas, I wasn't legally able to drink. I roomed with Hannah, Amy and Hailey. Hailey's guitar full of alcohol was priceless. The cheap liquor stores were awesome and we walked The Strip multiple days/nights in a row! Actually, a group of us, Beth in particular, decided to go see someone get married at a Vegas wedding chapel. Ha. While we got there too late, we had our "own" little wedding ceremony on the gazebo. Beth and I totally got married.

Spring break brought a new set of dilemmas. The New Orleans trip we had planned a month in advance fell through at the last minute... huge suck fest, but no worries! Drew and I ended up going to visit his family in Arkansas. The drive wasn't bad either. It was nice going to Drew's hometown--I had never really been to Arkansas other than passing through. We played house all week and his two half siblings, Sydney, 6, and Ethan, 7, were ADORABLE. I got to read books to Sydney and we played I Spy. It was a great time and turned out to be a fun spring break!

April -- Wow, the semester flew by fast. Tau Beta Sigma took up most weekends... convention, slating, voting, etc. Convention at Baylor was so nice... it was such a short drive compared to last year! It just wasn't the same though. Without Kappa Kappa Psi there, it felt like something was missing. The banquet was the hardest part. I think I can speak on behalf of many of my sisters when we say that listening to KKY sing their chapter song is harmonious and music to our ears! Not hearing our guys sing it just wasn't right! Anyway, it was a fun weekend, regardless.

April also brought the end of many things I had done at TCU, including copy editing at the Skiff and writing for Image. It felt like I was "peacing out" to all of things I enjoyed doing in school. It also felt weird to be so close to graduation. Band formal was creeping up soon and that's when I realized, "Wow, things really are coming to close." Nevertheless, band formal was fun... I didn't stay long this year though. Drew's not a huge dancer and while I should have just made him stay, he would have been way too cranky for his own good!

May -- BETA RETREAT and GRADUATION! We'll start with Beta Retreat. Good times. Peanuts, we are awesome planners. Props to Casi's family for making us delicious Greek food. While the night took longer than we had planned, luckily, we picked a Saturday night. As I was willing stuff down, I felt like I was emptying out my closet, haha. I gave Ashley one of the most significant items I had, the locket. Ash, I hope you love it and cherish it as much as I do. :-)

And of course, graduation. That whole day was a blur. I wasn't really excited or sad... I didn't really feel anything at all. If anything, I felt numb! I was also flustered that I was within the first 100 people called to walk across the stage. Well, it was nice getting my diploma. It felt like a huge accomplishment. If any of you knew where I stood academically freshman year, I think you would agree that graduating with above a 3.0 was a BIG accomplishment!

Also in May, I moved into my new apartment. Leaving the Sandage house and my roommates was pretty difficult, especially because Kim and I had lived together for almost our whole college career. It was so weird being split up! Anyway, now, I love my apartment. I feel like I have a place that I can call mine. I can decorate how I want, organize how I want and clean how I want! I also can watch whatever TV show I want and never have to wait on anyone for the washer/dryer. :-)

One tradition that I never fail to miss is Mingo Fishtrap at the Concerts in the Garden. We always cook and have a big ol' picnic. Honestly, that's a perfect Friday night for me. Spending time with friends, laughing, eating and drinking, listening to good music and having a great time.

June -- Nothing big happened this month. I continued to work at Alcon and get settled into my new place. I really enjoy the "living on my own" life. I visited Round Rock, hung out with the family (minus my sister because of her conundrum).

A group of us went to see Mingo Fishtrap perform at the House of Blues in Dallas. It was AWESOME. I had a great time and I always love listening to Mingo perform! Their music is jammin'.

July -- Everyone loves Fourth of July weekend. I spent mine at the pool with awesome friends and relaxing. Jessie and Sean came to visit! We had a grand ol' time. Jessie introduced me to Super H Mart in Carrollton, a super awesome Asian (mainly Korean) grocery store. We also went to an all-you-can-eat Korean grill. It was fantastic. I need to go there again. I also bought all the makings for sushi and just Asian food, in general. We also went to The Ginger Man off of Camp Bowie and played some epic games of Jenga and Uno.

Drew and I visited Round Rock for the weekend of my sister's birthday. We didn't do much, but we did get to go toward downtown and enjoy time with some of my high school/middle school friends. It was a pretty chill weekend.

August -- I took a sushi class at Central Market!! It was fantastic. Really, I love sushi that much. I need to start making my own... it's probably cheaper anyway. I also bought myself a TCU v. Oregon State ticket... and waited in line for three hours with Jenn, Chris, Drew, Stephen, Rob and Hailey. Good thing that there was a group of us to keep us entertained.

September -- And here we are. Football games, nights downtown, etc. These are all good times, clearly.

Whew. That was a mouthful. Happy reading... if you actually read it all!

Day 27 — This month, in great detail

Well, I'm not a fan of writing about my life in "great detail." As for last month, all I'll say is that it went by so fast! I can't believe it's already September... I graduated four months ago. Now, that is weird. It's so weird to me that I'm no longer a TCU student, no longer a TCU CG member and going to all of the football games as a band kid, no longer going to class, no longer having the privilege of planning out my day-to-day schedule exactly how I want to (10 a.m. classes were awesome), no longer getting to be a night owl because I have wake up at 7 a.m. and worse, no more going out on the town on Thursday nights. I miss those college nights... good times, good memories and cheap drinks!

Senior year went by so fast. It's also weird not going to TBS meetings every week. Can't say that I miss them that much (ha), but it was always a part of my weekly routine. I miss seeing my sisters on a daily basis. Thankfully, it's not hard to keep in touch with them. :-) To all of this year's seniors: enjoy every moment like it's your last. There will be a lot of "lasts" and honestly, it's hard to let go and say goodbye to it all. But don't be sad! There's a time for everything. As for me, my last year of colorguard was a great way to "peace out" of the TCU marching band. Eight years of that was enough. My last year in TBS was truly amazing and a great experience. The Peanuts became closer than ever and my hope is that the M&Ms will have the same sort of "extra bonding" experience!

Anyway, on another good note, in less than a month, I'll finally be 22! And in four months, Drew and I will happily be on a cruise. I'm extremely for this and once my fitness center opens back up at the Villas, I'll be getting myself back into shape! It's cheaper that way anyway.

For now, that's all. I guess I didn't really talk about my month in great detail, but honestly, who would want to read all that anyway? ;-)

Day 26 — Your week, in great detail

Dangit!! I skipped a few days. :-( Oh well, I'll make up for it now. So, my week in great detail... Alright, we'll cover last week.

The big thing that happened: TCU FOOTBALL!! Saturday was AWESOME. Drew, Jenn Haase and I all rode together and we got to Cowboys Stadium around 4 p.m. We actually got a pretty good parking spot and we met up with all of our ex-band/alumni friends. We got there just in time to see the band march in. My colorguard babies looked wonderful, as always! I definitely felt bad for the band kids in their wool uniforms... it was definitely hot that day. Anyway, "Jerry World" was just as awesome as everyone said. That screen is HUGE and the smaller screens are at the least the size of your average movie theater screen.

My whole group of like 15 of us sat in section 218, row 11. Pretty darn good seats! I mean, we couldn't really hear the band from where we were sitting, but we got a good view of the game and luckily, we ended up sitting next to some of our other friends that weren't originally a part of our group that we sat with! Lorenzo was two rows up from us, Mirza was in the row in front of us and wooo. It was awesome.

The game itself was good, a little too good though for some of us. Luckily, we won. It was such a strange feeling sitting in the student section and not with the band! I ran into Amanda Graham and Caroline! Love them both! :-)

As for the rest of my weekend, Drew's family (dad, step mom and half-siblings, Sydney and Ethan) was in town! The day of the game, we went to Red, Hot and Blue... I had never been there before! Their BBQ isn't that bad, however, I think Central Texas BBQ is way better. ;-) We got to spend some time with them before Drew and I headed off to the game. Sunday, we went to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Park! It was AWESOME. It was one of those drive-thru wildlife safari things. I got to feed some zebras, elk and giraffes by hand! It was definitely a fun experience. It took like four hours though... and apparently, I fell asleep at some point and totally missed an elk sticking its head into the car! That's OK though. I was awake to see multiple zebras stick their heads into the car! After all that, we went to the Dinosaur Valley State Park... we got to see dinosaur tracks! Very cool.

The week before was kind of bland, except for the night we went to Sushi Axiom for Drew's 23rd birthday and the night Mel and I went to Dick's Last Resort in Dallas for Amanda Diaz's birthday!! That was definitely an experience and I was reunited with Kim. I've missed my roomie. :-) Mel and I then joined the rest of our friends in downtown Fort Worth at the Library for many drinks! I had my first shot of Goldschlager. It was divine!! It tastes and smells like liquid Big Red, as in the gum. It's definitely a good drink for the wintertime.

Alright, that's my week in a nutshell!! :-) It's definitely been a blast.

Day 25 — Your day, in great detail

Hmm, so I guess I'm supposed to explain my day in "great detail." Well, lucky for all of you, I'll be keeping this short. I do just about the same thing every day, with the exception of going out with friends some nights.

I wake up around 7:30 a.m. every morning and get to work around 8: 30 a.m. From then, I work till 5 p.m. Right now, I'm working on this big Corporate Giving campaign that's coming up, as well as preparing next week's editorial calendar and learning to do some video stuff.

I usually leave right at 5 p.m. although lately, I've been staying late to get more stuff done. I take I-20 to get home and I usually spend my dinner eating a home-cooked meal and watching either the Food Network or Bones! :-) It's the highlight of my evening.

After dinner, I get to work on those GRE vocabulary words that I need to memorize. I'm up to 225 right now. I thought this was going to get harder every day, but I'm finding that it's actually getting easier. I'm getting better at retaining things faster! It usually takes me 30 minute to an hour to memorize 10 pages, 30 words.

However, tonight I won't be making myself a home-cooked meal. I'm going to Dick's Last Resort in Dallas for Amanda's 23rd birthday!! Jen and I are carpooling. :-) That's going to be a blasty blast. I can't wait to be reunited with my best friend and roomie, Kim Little! I've missed her a ton and it's been at least a month since I last saw her.

After dinner, I plan on heading to downtown Fort Worth because Ryan Frazier's in town! I'm so excited to see him! I'm also super pumped for the football game tomorrow. GO FROGS!

Speaking of tomorrow, I plan on sleeping in, as late as I can, and then heading to lunch with Drew's family. I'm so excited to see his half-siblings, Sydney and Ethan. :-) They are so cute! I'll be decked out in TCU gear, fo sho.

My new TCU jersey should be coming in the mail today! I'm impressed that it only took a day to get here. I definitely thought I was going to be without a cool jersey for at least a week. It was totally worth the $65. My sister made fun of me, but hey, football is my life during the fall... even if I'm not in the marching band!

Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy: My job at Alcon and more

Many of you have asked me what I do at my job and usually, I give some convoluted and unsophisticated  answer.So I'm dedicating this post to my job and what I do.

First and foremost, I love my job.

To give you some background, I started interning at Alcon Laboratories, Inc. as the Corporate Communications Intern in February. Originally, I was "hired" to go through 30 years worth of Alcon World News (AWN), the company's global print publication, and pick out the most prominent stories that adequately told Alcon's prominent history (I had a company timeline to go off of.) Anyway, it took me two weeks to go through three huge binders full AWN magazines and skimming every story. It was tedious work, but I liked it! Unfortunately, the project ended up not coming to fruition, but all of the data I collected and stories I organized became useful later!

Anyway, after I graduated, I continued working at Alcon under "contract" status. My main job is working in internal communications. I help communicate important news and local announcements to all the employees.

We have two e-newsletters, Localconnection and Globalconnection. Localconnection goes out weekly and I'm in charge of the editorial calendar. I pick the stories, I write the stories and I've added new and creative features to make the publication more interesting. One of those features is called "Flashback." I took all of those stories I collected back in February and re-purposed them in Localconnection. The stories go back as far as 1981. It's a great way to incorporate the company's history in a fun and light way. I'm also in charge of retrieving the stories,  teasers, art, etc. for our company intranet homepage. We refresh the U.S. homepage twice a week and I have to make sure we have all the content we need.

I'm in the process of carrying out the Corporate Giving campaign. We've essentially planned the campaign from start to finish, what stories will be published (off of a long listed provided by Corporate Giving), when the stories will be published and what other media components (e.g. video) we will incorporate. Luckily, I love community service and volunteering, so this campaign is right up my alley! In case you haven't guessed, Corporate Giving is essentially an organization that provides volunteer opportunities and funding to other community organizations.

I also help write a ton of stuff for Globalconnection. I help carry out communication plans and tomorrow, actually, I'm learning some video techniques! Kim would be proud of me. :-)

In a nutshell, that's what I do. I also do a lot of side projects and it keeps me busy! Just recently, I've gotten to contribute to more digital media projects.

Like I said, I love my job. It's fantastic! However, like I said earlier, I'm on contract so I'm still looking for something permanent. I'm finding that I would like to work in either a big company in a corporate communications setting or in a non-profit organization. Actually, if I could work for a company in their corporate giving division, that would be swell too! I love to volunteer and give back to the community!

On an entirely different note, I joined a NE Tarrant County Relay for Life committee and I signed up to volunteer at the Gladney Center of Adoption! I'm very excited to start volunteering again. Without Tau Beta Sigma, TCU LEAPS or Chords for Kids, I need to find other ways to volunteer. :-)

Day 23 — A YouTube video

Ha! I like this video. It's by Weird Al and it's based off of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" music video series. The R. Kelly version is all sorts of crazy! Anyway, I think the Weird Al version, "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" is better.


Oh, and another video I'd like to show y'all is the Bon Qui Qui skit from Mad TV. I'm sure many of you have seen it. It has to be one of me and my sister's favorite videos... mainly because we're pretty darn good at quoting the whole video. :-)

Mad TV - Bon Qui Qui

TCU Band... much more than your average college marching band

Time to Revamp TCU Band
By David Peterson

So this is a story by an ignorant writer named Mr. David Peterson. He talks about what the band needs to change, why its essentially not "doing its job" as a spirit organization and he even gives suggestions toward the end of the story.

I disagree with a lot of his accusations toward the band. First of all, he's trying to shape the band into something that they are not. He says the band isn't unique because they play too many "classical" stand tunes. On the contrary, I think the band is unique because they are not like your typical college "show band" like UT or Texas Tech.

While I absolutely do not like "Shine," it's essentially the only stand tune I really despise with a passion, mainly because the band plays it way too much. While the writer thinks the band doesn't play any "hip" enough tunes, he clearly didn't see last year's show with "Voodoo Child," "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "Party Like a Rockstar."

Frankly, if there's going to be any changes to the tune books, they need to add more basketball stand tunes. They are unbelievably catchy and fun to play. That's my only suggestion though for music. I have no desire to hear the band play some Katy Perry or Kelly Clarkson. Sorry, but no.

The writer also insulted the student section, stating that they aren't spirited enough and that TCU's student section is too much like the others and once again, not unique enough and that they don't stand out. Get a grip, sir. Students are going to do what they want and honestly, if you look around at other schools, I bet their student sections aren't much different. However, TCU's student section has created some of their own chants, hand signs, etc. The section goes crazy after the PA says "Anddd... it's THIRD DOWN!"

Like I wrote on someone's Facebook wall earlier, I honestly think the person who wrote this isn't a student at TCU. I think it's a cranky and grumpy alumni. Tis a pity. The band has made GREAT strides over the past decade. Apparently, the band isn't moving fast enough to keep up with the times. Ha.

The suggestions at the bottom are also entertaining. There's nothing wrong with TCU's uniforms. UT and Texas Tech's uniforms are laughable compared to ours. Also, stating that the band will be good if it adds more tubas and drums... are you serious? That's your fancy suggestion? It's amateur, at best.

I'm glad that many have responded to the story. There are lots of comments that support the band and refute the writer's accusations. I wonder what Youngblood will say when he sees it...

Day 22 — A website

At the moment, I don't have a favorite website. I mean, I use your average social media tools, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, YouTube and occasionally MySpace. I also check up on news stories via CNN.com and the AP News Wire.

I'm in the process of trying to create new videos with Picasa! I enjoy using photo software, so I've also been trying to expand my knowledge on Adobe Photoshop CS5. I also enjoy playing around with Adobe InDesign. I have Adobe Illustrator on my computer--I bought the standard suite right before I graduated--but I have absolutely no idea how to use it. I guess I need to go buy one of those how-to books.


Anyway, onto something else. I really need the fitness center at my apartment complex to be done with renovations. I want to be toned and in shape by the time I go on my cruise in January! I don't want to pay an arm and a leg to go to TCU's Rec, although I did find out that you can sign up monthly. I also don't want to go to other gyms where I'll have to get a long-term membership. It's not worth my time or money if I'll eventually have a smaller fitness center within a two-minute walk from me. I could probably invest in a bike. I've considered this option, as well. My mom always points out that I do in fact have a mountain bike at home... but here's the kicker, I'm too short for it. :( If I'm stuck at a stoplight or stop sign, I have to jump off the bike because my feet don't touch the ground! This is entirely too inconvenient and dangerous, lol. If I had enough room in my apartment, I would just buy myself an elliptical that I could use on my own time. I've been trying to find one that could fold up or something.

Day 21 — A recipe

Oh wow. Where do I even begin?! I have a TON of favorite recipes... but we'll start with a simple one.  :-) Last night, Drew and I had tortilla soup and it was FANTASTIC. Yes, I realize it was like 90ºF yesterday, but soup really just hit the spot.

This recipe comes from the Food Network show, "Down Home with the Neely's" with Pat and Gina Neely. If you've ever watched this program, I hope you've laughed. Pat and Gina are so awkward in the kitchen. I swear they have some built up sexual tension as a married couple! Ha.

Anyway, here's the recipe. Seriously, try this. It's fantastic and there's nothing like a good bowl of soup while watching a movie. :) (Speaking of movies, "Date Night" with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey is so funny! I definitely recommend it anyone in for a good laugh.)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced Mexican style tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 (12-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
• Sour cream, for topping
• Monterey Jack, shredded, for topping
• 2 limes, wedged

Directions

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Saute the onions. Add bell pepper, jalapenos, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions become translucent. Add the cumin and stir until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, corn, and 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Add the diced chicken and cook through for about 10 minutes. Season with salt, to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls and divide the crushed tortilla chips between the bowls. Top with sour cream, Monterey jack cheese, cilantro, sliced avocado, and lime wedges.

Day 20 — A hobby of yours

Well, I have a lot of hobbies, but one of my favorite things to do is cook! I like to try new recipes... sometimes create my own. :-) I love to try making Food Network recipes.

For example, for Valentine's Day, I made Drew and I a lavishing dinner. All the recipes came from Food Network chef, Tyler Florence. He has this show called "Tyler's Ultimate" and his cuisine is to die for. It's absolutely delicious! We had Fillet Mignon with a spicy crab salad, potato au gratin, walnut stilton salad and shrimp and lemon linguine. Wow, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I'm always looking to try new recipes, so if anyone wants to be my guinea pig, just let me know. ;-)

Day 19 — A talent of yours

Oh oh oh! This one is easy...colorguard. I spun for eight years and taught as a tech for two years. I really enjoyed teaching and sometimes I wish I could have kept up with it, but with school and TCU marching band, I just got way too busy! However, I can put on my résumé that I've taught highschoolers. :)

Because I have a lot of photos from the Rock Guard (from Round Rock High School), TCU CG and from when I taught at Trinity HS, I've linked to a Colorguard/Winterguard Picasa photo album! When I was at RRHS, our little chant used to be "Who shakes the best?! Oh yeahhh, you know it! We shake the best! Yeahhh, you know it! Who shakes the best?! Woo!" Silly? Yes. But we were in high school, which makes it OK.

At TCU, we kept it short: "TCU CG WHAT WHAT!" or from my freshman year... "TCU CG: We drop it like it's hot." Good times.

Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy: 10 Places I Want to Visit

Alright, so I have a lot of places I want to go to, but there are some specific places I really, really want to visit.

1. Seoul, South Korea -- I was born here. I'd like to visit and see where I lived for six months of my life!
2. New Zealand -- Call me a nerd, but "Lord of the Rings" was filmed here. I want to walk where Orlando Bloom walked!! ;)
3. Barcelona, España -- Quiero visitar este país! En mis clases de cultura, aprendí sobre la arquitectura es muy fabulosa y hermosa. Si recuerdo correctamente, Barcelona es famosa por los edificios!
4. Greece -- I've seen pictures and it looks like paradise.
5. Paris, France -- Obviously, the Eiffel tower is on my list and I want to eat some delicious French pastries and sit outside one of those little French cafés that I've heard so much about! Also, visiting the Louvre is on my bucket list.
6. London, England, U.K. -- Yes, I want to be one of those tourists and mess with the guards outside of Buckingham Palace.
7. Australia -- Australians have awesome accents and supposedly, their food is awesome!
8. Rome, Italy -- I want some real gelato.
9. Alaska -- I want to visit mainly because it's one of the few states I haven't been to in the U.S., and it's the farthest away (other than Hawaii, but I've already been there!)
10. Amsterdam -- Heck yes. Other than the fact that almost everything is legal in Amsterdam, I've heard that it's a beautiful city!

Huh. Apparently, I base a lot of places I want to visit off of their cuisine! Clearly, I've been watching the Food Network too much.

On a completely separate note, I think I need to do a few posts in Spanish. I love the language! I wish I could speak it more at work or just in general. :(

Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)

Well, I've been to a couple of art museums, but nothing has really stuck out to me. But I remember some awesome murals from New York City that I saw. My aunt and I toured the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian/the Customs House (created by Alexander Hamilton) in New York City.

Here's a sculpture called "Sphere" and it's also from New York City. This piece is special. It used to be in the World Trade Center plaza before 9/11. However despite the tragedy, the sculpture survived. I mean, there are a few dents in it and such, but all in all, it's still in pretty darn good condition.

Sorry for the brightness! This sculpture was moved from the WTC plaza to a park near Broadway Street.

Also, there are a lot of buildings that I've seen--especially in the big cities--that I think are just wonderful.

For example, in New York City, I've always liked the Rockefeller Center building. It's not all that unique, but when I see it, I know exactly what it is.

Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)

Oh! This one is easy: "Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood. It reminds me of my grandpa, who is still alive, but because of his illness, time is so precious. My family treats every moment with him as if it's the last time we'll see him.



As for a music video that would make me cry (or almost), that would be "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts. Whew. Rough.

Hmm. I couldn't find the "official" video for "What Hurts the Most." Well, the one will the lyrics will have to do! It's mainly the beginning that gives you chills or well, it did for me at least.

Day 15 — A fanfic

... Alright, now that I'm thinking about it, I don't think I have a fanfic that I really like... to be frank, the originals are usually better anyway. Props to fans though who love something enough that they want to recreate it in their own ways.

With that said, I figured I would take this post on a completely different track.

I ordered my TCU v. Oregon State ticket this weekend, courtesy of Jen Crane! :) I'm hoping that TCU Athletics won't do a dumb lottery. Considering that Jen got my ticket right around 8 a.m. when they started selling them, I think it's only fair that tickets are given out on a first come, first served  basis! However, knowing TCU, that won't happen. Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers that I won't see a lottery e-mail come out on Thursday... because I really want to sit in the student section with Haase and Drew! :) I bought myself a few new TCU shirts. Wooo, go frogs!

Lady Gaga is like Madonna 2.0

So, Lady Gaga has become the big trend nowadays. She's crazy. She's freaky. She's surprisingly catchy and engaging. I heard on the radio today that she has received 13 VMA nominations. She's even received more than one nomination in a category! When I looked at the Rolling Stones article, the songs she was nominated for were: "Bad Romance," "Telephone" featuring Beyonce and "Video Phone" (Beyonce featuring Lady Gaga, yes, completely different than "Telephone"). She received nominations in the following categories: Best Female Video, Best Collaboration, Best Pop Video, Video of the Year, Best Dance Music Video, Best Art Direction, Best Choreography, Best Cinematography, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best SFX (Special Effects). Damn.

Also, when Gaga was on tour, she came to Dallas. I heard on 106.1 KISS FM, it took five trucks to hold her costumes alone. Honestly, this doesn't surprise me. Have you seen some of the stuff she wears?! She also had some fountain with lots of fake blood and water. Creepy, but honestly, that's her thing.

Look, I don't know what the heck that is around her head, but whatever it is, it's not hott!!

Drew tells me that it's her mystique and weirdness that makes her so popular. That sounds about right. I mean, her music is catchy. I particularly like "Bad Romance," "Poker Face," "Boys Boys Boys" and "Telephone." Her music is pretty catchy... even though I still don't like "Paparazzi" or "Alejandro." Actually, the "Alejandro" video is disturbing. Haven't seen it? Go check it out. The awkwardness makes it worth seeing. I actually saw it for the first time at a bar downtown (The Library) and everyone was like "What the...?!" Haha. Priceless!

So enjoy your time of fame, Gaga. Eventually, you'll become just another name, another face... even if you do dress like a freak!

Day 14 — A non-fictional book

Well, I'm in the process of reading this book right now! It's called Many Lives Many Masters, courtesy of Mark Munns and Drew Talley. :) They recommended it to me! Below, I've given a short summary about the book, mostly taken from About.com. It was more eloquently written there, thus I find it unnecessary to reinvent the wheel.

In a nutshell, this is a true story about Brian L. Weiss, M.D., a famous psychiatrist, and his patient, Catherine, who has a history of some major phobia, anxiety and panic attack issues. After trying several conventional therapy methods on Catherine, Dr. Weiss uses hypnosis. Here's what I've taken from About.com... OK, it's not a short summary.

"Catherine recalls 'past life' memories that proved to be the causative factors of her recurring nightmares and anxiety attack symptoms. She remembers 'living 86 times in physical state' in different places on this earth both as male and female. She recalled vividly the details of each birth – her name, her family, physical appearance, the landscape, and how she was killed by stabbing, by drowning, or illness.

"Dr. Weiss’s skepticism was eroded, however, when she began to channel messages from 'the space between lives,' messages from the many Masters (highly evolved souls not presently in body) that also contained remarkable revelations about his family and his dead son. Often he had heard his patients talk about near-death experiences when they float out of their mortal bodies guided towards a bright white light before reentering their discarded body once again.

"But Catherine revealed much more. As she floats out of her body after each death, she says, 'I am aware of a bright light. It’s wonderful; you get energy from this light.' Then, while waiting to be reborn in the in-between-lives state, she learns from the Masters great wisdom and becomes a conduit for transcendental knowledge."

Sound intriguing? While I am most definitely a Christian, I find the Hindu, reincarnation aspect of the book extremely interesting. The book isn't long and it's an easy read! ... I just haven't had a lot of time to sit and read, but I hope to finish it in a couple weeks!

Day 13 — A fictional book

I won't lie, I'm a big Harry Potter fan. However, I was absolutely not a fan when the series was coming out. There was so much hype and to be honest, if there's a lot of hype, I'm not gonna go for it. I didn't really get into Harry Potter until probably either my freshman or sophomore year of college! Also, Drew told me that he wouldn't go see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" with me unless I finished reading the book. So... yeah. Since then, I've finished the whole series! Actually, I should probably re-read the series before the first Deathly Hallows movie comes out in November.

Speaking of Harry Potter, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Studios this summer! I really want to go. I want to buy myself a robe and a wand!!!

Hogwarts!!!! Let's go. :)

On a more serious note, I encourage everyone to read Memoirs of a Geisha. It's a fantastic novel. It's really not like anything I've read before. I read this when I was in high school for a  book analysis (BA) I had to write for my AP English class... essentially, it's a book report on steroids.