The Daily Ramblings of Me! Love, An

I can do more when I'm busy

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 15:20:00 +0000

Hello long time friends!
Always happy to be back & blogging once in a while =)
Today, I wanted to talk about something I realized and learned about myself. [And it applies to others I know as well]

I'm usually busy 90% of the time. I have to go to school which takes up a lot of my time, I have to go to work, I have to squeeze in making Youtube videos every week, I need time to do my hw & projects, work out, run errands, and other miscellaneous things. I'm always sad that I never have time to hang out with my close friends or do more things that I'd like to do. I always felt like if I had more time, I could do so much more.
Although that still stands true, what I also realized is that I get more things done when my day is packed & busy.

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"If you want something, ask a busy person to do it. The more you do, the more you can do."

- Ball, Lucille.

I see that on twitter all the time, and it's so true! I may be busy but I'm knocking things off my list and doing what I need to do.

I just had a mini 3 day vacation from school & work. Besides some schoolwork, I technically didn't have to do anything else. And I didn't. No cleaning, no working out, no grocery shopping. All because I was in that lazy mindset. I wanted to rest but also get some things done. But did I? No. And now I have all those things that I have to do crammed into this weekend which makes me laugh at myself and without a doubt, I know they will be done.

With all that being said, don't get me wrong, I'm still looking forward to mini vacations, especially ones where I have NO schoolwork to worry about. Ah, a little hiatus is nice to recuperate oneself. But, knowing that about myself, I'm going to work on not pushing everything for later and doing them when I have time to lighten my load.

The fall semester is halfway over and I'm super excited for the holidays! Sounds weird, but I'm also looking forward to no school & more work! Money money money.

That's all for now! Until next time,

Creme De Couture by Sigma Beauty! + Coupon Code!

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 00:08:00 +0000

Just wanted to update you guys about what's new with Sigma Beauty!

They just came out with their Creme De Couture collection inspired by macarons!

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Extremely beautiful bright colors that are a bit odd for the arrival of fall but still amazing nonetheless.

The palette by itself is an affordable $32.

The blushes run for $12 each.

The entire collection which includes the palette + the 3 blushes are $55.

I'm mostly interested in the palette and am thinking about getting it. Ahhh, I really can't resist those colors! I'll probably use most of them next spring though...so I'm not sure if I should get it.

I think the price of the palette at $32 is very reasonable. Most palettes are usually $39-$42 so they are a bit on the cheaper side!

AND, with my coupon code, you will receive 10% off of your entire purchase + get a free gift if you spend $30 or more! Just enter LJW2013 when you checkout. More bang for your buck. You're welcome.

SHOP THE CREME DE COUTURE COLLECTION NOW!

I'm TOO Productive

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 23:45:00 +0000

So today was my day off after working a long week at work.
The first half of the day was spent at the dentist. [Where I was told I had dead teeth and needed root canals, crowns, and a tooth extraction in my gums and all that horrible stuff *sigh*]. It never ends with the teeth stuff I tell ya.
Aside from all that depressing stuff, I spent the 2nd half of the day in bed and on my laptop. It is sad to say, I can't remember the last time I spent a day off in bed doing nothing. I'm always having to do soo much stuff on my days off; running errands, filming, cleaning, organizing, planning, etc. I had plans to do some of that today but I was feeling so lazy [and reluctantly gave in to my bf's wise words] that I decided to push those things back and just RELAX today.
I'm one of those people that if I'm not being productive, I feel like I wasted my day. That can be a good but also a bad thing. I NEED TO CHILL OUT!
Ah, but it's easier said than done.
I can't help but to feel a little bad that I just laid in bed for hours >_<
But, I realized that school is about to start in 2 days and I'm back at work tomorrow, therefore, I don't think I can afford to lounge around on a day off anytime soon.
So, I told myself to start planning a day once every few weeks to do absolutely nothing, see no one, pamper, and de-stress myself. One of these days I will book a massaging session =)
I wish I had the whole day today but I shall not be greedy. Time flew by today, it's already 7:30pm, ugh.
I wonder what other people do on their days off.
To end my rambling, I will post some therapeutic pictures for you to gaze at and hopefully give yourself a nice peaceful day off as well!

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Living a lighter life

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 01:48:00 +0000

Hi blogger!
I have not blogged in MONTHS! I have missed blogging so much yet had no desire to blog. I felt bummed that I wasn't enthusiastic to write nonsense on here the way I used to be. But I'm glad this is still here for random days like this when I just want to write for the heck of it!
A few things have been new since the last time you heard from me.

- I'm waiting on my Associate's degree in Business Admin & starting at a new college in less than 3 weeks to get my bachelor's in Management! Sooo anxious & excited for my business classes! So much I want to learn, not looking forward to the homework haha.
- I'm back at ULTA! Didn't think I'd ever go for round 2 but things worked their way around and I'm doing what I love once again. This time it's at another location, though. Things have changed since the last time I worked there but it's all good. Man, getting my discount again never felt so gooood.
- I'm still uploading videos on Youtube and super loving it! I wish I could do it full-time but I'm working on it! I just hit 600 subscribers earlier today =) http://www.youtube.com/SoAnLoves
- Been on an exercise schedule which is flexible enough to fit my lifestyle but not flexible to the point where I'm not benefitting from it. I like my body, know what I want to work on, and having more confidence just makes you happier overall!
- I've been cooking a bit more often. Don't really have a reason lol. Just want to practice, I guess. It's a good feeling when I get to add a new recipe to my mental list of things that I can cook! #wifeystatus !
- I'm always working on living life positively and full of happiness and am always on a soul searching adventure with myself. Lately, I've been feeling so good about everything. Even when I run into problems, it takes me less time to brush it away. I feel so much lighter & my general state of mind is on a higher, happier level too. That's kind of hard to explain. I read it in a book a while back haha.

So basically what I'll be doing for the next 2 and a half weeks is work, work out, make Youtube videos, do random things that I enjoy, and try to cherish this time before the heavy duty schoolwork starts and my schedule becomes suddenly packed. I need to see my friends! *tear* I miss them so much.
Honestly, sometimes I run on a tight schedule that I set for myself and it's hard to break out of it to hang out with friends and when I do I become motivated to get out more often and be more social. Then, when I'm home again, I just go back to the routine =_= Is anyone else like that?

Lately, my bank account has been taking a beating. Besides from suffering with random fees and payments for school, I've also been buying a lot of stuff. But they make me happy =( Really need to scale back and save more. Just so many things I like! I'm surprised I'm not broke. It's because I'm super saavy at getting the best deals if I do say so myself ;)

Well that's it for now. I don't like having a blog post full of just writing so I'll be including some random recent pictures. Bye!

My New Galaxy S4!

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:04:00 +0000

I love having a new phone! It's funny how on July 1 I finally got my hands on the Galaxy S3 and EXACTLY 10 months later on May 1, I now have the S4. Many thanks to my awesomely nice bf for getting it for me <3

I was still loving my baby S3 even though a new one was coming out, [which of course I wanted but wasn't really expecting to get it as soon as it came out] except there was a small problem with the texting on my phone that I just could NOT fix which made me want the S4 even more.

The bigger screen barely makes a difference appearance-wise but watching Youtube on it is just heaven!
I'm not into super large screens so this one is perfect for me.

I also LOVE that the S4 is thinner and slightly lighter...? It definately feels less rounded and more square, like a bar of chocolate and I love how it feels in my hand.

I love seeing them next to each other. They are best friends.

I am just having a blast using the S4 right now and will probably love it until another new phone comes out.

Just bought the Zagg Invisible Shield in HD yesterday =D

Waiting for the case to come in the mail in a week or so, super excited!

My sister has a Galaxy S2 so here are all 3 side by side!

Look at how they progressively got bigger as time went on lol

LOVE LOVE!

Body Inspiration!

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:58:00 +0000

So happy the weather is warm & sunny now. Gives me so much energy & motivation!
I'm really looking forward to the summer. Even though the bf won't be around =( But I will make an effort to spend time with the few friends that I have =)

Lately, I have been doing a lot of working out in my free time!
Most of the time I do toning exercises and once or twice a week I will run on the treadmill for some fat burning cardio! I can already feel & see that my body is toning up fast.

Working out is such a great stress reliever. Plus, gotta get in shape since it's bikini season! I don't even know if I'm going to step in a pool =___= but who cares, I'm doing this for myself ^_^

Since I'm more active, my metabolism has gone even more crazy and I'm constantly hungry >_<
But, when I eat, I don't feel too bad since I know I have worked for it and will continue to work it off! Muhahahahaha!

Here are some pictures of what I personally would like to achieve for you to get a better idea:

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Dat stomach............

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Dat ass...........................

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those legs...................

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and those arms................

The Victoria's Secret girls are most likely photoshopped but you get the idea! I'm also going to try bike riding...don't know where to ride to but yeah...HAHA.

If you haven't seen my healthy snacks video, here it is:

New video coming out tomorrow as well =)

Stay healthy & work out!

Bidet King

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:31:00 +0000

Bidet King is a website that specializes in seats and attachments for your toilet. Products are hand-picked for the best quality to give to their customers. They also guarantee the lowest prices possible! Other brands that they carry are Bio Bidet, Brondell, Clean Sense, Drive Medical, INAX, USPA, and more!
Their customer service is excellent and they always help in the best way possible to ensure that customers are satisfied. Not only that, any time that you purchase a product from bidetking.com, you will receive free lifetime technical support!

They promise fast shipping because they run their own inventory and warehouse.
Here is their mission statement, taken from their website: Our Mission: To advance and spread the use of bidets by providing high quality products at value prices with an unbeatable customer experience. We work hard to make your butt clean and happy.

Their sales categories are Bidet seats, Non-electric bidets, hand held bidets, travel bidets, bidet accessories, and spare parts. They are currently offering 5% off of any purchase so hurry! The website is super easy to navigate and you can find practically anything that you are looking for!

If you have any questions, you can click on the link to read bidet reviews.

The people of Woodbridge

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:55:00 +0000

Sometimes, I feel stuck. I've heard many people say that they hate Woodbridge, that they want to go to a new place, yadda yadda. I can somewhat understand that. The difference is I love Woodbridge; it's a nice place and it's my home. But I am tired of the people. Not my friends or kind aquaintances, just the mean and annoying people that I keep seeing.

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I feel like a fish in a tank full of the same kind when I want to be out in the ocean with all different types of species. I grew up in Woodbridge, so I have seen the same faces year after year. Either we spent many years in school together or I've served you from one job to another. And most of the time, the faces I see are people I don't really like. I don't have that many friends because not many people live with good intentions and/or have their heads on straight anymore. Or they are just plain stupid. I want to meet new people who have the same interests/mindset as me. That's partly why I started a Youtube channel; to expose myself to a bigger part of the world and meet different types of people that I know are out there. It's sad but I feel like my Youtube/blogging friends could be better friends than some people that I see in real life. I can't just get up and move right now, and even if I did, I might be in the same situation in a few years.

Even now, I'm in college and I still see a bunch of high school classmates around. If we were all to go to our high school renunion, it wouldn't be as fun and everyone would be like, "Oh hey....I've seen you around here a few times already..."

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I'm not really complaining or wanting to move far away because really, what can I expect people to do, change? I can't make them. It's a small town, we are bound to run into each other. I just wish that more of us could get along because I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way I do and dislike each other.
I am always up to creating new friendships but I'm sorry, the self-induced depressed, angry, idiotic, and ungrateful whiners can stay away.

Spring Cleaning

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:13:00 +0000

Now that it's almost Spring, the days are slightly longer, the weather a bit warmer, and me a lot happier.
Spring cleaning is not just for your closet/house, it is great for the soul as well!
This past winter has been a harsh one for me.
But to make things short, I weasled out what I wanted to change and things are better now.

After months, days, and hours of stress & contemplation, I decided to let go of my bank job. It was a hard decision because trust me, working at a bank has its perks. But I decided that I was never going to be content unless I left it for something else. It was just not an ideal work environment.

I also came face to face with a past interest of starting a youtube channel and just went for it.
Still can't believe I actually did it. It's a lot of hard work but I love how it feels when I post a finished product.

Here's my most recent video!

Show some love & subscribe =)

I have many things to blog about, so glad I'll have more time for it now!
Sometimes, I forget to constantly fill my life with positive things but when I remember and put in some effort, life seems more peaceful & I feel light.
I'm so happy the cold is slowly going away, it's like coming out of a dark slumber and I'm ready to be revived! Bright colors everywhere!

I'm going to leave with a random picture of me hehehe

Balancing Two Worlds

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:08:00 +0000

I keep forgetting to blog =___=

Sorry! I have so much on my mind!
School so far has been pretty boring.... in some classes it is so hard not to space out and pay attention.
I'm really trying to keep up the good grades and soak in as much information as I can but I have no passion for school. I always want to do everything else but think about school.

So, I'm trying really hard not to lose focus of the main priority.

BAM random photo of my face.

As some of you may know, I recently just started my own youtube channel that I'm super excited about and want to spend all my time prepping for & filming but I can't =(((( Other things like work & school have to come first. What a drag.

I've also been shopping every other week, it's like filling in for my bf not being here *cry*

19 more days and I will have a best friend to be with me again! For a few weeks before he leaves again.....

So my life feels like it's being torn in 2. One world that I love and have fun in and one that is boring as heck but is a necessity and more important! BLAH!

Does anyone else ever feel the same with your hobbies?

My Youtube Channel!

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 02:31:00 +0000

Hey guys! Omg I can't believe I started my own Youtube channel.
So new & clueless!
I wanted to try something new and after watching all of my favorite youtubers, I decided to join in on the fun.
Let's see where it takes me =)
Please watch & support by subscribing!

Username: SoAnLoves

Sucks that you can't choose your own custom thumbnail unless you are a youtube partner, blah!

Thanks!!

Winter Blues

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:33:00 +0000

I hate winter with a passion.
This entire winter I've been so down & lethargic & constantly sick.

Whenever there's a sunny day, I instantly notice that I feel lighter and happier just because there's more light out.
I wish that every winter I can pack up and go to Hawaii or Florida or somewhere warm until winter passes and I'll come back to my regular life! Haha, if only.

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Spring is near...must survive.....

I try not to hate it so much because God made the 4 seasons and stuff but I cannot stand the cold and greyness.

I've been so tired every day and it sucks. I have no idea why because I get tons of sleep and I'm not eating out or anything that would make me feel sluggish. I have many plans for stuff but my body and mind are always worn out *sigh*

This must change!

I want to go out more but what's the fun when my best friend/boyfriend is not here to go with me =(

Will blog about more stuff soon. I am working on a lot of things right now! Hope things pick up and get better!

Shopping Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:15:00 +0000

I love shopping.
I love the feeling of getting new clothes!
I don't shop often so when I do, it feels like a great reward for working so hard!
And I loveeeee getting great deals!

Yesterday was my lucky day because I bought all this for around $50!

7 tops & 1 pair of sweatpants.

Pretty good deal for prices nowadays. I am happy =)

I was sooo esctatic about all the pastel colors being out, it means we are preparing for Spring! And boy am I ready. Away with all the blacks and browns and in with all the bright colors!!

Must not shop for the rest of this month. I know more spring styles are coming out so I must save money!

Yesterday was a really good day. [Aside from waiting forever to get my eye exam]. Everything went perfect and my sister, cousin, and I had BonChon chicken for dinner and yogurt bubble tea for dessert! Yummm.

Here are some camwhore pictures that I took for my bf a few hours ago and they turned out looking okay so I will post them here =)

Bye my loves!

Raw Determination

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 23:17:00 +0000

Sometimes in the back of my head I know what I want in my future and I know that I am working on it but as each day rolls by, I kind of forget that I am working towards a big goal.

Every day drags by and I might be tired of how certain things are but I just have to remember that my life is not always going to be like this.

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Obviously, my life is not always full of grey & gloom but you know those days where you are just tired of the routine.

I believe I am destined to accomplish big things, because I know I will work hard until I do.

Once in a while, I get a BIG burst of inspiration and motivation that makes me feel even more confident that I WILL reach my goal.

You just have to want it enough to push through and make sacrifices in order to achieve it.

My dream job is to be a full-time beauty blogger. Of course, that is not possible at this time so I can only blog when I'm not at work or busy with school stuff. But, I will work hard towards that. [Unless I change my mind in the future.]

Also, I will put my Business Management degree to use when I obtain it, don't worry =) My plans for the future are big, so you will see as time passes.

When you are struggling or doubting your abilities, do not be afraid to reach out to the people who have already accomplished what you want to do.

Email or try to talk to as many people as you can and you will find that some will be kind enough to reply.

And I truly thank those that do because that may be the small push that someone needed or a tip that can really change the outcome. Thank you.

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If you truly want something, make sure it's something you love. Your passion for it will be the drive that lets you grasp it in the end.

YOU CAN DO IT. <3

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:24:00 +0000

This past week I've been sick....again.
A cold this time. Ugh!
I'm getting better though.
I hope I don't get sick again soon. Trying to stay happy happy because happiness does wonders for your health and lately, I haven't been very cheery *tear*.

Winter seriously needs to hurry up! Just thinking about warm Spring perks me up immediately!

Yesterday I was feeling a bit better so I decided to go shopping with my sister.
Didn't buy much =(

I think I am done with buying cardigans for a while. I now own every color of the rainbow muhahahaha!
Love LOVE the bag! Can't wait to use it!! I wanted to buy the backpack version of it but it's $80!! Why can't I be rich...

Classes start tomorrow so I'll be documenting them soon. Hope it's not a hard semester. College goes by way faster than high school. I'm almost a junior!

Well, back to browsing stores online & doing random stuff. Life's great when I'm not at work.

Korean lunch at Lighthouse Tofu!

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:36:00 +0000

The day before my man left for his 2 months of training, we went out to lunch with my cousin & sister at Lighthouse Tofu. It was my first time there and it's quite a nice place!

What I really like about Korean food is that there is a lot of side dishes that are mainly healthy so I don't feel bad about pigging out, hehe.

The bulgogi there is scrumptious! I'd say it was a satisfactory meal even though I've had better. Still filling & good =)

*drooooll*...I want more....

And obviously since he was leaving, we took a bunch of pictures together.

Yeah, we are horrible at being normal.

Now that he's gone, I haven't been out much and will not be eating out as often. It's a good thing, but I'll miss our food adventures!

Bye!

Cupcake Addiction ft. Georgetown Cupcake

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:02:00 +0000

I am one of those people who have a sweet tooth and cupcakes are one of my favorite treats ever!

Probably cupcakes & cheesecake<3 My favorite flavor is RED VELVET *droool*
So those around the DC area already know this but for those who are in other states, Georgetown Cupcake is a very well-known cupcake store. [Not mind-blowing in my opinion] but they do have beautifully decorated cupcakes.

On New Years Eve, my bf took me there to try it out!

*Side note: I keep wondering why the name is Georgetown Cupcake and not Georgtown Cupcakes because the singular is just not working for me =___=

Anyways, as usual, there was a long line waiting to get inside. It was freezing! But at last, we made it.

I've watched DC Cupcakes on Netflix which is a show about that exact place and how the owners do big projects for the community so I really wanted to see them but I didn't =( and all of the workers are different!

Yum right? Bf & I got 6 altogether.

I think I remember the flavors....

Red Velvet, of course, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate3, Vanilla&Chocolate, Chocolate&Vanilla, and Vanilla

I was pretty upset when I opened the box because the girl didn't put them in correctly so 3 had toppled over & got all over each other! Grrr! =(

Smooshed cupcakes =(

But they tasted yummy nonetheless!

I think I'll go to Georgetown Cupcake for special occasions or if we are around the area.

There is a cupcake shop very close to my house that has equally delicious cupcakes & is much cheaper!

I still like these though =)

Another food post coming soon!

I Love New York!

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:03:00 +0000

So bf & I finally went on our much-awaited trip to New York on December 22.

I was dying to go there to get away from my grey horrid life here. For some reason, I really like how I feel when I'm there. A fresh new breath of air from a place that is not my normal style. I love being in the city. I wish we could stay there for at least 2 days but we've only been able to go for 1 day every time. =(

So we woke up super early to catch the Greyhound bus we were taking. Both of us were excited to watch a movie together & play games on our tablets. Long story short, we missed it by 10 minutes because we almost got lost [stupid GPS] and we had to walk a long way to the station. *sigh* So the bus had left & we wanted to cry.
But, we decided to just drive there. No New York? NOT an option! The drive there was pretty fast & was lots of fun!

When everything was coming into view, it was such a warm feeling. We had made it there safely and ready for a fantastic day!

Thankfully, it wasn't as freezing as last year but still super cold!! I think we did a pretty good job of bundling up. We started to walk around and take in everything. Our plan was to hang out in the city most of the day then go to Chinatown in the evening & back to see Times Square before we left. And we did just that.

You know, I just wanted to get away from work for one day, but that is just not possible with TD.

[FYI, I counted & we saw 10 TD Banks. After that I stopped counting]

[[And wait, there's a cherry on top; on our way back through New Jersey, we saw a huge TD headquarter =__=]]

We totally got ambushed by a bunch of evil characters!

We went into this one accessories store and the entire store was just this:

Except a lot sparklier!

Sorry for not taking a lot of pictures, it was so cold I didn't want to take my hands out of my pockets! Also, I had to leave a lot out or else it'd take me days to finish this post.

After a nice lunch, we were ready to hit Chinatown! I enjoyed the bus ride a lot. Felt nice to my legs haha.

When we arrived, we went straight to the same bakery we went to last year for egg tarts!

Then we walked around the little gift shops and passed by a stand that sold delicious stick food just like in Chinese movies! How could we resist?

The fish balls and teriyaki chicken were sooo delicious!

After a nice while in Chinatown, we started to walk towards the direction of Times Square. We were going to catch a bus but we just wanted to walk while trying to decide where to exchange money for coins. We ended up walking for a very very long time but it wasn't horrible because we both enjoyed the company and getting great exercise. [Keep in mind, the bus from Times Square to Chinatown was pretty long.....]

We walked & walked for maybe 2 hours [I know!] and was finally like, "okay let's just ride the bus the rest of the way back so we don't waste time." When we asked someone, they said we were less than 20 blocks away and that we should just walk. So we ended up walking all the way back to Times Square from Chinatown!

I can't believe we did it! Still amazed when I think about it....guess I'm not as out of shape as I thought! JK hahaha...so after another while, we finally made it back to the city!

But, on the way back, we went through a mini holiday market.

Almost....there....!!!

But then we made another detour because we became amused with this:

And around it were some comfy benches! You can lay down in them & cuddle!

Also, that thing changed colors so I took a bunch of pictures hehehe

Nice angle, eh?

Loving my camera's panoramic feature!

"The soccer ball of hope"

Hello!

So finally FINALLY we made it back and going to our final destination. I love city lights!!!!!

At last................

At the end of the day, we had to get ready to go back to our regular lives.

Last glimpses of NYC as we made a quick stop for a mouth-watering gyro before leaving!

Once again, the boyfriend & I had nothing to show except for full stomachs. We always plan to buy a bunch of stuff but we never find anything worthwhile & spend all our money on food!

But it was all worth it =)

I kept thinking about Gossip Girl and wished I could see the cast D=

As much as I love Manhattan, I can't see myself living there because I can't stand the cold and I think constant city life will become old & tedious. Not to mention I'm not rich enough to live there. It's nice to visit sometimes, and I can't wait for the next time we come! Hopefully it'll be for more than a day =)

Thank you, my dear for a great job driving, I know you were dead on the way back!

Goodbye, and until next time, I love you NYC!

Welcome 2013 !

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:49:00 +0000

As we all know, 2012 has come and gone. A year is such a long time and so many things can happen during that time yet whenever it comes to an end, we wonder why times flies so fast. 2012 has become another chapter in our lives that we must leave behind.

As for me, blogging-wise, I didn't blog as much as I wanted to =( It was a busy year, not that much time to sit around.
2012 was overall a great year for me, a lot of events & decisions impacted me deeply [in a good way] and I've created more memories that I will never forget.

I wish I could go month by month & reminisce but that would take me forever.

I hope everyone has learned a lot and enjoyed yourselves.
Welcome the new year with open arms and be inspired to try something new.
Thank God that you have lived through another year.

My new years resolution is BE STRONG & STAY HAPPY.

Since almost 6 months ago, my bright life has been a little dimmed but I believe that I can find it within myself to slowly change that.
There will be many changes in 2013, and I hope to be able to share a lot of it with MORE BLOGGING!

Happy New Years everyone!!
& Thank you for making it through another year together on blogger!

New Sony Camera!

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 22:51:00 +0000

Hellos.
I'm back from the dead.
Been super sick for the past 2 days with indigestion, food poisoning, and fever! Am barely better today but I survived at work without passing out! But now I feel almost normal again =)
Thank goodness it was not as busy as it usually is on Sundays. God was watching over me.

Can you believe tomorrow is the last day of 2012?? Where has the time gone...
I don't think I'll be able to do a recap of the year like I always do...too many traditions, I just can't keep up!
I'll try my hardest to post something tomorrow though, or it'll feel like something is missing!

Today I just wanted to share the reason why I will have more motivation to blog.........
I got a new camera!! Heehehehe....I've had my other camera for 5+ years and it is even worse quality than my phone camera!! It's all beat up if you look closely at it but I didn't want to say goodbye because I had once spent a long time bedazzling it! Haha.

A lot of the rhinestones fell off already =( but it used to be completely covered. *sigh*

But no worries!! My sexy new camera that the bf got me for Christmas heals my heart!

Say hello to my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150!!

In sleek black. Me likey. I went from 6 megapixels to 18. I think that is awesome for a simple point-&-shoot. What's a blogger without her camera? So hopefully there will be some interesting things for me to take pictures of. Expect better quality pics, yay!

Goodbye sparkly, we've been through so many memories together <3

Blissful Birthday 2012 [lots of pics!]

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:39:00 +0000

So finally I can write about my awesome birthday weekend!

P.s. I had a huge pimple on my nose the whole time. Great timing, right!? Anyways, with the power of makeup, you will not be seeing its horribleness!

To kick it off, Saturday night, Dec. 8th after work, my coworkers and I wanted to have dinner at the National Harbor! There was supposed to be 5 of us but in the end, there was 3. Just Ciria, Claudia, and me.

When we arrived, they surprised me with presents and told me to wear random colorful stuff! Felt like a kid again =)

Then we finally went into a restaurant called Bond 45. They took us right in even though there were people waiting, muhahahahaha!

More camwhoring while waiting for our food.

Food came! Totally delicious.

Poopy finger!

Our waitor was really sweet & funny!

He happily took pictures for us and at the end of the meal, he brought out a cotton candy/ ice cream cake!

[bf edited this pic! =)]

More pics of us in the restaurant!

When our tummies were full, we went outside to see the big Christmas tree by the water.

After that, we made our way over to the Gaylord hotel which was beautifully decorated and sparkly!

These pictures do no justice!

Here are more random photos we took while walking & looking around =)

We had a lot of fun laughing and taking a billion pictures. I only expected a simple dinner but they made it so much crazier. I missed what it felt like to hang out with girl friends!

Thank you Ciria & Claudia! <3

*******************************

On Sunday December 9th, I went with my bf's family to attend a Christmas feast at Emporia for soldiers & their families. I met all of his closest drill friends and everyone had a great time talking and eating together. Afterwards, he got to come home with us so I spent the whole day with them. It was a rainy cold day but my heart was warm. Teehee!

This is one of my favoritest pictures of him EVERRR!!!<3

Lookin' cool, my man.

Why hello there........

Can I have your numba???

He said yes, so now I'm his gf.

That's them doing some serious army stuff.

We did a lot of stuff during the course of the day but the details are too insignificant to write about so I highlighted what's most exciting =P

***************************

On Monday it was MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to my classes =(

But afterwards, bf took me out to eat at one of our favorite places and then to Tysons Mall!

He let me pick out whatever I wanted from Sephora hehehehehe.

Here was my outfit of the day.

What I got from Sephora!!

Can't wait to try all those polishes!

We had a wonderful rest of the day and chilled all evening.

Then at night, the power went out! It was only for 25-30 min. but we didn't know that so we got candles and put them all over the house haha.

Great way to end my birthday =P

So that was my birthday weekend. It was full of fun & being with amazing people.

I am very blessed.

It was a fantastic 20th birthday, thank you!!!

The start of something new

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 01:42:00 +0000

Goodness, I have so much to blog about! Stay tuned for my birthday adventures & more!
What I wanted to blog first was what I've been working on for the past few days.

A week ago I started rereading a lot of my older posts, even the ones from a few months back [when I was still at Ulta]. My life seemed so much happier and I had more free time.
I don't plan on leaving my current job but I was really bummed out at how my life was currently like; work...school...work....work....work....too tired/unmotivated to do anything.
Did you know I went a month without painting my nails???!!! Those who follow my blog you know I take the time out every week to do them....it's a big deal to me okay.

I felt as if I didn't give myself enough time to do the things I liked, I was no longer at a work place that I had a passion for, calculus had been stressing me out all semester, and many other reasons for me to be sad.

So, I decided to do something about it. Try something new.
After lots of thoughts & planning, I decided to start a new blog just for beauty & health.
So those of you who don't care about my personal life & only want reviews, pictures, and health tips, head on over there. [left side bar]

I will continue to write in this blog, simply because I enjoy writing about anything not just beauty, and also because I still need a place to rant =D

I will do my best to update both blogs often. I will dedicate my spare time to doing what I love instead of feeling mopey.
Do what you love, love what you do.

I believe this beauty blog will be another ray of sunshine in my dull & exhausting life.
Believe it or not thoughts of starting it inspired me, gave me hope, and reminded me that this lifestyle won't last forever.

If you don't like something you have the power to change things around. Some things you can't avoid, so pick out stuff you can control and make it work.

I hope that blog takes me far. If not, oh well.
Please check it out & thanks for the support!

The Day of Me! 2012

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:50:00 +0000

Yup, one of the best days ever. My birthday!
I writing this later in the day this year =( I was out!
It's been a great day!
I am 20 now!
Feels so strange to say that!

I have no important reason to blog this, it's just my tradition every year if you'd been following me for that long, hehe.

I'm saving all of my birthday adventures for my next post because it's a lot to write and a LOT of pictures to show! Super excited =)

Thank God for another year. I'm so excited about entering a new decade of my life!
ONE MORE YEAR MY FRIENDS!!!! Until I can legally go bar-hopping. Tehehehehe. Jk.

My birthday is the only day of the year I feel so "special" because I don't talk to a lot of people anymore and old classmates and aquaintances still take the time out to text/write Happy Birthday on my wall. It is so touching *sniff*. Excuse my sentimental self.

But seriously, I really appreciate little things like that.
My boyfriend has also made my birthday super special. He's the sweetest! And I went out with my coworkers as well! Super fun. But that will all be for later.

Why does my birthday have to go by so fast and normal days drag on D=

Well, until next time!
Bye!

My Greedy Wants! 2012

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 02:08:00 +0000

So it's finally here. THE BEST MONTH EVERRR!
I love everything about December. I am happily jamming to Christmas classics every day. My only complaint is that it's cold =(
Must hurry with my Christmas shopping! Love picking stuff out for people!
Everyone's lights and Christmas trees are up =) It all looks beautiful!

Well, I think it's time for me to post up all the random things that I'd be delighted to have.
I don't even know why I post this every year, I have no friends to gift them to me =_= I usually end up buying them for myself, teehee. {loser status}
But it's still fun to share with everyone!

Here goes!

Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment $38

[been looking for a good eye cream since forever! I have high hopes for this one]

Benefit's Benefit $29

[beautiful lip tint. perfect for winter!]

This is on my list every year. My love for gift cards will never die.

Where, you may ask?

Wet seal, Ulta *tear*, Papaya, Body Central, Lush, Forever21, Charlotte Russe

T-Studio Ceramic PEARL AC Pro Dryer $39.99

Deborah Lippmann Nail polishes $18-$24

I will never be able to afford........

Philosophy's Pink Frosted Animal Cracker Shower Gel $16

Benefit's Coralista blush $28

Coach Poppy Blossom Perfume $65

Michael Kors Hamilton bag

I don't even know how much this costs..

Sony Vaio E Series $500+

I can dream...*sigh*...can't decide between silver or pink...

Samsung Galaxy Camera $500+

I just like how it looks, I don't even need it! Can I just win this??

If only I could be given more time.

More time to blog, play the piano, read books, RELAX.

I can't think of anything else. I'm sure there are more random things I like.

This year I want mostly practical stuff that I didn't post on here because I'm getting it myself.

I pretty much already have everything I need =)

These are greedy wants!

I like looking at other people's Christmas wishlists too, what's on yours??

Pre-holiday ramblings

noreply@blogger.com (An Tran) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 01:43:00 +0000

So lately every day is so hectic for me! I have product reviews I will do I swear =__=
And I have a ton of things to rant about........will I get in trouble if I rant about my job? It's not the job in particular, it's the customers of course. We shall see.

I just wanted to blog about how excited I am for the HOLIDAYSSS!!!!!!!!!!

Is anyone else out there like me?? In love with the idea so much that you wanna burst sometimes? O_O

I couldn't wait until after Thanksgiving for the Christmas music to play so for the past week or so I've been listening to Christmas songs on Spotify as I get ready ^__^

I love love everything about the holidays. The music, lights, decorations, shopping, festive feeling, the colors, AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so weird.

Next month, the bf & I have plans to go back to NYC! Hopefully it all goes well. So excited!

And once December hits........ you already know. I will post my birthday/christmas wishlist wooohooo!!

I sound way too hyper while ironically I'm exhausted as heck.
Sometimes, I like to type for no reason.
Everything feels right when my fingers are flying all over my keyboard as I transform thoughts into words. *ah*

---------------5 min later----------------

I got totally sidetracked.
I wanna shop online now. Bye!