"This is not a love story, this is a story about Love."

Finally watched (500) Days of Summer after the putting it off for hmm... about 500 days. Simply because I really need to be in the mood or have company to watch those types of movies. Ended up watching it alone anyway, but I'm happy I did, cause the movie really took me through an emotional ride: 95 minutes of laughters, tears, anger, and frustrations... This entry is not only a brief review for the movie, but it is also the thoughts I have gathered and put down before my short-term memory goes away.

Be careful reading what's next if you have not seen the movie and want to see it, I don't want to ruin anything for ya ;).

Random post

I understand that this is my blog and I should be writing my own thoughts, but sometimes I come across things that others have posted and think... "That's exactly what I'd do," or "That's so meaningful..."


So, I think it's good to share what we all have learned, and that's what this entry is for... All going back to getting hurt and how to get back on our feet. I have said my own opinion about it in more than one entries, but this comes from a complete stranger, a post I accidentally read while surfing through forums online... and I have to say, not everyday you can come across something that makes you nod your head and say "So me!"

A Year in Status...

It really amazes me how fast time flies. This past year has been nothing but greatness, I have learned more and done more than I would have ever thought. I have met or/and got closed to many wonderful people, and I could not ask for more than what I have been given.

Another new year is approaching with new challenges and opportunities, and I am so ready to face everything and giving it my best.

.Goal Set.

Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.  ~Les Brown

Within the past two weeks, I have heard the phrase "Write down your goals" literally more than one hundred times. Therefore, in order for me to say I have done just that, I'm writing them down as you are reading this entry.

The catch here is that goals must be attainable but are clearly something higher or greater you would like to achieve.

~Hope~

“Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself... 'How did I get through all of that?”           

                                                                                                                          --Unknown--                                                                                                                                                      

I am sharing with you one of my favorite short films today... It is not really a film, just an about 8-minute-long video called "Father and Daughter," put together by talented people, and the meaning of it is by far as great as hour-long movies...

The Big... 22!

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up -- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.

- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

And so it has been 22 years... 22 wonderful years of my life. Not too short, certainly not long at all, but enough for many valuable lessons and experiences... I could never ask for anything better than what I have been given.

The B-day(s) Gang 

Hello December!!

"I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring."  
                                                                                                                       ~Liz Armbruster

Only more than 20 days 'til Christmas, "the most wonderful time of the year," and I cannot think of a better way to start this month by seeing the smiles on people's faces, specifically children's...

Devin and I with Buddy the Broncho

"When You Love Someone"

Just finished watching one of my all-time favorite movies, "The Notebook" and I am very much inspired to talk about love.

Memories

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."
                                                                      Morrie Schwartz, in "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom


Heard a personal true story from a professor earlier today in class, and I just couldn't stop thinking...

Memories...

It is said that memories are what will stay with us for the rest of our lives and never fade... Is that the case for the people with disease like Alzheimer? Do memories stay with them? Or do they literally fade away?

Time for Change

I know I have always complained about how busy I am and how everything has, in some way, killed my social life.

The fact is, this IS my life, and maybe this even is how I socialize, in my own kind of way. I am getting myself out not by going out every night, not by having fun all the time, but by working hard on what I believe in. I am busy, but I enjoy what I do, because I know at the end it all works out for the best and I would not trade anything in the world for the beautiful memories I have collected.

What's Gone and What's Left

I have a little free time today to just sit back and think. I know, it's weird. It's Thanksgiving day and what I should be doing is spending time around the people I love. Well, I am, that's why I'm writing this, as a dedication to the people I love so dearly but cannot be closed to physically...

Today, I want to talk about the losses that made me stronger: the passing of my late grandfather and uncle.

Happy Turkey Day!

It is that time of the year. The time for us to express our appreciations.

I am thankful for many many things in my life, which I'm sure you all have read a number of times in all my entries. I don't want to bore you out, but everything I write comes from the bottom of my heart, and today is the right time for me to say "Thanks" to everyone and everything.

Room for Smiles

I told you the story of me breaking down, which was embarrassing, but it really spoke a lot for who I really am...

It amazes me how much love there is and how powerful it can be. The people who stay with us through our happy times are our friends, but true friends stick around even when we fall, to offer their hands and help us up.

Broken

So... I failed.

Life Lessons

These past few days have been a few of the many longest days of my life... I haven't even had time to gather my thoughts together to put into a blog entry, enough said.

I feel like I am going through an emotional roller coaster, and don't know how or when I will be able to stop.

Another year of success...

So it finally happened...

Another year full of wonderful experiences and laughers begins now.

Sometimes LOVE comes around...

...and all it does is knock you down.

You... are My Sunshines!

Today's entry is dedicated to the one of the most beautiful things that can make me smile from ear to ear almost every single day for the past twenty one years... especially whenever my heart is heavy...

the shining Sun...

The first thing I see almost every morning <3

All about Me

I think it is about time for me to talk to you a little about myself. I just want you, my blog readers, to know "who" I really am. I also want to write this so that whenever I look back and read this entry, I will never forget who I am (or was) today.

.Once upon a dream.

It has been exactly two years since the day my life completely changed, for the good... On November 14, 2008, a totally new page of my life was opened, offered me many opportunities of a life time that I would never change any of them for the world. 

It was the day I was crowned Miss Asian UCO...

"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance..."

We all make plenty of mistakes in our lives, and don't disagree with me, because you know we all do.

Some mistakes can be redone, but some, even after re-doing, can never put things back into places.

Hearts are broken, feelings are hurt, and you feel like it is the end of the world, or at least the end of the relationship with whoever or whatever that made you feel that way.

Do you believe in a Second Chance?

It all starts with one act of kindness at a time...

Yay for getting back to writing. I have missed it already.

Like I said in my last entry, I am helping out with a health fair this weekend, with the hope to get myself inspired and reconnect with the people around me while helping them with all my abilities.

I've accomplished just that.

...not today...

I am just not myself today.
Have not had a spare moment until now.
Empty heart and mind.
Feelings are there but not enough.

Most of the time I am happy with my up-and-going life because I never feel useless. I accomplish something everyday.

But I have to be honest and admit that sometimes I am really tired. Not only physically but mentally.

Forgetting and Forgiving

Hmm... For some strange reason I do like to write about getting hurt. Probably because I have been through some, and have seen people hurting some. Okay, not some, but a lot of times.

I do not know how long people stay in my life, but one thing I know is that they never leave without memories. I usually do not hold grudges, in fact I can't stay mad at people for long. Therefore, my memories about people are usually the best ones I can have because that makes life just that much more meaningful.

It usually is easier said than done; however.

.I.N.S.P.I.R.A.T.I.O.N.S.

I am pretty sure most of you agree with me that inspirations are what each of us looks for in our lives.

We look up to successful people and their wisdom with the wish to become just as successful, or even more. We have mentors to guide us where we need to and should go in our careers. We put our faith in certain religions. We create goals for ourselves... Just like that, everything we do in life is inspired by one thing or another... one person or another.

And I am not an exclusion. Like I said a few entries earlier, I am thankful for the people around me because they let me know that I am not alone. Some of them are closer to me than others, but no matter who they are, they inspire me in many ways.

"Let me be your lighthouse..."

If you have not heard of "Lighthouse" by Ernie Halter, I think it is the time.

The tears come naturally every time I listen to it, not only because it is that powerful, but also because I feel like I am being given more strength... the strength I need to carry on...

<3

Dear Mother...

Wow... I just came across my old blog. Never remember I wrote these things, but apparently I did...


This one is one of the very first one I wrote directly about my mother... It was written more than 3 years ago, and I have a lot more to add to it today.

.never alone.

"I hope you know that you're never alone, 
and that somebody out there loves you more than you will ever know..."

It is said that people are sent to be in your world to teach you life lessons. Each and every one of them comes with a different purpose. Some bring you the joy beyond compare, and some bring you the tears you never wish you would have shed... But is it true?

---d-i-s-t-a-n-c-e---

In relationships with your love ones, family, friends, significant other...

Do distance make feelings grow stronger?

Or does it make the emotional string become thinner and thinner until it breaks?

We face many challenges in our lives, and distance is one of the most significant things... I may not know who you are or what you do, but I can be almost certain that at one point in time, you have to say goodbye to a person you love. Maybe because one of you is leaving to a different city, a different country, or even a different world...

So what happens to our feelings?

I'm not letting go this time...

Finally after months and months of thinking and deliberating, I have done it! Now I can officially say that I will get to see you, Michael Bublé, in exactly one month!

The miracle of a smile...

After writing a blog earlier about one of the special people in my life, which is one of my roommates, my other roommate is now complaining that I am bias because I didn't write anything for her, so... here it is, a blog that is dedicated to another very "special" person ;).

Waking up with a broken heart...

This blog is dedicated to a special person who is going through the same emotions as I have gone through, many many times...

"When you're dreaming with a broken heart, the waking up is the hardest part..."

Yes, John Mayer said that, and it is very true. When your heart is broken, carrying on would be the hardest challenge you have to face...

Questions for the day...

Is it true that because something is always right next to us when we need them, we tend to forget about its existence once in a while?

Does that mean we are taking someone or something for granted?

Doesn't the thing or the one we usually take for granted turn out to be the one that deserve our gratitudes the most?

Is that why we usually only realize what we had got after everything is gone?

Let the music heal your soul...

These are just three of my many favorites songs of Michael Bublé... Never get tired of listening to them.

Michael has been my icon for a while now. His songs are so heart-felt and if you listen to the lyrics, you can actually see the stories and the emotional stages he goes through... He had his happy moments, but also went through hard times, just like everyone of us. The only difference is that he has the talent and ability to express how he feels, while others, including myself, don't have.

No matter what stage of emotion the song represents, if I pick the right song at the right time to listen to, it can bring me to tears. Happens every time. That's probably why I love his music and his personality so much. It is not every day you can find someone who you feel connected to, even though just through music.

I cannot wait to see him in one month, that would be the best birthday present I can give myself.

"I want to wake up in that city that doesn't sleep..."

"... where dreams are made of and there's nothing you can do!"

Talking about New York, what are some of the first things that come to your mind? Biggest city, Big Apple, full of high-rises, crowded, bright, never sleeps, cold (both temperature and people), fast-paced, financial, developed, etc...

For me, it is truly a place that reminds me so much of my home town, but much much bigger.

Story of My Life

I'm sure all of you have heard of white dandelion, a beautiful flower whose seeds are blown for wishes. I myself have a different name for them, I call them the "inspirational flower." You'll find out why.

A dandelion seed is ready to fly

...A New Day Has Come...

It really is about time for me to start something new, or actually to continue something old... to restart my blogging habit after a long time. It feels super exciting to be able to put thoughts into words again, and I am enjoying every moment of it.