T-Minus 13 Hours

Typical "Studying" Photo

Correct, I only have a mere thirteen hours left until I take my last final exam of the semester. Today, I took my Math 130 exam which wasn't as terrible as I expected it to be. I did experience a sort of bittersweet moment as I shook my professor's hand and said good-bye to my classmates. Knowing that I won't be in the same class with the same great people again made my heart ache a little bit! I know that math has a stigma of being the most horrible and least interesting subject, but I think it all really depends on who your teachers and professors are. Lucky for me, I've never actually had a terrible math teacher from junior high through now! I'm really glad to have ended with an awesome professor. Afterwards, I ended up in the crowded library again, studying a bit.

Here's a little life update:

New Hire Packet!

So, we all know that I've grown a ton as this semester breezed on by and I've been trying to take small steps to adjust to adulthood. I had an annoying habit of always saying how much I needed a job and how I needed to make money, but I never actually went out of my way to apply to multiple places. I applied to one or two places through online apps, but this only took place about one night throughout an entire month. In November, I actually applied to Pier 1 Imports and got a call back for an interview! I went it, talked about my schedule and the store's schedule. Unfortunately, they both conflicted so I went in again last Tuesday and talked to the Assistant Store Manager and thankfully, the interview went really well and the schedule conflict wasn't a significant issue. Well, yesterday, I got a call back saying that I got the job! And then... today, I went in to get things going and tomorrow, I have a 6 hour long training! If you guys didn't know, this is my first official, person-to-person job and I'm extremely excited to start. As of right now, I'm only working a seasonal position, but let's cross our fingers and hope that I get a permanent position after the holidays!

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Say Love by JoJo

Three Left To Kill

I've done it. It's gone, I don't have to deal with it anymore...

I officially completed my entire first semester of Philosophy as of 11:45 AM on December 7th, 2015! It was an amazing feeling to walk out of the room and know that I did well on my last exam. I am only a couple days away from winter break and I can taste the freedom! However, I definitely shouldn't feel this excited yet... I still have an exam for Math 130, Physics 105 and Ethnic Studies 101 coming up and I definitely have to worry about those.

I'm currently in the library, extremely caffeinated and trying to study. I have never seen this place so packed before and you can feel the stress shooting through the roof in here. If you're seriously frustrated, stressed or unsettled because of finals, please remember that you deserve a break! It's unhealthy to keep yourself in state like that.

(L to R): Fede, Andrew, Chey on a Bus Butt

On a brighter note, my lifelong dream of being featured on an MTD "bus butt" has finally come true. Courtesy of Emily, I have been captured on the line 16 bus along with bloggers, Fede and Andrew!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy finals week even though this might not be the happiest week, IT WILL BE. Break is only a couple of days from now and you can ABSOLUTELY do this.

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Forever On Your Side by Imaginary Future feat. Kina Grannis

My Final Day

Dog Therapy Day Sign

Today was officially the last day of instruction from all of my classes! Everything came to a bittersweet end, but I'm feeling extremely relieved that this semester is coming to a break. With finals coming up, I definitely need some time to just sit down and delve into the material I don't really understand.

So, for my last day, I attended my 8AM Math 130 class with Peter Georgakis and quite honestly, I feel so blessed to have had Professor Georgakis. I didn't realize the major impact that your professor could have on the class you took. I think I was so used to the way high school functioned: you chose a class, got a teacher. Didn't like him/her? You kind of just had to deal with it. But anyway, this would be my last math class--official math class! I know there will be math in my business and accounting classes, but this would be my real last math class. During class, we just reviewed, joked around and worked with our peers. It'll be a class to remember, for sure! :)

Molly the Pup!

Then, I made my way towards P117, where I would be performing my last Physics lab. Today, we did a lab on standing waves which was a pretty neat way to close our lab class. Not going to lie, some of the other labs weren't my favorite, but we had some really interactive labs that I really enjoyed doing, including the one I did today.

As I walked out of that classroom, I let it sink in that today marks the end of a difficult, but rewarding  semester. It's amazing to walk out and the first thing you see is the sun shining down on the ocean and blue skies. What a way to end my week, right? I crossed the bridge and saw that there was a "Dog Therapy Day" sign. An organization came to SBCC and brought dogs and people were able to stop by and pet them as a "de-stresser". I thought that was such a cute idea!

I hope you all had a wonderful semester and I'll...

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Forever On Your Side by Imaginary Future ft. Kina Grannis

MORE SHOPPING?!

I know. Insanity, right? Thanksgiving just ended and now our wallets are filled with receipts as a result of Black Friday. But we all know that the holidays are just a killer to our bank accounts! Christmas is only a few weeks away, and that means we'll be shopping again. I've got a pretty darn big family so there goes every penny that I have haha. But really, this holiday season will be about giving, caring, loving, and spending time together.

State Street feat. Downtown Shuttle

Well, lucky me because this klutz dropped her phone and can you guess what happened? If you said that my phone screen shattered, it did not. See, previously, the glass screen started popping out (yes, I did drop it before), but it wasn't anything too serious so I never got it fixed. Then, while I was getting ready in the morning, I was watching Netflix. I put toothpaste on my toothbrush, ran the faucet and I think what happened was the turn handle hit my phone and somehow knocked it into the basin of the sink. Water continued to waterfall over it, but I did react quickly. Honestly I don't know how this happened, but my phone was unaffected. Feeling like a phone god, I became careless. Which, of course, you should avoid becoming because it is a dangerous, dangerous place to be. Dropping it seemed like no big deal, getting some water on it was like trying to scratch a diamond, so yeah. I thought my phone was invincible until November 30th, 2015 when I dropped my phone, getting out of my car. Currently, the phone is working, but the screen is completely blacked out and I don't really feel like paying over $100 for the screen to get fixed. Now, I'm using my dinosaur iPhone 4 circa October 2011 and it comes with a stylish shattered screen. Yay me! Go me.

Anyway, I went to Verizon today and you know, I'm starting to feel the holiday cheer on our little State Street. There's a bright side to everything!

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Been You by Justin Bieber

Wrapping Up November

Transitioning to Winter!

It's here! The long awaited month of December has finally arrived. You know what this means? A drop in temperatures (which has obviously already made its way these past few weeks), winter break and the end of my very first semester of college. It's been an incredible journey and I'm very excited to start decorating my room, the tree, and begin listening to endless Christmas music playlists!

So we all know that with the beginning of December means the beginning of an intense week of finals... How many people are as stressed as I am? Luckily, all of my professors didn't wait until this very last week to lay last-minute exams on me. I have a friend who has exams all week long AND he has finals next week! What a thing to worry for...

Anyway, I'll be closing this post with a couple photos to remember November 2015!
Since we'll be looking back on November, here are some posts that I really enjoyed writing and putting up:

• Native American Heritage Month (11/24)
• Monday Blues (11/23)
• Halloween Wackiness (11/1)

...

See you next post,

Empty Wallets & Stuffed Closets

My Winnings!

It's Friday, you guys! Yesterday was the infamous Thanksgiving and I'm sure so many of us stuffed ourselves to the point of not being able to move haha. What did you guys have for dinner? I'm actually not having Thanksgiving dinner until tomorrow night. I spent my Thursday afternoon traveling to Fresno and then I went "Black Friday" shopping at Fashion Fair Mall during the Thursday Pre-Black Friday hours.

 So what is Black Friday? I'm not sure if it's just an American tradition, but it's basically an excuse for a majority of retail stores to have sales and for people to go out and shop. I went to a couple of stores and actually came across some really awesome deals this year! I also went last year, but I didn't have too great of an eye so I didn't catch many great clothes for great prices. Here's a list of stores that I stopped by at and what I got!

• Macy's
• Here, there were actually so many shoe sales going on it was INSANE. People were actually pushing each other, grabbing whatever they could get their hands on and stocking it somewhere else. I didn't get anything here, but my grandma got a pair of comfortable shoes to wear during her walks to her garden!
• JC Penny



Mint Matcha Frappé

• So actually... I didn't get anything here either, but my grandma got herself a pair of pants because this winter is hitting her hard and she does not enjoy the cold temperatures!
• American Eagle
• This particular American Eagle location had an Aeries section included with it so I decided to check out the clothes there too. I got a tank top, a black lace bralette, a pair of cotton leggings and a pair of spandex leggings for a REALLY good price! Everything in the store was 40% off and there was a 60% off of clearance items! ;)
• Forever 21
• The infamous Forever 21... It was pretty packed in this store. This Forever 21 was the size of Macy's at Paseo Nuevo. Unfortunately, they didn't have too big of a sale going on for Black Friday, but I got a couple of items that I didn't know were on sale! I got two sweaters, one shirt, two necklaces and a pair of earrings.
• Wet Seal
• I never actually shop at Wet Seal, but my cousin wanted to check out some of their items. Funny thing is, I was the one who got more items! The entire store was 50% off and the clearance items were also an additional 60% off. I got a sweater, a tank top, rings, and a necklace.

Some stores that I regularly shop at didn't hold too many sales, so I didn't buy anything then!

Taipei 101: Sweet Bread

Afterwards, my cousins and I went out to a small café called Taipei 101, where they had the cutest Frappés and yummy bread treats! If you're ever in the Fresno-Clovis area, it's a definite stop by.

Hope you guys all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving holiday and a safe Black Friday experience. :)

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Sorry by Justin Bieber

Native American Heritage Month

We Still Live Here - Âs Nutayuneân Trailer

As November begins, many of us are excited for Pumpkin Spice Lattes, layering our clothes and hearing rain drops plop outside of our windows. But, there's one group of our community that we are forgetting about! This month is Native American Heritage Month and it's a month where the Native Americans are recognized for their culture and how they have changed and contributed to the United States.

Traditional Moccasins (Apache)

When European settlers arrived in the United States, Native Americans were oppressed, removed and exiled. Because of this tragic happening, only 2% of the United States' population is made up of Native Americans as of 2013. Day by day, the culture is disappearing and the traditions are fading away. Yesterday, I watched a documentary in the IDC building called "We Still Live Here - Âs Nutayuneân" where the Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts revives their language after more than 100 years have passed without using it. The documentary, sponsored by SBCC's Ethnic Studies Department and Ethnic Studies Club, opened my eyes to the consequence that losing one's origins could bring. Culture is such a significant part of America and it's what makes our country so unique!

So next year, when November comes around, drop those lattes, slap on those sweats and watch a documentary on the Native American culture if you have not already. Appreciate those around you, especially because it IS Thanksgiving season. :)

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to Anna Sun (Acoustic) by The Griswolds

Monday Blues

Credits Rolling @ Mockingjay Part 2

Hi all! It's been a while since my last post and since it's officially the infamous Monday we all dread waking up to, I thought I'd do a bit of my weekend recap. And may I just add that it was a VERY eventful weekend?

So, Mockingjay Part 2 finally premiered on Thursday and I went to see it with two of my friends, Sam, and Brenna, both of whom I have mentioned before. Officially, we had bought tickets for the actual midnight premiere at 11:45 PM and as we got so excited for it, we decided to meet up a couple hours earlier at Camino Real Marketplace. Sam and I arrived at around 4:00 PM and Brenna came at

Brenna & Sam @ Premiere

around 5:30 PM. After we had eaten dinner, I spotted a line and we immediately snatched up a spot in line and I went to my car to get blankets, Brenna went to hers to get snacks and Sam saved our spots in line. We set up our little comfy zone and sat for maybe a little under thirty minutes when one of the theatre employees came out and said, "Just making sure, everyone's in line for the 7:30 showing?" And all three of us exchanged glances. Wasting no time, Brenna and I went to the ticket booth and were successful in switching the showing times AND the three of us got wonderful seating. I definitely need to pay attention to all of the showtimes because apparently midnight premieres don't actually take place at midnight... Otherwise, the movie was phenomenal! I thought it was put together really well and gave the audience a great sense of closure. I would recommend seeing it if you've seen the past movies!

Entering the Hunger Games

On Friday, I woke up at 6:30 AM and finalized all of the classes I wanted to take for the following semester. Unfortunately, BIO 100 is always highly impacted, so I couldn't snag myself a spot in that class. Hopefully I'll be able to take it over the summer! When you don't have priority for registration, it feels like you're in the Hunger Games all over again. Later in the afternoon, I took my cousins and my grandma to the new ice skating rink. If you've never tried ice skating before, let nothing hold you back and just try it! I promise you it's not as scary as you think it is. I personally still don't really know how to ice skate, but with a couple more visits, I think I could manage without holding onto the wall, haha.

Grannie & Cousins at the Ice Skating Rink

Saturday left me in a food coma and I don't know how I survived it! My family went over to my aunt and uncle's house where we celebrated an early Thanksgiving because they'll both be in Minnesota on the official Thanksgiving Day. It was a potluck dinner so I made Mashed Potatoes and Pumpkin Spice French Macarons for dessert. We had the traditional Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, and just so much many other dishes I can't even begin to name them! Instead of the turkey being stuffed, I was...

On Sunday, I spent my day catching up on schoolwork and just had a couple of hours to relax and close up my weekend. And now, it's Monday and I'm feeling the Monday blues. Definitely missing the weekend, but definitely looking forward to only having three days of class for this week. Hope you had a wonderful Monday.

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to We Won't by Jaymes Young and Phoebe Ryan

Friday the 13th

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOANA COSTA NOGUEIRA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT

 It's Friday the 13th, everyone! The number 13 generally represents unluckiness and amplifies peoples' beliefs in superstitions. Silly things like opening an umbrella while you're indoors or walking underneath an open ladder can cause you to have a varied amount of years of bad luck! I'm not exactly sure where this originated from... BUT as a child, I am absolutely guilty of believing in these little things! If my mom ever opened an umbrella inside a store to see the size of it, I swear that I would get sweaty hands and I wouldn't be able to think. All I would be thinking about is, "Oh jeez! Mom! Why did you do that? Now we'll be getting seven years of bad luck!" Honestly, I have no idea where this idea of bad luck from opening an umbrella, a black cat crossing your path, or walking underneath a ladder.

PC: Twitter -  @VictorQuest

Onto more serious matters, a terrorist attack in Paris, France took place and more than 150 lives were taken today. While most of them were living their everyday lives, attending a concert, and watching a soccer game the thing they least expected to happen, happened. About ten months ago, France endured a terrifying attack, where twelve victims lost their lives at Charlie Hebdo. The country, still recovering from the unexpected and unfortunate situation, underwent another detrimental attack tonight. A global movement took place and hashtags such as #PrayforParis and #PeaceforParis were spread. Being alive in a place where there isn't much violent activity, I can only be thankful for where I am. I can't even begin to imagine the stress that all of the Parisians are experiencing right now. Without a doubt am I sending my love, prayers and care to the country. 

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to We Are One by RUNAROUND

Staying Wise

Time Wise visits SBCC

Throughout the United States, racism has always been a touchy subject amongst myriad of groups living here. Mentioning my Ethnic Studies class once again, we've focused on the Black American group this week. Next week, we'll be covering Latino/Hispanic Americans! Being a person of color myself, I've been in situations where racism was extremely apparent or I felt like I was looked at differently because I was Asian American.

For the past 25 years, Santa Barbara City College has held an annual lecture on anti-racism and ethnic diversity in honor of Leonardo Dorantes. Dorantes was a victim of hate crime when he was murdered in Santa Barbara in November of 1990. He was a Mexican immigrant who attended Santa Barbara City College as an ESL student. Because of his nationality, his life was forcibly taken from him.

Earlier this afternoon, Tim Wise, an anti-racism activist, paid SBCC a visit to speak at the Leonardo Dorantes lecture. Wise, also a nationally acclaimed writer, spoke about the reality of racism and its toll on the communities in the United States. Throughout his entire presentation, I had never been so engaged in something like that and all of the claims he made seemed absolutely true. Something Wise made clear to the audience was that we, as Americans, don't want to face the reality of racism and how it's affecting our country. We don't want to face the reality of police brutality, the voting system, immigrants and more because we're SCARED of the truth.

Racism is definitely still alive in America and with all of the ongoing movements, I feel extremely blessed to be living in Santa Barbara where there haven't been extreme riots or violence that is race-related. I am also very impressed and proud of our generation for trying to change the stigma that society hold on so many different groups of people. For the growing generation, it is undoubtedly important to make known the hidden issues of apartheid in America. In addition, it's strongly recommended that we not see the world as we want to see it, but for what it really is. If we don't start somewhere, how are we ever going to make a change?

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Underneath Your Love by David Choi

Don't Worry, Be Happy

At this time of year, exams, quizzes, and homework seem like they are all just ganging up on you. I've been really stressed out this past week from trying to juggle all four of my classes! It seems like every time I finish an assignment, I have an even longer one to finish and the cycle never stops. In addition to that, I'm undergoing a couple of personal life issues and I don't feel like doing anything!

PC:  PoisonedCandyFloss/Tumblr

I do realize, though, that I need to learn balance. Completing tasks in chunks at the very last moment are definitely not going to help me! It's only going to add to my stress which means I won't be getting enough rest to get through my day and I'll be exhausted. Life can become really complex when we find ourselves stuck on a web of things. I have to start making a schedule and wholeheartedly complete everything according to that schedule. If I start slacking off, I'm only cheating myself!

As for personal life issues, people can cause all the drama they would like, but if I let that get to me, how am I ever going to function? Don't let those kinds of petty things affect your mentality. We are stronger than that! Be the bigger person and walk away from those types of situations. Of course we'll be experiencing negative energy, but if we allow that to consume us, it's going to impact our daily lives, thoughts, and actions. So what do you do? Try and get rid of that negative energy as soon as possible! You'll thank yourself in the long run.

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Dancing on Glass by St. Lucia

Penny Pinching

Since the holidays are just around the corner, I have to start saving everything I can! Black Friday and Christmas shopping are wallet burners and I need to be prepared for what's to come.

I just read the Student Health 101 Magazine (which can be found here) and there was an interesting little article

Student Health 101 Online Magazine

suggesting a few tips on how to manage yourself, financially. I can be a big spender; however, I always try to find ways to make money. I've never been great at saving money, so I thought why not start now? I'm hoping to make a habit of saving money for the next six months and hopefully it will be incorporated into my everyday life. In case you're interested in saving money, here are a couple of steps I'm taking:

November Plan

1. Keep ALL of your receipts! Not only is it great to keep your receipts on hand if you need to return something, but you can keep track of your monthly expenditures. In addition to keeping you receipts, make sure you keep them in a organized fashion. A little organization won't hurt and you'll be less stressed when you're shuffling through your receipts. I'm currently keeping a notebook and adhering the receipts to the pages. 
2. A little goes a long way. If you're not ready to take on any significant changes to your spending habits, set a little bit of your monthly earnings aside each month. It can be as small as $5 or as much as $200 per month and as long as you set a goal for yourself, you'll be able to reach it in no time. Trust yourself and don't touch that money unless you absolutely need it! Since I'm still living at home and don't have bills to pay, I try to put away a little more than half of the amount of money I get every time I get paid.
3. Is it a need or a want? I always find myself buying something just because I want it. For example, my runs to Michaels are just extra dollars spent on miscellaneous things that I've been eyeing. So ask yourself, do you need it or do you just want it? It's okay to spoil yourself maybe once or twice a month, but the more you ask yourself this question, the more dollars you'll be able to save and achieve your end goal.
4. Start now! Try not to give yourself any excuses for not being able to start saving. The sooner you start, the more you'll have set aside. I know some of us will wait until January 1st and say that their goal this year is to save x amount, but if you start today, you'll be able to save x amount since Jan. 1st PLUS x amount from now until then.
5. Give yourself a limit. A lot of the time, people will end up swiping their credit card because they don't have money at the time and sometimes will get sucked into debt. For the first month you start out, find out your monthly spending average and then weigh out your options. From there, you'll be able to see what you need to spend your money on and what you can spend your money on. 
6. How can I make money? This can really start anywhere! You just can't do nothing and expect to get paid in return. It doesn't work like that! If you don't have a job, start by applying. It can be a scary process if you haven't had any kind of work experience before, but once you've turned in apps, look forward to being hired! If you need help, ask a friend or family member. I also visited the Career Center in the Student Services Building on East Campus for help on my résumé. If you're worried about balancing work and school, don't be afraid to communicate with your supervisor about your hours. If you do have a job and want to make more pocket money, look out for small opportunities to make money such as working a day-event, babysitting, cleaning, maintenance services, yard sales, selling items online, etc. There are a lot of ways to make money, you just have to put in a little effort, is all!



Receipt Notebook

7. And lastly, have a little fun! My friend Michael and I are having a money saving competition. Whoever spends the most this month has to buy the other lunch. However, I have to add an extra $30.00 on my part because he lives in Ventura and commutes to and from SBCC Monday through Thursday and SUPPOSEDLY has to fill up his tank every five days while I fill mine every two weeks.

I hope this inspired you guys a little bit! Happy saving :)

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to I Will Follow You by Rivvrs

A Month Closer to Winter

Cloudy with 100% Chance of Chilly

Happy second day of November everyone! I hope that all of you remembered to change your clocks to an hour behind and that you guys didn’t eat too much candy! 

Well after the time change, I definitely feel a little more awake and active than I do on a typical Monday. It’s nice to wake up and want to take on the day rather than feeling like you have to. I woke up this morning to a couple of grey clouds and a slight breeze throughout Goleta. After checking the weather on two different apps, I decided to wear a patterned romper and a brown cardigan with some brown ankle boots. I was debating on whether or not I should have thrown on a scarf, but doubted the weather and decided not to. However, now that I’m sitting outside, waiting for my next class, I’m experiencing cold wind and a little bit of sprinkling!

Aside from the weather, I’m so excited for the big holidays to come around. We’re officially a month away from December which means Thanksgiving, Christmas and celebrating the New Year! What holidays are you all going to be celebrating as 2015 is coming to a close? I really can’t believe that this year is almost over and I’ll be finishing my first semester of college soon. Sometimes, I don’t realize that I’m already 18 and I’m considered an adult… Me? An adult?

So here’s an update from a couple of posts ago:

Five of my friends have confirmed that they’ve all received my letter and I got one back! I’m telling you, the feeling of receiving something in the mail is like receiving a present. My friend in San Diego hasn’t confirmed with me if she’s gotten my card or not, but I hope she did. The cards were really fun to put together and I definitely want to send more out, but I don’t think I have too many people to send them to.

Chey on a Self-Balancing Board

One last thing before I go! In my last post, I talked about what I did during my weekend, but forgot to add that I had the chance to ride a self-balancing board. I’ve been seeing them a lot throughout campus and my cousins own one so I decided to give it a whirl. It was definitely really scary and I had to hold onto someone to help me work the board. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to really ride it on my own, but I did go maybe 30 or 40 seconds on it without holding onto someone.

Hope you all had an eventful weekend!

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to Geronimo by Sheppard 

Halloween Wackiness

Chey @ Zoo Boo

It's 11:55 PM on October 31st, 2015 as I'm beginning to write this post. I'm absolutely exhausted from a long, but really fulfilling day. I have a ton of family in Fresno, which is about four hours north of Goleta, and spent my Halloween weekend here! I have to admit that it's refreshing to be away from Goleta for a bit, especially with the notorious Isla Vista Halloween "celebrations" going on.

So instead of attending crazy parties, I enjoyed a day at Michaels, Target, the pumpkin patch, and zoo with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and my mom. One of my closest cousins, Alyssa, and I got up a little early to go to Michaels because they were having a major Halloween sale and you know how much I can't resist good deals ESPECIALLY when it comes to crafts! Alyssa's always been my right-hand lady and I feel bad that she has to browse around a store with me that she might not really enjoy, haha. But's it's alright, because I found some watercolor brush pens for more than they usually retail for and I got my hands on some more scrapbook paper! (Sorry, Mai... I couldn't help myself.) After that, we hit Target where I grabbed a new pair of black ankle boots, the eos Lemon Drop lip balm for Alyssa and some Christmas stickers I grabbed at the dollar spot. Those were my main purchases for today!

Pumpkins & Hay Bales Galore

Afterwards, we went back to my aunt's house and got ready, put on our costumes and headed over to the pumpkin patch. They had so many different activities for the kids such as hayrides, train rides, a forest trail that takes you up to a small wooden cabin, a swing, a rope swing, and snow cones. I don't remember the name of this particular pumpkin patch, but it was kind of out in the middle of nowhere and it was about thirty minutes away from my aunt's house. We spent about an hour there looking around and taking photos of my 1-year-old cousin, Ellie! This year, she was Little Red Riding Hood. My mom sewed her entire costume and she looked completely adorable! The hood had a sort of cone shape to it so whenever the hood was up, Ellie looked like a little gnome wearing a puffed out dress.

Ellie @ the Zoo

Eventually, we made our way to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, where they were holding the Halloween night special, Zoo Boo. It's really similar to Santa Barbara Zoo's Boo at the Zoo. We arrived an hour and a half early because parking gets really difficult to find and the lines to just enter the park would be insane. Once we got in, we headed straight for the park restaurant where they served hamburgers,
fries, pizzas, salads, and sandwiches. They weren't your ordinary microwaved-tasting pizzas and burgers, but were actually well worth the price, in my opinion. I decided to get a Pepperoni Pizza and a side of fries. When we finally took Ellie trick-or-treating, there were lots of kids and parents dressed up and booths from radio stations to personal businesses who handed out candies. I personally had so much fun just seeing the smiles on my relatives' faces and just soaking up the moment.

Some of us really feel inclined to attend the really intense parties because that's what everyone seems to be up to, but I think that we should all consider taking the time to really immerse ourselves into something that we find a little bit of interest in. Time isn't stopping for anybody and we have to make decisions every single day that will benefit us emotionally, physically, and spiritually! I hope you all had a fulfilling and safe Halloween 2015 experience. :) Also, since I've mentioned time... The time will be "falling back" an hour as Daylight Savings is coming to a close. Remember to change your clocks tomorrow (or today), November 1st, 2015!

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Some Type of Love by Charlie Puth

Drumroll, Please!

Last night the Encores Singing Competition took place and I hope some of you were able to make it! This year, we had an amazing assortment of performers and I am extremely proud to be able to say that I shared a stage with such talented people. Unfortunately, I did not place, but I want to make it clear that I partook in this event purely for the sake of making friends and meeting people. And that I did! I actually met a girl, Zina, who shares the same vocal instructor as I do! I have to admit, I didn't know her too well prior to the competition, but now we've exchanged numbers, social media info... so basically... BFFs? I also had the chance to really connect with a few other competitors, Angel, Jacob, Mayu, Sophia, Leana, Shelby, Mary, Nicole, Linn, and Alexa. It was definitely an eye-opening experience and I hope I try out next year!

Missing a few, but here are most of the contestants!

Also, working with the SBCC Ambassadors, Belle, Linan, and Ester, made me appreciate the experience even more! These three ladies were definitely stressed or confused and most importantly: had to deal with us! I know we all had so many questions and I'm just hands-down grateful for everything that you and the rest of the Ambassadors put together. I know it couldn't have been easy!

However, if you happened to miss out on the event, here's a quick recap:

• All of the singers went through their songs as per usual... But so many of us were losing our minds because of how nervous we were before walking out on that stage. Then afterwards, some of us were shaking, freaking out or high-fiving our peers backstage just feeling absolutely RELIEVED to be done.
• We sang Hey Jude by The Beatles as our group song and just basked in the moment together.
• Immediately following our group number, we surprised the audience with a really terrible dance to Thriller by Michael Jackson. The World Dance for Humanity group came by and taught us the dance in basically 2 hours. So, you can imagine how a group of singers did on this! But, I have to admit, it was just so fun to let loose on stage and share a smile with the audience and each other.
• Last, but not least, we had three really cool people as the Top 3! Olivia, Paisley, and Leana won! Congrats, girls (if you're reading)! All of the competitors received a movie ticket certificate in thanks for participating in the competition. 

And that was it for the show! We also had incredibly funny MC's, Felipe and Phillip, both SBCC Ambassadors, sharing the stage with us. Definitely could not have done this without any of the Ambassdors, the audience, and most of all, the contestants! I definitely wish I had more time to spend with them, instead of really getting to know them the day of... But, I made some new friends and had a very satisfying experience which is what counts! Do what you want to do and I promise you won't regret it! :)

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to Kids (Oliver Nelson Remix) by Mikky Ekko

Back to My Roots

Chey feat. Mama and Papa Yang

I recently just had a paper due for my ETHS 101 class which gave me the chance to interview an immigrant of my choice. I chose to interview my dad. Back in my junior year of high school, I had a similar assignment to interview an immigrant and I chose to interview my grandmother. Hearing her story really made me appreciate what a fulfilling life I live. Coming from a land of poverty and being able to live comfortably in the land of opportunity is exactly what my family strived for when they immigrated to America. Without both of these assignments, I doubt I'd really delve into my family history and their stories and if I did, it wouldn't occur until maybe a couple years later. Sometimes the curiosity crosses my mind and I like thinking about it, but I don't think I'd ever really interview either one of my parents or my grandparents.

Chey, Cousin & Grammies

I'm a first generation American-born Hmong and I personally think that it's absolutely amazing to be able to say that. Not a lot of people can say they were the first generation to be born in America. Growing up with a grandparent in my home, I am bilingual and that's also another thing that I'm really proud of saying! Being able to comfortably converse with my grandparents or even just speaking Hmonglish (English/Hmong mix) with my parents is a complete blessing. Not very many Hmong grandchildren can communicate with their grandparents anymore.

Chey, Aunts, Grammies, Cousins, and Mama Yang

Chey, Cousins, Siblings, Uncles and Papa Yang

Participating in the ETHS 101 assignment helped me realize all of the hardships that my family has gone through to get on the both of their feet. I knew I had it pretty good, growing up in a home where I never went to bed hungry, had jackets, socks, jeans and shoes, being able to really open up to the both of my parents about my personal problems... In the essay, I really did want to write about so many things, but there was just too much that I couldn't fully interpret through words. The majority of my extended family are also immigrants and the fact that they all had to undergo hardship at such young ages are things that I can't even process. The reason for so much Hmong immigration to the U.S. was that there was a war taking place and families wanted any kind of safety that they could get. All of the collected research and answers that I got from my dad's story and my grandma's story touched my heart and I could not be thankful enough for my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents for fighting their way to America and giving me the life I have today! So many of us don't know where we came from, our history and our culture, but I think if you have ANY way of reconnecting with your family history, do it! A lot of people believe in the saying that if it happened in the past, then it did. What's the point of bringing it back? It definitely helped me define my character a little more and helped me realize how lucky I am to be going to school in a beautiful place and how free I am in comparison to those living where the majority of my family used to live.

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Can't Sleep Love by Pentatonix

**These currently listening to things are song recommendations in case you didn't know! I'm not saying I have the GREATEST taste in music, but definitely take a listen if you can!

California Grown

A couple of cards I made; Remade two of them & another isn't pictured!

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit crafty and I also really missed some of my closest friends, so I made a couple of cards and they should be sent out by the end of today! Only about three of them either know or have an idea that I'm sending them a letter, so it should be a nice surprise to everyone.

I know it sounds a little odd, but I've always wanted to try out card making because I never really saw the point in buying someone a card that you don't really like or the saying is just plain weird. With homemade cards, you have the option to design the size, style, look and the caption in the card without having to worry if the card suits the person or not. Since I do own so many craft scissors, stickers, tape, a couple stamps and card stock paper, I decided to give it a whirl and put together six, really simple cards. I wanted to leave a little mark on each card so on the back, I either put Made With Love, Chey or California Grown - C.Y.

Stamped and ready to send!

Three of the cards are going across California! One to San Diego, another to Los Angeles and one last one to Davis. Two other cards are going to be flown to Illinois and Minnesota and the last one is going to be making its way to Vancouver, BC, Canada. I don't get why snail mail isn't a cool thing anymore. I think it's awesome to know that you can send stuff to someone hundreds or even thousands of miles away from you! E-mails, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are pretty cool too, sometimes, but I love the feeling that I get when I've received something in the mail.

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Livin' Easy by Cody Simpson

Check Your E-Mails!

When starting college, some of us feel like we're walking in blindfolded and we're not yet comfortable with our surroundings. Since I've graduated from a local high school, I would like to say that I have more experience with SBCC than most people entering here do. However, I'd also like to stop myself there because first of all, I didn't even know there were so many clubs and organizations on campus and second of all, I didn't know a thing about transferring because I thought you just had to take a couple of classes, get credits, and get out.

I attended Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, CA and over there, the school offered dual enrollment which I kindly took advantage of. Dual enrollment is essentially taking a class and receiving both high school and college credits once you pass. Any high school students that might read this, I highly suggest enrolling yourself in these classes if your school offers it!

Free Pizza and Soda @ Counseling Event!

Last week I received an e-mail from the SBCC Counseling Department who announced that they were having a small pizza lunch get-together for the local high school graduates and there, we would be able to sign up for a meeting with our designated counselor. Instead of same-day sign ups and appointments, I thought this was a great idea and it would give me time to really think about what I wanted to discuss with my counselor. However, to my surprise, only three students, myself included, had showed up to the event. I thought to myself, "Did people just not read their e-mails? There was free pizza..." During the time I was there, I had a chance to talk to the two girls, Ana and Gabby. They were both from Santa Barbara High School and were so kind and down-to-earth. I also had a chance to talk to my counselor, Christy Grant. She was so lovely and our meeting was super quick and by the time I knew it, I already had an appointment made for the next week.

If any local graduates are reading tonight or tomorrow morning, I hope you guys take advantage of this opportunity and ask all the questions you can think of! This counseling event takes place from 11 AM to 1 PM tomorrow, in the Memorial Square near the Student Services building. There's going to be FREE PIZZA. I wish you guys the best in your academic endeavors!

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Let's Love by Echosmith

Catching Up

Santa Barbara Storm (10/14/15)

There was so much to do last week and so much that HAPPENED as well! Since tomorrow's Hump Day and all, I thought it wouldn't be too late to let you guys know what happened last week.

SBCC @ Night

Monday started out pretty nice and sunny, as usual, but I decided to stay at the library a little later to finish up homework and study for an upcoming exam. I ended up staying until around 8:30pm and went to the gym, then headed home! Overall, I was pretty satisfied with my day and it was nice to know I could just come home, crawl into bed and sleep.

Tuesday, I also decided that it might be a good idea to stay in the library until it was late, but boy was I wrong. I stuck around until about 1:00pm and then crossed the bridge to get lunch! I enjoyed the California Melt from the infamous JSB Café. Absolutely delicious. I definitely recommend spoiling yourself with all of the great dishes that they have to offer there. However, after my little break, I headed back over to the library and tiredness hit me like a truck around 7:30pm. I ended up staying until 9:30pm, but I think I spent my time a little less efficiently that I did on Monday. Some perks of our library are that it's open until 11pm Monday through Thursday, the Buzz Shack—coffee, food, snacks— is open until 7 pm and there's free wifi! It's a wonderful place to be if you really need to focus on a project or just get some homework completed.

Wednesday, I was just too burned out to even think about staying in at the library again, so I decided to head straight home after class. Once I got home, I decided to take an hour nap, but that was rudely interrupted by a spontaneous thunderstorm. It took me a second to realize that what I had just heard was thunder. There was all kinds of talk about El Niño making its way here and we finally had an hour of just downpour which was amazing.

Thursday was another day of school, not much taking place.

Pumpkin Bars feat. Sam

But Friday was great. As most of you know, I'm in the Encores SBCC Singing Competition (tickets are available here) and we had our first meeting together! However, living on the edge of Goleta and having to travel to the edge of Santa Barbara, I was stuck in the 101 South traffic because I-5 was closed due to a mudslide! So yes, I was a bit late, but we actually have a surprise performance together (Melanie & Emily, if you're reading this, I saw you guys watching us. Just FYI, I was waving at you guys and didn't get a wave back. I'm a little offended!). So please come and invite your friends! Then later on that night, my friend Sam and I had a pumpkin party, where we baked pumpkin bars and just appreciated the existence of pumpkins. We both have a minor obsession with the fall so given that it's mid-October, we have no excuse to avoid the pumpkin party. Our friend, Brenna, came later in the night and we watched a TV show and talked a couple good reads that we've come across since the last time that we all got together.

Then, ending my week with Saturday, my friend Maya who is currently attending UCLA, came back home for a weekend visit and I spent about two hours with her! We caught up with a Frozen Yogurt date at Yogurtland at Calle Real and then browsed for stuff at Michaels and then I dropped her off at home. Definitely refreshing to see one of my best friends home again and just being able to hang out in general.

And.. that's how my eventful week went!

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Funny (Live) by Tori Kelly

You Know What Fall Means...

My December Monthly Spread

Fall is here! Well, it's been here, but you know what I mean. I can't believe it'll be Halloween, Thanksgiving, then the December holidays dancing on through and we're already into winter break! I just made a trip out to Michael's Arts and Crafts Store at Fairview in Goleta and they had so many Halloween decorations set out on display as well as some Thanksgiving goodies too! If you don't know, I really do love arts and crafts, but I can't say that I'm any good at it.

Cowl & Scarves made by Chey

I've recently gotten into this new hobby of planner art and it's basically scrapbooking, but for your planner! My cousin has been doing it for a couple of months now, possibly a year (?), and she has some amazing pages which really inspired me to start on my own planner art. It basically consists of a lot of decorative tape, stickers, and artistic handwriting — all of which I don't absolutely have. My cousin gave me a little starter kit, but it didn't go with any of the themes that I had in mind, although, she included loads of adorable stickers and fun-colored page flags. So my mom needed to drive out to Ventura to go to Joanne's and Hobby Lobby was right next door! I decided to pop in there and turns out that there was 40% off of all the Christmas craft supplies so guess what I did? I splurged on Christmas stickers and decorative tape! So hopefully, my creativity will expand, I'll put together spreads that flow well and it will all fall into place!

If you didn't realize it already, I am completely OBSESSED with arts and crafts so any DIY project that I can lay my hands on, I will. I started crocheting less than a year ago and I absolutely adore making scarves! It started with circle looming and making beanies and then I wanted to learn how to make scarves because I am a true scarf person. If it wasn't so hot, I would wear my scarves year-round. So now, I've got a ton of unworn infinity scarves and cowls just sitting in a plastic container. My aunt and my mom really encourage me to sell them, but I honestly don't know if people would buy! And if they did, would I have enough time to completely restock again? I guess I could put a waiting list or something haha.

See you next post,
Chey

Currently listening to Scars by James Bay