Rain, Rain

These past couple of weeks have just been full of rain, so much that Santa Barbara areas have been flooding, including SBCC and my front yard! I know it's not a very popular opinion, but I absolutely love the rain. I could continue my everyday schedule in the rain perfectly fine, but the rain also provides a very laid back and relaxed atmosphere, so when I'm home, I can focus on whatever I need to do, calmly!

Fun fact: My car's name is Teresa

So what I did today was focus on finishing all of my homework, did some studying (yes, already), lots a lots of laundry, homework, and cleaned my entire room! The Ambassadors were supposed to have a retreat today at SBCC, but I believe the school or the lots or both were flooded and all events carried at school were cancelled. Obviously, my schedule was cleared so I prepared for a stay-at-home-all-day day! I was so productive, I have to admit, haha. I almost forgot to mention that I just finished all of my supplemental applications for college so that's really exciting! I can't BELIEVE that in 15 weeks, I'll be done with SBCC. It's so weird. So weird... Anyway, lots of plans in store for this semester! I'm hoping to land myself another part time job in order to save up for college when I transfer. It's going to be very very interesting... My friend, Brenna, and I met up on Thursday and hung out for a while and she told me that while in the shower, she had this random thought of needing to build up her credit score. She's a freshman in college. When I was a freshman in college, I was thinking of the same thing too! This whole adulting thing is so unbelievable and I never thought I would mature so quickly, but it happened and without me knowing. I know this semester is going to be a toughie, but I will pull through!

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to Changing by John Mayer

Show Me What Democracy Looks Like

"Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love." - Lin Manuel Miranda

With this week being one of the most unbelievable changes in history, it was only right for me to take part in it as well. Today, Saturday, I planned on attending the Women's March in LA, but that required me getting up at 4:30 AM and setting an alarm... I set my alarm, but ended up waking at 5:48 AM, disappointed and disheartened because I costed myself the opportunity of a lifetime. I had to arrive at SBCC by 6 AM, latest, and there was no way I would be able to do what I needed to do and still be on time.

I'm usually not one to get so disappointed over things like this, but this event was going to be an unforgettable one that I wasn't a part of. After sitting straight up in bed, eyes wide open, I stopped staring at my phone and swept it underneath my pillow to try and forget that I wouldn't be attending the Women's March in LA today. Two hours of tossing and turning in bed and I finally was able to go back to sleep. Woke up again at 10 AM, still feeling sad, but decided I should get up out of bed and still remain proactive.

THEN... I remembered Santa Barbara was hosting a Women's March, downtown, in De La Guerra Plaza! I quickly showered, got ready, packed a couple of snacks, water and my camera and jumped into my car at 11:30 AM. On my way there, I played my "I'm in LOVE" playlist and cheered myself up. As I pulled into the parking lot, I just had to keep driving and driving and driving to eventually get to the rooftop, which was a really good sign! It meant we had actually gathered a ton of people. And we did.

I walked over to De La Guerra Plaza, gathered with the crowd, took snapshots and once it was time to begin marching, I turned around to see an elderly woman in tears. She said to me, "This is the America I dreamed of seeing. This is the community I love." We hugged, she placed both of her hands on my cheeks and said, "You are BEAUTIFUL. You are POWERFUL." It was such an incredible moment. Chills ran throughout my body. People of all ages, colors, genders—SO DIFFERENT... all together, fighting for change.

Of course we were met with ignorance, eye-rolling, and doubt. But we kept marching on. A day that changed my life: January 21, 2017.

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to pink skies by LANY

Grand Finale

As the final week continues, winter break comes to a close. After four weeks of fun, relaxation and making memories, it finally hit me that the spring semester will be beginning in exactly one week! As much as I appreciate the lovely moments that I created in 2016, I just have to admit that 2017 is starting off strong.

First of all, one of my favorite artists, Ed Sheeran, made his comeback after a year long hiatus and both of the songs that he released on Friday were simply amazing. I can’t wait for the entire album to come out! The songs have been added onto my playlist, played over and over, sung to more than plenty of times and I’m just obsessed.

Although the end of winter break is near, it kind of forced me to really plan and set times for my friends and I to meet up. Now that we all live in different cities, states and countries, we get to see each other maybe once to three times a year which is so little in comparison to seeing each other in high school every day. In the past week and a half, I’ve seen my friends Maya, April, Brenna, and Sam… AND I’ll still be seeing Sam and Brenna this upcoming Wednesday for a new photography/modeling project! That’s also another thing is that I’m getting way more in touch with my creative outlet and just letting my mind loose to brainstorm all kinds of things I didn’t ever take the time to think about.

Expanding on the creative outlet thing, it’s wave week—essentially orientation for incoming international students; they get to register for classes, take placement tests, meet new friends—and I’m on a new committee in the Ambassadors program! This semester, I’ll be in a committee who focuses solely on creating, directing and producing videos for SBCC’s international office and the Ambassador program. (P.S. Fellow blogger, Elisa, is the leader for this committee!) Throughout today, I took a mixture of photos and videos that will soon be strung together to create exciting and new content. I’ve never really put together a documentary-style video! I’m just used to setting up a tripod, my light, and singing!

I guess just because 2017 is starting off well, my expectations should still remain low so I don’t get let down easy, haha. I’m excited to see what else will be happening this year.

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran

New Year, New Me?

@ the Griffith Observatory ft. Cousin w/ a trendy SF cap

Happy 2017, everybody!

LA

I could not express how happy and refreshed I am now that 2016 has come to a close. RIP 2016, you were okay. I set up a lot of goals throughout the year last year that I was able to fulfill and instead of having a new year's resolution, those small goals eventually helped make a better me.

So, new year, new me? I hope so. I could use some improvement and motivation to carry me on through this new year. Some things I wish to improve on are my social media skills! I have totally been lacking the necessity to check my social media outlets and uploading videos and songs on YouTube, but there's been a recent kick of self encouragement that's helped me engage in more activity online. Of course, I should refrain from being so attached and dependent on my phone, but I also think I should take advantage of social media and reach out to everyone I have been wanted to talk to and hang out with. Definitely something I want to improve on is just communication. Really and only; I tend to miss amazing opportunities just because I don't feel like replying to people trying to get a hold of me.

Taking advantage of SB winters & enjoying the Bluff cliffs.

Another thing that I've really already started on is improving my photography. I've always said that I have enjoyed it through and through, but have no work to show for it. SO, I have started a photography Instagram account to engage with other photographers and I'm trying to round up my friends to go out and shoot/model with me and it's actually been working out. It's always super awkward introducing them to something I am so passionate about, but they're always so satisfied with the end result that it doesn't even matter what they think in the moment, haha.

This break, I have been up and down California! From Santa Barbara to San Diego to Fresno to San Francisco to Los Angeles to Santa Ana and FINALLY back to Santa Barbara, I can say I am pretty worn out. Although, I don't mind the traveling too much. I had the chance to see and meet a ton of my family members and caught up with so many of my friends that I missed and it's just been a overall JOY these past three weeks. I would also like to point out that school's back in session in 13 days.

I'm really going to try to post quality pictures up on here that are my work and only my work! Hopefully this will keep me motivated through the New Year. :)

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to Miss You by Gabrielle Aplin

After 3 Months...

To: San Diego

In September, I posted about my cousin, Tyler, who left for Marine Corp Bootcamp in San Diego... It's officially three months later and I'm so excited to say that he's finally back, right in time for the holidays!

On Thursday, my family and I drove all the way down to San Diego to attend his graduation which would be taking place at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot. As we were exiting Santa Barbara, the rain was pouring and the roads had tons of water sitting on them. During the whole road trip, I spent time editing photos and videos, haha. We decided to take a break from traffic when we arrived in Los Angeles and stopped in Thai Town to eat at a Thai restaurant called Ruen Pair. The food was SO delicious! We had papaya salad, chicken curry, Rad Na (pan fried flat rice noodles mixed with gravy and greens), and more..

Weather Conditions: Poor

We finally hit the road again and arrived at our hotel in San Diego at 11:45 PM. I was reunited with my beloved Asa! We talked, caught up and discussed our happiness to see our brother, cousin, nephew and grandson the next day. The following morning, everyone quickly got ready, excitement and anxiety lingering in every hotel room we stayed in. Today was the day we would be bringing home a Marine.

When we arrived at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, the skies were grey, rain was coming down and it was windy, no day where it should have been. One disappointing factor on Ty's graduation day was the weather. Twelve weeks of hard work, dedication and struggle should have been celebrated with the Marines marching on the stadium they deserved to walk on. My family was praying for a miracle that it wouldn't rain, but unfortunately, the rain came down harder than I've ever seen it come in a long time. We waited around two hours for Ty's platoon to be presented in the indoor theatre and the time finally came. My cousins and I filed into the theatre which was pitch black, the only light reflected on the audience members' faces coming from the stage. As different Marines were being presented the across the stage, my family and I were on our toes, waiting to hear the next clue about our Marine. Then, the drill sergeants took the stage. They would be giving the last command to their platoons. As they yelled out, "Platoon #____, Dismissed", the dismissed platoon shouted in return,

Brothers, Cousins, Chey and so much love.

voices unanimously together, filling the room. The hope, relief and hidden excitement in the mens' voices as they knew they would be headed home could be heard and clearly struck a chord. My heart was so uplifted after realizing how much every single Marine in that room had gone through. From the day those boys walked onto the bus, wondering what they had gotten themselves into to the day they walk out from the ceremony, men and proud of their every accomplishment. Without knowing it, my eyes were filled with tears and they spilled out, but only filled with pure joy. We left the room, ran towards the barracks to meet up with Tyler. And the moment we'd been waiting for, we saw our dude covered in bags and in his uniform, smile plastered on his face and everything. Hugs and "I miss you's" were exchanged. With a ton of hesitation, my Santa Barbara family departed and we were on our way back home. ALL of us, waiting for December 22nd, the day we'd all be reunited again (in Fresno, of course...).

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to You Bring Me Home by Imaginary Future

I Love Winter Break.

Atop the Water Tower

The title is the most simple way to express my feelings about this winter break. We've already been on break for a whole week and I've already done so much, which is so so exciting. So many people identify break as being a time where you get to stay home, do nothing, sit, breathe, blink, not shower for a day or two (maybe more, whatever works for you...) and no school! I personally think that break should be a time where you spend your hours doing things you couldn't do while school is in the way.

I've already seen so many people that I been wanting to see and I know I'll be seeing more! My friend Sam just got home like an hour and a half ago, I'm so excited to see her face! I haven't seen her since August and I really miss her, haha. Brenna, Sam and I are planning to have a Christmas hangout party and homecoming party because Sam's flight was cancelled and delayed for 24 hours and we were supposed to be attending a concert in SLO tonight, but it just felt so incomplete to go without Sam...

Just me trying SO HARD to be a photographer.

As for what I have already done, I've hung out with Maya twice and we both went on our fun photography adventures to Franceschi Park, which overlooked Santa Barbara. We have so many hidden gems in the 805 area and this is exactly what I think my break should be spent doing: exploring, enjoying and living. It's not that recently I have been into photography—I've always loved it—I just don't have time for it and have recently become more active in the art. Especially with Maya, it helps having someone who enjoys doing the same activities as you. We obviously have to tell each other to pose or wait for people to pass by and do awkward things together, but it's so much less awkward when you're just having fun. The following day, we drove out to Lizard's Mouth, which is off of Highway 154. We stopped at the water tower and took a bunch of artsy photos there, posed, danced, goofed, haha. After that, we decided not to do the Lizard's Mouth hike because we would be missing out on the sunset, so we stayed at the water tower for a bit then drove down 154. Literally two minutes after we pulled onto 154, we pulled off onto an overlook where the clouds were rising and rolling up the mountains ALL while the sunset was happening! I was so taken aback by the beauty... We were above the clouds!

Rising Clouds!

HOWEVER... All good things must come to an end and just like that, our weekend was over! I spent the next couple of days just working, running errands, cleaning like CRAZY... But seriously, a lot of these things, I don't really get to spend a lot of time on while I'm in school. I don't think I've ever been so grateful to be on break... I'm already dreading the end of it!

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to 널 사랑하지 않아(I Don't Love You) by Urban Zakapa

What Did I Do?

How did I spend the first day of my winter break, you might wonder? I had an incredible amount of fun from the moment I woke up until right now, 12:16 AM. Starting off my morning, I got up at 7:30, stayed in bed for a good thirty minutes and to simply put it, I just felt good. After I got out of bed, I started cleaning up my room, slowly, but surely. I don't know what it is about having a clean work and living space, but I feel like my focus increases immensely after I clean. Like I have told so many people before, my room is an accurate representation of my life's current situation, haha.

After cleaning my room, I took some time out of my day to get up and out of the house. I got dressed and headed straight to the gym, which I loved and didn't really expect to. I haven't been in what seems like ages, but after going, I realized how stiff my entire body had become as a result of the everyday stress I experience. I was a bit too focused on how I would do on my exams and studied like a maniac for them without taking my mental and physical health into consideration...

Post-gym I came back home to relax for a little bit and then went out to dinner with my good friend, Kim! Kim is flying back home for the break this Sunday, so to spend a little extra time with her, we decided on Choi's Oriental Market for some delicious, authentic Korean food. We enjoyed ddeokbokki, spicy rice cakes, along with some fresh cucumber kimchi and napa cabbage kimchi as well. Something really unexpected happened while we were there! We both spoke with the owner and he asked about my ethnic background and country in which I replied, "Hmong and we don't have a country, but many of us live in Laos." He mentioned to me that they have a new employee there who was also from Laos, but he wasn't sure... so he asked his wife. She said the new employee was from Myanmar. But I looked at the name, and it was SURELY a Hmong name! It turns out, the new employee is one of my relatives! It was seriously such a small world, but wow, I was absolutely stunned, haha. The owner treated us to extra fresh cucumber kimchi and some sweet bean ice cream popsicles.

Overall, it's been such a successful day and I can't wait to experience what else this break has in store for me.

See you next post,

Chey

Currently listening to She's American by The 1975