Weekend blues = shoes

I picked up a gig recently and had to be outdoors for 10+ hours! It was so intense. I came home with over 20 mosquito bites, off spray does not work! I’m still sitting here scratching the shit out of my legs. Speaking of legs, I’ve been hunting for months for some shoes. I don’t like ordering boot-like-shoes online cus’ I got hella thick calfs. It is not cute. Sometimes i’ll try on some super cute boots and the zipper won’t go all the way up or my meat is all hanging out or it’s cutting up my circulation and what not, so not cute at all! So the hunt continues, but I did manage to buy two pair of cute shoes for super cheap.

With my current budget lately and preparing for this trip, I’ve been like seasons overdue on the wardrobe department. Done complaining for the day, just gonna be patient, everything will fall into it’s place soon enough!

Curiosity Conversion

Spent some time browsing through beauty blogs. It inspired me to start putting my color palette to use. I can’t wait until I start shopping again! Asia is going to be so sweet to me.

Currency Conversion
1 USD = 6.84 CYN (China)
1 USD = 16, 555 VND (Vietnam)
1 USD = 4,107 KHR (Cambodia)

I really need to remember that! Not to mention all the other little nick-nacks I will have to start getting use to (ie. measurements!)

The Cost of Going Green

With today’s economic crisis, global warming issues, and political infringement upon the world’s population, it is no wonder we are left wondering what little things we could do to possibly effect our world’s positive changes. Everywhere we turn now-a-days, we’re influenced to Go Green. A movement that didn’t just happen overnight. It should be something subconsciously instated in our values to just not litter, re-use & recycle, and just put a little effort in an environmentally friendly cohabitant world. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks or acts that way. I guess the issues now are more recognized as an endangered matter than ever before. With issues such as unfiltered disease-ridden water, viruses, and toxic waste, we’re all left with no other choice but to do our part in helping the world. It is not to say world peace is ever going to be a destination, more so, it is a crisis. An unstable, cost-efficient crisis.

Now that we are all aware of the issues and ready to do our part, it leaves me to question, why the hell does it cost so much to just recycle? The issues are in our faces daily, publications and celebrity endorsed advertisements reminding us to recycle, Go Green, help the world, be positive. The only people that could afford to recycle are primarily the ones not under the recession pool of our economic issues.

So we’ve separated the papers from plastics and glass. We now have to pay extra to have them pick it up? Every inch of anything Green-related, cost much more than if it were not labeled, Green-friendly. Even the cost of a Toyota Hybrid costs more now than it did when it first came out. So is everyone really trying to help our environment or are the financially stable just capitalizing on every bit of our economy criteria.

It is no wonder while it takes a small percent of the world to create the positive change, it takes the rest of us much longer to be able to catch on. The wait on the current trend is more of a financial toll on us than the crisis itself.

Sauce or Salsa?

Who would’ve thought salsa classes would be so hard! There I was at home procrastinating my workout yet again. I was watching something on t.v about cheerleading and thought to myself how flexible and athletic I used to be. I mean I wasn’t the best athlete but I kept a steady workout whether it was running, working, or at the gym. I have a three year, paid, membership to 24 hour fitness. Yet I’ve probably put it to use in a total of less than two weeks in past two years. That’s just hypercritical, I’m pushing everyone to workout yet I’m at home procrastinating it myself.

Anni told me she was attending dance classes at Lifetime Fitness, she also mentioned they were having a special for new members. Which I am not, but I thought I’d give it a try since it has been almost 3-4 years since I’d been back. Next thing I knew, I was following the salsa instructor.
It was so intense, the moves were almost impossible for me.
I did have tons of fun despite the difficulties. Six more days of free classes,sauna, extremely clean locker rooms, and an awesome pool.

Here are a couple of free passes (Gyms, tanning salons, etc.)

1. Lifetime Fitness : 7 consecutive days free and it allows you to bring family members in with you for free as well if you don’t like to go alone
2. LA Fitness 3 days free, every 6 months.
3. Darque Tan One month free
4. 24 Hr. Fitness 7 consecutive days free
5. Your local park!

Summer is pretty much over for most people, but that doesn’t give you an excuse not to be active!

Community Outreach

It’s been a while now since I last wore an ao dai. Good Tidings Charity this year was invited to volunteer at Houston Community College’s exhibition of “Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon” (click here). All 7 girls managed to coincidentally put on the same color ao dai for the event, yellow, with the exception of Mai because she’s the leader of our pack.

We were very privileged to have been in a room filled with many honorary award recipients. Amongst those people were our Texas State Representative, Hubert Vo, Margaret Wong, Viet Hoang, and many other prominent community figures. The exhibition itself was very impressive. It was both artistic and exhilarated the memories of our Vietnamese culture and history.

Divided We Fail

I’ve been watching a lot of CNN and Fox News lately, regarding all sorts of issues. I got tired of the repetitive crap they broadcast elsewhere (aside from my usual Disney Channel and Nickelodeon networks). Glenn Beck has been a recent favorite of mine. There’s a new movie coming out called “I.O.U.S.A” that I’ll be watching Thursday night. It is a documentary film on our current economic crisis and all the ways we can act to make a change. I guess moving to China has sparked my interests more than ever on world issues. I’ve been selectively committing myself to small community service programs when what I really want to do is be on a broader scale, something more international and effective towards a better future for all.

I guess it really got to me recently, some of us are too paralyzed on our own personal issues that we neglect to act upon everything else happening around us. Not to say that there aren’t many wonderful humanitarians. Being well-rounded and doing things not only for yourself, but for others as well. I ,for one, hope to one day be more then just a face on the surface of this earth. Not to only make an impact for others but to also show them a path towards humanitarian acts.

I chose to get back into blogging to update my community on the things I’ve been able to accomplish. I come from the same streets and backgrounds as you and promote that if someone like me can pursue it, you can too -attitude.

The Road Less Traveled

I recently started reading again. I don’t think we read enough. There are so many distractions on t.v. that I think are not as important as keeping our imagination afloat by reading and being active. It sort of creates a pretentious lifestyle we all think we’re missing out on, but we’re really just wasting our time inactively.

I read this book about a year ago, then picked back up right where I left off. I wish I hadn’t put it on hold for so long. The story is very short, yet touching. “Light On Snow” by Anita Shreve. Also, contemplating if I should finish “Influences; Science and Practice” by Robert B. Cialdini. It’s just informational and thought provoking. I need to pick up a few more books to occupy my time during my international flight. Those are always so long and never-ending! I recently became really addicted to the Nintendo ds so instead of stealing my nephew’s, I’m going to go pick up my own before I lift off!

Another month or so until I take the biggest move of my life, Asia!

So here is my schedule (thus far):
1. One way flight to Ho Chi Minh City
Settle in, will be staying with my aunt and cousin, no rent!
Sign in to the school and go over all the course materials
Mini tour of HCMC, It’s been almost three years since I’ve been back.

2. Trip to Cambodia
Settle in to the university
Two week course in Phenom Phen

3. Trip back to HCMC
Remaining two week course in HCMC
Apply and wait for job acceptance
In the meantime, travel
Go North from HCMC to Hanoi
**** Accepting recommendations!

4. Move to Shanghai

5. to be continued (…)

I was only planning on doing this for only six months to take advantage of getting paid to travel but I decided to stay a minimum of one year. Just to stick it out longer than most things I’ve done (I moved to socal for 6 months and came back home). I’m super excited and nervous at the same time. I’ll be doing this all on my own! Let’s see where this road takes me (…)

What’s a blog without pictures!

Soft launch

Hello world,

Back to blogging again. I am not quite yet ready to fully expose my next adventure but hopefully from this point on I am able to go back to keeping track of things and keeping the world posted on my life! Interesting eh?

Until then!