~ * ~ 65 Random Things About Myself ~ * ~

I've seen this done on other blogs and I find them very interesting (it helps me realize I'm not as weird as I sometimes think).  Who knows!  Maybe I'll have something in common with you!

1. I started my first job at the age of 18 and have stayed with the company for the last 8 years.  (Talk about commitment!)
2.  I love to break the register at work (make it display funny error messages) and find out problems with the coding.
3.  I absolutely love the Asian culture (obviously), but I don't know exactly why or what started it.  [See #23]
4. My favorite type of food is sushi.  [See #32]

5.  I'm rather fond of things that are different/unique.
6.  I'm not a huge fan of cooking, but I believe that it's simply a mental obstacle and once I start cooking (or befriend someone who loves to do it) I will enjoy it much more.  [See #18]
7.  My favorite animal is a tiger.
8.  My bedroom could also be classified as a library because of how many books I own (and not having access to a library card doesn't help the decreasing bookshelf space).
9.  Up until recently, I had never flown on a plane.  It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.*

*This picture may not reflect opinion stated above.

10.  I created my own daily planner using Excel and a mini binder.  I absolutely love it.
11.  I haven't listened to English music in over 8 months.
12.  My favorite music group is Super Junior, where my favorite song writer is David Hodges (though they are in no way related).
13.  In high school, I went through a "goth" faze, but never got around to dying my hair black.
14.  Now (ten years later) I can't seem to get enough bright colors in my life!
15.  I absolutely adore my co-workers and the people that I serve.
16.  I can easily spend hours on YouTube watching vloggers.

17.  My favorite holiday is Christmas as the Spirit is amazing, (and I'm not referring to the materialistic spirit).
18.  My mother suffered from a degenerative disease called Rheumatoid Arthritis for most of my life, and doing simple daily tasks were very painful and challenging.  [See #6]
19.  I am the "President" of a creative writing group with nearly a dozen of my friends, and I love being with them!
20.  My favorite thing to do with friends is go out to eat, window shop, or simply watch funny videos/movies with them.
21.  My favorite movie genre would be technically classified as "Family" or "Children" as I LOVE the animated movies such as Rise of the Guardians, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Megamind for their stories and morals that are taught.
22.  I'm definitely a story-kind of girl.  If the plotline doesn't make sense or isn't interesting (mindless action scenes, etc.), I won't enjoy it.
23. When I was a child, my best friend growing up was from Cambodia.  [Possible reason for #3?]
24.  I am normally very suspicious of people due to my trust being broken in the past.  However I am working on improving this.
25.  I am an only child and wish I had siblings.
26.  Some of my favorite vloggers on YouTube to watch are: Dodger Leigh, Random Panser, Marikplier, and Mary Doodles.  [*Not all content on their channels I approve of, however I do love their vlogs when they simply talk about their daily life]
27.  My birthday is in February and lies on the border with the horoscope calendar, so I have mixed qualities of both Aquarius and Pisces (if you believe in horoscopes).
28.  My mother passed away April 22, 2011 and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her.
29.  I love fruit, especially during the wintertime.
30.  I have only experienced two "Snow Days" in my entire life, though I have lived in the state with the "greatest snow on earth" my entire life.
31.  My dad and I are really close and have similar personalities (you've been warned).
32.  I love breakfast meals (pancakes, waffles, eggos, bacon, sausage, hash browns, etc.).  It's probably my second favorite food.  [See #4]
33.  I have over 19 hours of kpop music on my iPod and I love every minute of it.

[Image Source]

34.  I wish I had a great sense of style and accessorizing like other girls with short hair, but I don't. [See #54]
35.  I don't even have my ears pierced!
36.  Thanks to my first boyfriend, I'm no longer afraid to be my true self.
37.  Overall I am a generally happy person.  I will act happy even when I'm not, but once you get to know me, you'll be able to tell when I'm having a hard time.
38.  My favorite New Testament story is the story of a man named Legion and how Christ heals him.  For some reason that story has stood out to me for years.
39.  My favorite Book of Mormon story is Alma the Younger's life story.
40.  I love looking for symbolism in life.
41.  I can't wait to go through the temple [See #40].  But I don't have plans to receive my endowment as I would really like to go through the temple my first time with my future husband.  I am temple worthy and hold a baptismal recommend however.
42.  My dream is to someday do an Asian tour and visit all the countries.
43.  I plan to meet someone "famous" in my life.
44.  My guilty pleasure is YouTube, Netflix, and DramaFever.  They will be my downfall.
45.  I love to set weekly goals and strive to accomplish them.
46.  I love video editing (mainly making movie trailers) but after killing my third computer, I stopped.
47.   I miss the days when life was simpler and my greatest concern was whether it was going to be sunny enough to play Power Rangers outside or not.
48.  I am not a big video game person, but I do have friends who are (and I obviously follow YouTubers who are HUGE gamers, but I myself am not one).  [See #26]
49.  I haven't had a serious boyfriend in years (mainly because I told the Lord what I wanted and He was kind enough to bless me with it... though now I'm not so sure I can wait for the blessing).
50.  I am on an adventure called Life and I love every moment.

51.  I would not change anything in my past, for by doing so, I would change the person I am today and I don't want that.
52.  I'm far from perfect, and I hope my future husband has some flaws or I'm going to feel extremely inferior.
53.  As a child, I was never into "girly" things.  In fact, when McDonald's would have the different toys for girls and boys (barbies for girls, Hotwheel's cars for boys) I would cry if I ended up with a barbie because I wanted the car.  Yeah, I was THAT child.  But look at how well rounded I turned out! :)
54.  My entire wardrobe could do with a makeover [See #34].
55.  I can't speak another language, but if I could, it would be Korean.  But I am trying!
56.  I do not have a single scar and I have never broken a bone.  (as of yet)
57.  I graduated with a degree in Family, Consumer, and Human Development, with an emphasis on Community Services.  Basically, I want to work with helping families have a better life.
58.  I originally wanted to major in Psychology, but I hated the medical diagnosis side and loved the application side.  [Hence #57]
59.  I took art all 4 years in high school, but I don't consider myself an artist in the least.
60.  I enjoy writing and coming up with stories.  It's the organizing different scenes into a coherent storyline that I struggle with.
61.  When I was little, I used to eat chapstick; specifically the strawberry flavored kind (Smackers brand).
62.  I didn't like raspberries until after high school because of the "little hairs" but yet I love to each peaches with the skin on (fuzz and all!).  (Side note: I did wash the peach first.)
63.  I'm a total geek at heart. <3
64.  I enjoy playing European table top games ("Euro Games").  My favorites include Dominion, Carcassonne, and Tsuro.  I even wanted to start a weekly game night with friends!
65.  I would LOVE to adopt Asian children once I'm married.  They're ADORABLE!!

I'm going to stop it here.  If you want to get to know me better, feel free to contact me. :)

Motivional Monday

Because I am so busy this semester (and it's not always a good day), I find having motivational quotes in my daily planner has helped, especially when they are quotes by people I love or look up to.  Here is a sampling:

"There are no bad days, just good stories."  

~ Dodger Leigh {YouTuber}

"Believe in yourself... 
There will always be people who'll say... you should just forget your dreams because they're unrealistic.  But dreams are supposed to be unrealistic!  You're supposed to be able to reach for the stars.  You're supposed to be able to reach as high as you can and push yourself as far as you can go, because you never know what your limits are until you reach them." 

~ Markiplier {YouTuber}

"FIGHTING!"

~ Super Junior
[Translation: "Keep on fighting!" or "You can do it!"]

"Sometimes the bad things in life put us directly on the path to the best things we will ever experience." 

~ Unknown

Walking On the Sea of Life

The Church recently released the following Bible Video:

The story of Peter walking on the water is one that is near and dear to my heart.

Matthew 14: 22-33

22) And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 

23) And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 

24) But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 

25) And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 

26) And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 

27) But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 

28) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 

29) And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 

30) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 

31) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 

32) And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 

33) Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. 

So often in life we walk atop the waters of life, having faith in Christ, but when outer forces seek to bring us down, our faith waivers and we begin to sink.

"O thou of little faith..."

But if we cry out, Christ will immediately stretch forth His hand and catch us.

If we remain focused on the Lord and not let the outer forces distract us, we will be able to walk on the sea of Life and reach our destination.

SuJu

I have a confession to make.

I haven't willingly listened to English music in over a month.

Super Junior is by far my favorite group and I own over 6 hours 
of their music alone with a total of over 10 hours of KPOP music 
on my iPod constantly playing.

Kyuhyun is my favorite.  

[Beautiful artwork of Kyuhyun done by Coyote777 on deviantArt.com]

I first fell in love with his amazing voice...

[At the very least, go to 3:50 and watch 20 seconds.  It'll take your breath away.]

But then I discovered his personality. 

Though Kyuhyun is my favorite, I love all the members and they 
continue to grow on me as I learn more about each of them.  

[Beautiful art done by lvr94clan on deviantArt.com]

The Pledge of an ELF

I

PROM15E

TO

13ELIEVE

10VE

PROT3CT

AND

NEVER F0RGET!

If you do not understand the above, let me break it down for you: 

ELF stands for Everlasting Friend and is 
what fans of Super Junior are called

PROM15E to love all 15 members

13ELIEVE in the 13

10VE the remaining 10

PROT3CT the missing 3

NEVER F0RGET any of them

The last line I saw on a random site 
but I changed the "O" to a zero (0) 
because I don't plan to ever forget.

The following video makes my heart beat with joy.  

I am proud to be an Everlasting Friend of Super Junior!! 

Paint the World
 Pearl Sapphire Blue 

~ * ~ Welcome to the Fandom ~ * ~

Confession

I'm human. I'm not perfect.

I feel obligated to admit that the YouTube lent is going really well, but 1) I haven't done as much spiritual study/pondering as I was hoping for; and 2) I have slipped and seen an occasional video once in a while in the last two weeks (for a grand total of maybe 15 minutes).

BUT, I haven't watched ANY Dodger... and that's saying something, especially when it's my last two weeks of school and final exams and projects are bearing down hard. Sometimes all I want to do is curl up with Coffehtime and get lost in her adventures of life (and, of course, cat stories). Not to mention watching her Let's Play videos where she does hilarious voice acting and narration (especially the visual novels/love sims).

So if I'm not spending my time on YouTube or Netflix, and I still am not pleased with my spiritual studying... what AM I spending all my extra time doing, you ask?

Well for starters, I'm doing a lot more writing! I have a writing group now and we have a blast every week. We get together on Thursday evenings and read stories out loud, provide constructive criticism, laugh, and play games. It's seriously the best thing ever. As a result of this group, I'm more encouraged to write and finish my Destroyer story that has been with me for years. And it's working! I've got about ten chapters written so far, and a lot more on the way!

Another task I have busied myself with is homework, sadly enough. But I am in my last two weeks of my college career and after my internship this summer, I will have no more homework! Hallelujah!! So I just need to push through and conquer. I'm almost done...

So, in the end, I have had a few slip-ups, mistakes, and course corrections, but I still feel like YouTube lent is a good thing for me. Now to set some goals to make me stretch and do even more! I'm not quite half-way done with my 40-day fast, but I can see the potentially great effect it can have on my life.

I'm human. I'm not perfect.

But I can grow and change.

Lent For Growth

I like to think that I am constantly improving, constantly changing for the better.  But sometimes, I realize activities or things I choose to make priorities in my life don't always necessitate growth.  For a while now, I have indulged in a hobby and thoroughly enjoyed it, however it has come at the cost of other more important tasks.  This hobby is not something that is helping me grow, especially spiritually.  Lately I have felt starved spiritually and even though it is Conference Weekend for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (where we get to listen to apostles and prophets speak for ten hours), my spirit remains hungry.

I have pondered why this may be.  The answer is not new.  I have had feelings such as these before and set goals for myself to mitigate the time I spent on this hobby in hopes of being more productive in other areas of my life.  The goals worked for a time, but eventually I fell back into old habits and the cycle repeated itself.

I am talking about my addiction to YouTube.

Yes, the dreaded Tube.  In the last six months my "addiction" has spiraled out of control.  I will stay awake late into the night (sometimes all night) to watch videos of bloggers rambling, do-it-yourself projects, and other random colorful images flash before my eyes.  Having an affinity for video editing, I am drawn to YouTube.  I find the editing, stories, and other such aspects intriguing.

There is one YouTuber in particular who I admire a great deal.  Her name is Dodger Leigh and she has a gaming channel called PressHeartToContinue and a personal blogging channel called DexterityBonus in which she does daily "Coffeh" times and rambles about her life.  I'm addicted to DexterityBonus because of her humor, impressions, stories, and insights.

But as much I have enjoyed watching multiple Dodger videos every single day, spending many hours with her, I have decided it's time for a change.

No, the change isn't because I no longer like the girl.  Rather it's a change I feel is necessary if I want to get back upon my spiritual feet.  You see, lately (as in the pass few weeks) I have felt myself drifting away from my Heavenly Father and my testimony becoming brittle, like a candle whose wick is burning low.  This is not to say I don't believe in Him or Jesus Christ anymore, it's more that I feel like I have shut out a good friend and I need to find the courage to open the door again.  Finding that courage is going to require discipline and humility, without any distractions.

And right now, I can't afford distractions in my life.  I'm graduating college and have no idea what I'm going to do after that!  I need divine assistance, yet I can't get myself to open the door.  I know He's on the other side, waiting... But I'm too darn prideful!

YouTube provides a nice escape for me to run to when I don't want to open that door.

I am tired of running.

It's time to face who I am and strengthen my relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

So how am I going to do this?

Have you heard of Lent?  It is a period of 40 days prior to Easter in which many Christian religions participate.  Individuals "give up" or fast from something they love for a period of 40 days in the hopes of becoming a better person or connecting with God (much like when Christ went 40 days in the desert to commune with His Father).  In my case, I want to go without YouTube for 40 days in hopes of strengthening my conversion to the Gospel.  I know Lent has actually already started (in fact, it's more than half over by now), but I figure it doesn't matter when I start, just as long as I do something.

Now, I have made goals like this before.  I have said, "No YouTube for one week."  And let me tell you, it was killer.  So 40 days seems like an eternity to me without amazing COFFEH time videos... But what makes this fast different is the fact that I'm not simply going without YouTube to see if I can or because the week is busy.  No, I'm going without YouTube with the distinct purpose of drawing closer to my Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ.

It's like working out: you can exercise to lose weight and succeed only to return to old habits once you've reached your goal, or you can choose to exercise to live a healthier life and be happier (a goal which is ongoing and doesn't have a set end-date).  I prefer to choose the second option.  Losing weight is simply a bonus!

Likewise, quitting YouTube for 40 days to grow spiritually is the goal.  Breaking my addiction is simply a bonus!

To all of you who are currently doing Lent, or wish to join me in giving up something you enjoy, I want to say good luck!  And if you have any suggestions or encouraging tips to help me (and others) through this challenge, please feel free to comment below!

We can conquer this!