~ * ~ 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

Going Abroad?

Things don't always go the way you plan.

You can have your life all laid out only to have it fall apart.

Or, in some ways, come together.

Never have I traveled.  The farthest away from "home" I have gone is an eight hour drive (one-way).  But towards the end of my schooling career (a few months ago) I had the strongest desire to travel.  I was finishing school and I wasn't romantically involved with anyone, allowing me "freedom" to do whatever I dreamed about.  But I couldn't figure out where this sudden desire to travel the world came from.

I have always wanted to go to Asia and, if I believed in reincarnation, I would swear I was Asian in a previous life.  Everything from the language to the music to the entertainment I find fascinating.  I will admit, like a fair amount of Americans, anime was my introduction to Japan (and Asia in general).  But then I started listening to music and quickly fell in love with the language.  For years, I listened to Japanese music (mostly Visual Kei, Jpop, and some solo artists).  However, it became more and more difficult to find, much less obtain.

And then I saw SHINee's "Lucifer" and my world changed.

The editor in me was blown away with their timing in regards to dance and video editing.  It wasn't just SHINee's videos either, but several artists' videos.  Then I realized how broadly advertised this "kpop" was on YouTube.  BILLIONS of views on thousands of videos.  And the best part?  I could legally purchase the music from iTunes and support the artists that I love (like Super Junior).

Music unites us and makes us realize that underneath all the external differences, our internal heart feels the same.  We experience similar emotions: we cry when we're hurt, laugh when we're happy, and smile when we're in love.

And I have fallen in love with a country all over again.

It's not that I don't love Japan any less, but I love South Korea just as much and my desire to go to both countries skyrocketed.

I saw a teaching opportunity to go to Seoul, South Korea and teach English to children at the beginning of the summer.  Asian children are ADORABLE!!!  (If you don't believe me, go watch this YouTube video).  When I saw the offer, I had one of those instant gut reactions: "Yes!  I want to do this!"  And it has stayed in the back of my mind ever since.  Going abroad would be a HUGE change for me, but it would be an absolutely incredible experience; one I would cherish for the rest of my life.

The more I think about going to Seoul, the more I want to go to Seoul.

[Image Source: JeffreyHolldender.com]

In anticipation of living my dream, I have begun seriously studying a foreign language for the first time in years.  안녕하세요!  As excited as I am to know at some point I want to travel abroad, I admit I don't want (or plan) to make the trip alone.  It would be so nice to take a friend or a travel buddy, as sharing the journey with another person is a crucial part of the experience (in my opinion).  Not to mention the safety it provides.

Maybe I should just sit back, save, and dream.  Then, in a few years, I'll have learned enough Korean to get me around and perhaps I will have a travel buddy lined up...like a *cough*husband*cough* I think an Asian tour would make for an amazing Honeymoon, don't you?

 네!!!!
(YES!!!!)

...Maybe I would even get to attend a few kpop concerts. ;)

~ * ~ * ~ Reader Involvement ~ * ~ * ~

Where would you go and travel if money and time were not a problem?  Why do you want to visit that country?  Comment below!

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 ~ * ~

Awesome Dance

So I was re-watching this video of SHINee performing "Lucifer" but in dance-only form.  It's pretty incredible.  I have never seen a person move like this and it's insane.  Yes, I know there are some people out in the world that can move like this (obviously), but when you put it to the song, it simply looks amazing.  Anyway, this song was what hooked me on SHINee as well as several other S.M. Entertainment artists.

I have friends attempting to learn this song for a convention they're planning to go to later this year.  How they are doing it I don't have any clue!!  (For one of my good friends is learning it by simply watching the video and then teaching it to the others).  It's appears to be a very complicated dance and extremely fast-moving!  It's nuts!  I did however discover some "tutorials" online.  It's weird because they are "mirrored" so you turn correctly when performing it... but it looks weird because it appears backwards.  But I can see how tutorial vids like that can be very helpful since they tend to slow things down and then show you in regular speed what they should look like.

Learning this dance has been added to my "dream list" right alongside learning Japanese.  We'll see which I'll get done first.  Based on my lack of coordination and zero dance skills, I'm betting I learn Japanese first... But hey!  You never know, right?

The other great thing about attempting to learn a dance like this is that it will be one killer work out!!  Even towards the end of this video, the group members are breathing hard... and think of how many times they had to perform this before it's perfect!!  I can't even begin to imagine...

Anyway, just thought I'd share this dance only version of "Lucifer."  Do enjoy!!