Island Life

Redirection

2008-08-19T16:16:00.001-10:00

Hello to all of you. I am guessing this blog already has the title of "Abandone" hung around its neck. Maintaining a blog is time consuming, however this time after my long absence, I have decided with renewed desire that I would once again establish a new blog in place of this old one. So visit anytime for a slice of island life mingled with a tingle of geekiness.

My life in 2006 - on the American continent. Part 2

2007-01-19T11:20:00.001-10:00

January 01, 2007 -

New Year's Day!!! 2007 has finally arrive. I pondered and thought about alot of things today. Oh yes! I forgot to mention, because we stayed up to play Phase 10 last night, the three of us did not wake up till 2pm. It was something else, and I did have fun! We went out for steam boat and we also went to temple square.

January 02, 2007 -

Audge came and picked me up in Provo. Poor Audge was sicked. She has been such a great friend to me, and I really do not know how to thank her. I love her!!! I was glad to finally be able to see Daniel and Peter again. I love them too. They are simply the best. We went to Cafe Rio for dinner. After dinner Daniel and I had a battle of sweets and pens in the car. It was fun!
I went to bed early, so Audge and I can prepared to leave early for Rexburg tomorrow.

January 03, 2007 -

We left Farmington at 1pm. We went over to pay Grandma and Grandpa a last visit and to pick up some toliet roll before hitting the road. We also picked up Jessica along the way. It was a scenic drive and we had fun along the way up here. We talked about countless things, most of which I cannot even rememeber now, but I remember it to be fun. We arrive in Rexburg 3 hours later.

January 04, 2007 -

Rexburg indeed is different from where I have been. It is alot colder and there is snow and ice everywhere I go. I am surprised that they do not plow their roads and side walks. I do not understand the logic behind it, because in a place such as Rexburg, you would think it is wise to invest in some snow plouging machines but apparent the city beg to differ. More often than not, it is a challenge to have to walk to school or to anywhere else. People have to walk on ice and do balancing acts of all sorts. It is not surprising to see people fall on their bums. If I might say so, I have almost fell once or twice.

January 05, 2007 -

I finally got to set foot on the Idaho campus. We went to a welcome back school dance. It was eye opening. There were alot of people present, and if I might say so, it is indeed a weird feeling to be part of a minority. It almost became an instanteous reaction, everytime I walked into a room, I would always notice, I am the only asian. The feeling is very different, and sometimes I feel like an outsider looking into the world of the Americans.

January 06, 2007 -

We were going to go sludding, but decided not to, because it was dreadfully cold outside. It was snowing and everywhere was covered with snow. The cars are all covered with snow and they look like giant mashmellow. The roads sparkle under the moonlight and the roads looks like they are being covered with stardust. Life is good.

January 07, 2007 -

I went to church with Audge. We went to the Taylor buliding for church, and I must say, I am not quite used to being a minority. The sunday school lesson was not too bad, but the teacher was going too fast for my liking. Her name is C. C is a confident young lady, with a lot of potential in her. She possess good public speaking skills. We came back home and the rest of the day watching church movies. Later that evening, some boys from another apartment complex came over and played games with us. It was a great evening, and this is only the begining of my idaho experience.

My life in 2006 - on the American continent. Part 1

2006-12-29T12:44:00.000-10:00

December 20, 2006 -

I arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah for the first time in the twenty three years of my existence, I finally get to see the great state of Utah. Utah is different, drastically different from any place I have visited or seen. Utah has massive mountains covered with snow. They are brown and thought some might think they lack of beauty in comparison to the ever green mountains of Hawaii I beg to differ. The mountains in Utah are very different from the ones in Hawaii and thought it is so, they do exhibit a different kind of beauty. I love the mountains in Utah. I have never been to anywhere else that has a change of seasons, I was born and raised in Singapore and have lived here since, the furthest place I have moved to was Hawaii and even so, Hawaii hardly experience any seasonal change, except for the occasional showers and monsoon.

Audrey and her mother Becky greeted me at the airport and upon arrival I was given a brief tour of Utah. Audrey and I drove to Cafe Rio for lunch and we met up with Lindsay and Ruth. Audrey, Lindsay, Ruth and I met this past summer in Hawaii. Lunch was great and I must say it is one of the best Mexican food I have ever tasted, except for the fact that Lindsay hid the dressing for my salad. Very smart move!!! We played Phase 10 for about an hour or so before bidding farewell again. We went to the sister missionary mall in Orem. We browsed around for a while and decided to leave. I fell asleep on the way home. I took a shower before heading out to subway for dinner with Pedro and Daniel. Shortly after we took off for Sippy town where we would eventually need to spend the night.

Strange as it might be to you who is not a Mormon. This mall caters to latter day saint women are who going on a mission. You might think a sister missionary ought to dress conservatively... you are severely wrong. This mall is a very dangerous place. It has some of the prettiest skirts I have seen. It is a dangerous place to be in if you are planning to not spend money. I went in yesterday and within the space of 30 minutes, I had already ring up a bill of over 200 bucks.

December 21, 2006 -

I vaguely remember what we did on this day, however if my memory serve me right. We continued our drive to Mesquite for the Football game in Vegas. The drive to Vegas was a long and utterly miserable one. Well at least to me it was because my nose of stuff and everyone was basically drifting in and our their sleep mode. Anyways we finally made it to Mesquite and we stopped by Wendy's for dinner before heading to the game.

The game was simply spectacular. The BYU Cougars played against the Oregon Mighty Ducks. The Cougars won the game by 31 points. This was my first football game standing out on the benches freezing. The Cougars wore their blue pants paired with white shirts, while the Oregon Ducks wore their black shirts and pants pair off with a neon green helmet. In all honesty they look like little aliens running amok on the field ... I could only think of a reason why they lost the game, it is probably because they were mesmerise by their utterly attractive helmets.

December 22nd, 2006 -

We packed our bags and head back to Fruit Heights for the Hayward's Christmas dinner at Woody and Beebe's residence. We arrived at approximately 7.30pm and was greeted warmly by the family. They live in a house, with a basement. It was a typical American home. It was furnished in with a american christmas theme and I rather fancy it. We were all given sitting assignments and Pedro decided to change Daniel's sitting assignment. Daniel ended up sitting by the children and toddlers. It was hilarious and although Daniel is aware of the prank Pedro is pulling on him, he does not mind at all simply because he is seated near the food. Best seat in the house, or so Daniel claims.

December 23, 2006 -

We drove up to Park City and took Daniel snowboarding. The view of Park City is simply spectacular. It reminds me of a winter wonderland. The streets were covered with snow. We drove through a street in Park City which is claimed to be comparable to the Waikiki on Oahu. I cannot say it resembles Waikiki to any degree, however it does remind me of a little town European town. I remembered driving pass a shop with a huge moose display. It was unlike anything I have ever since but it certainly was a proper decoration for the time and season of the year.
Time was running out. There is so much christmas shopping to do and yet so little time. We visited the outlet stores located near Park City. There were great discounts available and I cannot say more about it. We visited several stores. I picked out my own Christmas present. I bought some boots, sneakers, sweaters, scarves, gloves and hats for the season. The shops and streets were filled with people trying to get their Christmas shopping all sorted out; a very stressful scene. We also manage to drop by Target and I got to meet Todd. He is a very pleasant young man with much to offer and I hope the things in his life would work out in his interest.

Decemeber 24, 2006 -

I work up early and prepare myself for church. I attended Audrey's family home ward. It was a unique experience. It has been a long while since I attended a family ward. It brings to home very heart warming feelings. I love it.

After church, I had a chat with Becky while trying to prepare the ingredients for my Chinese stir fry dish for Christmas dinner at the Fisher's home. It was Christmas eve and I had the priviledge of being part of a Hayward tradition. I got a new set of PJ bottoms. It was yellow in color with patterns of snowman all over it. An eventful day indeed.

December 25, 2006 -

Audrey came into the room and woke me up so we can open our Christmas presents. Everyone was up at 7am and we gathered in the family room. Each of us had our own stocking even though I was not really part of the family, they still prepared one for me. I am so grateful for that. The Haywards are simply wonderful, and I am grateful for the kindness and love they have exhibited towards me.
Later that evening we went over to Papa Fisher's home for a Christmas dinner. We went for a tour to Aunt Robbin's house. We drove by a cemetery where Sister Hinckley was buried. We arrived earlier so I could cook my Sesame oil chicken. They too prepared a stocking for me. It was packed with nuts, candy, and I got a Christmas card from Papa Fisher, enclosed with the card was a $50 cheque for my mission. Papa Fisher lives in Salt Lake Valley. and this is also a place where many general authorities live. We also manage to drive by President Hinckley's house. He does not live there anymore. Now he lives in a penthouse suite located by temple square. Papa Fisher is a very interesting man... He gave me a grand tour of his home and I know he still loves Grandma Fisher dearly... It is endearing.

December 26, 2006 -

We did not do anything much today. Audrey and I went shopping for more clothes. I bought a few sweaters and some crisp white shirts for my mission. We also had a lunch with Todd, which by the way is a very nice man. He had recently put in his mission papers, and I hope everything goes well for him. We also watched the Holiday!!! I had wanted to watch it so badly... and it indeed is a good movie. It plot revolves around two different women. One of whom lives in LA while the other lives in London. Kate Winslet plays Iris, while Cameron Diaz plays Amanda, whose boyfriend cheated on her. It was a good wholesome movie. It is definitely a movie I would recommend to my friends.

December 27, 2006 -

I was going to go down to Provo and spend sometime with Keshia, but it turns out that the weather will not be a good enough for driving down to Provo and so my plans were cancelled. We had dinner with Becky and when to TJ Maxx to exchange a pair of boots I had bought last week. I did not end up with anything else, but instead got some money back instead. It was a good day... I cannot wait to see Keshia again.

December 28, 2006,

I finally get to make the trip down to Provo. Before arriving at Keshia's apartment, we decided to drop by the Sister Missionary Mall so I could get somethings for my mission. There was an assortment of clothes. Their line of clothes was modest and beautiful. However the prices are a little too steep for my liking, but what can I say? I had to get them for my mission. I got a pair of A-line skirt and a straight line skirt. I also got a black blazer, a pink shirt and a black of shoes.
After shopping we went to Brick Oven for lunch and each ordered a pizza for lunch. I cannot say anything more, but my heart is full. I am very impressed by the generosity and hospitality the Haywards have shown towards me during my stay with them. My heart is full and I do not know what to say but to express gratitude for everything.

December 29, 2006 -

Keshia took me around the Provo campus. The campus is huge, but it is a very beautiful campus. It is equipped with great facilities which I can only imagine. BYU-Hawaii has a beautiful campus too, but nonetheless it is a very different campus, with a very different spirit as well. I could feel the immense spirit present on the Provo campus and can only hope that I could attend school here someday.

December 31, 2006 -

I woke up early and got ready to pick Clarrisa up from the airport. We talked about alot of things on the way back from the Salt Lake Airport. It was nice to be able to see Clarrisa again after such a long time. Keshia made us dinner. She made rendang, macaroni salad, and Almond jelly with lychee for dessert. It was a great dinner. Melissa made curry as well. After dinner, Daniel, Rendy, Clarrissa, Keshia, Melissa and I played Phase 10 till the wee hours of the morning. I getting ready to turn in for bed and Keshia and Clarrisa decided to put on a DVD. We watched Mean girls and if that was not the end, we talked for about an hour or so more before we decided to call it a night! It was a great game and I had a great time with them all. Somehow I felt something missing. Somehow I felt as if I was not part of the group. Clarrisa and Keshia seem to have grown closer and I seem to have been left out. People change. It is a good thing, however I cannot help but feel like Keshia and I were not such close friends anymore. I feel distanced. Maybe it is just me, but I feel that everyone has changed for the better. That is good. I suppose I cannot be blamed for the feelings that I have, because I have not made an effor whatsoever to stay in constant contact with Keshia and Clarrisa. I did not update my blog and basically just stay out of the loop of things. Further more I was in Hawaii... Hawaii is so far away from everything else that is familar to me. I do not want to go back there for school. If I could hope for a miracle to happen, I hope I could go to a school that truely has a major that I want.

Earthquake in Paradise

2006-10-19T22:41:00.000-10:00

I woke up to a shudder. At first thought, I wonder if I am in the middle of a nightmare. I had watched a The Grudge 2 the night before and was still in an unstable sort of state as far as the mind is concerned. The shudder did not stop and I woke up to see my room mate awake and the whole entire unit was awake as well. The electricity went out for all of Hawaiian Islands. It was only then that I had realise I am experiencing my first earthquake. I was a little surprise that it was so mild. I have never been caught in any sort of natural disasters and to tell you the truth I was a little excited really to finally be able to experience it and yet at the same time, I was hoping it would not being anything serious.

Shortly after, most of the girls in the Hale(Hale is the word for house here in Hawaii) were all awoke and there was a Tsunami warning being issued. Everyone living on the ground level needs to evacuate to the second level. It was amazing to see the different things the girls would bring with them when they were told to evacuate. Some brought their laptops, food, and clothes. Others who are a little more sane pack their 72 hour kit and came upstairs with them. I did not have anything at all. I had not prepard my 72 hour kit. However I manage to put together some essentials for a makeshift 72 hour kit.

I spend the rest of the day in my friend's apartment learning how to play majong and got quite good at it. Now I am addicted to it. When night falls we were still playing with the aid of our pathetic flashlights. We even went star gazing and since it was dark everywhere, everything else on the nightsky was so much darker. I could even see the constellation of the milky way. The power did not come back on till four in the morning. It was an unusual experience, but not something I would rather go through again.

2006-10-01T20:16:00.000-10:00

This past weekend the Singapore Malaysia Club here in BYU-Hawaii had our opening social. In view of the mid-autume festival, we have decided plan our activities around this festival. We had mooncake and lantern making. It was a huge success, and all of a sudden, everyone seem to be interested in our club. (Hmm) I wonder if it is because of the mooncakes or was it lantern? Please do not get me wrong but I have never really seen so many people turn up for an activity before. It was always the few Singaporeans and Malaysians that would turn up, but this time, there were Mongolians, Americans, Taiwanese and some others. It was a memorable evening.

I planned out some games as well. We played Mingle. If you have never played it before you should, because it is a fuss free game and there is no limit to the number people that can play the game, but for some reasons, please make sure you are between the age of 19 and 91 for safety reasons. (Just kidding)

Everyone will get into a huge space and move around. I will shout out a number and they will need to get into groups , the person that fail to get into a group will be disqualified from the group. This goes on until the last person remains. So we got to a point in the game where there is only 4 boys and a girl left. Paul was in the game and they refuse to get away from each other, I had to shout for them to space out, and so I shouted, "Paul space out!!!" and he heard it as FOUR!!" He reached out to grab those boys and pushed the girl away... Of course the righteous person (Just kidding) that I am had to interfer, and so I did and he claim he could not hear me and laugh even louder... weird boy!!!

Overall it was a success, and I really enjoy my time with the other Singaporeans and Malaysians. It brought me closer to them, and it was a comforting feeling.

Good times...

2006-08-18T20:19:00.000-10:00

I need to say, this past summer has been extremely thought liberating for me. I have had misconception about people, religion, and many other things, but amongst it all, I had a severe misconception about 18 year old Utah blondes. Notice the word, "had". Well I had, now I have mild misconceptions.

When I found out that A was going to be my roommate and that she was only 18 years old, I was a little wary of her. I wonder how we would turn out as friends and more importantly I am worry sick that she might be one of those "I-need-to-be-marry-by-21" Utah girls. I do not want such a roommate and I got more than what I had expected. More than anything, she has been a great example to me in everyway. I am constantly amazed by her optimism and her ability to love. She wrote me a note before she left earlier today and said she has been greatly blessed by our friendship. I shed a tear when I read the note. As much as I would like to agree with it, I need to say however that she has been a blessing for me this summer. I love her!!! Best Roommate I have ever had!!!!

I called my best friend last night and chatted for 2 hours. She was shocked to recieve a call from me. This is because I have never called her in Singapore before. I have known Ling for 8 years now and she has been a great friend. I would not trade our friendship for shopping bags although I am a shopping addict. We talked about good times in high school and more interestingly, it has been wonderfully refreshing to reminiscence those high school days which are gone and past. I was the nerd/geek in class, more interestingly was the fact that I am the only one who got a scholarship to Hawaii for school. Well I guess, pays to be a nerd/geek. Nerds are attractive, at least to me they are. There is just something about those glasses that I cannot get enough of.

Anyways, on to more serious things. I have decide upon somethings and they are...

1. I need to get out of Hawaii for Christmas
Where is Christina heading?
Maybe... Florida, Phillidephia, Utah or Singapore

2. I am going to save up as much money as possible.
3. Save up $800 for my flight out of Hawaii.
4. Study hard and work on being a more attractive nerd (Just kidding)
5. Talk and get to know more people
6. Need to stop hanging around the computer trying to doing my shopping online...
7. Achieve all of the above.

Wish me luck!!!

Interesting happenings with Utah and world

2006-08-02T23:53:00.000-10:00

I have got the most interesting compliment today from Ed. I have never hear of any of such compliment, however he said I have got a good aura about me, and pardon me, but what does this mean? He promptly assured me that it meant something good, in fact so good that not even beauty pale in comparison to it. He said it is something about poise, and elegance. I almost burst out laughing. Anyway, I do not really care, because I have hear this compliment from many others, umpteen times in fact, and I have yet to figure out exactly what is this aura they are describing at all.

Moving on to something more puzzling was how I could not understand why do Utah girls insist on getting married once they turn 18. I jhad a conversation with A the other night, during our conversation I mentioned I am not ready for marriage and would rather stay singlefor a little longer however if the prospect of dating someone interesting presents itself, I shall not decline it. Her reply was quick and sharp. In her words, I quote, "Don't be silly, of course you are ready for marriage."

For a majority of women from Utah, they cannot seem to picture living life out as a young adult. For them it seem only logical to get hitch and run to the temple with a man once they turn 18 years of age. For me it seem bizzare and mind blowing however what I cannot understand is why are they so interested in the prospect of marriage. Why do not they want to live their life out as a single adult, and enjoy those few precious years before marriage?

My friend A, is dealing with such a problem right now. In my words, she is experiencing "young adulthood crisis". She seem a little too desperate for marriage. She confess that she has never expected to live her life out as a single young adult, and with little or no imminent marriage prospect and now being forced by the circumstance of her life, she is left with little or no option, but to do what is required for "survival".

In some ways, I could see how one can be left clueless and wondering about life when what you expect did not happen as planned, however in the words of Bridget Jones, "I believe happiness is possible, even if you have bottoms the size of two bowling balls."

After shower...

2006-07-26T10:52:00.000-10:00

I tried to turn the door knob of my door, and was momentarily shocked when I realise it was locked. I wonder for a moment if I had actually locked it, and recalled that could not have been the case, however the stark reality of it was such. There I was standing right outside my door claded with nothing more than a towel. Out of the blue, I hear Audrey's voice from a distance, i saw her leaving with a towel. In desperation I yelled out to her and wonder if she could unlock the door for me, and to my surprise, she actually told me to go along with her to the beach, because we are going.......

SKINNY DIPPING!!!!!

***Between us, this is not our first time***

I stared at her in awe, and wonder if she is in the right frame of mind. I tried to reject her invitation(because I had makeup smeared all over my face, and I am not about to leave the Hale looking as if Halloween had paid us an early visit), but the attempt of it was futile. In a matter of second I changed into my PJs and headed for the beach. Right there on the beach as we are about to undress for deed, we saw some lights and people coming along our way. You cannot image how shocked we are... Imagine if we did not see those people, I would have froze of embarrassment if they were to see me naked. We did not even bother to get dress, we wrapped the towel around our bodies, picked up our clothes and run. We did reach another spot and was again about to do our deed again when we saw another couple making out. Good thing we did not stripped otherwise the consequences would be a catastrophe. We did not manage to skinny dip, however we are planning to do it at sunrise any day now. ***Sorry no pictures are avaliable for viewing***

I just realise Audrey leaves in 3 weeks, and I am going to miss her, and our skinny dipping trips. Opps, we do not say skinny dipping between us. We call it merlin.
These are some of the funny moments that we lived for, here in one of them...

Audrey: So I know CR lives here
Me: Why how do you know?
Audrey: Because he told me... Duh!
Me: Wow! That certainly is a random conversational starter.
Audrey: No!!! CR asked if I live on campus, and so I asked him that too, and wonders if he lived on campus too...
Me: Oh!
Audrey: YES! and Christina, did you know I live in Hale 2 220...
Me: Why, I certainly couldn't tell...

Some more pictures of sorts.

2006-07-18T23:04:00.000-10:00

This is how my messy room looked like before I moved out. If you see anything else in these pictures above it is to depict the messiness of things, so don't freak.

This is my new look. Not too bad I gather. You like it? I prefer short hair. It gives me a spunky look.

We were trying to meditate(well I was trying), before we were smashed with cake on our faces.

Courtsey of Pakistan and Adnan James, we have cake on our face. Right below, we have Mr Adnan James. Look what Hawaii did to him...

Pictures for show

2006-07-12T00:18:00.000-10:00

I know it took me a long time to finally post these pictures but at least I manage to get to it...

This is just the prelude to a better post and a better monthly mail, so stay tune. How did you all like my new hairdo?

Makeup 101

2006-06-28T20:13:00.000-10:00

I haven't done this for a long time now, so here we go...

Summer has officially and spring is gone. Welcome the sun!!! It is time for us all to strip down to the bare essentials and worshipped the sun(Well not literally). I know what are on your minds. I know all of you are thinking about bikinis and sundresses... Yes they do move in harmony with the summer dress code, however I am not talking about that. I am talking about make up! YES! You heard me there.

Summer brings with it intense heat and humity, and with that we need new makeup strategies to combat the heat. First and foremost, remember to have a good cleansing routine for your skin. Remember to cleanse your skin before and after your make up. A good skin cleanser is essential. I recommend Cetaphil, because it is gentle to your skin and it doubles as a make up remover as well.

Sunscreens are essentials of summer. We need them to save our faces. You might not know this, but 95% of the wrinkles we find on our faces are cause by the sun's rays, and because of that we need to protect our skin by wearing sunscreen. If that is not reason enough for you to slap some sunscreen on, then I really have no idea what would work on you.

Instead of using liquid foundation or a two-way cake, try using press poweder or tinted skin lotion. Dust pressed powder lightly onto your skin instead of patting it in. Tinted lotion is good because it is light weight and it doesn't leave you feel all caked up with powder.

This is the crucial part - Concealor. Concealors are important because they hide all your flaws. Always choose a concealor that is a shade lighter than your skin or pressed powder. because by doing it will brighten up your face and give you a youth ful look. If you choose a dark concealor it will make you look darker and older and you do not want that to happen beautiful ladies.

Here comes the tricky part. The application of your pressed powder. While applying your concealor, use your ring finger for application because you exert the least strenght with your ring finger. Lightly tab on the eye area, and avoiding rubbing it. This is because the eye area is the most delicate area of your face, by tugging or rubbing the area it increase your chances of having wrinkles around and under your eyes. Wrinkles around your eyes is the surest tell tale sign of aging. Remember ladies, always apply or use a eye cream, no matter how tired you are, remember to use it, because these creams will save the skin area of your eyes. I can testify to it. Dry skin around your eyes is also another access to wrinkles.

To open your eyes even more, try using a light eye shadow onto your eyes. Apply a champagne shadow(depending on your skin tone). Trace the V shape at the inner corners of eyes with a gold liner. Do not forget to curl your lashes and apply a black mascara such as Maybelline New York XXL Volume + Length.

Your pressed powder or loose powder is use to set your concealor. So dust your loose powder or pressed powder over your concealor to set it. With summer comes the magic word, "bronzer". They are a huge part of any summer makeup regime. Some shimmer goes a long way.

Dust a little shimmer on your cheek bones. This gives the illumination of high cheek bones and it also highlight your cheek bones as well. This is not done yet, you need to finish it off with a bronzer. Sunk in your cheeks and make a fish face. Dust it with a matching shade of bronzer.

To finish the summer look, apply clear or pink gloss to it. I recommend Aveda Liptint. It offers SPF properties and it has a load of moisturising properties as well.

Now you are ready to hit the clubs and party.

Life in Paradise

2006-06-27T20:36:00.000-10:00

I am finally back again. I haven't disappeared, I just got carried away with moving and work. I have officially moved in with my Utah roommate, and so far, everything seems fine. She is only 19 years old.

We talked, and we laughed, however nothing too drastic has happened yet, and I do not think anything drastic will happen. Perhaps it is because I am keeping my distance. We will see how it all goes.

There are somethings in my life that has changed. I crop my hair AGAIN!!! This time it is really short. I have sample picture to show you, however real pictures of me will be uploaded soon. I haven't been able to use my computer since I moved in, reason being I haven't been able to connect my computer to the internet, so I might not be using the MSN after all. I confess, I do still use MSN from time to time, however it is not for the purpose of chatting anymore.

My new hairdo looks somewhat like this, except it is not blond, that it is black and tuck back behind my ears.

I also went shopping for the first time in 3 months, and bought a lot of things, gulity as charged. However there were sales all over the place and I just cannot resist it. I bought a spilt shirt, heels, Steve Madden thongs, and a summer sundress from Gap.

This is the dress that i bought from Gap, but my dress is white not brown.

My time is running out so I got to run along now. So tune in more updates from your fav. shopping junkie here in Hawaii.

P.S: I got a complimentary letter from my guest today. I am on top of the world. More details will come in the monthly mails. As they say, save the best for last.

I am moving!!!

2006-06-20T11:14:00.000-10:00

Not this blog, and not literary. I just want to do something different. Ever since I moved here I have been living with Asians. Now I want a change of environment, and I want to change somethings about my life. I am moving out of my room on Friday and I will be living with an Utah girl... How is that for a change? Beat that! Cannot get anymore mormon than that.

This reminds me that I have not done anymore fashion posts for a long time now. Maybe it is time I bring it back. I might do make up too. Oh! well so many things I want to do, and yet so little time.

The Relationship... [Private]

2006-06-17T20:51:00.000-10:00

I want to devote this entry to myself, and only to myself. You probably would not want to read this entry. I would oblige to talk about this here because I am aware that anyone who visits this Blog probably would have no inkling about what I am writing and so it is safe.

This is my drawing board and all because I know Lucas would not be able to read this. He is too upset right now to want to have anything to do with me.

I had a conversation with M, we were both talking about the little things in our lives and suddenly our conversation shifted to the talk of relationships. I told her how miserable I was for the past couple of days after Lucas “dump” me. She was surprised at my comment, but nevertheless she did not fail to encourage me.

Lucas was the “bad” boy in my life. He is not a member of the church, he never will be. We share an interesting mental relationship. We can communicate with each other; however when it comes to our relationship, things are different. We talked about how women seem to always fall for the bad boys and how bad boys seem to be more attractive. M disagrees. She refuted my point. She cracked up and said women are dumb. She then continued to elaborate on it by pointing out the fact that women think that by patiently waiting, some day their men will change for the better; however women die even before that could happen.

I disagree. It is not about being stupid or smart. It has everything to do with love. When you are in love with someone, everything they do becomes beautiful in your sight. All that you ever want is to be with them however short the moment might last. A smile from them brightens up your world; the sight of them makes everything better. Love leaves u oblivious to reality. It is not women that are stupid, men are too.

Lucas hopes that with patience and time, I will change for him, and be able to muster up enough courage to do the thing he wants. I on the other hand, was waiting for him to change and accept the church. We are butting heads against each other. We are blind to the one obvious flaw that lies within the relationship. Both of us possess strong personalities, and to change would seem to alter the structure of our universe. He said before, “Why do we need to let religion come in the way of our relationship?” Why does religion have to occupy such a huge part of my life?

Life is bed of roses and roses have thorns. Ultimately we are who we are, humans do not change...

I did not mean to sound melancholia; I just need to let it out

Sadie Hawkins

2006-06-15T23:28:00.000-10:00

Well this is the only picture I have of us all at Sadie Hawkins. I look a little funny in the picture, but its not me that matters, its the others. I am almost as tan as Micah... Amazing!!!
We are all tour guides at the polynesian cultural center.
From left to right: Ashely, Micah, Me! and Ting
What did I tell you?! Micah is good looking. That is besides the point, mostly important he is down to earth and a nice young man.

A more decent picture of me on the Laie Temple grounds...

Vintage Fashion Alert

2006-04-30T19:25:00.000-10:00

So I am finally back from a long break. So much has happen, yet so little time to tell it all, but I do not want to bored you people here so I will have to save the "best" for last. MB is finally leaving Hawaii for good now, and it is a little sad to see her leave. We arrived here in the same semester, and she has been a dear friend to me for a good year now. She is one of the more fun loving people I have met so far in my life. I love her!!! She does not judge me at all, but accept me for who I am, that I am thankful and will always remember.

This year has been crazy and hectic. This includes, weathers, school work, and interpersonal relationships with people. First of all, I never did express my appreciation for the sun. I do love sunny warm weathers(well without the humidity). It has been official that I hate cold rainy weathers. I hate being cold and wet period.

Since winter or cold weathers are officially passed, let us all say hello to Spring and Summer and goodbye to Winter. Now is the time to pile on cotton and linen. Bring them out and rock the streets. Have you notice how the fashion trend is moving? Yes honey! We are moving back towards being retro, how do you like that? I know some people dread it while others have waited for this day all their lives.

Whether you are thinking of cotton or linen, be sure to pile on some polka dots, (eyelet) lace, ribbons, demin, and a little silk. Lace and silk always go together, you can never be wrong when u pair them together.

While horizontal strip shirts in colors of navy/red and white are in trend, be sure to mix them well with your other clothing pieces, or else you might end up looking like you have just step off the ship. Don't want to look like a salior there.

Shades are the essentials of summer. Never forget to bring them with you wherever you may go. They are the summer essential for various reasons, for starters, the right pair of shades can make you look stylish and jazzed up an otherwise plain outfit. Shades with white frames are great for that retro vintage look. My personal favorite ones are those with square frames.

Leggings are also the way to go these days. Miniskirts and leggings is going to be a common sight these days. My favorite leggings are the black lace ones. For two simple reasons, first black makes my legs look slimer, and second black laces is just a classic piece of fashion wear every girl needs to own in her wardrobe.

Do you have anything you want to share? Any favorite fashion pieces that you might want to share?
Till then, I love you

Quote of the week

2006-04-01T08:58:00.000-10:00

Consider this quote:

What I spent, is gone; what I kept, I lost;
but what I gave away will be mine forever.
—-Ethel Percy Andrus

It is rather insightful, and I thought I might as well share it with you nice folks. It was actually Brother Ottley(forner conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle choir) who give it to us(his choir class)

Fashion ideas

2006-03-30T15:54:00.000-10:00

I have been away from Singapore from so long and I really wonder how is the fashion scene in Singapore right now? What are people wearing? Recently I was browsing through the internet and I came across a few fashion blogs edited by some Singaporeans. They are very well written and it makes for an interesting read every so often.

However there are a few things which are greatly disturbing as I read them. On one of the blogs it says and I quote, “[A]ll Singaporean girls look alike, all of them scantly clad with clothes. You see them in jeans and camisole all the time.” The author then goes on to talk about Singapore’s lack of fashion creativity, and her seasons being eternally summer.

I challenge that statement, and would like to retort it by saying; the weather has nothing to do with one’s fashion sense.

It is a blessing to live in Singapore where the weather is one of eternal summer. First of all, because the weather is always the same, you need not spend unnecessary money on changing your wardrobe. It costs a lot of money to buy scarves, shawls, winter coats, woolen coats and boots. You can have the luxury of wearing cotton and linen. You can walk around in sandal and slippers and look exotic in them.

I live in America, and I have access to shops such as American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister just to name some of them. These are great stores, but just like Giodano, they do have a different style that they follow. They are following the basics too, just in a different way. Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister follows the California style of fashion, while American eagle is just typical American fashion, nothing too exciting. Living in a different place does not make you more fashionable.

Style is defines you from the crowd. Be bold, be creative, be willing to experiment with new pieces. Fashion and style is all about creativity. Pile on accessories if you want to. Solitaire rings are good, but in my opinion they are much too safe. Why be plain when you could look fabulous without being plain and safe?

This is my little food for thought.

Dare any raindrop to plop in my eye!!!

2006-03-20T15:25:00.000-10:00

Hello everyone!!!

It has been a(LONG)while since I update this blog.
Anyhow, this is the low down, have fun!!!

This is a just a brief update of my life for you here.

I haven't told all of you my classes this semster? Well it is never too late to start, so I will tell you now....

Japanese 102 (Totally lost!!!)
Math 106 (quite interesting, just wish I understand my professor's jokes)
Eng 201 (All about phillosophy... I LOVE it!!!)
Book of Mormon 122 (been interesting so far!)
Achieving Eternal Marriage (Everyone needs to take this class, whether or not if you are planning for a marriage, because it is INTEREESTING)
Women's Choir (The Ottlelys are the best)

So my life has been great so far, except for my guy situation, where it always happens. People are hooking up and I am been left alone once again, but life isnt the end yet. I will get hook up too, no hurry! I can still go goof off on my own. It has been so rainy for the past few weeks, and everywhere is flooded, but not where I live though. I stayed in most of the time, and managed to get some studying done. I actually need to get going soon for my math homework.

I went to Honolulu and Waikiki this past weekend. Michelle (my buddy in crime) and I had a fun time, we were just goofing and laughing as we go along. A common sight for us; 2 girls, one is chinese, the other one danish, walking around eating and playing. We were in Honolulu, when we decided to walk to Waikiki since it was such a beautiful day, and as usual I was the one who came up with the idea to walk. We were walking around the Hilton Waikiki village in circles before we both realise we were lost, but then as you know, I will never admit that I am lost, so we put up the act of being "posh" tourist and kept on walking till we eventually gave up.

I got a cute yellow shirt and some Japanese red bean rice. oiishii~

Somethings in my life right now that I am working on -

Stay as cheerful as possible everyday
Goofing off with my friends
Not do so much shopping... - Gulity as charge
Smile and laugh, everyone likes a happy girl.

This is me in a nutshell thus far, beside being a fashionista... I cannot help it.

I am not going to be home this year, I am a little sad tho, but I am going to go back home next year, and spend the whole ENTIRE summer in Singapore!!!

New Danish word for the month - Svumpuggel (Scumbag)
New Japanese word for the month - Mezurashi (Rare)

I love you all.

Christina

THE Dress

2006-03-10T11:48:00.000-10:00

DRUMS ROLL.... This is the vintage dress you have been waiting for. This is an empire cut dress, and it is flattering to most people,but note, if you have big hips, you probably want to avoid wearing it as it does make you look bigger. If you have a body shape that is heavier on the bottom, do wear something fitted but not tight!!! There is a difference. Never wear lose baggy shirts, because it makes you look bad, it makes anyone look bad period. Those shirts are only good being PJs... and reserve that for those purposes. For dresses, always try to choose one of linen or cotton material. Linen material looks good, and cotton cools you down in the hot weather since it is a highly air permiable material.

Enough said, to jazz up this look you can pin a brooch and wear some long dangling earrings of sorts, otherwise vintage pearl earrings or studs are a good way to go along with it as well. I pined mine on the right side of the dress. Here is picture of it as well.

I was a little hestiant about buying this dress due to 2 reasons. First of all, it certainly does not fit in with my style(it is empire cut, whenever the wind blows it makes me look as if i am pregnant!!!) and second of all, the back of the dress, is a tad too immodest, but to solve this problem I have decided to layer a lace camisole underneath.

I know you probably cannot see the lace camisole here, so I have taken some close up pictures of it.

Laces....

2006-03-09T13:59:00.000-10:00

For some reaons, I seem to be addicted to blogging these days. I think it must the fashion post I put up some days back, but whatever it is, I am glad it got me all up and typing now.

Come to think of it, I do not think anyone here on campus cares about dressing up as much as Michelle and I do. Sometimes we are being passed off as being high maintenance, and snobbish. However what did they always say? Never judge, because one never know what is going on.

The picture of my vintage dress is coming soon, so keep a close look for it.

Lace! Yes lace!!! Laces are popular, almost as early as the Victorian ages. Women wear them all the time, on their dress, shoes, hats, and around them little umbrella (and god knows what those little things are good for when they barely shelter anything at all)

Most people think that laces are make such a vintage fashion statement and it would be tricky to dabble with it without ending up looking like you have just walked out 50s soap opera. I would not disagree, it is tricky, and however it is also very feminine to wear laces. Now ladies, do not start piling on them, hold your horses now.

Here are some ideas where you can use.

Laces and demin always go well together. Lining the trim of a demin skirt give it an instant facelift, and gives it a little more of a feminine detail to it. It is not only the trimming of the skirt, even the slit too, if it is too high up the back and for modesty, you could part of it with lace.

For example, a full lace vintage top, when pair of with a well cut pair of jeans and pointy head makes a girl look chic.

Do you like the layering affect of clothing? Do you need to wear a camisole underneath your shirt because it is too short? Well get short camisole with lace lining around it. It gives your overall feminine touch to it and adds a little touch of that vintage look.

Do not get a LONG tunic camisole, you know the ones that goes all the way down and below your butt, long is good, but not in this case, because it makes you as if you have an elongated body. GROSS!!! Please don’t get lace camisole/ tunics that are made of 50% spandex, not only does it look hideous, the quality of the fabric is terrible.

While laces are good, do not get a black lace dress layered over a light beige fabric of any kind, because it makes u look naked. Do not laugh and asked “who does that?!” Well apparently a lot of people do. I remember seeing a lady shaving her legs in a public restroom, and if that was not hideous enough, she was wearing a black lace dress layered over a light beige fabric of some sort. For a moment I thought she was naked. Black lace skirts are good, and they are very trendy, they are a must have, because it is almost similar to a LBD (Little Black Dress) you can pull it out for church or for dances.
Never attempt to wear a full lace camisole or top (if modesty is not an issue for you), because lets face it, although it is feminine, it does makes you itch.

So this is my little thought for the day…

Do tell me what you think and perhaps we can all help each other solve our little fashion hang ups.

Dinner time...

2006-03-08T19:24:00.000-10:00

It has been almost a year since I left home for college, and there are somethings here in Hawaii that constantly amuses me, among many things, I need to admit a better part of it has to do with fashion. I work in a Luau in the Polynesian Cultural Center. A luau is a hawaiian style resturant, where people sit together at a long table and enjoy their dinner while someone performs the hula on the stage. Work can be hectic, but overall it is still not beyond my level of tolerance. Every night as I collect their empty plates, I picked up alot of clean knives from their tables. They do not seem to need to use their knives...

I dine in the Cafeteria, and I have got a confession to make. The food served there is terrible. It is barely edible, and good grief it is so expensive!!! I do not usually dine in the cafeteria but when I do, it is usually on sundays and the food is usually better, or so they say.

I realise that cultures do impact our dining habits as well. Here is a little food for thought.

You would think that the caucasians know the art of using forks and knives, well no, not all of them do. The Americans for example do not seem to be able to grasp the idea, here it is the Europeans who does. They do not cut their food up with their knife, instead they use the side of a fork to cut their food up. I wonder why. Goodness, I wonder then why do they provide dinning knives, or maybe I should wonder why they do not use their knives to cut when it is provided for them. A strange lot they are! While I cut my brocooli with my knife, they think I am being too proper and should just stuff the whole entire piece into my mouth. It is amusing to see how a simple dinning habit can vary for cultures.

So next time, are you going to be a "European" or an "American"?

Fashion Fads and Classic.

2006-03-07T22:02:00.000-10:00

Fashion is such a tricky thing to dabble with. It is peculiar and it has its very own quirks. No one really knows how to handle it. You see, just when you think you have got a handle on it, it turns around and there are you are, left with nothing but where you started.

That is at least how I use to feel. However since I moved here to Hawaii, I have come to learn more about fashion. Perhaps it is due to my association with women from different culture all over the world.

There are just some colors in this world that needs to be left alone. Neon colors shold never be worn out. They belong to billboards or sign boards that are design to grab the attention. Never ever wear a neon orange beanie and walk around in it, because it is not cool.

Getting a tan is nice. Yellow is a nice color, however never attempt to match or to wear a bright yellow pullover against a skyblue shirt, if you are a natural red head. You look like a flower. There are enough peculiar things in this world to view, we do not need a 9th walking wonder in this world.

Never attempt to bleach you hair blonde when your natural hair color is dark brown. You have no idea how much a of a big bird you would look like. This is real world not sesame street, instead go for a more natural hair color, preferably one that matches your natural hair color.

Sometimes we wonder what colours would go together well, so here are a few ideas for you.

Brown and pastel pink/blue always goes together
Brown and Green (not dirty green)
Light charcoal blue, with black and white goes together well.
White heels are a must, every girls needs to own at least a pair.
Some shawls would be good.
Girls do wear alot of skirts because we look good in them.
Man please do not walk around in an oversized suit. It only makes u look small.
While pinstrips are good, if you are skinny please avoid them.
Please wear a fitted suit, or taliored made if you can.

Never wear vintage with vintage, if you do not wish to end up looking like a walking antique. Always jazz up the look with something more modern, as this will give you a chic look. For example, if you are wearing a pastel pink vintage shirt, try not to wear white (long string) pearls for it really does make you look old and granny. Some people do manage to pull it off, but few do. Wear a gray pearl chocker. Instead try to throw in some gray color into it. Gray and pink are a good combination together because it makes a girl look so sweet and pure.

Well enough said... This will be all for tonight.

Set UP!

2006-03-07T12:19:00.000-10:00

I went shopping again! I spend a lot. I know I am hopeless, but it cannot be helped. I love fashion, it is in me, and I am poisoned. I bought a vintage looking dress. It is in the color of light turquoise blue with brown strips crosses down the chest.

It has been a while since I went shopping with michelle. Perhaps most students would not understand my passion for fashion, but I do think that no matter how poor someone is, they should also possess the power or rather the right to dress themselves up. Everyone wants to look good, it is almost something that in inherent in all humans, male or female.

So I wore my new dress to church on Sunday, and those girls in my ward just hated me for it, but whatever! I like it. I am happy.

Now I am going to go into the reason for this post. Our ward conference is coming up and in preparation for it, our ward activities committee has got a whole week full of activities all planned out. One of the highlights is our ward ball. It is free but it is only open to the ward members only. The theme of the ball is, “The night of Kings and Queens” well needless to say, everyone would be treated like royalties. Now here is the catch, you can only attend the ball if you have a partner, and it is girl’s choice. So this is almost to preference in that aspect. Now you wonder who would take it seriously, and our wise bishop alongside with his committee has already anticipated our cynicism, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. They came up with a brilliant idea of setting us all up. So we did not have relief society or priesthood class, instead they were combine. Every single was given a slip of paper. The man will need to write their names down, while the ladies’ would have a number written on it already. Needless to say, I was not paying attention to it all, and took the numbered paper thinking it was all a game.

As is the case, there were more ladies than man, so this is always a problem. There were about 50 ladies in our ward and the remaining numbers are all male. One by one the ladies will come up as their numbers are called and draw out a guy’s name from a bowl, and he will be her partner for the dance. I always have such bad luck, and since I always do, this is no exception. I went up all flushed and shaken with nervousness. My partner for the ball is a Tongan/Caucasian. In spite of the more than embarrassing moment, I decide that it would not be that bad. It is just a ward activity and I am not going to marry this man, and if I go to the ball with him, I might even end up with a new friend. I have nothing to lost, and let’s hope he is not going to be a jerk. *Fingers crossed* I do not think he is....

However a majority of the man in our ward decided against participating in it. I wonder why? It is only a ward activity… Bishop is not even putting you on an arranged marriage. They complained about being single and when someone steps into to help, they turn it away. Who says women are confusing and hard to decipher? Men are the ones. You never know what they want, and so I have give up trying to read them, all I ever do now is to have fun and a jolly fun time.

The counselor

2006-02-14T15:42:00.000-10:00

These past weeks have been trying for me. I have been confronted with so many different kinds of challenges, and I do not even know where to begin. To start things off, I have come to the grim reality and awful realization that I need to make more friends.

Some of my friends (well you know who you are) who are reading this right now might be really shocked, but yes! This is true. I do have some sort of social anxiety disorder and it is causing me much pain and misery now. I have thought of giving it all up, pack my bags and fly home, but I cannot bring myself to do it.

It is partly due to pride but more important it is my education which I care about. I recognize this as a challenge and I do not want to bow down to it. I simply cannot, because I am sure millions of us have experience this before, and if they could overcome it, then why not me?

Something you need to know about me, I am a very shy person, thought I do not seem so. I (really) hate making the first move and having to say hello to people. I cannot do that and I do not know how to do that. Sometimes I wonder if I am suffering from some form of social anxiety disorder. I seem to not know how to express myself at all. I have decided to seek help, and from whom you might wonder. I have decided to talk with the counselors.

I never see this day coming, and now I really think I need to use some help from them. I went in for an appointment today and we talked for some time and we that I need to do some things. Almost immediately, tears welled up from the corners of my eyes and before long I was weeping. I am a mess. I cannot contain myself at all. I hate it. It is so disgusting.

First of all, we recognized that I can make friends and have had friends before. I am capable of holding and maintaining friendships, however I am shy and needed some help. She has challenged me to keep a journal and to go out and say hello to people around me. She also told me to pray about it, pray to Heavenly Father that he might be able to bring someone to me that would be in need of my friendship and help. I am going to do that.

Well I am going back to her again next week and we shall see how it all goes.