A statement that goes along the way...

Hey hey... It's Tuesday and I have no class! However, I have a pile of laundry waiting  (which is halfway in the process as I'm writing this) and I need to clean the apartment. *big sigh* I guess I am looking at house chores differently now because I feel as it is a stress-reliever and the outcome it great and satisfying! Ha! See how marriage life has changed me to a better one LOL :D

This morning as I browsed around my phone and checked out one of my subscriptions, Brit Morin as she shares a statement by Jacqueline Novogratz. I am so honored to be sharing this with you as this opens up my mind and heart to overcome my fears of starting something new. I need to hold on to this statement and remember it everyday.

"A wise CEO of a heathcare company gave me advice I'll never forget. 'Just start. Don't wait for perfection. Just start and let the work teach you. No one expects you to get it right in the very beginning and you'll learn more from your mistakes than you will from your early successes anyway. So, stop worrying so much and just look at your best bets and go.'"

Brit Bohnet Morin is an ex-googler and now a CEO of her own company, Brit Creative Living. I have always been admired by her work and creativity and her posts on tumblr are always fascinating and good, fun, and tech-knowledgeable.
I can't wait until Brit releases more about her company! Check our her website!

I am living my life and taking each step with passion and faith. I encounter problems and issues in regular basis but I knew that there will always be stones, dirt and pebbles along the way. I realize that I need to stay focus and fearless to overcome them because in the end, I know I learn much more from my mistakes and how I overcome those fears. Success does not come easy. I hope I can be successful in my own life.

I hope everyone is having a great day! Stay safe and be thankful :)

Thursday in the Fall

Hello all,

I love seeing the color of the leaves changing... the color is so beautiful and it makes me happy :) *Except from the part that the weather is going to get colder boo...* ppfffttttt
Anyway, the driveway where we live has some trees that have different colors from golden yellow to burgundy red! SO PRETTY!
Fall is probably my favorite season. The weather is just perfect, not too cold and not too hot. However, we are having a summer-like weather this week and I don't mind at all with that :)
And fall fashion... hello layers! :)

But anyway, I got a bit off of the topic there... hubby and I went for a little walk to Palisades-Kepler State Park. We enjoyed the scenery and it is so pretty! When we drove pass the driveway to the river, I couldn't stop saying "oh wow.... " because the trees were just gorgeous with colors. I have never been obsessed with trees... except in the Fall *hahaha* ^0^

I love the reflection of the sky on the water~

I love this shot! The duckies were also enjoying some autumn river time :) cute cute~

Hahaha... This one is so funny! Hubby tries to look tough and serious about the Warning sign =P

When we drove out of the park, we spot a Pumpkin Patch!!! I've never been to one and I am excited that there is one close to where we live :) It is so cute, pumpkins were everywhere! 

I can't believe tomorrow is Friday! This week has gone so fast... it's crazy! This weekend, we are going out of town to attend hubby's niece's birthday! We're so excited because we haven't seen her for a long time! I love family time :) I hope everyone have a great weekend!
Stay safe~

RIP Steve Jobs

I dedicate this post to one of the greatest innovators in our era.
The world is going to miss you, Steve Jobs. Hubby and I are saddened and felt the loss of your presence. You are that big!! Thank you for making a change in this world. You are one of the heroes in my life. You are such an inspiration to the world. You will be missed.

{Apple.com}

Future Dog in the Family

Hello all,

I hope you are having a great weekend as much as I do! Today has been a little busy in the afternoon as we were helping our brother-in-law with his business exhibition in down town where he lives. But anyway, the main point I am posting this blog at 2:28 a.m is because hubby and I might have found the dog of our future! 

We couldn't take our eyes away from him and he was just so cute and awesome!
We hope that one day... someday in the future we would find one like him. 

This dog's name is Buddha and he is a mix of bichon+shihtzu and awesomeness. He was definitely the center of the attention all afternoon as it showed from his bravery trying to fight bigger dogs, whenever he saw one. He was such a show off (hahaha)

Anyway, I should head to bed like right now :P Have an awesome Sunday!

Happy Friday! or Should I say... Saturday?

Hello hello again! It's 1:37 a.m. and I guess it is already Saturday! Hoorayyy!!!
However, I have a lot of things to do this weekend. Homework and more homework~
I am taking some classes that require a lot of research and experimenting activities and the one that I'm going to be doing this weekend is Financial Forecasting. Sounds like fun isn't it?

I have no idea where I should start or how I am going to do this. *GASP*
I hope I will manage and finish it!

Meanwhile, I love browsing around the blogging world and I came across this awesome picture, which I thought it matches perfectly with the name of my blog.

Don't you think so?

Anyway, this is just a short update on how my life is going and I hope yours are going well too!

xo, Cyn

I'm back *again*

Hello again blog! I have put you on hold for a very long time...
Life is still going and it's amazing! A lot of things have changed though and I am not complaining about it.

I'm not sure why but tonight I felt the need to update this blog. Probably the guilt that I finally realized (ha!).

But anyhow, I'll keep this blog quick and short. 

I just wanted to give an update that as of June 24, 2011, I'm no longer a single lady. *big smile*

Life has been so good and I'm enjoying this new beginning for every bits of it, with a very handsome man *wink* 

I hope I'll be better at keeping updates. 

4 Months and 3 days to go....

Good morning/afternoon/evening to everyone :)
I hope you had a lovely weekend with your family and friends. I had to take care of my fiance, as he cought a flu bug this weekend. Boo... but I talked to him on the phone yesterday and he told me he felt much better! Yay for that. But, I caught a bug too *sob sob* I felt sick on Sunday night while I was working for an Emeritus Professor and when I got home I took Nyquil right away. Oh... I hate feeling sick.

But... I'm all good now! :) Just have a runny nose and a bit of a stuffy nose, that is all... I hope I'll be good by this weekend :) The weather's forecast for the week is not as good as last week's. This week is going to be cold and a chance of snow on Friday night towards Saturday. Oh bummer.... I live in the midwest and I should not be surprised by this change of weather.

Oh, I have to tell you this! I went to a dogs' show last weekend and it was my first time going! I fell in love!!!!
I, myself, love dogs so much and this is an awesome experience that I got to go! There were so many dogs and I learned a different perspectives to all dog lovers out there. People really go far and beyond for their dogs and like I said, it's a dog show.... they prioritize their dogs like their own children. It's so amazing!

So cute right??? I couldn't help myself but "aawwwww... " everytime I encounter one! They're so adorable and their owners were nice enough to let me take their pictures :)
Luckily, last weekend was the last Dog Show that was held in my area! Woohoo for that!!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great week. Stay warm... and stay away from the cold bugs.

xoxo

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Hello Hello... It is that Love Day called the Valentine's Day! *loves*

For those who are celebrating, Happy Valentine's Day :) and for those who are still single, we can still celebrate Valentine's in our own way :) MORE FUN I think!
Is anyone doing something special? As for me, since fiance lives in a different city, I get to enjoy it all by myself, with my sister and roommate. No special dinner... nothing like that.
But I guess, I'm planning on making a spaghetti bolognese for tonight's dinner and lunch tomorrow. Yum Yum...

I would like to share what we've been doing all weekend. We went to watch our niece, Neva, did her figure skating competition and OMG.. she won both of the competitions!
All the family is so proud of her and considering she's the youngest among the other contestants! Way to go little Neva! She gives me the courage to work harder... it's not going to be easy, but with hard work anything is possible :) Cheezy I know, but I thought life needs a bit of cheeziness to take off the seriousness *wink*
Here's a picture of Neva when she did her magic on ice :) So beautiful and can you see how tiny she is?

Our weekend trip for Neva's competition would not be complete with the food that filled our tummies along the way~ First night we got there, we stopped at a Korean Restaurant, which is located inside a mall. Surprisingly, it was so delicious! Not bad for a dinner that cost around $12-$13 because you got unlimited starters (they were sooo yummy!) and also a delicious main entrée. Fiance always orders the best thing in a restaurant. In this case, he ordered Kimchi Fried Rice! *grin face* sooo good!!!
The next day, we went to eat lunch before the game at Olive Garden. Don't laugh but it was my second time to officially eat there~ I wish I could have gone more often... I ordered the never ending salad, soup and breadstick and I was so happy with it! It was so worth it! Here's the soup that ordered, which I can't recall the name but I know it was a sausage and potato soup :) yum yum...

To celebrate Neva's 1st win, we all went to Ruby's Tuesday for dinner. But since I was still so full, I split my dinner with my sister. A smart way to save money yet we both enjoyed our dinner very much *wink*
The second day of competition started at 8 a.m. So tired... but was so worth it because Neva did so well and won her 2nd competition. This results to a National Competition! Not sure when the date will be but I can't congratulate Neva and family enough for all the hard work they've put in! I hope they'll never stop working hard to prepare for National :) But anyway, back to our food topic. We went for brunch and to celebrate Neva's winning at the Texas Roadhouse. It's a steakhouse and I love the atmosphere!
The food was good and very friendly servers. They provide us while we were waiting for our table and food with peanuts (never ending) and probably the most delicious break I've ever eaten!!!
Here's me and fiance being silly :)

We had so much fun last weekend but the reality has creeped in.. boo...
Midterm is coming... oh no!!! Okay... I gotta go back to study and I hope everyone is having a good day!
Have a good week... weather is getting nicer over here. At least there's something to be cheerful about ;)

Love,
C

More Less...

Hello everybody! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and is having a good week so far.
This morning I woke up with a terrible pain on my neck... probably because I slept in the wrong position or something. But aarrgghhh... it's killing me. I hate not being able to move around as freely as I can. But BAAHHH... (enough with the moaning -__-;)

I have something to look forward this week. My fiance's niece is going to compete for figure skating this weekend!! Therefore, we're going to support her. I hope that she'll do well during the competition and she'll compete with 16 others. Did I mention that she's only 5 years old? :)
She's super talented!

Oh... I've been wearing these colored contacts that I got from Indonesia. They're grey color and I flippin' love them! They don't make my eyes look weird or anything, because I found that with other colored contact lenses that I've tried on. So here's a look :)

OK, I think that's everything. I hope you have a great week and only 3 more days (including today) till' Friday! *good feeling* Stay warm... the temperature this week has been so cold! one digit temperature >__<

It's February Already!

Happy Wednesday! Wow... we've just had our first snow storm/blizzard yesterday for this year's winter. Classes were cancelled and the roads were pretty much covered with mountains of snow. It was crazy!
On the good side though, I didn't have to ride the bus to my campus as it was closed and classes were cancelled! YESSS!!! More time to do my school stuff and all the other things I have in mind *laughter*.

Today, however, seems to be a lot better than yesterday. At least it stops snowing... but OMG... it is so freakin' cold!! As I'm writing this blog inside my warm apartment and looking at the window, the sun is shining. Pffttt... The sun can be very deceiving, it looks like today is a warmer day but we all just got punk'd! It is currently 8F outside... BBRRRRR.... Remind me again why I'm here?

Enough bragging about how cold the weather is, on the brighter side... It is now 141 days left till our wedding!*grin* So many things to do...
Because school got cancelled yesterday, I had a chance to sort out fiance's and my pictures that I'll put together for our slideshow. I have crazy ideas on my head right now on how I'm going to do our slideshow... I really hope I can make it work! And I know it'll look awesome! I just need to slowly start on it.
We've picked a song already for the slideshow, we thought it'll be perfect!

As for songs that will accompany us during the big day, we've also found the perfect one we'll use for the reception! We're so very excited for it, thanks to fiance's sister who found this song for us!
I can't say anything yet about the songs but all I can say, it's a beautiful song that we're so honored to be using it. The song is made for the very talented person in this world, I'd say :)
I'll tell you more about it... after the wedding. So you guys have to be patient :D

I'd like to show you the aftermath of the blizzard we had all yesterday.

Outside my apartment

See all those snow... 

I hope tomorrow will be a little bit warmer than today for the Chinese New Year! Happy Chinese New Year to all of you, who celebrate it :)

FOTW {Food of the Week}

Hello all! I hope you had a great weekend as I had with mine. This last weekend, my fiancé, his sister's family and I went out to eat in Des Moines to a new restaurant, which was recommended by a friend of ours. He had told us how this restaurant has a very good food and bubble tea. (Bubble tea is a drink with tapioca pearls, it's very famous among Asian people). Anyhow, the restaurant was pleasantly and surprisingly nice! It's called the Rolling Wok Cafe. The place is rather small with a warm and cozy atmosphere. We were also not the only one in there as groups of people were laughing and enjoying their food.

Some of the food we ordered were exceptionally delicious! The Basil Fried Rice was one of the best fried rice I've ever eaten, it tastes almost like the one I ate when I was little. It brought back good memories :) Fiancé ordered the restaurant's Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup and of course he enjoyed it very much. For dessert, we all ordered bubble tea that came in different flavors. Some of which that we ordered were taro and avocado. Not only that they put tapioca pearls, but they also put jelly in the drink. They were so good!
I just wished that I took photos of the yummy food and show you all.
Maybe next time when I go there again, I'll take pictures and post them.

But for the sake of this, I did some cooking today... A lot of it actually. I did this in order to help myself, so I don't have to cook every night this week. I am usually at the campus in the afternoon until about 8 pm. And I bring my own lunch and dinner. It's one of the ways to save some $$$ during the week and I just love the idea of this. I save money and I also love getting into the habit of cooking. It's a good practice for me before the wedding *grin*

So, these are what I cooked today. I used whatever ingredients I could find in my fridge.

Black pepper turkey with veggies

Potatoes with curry gravy

Tofu with sour mustard pickle (I made it spicy too yum!!)                                            

And... I got compliments from my sister! :) hahaha... not so bad for a beginner cooking.

All these food are going to be eaten with white rice. I finally found the joy of cooking and I am loving it now! These food were simple to make and really, cooking is not difficult after all. :)

What are some of your favorite dish to cook? I'd love to know some. Have a good week, everyone! Stay safe... especially in this very very cold weather. 

Thank Goodness it's Friday

Heya! Today happens to be my favorite day of the week. No, it's not Saturday.

It's FRIDAY! :)

I've read an article by Jean Chatzky about how to make your day more worthwhile.

She says to write down 5 things that made you "Wow-ed" yourself every single day. It can be anything! So when you write those things down, you would look back and think that you have had a good day. I think it's a good way to be more positive on yourself and how you start your day with.

So, enough of that information. 5 Things that make me love Friday:

1. It's the end of working days... tomorrow is Saturday and I get to sleep in *wink*

2. My fiance is coming! He lives 2 hours away from where I live and he comes almost every weekend to see his family and I. He's wonderful.

3. I usually get to watch one or two DVDs with my sister and roommate.

4. I can relax a little...

5. I get a lot of hugs, kisses and cuddles from my special man.

Just by writing and thinking about those 5 things made me smile already. Haha... that's funny.

I have one 2011 New Year's Resolution that I'd like to share. It's something that I've been battling with all my life... and I've realized this problem.

I need to be more optimistic about myself and be more confident and positive about everything.

I've always been shy... and I always compare myself to others. It's bad... and I'd like to change that. I think it's good that I realized this problem and I'm working on it.

So, I hope I can overcome this problem... and it won't be easy. But I have faith.

Anyways, I hope today will be a good day. And it's Friday after all :) Have a good and safe weekend! :D