Pump #1 to the Book-Lover Heart (Book Review #1): "Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps"

Hello Everyone!

Happy summer! It is the time where many of us catch up on the books we've been meaning to read and discover familiar and new treasures to the book-lover heart. 

My reading life transition! (Please pardon the poor drawing, but I like visuals!)

A little bit about my book-lover heart, it used to beat strongly when I was a child and I was a regular at my local library. High school rolled around, it became more of a necessity rather than for pleasure. I used to casually read to procrastinate on homework or studying. Then college life happened, and I quickly discovered that pursuing an engineering degree didn't leave a lot of room for pleasure reading in my life. I would have rather have slept or played video games. Or I was just stuck in a computer lab for hours on end reading research papers (bleh).

Now that I have graduated, I realized that I no longer need to look at research papers or lecture notes.I CAN READ. And I've collected quite a few books in 5 years of college that have just been sitting on my bookshelves for appearances...

I am planning on starting a main series of Reviews of all things I love including video games, beauty products, food, books technology, fashion, tv shows, movies, and etc.

Here's the start to my book review series - Pumping a Book-Lover Heart. I want that passion to be pulsing through me again as I rediscover my love for books. I hope all of you can join me with discovering this amazing treasures of knowledge and creative travel.

~*~*~*~*~*

Pump #1 - "Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps"

I was walking through Urban Outfitters when I found this gem. What caught me was the title, "Adulting." I am no stranger to transfiguring the English dictionary to match colorful dialogue between friends. I flipped it open to a random chapter and I had to laugh at the simple statements of each step the author had to offer and the anecdotes that followed. I had to laugh over the sketch-up portraits of the infamous "frien-enemy" categories.

The book acts as more of a guideline for all things adult that you could ever think of wanting to know - relationships, jobs, basic maintenance, self-esteem, housekeeping, and etc. Some chapters applied more to me (job-hunting, family), whereas others were just friendly reminders. I believe this book can serve as a written moral compass to help you question if you are on your way of being an "adult."

Now the definition of being an adult can vary from person to person, but this book speaks to me as a whole of what I see myself as an adult. Happily successful with my career, healthy relationships with friends and family, maintaining a healthy lifestyle of food and beauty, and managing money. There are a LOT of tips in here, but it's written in a very straightforward and quirky, but with slight sarcasm that makes you feel like you're taking meaningful advice from a friend rather than ink and paper.

I know that there might  be some eye-rolling over the very existence of this  book. Why would I need to learn how to be an adult, when I've already survived 20-something years already of life? Shouldn't that already make me an adult? I SURVIVED COLLEGE - that must make me an adult. I sadly realized, not that is not the case. I may have taken care of my own apartment, got a degree, drive a car, and gotten several jobs, but still not an adult. This book made me realize that there is still SO much I can do to get to reach my personal standards of being an adult.

Silly and quirky as it is, still worth a read.

~*~*~*~*~*

Final Comments

Length: At 259 pages, not too bad. But 468 is intense. 

Content: Some sections definitely more interesting than others, but depends on what you already know. The sections you do are an adult at = INSTANT ego boost 

Attention Grabbing: It couldn't hold my attention for too long, it felt like a chore after going through 20 steps at at time. This is better as a quick read on the bus or a lunchbreak. 

Price: Pretty steep at $15 out of Urban Outfitters.....but it is Urban Outfitters

Would recommend to college students to college graduates. Or if you're feeling generous, to someone you know that REALLY needs to learn how to take care of themselves, without you.

- - - - 

Thanks for reading and leave comments and questions below and I'll be sure to answer! Have a good one and until next time!

San Francisco Getaway - Part 1

Hello Everyone!

It is the middle of July and I just got back from an amazing road trip to San Francisco for a mini getaway with two of dearest friends ever - Emily and Sarah! This post will be an overview of everything that happened on my getaway, along with HIGHLY recommended must-sees that have really made this trip amazing.

There is just so much to write about that I decided to split this trip into two blog posts.

Road Tripping Up -  (Total time: 7 hours with traffic)
 If you have never been on a road trip to San Francisco, then I would highly recommend it because it is so relaxing to just be on a long drive and to take in the California scenery. Going up, we took the I-5 North Freeway since it was a more direct route, thus taking less time. But be careful...once you hit Farmland, close ALL of the vents unless you want to sit miserably with the smell of cow in your car - the bad kind. 

We only hit about 1 rest stop for gas and a bathroom break after being loaded up with snacks and free 7-11 slurpees. And we still had PLENTY of snacks for the rest of the trip up =).

Be sure to also be careful of other drivers since the roads narrow from multiple lanes to two sometimes at night. There will be moments where the speed limit drops to about 35-40 since it looks like it is major foggy areas.

All in all, the drive was quite relaxing and if you don't get car sick or motion sick, then it is a great time to catch up on reading or playing your favorite mobile games.

- -
Legion of Honor   (Total time: 2.5 hrs)

Greeted by the Thinker at the entrance.

Ticket: $6 for College Students with valid ID + $11 for special exhibit = $17
Transportation: Muni Bus for $2 fare.
Location: 100 34th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121

If you are a fan of art museums, then I HIGHLY recommend the Legion of Honor. It sits in the San Francisco Lincoln Park and has a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

The Legion of Honor normally contains pieces from different centuries and also home to some of Monet's most beautiful works. There was also two conserved and restored salon rooms from the 16th century that were absolutely breathtaking. Not only does the museum hold paintings, but also statues and artifacts from different time periods.  We were very lucky to have the opportunity to catch the Matisse exhibit on loan from the SFMOMA; the Intimate Impressionism Art from the National Gallery of Art; and the Masters of Fire: Copper Age in the Holy Land exhibit.

Famous Water Lillies by Monet

The museum is extremely extensive and had different works of art for everyone. The entire building is set up like an arc where you begin in the middle with statues from Rodin. The right arc is a progression towards the Renaissance to Monet. While if you go to the right from the center, you are going back in time to more religious art to the Copper Age. Then when you go downstairs, you will be able to visit the cafe and also the special exhibits. 

Sea Shores in the Impressionist Exhibit

My personal favorites - the Porcelain Works Exhibit, Monet, Matisse, and the Impressionist Art. It felt like such a treat to be able to see beautiful pieces of work I have only seen in books. But be WARNED it is a common place for pictures of wedding parties, quincineras, and other celebrations.

Picture out on the lawn of the Legion of Honor

Outside of the Academy

 California Academy of Sciences (Total time: 3 hrs)
Ticket: $29.95 for Students with Valid ID. Academy Members allowed to bring one guest in for free.
Transportation: Walking from the Legion of Honor, then Muni Bus 
Location: 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118

One of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE places to visit every time I come to San Francisco. It is a beautiful science museum located in the Golden Gate Park across from the De Young Museum. It houses a Rain Forest Dome, Planetarium, Aquarium, Native American Artifact wing, and an African Safari wing. The Academy also switches out special exhibits and is always adding more to it. The price for the academy is a little steep, but it is WELL worth it for half a day to a full day. There is just so much to see. And the cafeteria food is AMAZING and all organic if you have a chance to go in for a quick snack.

Walking inside the Rain Forest Dome.

We got there late, so we were only able to see the Rain Forest Dome, Aquarium, special Earthquake Simulator exhibit, and the Planetarium. The Rain Forest Dome is a slice of the Amazon rain forest including exotic free-flying butterflies and birds. Butterflies are allowed to float and land on you, but you are not allowed to touch or catch them. At the bottom of the dome is a large aquarium housing dozens of large and rare species of Amazon fish.  

The aquarium is quite extensive as well with a variety of species in freshwater and saltwater. This area also includes several interactive exhibits to help people learn more about the aquatic wildlife. Overall, everything is so beautiful and tranquil that you can't help but feel like a jellyfish floating around the aquarium.

Another amazing thing about the Academy is their planetarium where they do different shows at multiple times during the day. Today we were able to catch the "Dark Universe" show in a parabolic theater. Not going to lie, everything is just so comfortable, I fell asleep.... But the shows are amazing and informative! I just wish I can catch the shows narrated by Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, or Tim Allen.

The gift shop is one of the most interesting ever! Everything is geared towards science and STEM pursuance. They had these cute wooden cut jewelry and I DEEPLY regret not getting this necklace. It IS just so Kim. I will own it eventually!

But we were still able to enjoy the academy and take in a world of science. I wish we had more time, but alas another trip for the future! Always beautiful, always amazing.

Inside the Rainforest Dome - Sarah, Emily, Kim

 Crossroads Trading Co. on Irving Street
Location: 630 Irving St, San Francisco,CA 94122 

Thank you SO much to my brother's girlfriend, Nora, for recommending this place! Super cute, super awesome, and super amazing! All of the clothes were of such high quality and so much variety! I forgot how much fun going to a thrift shop can be. My girlfriends and I left happy with our purchases. I left with a new vintage chic dress and gold scarf. If you have time to check out this hidden gem, please be sure to go!

La Boulange Bakery
Location: 500 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Amazing pastries and hot drinks on a cold day in San Francisco and after a day of adventuring. One of the best fruit danishes I have ever had and was a sweet treat to my sweet-and-spicy chai latte.

Mosaic Stairs, between 15th Ave and 16th Ave in South San Francisco
Lam and Nora's place is situated in a quaint neighborhood of South San Francisco. There are flights of stairs that can help you go up the hill to the neighborhoods, but this is a special set of stairs. Each step has a piece of a mosaic that when you're standing at the bottom, you'll be able to see a masterpiece. This is one picture of one flight, but there is another flight of stairs after this one. As you go up the steps, you will have a more beautiful view of the city as you go up higher on the steps. So if you need a good workout, these stairs are great!

Mosaic Stairs

Pronto Pizza in Redwood City, CA
A special treat from my brother Don. Amazing free-range organic chicken. One of the best pizzas I've had up in Nor Cal. But be prepared to wait! They do take out so it was nice to have Don come up and visit us while we were staying at my brother's place. We got amazing cheese and veggie pizzas, focaccia bread, and 1 whole roasted free-range chicken. 

Tuesday Tips #1 - Preparing for the Convention Battlefield

Hello Everyone~

Long time no talk! Yesterday, Comic-Con released the first set of tips for convention-goers in preparation for the San Diego Comic-Con ( 29 days away!!!). I am SO happy to hear that so many of my friends attended / will be attending new conventions this year! And of course going to their tradition ones too.

This will be my 8th year going to Comic-Con and my 2nd year going to Anime Expo. My brothers and I have developed a lot of tips and a lot of advice for everyone when it comes to this stressful vacation adventure.

Every week, I'll release a set of tips that can help you prepare for your own convention (or Con) adventure to ensure the best convention experience possible for you!

• Shelter and Transportation - Know them!
  Whether it be at a hotel or at a friend's place or even in your car, make sure you have a place to stay. And your shelter shouldn't just include where you are going to sleep, it also must include how you will partake in your hygiene rituals. And how will you get to your designated shelter? Not magic (although that would be REALLY awesome!).  The great thing about most conventions is that they are located around centers of public transportation! Also check to see if you know anyone in the area who's willing to carpool or even let you crash their location. In the bask of excitement of going to a convention, it is super easy to overlook these two very important details. These two details should be the most important for you to finalize as soon as possible, as in right after you buy your tickets to your convention.
  
• Learn more about your battlefield
  Don't go into a battlefield (in this case, a convention) completely blind! That will cause you to waste a great amount of time and to feel extremely overwhelmed, regardless of how experienced you are. Every convention has its own culture, atmosphere, and pace. So the best way to learn more is to do your research about the Con. What I mean by research is to go BEYOND the convention website - reddit, blogs, insider news, facebook, tumblr, twitter, and etc. You will find information about events, vendors, outside venues, great eateries, and other useful tips to help your experience be better than you imagined. You probably paid a GOOD amount of money for this convention so the best you can do to say thank you to your wallet (or someone else's) is to make sure you get your money's worth by having an idea as to what you're getting into.
  
• Game-planning for the week and the days
  For almost ALL conventions, a schedule is released of the events that will be happening throughout the convention at specific timeslots. When people ask me what exactly is at Comic-con, Anime Expo, or even real-world professional conferences, it's more than just dressing up and getting freebies. It's a place to share ideas and to gain new experiences. Read up on EVERY event listed during your convention and start to make a list, or even better, start putting them onto a calendar / planner. I personally use Google Calendar so that I can input ALL of the workshops or panels that I am even SLIGHTLY interested in. Then start to prioritize which ones I want to attend. And Google Calendar makes it SUPER easy to share with my group of friends. This will help generate a gameplan for you to follow and eventually generate days filled with activities to keep you busy. And don't limit yourself to events JUST in the convention, look around the area to see if there is some awesome restaurant deals or exclusive events that only happen during the week of your convention! This is really where your research will be useful. You must prepare your attack thoroughly upon your convention.

• How much can I abuse my wallet?
  MONEY IS NOT LIMITLESS. No matter if you are going with a generous family member, or super splurging your paycheck. A wallet will cry either way. Pinpoint your EXACT budget and include every little thing POSSIBLE that you think you may even think of buying - convention tickets, hotel, gas, food, alcohol, exclusive items, gifts for co-workers, impulse activities, and etc. I've seen waaaay too many people overspend and blow their wallets over impulse buys, rage purchases (yes this is a thing), trips to the hotel poolside bar, and charming vendors. Start with having an idea of what you want to buy or what purpose would your purchase serve in your life after the convention. Even if you don't have an idea, you can still have an idea of what WOULD be cool to own. I set a base budget, and then an emergency budget. My base budget is a number that I am perfectly comfortable giving up - for me it's normally $200. Then the emergency budget is your emergency rations to tap into when you ABSOLUTELY NEED THAT ONE THING - my emergency rations is $50 more. You'll recognize that absolute item when you see it. The reason to set this budget is so that you have enough in your wallet to get you home and to resume normality. 

Next time will be tidbits on what you should pack for your big adventure! Since Anime Expo is RIGHT around the corner and Comic-Con is on the horizon, I'll also do a tidbit about Cosplay

Until Next Time ~

Kim Struggles - Fear and Anxiety

Hello everyone! 

To keep up with the momentum of posting, here's something that has been plaguing my mind for quite some time. For some reason I've had this feeling building up in my head and in my chest. I couldn't discern what it was, but I knew it was causing me to be restless and very anxious. I would oversleep constantly. Stare at the wall with a blank look. Try REALLY hard to find things to try and distract myself and then feel sad that I can't look more on reddit or buzzfeed. I had a mental block stopping me from productivity.

This restless feeling....it went from my head all the way down to my wrists and finger tips. It's painful not doing anything when you know your body wants to be active doing something.

Then sitting right here, I realized it was FEAR that was causing this mental block and then my anxiety and restlessness. A fear of what I wasn't sure...nor could I figure out the cause. Now that I'm on Spring Break from my last year of college, I had some time to think.

This fear is from my self-doubt about myself, my work, and my lifestyle.

Did I put enough effort into my school work? Was I a good enough team-player for my team? Am I making the right decisions for my health? Am I taking care of myself. Am I a reliable enough person for someone to trust? Am I holding true to my promises? What am I good at? Can I get a job after I graduate? If I try something, will I fail and then give up?

All these questions and others just kept replaying themselves through my head. This made it hard for me to focus or even think about positive things when trying to apply for jobs. And since I'm on break, I'm at my parents' home and my mom at work, it has been a while since I've felt this lonely (normally one of my roommates' are there to help me be distracted). I know I have friends back home, but it's strange for me to call friends out all of a sudden when I haven't spoken to them in so long. 

I made a call to someone and she helped remind me something - I'm doing the best I can and being positive can help turn a hopeless situation into a better one (not a winning one, but better). And that this fear is here because I keep hoping and wishing for something to happen. I need to DO Something.

The question I will ask myself everyday to help keep this fear away  - What am I doing today to help me become the woman I want to be? 

This post is already a step in the right direction, because it's helping me realize that this fear is here and it's not going to go away. I have to conquer it.

That's my current struggles for right now.

Look forward to the next post!

Long Time No Post!!!

Hello!

This is Kim and it has been a long time since I've made any posts on this blog! The last time ever was when I first started this blog =______=. . . . . There is definitely no excuse as to why there are no posts....but my shpeal as to why I didn't keep up with it is because school, work, extracurricular activities, and SLEEP were more demanded for me.

I'm definitely hoping to use blogging as a positive hobby to help me get through being restless and bored all of the time. There are moments when all I do after a long day and all I want to do to procrastinate is to flop on my floor and roll around like a weird log. (I apologize to my roommates for putting up with this).

I'm hoping for future posts to have it as a weekly thing, where I work on different types of posts everyday. Here's a list of posts that I've been thinking of:

• Weekly Food Highlights
• Tip / Hack of the Week
• Worst / Best Moment Ever 
• Media Review (Movie, show, book, game)
• Ranting Moments
• Kim Life Struggles

Now it's time for me to start actually posting! Time to stop wishing for things to get better and to make them better!

Resolutions That Will Make Me More Kim-esque

Hello Everyone!

I figured for as an appropriate 2nd post to my new blog, I will post my New Year's Resolutions. Everyone has them and it's always interesting to see and hear what people have planned for themselves for the new year! Mine are more geared towards helping me become a more rounded person in all aspects of my life. I've bolded each resolution, so if you don't want to hear the mini stories behind them, feel free to skip over them.

1. Only press the Snooze Button once each morning. I have constantly annoyed my current and former roommates in the past...and I sometimes end up shutting off my alarm. If I have time to think of pressing the snooze, I have time to actually get up and be more awake. 

2. Work out 3 times a week minimum. Having a family with varying health conditions - high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, I felt that it was finally time for me to start considering my health. I used to be fit in High School because of extracurricular activities, but during College it is super make up excuses for not going to the gym. My common excuse was "I'd rather sleep / eat / game / in my apartment rather than go out to the gym." Now, I want to get fit and healthy so that I could feel better about myself and also to get certain people off my back about my weight.

3. Cook and Bake something new each week. This past year, I noticed a HUGE trend in my credit card. Nearly 80% of my charges went towards eating out or going out with friends to get drinks or desserts. Not only would I feel guilty with how much money I spent, but also guilty about the horrible choices of food I would pick! It's REALLY hard to say no to Korean BBQ or that Popeye's Fried Chicken or even a simple In-N-Out burger... So in order to limit my spending, I'm going to be getting craftier with what and how I cook and bake by getting excited with new recipes and revamping old ones in my kitchen.

4. Get into two new shows - specifically Dr.Who and Sherlock. I am a HUGE How I Met Your Mother fan, and I am really sad that it is ending. . . And it has to be a compelling story and amazing characters to keep me hooked on a show for so long to the end. Some shows I stopped just because things were getting ridiculous, out of hand, or the "wow you really went there" moment. And so I need something new to get me away from my impending sorrow of the end of HIMYM. And about......95% of my friends have told me Dr.Who and Sherlock. I'll definitely give them a shot! Who knows, maybe I'll become a huge fan!

5. Watch two new classic movies a month. There is a running joke with my apartment mates and some friends that I haven't "lived" or I'm not "American" because I haven't seen certain movies. I'm going to finally LIVE and watch this list of movies this year! I grew up in a house where we weren't too big on movies except for Disney and certain random ones that my family liked at the moment. So forgive me if I offend any of you for never seeing these movies.

• The entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit
• The entire Jurassic Park Trilogy
• Armageddon
• Ghostbusters
• Star Trek Movies (the recent ones)
• The Matrix
• Alien
• Pirates of the Carribean 4
• Starsky and Hutch
• The James Bond movies before Quantum Solace
• Saving Private Ryan
• The Godfather Movies
• A Walk to Remember
• Star Wars Episode V
• Austin Powers

6. Learn how to properly take care of a car. I received my first car in 2012 and I never realized the freedom a car could bring! But also, it's like any good piece of technology where you have to take good care of it so that it can last you for years to come. And I know that a lot of autoshops have that ONE person that you can tell is trying to gype you of more money that you should be paying. So to avoid relying on a third-party mechanic, I want to be able to do it myself. Even if it means getting my hands really dirty and potentially breaking my nails, let's learn about cars!

7. Budget and buy something expensive when the time is right. It's always a GREAT feeling when you're able to buy something with your own hard-earned money. The first thing I did with my first ever paycheck was buy new clothes to fill my outdated, mommy-picked closet. But I'm at the point where I will soon to start saving for expensive things that I want. I'm not sure exactly what I will buy, but I'm sure when I get that shopping urge, it'll come out at me. It might be a new video game, new essential for my closet, a nice accessory, that kitchen item I've always wanted. I'm excited for when that day comes to make that huge purchase.

8. Finish a video game that I've started, but was never completed. I have a TERRIBLE habit of starting games and never finishing them. The reason is because I'm the type of gamer where I need to play a little bit everyday, rather than finishing an entire game in one sitting, I need to spread it out over several days and only playing 1-3 hours a day. This leads me to stop playing games because if I take one day off from playing that game, I don't go back because the cycle has been broken. I probably have about 5-7 games that I have in my possession that need to be finished. So I'll be excited to go down memory lane and finish it!

9. Play an action-packed game...and get through it (no matter how horrible I am at it) I fail horribly at action games. I am definitely more of a tactics and rpg girl, with the occasional quirky game like Animal Crossing. I am not super coordinated with my reflexes and brain to really handle the real-time action games. But, I feel like because of this excuse, I'm locking myself out to a great number of game titles. So...yay let's see Kim epically fail at an action game but having fun!

10. Get a real big kid job. What better accomplishment in your life than to get a full-time job where you can support yourself, pay the bills, and eventually be on your own? Everyone keeps saying that I'm very likely to get SOMETHING with my degree, but I beg to differ. So I'm hesitant but anticipating on applying to a lot of jobs and hoping for some sort of hope into the world of being a big- kid =).

11. Have better control over my feelings Breathe In.....Breathe out....no more unnecessary raging, attitude, negativity. I've been known to be very negative and downputting of myself, regardless of the positivity that my friends and family have given me. I need to start being more positive to myself, rather than just for others, and finally be a better person. I mean...even I can only take so much of my own crazy emotions let alone everyone around me.

There will definitely be more resolutions for me to accomplish as the year progresses, but this is my main list for now. I hope all of you have your own set list of New Year's Resolutions. Even if I can get just 1 done on this list that will still be a major accomplishment for me! 

This post ha been a lot longer than I anticipated, so sorry for the extra reading! I'm looking forward to what I will post next!

Bye for now~

Greetings to the New Year and A New Blog!

Hello New Readers!

My name is Kim and I decided to start the new year with something absolutely new - a blog! I've been meaning to do a blog for quite sometime but I never really settled on a theme or specific topic of sorts. So I decided to just make this a blog dedicated to sharing quirks, hobbies, and tips that I personally love and always get that occasional head tilt of confusion. But it's all of the little and big things I do and enjoy that really describes who I am.

My friends have a saying : "That's Just So Kim." This came about when numerous of my friends near and far just couldn't describe my habits, hobbies, quirks, and interests as anything else but "that's just so Kim." I would always laugh and roll my eyes at how silly of a phrase it has come to be. But now, it's so common for me to hear it that and accept that it has lead me to create this blog.

Some information about me is that I LOVE everything cute and quirky (Hello Kitty, bows, pastel colors, nail polish). I'm an avid cook and baker in my apartment in order to keep me fed and busy. But I enjoy the occasional gaming. I'm not hardcore enough to have the coordination of First-Person or Third-Person Shooters, but I absolutely adore RPGs and Strategy games. I also have the occasional tip or advice that stems from living in a first generation Asian household and having two crafty brothers.

I hope you enjoy what I post and write about because I am anticipating the most random things ever! I wish you all the best and I can't wait to keep this going into the new year of 2014.

Good bye for now :].