Guess who....

Almost forgot I had this blog, but felt the urge to check in.

I started the blog during bouts of boredom after college and wanting to do accomplish things in my life. A confession: I haven't consciously thought about that list for almost 2 yrs. 

But what the heck, I wanted to see how I did!


TRAVEL
1. Visit 3 aquariums (Monterey Bay Aquarium 6/25/10, Aquarium of the Pacific, New England Aquarium)
2. Go on a road trip with friends- Vegas with vet school friends :)
3. Visit Hearst Castle (6/24/10)
4. Bike to Venice beach
5. Gamble in Vegas
6. See a show in Vegas
7. Take a vacation to Catalina
8. Try 5 new restaurants (Cafe Yulong 6/27/10, La Brea Bakery, Loving Hut, Pappy's, Taste of India)
9. Go back to the Grand Canyon
10. Visit Huntington Library
11. Shop in downtown LA’s fashion district
12. Eat a Pink’s hot dog
13. Vacation on the east coast

READ/WATCH
14. Watch AFI’s 100 years..100 movies
15. Read 15 classic books
16. Read 50 books (206 Bones, 1st to Die, Her Fearful Symmetry, Saving Gracie)
17. Watch all the “Planet Earth” DVDs
18. Attend a midnight premiere of a movie- Last Harry Potter movie OH YEAHHH!!
19. Read an autobiography- Julia Child
20. Subscribe to a health magazine (Runner's World)
21. Write a TV schedule and only watch those shows

SCHOOL/CAREER
22. Take the GRE (5/8/10)
23. Write a personal statement
24. Apply to veterinary school
25. Go to veterinary school OR enroll in a LVT program- Oh yeah I forgot to mention, I'm GOING TO VET SCHOOL!!!!!!!
26. Take a nutrition course
27. Finish vet school pre-reqs
28. Learn interviewing skills

CREATIVITY
29. Knit a hat
30. Learn how to read a pattern
31. Sew 5 scrub tops
32. Take a jewelry making class
33. Make 2 pairs of earrings
34. Enter an amateur photo contest
35. Learn how to decorate cakes
36. Learn to use photoshop
37. Be able to use “manual” setting on my dSLR
38. Learn to make fondant
39. Make a ring for myself
40. Make a handmade presents for my immediate family

SCRAPBOOKING
41. Finish Thailand album (5/16/10)
42. Finish Alaska album
43. Finish childhood album
44. Finish Disneyland album
45. Finish college album
46. Finish spring break album
47. Finish pet album

HEALTH
48. Start and finish “couch to 5k”
49. Run a 5k
50. Run a 10k
51. Drink at least 1 liter of water daily for 1 month
52. Go on 5 hikes
53. Get in the healthy weight range to my height (102-128 lbs)
54. No fast food for 1 month
55. Find out my blood type
56. Keep a food journal for 1 month
57. Finish a bottle of multivitamins (consecutive days)
58. Floss once a day for 1 month
59. Vegetarian for 1 week
60. Spend at least 30 minutes outdoors everyday for a week

COOKING
61. Try 15 new recipes
62. Cook 5 soups
63. Learn to make quinoa
64. Try brussel sprouts
65. Make my own yogurt
66. Learn to make French apple pie
67. Make a Thai dish
68. Make spicy tuna rolls and California rolls
69. Have a pizza night (make the dough too!) (5/20/10)

ORGANIZATION
70. Backup my pictures on CDs
71. Get rid of magazines older than 1 year
72. Throw out old school papers
73. Organize financial papers
74. Make a recipe book
75. Update 101 in 1001 monthly (minimum)
76. Get rid of music on iTunes I don’t listen to
77. Create 5 useful iTunes playlists

FOR OTHERS
78. Donate hair to “Locks of Love”
79. Give to 5 non-profits organizations
80. Sponsor a child in a third world country
81. Donate Christmas presents to those in need
82. Help pay for a rescue animal’s medical bills

PURCHASES
83. Buy a new iPod car adapter
84. Get a new cell phone
85. Invest in a new computer
86. Buy a bike
87. Buy a graphics tablet
88. New pair of “everyday” shoes
89. A hard drive with a lot of capacity

FOR FUN
90. Learn to SCUBA dive
91. Learn to drive a stick shift
92. Blog everyday for 1 month
93. Comment on 10 blogs I like
94. Write a letter/card every month
95. Watch the sunrise and set in a day
96. Live on my own
97. Have brunch with grandparents for no reason
98. Finish everything on my list!
99. Grow pumpkins
100. Have an herb garden and make something with it
101. Garden everyday for 1 week

Still have a long way to go, but I did more than I thought!
I now realized some of my goals are no longer possible because of where I am living, but can't win them all!  
Here's to the summer and this list! Let's go!!!!

Wanted: a container for excitement

I am super excited about next week! I can just feel the holiday season approaching and I just have to get past Monday. I've been writing a list of things to do which is keeping me trucking forward :) I used to always make a list in college while studying for finals. It helped keep me focused on finishing my work and visualize the fun things in store. 

{one} On Monday I take my final for my microbiology class!! Eeee! I really enjoyed taking the class and like a big science nerd thought it was so so interesting. I’ll walk around saying things like “that’s because of Clostriduim botulism!” and “those are probably coliform bacteria.” Nerdy!!

The way my schedule worked out I had a 4.5 hour break between lecture and lab. So I spent a lot of time in the library. It actually was a blessing in disguise, and I ended up doing tons of quality studying :) Soon I’ll be done with pre-requisite classes for grad school!!

  

{two} Movies and books galore!! A few weeks ago My grandma was testing out netflix and I borrowed her password for the “watch instantly.” Oh goodness, I am hooked and getting my own account. Its going to be so helpful to knock out some of the 100 movies I have on my list :) Hot chocolate, popcorn, cozy blanket, and snuggly doggie… can’t wait!!

I’ve been asking all my co-workers, bloggies, and friends for book recommendations. And I’ve got quite the list going on! So far I’ve got: Twilight series, The Daily Coyote, Percy Jackson series, Great Expectations, The Help, Middlesex, Timetraveler’s Wife, My Life in France, The Hot Zone, The Color Purple… And of course re-reading Harry Potter!
Let me know of any other good reads!! I like fantasy, chick-lit, classic, suspense, mystery.. haha ok, anything!

{three} I am hoping to get a sewing machine for Christmas, but even if I don’t I’m gifting one to myself! Being immersed in books and science for the past 3 months has gotten my creative side antsy! I am so ready to start crossing out some of the crafty things on my list. One crafty thing I did accomplish was creating a Halloween costume.Oh, did I mention it wasn’t for me?
My little ewok.  I love her :)

Although I’m not sure if the sentiment is reciprocated…
 

Is there such a thing as too many desserts?

Hi bloggies!! How's the first week of December treating y'all??

Here in California the weather been looking like this..

Talk about gloomy city!

I'll have to say November was pretty uneventful for me. It went by pretty quickly and I'm reminded how easy it is to get into a routine (rut?) Its been school, work, home, study, sleep, and repeat :)

As for my November update, I discovered that I've mostly been cooking! So this month's 101 update will be a "tasty Tuesday." Party in my mouth!!

Cranberry Scones
Pretty good, not fantastic though. Not as dense or buttery as I would have liked. I substituted for whole wheat flour and honey Greek yogurt. You gotta make do with what's in the kitchen :)

Coconut Macaroons
I was imagining chewy and sweet deliciousness, but these were a little dry. I love love macaroons and wanted to try this "healthier" version. I guess the condensed milk in regular macaroon makes a big difference.

Apple Crisp
This is tastes like fall. I made it with less crumble topping and more Fuji apples. Its so good for breakfast with some yogurt! I’ve already made it twice!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
These did not last long in the house! My GF sister and I devoured them :) They're so easy to make so I can have cookies whenever I want (which could be a bad thing!)

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
I hate pumpkin pie. And I don't like cheesecake either. But somehow I loved this pie. Odd how tastebuds work..

As you can see my oven got a good workout this month. And I see that I still have to learn to remember to take pictures before I wolf down my food. Hehe whoops :) Guess there are still bloggy lessons to learn!

The only other "list" thing I accomplished was creating an iTunes playlist.
Oh yeah bring on the "Christmas songs!"

What's your favorite Christmas tunes?
Recently I've been keeping Carrie Underwood's country-fied version of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" on repeat. It makes my ears so happy!

Wee bit of me Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Or happy hump-day if you prefer!

I'm in the library and bored, actually I should be studying but we all know how that goes :)

I love Wednesdays. Probably because I was born on one! But even if you don't love Wednesdays, you can still join in on "Wee bit of me Wednesdays" too!

{one} do you collect anything? if so, what and how long have you been collecting?
I do! I collect souvenir shot-glasses and post-cards. Every time people see my shot-glass collection it like *wink wink* "what a large collection." Implying I'm some sort of crazy alcoholic who actually uses all the glasses. No, I would be dead if I tried that, there's a lot!

{two} what is one cleaning tip that you swear by?
I wish I were more domestic and could offer an amazing tip, but sadly, I am not. Though the Mr. Clean magic erasers are pretty awesome (bye bye sharpies) 

{three} who would you call for bail money?  
Ermm, my dad or brother. They both have money and I'd probably face a wrath from either one!

{four} what is one thing you miss about being a kid?  
Play time... Hands down. You know rushing to finish your homework so you can roller blade or play freeze tag with the neighbors.  
 
{five} name a few of your guilty pleasures. 
Eating while driving (I'm a good driver, I promise!!), salty carbs, snuggling with my doggie
 
{six} how early do you start your holiday shopping?  
Probably 10 days before. Unless I'm being brilliant and have planned ahead, then December 1st.
 
{seven} what is a family tradition that you would like to pass on to your significant other/children?
Humongous New Years feast, asian style. My grandma and I spend New Year's eve-day cooking so much food. Sushi, soup, flank steak, shrimp, you name it. Then on New Years the family comes over to watch the parade, do puzzles, and graze all day.
 
{eight} what do you consider your greatest achievement? 
So far, graduating college. I hope there's more "big" achievements in my life though!
 
{nine} what do you do to pamper yourself? 
At home spa day! Nails, facials.. 
 
{ten} if you were to start your own restaurant, what would it be called?
When I was a kid, my sister and I always pretended we had a restaurant. I can't remember what it was called, but we did serve an "okapoca sandwich." Jelly and turkey on sourdough. That may or may not be on the permanent menu ;)