(belated) Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas.  Even having to work a small shift at work, I had a great day.  Presents, good food, and a lot of laughter.

Before the unwrapping

We always have a good Christmas; we go all out with gift-giving at Christmas compared to birthdays and such (and my birthday is a month away). I got several wished for items, including my own Shellie May, tickets for Swan Lake, and a TV (once it's set up, my family will probably never see me).  Our dog Kuma thought Shellie May was a new toy for her; I had to almost immediately put her in my room so that Kuma wouldn't try to grab her.

I Live On

Hey everyone! I'm still alive. I had finals last week and now don't have to worry about school until January. Got all A's this quarter, which I'm very happy with, though I was worried a bit about my accounting class. I'm hoping to get back into blogging and reading the blogs I follow - kind of ignored everything for a while to focus on school.

Besides school, things have been alright. Work is work; we have a new manager who is doing an alright job and it's my third holiday season at PetSmart. We're in the middle of a lull before the holiday and then we're completely full until January.  I've actually been able to go out and meet up with friends on a somewhat regular which has been a lot of fun and a great way to relax.  I'm going to see the Nutcracker next week with a friend and we've been going out shopping to look for dresses. While that's been fun, is quite exhausting to be at a mall for 5 to 7 hours at a time - I only go to the mall if I know what I need to get in or out while my friend is quite the shopper. We keep finding some really great dresses but there was no way I was paying what it was asking

Just wanted to post something really quick and I hope to have something up at the beginning of next week. I'm currently on day 8 of a 10 day work streak, and ended up with a four day weekend so I'll have some time to work on something.  Til next time!

In Review: September

I hope everyone has been having a good October.  I think our nice fall weather streak has ended although although we have really been needing the rain.  I've been focused on school which is going well and not too stressful.

Ups

Went to dinner (or as we put, a ramen adventure) with a bunch of friends.  We went to boom noodle, which I always enjoy. Had okonomiyaki for the first time (not bad, though I personally would have liked more pork in it) and I got the spicy pork ramen (I love their spicy dashi broth).

Vacation! It was so nice to be away for a week (even though I had to do schoolwork).

Downs

I thought I was going to save a couple hundred dollars by not having to buy text books (which I thought was weird, but was going with it).  Unfortunately, I did have to buy books, which I only found at three days before classes start and before my vacation started.

Going back to work after vacation.

Books

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Phillip K. Dick
The Black Dahlia - James Ellroy
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury

Paradise Pier and the First Days *pic heavy*

We took our time getting going on Tuesday and before heading over we went to find an In-N-Out, which I was super excited to try. For those who live in Seattle, it might draw some comparison to Dick's Drive-In. I would say In-N-Out has better burgers but I love Dick's fries (In-N-Out has very crisp fries, and I would love to try them light).

Added grilled onions

And then Disney! We stayed at Paradise Pier this time and we were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was (we had heard some reviews that weren't that positive but I'm not sure why).  It's a beach theme which my mom loves.  The only complaint I would have is that at times it is difficult catching elevator as everyone is trying to use it as well (and god forbid some people and be patient).

Inside the elevator

First Day of Vacation

Hey everyone!  It's my last full day here at Disney and spending some time in the hotel room before going to see World of Color.  I thankfully have had Internet the entire trip, but I've been focused on school work (classes started Tuesday).  But I'm taking a break and playing around on the Internet to relax.

We had an extremely early flight Monday and our destination was Laguna Beach.  I prefer really early flights because it's usually easier and faster to get through security and the flight is usually quiet because everyone is sleeping.

The reason we went to Laguna was so that my sister could tour the art school there.  I went on the tour with her and it's small school but it looks like she would get a lot of interaction with the teachers and such.  I enjoyed the animation building as it had a lot of student work (some of it was really cute).  We also spent some time wandering around the downtown section before the tour and after dinner.  We had a direct access to the beach from our hotel, which my sister and mom loved. I'm not a fan of beaches and I do enjoy looking at the ocean view.

My favorite part of the day was dinner.  We went to Asada, a Mexican restaurant.  We were seated near the front, which was a mostly wooded interior, opened up so we had a great breeze and a great view of the ocean. 

Glossybox: August 2012

So, looking back on my last glossybox review, I thought I did a rather poor job. As in, I barely gave you guys any real opinions on the actual products. So, I hope this month is a bit more informative.

In Review: August

Another month gone, and fall is creeping up on us slowly. It's getting rather cool in the mornings so I'll have to start wearing a jacket soon when I leave for work. But I do love fall weather (until it becomes overcast 24/7), and fall fashion is always a lot of fun.

I'm very excited about going on vacation in a couple of weeks. Going to Disneyland for a few days after we go tour an art school that my sister Alyssa is considering. Classes also start at the same time so I'll have my laptop with me. Anyone interested in a Disney post?

Ups

Was able to go to Wednesday gaming this month. Since the gathering can run late (some people get distracted very easily, making the game run super long), I haven't been going cause I have to get ridiculously early for work.

Did a small Sephora haul. Got some tokidoki items that I'd been eyeing for a while (I'm sad that it's no longer going to be available - they always came out with really cute collections). And I finally bought myself a bottle of Benefit's Maybe Baby, a perfume I've always loved but never bought.

Downs

I was finally switched over to Timeline on Facebook. I held out for so long. Actually, this doesn't really affect me all that muc since I don't actually write status updates, but I really don't like the look of Timeline (and it can make navigating over pages rather troublesome in my opinion).

Books

Didn't finish any books this time. I played a lot of hidato at work and all the books I currently have checked out from the library, I've lost all enthusiasm to read them.

#51: Organizing Nail Polish Pt. 2

Finally got the rest of the drawers sorted out last night and took pictures this morning, so here's part 2!

The third drawer is the drug store nail polish.  The majority of it is Wet n' Wild, a brand which I really do love when it comes to nail polish. I always keep an eye out for new collections (I'm really hoping that we have something interesting from Fantasy Makers this year). Wet n' Wild Black Creme is my go-to black and I'm really sad that they no longer do Rock Solid LE collections.  My Maybellines, Sally Hansen, L'oreal, Milani, and Borghese. 

#51: Organizing Nail Polish Pt. 1

I used to be really bad at biting my nails growing up. Towards the end of high school, I started painting my nails on a regular basis to stop biting, which worked beautiful. I did end becoming a bit o a fanatic about nail polish though and currently have a sizable collection (I haven't counted, but I'm sure I have over 200 bottles).  For a while, I used various containers to hold my collection until I could get a Helmer from IKEA.

My nails haven't been in great shape due to work, and for a couple of months, my nails were left naked. I finally got back into painting my nails last month (thank god for quick dry top coat) and my nails have been recovering. My room once again has random bottles all over place, so I decided to re-organize my stash while tidying up.

I prefer to organize by brand. It maybe easier to go by color (you would have all the shades there to help you choose between instead of going back and forth between draws), but I think it looks neater/cleaner by brand.

The first three drawers I'm showing have stayed the same. The other three are being rearranged to be/look less chaotic.

Glossybox: July 2012

Sorry that there wasn't a review of the June box - pictures didn't turn out and then I kind of forgot about it, plus I'm sure there are beauty blogger who are better at presenting these sort of things. A quick overall impression: last month's box was okay.  I quite liked the mascara (Showoff), haven't gotten around to using the hair treatment or body cream yet, and one of the products (the shaving gel) has a hole in the packaging and got the product everywhere. However, after I sent a e-mail to Glossybox about, I got another sample of it. So, thumbs up in customer service; I got a reply about 3 days after I sent them the e-mail, and actual sample arrived towards the end of the month (not fast, but I'm sure they're busy with other customers and getting the next month's box ready).

So, July.  Another month with the focus on summer.  I'm really looking forward to the fall/winter boxes, as the cooler months (especially the holidays) are my favorite.

In Review: July

Been very lazy about blogging.  Not sure why.  Got pictures for July's Glossybox already taken, so that post will be up soon. Most likely won't do a June review unless anyone wants one.  Haven't been doing much, mostly because I just want to travel (even if it's just a weekend trip) and I can't really afford it and can't get the time away. I'm so looking forward to my week-long vacation in September.

Only 153 Days...

Or five months til Christmas! I'm determined to get my shopping done early this year and for the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to think up ideas on what to give my family.  The last two years have been rather last minute (if I can avoid the mall after that first weekend of December or so, that would be sooo nice) and if my family cooperates, things should be good to go. My family is both easy and difficult to shop for.  I am the only one who has a wish list that is constantly updated (and about a page or more long), so I believe I'm rather easy to shop for.  My one sister, Heather, doesn't like that (I can't remember the exact reason, something along the lines of she doesn't like shopping from a list); the list is there to help you! It tells you the things I really want! It's like pulling teeth to get a wish list from everyone else, though. There are certain items that are always safe bets, but it's always nice to have some kind of idea of what they at least have their eye on.  I sometimes worry too much about gift-giving, which is a little bit sad because I think the whole process of buying (or making) and giving gifts should be a lot of fun.

Slight Delay

So, I lost all the photos I took for the next couple of posts I was planning on writing up and haven't gotten a chance to retake them.  I also have been coming home from work and pretty much shutting down - it's been busy and I've really haven't had much motivation except wanting to curl up in my bed to nap.  But I'm hoping to get a couple of posts out this week.

If anyone is curious, check out my tumblr! I'm still looking around for a theme that I like so it's not the prettiest tumblr to look at the moment, but it's where I'll post random stuff that I don't feel has much importance to post here on this blog.  You'll also see a lot of etsy finds, some fandom related stuff, and things I just find pretty and inspiring.  And if you want, please send me some suggestions for my next List!  I've got my message box open, and would love to hear some ideas (making up a list of 101 things to do can be rather challenging).

In Review: June

My blog has been up (and is still alive) after 6 months!! Yay!!  I do enjoy writing up stuff to post, though I probably should keep something on me at all times to write down post ideas. I want to be able to actually post stuff on a regular basis, but for the most part, things aren't that interesting around here and I don't want to bore anyone.  I do have some posts planned for this month which I'm excited to work on and will hopefully be interesting to everyone.

#95: Writing Left-Handed

So this morning, I was looking at my List, saw this goal, and decided to try out writing out the alphabet with my left hand. I don't exactly remember why I decided to put this on the List; it's quite possible that I thought it would be neat to be able to write nicely with both hands. Of course, I don't think my handwriting is that nice to begin with, for which I blame school; during elementary, my teachers would go back and forth on whether or not they wanted print or cursive, so now my style is a mix of both (but print is more dominant).  I also find that my writing looks better depending on what I'm using to write with.  But anyway, here are some pictures from this morning's exercise:

right-hand on top; left-hand on bottom

My s looks like a backward z, and I have no idea what happened to the y (looks like a mangled x).  It'll be interesting to see if I can get used to writing left-handed; I think the key will be figuring out how to hold a pen in a comfortable position.

#83: False Lashes

Meant to write up this post sooner, but never had the time until now to take pictures.  So I've been curious about false lashes for a while.  I got a pair in a swap but didn't use them as I wanted to practice so I didn't ruin them.  I decided to get some lashes for my cosplay of Sailor Moon, to help bring a little more emphasis to my eyesthan mascara could give. My actual lashes aren't too bad, though one eye is less full than the other (it drives me crazy).

I ordered this set of lashes (C-02, under the Sweety Series) when I ordered my first pair of circle lenses.  I also ordered the glue they had but ultimately didn't use it as it's a bit too thin for my liking (I ended up getting the Duo glue from Sephora). I didn't want my eyes to look heavy or dramatic and was a little worried that these would be a bit much but was very happy with the end result. I had ordered a second set (W-05 from the Gorgeous Series) but didn't get them as I think the site hadn't yet been able to update to show them out of stock.  I e-mailed them and got a refund within a day. Very satisfied with the service and will definitely order from Eye Candy Lens in the future.

I actually had a friend put the lashes on me the day I wore the costume. I had practiced several times before the convention and destroyed two pairs of lashes in the process. I watched several Youtube videos to see how other people put lashes on (I kept returning to the one done by xsparkage). I did have a successful attempt a few days later but it still something I'm working on. 

Circle Lenses:

I really wanted some colored contacts to make my eyes appear really blue for Sailor Moon, and went with circle lenses as the enlarging effect they have would also be a bonus.  I first became aware of them through reading blogs and decided to use Eye Candy Lenses which I learned about through ekiblog.  I also wanted a contact that I could get in my prescription as there is nothing more annoying than having to remove your glasses again and again when someone wants your picture (and you don't want to be walking around blind the rest of the time). 

After some debating between three different styles, I went the Macaroon puffy lenses.  They were the ones that looked the most natural of the three I was looking at (can't remember what the other two were). I think the box they came in was so cute and I also got a free case with them.

They're actually not that uncomfortable; however, I didn't have eye drops on hand and after almost 12 hours with them in, my eyes were burning so bad I was crying (I was also at a concert with extremely bright lights and smoke machines which probably didn't help). I do love the color though you can definitely see the difference between my natural I color and the lenses.

I'm excited to try out some more lenses - I've got two different pairs in mind which I think will work really well with my natural eye color.  I'll try to get good pictures of me wearing the contacts and lashes sometime in the future - the lighting wasn't great when I was trying to take pictures and I didn't like any of the ones I had on hand.

In Review: May

Well, I did a little bit better on posting last month. The last few days were devoted to watching E3 coverage on G4 and not much else.  I hope everyone is doing well and having some nice spring/summer weather - it's been raining the past few days (annoying, but it hasn't been hot so I can't complain to much).

My first Glossybox!

I received my first Glossybox today! Glossybox is a subscription service where you will receive 5 travel/deluxe sized beauty product samples each month. There are other various sample services, but Glossybox is the only one that I've been impressed by, so I decided to take a risk and sign up.

I signed up on the 21st, got an e-mail saying it shipped the 25th, and it arrived today the 5th. It looks like it's shipping from NJ, so it's going to take a little bit of time to get here, but it was held up for 3 days at some facility in IN. I think the shipping could be a bit faster, but I'm not going to complain much as I'm sure they're dealing with a large amount of orders.

Taken Over

My life has been hijacked by The Avengers. I got to see it for the first time on the 27th, then saw it with a friend on Wednesday, and then again to a late night showing last night. It is amazing. I need to see it at least one more time. It's just wonderful.
And then, somehow, tumblr got involved. Now, I don't have a tumblr account but it's been my source to get my daily Avengers fix. I looked at over 100 pages on this one account (have no idea how long that took) the other night in one setting.  So, yes, an account may be needed.

I make no apologies.

#40: Red Mill Burgers

Nothing much has been going on this past week or so; I've been through an interview process with a prospective job and haven't heard back them yet which kind of makes me a bit nervous and sad.  I've been trying to think of what to post and I realized I never wrote about my trip to Red Mill Burgers! My parents surprised me one afternoon by taking me after we dropped my sister off at her work; I didn't have my camera on me so no pictures.

I first learned about Red Mill on Man vs. Food and knew I had to try it out.  It's a much smaller place than I thought it was.  We got there around noon so it was starting to get busy; a line was already out the door and quickly got longer behind us.  Me and my Dad got Double Bacon Deluxe w/ Cheese and my mom got a Bleu Cheese and Bacon Burger; we also got 2 orders of onion rings.  The burger was great; the bacon was crispy and rather peppery and their 'Mill Sauce' was a slightly spicy mayo. The onion rings weren't bad; the onion itself was quite good but the they definitely use a wet breading, so it's a bit thick and a bit too much for my taste. I couldn't really figure out what spices they use and it kind of drove me crazy. The fries looked really good and I will need to get them next time.

Price-wise, I say definitely on the cheaper end of the non fast food burger joints. I go to Fat Burger and Charlie's Flame Broiled Burgers every few months, and Red Mill is a dollar or two cheaper.  You do have to get the sides and drink separate from the burger and there is no meal deal at Red Mill. I will say that of the three, I would choose Red Mill last, mostly because it is more of a hassle to get there and the other two are just a bit better.

Overall, I highly recommend.  I would suggest either going before or after the lunch rush; it get's crowded very easily and some people are extremely rude when it comes to trying to get a table.  Another negative is parking - the dedicated area for parking is very small and is shared with the Starbucks next door so you might have to go hunt down a space then walk to the restaurant. But, the food is good and that's what matters to me.

The Zombies Are Gonna Get Me

I am finally starting to train for Run For Your Lives. Went out this morning for my first workout and tried to follow the Couch to 5K format. For the first week of workouts, you warm up with brisk walking then you alternate between jogging and walking for 20 minutes.  My sister went out with me and things started off well but I may have to approach training differently as I still seem to have asthma that only ever acts up when I do something strenuous as running. I had to use an inhaler back in junior high when I did cross country running and I may get one now.  As a result I didn't do as well as I wanted this morning - I think I ended up walking about 2/3 but I tried to alternate as much as I could. I do love my running shoes though.
I need to figure out when I go out to jog. I got up later than I wanted today, so the sun was higher up (I think it was 11 when we started).  Since I work in the mornings, I don't want to go out when I get home at 4 but I'm not sure if jogging at 8 at night is that good of an idea as well. I'm also going to try out my mom's rowing machine on the days I don't jog. 

Any tips or ideas on training or nutrition are much appreciated.

Time For Changes

So finally, after about a month of waiting to see who would be getting the senior position at work, a decision was finally made... and it wasn't me.  I had my panel interviews Thursday and surprisingly, they chose that afternoon (I got my feedback that day as well) and announced the new senior yesterday.  I have mixed feelings about it.

Sakura-Con 2012

Ah Sakura-Con. I've been going to this con for 9 years - next year will make it 10!  The past two years, I actually considered not attending, but ended up going (and with no regrets). I do stay at a hotel in downtown as driving to and from the convention is just too much of a hassle (and it's just fun).  This was the second year I stayed at the Sheraton which is right across from the convention center - it's sooo convenient; I'll probably never stay at another hotel for this convention.

They moved pre-reg pickup this year to being across the street from the convention center - not sure why. Me and a friend waited closer to the end of pre-reg pickup as usually there are hardly any lines and takes just a few minutes to get your badge. Not so this year - we ended up waiting about an hour, but luckily we spotted another friend in line in front of us and joined him. Pizza was waiting for us by the time we got back to the hotel room and the rest of the night was spent working on finishing up costumes.

In Review: April

Hmm... still not doing that great on posting on a regular basis. I need to just pick a night where I sit down and focus on blogging.

Ups:

Sakura-Con! I didn't really do as much this year compared to last. Rather sad that I missed the h.Naoto fashion show and cried over that I couldn't buy a gorgeous dress, but I had a blast in my Sailor Moon costume and I spent more time with friends this year. I'll write up a more detailed post about the con.

Me and a friend tried out a new restaurant (to us, at least),13 Coins, thanks to Restaurant Week - for $28 dollars, we each got a three course meal. Really good. We want to go back sometime, once at least to just try out the appetizers. Met up with the same friend later in the month for lunch, where she gave a listening ear to let me rant about work.

Downs:

Nothing much really. Just annoyed that the interviewing process for a higher position I'm going for is being dragged out for no apparent reason.


Books

Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her - Melanie Rehak
The Immorality Engine - George Mann
Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made A Nation Cool - Brian Ashcraft
From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America - Beth L. Bailey

#98: Update Wardrobe

Pretty and cute. Those are the words that I want to express through my wardrobe. As of right now, that isn't happening.  I have to wear a uniform to work, so I don't tend to dress in 'normal' clothes often. On my days off, if I do actually get dress (I tend to just lounge in a robe or pajamas), I wear jeans and a t-shirt.

I do love to dress up. If I could, I would wear dresses all the time, whether casual or dressy.  I also tend to wear slacks and a nice top if I want a more put together look, but isn't too formal. Going out with friends or going to an event are my usual reasons for dressing up; I tend to not bother otherwise. And lately, I've been thinking why not? Do I really need a reason or an excuse to look nicer, more put together? No, I don't.

Getting Focused

So while I do have The List to work on, I currently have some immediate goals that I want to accomplish.


Organize My Space

My room is a complete mess. When I was younger, I was very good on keeping my room neat. Then came high school and I dissolved into organized chaos. I think that if I get my room in shape, it will help me feel more positive (and it'll just look nicer). If I work on my room a little bit each day (even if just for 10-15 minutes), it could be done in a week or two. It would also be a good time to go through stuff to see what I want to keep, donate, or throw away.

Get a New Job

I really want to start having an actually career. While I'm planning on some sort of schooling (starting with Japanese classes this summer), I've really being thinking about my goals when it comes to a job. I've applied to two jobs this weekend, one being a front desk clerk at a hotel. I've considered going into hospitality (concierge mostly) and I think a hotel job would be a good first step.

In Review: March

So behind on blogging! Work has been very busy the past few weeks due to the various spring breaks and I was busy trying to get my costume done for Sakura-Con (it looked fabulous).  Trying to get some posts done and get back on a schedule.

Running Shoes

Yesterday, I finally bought myself a pair of runnig shoes.  I'll be breaking them in this week and start running next week.

They are rather tight across the instep and will hopefully stretch out some (my mom said they will; her current pair of walking shoes are Nike and she said they felt the same way when she first got them). Nike tends to run small in their sizes as well; I also tried the 10 (I got the 9.5) but it was rather loose in the heel which would have gotten worse when they stretched out.

                                                                                         

Hope they'll last me til the end of the marathon. It would be rather annoying having to break in another pair of shoes right before the race. I'm also hoping to get together with my co-worker for either a walk or a run next week too, which I think will be a lot of fun.

#94: Move Out

I'm eternally grateful to my parents for letting me move back home after I graduated from Western to give me some time to find a job and save money.  The goal was always to move out by the time I was 25. But I'm surprised that I might actually move out sooner than I thought.

A friend of mine (who was a housemate during school) really wants to move up north and she said to let her know whenever I was ready to move out.  We've been talking about the possibility of mid-April being our move date but I don't know if that's going to work.  The big obstacle for me is having the finances to move out.  If I didn't have a car payment, this wouldn't be such an issue. I'm hoping that if I can't move out in April, mid-summer will hopefully be more doable. Now that I've been thinking about moving out, the more I want it to happen!

In Review: Febuary

Kind of odd to think that it's already March. Only 33 days before Sakura-Con! Last month was a little thin on posts but I'll make up for that this month.

#81: Picture a Month

I've always found the idea of taking a picture of yourself daily fun but I thought I would just take a picture at the beginning of each month (might try to do it daily on my next List). It's interesting too see how you change over time.  My digital camera is finally working probably without messing up the pictures when I try to import them onto my computer so I finally got to start this. Though I need to find a place where there's enough light so the flash doesn't go off.

Future Cosplay Ideas

So I was able to meet up with some friends last night for dinner and some general hanging out. We're all big into cosplay and so a lot of talks usually turn to that topic.  We're always thinking about stuff we want to do, whether it happens a couple months down the road or a year or two later.  Now that I'm getting back into cosplay, I'm determined to finally do the costumes that I've said I wanted to do in the past. Here's  a list of future cosplay that will get done (some were discussed last night, others I have talked about for years):

Yuuko (xxxHolic)
Chii (Chobits)
Arashi (X/1999)
Umi Ryuuzaki (Magic Knight Rayearth)
The rest of the Sailor Moon transformations, as well as Usagi herself, Priness Serenity, and Sailor Cosmos
Aurora (Disney Sleeping Beauty)
Odette (Swan Princess)
Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
Jean Grey and Phoenix (X-Men)

My gloss collection

So I just wanted to post a real quick picture of my lip gloss collection. This was taken the day I decided to start Project 10 Pan so it doesn't include the 3 glosses that I got. Still, can't decide if I should be appalled or not.

I am so weak...

It's been, what, a week since I posted about Project 10 Pan and I've already broken down and bought some gloss. So I went to Target today for two specific things: pants for work (ended up at Kohls for those) and to see if I could find things for a swap. I ended up in the make up section as usual and noticed that the Poppy King for No7 lip glosses were on clearance. I ended up talking to one of the sales person and apparently, Target won't be selling the glosses anymore (I think the lipstick is safe). I ended up buying three glosses: a backup of History and I picked up Power (a lighter red, I don't think I could call it a dark coral) and Glamour (a flirty pink).  So yes: weak.

I did some cooking tonight; tried a recipe I've been eyeing and will write that up as soon as I upload pictures to my computer next week. I'm also going to try out another dish tomorrow since my sister was looking through the cook book and is interested in it.

Hope everyone had a good week and has a great weekend!

In Review: January

I really enjoy reading weekly posts from bloggers about things they are enjoying at the moment, but my life really isn't interesting enough for that, so I thought I start a monthly 'in review' post where I would talk about things that happened or I got/received that I enjoyed, disliked, etc. I'll probably change the format of how I do this in the future but until then I'll just start of simple.

January is kind of a weird month for me. I always get a little down during New Years and it's also my birthday month. But it wasn't a bad start to the year.

#97: Project 10 Pan - Lip Gloss Edition

I love makeup. I could justify spending hundreds of dollars on make up more than I can on clothing. When I'm feeling down I tend to do some retail therapy and almost 90% of the time it's make up I end up buying. Wearing make up always makes me feel better and nothing beats red lipstick.

My favorite products are nail polish, lip gloss, and mascara.  While I enjoy eye shadow and everything else, I tend to gravitate towards bold lips and a neutral eye most of the time.  I don't have a lot of eye shadow and am thinking of swapping or giving away the mineral make up shadows I have as I haven't used them. If I'm going to try to be successful at Project 10 Pan, I think I should focus on one or two specific types of products I have a lot of. I immediately crossed out nail polish as I knew I would fail - I have over 200 bottles of nail polish and while I've cut way down on buying, I'm always on the look out for unique polishes (never fail to buy Lynnderella's polishes when they go on sale).  I also left out bath products and perfume: I may stock up on soaps every once in a while but go through my stash before buying again. So I thought I would go with lip gloss.

#48: Running

I did a year of cross-country running in junior high. I wasn't that great, plus I had a slight case of asthma, but I really enjoyed it. Didn't continue in high school after we moved up to the Northwest (I was rather oblivious to what went on at school - I pretty much just went to class).  Can't really say why I like running either; I do miss it which is why I'm trying to get back into it, with the goal of completing a marathon in the fall. But not just any marathon: this one has zombies in it.

#70: New Recipes

I love food. A lot of my recreational activities with friends usually has us going out and eating sometime during our outings. I think going out to eat is a great way to relax and spend time with people.

I also enjoy cooking, baking especially. I would like to expand my skills in the kitchen.  I especially want to get better at cutting things; I love looking at the knives when I go to Sur la Table (they're just so pretty!) and while I know of the proper way to cut, I need practice.

Cosplay: Sailor Moon

I'm very excited about this year's Sakura-Con. It'll be the first time in 2 years that I'll be cosplaying, I believe. And I've chosen something I love and always wanted to do: Sailor Moon!

#42: Japanese

I love anime. I would say my first anime would be Slayers Try - we had just recently moved to the Northwest from Texas, but were flipping through channels on a Friday night and caught the tail end of a Slayers Try episode (it was either the first/second episode of the show - ended up going online to check out the channel and made sure I got to watch it every Friday). 

The Weekend!

I am soooo happy that I finally have a two days off of work; that hasn't happened for a few weeks and I really can't do much of anything with just one day off (as I tend to spend half of that day sleeping). I also made sure to get next weekend off to go down to celebrate SMC's Birthday! Very excited to see friends and suck down some suckables ^_^

Tomorrow I go play D&D Lair Assault. I started going to D&D Encounters in November at a local comic book store and have really enjoyed it.  But it would be nice to join an original game so I can really develop and get into my character (you only go up to level 3 in Encounters). It's still fun to play a game on a weekly basis though.

#73: Read 200 books

Of all the items on the list, this is the one that I've been the most successful at. I love to read - there's really nothing better than curling up and getting lost in a book.

Welcome 2012

Just wanted to say I hope everyone has a great start to the new year!