Done.

Today was my last final of the semester .. & my last semester at SF State (I'll talk about that some other time). & I finally presented my final project for my contemporary houses & architecture class. As said in my previous post, I had to do a group project as my final. I was so ecstatic about this project because of my love for architecture & design, & I finally got to make my first real model! (Models from my color & design class from fall 2010 do not count; hence, projects given in that class were bullshit). This project was like my baby, hahah.

Project: Emulate an architect based on their beliefs & style.
Architect: Luis Barragan.
Type of building: Restaurant.
Style: Neo-Corbusier, modernism, cubism.
Details: The use of natural light is the main functionality. Several large windows throughout the restaurant, creating natural light. Tower-like object on the left is the stairwell to the terrace includes large panel windows to create more natural light & give patrons a view of the outside. The open roof terrace includes additional seating area & a bar, guarded by a 4ft glass railing.
Materials used on model: Crescent no. 100 illustration board, polycarbonate sheets (for railing), transparencies (for windows), cement glue, & hot glue.

Under construction.

For my final in my contemporary houses & architecture class, we have to do a group model project emulating any architect of our choice. My group (sadly, no one knows much about model making or design) decided to emulate Mexican architect Luis Barragan. I'll post up more detail about this project later.

Here's a sneak peak of our work so far, just draft floor plans & elevations:

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

2010, you were good to me. Lots of hangouts, late night adventures, new people, stronger friendships, & heartbreak. I learned more about myself & others. I most definitely matured more. And more importantly, I know what I want in life.

I'm very thankful to have lived another year & experience things that I haven't in the past. Thank you to my friends & family who enabled me to experience these events. Also, to those fools (you know who you are), thank you for making me a stronger individual. Sorry that I am a busy, smart, independent girl that does not fit into your specific criteria.

Anyways, 2011, I know you'll be better than 2010. I'm very optimistic for the future. Let's do it.

[Btw, to friends & readers: Sorry for the lack of updates. My laptop is on the verge of dying right now. :( Plus, I'm barely on a computer now-a-days. You know where to contact me .. & that's not Facebook. Thanks!]

Finally ..

Yes! I'm finally done with this semester. Academic-wise, this semester was alright; I totally loved my schedule (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday only classes). But I wasn't really fond of the work load. The past three weeks were hell to me. I had a bunch of projects & papers due, and a math final to study for. Thankfully, I had only one actual final test. However, the past three weeks were hell to my body; I overworked myself to the point where I lacked hours of sleep & was a bit malnourished to the point that I had to go to the hospital. -__-'' I hope that I would never happen again. I'm totally ready to relax this winter break.

Wishlist.

Tangibles,

shoes & accessories;

- Vans Womens Aleeda, $45, via HUFSF.

- Vans Womens Sophie, $55, via HUFSF.

- La Mer Onyx Multi Chain watch, $98, via Karmaloop.

- Boots.

- Flats.

- Oxfords.

makeup;

- Illamasqua Lipstick in Wanton, $22, via Sephora.
- Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette fragrance spray, $45-75, via Sephora.
- Urban Decay Lipstick in Lovechild, $22, via Sephora.

clothing;

- Short Wollen Jacket, $100, via Zara.

- Parka with Cotton Hood, $70, via Zara.

- Ezekiel Bedford dress in white, $44, via Karmaloop.

- BDG Ankle Cigarette jean, $54, via Urban Outfitters.

- Leggings/tights.

giftcards to;

- Urban Outfitters.

- Bloomingdales.

- Nordstrom.

- Sephora.

- Macy*s.

- Zara.

- Aldo.

Intangibles,
- Pass all my classes this fall semester.

- Get into all the classes I want.

- Study for Chemistry 115 placement test.

- Pass Chemistry 115 placement test.

- Pass b.t.w. test.

- Take momma out to lunch for her birthday.
- Sleepover with bffl.

- Girls night out.

... more to be added.

90.

Happy 90th birthday grandpa!

Daaaaang, my grandpa is already 90! He's lived and survived nine decades. I swear, he is the strongest man I know. He's lived through so much heartache, loneliness, stress, racism, natural disasters, world events, etc. He lived through World War II and the U.S. occupancy in the Philippines. He raised my mom and her other four siblings, and babysat my cousins, my brother, and I while our parents were out working. He survived a stroke when I was one year old. He IS the strongest man I know.

I was so happy to see him today since I have barely have time to visit him at his nursing home. And today was the happiest I have ever seen my grandpa in a really long time. I can't even remember when was the last time I've ever seen him this happy. Ever since he's been put into a nursing home two and a half years ago, every one in my family has been worried about him. He looked sick, malnourished, & really sad for the first couple of months he's been in the nursing home. But today, he was glowing. I am really happy to see my only living grandparent to be able to live this long and this happy.

I love you grandpa; I hope to see you live a longer life.

Hello Readers!

To whomever reads/visits my blog,

I am terribly sorry for not posting any entries for the past two months. I was busy with school until mid-May, & since then 'til now, with my personal life & work. I hope you'll understand. I will soon post up content of my interest whenever I have time this summer. There are a couple of entries I would like to post, even though some of the ideas may be old.

Thank you!

"Almost"

Last Sunday morning, I shot a video with my friend & his friends for Jennifer Chung's video contest. My first time acting .. ever (besides for school). It was fun being apart this project. Since it was a sad song, it was pretty hard keeping my laughter & smiling in, especially when we first started recording. (If you know me personally, you know that it's hard for me to do so.) But once I started feeling the song, it was easy to channel the emotion we were going for (plus, that was what I kinda felt that day). Yes, I know the storyline is kind of confusing to follow, but the song is short to begin with; so we had to condense the it.

Anyways, enjoy my super amateur acting skills. (:

"Never Lose Hope".

I finally got inked today. Surprisingly, it tickled more than it hurted. Done in 15 minutes by RC at Lucky Van's Tattoo. It says "hindi mawalan ng pag-asa" in alibata/baybayin (tribal Filipino script), meaning "never lose hope" (or "don't stop believing", somewhere along those lines). It's my constant reminder to myself to never give up, no matter what circumstances and consequences.

20.

Happy birthday to me!

Thank you to everyone in my life who has made my life not so boring, was there for me when ever I needed someone, made me laugh & smile, & most importantly, made life worth living.

I Wish

I could stop acting like nothing's wrong, when there actually is.

Me vs. the Pho Challenge.

Yesterday, a few of my wonderful coworkers & I went to Pho Garden in talks of someone doing the pho challenge. Since no one wanted to do it & we felt like it was no use of going to Pho Garden without someone doing the challenge, I did it. Yes, a petite girl is going to attempt to conquer about 6 lbs., more or less, of pho in one hour. I kindof prepared myself over the weekend for it, but I ate a little before going. I shouldn't've done that. Prior to doing the pho challenge, I had to sign a waiver form. Hella legit! Ten or so minutes after ordering, I recieved my bowl of pho. The bowl was "pho-king" enormous! About 40 minutes into the challenge, I grew so sick of the taste of pho already. I guess you could say I did an okay job. I ate a bit more than 1/3 of the bowl & that's still a lot. At least I tried, right? I am most definitely not going to be eating pho for a while.

I had a very worried & nervous expression on my face.A really good start.

Out With the Old. In With the New.

This is my first blog post of 2010 as you can tell. I procrastinated too much on this post; I just want to enjoy my winter break, which was somewhat productive so far. I cleaned out my closet from clothes I don't wear anymore, cleaned my room, updated my Flickr, hung out with friends I haven't seen in awhile, & met a bunch of new people.

As I was cleaning my room & closet, I found dresses I wore to the semiformals in high school, my drill team jacket, JROTC medals, & lettermen patches. Oh, how I miss high school. Lots of good memories. I shouldn't dwell too much on the past, as the future may hold more & much better memories.

2009 was an alright year for me. I don't know if I could say that it was a productive year for me, but it sure was a year that I have matured even more & became more independent. I finally figured out what I want to do in life, but its the fact of how to get there is troubling me. I also realized that gotten into that deeper level of thinking about things. Some of my relationships with others gotten deeper & I'm glad that they did. I also finally legitimately met Justin Nozuka, after attending two of his concerts; third time's a charm, right?

In 2010, I hope to become a more better person, improve my drawing skills, figure out if I want to stay or transfer colleges, take more risks, stop slacking & get my driver's license already, & hopefully travel more.

Meet Bom.

This is Bom, my one year old JackChi. She's so cute &really different from all the other dogs. My brother & I adopted her over my Thanksgiving break at Peninsula SPCA. From what we know so far is that she doesn't like toys (yet), is a picky eater, likes everyone, & growls at most big dogs (her small dog syndrome), but has pretty bad separation anxiety when my brother & I especially leave her at the moment. I really hope she gets over that, but only time will tell.

It was funny how we brought her home. We told our mom first that we adopted a dog because we knew if we told our dad, he would say no immediately. Once we brought her home, my dad said no to my mom, who brought her in. In response, my mom said, "You can't say no, this is my birthday present." Lol, momma's a g for that. Then my dad was telling Bom that he's going to put her in the microwave & after he said that to her, Bom just started licking my dad. Lol. This bitch.

"Auntie Bren, look! I'm Wonder Woman!"

Today was quite a productive day, in terms with family relationships & personal activities. Although I didn't go to my first class this morning, I did other school work to make up for it. I attempted to do my statistics project before my philosophy class & during anthropology. I did get a little done though. At the last few moments of anthropology lecture, Amanda & I attempted to leave class a bit early 'cause our professor was in another room proctoring the midterm we had on Friday to those who haven't taken it yet. But he came in when we were about to leave. We didn't want to make a lot of noise when leaving, so we hesitated for a bit. It was quite funny.

My brother picked me up from school & we had our little brother-sister day. We haven't had one in the longest time 'cause we're both busy with school, &work (&his then-girlfriend). It felt good hanging out with my brother again. I missed it a lot. We first went to eat lunch at Bashful Bull on Noriega. Both of us never ate here before, but we found it to be pretty good. It was like those ordinary mom & pop cafes run by Asians who serve Asian & American food. Typical mediocre service & food, but great special pricing.

Afterwards, we went to visit my grandpa at his elder care home. I haven't seen him since his birthday/before I left for Phoenix in the summer, July 20th. Yeah, its been a long time 'cause I'm always busy with school & work. :/ He didn't recognize me at first. I guess he thought I've grown more mature in the past three & a half months. He was very happy & surprised to see me. I was really happy to see him too & we had a good talk too. We had a brief visit 'cause we were going to Vallejo right after.

My brother & I then went to Vallejo to our cousin's house to visit his family. We drove the backroads, the Golden Gate Bridge route, to save a bit money instead of going through the Bay Bridge/Carquinez Bridge route. Highway 37 is a pretty route to drive, with all the cows, farms, &marshes. To kill time, we went to Super Walmart in American Canyon 'cause I needed to buy myself feminine products. I asked my brother if he wanted anything. He only wanted a Snickers bar. When I was at the checkout counter, it truly looked like I was on my period (which I really am), holding a box of tampons, pads, & a Snickers bar. It was an interesting image.

When we went to my cousin's house, he wasn't there 'cause he had to work overtime. But his wife, who's so much like a sister to my brother & I, & his kids were there. We ate pizza & played with our niece & nephew. I've missed them so. I haven seen them in a couple weeks &it felt good playing with them again. My six year old nephew, Kyle, read me his book from school. My three year old niece, Katelyn, is so cute. She always asks me to show her Taeyang's "Look Only at Me" music video. haha. She likes the dancing in the video. Then all of a sudden, she says "Auntie Bren, can I show you my costume?!" Then she runs to her room & dresses up in her Halloween costume, Wonder Woman! Its so cute. I swear she's gonna be the biggest heartbreaker when she grows up. These kids are growing up so fast & starting to make me feel older.


The drive back home with my brother was funny. My brother made me plug in my iPhone to his car's iPod jack 'cause he knows I have hella KPop Big Bang songs in it. He started doing the dances from Gara Gara Go while driving. It was hilarious. I wish I could've recorded it. Overall, I felt today was a good day.

Now back to mediocre statistics homework. Bleh.