Gemini necklace from momma. Cross necklace from Charlotte Russe.
1. I was read Enid Blyton books as a child.
2. I hate vegetables. They’re basically grass.
3. My favorite Pixar film is Finding Nemo. Then Monsters Inc..
4. I loved Bratz growing up. I still think they’re better than Barbie.
5. I always curl my toes and feet inward without even realizing it.
6. When I was a little girl, I thought I wanted to become an artist when I grew up.
7. I call my cousin, Marian, Squirt and she calls me Stretch because of our insane height difference.
8. While I was taking ballet lessons as a child, my teacher told my mother that I trotted like a horse instead of danced. Clearly I wasn’t meant to become a ballerina.
9. The first movie I remember watching is 27 Dresses.
10. I’ve never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Fields of Gold
11. I attended three different elementary schools. One in Malaysia, two in Texas.
12. I suck at math.
13. My first phone was a Nokia.
14. The first thing I look for at an airport is an Auntie Anne’s.
15. I love watching the trailers that play before a movie starts.
Shoes are Antonio Melani.Dress from Forever 21.Fun fact: this was shot in the rain.
16. I used to always say that I’d attend an out-of-state university, but ended up choosing one in Irving, Dallas.
17. The songs I’m currently playing on repeat are Girls Like You by Maroon5 and Back to You by Selena Gomez.
18. When I was very young, I’d refer to myself in third person plural.
19. My first imaginary friend was a pig with wings. For some reason this made my mother worry that Satan was befriending me. Also because of #18.
There’s still a large part of me that hasn’t accepted that I attended high school, let alone graduated and made it to university.
I mean, when I was fourteen/fifteen, I’d say “ten” when people asked me how old I was. And now that I’m nineteen, I feel as though I’m seventeen/eighteen. Maybe feeling younger than I actually am is a good thing?
Momma Bear treated me to lunch at a Japanese restaurant that we love eating at.
We then spent the afternoon at the mall being silly, looking at stuff in the store Typo, running away from the rain, and listening to Selena Gomez’s Back to You.
After a big, fat nap, the day ended with dinner out at Malaysian restaurant Satay. They have the best soya bean and roti canai (prata). I always get those things, along with their nasi lemak. I was practically in Heaven.
You see, I love spending my birthdays with my momma and then celebrating with my squad later on.
The majority of my high school girlfriends were invited to my house for a birthday potluck. There was pasta, chicken, pizza, chocolate chip cookies, upside down strawberry cake, bruschetta, sushi, orange juice, and God knows what else.
Pretty sure we were all about to explode.
It’s always great to be around my high school squad. I never thought I’d miss hanging out with those crazy Asians so much 🙂
Having my Little Mermaid moment.Dress found at Goodwill. It was the dress I would’ve worn to the Spring Formal.
I’d like to thank everyone who wished me “Happy Birthday” and gave me endless love on the day I was born.
The middle of May until the middle of June is always a crazy time for myself and my family. There’s Mother’s Day, my birthday (23rd), my stepbrother’s birthday (24th), my momma’s birthday (27th), which is also my parents’ anniversary, my stepfather’s birthday (1st), my other stepbrother’s birthday (7th), and then Father’s Day.
The amount of gifts bought and given during this time is greater than any Christmas holiday we’ve had. My mother always refers to this time as the time to “go bankrupt.”
Top is Elle.Jogger pants from Zara.
Mother’s Day was spent watching The Avengers: Infinity War, per Her Royal Divaness’ request, and going out to eat at one of the three Malaysian restaurants in the area.
I’m going to talk about my birthday in another post 😉
Momma’s birthday was spent also watching a movie, but this time Solo: A Star Wars Story. Did we end up eating at the same restaurant? Yes, yes we did and with no regrets.
Oh, and is it at all a coincidence that her birthday is the same day as my parents’ anniversary? Definitely not. It’s most definitely a ploy to get more presents and freebies.
Lipstick is Estée Lauder’s Pure Envy Color:Uninhibited. Earrings from Hot Topic.Bracelet was a gift from Momma Bear.Heels are Audrey Brooke.
Sidenote: The heels above are my first pair ever. I wore it out to dinner for Mother’s Day and Momma Bear was shook. She then proceeded to almost cry because she took it as a sign of my growing up. Oh momma.
Pondering about my age.
Father’s Day was originally supposed to be a trip to the museum to see European art. Someone (namely my stepfather), however, somehow did something to hurt his back from stretching at the gym.
How? No idea.
So we instead to spend the day watching Once Upon A Time (love that show), while eating a ton of pancakes and hashbrowns.
Nothing but smiles.
It has been a crazy but awesome time lately, filled with celebrating, movie watching, eating food, and taking Polaroids.
I hope all of my fellow Geminis had amazing birthdays! As well as all the mothers and fathers out there 🙂
I have officially survived my first year of university.
And I don’t just mean in terms of grades, but emotionally too. I never knew college could be just as dramatic as high school. But it’s also a lot more fun (no, not that kind of fun).
I mean campfires, dance parties, Whataburger runs, and late night cram sessions.
College is in some ways exactly what I expected:
There are people who party and drink way too much.
All-nighters are a lot more common then I thought.
The appeal in sleeping in and skipping class is a real danger.
Asking for extensions is a thing.
Cafeteria food sucks.
Microwaveable ramen and mac ‘n’ cheese are lifesavers. And pizza.
And microwaves in general.
Jacket from Forever 21.Cuff from Malaysia.Booties are Betsey Johnson.
But in some ways college isn’t what I expected:
College kids are waaayyy nicer than high schoolers (as long as they’re not crazy drunks).
The assumption that for every professor there are a bajillion students is bull.
Lecture halls are not necessarily the default classroom.
Sometimes ordering food really is the better option.
Psychotic roommates are not always a thing (love you Sarah!).
This year has most definitely had its challenges.
I mean, change is always difficult to adapt to.
Like being away from my mother (who is the light of my life), no longer seeing my high school squad everyday, being able to eat jasmine rice (yes, this is a legitimate issue), and having a shower bigger than a bathroom stall.
But there’s also the ability to personalize one’s schedule, have free hot chocolate whenever I want, going out in my pajamas, and taking classes that I’m actually interested in (psychology).
While I’m most definitely going to miss my university squad, I’m glad to have three months free from schoolwork.
Ring from Taylor Swift’s reputation merchandise. Bought by my stepbrother. 🙂Coat from Forever 21.
Last Saturday night was UD’s Spring Formal dance.
The plan was to go with some of my friends, wear this super pretty gown, and my first pair of heels that I absolutely adore!
Things don’t always work out though.
After a couple of my friends and I went shopping, we had a late lunch at a place called The Corner Market. It has delicious food (sandwiches, muffins, and tortellini) and the place is just overall very charming.
When we finished, however, my stomach started to hurting really badly.
I initially thought it was because I ate too much, so I just kind of brushed it off.
But when we were on the way back to campus, I suddenly felt the need to throw up. Luckily I had a paper bag with me so I wouldn’t mess up my friend’s car. And yes, I did puke. It was not my finest moment.
Turns out I had the stomach flu. AND it was the first time ever for me.
I proceeded to throw another few times later on.
Sup?Boots bought at Target.
While I was throwing for the second time, I thought about asking my roommate, Sarah, to take my place instead so the money wouldn’t go to waste. She did and looked awesome, despite having to get ready in like twenty minutes.
I have to say, having the stomach flu is incredibly painful. Call me a wuss, but I’m pretty sure I almost cried at one point.
Eventually I fell asleep (thank God).
I woke up around the time everyone got back, which was around one in the morning. By then I felt INFINITELY better. And then I proceeded to pass out again.
Leggings from Zara.Dress from an indie boutique in Malaysia.
I couldn’t bring myself to eat anything but crackers for a while.
I don’t think I can stomach tortellini or anything with sun dried tomato. At least not for a LOOOOOONG time.
Also, I would not wish a stomach flu on my worst enemy. I mean, it was REALLY awful.
Breakups to Makeups top by the brand of the same name.Headband from Forever 21.
Something the majority of parents dread is having their child being dating.
I suppose it’s meant to signify a bit of “growing up” or whatever.
But I admit that I have never been interested in dating. I have never been the type of girl who dreamt of her first date with the “perfect” guy. My priority, as nerdy as it sounds, has always been my education.
#CHILLINLIKEAVILLAINPants from Forever 21.
My mother’s first reaction was to ask if I was a lesbian.
If you’re wondering, the answer is no. Unless Beyoncé leaves Jay-Z and suddenly wants me, it’s probably gonna stay that way.
The only time I had ever wanted to be in a relationship was when I was in the eighth grade, and it wasn’t for the right reasons.
My best friend at the time had just gotten her first boyfriend and I’m gonna admit, I was jealous. Not of the guy but of the idea of having someone be interested in you.
Shoes from JustFab.#MYTRAIN
I later on met a guy who very blatantly flirted with me.
And I, being the confused and innocent kid that I was, thought I liked him back. Therefore I, while didn’t exactly encourage the advances, did not exactly stop them either.
In the end we were in a relationship (if you can even call it that) for one weekend.
I basically freaked out and felt suffocated.
I clearly was not ready for a relationship. And to be honest, I’m still not ready.
I was upfront with the guy and told him the truth: I wasn’t ready and I wanted to focus on high school.
We went to different high schools, so I don’t know how he is now or what’s happened to him.
What I realized was that wanting to have a relationship versus wanting to be with a specific person are two very different things.
That was probably the first time I had ever been so befuddled by my feelings. I decided that unless I met someone I was truly drawn to, AND I if I felt ready to be with said person, I would focus on my studies and how to become a psychologist.
So girls, and guys, if you don’t want to have a significant other, do not at all feel as though you’re odd or weird. You are in no way obliged to have one or to pursue one. Some people have different priorities, and each one should be respected. The important thing is to be happy and healthy.
For the first time in my eight years living in Texas, winter actually felt like winter. I mean it was consistently cold too!
Even though I am ready to wear lighter clothing, I am not excited by the army of pollen headed my way.
I’ve been so congested that my hearing was muffled for a few days.
Necklace was a birthday pressie 🙂
Over the weekend my parents and I attended a family friend’s wedding.
Well, technically the family friend’s daughter. But, same thing.
Initially we didn’t think I was invited so I didn’t go. But when it came time for dinner, my mother saw that the seat next to her had my nameplate on it. So naturally I got dressed in five minutes and went off in an Uber.
I managed to get to the venue during the first course. It was salad though so I didn’t really care.
The night was loooong, but a lot of fun.
Watching my mother and my stepfather dance was kind of like watching Leonard and Penny from The Big Bang Theory. It was cute and funny tough.
The wedding had Mardi Gras dancers with masks the light up for the guests, tons of food and drinks, a HUGE cake, s’mores on the balcony, an elaborate performance customary for Muslim weddings, and a crap ton of candles.
It was a beautiful fire hazard.
Lips is One Over One’s Scarlet Bloom Lip Oil.Coat from Forever 21.Dress from Poshmark.Boots from an indie boutique.
Afterwards I headed back to my college squad and the bonfire party.
We sang (badly) and danced the night (and morning) away.
A huge congratulations to the happy couple and a huge “thank you” for the invitation!
A couple of weekends ago my college friends and I visited Houston to attend the Houston Rodeo. In all my eight years living in Houston, that was the first time I ever went.
Lydi – one of my friends – has the nicest parents ever.
Her father drove all the way from Pearland to Dallas just to pick us up and then drove us back to Houston. Her mother also made us a ton of food, something I always appreciate.
At the halfway point we stopped by at Buc-ee’s.
All of friends who aren’t from Texas were so shook by the enormity of the place. Joanna, another friend of mine, said if the world ever underwent a zombie apocalypse then Buc-ee’s would be the place humans would run to.
The first night we went out for dinner at Koto.
One of my most favorite restaurants ever.
When Lydi proposed going there, completely unaware of my love for Koto, I flipped out. Once we entered the restaurant, I literally told everyone where I sat (which was most of the tables).
Afterwards we had dessert at Red Circle, another place I love going to. My high school squad and I go to Red Circle (and other places similar to it) all the time, so to have gone with my college squad was really cool.
It’s also in Chinatown.
For those of you who don’t know my high school squad is primarily Asian while my college squad is primarily Caucasian. When we were about to enter Red Circle, Sean – white boy #1 – said that we needed an Asian to go in first.
Yes, it ended up being me.
After having breakfast at Another Broken Egg the next day, everyone headed to the NRG Stadium for the Houston Rodeo.
The first thing I noticed was that the majority of the events were indoors. I quietly thanked God because heat and I are not buddies. The second thing I noticed was that the place was HUGE. From the NRG Center where the shops are, to the NRG Stadium where the concerts are held, to the ginormous amusement park next to them.
The first thing we did was go to the Petting Zoo. Despite my jacket being slightly chewed on by a goat, ultimately saved by Tim (white boy #2), the animals were overall adorable. And don’t worry, my jacket is fine.
We also saw a cow being milked. Sean has a somewhat unhealthy obsession with milk so we had to stay and watch.
We went to tons of shops in the NRG Center. We went to the largest moving candy store, saw tons of cows walking around, would jokingly go into livestock trailers, and ate TONS of food (like cotton candy, curly fries, fried oreos, etc.).
Afterwards we went on a few rides. One of them almost made me threw up.
I didn’t though.
We then ended the night with a movie at Lydi’s, playing Zombies, and accidentally pushing Martha into the pool (sorry!).
The next day we went to Killen’s, which was amazing, before driving back to UD.
This is my train. Say hello.Shoes from JustFab.
During Spring Break my high school squad and I went to the Rodeo.
I know.
I’ve never gone for eight years and now I’ve gone twice in one month.
With my high school squad, however, we mostly focus on food and taking Instagrammable pictures.
Undershirt is momma’s old tee 🙂Dress was bought from the Rodeo. The store is called Monique’s.
I had cotton candy, Diane had tamales, while Joy and RJ shared a hugeass baked potato.
Joy always goes to extreme lengths to make sure she gets the perfect angle. People around us were probably confused by these four Asians running around in circles trying to take the perfect picture.
With cool friends come lovely quirks.
Cuff from Free People.
My first, and second, experience at the Houston Rodeo was awesome.
But while the event itself is really cool, it was the company that made the entire trip really wonderful.
This past February I attended my very first New York Fashion Week.
Well, technically for me, it was New York Fashion Weekend since I didn’t want to miss too much school.
Vest from Kissue. Jumpsuit from Forever 21.
I left on Friday and right after I landed, momma, Sofie (our photographer), and I went straight to the Kérastase Institute Hair Lab.
I’m going to write an actual post detailing my experience, but for now let’s just say that it was EPIC. I mean they literally took a picture of a few of my hair strands and apparently my hair is needs some love.
After the appointment ended, we went to Morimoto’s and the pork gyoza slayed me. I ordered them twice and there are roughly 5 per serving.
The location itself is probably one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to. There are paintings everywhere and all over the place, huge modern chandeliers, multicolored walls and stairs, and cool sculptures that surround the building. It’s basically a church on the outside and a gothic – but spunky – club on the inside.
The organization, however, was horrendous. I know most of the time people put up with it because the location is so badass, but damn it was chaotic.
The show was pushed back by almost an hour because the one preceding it ran late. So we all had to wait outside. In cold New York weather.
There also wasn’t enough space for chairs for all of the VIP attendees. So the organizers were literally running around looking for chairs and placing them at the end of each row. My mother and I were really lucky to get seats. We were originally supposed to sit in the second row, but by then getting a seat was a miracle.
There was just tons of talking and arguing about getting seats.
The first show we saw was Candice Cuoco’s Belladonna. This collection is perfect for the girl in love with grunge. Her girl is the one you’d see in a black, studded gothic outfit, sticking out in a sea of pink Barbies. While I loved the majority of her collection, some were a bit costumey for my taste. Her collection, however, was probably my favorite from that night.
She was then followed by Danny Nguyen’s Pret-A-Porter. The first five models walked down the runway so fast I wonder if anyone was able to really see anything. Maybe it was because the show was so late? Either way there were a few looks that I really liked. Particularly the long, sparkly dresses. My favorite one, however, was the sparkly matching top and shorts. This collection, although probably my least favorite one from that night, was my favorite in terms of the styling. Each model rocked cornrows, cool printed bags and backpacks, studded shades, and some carried a second pair of shoes hanging from their bag.
The last show of that night was Willfredo Gerado‘s. There were many looks that I liked, such as the black sequin jumpsuit, the long see-through gold dress, and the strapless blush gown. Although some looks seemed quite uninspired to me, overall it was a solid collection. Also, the designer has a really cool name.
Beauty & the Beast necklace from momma.My #JETLAG face.Shoes from JustFab.
The next day momma and I originally planned to attend four shows.
The first thing we did before that, however, was visit the one and only Mood. We were so sad that Swatch wasn’t there that day, but we got tons of tees and got to gaze upon an ocean of fabrics.
I then had my hair done at Glam & Go for our next show. It was so pretty. I had nice bouncy curls that made me feel super fancy.
After that we took an Uber to our next location. Except he drove us to the wrong place.
How? I have no idea.
And guess what? It was raining.
And no. I didn’t have a hoodie.
So momma and I literally went around in circles, IN THE RAIN, trying to find the place. We literally asked four different people for help and the first three had us going in different directions. Eventually we got to the event, but almost completely drenched.
But it’s alright. We rocked the drowned rat look.
The event, which was at Studio 450, showcased tons of designers. We were invited to see two shows but ended up only seeing one because we exhausted and wet.
The show we saw was Colour by Nandi Madida. It was an awesome collection. It’s tribal vibe, play with colors, and cool hairstyles made it probably my favorite one overall. Some models even wore Raggedy Ann wigs and many had yellow winged eyeliner.
Momma and I basically decided to go to only one show and chill out together while eating good food.
On the last day of my trip, momma and I went to an amazing and authentic Malaysian restaurant. It was literal Nirvana. We ordered so much food we could barely move. We had prata / roti canai, hot milo, ais kacang, and so much more.
I could’ve died right there and been at peace.
After buying some cheese in Little Italy for Gigi (because Italians are always picky about their cheese), momma and I did one last thing: shop at Forever 21 in Times Square. It was literally all we did until I had to catch my flight back to Dallas.
Being in New York City has always been amazing for me. The first two visits, however, didn’t have my momma. We had an amazing and fun time together in the Big Apple.
This past weekend I went back home to celebrate Chinese New Year with my parents.
The original plan was to go home the weekend before that, but I apparently decided to be sick on Valentine’s Day.
Naturally, I stuffed my face with Asian cuisine.
The first night we went to one of the two Malaysian cafes in Chinatown: Mamak.
My soul literally lifted up. I was so full and happy like a pug whose just been fed and/or been given a massage by it’s owner.
After having delicious roti canai / prata (basically Indian pancakes) and nasi lemak (flavored rice with curry chicken, roasted peanuts, anchovies, etc.), I took my parents to a place my high school friends and I frequently go to when we meet up. It’s called Wsup Cafe and it is AMAZING. I’m in love with their strawberry slushy and desserts. They’re most known for their waffle and ice cream meal.
It’s basically Heaven in a cone.
I think I’ve also officially got Momma Bear hooked on their honeydew smoothie.
Sweater is Pinko.#SMOOCH
The next day we went out for some Japanese food and I had one of my favorite dishes ever: chicken katsu.
If you ask anyone who truly knows me, they’ll tell you four things: I love to take naps, I love chocolate, I’m sassy, and I love chicken katsu.
If you have no idea what that is then shame on you!
Go Google it fool!
Feeling red and blue.Enjoying the chilly New York breeze.
Afterwards we went to get my stepfather, Gigi, some new jeans ’cause he had like two and one of them had holes so big I thought they were black holes.
Momma Bear was hellbent on getting him to try on skinny jeans and “look cool.”
Now my old school, fifty-something-year-old (gotta keep some things a secret) stepfather who always makes fun of my ripped jeans is walking around in black skinny jeans.
You know, I never knew he actually had legs.
Yesterday morning Momma Bear and I went to see Black Panther and, in all honesty, was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a really long time.
I won’t give too much away, all I’ll say is that the actors were absolutely amazing at making their characters both hysterical and dignified.
My favorite character was Shuri.
She’s the incredibly intelligent and hilarious younger sister on the main character, T’Challa a.k.a the Black Panther. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about.
It was also just so freakin’ emotional, like I can’t even.
GO WATCH IT.
Red coat from Victoria Square in Australia.Boots from JustFab.
When I arrived at the airport to go back to Dallas, I arrived thirty minutes before boarding.
Now normally I get to the airport two hours before JUST IN CASE anything happens because life just sucks that way. But this time we didn’t think it was necessary.
WRONG.
Since there was only one officer at security checkpoint, the line was super long and it took me around half an hour to get through. Boarding began at 5:30 and ended at 5:50, so I had like ten minutes to run to my gate.
I had to get to my gate, which was E1, from Terminal C because Gigi thought the two terminals weren’t that far away from one another.
He was a LIAR. It was FAR. I ran like I was being chased by demons or something.
I get there and there are tons of people still sitting in the waiting area. So I ask the lady at the counter whether boarding had begun yet and she said, “No, boarding has been delayed ten minutes.”
I both wanted to laugh and punch someone in the face.
The flight was eventually delayed for like another hour and I didn’t get back until late at night. I was so done with life, you can’t even imagine.
The World According To Eve 