THE 20 MISTAKES IN YOUR 20s

Everyone knows that their 20s are their most selfish years. These are the years to learn, have fun, and make mistakes. These are the years to go balls out and not give a damn. There are plenty of articles written by the ghosts of the 20s' past about the Do's and Don'ts. These articles were written with warnings, telling us to make these the best years of our lives. It's funny because with so many articles written about the 20s, it seems like once you've crossed the 30 line... you're no longer important. Where are the 30s, 40s, and 50s? My Facebook newsfeed have been blowing up with these types of articles. All from recent graduated seniors and seniors. I have read every single one of them and only one article actually stood out to me. This one: The 20 mistakes you don't want to make in your 20s. Preston Waters gives the brutal truth. As I was reading through the 20 mistakes, my brain was trying to fight all the points he was trying to make. But in the back of my mind, I thought wow, this couldn't be any more truer. Here are some that really stood out to me:

I couldn't agree more with the #1 mistake on the list. This was actually a point my brain wasn't putting up a fight about. But it was actually giving a standing ovation. I'm one to believe in karma. Burning all bridges is the worst mistake anyone can make. And this should be carried throughout your whole life and not just to realize when in your 20s. Do good things but don't expect anything in return. Be nice even when you want to react in the meanest way, trust me, the sweetest revenge is to kill them with sweetness. It's amazing how life works, but don't ever forget karma.

I have friends, a lot of friends. Some are easily disposed, some are very valuable. Being in a sorority comes with lots and lots of friends. But I know better with quality vs. quantity. Luckily I have a nice balance between the two. I have plenty of friends, but I also have a few friends I can count in just one hand whom I can trust with my life. I'm usually the peacemaker, but as of late, in the past couple of years or so, I have learned to realize who's worth it and who's not. How I view it is that if I lose a friend, I reevaluate our friendship. I ask myself how beneficial are they in my life. That sounds incredibly harsh and mean, but let me further explain... I would ask myself these following questions: Do they make me happy? Have they been there for me? Will I be sad if they're no longer in my life? Will I miss them? If I say no to any of these and feel that they're not going to be an asset to my life, our friendship is really not worth striving for. My 20s are my selfish year. Everything is about me. I am living for nobody else but me. Therefore, there is no room for friends who will not benefit ME. My friends should be able to inspire me, motivate me, and challenge me. They definitely should not surround me with a negative aura and bring me down. I know this paragraph was all about me.. ME ME ME, I'm selfish. I'm allowed to be, I am 20.

This is a point my brain was picking at. I am #11. I'm definitely sticking to the job I have right now just because it is convenient. It does not challenge me nor does it help me get closer to my career goals. I am so comfortable here and that makes me lazy. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful to have a job. But, it doesn't make me happy. I will not be able to get a job I love once I get out of college based on this job. Number 11 really made me realize that maybe I should quit. Maybe I should find a job that's going to make me happy. Maybe I should find a job that's going to further my career. Okay, not maybes, but I will. 

Vacation, vacation, vacation. Okay, #12 was written for me. This mistake is the king of all warnings. I feel like I need a vacation all the time, and I take vacations all the time. Whether it's a big trip, or a mini-vacay, I love vacations. I shouldn't be taking any vacations because vacations are extremely expensive. I haven't accomplished anything, therefore, I don't deserve a vacation. I need to focus on what's important for me. I'm not one to think for the future, I live in the moment. But I'm starting to realize that these moments are not good enough. These moments aren't vacation worthy. Okay, I'm rambling, I don't exactly know what I'm trying to say, but just to point out the fact that I really don't deserve a break. Until I feel like I have earned it.

Ladies, love is for suckers. And I am a sucker. Well, not exactly. I'm not looking for love. Especially not at this point in life. I'm not looking for a relationship either, because I know how crazy those gets. But, I am dating. I love dating. But, the emotional effects are just about the same. I'm a lot stronger than most when it comes to dealing with my emotions, but sometime, it gets way out of hand. It can change my mood from happy to extremely annoyed. Why should anyone have the ability to control your emotions right? Better off alone. But alone doesn't give you all of the benefits you can get out of a partner. I know not to fall in love. I'm smarter than that. Dating can be great, and bad. Well, this was another pointless paragraph about me rambling about absolutely nothing. Lol. Just forget about this. Don't fall in love.

There you have it. My five favorite points from "The 20 mistakes." Take it and run with it. I think these were very honest and they weren't sugar coated at all. There are no butterflies and flowers, just some harsh truths. 

Au revoir.

xoxo

Sunset Cliffs, San Diego

I have created a list of things to do and places to go and I am determined to finish it all by the end of summer (3 weeks from now, yikes!) So first thing to be checked off of that list is Sunset Cliffs. I came across it on Yelp and the pictures of the place swept me away. I love the beach and any chance for me to be at the beach I will take!

Sunset Cliffs is located a street called Sunset Cliffs Blvd . It is exactly what it is called. People go here specifically for the sunset. My, it is definitely a view to see! I envy the lucky folks who gets to live here. Along Sunset Cliffs Blvd, there are a number of places that you can pull over to see this beautiful sight. There will be signs lined up along the edges warning you not to go on the cliffs. But nobody ever listens. If you do, you'll get a mediocre view. If you're a daredevil, (haha, it's honestly not scary at all) ignore the warnings and you'll be left speechless by the view! At the end of Sunset Cliffs Blvd, there'll be a big parking lot with two porta potties, park there, and go down the makeshift trail that'll lead you to a small beach. You'll see a few people there but it is not populated at all. Trust me, it is so peaceful! As if you have the whole beach to yourself. The trail leading down to the beach is kind of dangerous. People can slip and fall of the cliff very easily. But if you trust your instinct and hope for the best (lol, probably the worst advice ever), you will have a great time! Once you get near the bottom, there's a rope that you can hold on to to climb down (this part was the coolest). Once you're down, take a deep breath and just soak it all in! Take your clothes off, lay your towel down, put on your suntan lotion, and relax. You can either relax or watch the surfers ride the waves, or you can go explore the caves and climb the rocks along the beach. It is amazing. I wish I had more time to explore, but I went there to paint and that literally took me 3 hours. I had to move so many times because the water kept on getting higher and higher. At the end, I had to just wrap up early because the waves were smashing too close to me. Check it out when you get a chance!

I love the way the galaxy starts to melt when we become one...

I would fall in love every time a song by The Spill Canvas comes on my playlist. Their songs will always take me back to the years where all I would listen to was Indie bands, such as, Bright Eyes, Dashboard, and Death Cab. I love that nostalgia feeling their music would bring. It reminds me of my youth, yes I am very well aware that I am only 20 and still is in my "youth", but I'm talking about my early high school youth. The youth where I was madly infatuated with a boy who was completely oblivious to my feelings, or let alone any other girls' feelings (okay, this obviously doesn't sound like a happy memory, but at the time, I was blinded by this happiness). The youth where I could actually frolic in a field and not cared about what anyone thinks (I mean, I can still do this, but it was a lot more fun at 14). The youth where my two best friends and I would lay on the track and field's pole vaulting mat after school while listening to our colorful iPod nano play awesome tunes (each of us actually had a different color, I had the pink, they had green and blue). That youth. It's sad, but I never actually pay attention to song's lyrics. But something about The Spill Canvas... something about their music makes me want to slow down and listen to the lyrics. Their music is filled with lyrics that were beautifully created for the human soul, so creatively written. If I could marry it, I would.

Here's the song that sparked all of this emotion for me today.

How does it feel to know you're everything I need 
The butterflies in my stomach 
They could bring me to my knees 
How does it feel to know you're everything I want 
I've got a hard time saying this 
So I'll sing it in a song 

Oh I adore the way you carry yourself 
With the grace of a thousand angels overhead 
I love the way the galaxy starts to melt 
When we become one 
When we become one 
When we become one 
When we become one 

How does it feel 
How does it feel when we get locked into a stare? 
Please don't come looking for me 
When I get lost in the mess of your hair 
How do you feel when everything you've known 
Gets thrown aside 
Never fear, my dear, 'cause we have nothing left to hide 

Oh I adore the way you carry yourself 
With the grace of a thousand angels overhead 
I love the way the galaxy starts to melt 

Hold on to me girl 
If you feel your grip getting loose 
Just know that I'm right next to you 
Hold on to me girl 
If you feel your grip getting loose 
Just know that I won't let you down 

Well, I'm ready 
Well, I'm ready 
I am ready 
To run away with you 
Are you ready? 
Are you ready? 
Are you ready? 
To run away with me 

Pack your things we can leave today 
Pack your things we can leave today 
Say our goodbyes and get on the train 
Say goodbye 
Just you and I in the sweet unknown 
We can just call each other our home 

If I had to choose a way to die 
It'd be with you 
In a goose bump infested embrace 
With my overanxious hands cupping your face 
In a goosebump infested embrace 
With my overanxious hands cupping your cherub face 

How does it feel?

Love

When in Hawaii, do as...

Remember how I posted an entry about how I couldn't find cool things to do in Hawaii before I left for Hawaii? I found one worthy blog by a local that talks about these wonderful places on the island. Check him out here, Exploration Hawaii. If you love nature and exploring as much as I do, you will love his blog. Definitely a gem find. He doesn't just tell you or show you pictures of these amazing places, he goes into details of how to get there and how illegal these hikes are (lol). I wish I had enough time to do everything on there. Heck, if I was a local, my weekends would be dedicating to exploring the beautiful islands. The next time I'm in Hawaii, I refused to waste a second NOT going to these places.

Alright, so here are some of what I did in Hawaii...

Sea Life Park
The number one thing I wanted to do in Hawaii was to "dance with dolphins." Also known as interaction in the water with dolphins. That was fulfilled by my second day in Hawaii. It was more than magical and everything I could ever imagine. Ever wonder what dolphins feel like? Like leather. Hard and rubbery. Oh my, they were so smart! One of my favorite movies in the entire world is 50 First Dates, and I have seen it over 50 times. Come to find out, one of the dolphins I "danced" with, Mikioi, was a star in the movie. How cool is that?! Besides dancing with the dolphins, I got to explore the park. It wasn't much. There were some sea turtles, penguins, sharks, birds, a whale, and sea lions. You can go around the whole place in probably less than 45 minutes. It's pretty small. The place overlooks the beautiful blue ocean and that's definitely a sight to see.

Shrimp Trucks

I heard that it is a must to try the shrimp trucks on the island. I didn't know there were so many!!! I only had time to try 2 shrimp trucks. The first was called Ono Steaks & Shrimp Wagon, located in Waimanalo just down the road from Sea Life Park. I got a garlic shrimp plate and 1 shredded beef taco. The garlic shrimp plate was my favorite! It was perfectly seasoned, and not overwhelmed with garlic. My taco was filled with lettuce, mango salsa, and the meat, it was heaven on earth! The second shrimp truck that I tried was in Hahuku called Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. They have another location in Haleiwa. I don't eat spicy food, but my friend got their spicy shrimp plate and said it was extremely hot! But, good. I played it safe and got a shrimp scampi plate (it's just a garlic shrimp plate). It was $13, a little more pricier than Ono Steaks & Shrimp Wagon ($7 and some change). I thought Giovanni's shrimp plate was alright. It was as flavorful as the Ono's shrimp plate. I think what really made a difference is that at Ono's, the white rice was drizzled in the same garlic sauce that the shrimp had. So it was very flavorful. Giovanni's Shrimp Truck is a well known place. It was way more packed than Ono's. Try them both out! 

 Matsumoto
I don't think I need to write a description for this place at all. It is known worldwide. Shaved ice. It's definitely a tourist place. Must go if you're in the area... just because. I thought their shaved ice just tastes like any other shaved ice. Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way dissing this place. It's one of the originals and very hyped up, there's nothing different about their ice or flavors. But it was cool to just be there.. haha.

Swap Meet at the Stadium

If you want to buy gifts for friends and family back at home, this is the place to go. You can find really neat things starting from just one dollar. You can buy a cool HI t-shirt for just $4 here along with other HI souvenirs. 

Diamond Head State Monument 

Major tourist spot. A short hike to the top where you can see a 180 degrees view of the island. Pretty nice up top, but very populated with people... yuck. There's a tunnel you can go through. Warning, it's dark and has huge bugs! There are stairs you're going to have to climb up. Parking is $5 and very limited. I got there around 8 o'clock and the lot was full, but I waited in line and eventually there was a spot open up within minutes. Not too bad. Go here if you have an hour to kill. Other than that, you can get more by doing a 3 mile hike in the neck of the woods somewhere on the island. 

Liliha Bakery 

If you're looking for a sweet treat at the godly hour of the night, go here. They have all types of desserts ranging from cheescakes to donuts. They also have food food here, but I only got an oreo mint chocolate chip cupcake here. I went at midnight and they had a lot of options!

Tantalus Dr. 

This place is a must go. I got a chance to see it in the day and at night. Doesn't matter what time of the day you go, you will not be disappointed. During the day, make sure to drop by the Puu Ualakaa State Park up the road, go to the viewpoint (there'll be signs guiding you to it) there and absorb all of Oahu's beauty! I was speechless. At night, along the road, there's a lookout viewpoint, you can see half of Oahu lit up in perfection. 

Manoa Falls

If you have better places to see, don't go here. Probably one of the most disappointed things I did in Hawaii. It wasn't much of a hike and when I went, it was very slippery and muddy. The waterfall was the saddest thing I have ever seen. Normally, I would spend at least 30 minutes at the end to soak it all in but as soon as I reached the waterfall, I just wanted to get out of there. I do like the fact that it was in a tropical forest. I think if the hike was longer, more challenging, and less muddy, I'd enjoy it. 

 The Spitting Caves
 I was this close to leave Hawaii without knowing what the heck The Spitting Caves was. It's exactly what the name is. A bunch of water rushes into a cave and then it spits it back out. Voila. This place was a gem! Very hard to find, we had to drive by it twice very slowly in order to find it. You can Yelp it and it will guide you to it, but you'll be so confused as it is in a neighborhood with very nice houses. Plus, the people on Yelp won't tell you how to get there because they want to reserve its beauty, and after seeing it, I now understand why, and they have done a great job doing so. The path that leads you to it is located between two houses, you will see a construction crew working on a house right next to it. You must look closely for it or else you won't find it. Once you walk through the beaten path, it'll open up to an amazing view of  the ocean. Walk to your left and there's a rusty ladder that'll lead you to the whirlpool underneath. This was my favorite place out of all the places I've been to on the island.

The Beaches
Best thing about Hawaii beaches... no parking fee and you can find a beach anywhere! I was at the beach almost every single day. The water was so warm and... "blue". There were a few beaches where it was crazy packed... there were some that were so secluded, and that takes some time driving down the road and through the neighborhoods to discover.

• Lani Kai

• Waimea

• Kailua

• All other beaches that we stumbled upon but do not know the name of

I'm so glad I had a chance to soak it all up. Oahu was beautiful and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore such an incredible place. Until next time... aloha.

xoxo

I can taste the smell of summer

I must say this summer has been everything I wanted and more! Ever since college started, every summer has been dedicated to school. However, after this brutal spring semester, I needed a break. I didn't sign up for any summer classes and decided to do all things that I love. I love to travel, I have been doing that. I love nature and the puristic earth, I have been spending all of my time off in the forests, woods, mountains, lake and ocean. I love being by myself, I have been doing that. I love being with people, I have been doing that. I love exploring new territories, I have been exploring my brain out! I've tried so many new things so far this summer and yet we're still only half way in. I can only imagine how great the rest of July and August will be.


Xoxo

What a beaut!

Hawaii

What I have realized when I try to search for "things to do in (insert place here)" is that nothing cool ever comes up. It could be that I am really bad at typing in keywords in the search bar, or it could be that people never wants to let the world know all the cool spots they've discovered! As I am preparing for my Hawaii trip for the upcoming weeks, I want to do some research for cool things to do in Hawaii. I mean, yeah it's Hawaii, everything should be cool to a foreigner like me! But, I want more than just a hike to a waterfall. I want more than just a luau. I want more than just the beautiful island that I can see through Google image search. I want to dig deep in the roots and discover the local spots. Something wicked that will leave my mind in shocked for days.   Yet here I am searching and searching, and there's nothing. There has to be something right? Maybe like a tunnel in the middle of a mountain that leads down to a cave where I can dig my toes into the sand and walk just a few steps until I can reach the pure blue water (yet I'm picturing a sea green ocean) where I am secluded with no one else in sight. Something.

Okay, maybe I am being a little ridiculous, but what I'm trying to say is that it shouldn't be that hard to search for some cool exotic locations. Where are my locals at? Where are my traveling bloggers at? Help! Nonetheless, I am very excited as this will be my first time in Hawaii. I'm going to see my cousin Sang, who lives in Kaneohe. I haven't seen her in a little over a year, so this should be a good reunion! Alright, well, hopefully I will be able to dig up something cool, until then, adios.

xoxo
Ly