Happy Anniversary!

Look, a cheesy couple!

Few of you may know that Justin and I celebrated our one year anniversary on January 2! We’d been unofficially going out for several months, but it was on that fateful January day that he finally (and I mean finally) asked me to be his girlfriend. (He’d already asked before, but I said let’s go out first and see haha. Woo! Courtship phase!)

Last year we went to a fancy expensive buffet restaurant that cost an arm and a leg to go to. It was very touching because I like being spoiled! But this year we went a completely different tack. I had work, so we decided to have a picnic after my shift. Not a full-on picnic with pies and cooking, mind you. It was more like ‘Let’s stop at the grocery and buy food!’ Because let’s face it. I cannot cook!

I told him the budget was $30 (because this year I was paying, yay!), but I cannot resist food, and we spent around $45 instead. This is still not even half of what he paid for last year’s special dinner, so I cannot complain. Besides I was the one grabbing food, so I could not blame him at all for my inability to be thrifty.

So fatty and yum!

This was our meagre picnic lunch! Plus fish and chips because we’re true Kiwis now, haha!

It was basically Mammoth iced coffee (it is so delicious! I hate coffee, but it is so good!), Sara Lee – my obsession, Tim Tams (his choice) as well as some Cadbury bars.

I am not sure how this amounted to around $45, but it was our anniversary, so I’m going to sweat the small stuff. :D

This is Justin! His outfit completely matches my hair, don’t you think?! I just noticed it now, to be honest… I should probably pay more attention to my boyfriend, heehee.

Justin likes to steal kisses in front of the camera. Somehow it’s better this way because he has a derpy camera smile! He actually has a really cute authentic smile especially with his dimples, but somehow when he’s in front of a camera, it turns out like BLERGH.

Look at a happy me! :D You can tell I’m very happy to have spent a year with this man because I have a scrunched up eye smile. You know, squinted eye smiles are a sign of authentic happiness! This I know from... experience! Hihi~

In retrospect, it would have been cheaper to go to a restaurant, but there's something sweet about lazing about in the park with your love, eating sweets and just talking. 

Okay, that’s it for now. :D

I just wanted to share my special day with you. I hope it didn’t make you guys uncomfortable or annoyed. I just wanted to share my joy~

Stay sweet,

I am ready to level up my life!

Did you notice this badge to the side? :) If you click on it, it will link you to my Pledge page where I swear I'm ready to level up my life!

Okay, you might be wondering what this is about. Well, you see, dear reader, I am a geek, and I am proud of it too! I am the type of person who is equally at home with a great tabletop game or with a few friends painting the town red. I can geek it up and glam it up too! 

Truth: I want this controller 

I'm a definite girly geek.

And as a girly geek, I like the idea of leveling up through experience (points) because it's like a huge reminder that I'm getting somewhere in this life. Currently I feel like I'm at level one. Maybe in truth I'm a level 5 or maybe even a level 10. Maybe. But for simplicity's sake, I'm going to pretend I'm a level one character with maybe a robe and some boots. Oh, and a wooden sword for a weapon. (Gamers, you know how the start of games go. Ya feel me.)

I'll fight monsters/challenges. I'll go through events. I'll upgrade my party members (Read: I will add new valuable friends to my life and help the friends I have to be better people). Slowly I will rack up the experience points to reach the next level. Then the next and the next... and the next, and so on!

Sometimes challenges aren't about killing rats

I don't have to be envious of other people if I think of life this way! If someone has a 'better' life than me, I just have to tell myself they're a higher level. One day I'll get to that point too. If I don't, I probably filled up on different stats. No big. (I don't really get jealous of other players in games because duh! We had different starting points. So why the jealousy in real life?! Who knows. This is the subject of another post...)

The Life Game

Life is about leveling up, one way or another! 

In school, we progress from level to level, from year to year until we graduate. In a job, the levels may be salaries or title promotions. In your day-to-day life, it might be the happiness you feel with your relationships, your level of skill or maybe your fitness. We all seek to improve ourselves.

Or we don't, and we stagnate. 

Well, this year and every year from now, I want to move forward. Even if it's only half a level, it beats sitting in the sewers of the first dungeon. Because as we all know from games, the coolest challenges and the best of weaponry can only be obtained after we've beaten boss after boss and progressed the story.

A lot of us are so keen on finishing video games, gaining online achievements, being the best on your server or whatever, but we ignore our own lives, our own realities and or own stories.

I'm not so keen on ignoring my own story anymore.

As William Shakespeare said...

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,

What's your story going to be? 

I hope that inspired you in some way! :) Let me know what you think. This post and the idea of leveling up was inspired by Steve Kamb's post on NerdFitness.

And remember... 

If you're having a difficult time, it's because...

If you're keen to pledge to level up your life, grab a badge and leave a comment! And if you want to know about my progress, check out that little button on the right. :)

How are your goals for the year going? I really want to know!

Let your story unravel,

Put on that wig and enjoy yourself!

Last month my mum invited me last minute to a costume party. The original plan was for me to visit my parents’ place and do her makeup, then take a bus home and chillax to the max. But somehow I got roped into attending a costume party and wearing a white wig!

That day was a humbling experience in life lessons in spite of it being just another day and just another party.

Huh? How?

What I learned from donning that white wig

I am not always the star of the show

Me, my mum, Justin - Note how I am not in the centre!

I have a natural tendency to want all eyes on me, but sometimes I have to remember that naturally it isn’t all about me. Sometimes someone else is going to take centre stage. For that day, my Mommy was going to be numero uno. See how pretty she is?!

My makeup skills + her natural beauty = she won an award for the night! :D

If you’re the type who enjoys being the main attraction when out with friends, at parties, at work or insert applicable-situation-here, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you don’t have to hog the limelight all the time.

There’s a certain joy in being invisible every once in a while, to observe from the outside as I often used to do when I was younger. To watch from the fringe, you get to observe others and share in their experiences in a detached peaceful way. I guess a simple form of that is when I go on Facebook and see pictures and status updates from people I know. I’m lurking and watching like a creeper who takes pleasure in your happiness (and sometimes your misery too, I’m sorry… maybe.)

(I would like to note here that although I enjoy being the main attraction, I am usually not. I just would prefer to be, so maybe that’s why I like heaps of makeup and funky clothes?!)

Be thankful for your easy-going boyfriend/friends/family

Substitute person to be thankful for as you will!

Is there someone in your life who’s almost always willing to go with the flow? Someone laid-back and easy to get along with? Go thank that person right now. Send that wonderful specimen of a human being (or animal if your faithful companion isn’t humanoid) a thank you note or email, a text, a call, a… something to show your gratitude.

Life can be hectic and stressful! It’s true, and for others even more so. It’s awesome to have someone willing to just go along with your random plans, who’ll listen to your crazy and possibly inane ideas and someone who’ll be there for you when others won’t. 

 Sometimes the favours you ask will be simple ones like look silly in a 70’s-style blond wig or ‘Knock on that door and say DID YOU DIAL 0800-SEXY?’, and sometimes you’ll really need their help. It’s nice to have someone, and it’s even nicer to let them know you’re thankful for them. 

 Dear Justin, thank you! And to sort of quote the dolphins in The Hitchhikers’ Guide to The Galaxy: ‘thanks for all the fish!’ (Read: tuna!!!!!!! With mayonnaise!!!!) I love you even though you shoved ice cream in my mouth!

DollyWink eyelashes are better than $2 ones

 

If you like false lashes, then you should get DollyWink ones. They are soft, flexible and look fantastic! I’m wearing Sweet 02, I think. They are much better than the cheap ones I normally get!

(I admit this 'lesson' was sort of an excuse to show off my makeup. Sorry, not sorry!)

 

Trust your gut

You know how people keep saying trust your gut with big decisions? It works for small decisions too. It was annoying to be reminded of this through a game because I absolutely hate losing, but there you go.

We won though. But still. We would have won more had I gone with my instinct.

I knew it was Powerpuff Girls!! Why didn’t I just say so?!! We didn’t get the 300 points??!!!!

That was my internal monologue during the game. I’m still annoyed my boyfriend hit the buzzer a split second before I did.

Remember, kids, go with your gut, or you’ll land smack on your butt.

Go with the flow

I so did not want to go at first! For one thing, other than my family, I wouldn’t know anyone at that party. Their new church friends aren’t really people I know. Plus I hadn’t showered yet; I was feeling kind of gross. Also! Also! I’m just not a party person, I guess?! Every time I’m invited to one, I invariably don’t show up (with some exceptions). Whoops.

But I guess sometimes it’s cool to go with the flow. Just say yes to life, or your parents’ invitation to a Christmas party. I mean free food, right?! And as to not having showered, girl, just slap some deodorant on, you don’t stank that baddd. And even though I had to rush my makeup in the car (Yes, lashes and all!), it was fun! I had fun. I ate yummy food, listened to a live band (Mum's friends were pretty good!), and it was a pleasant reminder that even if you look weird in a wig, if you just let loose and relax, it doesn't matter.

Challenge: say yes to one thing you normally would IMMEDIATELY DECLINE this week.

On Sunday I climbed up a hill and up a tree. Oh, and I climbed some rocks too with my Tita’s daughter. We spotted a suspicious red blanket that ---- WAIT. That’s a story for another time!

Bonus:

Look at my cutie pie little sister with white hair! Aw, precious.

Can you relate to these simple lessons? Isn’t it terrific the world reminds us to be humble and kind in simple ways? Would you wear a white wig and go to a party, knowing you haven’t showered yet?!

Yours is control,

P.S. I’m trying out ending my posts with affirmations that suit empresses and wonderful readers like you. Whatcha think?! (Empress + wonderful reader = you, by the way)

P.P.S. Hi Valerie! You said you wanted an outfit post? Well, this one has a gratuitous photo of myself and my makeup too. Hope you like it! :D I know it's not really an outfit post though!

Hello there! Happy New Year!

Welcome to the magical world that brings us 2013. 

May it bring us rainbows and unicorns and lots of shopping! And let’s take a moment to honour Desmond Miles of Assassin’s Creed for saving us from the apocalypse (Geeky reference here. Sorry, not sorry).

Play Assassin's Creed, okay?

It’s that time of year again when we all sit down and set out to become better versions of ourselves. We go ahead and write down things like ‘I will run more’, ‘I’m going to ask so-and-so out on a date’, etc. 

We do this with gusto as we are showered in the sparkly magic that is the New Year.

But then somehow as the first couple of weeks of the New Year fade into the sands of time, the magic begins to wear off. The New Year becomes less and less enchanting and more and more just like the same old life we’ve been living. We start to forget what we set out to do. Instead of conquering the New Year, the habits of the bygone years conquer us anew. We settle into the comforting existence that we swore we’d leave behind and just kind of… stop.

Girllll, am I guilty of this.

Pictured here: Regrets to fill a page (Yeah, it's full of black. Do you get it?!)

The weight I promised to get rid off? Still there. The novel I swore I’d finish by age 20? Uh, I left the first chapter in the Philippines and promptly forgot about it. The promise to ‘become a good cook’? Yeah, what happened to that? What about my oath to do the Auckland Harbour Crossing and swim 2.6km in open waters by November 2012? Hahahahaha, good one, Pattee! You had me going for a bit.

The thing is we resolve to do things, and we mean well, but somehow we end up flat on our faces. There are wonderful people out there who manage to take the bull that is life by the horns and just KICK SOME MAJOR BUTTOCKS. But I am not one of those people… yet. And I want to be.

I honestly don’t think I’m much of a resolutions person. I was never one for persistence and discipline. But results? I can do results! Maybe it won’t come out as amazing as I was expecting, but, hey! Shoot for the moon and land in the stars, right?

Yeah, in theory. I still have to try to actually even get midway to the stars. So what’s my game plan? What can be your game plan?

Well, here’s what I’ve learned over the past few days of reading random articles via Twitter. (Dear Twitter people I follow, never change unless for the better. I love reading your tweets!)

How To Make Your New Year’s Resolutions/Goals/Bucket List Be More Achievable, I Guess

5 Simple Steps?

1. Rope your buddy into this because if you’re going to suffer your way into awesome, by golly, you do not want to be the only one miserable!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx For example, when studying for a tough exam, do you find it easier to study when ushered on by the onslaught of death threats by your closest friends? If not, then you may be lucky your friends don't threaten to kill you, but you might be missing out on some life-changing stuff. What I'm trying to say is don't go at it alone. Humans are social creatures (in spite of also being selfish and possibly bloodthirsty). We got your back, baby.

 2. Make it so freaking simple to do stuff a brain dead raccoon could do it

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx We do things because they're easy to do. Why do I eat cake instead of go out for a run? It's easier to get my boyfriend to buy/fetch/prepare cake than for me to physically get ready for a run, then actually go out and do it. You know that saying, Keep It Simple Stupid? Applies here as well. You know BJ Fogg from Stanford University? Check out his Tiny Habits program and change your life the easy way, one baby step at a time.

3. Make a plan because when you fail to plan, plan to fail

Figure out Step 2, or you get... a pile of underpants! And not much else

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx When I was taking my Management 101 class, I hated it because my lecturer had a never-ending supply of pithy quotables and motivational whatevers. Also because I thought it was a lot of stupid. Actually it was one of the best classes of my life (but only after I was done with it), and she was totally right when you should make a plan. Don't do it the South Park way and think that Step 2 will magically take you from collecting underpants to PROFIT$$$$. 

4. Ease into it like when you’re about to take an ice cold shower because the heater is busted, but you really really need to shower RIGHT NOW because you have a hot date in 2 hours, and you are a SOLDIER, you can DO THIS

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Dudes and dudettes, you totally got this. You know what you want! You're going for it! But jumping headlong into a bunch of resolutions is almost always a recipe for disaster. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx It's akin to jumping into an icy shower for the first time in years when you've familiarised yourself so thoroughly with the loving caress of the hot shower from day one. You freak. You get overwhelmed. You may try to take those cold showers again for a little while, but it is highly possible you may never ever try a cold shower again. On the other hand, if you slowly ease your way into the icy waters, you will probably be willing to try it again tomorrow (assuming you shower everyday), the next day and the next. You know how it is with the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race and such and such. (I know I'm a hypocrite! I spew quotes left and right too ;__;)

5. Get specific because if you were the pilot of the airplane that is your life, you better watch that navigation system, lest you end up crashing into a mountain rather than flying over the clear skies of beautiful Hawaii

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx What do you want to achieve? That's a good question to ask yourself. For example, do you want to drop 2 dress sizes, or do you want to run a marathon? Similar goals in the sense they're both fitness-related, but the thinking behind them is different, and the plans to achieve them may be drastically different. What do you want? Really want? Because even if you ended up running that marathon when all you really wanted was to fit into that sexy bodycon dress, sure, you'll be proud, but in your heart of hearts, you'll just know that wasn't what you really wanted. So get specific and think! :)

This list is really a way for me to remember stuff I read and for me to remember that if other people can be awesome, why can’t I be? 

And more importantly... why shouldn’t you be awesome? 

Depicted: You - a special snowflake, no matter what anyone may say
Snowflake by  Bystander>

Granted, psychology taught me we’re not all special snowflakes (I think I should put a reference here sometime), but my high school biology teacher told us that we’re all one-in-a-billion. I’d rather hear that then ‘Well, you’re not really that different’.  Okay, so maybe I’m not a special snowflake. That certainly doesn’t mean I can’t put on a damn good show of being one and inspiring others to do the same.

So here’s to making 2013 the year of being freaking awesome (Oh gosh, I’ve been watching too much Supernatural lately, so I apologise for the exuberant use of the word ‘awesome’).

The other day I read about picking a word for the year and letting it guide me. My word is experience. Really experience life and experience being me completely. And let the empress inside me shine. And if the experiences I end up facing this year won’t be too great? Yeah, okay, I’ll take those and experience them too (Read: I started the year by getting sick, tripping on flat ground, skinning my knee and toe (separate occasions) and posing with practically no eyebrows for family photos).

What’s your word for 2013?! And what do you think of The Five Steps I Borrowed From Other People To Make Life Awesome-r? :)

If you enjoyed, hate, got a laugh or otherwise got some worthwhile reaction out of this post, don't hesitate to leave a comment, share it on Twitter or Facebook or tell people about my blog! :)

Here’s to life-winning,

P.S. Coming soon: my goals for the year!

P.P.S. I use post-scripts a lot gwarrrrr

Goodbye 2012! It was nice meeting you! [Recap]

Hey!

It’s that time of year when people talk about the year that’s been! Since I’ve only had this blog since May, I bet most of you don’t even know most of the things that have happened. :D 

If you’re not curious at all, feel free to click the big ‘x’ on the tab or the window. It will save you some grief, I guess. Although I cannot figure out how this post may give you grief...? 

Warning: Life full of awesome ahead...

Just kidding though! My life is great, but you may not think that. :D I think it’s great for me though. It’s way better than last – oh, right. I’ll just get to posting my 2012 review, right. 

2012 – The Year of Change

Officially put a label on the relationship 

Look! I still had long black hair!

 

This year Justin and I finally put the boyfriend/girlfriend label on our relationship even though technically we’ve really been going out since mid-late 2011. Finally on 2nd of January 2012, Justin officially asked me out (again), and I said yes while we looked out over a night-time Auckland from the vantage point of the posh restaurant Observatory at Sky Tower. He gave me a cute ring as well! It was one of those costume rings that sit on two fingers. It depicts a couple of lovey-dovey birds, and I keep it in my drawer since wearing it out usually gets in the way of doing, well, stuff.

Moved in with Justin officially

Early this year I went ahead and changed all my details at the banks and major institutions or whatever that new my details to Justin’s deets. It was cool, I guess, because that meant I’d finally get mail at his and his family’s place instead of having to go to my dad’s for my mail (At the time my parents were still separated!)

Got off anti-depressants

Hallelujah! Those things were annoying. I hate medicine because I have this fear of super viruses that are immune to all known antibiotics. I think being overly-reliant on medicine is probably a bad idea. No doubt people need medicine (as I do from time to time), but sometimes people just reach for a bottle of happy way too much. Anyway I was happy to stop taking anti-depressants. I never wanted to take them anyway! Suck on that, psychiatrists! I’m way happier without your silly pills! Nya nya nyaaaaa!

Chopped off my long locks

Haha, remember this picture?

I don’t know if you know this, but in 2011 I had long black hair. Now it’s short and orangey. In January this year I walked into some fancy-ish Korean salon in Midcity and asked them to chop most of it off. The change was so drastic the hair stylist kept asking me if I was sure, and if I really wanted it to be that short. Yes. When you change your hair, you change your life! This is one of my deepest beliefs.

Rediscovered Gyaru

I just know I’ve heard of gyaru before. I even watched that show with the kogals. Was it called Super Gals or something? But for some reason I never took it to heart until this year. Somehow I finally fell in love this year for real. It took a hold of my heart and has been influencing my makeup and style ever since. I’m still not full-blown gyaru, but gosh darned it I am on my way!

Started this blog

It was May this year, and I’d been stalking Shuntara on her gaijin gyaru journey. I thought to myself ‘I WANT TO DOCUMENT THIS GROWTH TOO’. Presto! I made a blog! This blog has come far from its May 2012 roots. It’s no longer a sad dark theme with an uglier than sin header. Now it has a clean happy theme and a reasonable-looking header to greet you lovely readers as you visit. Cheerio!

Bleached My Hair

Oh my gosh! Bleaching my hair was one of the best decisions of my life. How had I gone through life before this year without going blonde?! Or red?! Or orange?! How? It was like my hair finally matched who I was. For people who know me in real life, you would vouch that I have a larger-than-life personality. I’m loud, excitable, hyper and extremely random. Black hair just does not seem to match that personality. In fact, I asked my best friend if I should dye my hair brown, you know, to something more normal, and she just said she couldn’t imagine me with dark hair anymore. Yes, life, I have responded to your call of bright hair fabulosity. Your time is now and forever more. I’ll go back to black when I’m old. Yeah, right.

Did Odd Jobs for people who were not My Dad

This year I started working! For the first time everrr! Technically I’ve worked before, but come on. If you’re working for your parents, and you’re not doing anything particularly difficult (I did some graphic design and administrative work for my Daddy), it just isn’t really work to me. This year at the ripe old age of 20 I finally sunk my teeth into the working world. Sort of. I worked as a mystery shopper and got paid commission for assignments. I worked as a social media consultant and got paid $20 an hour. THAT was a great gig, let me tell you. It was all Twitter and good times. I did some other stuff I can’t remember. The bottom line was OMG I, Patricia the bum, was bringing home some money.

Decided to take 2013 as my gap year

If you’re from New Zealand or Australia or some other Western nation, you may be familiar with the concept of the gap year. It is a year when you just take a year off and take a break before heading off/back to university. Some people use it to travel, others to work. This decision was something I was so scared off because I come from a family where my dad’s working on a PhD, my mom has a MBA, my grandmother has a PhD, my grandfather was a lawyer, etc. Education + career = muchos importante. But I need that gap year! Before I shrivel up and give up on life and decide to be a hobo. 

More on this next next next post.

Got a casual job!!!!!!

I got a job at a retail shoe store! And this has been one of the best experiences of my life. I know most people absolutely hate working retail and think it’s one of the worst possible jobs ever. But let me tell you something. It’s teaching me to value hard work, responsibility, multi-tasking and just taking things as they are and being happy with what you have. In retail, you may not earn much (unless you work in Australia! Why do you lot earn so much?!), but it’s really not that bad. I complain duh. It’s repetitive, not that great pay, customers can be really annoying, but I’m happy and grateful. When everyone was telling me getting a job in retail was impossible without prior experience I nailed one in a walk-in interview where supposedly thousands applied. Oh, yeah, I am happy. And my manager gives me good shifts. THANK YOU.

Sponsors, sponsors, sponsors – Thank you!

I bought Shannyn of Frugal Beautiful’s Rockstar Blogging guide, and I thought it was amazing! Using her words of wisdom and awesome guidance, I managed to score two sponsors this December! I will be revealing them to you in January, so watch out for that. Unfortunately they’re Auckland, New Zealand only, so my foreign readers, you’ll have to wait a bit longer before you can get nice deals through me. :)

 

And I am pretty sure there were lots more things that happened in this beautiful year of 2012! 

I feel like I’ve changed a lot as a person, like I’ve grown and developed. It’s wonderful! And I truly and honestly believe there’s a lot more in store next year! More on that nexttttt time!

Thank you for reading this! And see you in 2013!

Let’s all kick some major butt!

What were your fave things about this year? Let me know in the comments below!

Love the soon-to-be butt-kicker,

P.S. Special mention to some lovely friends who made my 2012 awesome: Avantika, Keith and Irene :)