Yours Truly...

Ok. So I realized some of you readers have absolutely no idea who I am. And I don't know about you, but when I read something I always want to know a little background about the author, or in my case, the blogger. So here are 20 unique, some quite odd (don't judge me!) facts about me. Enjoy! :)

1. I'm 75% Viet & 25% French. The French part dominates just a bit more because people tell me I don't look like other Viets. I'm specialllll.


2. I'm your typical Asian nerd. I can't live without books. I've read for 24 hours straight because I simply couldn't put the book down. I enjoy school; in fact, I even look forward to Mondays. I get too excited over Stat&Calc homework. I often get punched when I tell people this.

3. In my lifetime, I've been in love once. For 4 years, I had my best friend and the love of my life by my side. I still think about him everyday and will probably do so for the rest of my life. But Heaven is too far to keep a relationship going.


4. My sister pretty much completes me. She's spunky, crazy, wacky & borderline psycho. She's also my hairstylist, makeup artist, and fashion stylist. So without her, I'd be lost. (Which some may have notice on the days we fight!)


5. I have random creative outbursts that often result in a mess and an entire box of bandages. It drives my Poppy Seed completely insane to come home to his house turned upside down and inside out & often with paint splatters everywhere.

6. Med School: California vs. Paris is something that I've been thinking about for a while now. I love the idea of exploring a completely new country and learning to make a life for myself & it's a bonus that it's only a few hours away from where my parents will reside. But I also like the idea of a familiar territory with friends & life, as I know it, only a few hours away.
vs

7. Music is my life. Actually, music IS life. I'm constantly humming a song of some sort, whether real or made up. My earphones are almost always in. & I often use lyrics to describe my life at the moment.

8. When it comes down to it, I am too shy. I find people fascinating & intimidating. So if you catch me being quiet, I am not being rude. I just prefer to listen to you speak as I probably find what you have to say interesting. If not approached, I will probably not say or wave Hello even if I know you. It's because I am afraid of your reaction. Will you remember me? Will you be annoyed? Will you pretend not to know me? From this, you can probably tell I over analyze things too.

9. I have what some people call a problem with purchasing things. My shoe collection is absolutely ridiculous (but necessary!) It's quite possible that half of my closest still has the original price tag on it. My DVD collection is often compared to Blockbuster. But like I said, it is a problem. (which I find no want to get help for)

10. I love to bake. But often after baking I get sick of what I've made and end up just throwing away my creations.


11. I don't have many friends. I have plenty acquaintances. But not too many true-honest-to-goodness friends. The ones that I do have, I completely adore. They're people who I have come across in my life that have taught, molded, and helped me become a better person.


12. I have 36 first cousins. I have 11 out of 18 aunts and uncles that are still alive. I have a massive family. But I, myself, have no desire to have a big family whatsoever.

13. When it comes to a fashion, I can pretty much chameleon any style. I can go from edgy to preppy to "Asian" to girly to punk. I love fashion. It gives me a chance to be "loud" without actually being loud.

14. A goal I have in life is to be fluently multi-lingual. I currently speak English and Viet fluently. I know enough Chinese to get by without sounding like a complete idiot. And I am currently learning French. I hope to one day be presented with the opportunity to learn Korean & Japanese.

15. When it comes to being courted, I'm not much for a big display. I prefer simple sweet gestures. Give me a handwritten note over a bouquet of roses or a walk in the park over an elaborate date any day.


16. I am the biggest chicken. THE biggest. I enjoy watching horror flicks more than I should. I love the thrill of being scared. But leave me alone in a house, even my house, & it all goes downhill from there. I have an overactive imagination and a mind that likes to play tricks on me. I often crawl into bed with my sissy or Mum after watching a scary movie (this my friends find hilarious...haters!). I'm always jumpy, and this keeps my sister quite entertained, as she is always looking for an opportunity to make me scream like a baby.

17. I do believe in ghosts. and spirits. I believe that there are spirits that are stuck here because they have unfinished business. I think this also plays a role in why I'm always jumpy. Because I know it's a possibility that I could come face to face with a spirit....again.

18. I used to live in the most wonderful beautiful place on Earth. San Francisco, California. But my parents forcibly dragged me here to Texas a few years back. I love my family and friends and life here in Texas but will forever consider California my home.


19. I had the privilege of naming my beautiful niece. Evangeline. She's the sweetest baby in the world. And I do admit, I spoil her rotten.


20. Spelling is my enemy! There are simple words in the English language that I sometimes struggle to spell. Like the hand operated cutting instrument that every household has, you know, the one that cuts paper? Hate that word!

& that is me. Or just what I want you to know about me! Until next time! Au revoir!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! It's the year of the Ox. And I'm crossing everything possible that it's a lucky one for me because the year of the Rat was not...to say the least.

Here's a little background for all you non-Asians : P
According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian or "Year" in Chinese. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, the Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjunlaozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjunlaozu's mount.

My parents alternate spending 4-5 months on the other side of the world. So my lucky Poppy Seed is celebrating Chinese New Year in Vietnam as we speak. So not fair. He called to rub it in how pretty and crazy everything is over on the other side of the world. It's ok. I will be spending 6 months over there in the very near future. So I, too, will get to experience the wonderful festival the right way.

So my Mumsie celebrates this festival rather elaborately, even though it's just in the States. It's quite interesting watching her frantically prance around the house getting things ready for the start of the new year. She's cooked practically every Asian dish you can think of, cleaned every surface of the house, and lighted every kind of incense possible. The house looks and feel very...Asian! There's a list of things that I can & cannot do, and places I can & cannot go tomorrow. I won't get into it. It's gets rather...silly.

Even though I'm not Buddhist, I've always held this tradition near and dear to my heart. The sight of color lanterns, the beautiful flowers, the comforting smell of all the traditional food, the cute little red envelopes, women and girls dressed in Áo dài , the silly gambling games, is something I look forward to each year.

So with all that being said; Chúc mừng năm mới!!
Sống lâu trăm tuổi...Live up to 100 years
An khang thịnh vượng...Security, good health, and prosperity
Vạn sự như ý...May a myriad things go according to your will
Sức khoẻ dồi dào...Plenty of health
Cung hỉ phát tài...Congratulations and be prosperous
Tiền vô như nước...May money flow in like water