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Valentines Day 2024 Converse
Krispy Kreme Valentines Day 2024 donuts!!
Krispy Kreme Valentines Day 2024 donuts!!
2024 Week 6
I actually fell behind!! I've been lethargic lately and I think the weather is to blame. Whenever it is sunny I get so much work done, but on cloudy and rainy days I usually curl up in bed or at my desk and work slowly.
The dentist appointment went well!! It turns out my old dentist was not thoroughly cleaning anything. I kept bringing up issues with stains, but she refused to clean them. The cleanings were also very gentle and the fluoride didn't seem as strong as the anything past dentists of mine have used. I was really satisfied with my smile after though.
The company is dialing back on spending since the economy is not doing well right now. I had wanted to celebrate Lunar New Year with my team by getting dim sum, but we opted to get boba instead. I felt bad that the director was paying out of her own pocket and refusing to let us pay, so I tried to find a place with a good discount. It was tasty though!! I got milk tea with boba, egg pudding, and grass jelly. I like my toppings in drinks a lot. :'D
I've been playing a lot of games lately. Most of my friends are shut inside due to the weather, so they are either gaming or watching TV shows. I've been having a lot of fun collecting achievements and badges for the games I love!! One of my good friends and I like to talk about badges and look out for cute ones.
Oh, and my housemate moved out over the weekend. It was nice at times to live with someone else, but I think I prefer being on my own after all. So things worked out in the end!! I'm excited to redecorate and make another space for myself.
2024 Week 5
I need to get better about writing these blog posts on a timely basis. Originally I was using Twitter for every thought that popped into my head and posting it immediately, but I got tired and embarrassed by that very quickly.
I have multiple Twitter accounts and have been using the platform since 2016 I think. My main Twitter has a lovely selection of posts— art from my favorite artists, cute foods, different sciences, psychology, astrology, and funny memes. Then there's one I made as a VTuber and one I made for art after the last account was hacked. I don't check the VTuber one anymore because it's full of VTuber drama or overtly sexual humor. I understand that's part of the appeal of VTubers, but the jokes are so corny and make me cringe quite a bit. It makes me feel like I'm back in high school with a bunch of obnoxious students yelling dumb jokes as the teacher is trying to speak. Very specific, I know, but I think we've all experienced something like that.
The art Twitter isn't any better since I follow some VTuber mutuals on there. The people I follow are fine, but on the timeline I still see dumb posts with people either stirring up drama, spreading misinformation, or being overly dramatic about simple things. The memes on there are also super outdated— like stuff I saw back when I was still on Tumblr is making rounds again and people are eating it up. It's just become very off-putting to be there. I did have a lot of fun posting daily as a challenge though. It was a good exercise in research to see what kinds of posts were doing well. And I do like the mutuals I made through streaming, they are all very sweet people. I want to stay connected with them if possible.
I've been brainstorming other ways to pursue "content creation" (I hate that phrase). I just want to share my work with others and bond with them over it. I don't desire to be famous or have a community, I just want to have fun with my hobbies and interact with people.
Maybe it's better if I make a text document and update that like a Twitter every day for the week, and then compile them all into a post on Saturday or something like that. I will think about how to continue the consistency. This is probably the clunkiest post I've made because the sentences are so abrupt and short. But right now I just want to get my thoughts across.
Nothing super interesting happened this week I guess. I found a new dentist and set up an appointment with them, which is early tomorrow morning. I need to schedule a checkup next, but maybe I will wait a bit for that. I want to get a blood panel done this year and see how I'm doing. Work was dull this week because I barely had anything to do— and then suddenly I had to repeat one task three times, which was annoying but no one's fault.
It's been storming a lot so I made a tasty soup today. I used the chicken stock I made and froze a few months back, and added wood ear mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, baby bok choy, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and noodles. The broth tasted especially good after the ingredients simmered in it for a while. I want to try making it again. I want to make a heartier one though since this was a very light vegetarian soup.
The storm was making me feel anxious though, the tree outside was waving its branches wildly and bending to the winds. the wind and water hitting against the outside surfaces of the house was also a bit eerie to hear. My fear is that the roof will crumble and place will flood, though I think the place is a lot more structurally sound than that. I have enough food and a giant flashlight if I do lose power (many of my friends already did today) so I will just try to be careful.
2024 Week 4
I am furiously typing out this post as the last remnants of January slip away from my fingers.
I fell behind on posting because the last week and this current week were just so tiring.
On Friday, one of my good friends suddenly wanted to get ice cream at 10 PM. I happily obliged, because I love ice cream just that much. Unexpectedly though, we stayed out until 1 AM just chatting and walking around the downtown area. This sounds dangerous in retrospect, but my friend is a hulking 6 ft 2 man and therefore I was quite safe. :'D I want to write a separate post sometime on our conversation since it was so insightful.
On Saturday it was my best friend's father's birthday, and we surprised him at the same restaurant I went to earlier this month. A funny thing that tends to happen is that I will recommend a restaurant to my friends and friends' family, and then everyone wants to go there with me. That's how I ended up going to my favorite hot pot restaurant eight times so far!! I've been to the Taiwanese restaurant a total of three times so far, but I highly doubt this is my last time going there. Two other friends are already excited to go in the future.
I fixed my sleep schedule with melatonin!! Kind of? It was okay, but after the ice cream hangout I've been sleeping at 3 AM. And getting up for work when it's pouring rain outside has been more than a little difficult. I need to get back on track this weekend.
I completed my taxes though!! I also set an appointment for a new dentist, since my old one doesn't accept my insurance anymore ;w; I just need to schedule a checkup for the future and then maybe I can relax a bit. Oh, and since the forecast said it would be stormy this whole week, I stocked up on groceries. I'm excited to make soup!! I've been meaning to use up the chicken broth I made and stashed in the freezer a few months ago. Hopefully tomorrow I can make something tasty.
2024 Week 3
Okay so this week, I messed up my sleeping schedule. I think since Monday was a stormy day off, I fell asleep during the day. The dark dreariness contributes to me feeling sluggish and my circadian rhythm shifts. Every day following that, I napped after getting home, woke up to eat and do some work, and then fell asleep at like... 5 AM. It's a bit of a miserable experience because I don't like for my sleep to be interrupted. It's difficult to wake up, and for the rest of the day I feel groggy.
I was tasked to organize a baby shower for two of my coworkers alongside another coworker that I am friends with. Originally, the party was supposed to be on Tuesday, January 23rd, but both coworkers planned to leave earlier than intended. We had the party on Friday, which gave me just 3 days to prepare!!
I bought baby shower cards and wrote emails informing our department about the party, encouraging everyone to gift some money to the expecting parents. I also coordinated heavily with my coworker friend- who was on top of buying the cake, drinks, and party supplies. Bless her for that. I sent the emails and passed the cards around the office, raising $700 for both parents!! The money was split between them in the form of Amazon gift cards.
One of the coworkers had to leave much earlier than expected- his wife went into labor early. While the remaining coworker was on the floor, we were darting around the office area with the party supplies, checking if the coasts were clear, and putting everything together in one of the private office rooms. Then one of the coworkers went off to retrieve the expecting mother and pull her into the room. We yelled "SURPRISE!!" and I handed her the signed card. It was such a sweet little party!! We drank apple cider and ate chocolate raspberry cake while chatting.
Everyone in the room commended me for organizing everything and I was a bit surprised- the coworker who got the party supplies did just as much!! But it felt great to be appreciated by everyone, especially the VP and director. Later that day, as I gifted the mother her gift card, she thanked me and said she would miss everyone while she was gone on maternity leave. We exchanged some sweet messages- I only wish I could have hugged her. I don't think she will be back until the summer. But I'm glad she will have the opportunity to spend lot of time with her new little one and rest.
Flowers and cake!! And the cards I picked for everyone to sign!!
2024 Week 2
Not much to update this week!! Everything is work-related.
The Vice President of my department called me into his office and gave me a special project to work on through the week. It's a bit nerve-wracking whenever he wants a project done- 1. because it's rare, 2. because he is two steps above my boss- I have my manager and then the director above her, and then the VP is next after the director. But I know he assigned the project because I'm the only one on the team who is highly skilled and specialized in that specific task. My other teammates could do it, but I am the best at it. And I did well!! It took a few days, but the results were great and I was commended by the rest of the teams. I'm happy, but it's honestly more of a relief than anything. The last thing I want to do is make mistakes in front of the VP, which in turn would embarrass the rest of my team.
I also had my annual review early during the week and scored well on everything!! My manager and I had a talk about future goals and I am currently on the right path to achieve them. While I like my work, I have my sights set a bit higher than where I currently am. I will try my best!!
On Saturday, I played a game called A Short Hike and it was really cute!! There were some silly dialogues and cute critters that made me laugh. I beat the game right before I went to dinner with my coworkers. I already posted about that here, it was a delicious meal and I really enjoyed spending time with my friends.
Successfully crocheted a little flower today!! 🌸 I want to make more in other colors.
Pixels and Photography
I think I should document some of 2023 over here, and potentially 2022 as well?
Back when I was younger, I would feel sad that I didn't have a good phone and camera or the means to travel often like my friends and peers. My family barely scraped by while my classmates were all relatively wealthy, so growing up in that environment was a bit of a challenge. I know my parents prioritized living in a good area to give me and my sibling the best educations, but it's difficult to fit in when everyone has the newest or highest quality belongings and you're stuck with hand-me downs or substitutes. I tried to be grateful for what I had and think I was fine in high school, but my college years were during the peak of Instagram where everyone was sharing their expensive vacations, meals, and possessions. I I slowly realized the glaring disparity between my and my acquaintances' lives, as well as how sheltered I was. I had no idea that some of my classmates were so wealthy and looking back, I kind of wish I never did?
Admittedly, social media did teach me quite a bit, especially in regards to food, fashion, makeup, psychology, etiquette, and social issues. Social media is a cool way to connect and learn from others, but it's a double edged sword. So many people developed depression and other mental health issues due to being constantly linked and compared to others. I'm pretty grateful that I grew up as people were transitioning into the mainstream usage of technology instead of being born into it. Growing up with social media sounds like a recipe for disaster in regards to mental health and self-image.
As a college student, I would be desperate to take nice pictures of food and nature and share them to social media, but nothing would ever turn out the way I intended. It's definitely because the phones I had were very basic since that's all my family could afford. Once I got my first industry job, I bought a Pixel 3 and it was the first "nice" smartphone I owned, on par with Apple and Samsung phones in terms of photography and processing power. In October 2019 I went to go visit family in London for my first solo trip and took so many pictures!! I still look back on that month's album because the photos I took of the architecture, nature, and food are all gorgeous. I received so many compliments on my photography skills on Instagram- I felt like I could finally carry out my visions with that phone. :'D
The Pixel phones are fantastic for taking pictures of food, plants, and scenery while costing a fraction of the price as iPhones and Samsung Galaxies. I've since moved onto a Pixel 6, and the picture quality is still great. I'm shy about taking selfies and never really got into the habit- to be honest, I think there must be some selfie settings on my phone that I have not figured out how to use properly. My selfies always turn out a bit strange looking- I imagine it's because of the camera? On Tiktok, some of the face filters also don't work properly on the Pixel so I think those two things are related. I do like my selfies more on Galaxies and iPhones, but since I don't normally take them, I think it's fine to just stick with my Pixel.
Anyways, it's funny that I would get sad over all this when I was a student and try to take better photos to share, but now that I actually take good photos, I barely share them!! I think we all got tired of social media once the pandemic hit, and things have never really been the same since. But I figured that since I have the photo quality I desire now, and get many compliments on my shots still, it may be worth it to finally share them on here. I'm looking forward to it!!
Special Dinner
I had such a good day today!! Both my heart and stomach are very full.
One of my coworkers invited me to dinner with his wife- we had planned for 6 PM today. Later in the afternoon, I got a call from one of my other coworkers, who also invited me to dinner with one of his friends. Since the second coworker and his friend didn't have a place in mind, I invited them to the first dinner. Unfortunately they couldn't make it in time, but we all met up at a boba shop after and had a a lot of fun chatting, playing card games, and hanging out there.
The restaurant is one of my favorite Taiwanese spots that recently opened!! I was nervous since my friends have high standards for food and the guy is Taiwanese himself, but they were both very impressed by the meal. I know a place I picked is good whenever that friend tells me he's going to take his parents there. So far, three of the spots I've picked have received that distinction, so I'm very proud :'D I'm glad my friends look to me for food recommendations a lot- I never considered myself much of a foodie or anything but it's nice to have my opinions regarded so highly.
I was craving both fried chicken and hot pot, and today's meal had both, so it felt like we killed two birds with one stone. Warm soup is the most delicious during the colder months!!
I felt very grateful when my friends ordered the combination fried rice without pork, double checked with the server, and also taste tested before giving me the okay. I felt so loved!! They didn't have to do that for me but they did ;w;
The boba shop is a very cute place that also just opened, and it's across from the restaurant so we just walked across the parking lot. Our other friends met us there and we got some drinks as well as some samples from the cashiers. Coworker's wife and I had never played Uno before, but everyone else patiently taught us how to play. It was a lot of fun!! I'm happy I got to spend time with everyone.
We ordered salted egg fried chicken wings, curry hot pot, combination fried rice, garlic string beans, beef rolls, and beef noodle soup. Everything was so tasty, but the wings are always my favorite!!
2024 Week 1
I thought that instead of blogging every day, it might make more sense to blog every week? I used to try and keep a bullet journal when I was younger. The aesthetic of bullet journals / hobonichi is lovely, but honestly it was a very difficult habit for me to keep up in college. I think it was always too much work for me in general. Even now, I like to write, but I am a lot more motivated to type things out. It looks clean and works well for me, so I think I will stick to electronic records!! One day, maybe a journal or scrapbook like that would be fun to make. But I do love that I can do this and feel accomplished for getting some writing done.
Anyways, it was a lovely week!! Everyone was slacking off after returning to work since no one was actually ready to work yet. The directors and other coworkers are on vacation still so it's pretty empty back at the office, though it's also pretty chill. I got to catch up with everyone after our long break and it was nice. I was invited to lunch by two of my friends, but unfortunately had a training with a higher up so I couldn't go. But that's okay, another time.
To be honest I think I'm still recovering from so many events over the holidays- I did a lot of baking, driving around, and talking to people. I think I'm a bit tired from all the social interaction. As a kid I was always excited for and reenergized during breaks but now that I have to do everything myself, I see how much planning and energy goes into it :'D It's fun but a lot of work!!
On Sunday I went to badminton practice with my friends and it was a lot of fun. At the start of the practice I'm always a bit sluggish and miss the birdies when my friends smash them, but within a few minutes I feel energetic and can play decently. We got to play for 1.5 hours since there was no one booked after us, lucky!! I used to play on my community college's team and I missed playing. We only started playing together late last year, but I hope it becomes a regular event.
After practice we went to a cute Taiwanese café that served sandwiches, noodles, and milk tea. We all got sandwiches and two friends also ordered a bowl of noodles to share. It was such a cozy atmosphere in there- we chatted over sandwiches and reminisced about our childhoods for a bit.
Two of the friends are a couple and invited us to continue hanging out by going shopping with them. We went to TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Costco together. There's something really fun about going into shops with friends and pointing out cute merchandise, cracking jokes about each other, and laughing over silly things. I did my groceries alongside them and bought a lot of new snacks to try!!
Unfortunately I didn't realize that one of them contains gelatin, and I had already eaten some. It's a strawberry and condensed milk dessert that surprisingly doesn't taste too sweet? It's light, airy, and refreshing!! I don't want to return it even though Costco allows that, since they would just discard it and that would be very wasteful. Thankfully since many of my friends love strawberries, I will be passing these around as treats. I feel like every quarter I get a snack that I love, but there is just too much of. So I end up eating some myself and then giving the rest away. But these snacks are cheap if you buy them in bulk, and it makes my friends happy to receive snacks, so I don't mind.
Not my picture, but this is what the packaging and dessert looks like. It's very cute!! Looking forward to sharing it with friends.
Back to this account!!
Happy New Year!!
I figured I would try and blog again this year after taking a long time away from writing. Honestly, college writing assignments were tedious to get through and maybe that's what killed the joy of writing for me. I burned out quite a bit. I remember coming home after graduating university and playing Stardew Valley for over a month straight? I didn't want to do anything besides lie in bed and play games, it was a really bad time. :'D
Over the past decade I:
Got into a university full of nature that was also far away from home!! It healed me quite a bit ;w;
Got my first job in the industry and mostly did mindless labor
Worked through the pandemic while streaming on the side
Obtained a certification after taking some classes (as much as I didn't want to)
Resigned from the first job after getting the entire floor to quit, since management was treating us all very poorly
Got my first corporate job!!
Struggled with corporate politics and navigated through the startup environment
Moved out to start life in a new city, enjoying new freedoms along with the added responsibilities of being on my own
Solidified my longstanding friendships while making new ones!!
I look back on my old posts on here from almost 10 years ago and jeez, baby Zari was a mess ahaha :'D I'm pretty proud of who I am now and how far I've made it. It took a lot of work and effort to get to where I am today, and most of it was a mental struggle instead of a physical one. I think of all the days and nights I would spend overthinking, in a state of constant anxiety. How my body physically manifested that stress and how the environment only made it worse. It's good to be free and alive!! These days I still have days where I feel sad, but they are far outweighed by how happy I feel. I'm doing a lot better. :)
I want to continue writing about my adventures, now that I've mostly recovered from everything that was troubling me before. Over the years I've become more well rounded, emotionally intelligent, and more organized as a person. So I look forward to documenting things!! My writing feels pretty clunky right now, but I only hope to get better. Here's to a nice 2024!!
New Year’s Resolutions
Now that I’ve had time to really think about them...
1. Show the people who I care about that I really do appreciate them and give more meaningful gifts
2. Try to not lose my temper so quickly
3. Limit my time spent on certain social media platforms
4. Do not allow negative emotions to consume me
5. Keep up with my hobbies, especially art, cooking, gaming, and reading- but also try to start running again and maybe join a boxing class
6. Explore the areas where I live- only this year I realized how much I have never experienced in my own hometown
7. Document my travels, accomplishments, and cherished memories, and then look back on them occasionally when I feel unaccomplished (take more pictures! write more as well)
8. Continue to improve myself in all areas until I’m closer to who I want to be
Late night promises to be better to myself.
I’ve lost a lot of self confidence these past few weeks so these panels were really cathartic. It started out saying “Love yourself”, “Ask for help” etc. but after reading selfcarezine, I began to say these things out loud to myself and I started saying “I will-” and “I can-” and that actually helped a lot more than just demanding it.
These are the 6 things I would love to improve upon.
I might make more if I feel the need to pick myself up!
The clock hits twelve. A new set of 365 sunrises and sunsets has arrived And may the sunrise offer happiness And may the moon offer me forgiveness. This is the year I learn about the art of letting go. The year I clear out my heart from all its malice. The year I pray more deeply. The year I forgive more graciously. The year I believe more in myself. The year I chase my dreams. The year I love more fondly. The year I give more wholeheartedly. The year I clean out my drawers that are filled with memories to the brim. The year I finally learn how to move ahead And stop looking back at what’s been trying to push me forward.
Zienab Hamdan - The journal of 2015 ft. the mistakes of 2014. (via moonlyaffairs)