Hotmail Spam Emails

It's New Year's Eve! What do you guys have planned? I don't really celebrate the New Year because we have Chinese New Year, which is usually in late January. Every year, Chinese New Year falls on a different day. Looking at a Chinese calendar is the only way I can tell when the big day is :P Crazy, huh?

Well, I have been babysitting these past few days and yesterday while the baby was sleeping, I handmade a few cards! I'll post about that one later, with pictures and all.

This post will be about the dreaded spam emails. I've had my Hotmail account for about... six years now. And I can probably say majority of the emails I receive... are spam! There is no one way to get rid of this problem, but here are a few tips I have used:

• Be careful who you share your email with. I created a separate email for college purposes only and I used it for applying to scholarships. In return, it seems as if the companies sold my email to advertisers. Any company can sell your email. Even something as innocent as a scholarship! Treat your email like your phone number.
• Unsubscribe. One very time-consuming method is to click through each spam email and find the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom. I used this method for a while, until I realized it didn't help much. Then I read an article that doing this can even bring in more spam. How? If the company sees you are an active user of that email address, they will bug you even more. 
• Block them. This is another time-consuming method, but I find it to be the most useful. Since I have a Hotmail, I go to Options > Safe and Blocked Senders > Blocked Senders. Then, I open each email (again,  this might not be very safe) and find the sender of the spam email. I take the domain and enter it onto the Blocked Senders list. What is the domain part of the email? @IWantToSpamYou.com, @SpamCompany.com... it's basically the last part of the email. The domain includes the @ symbol. What this does is, any email with that domain will be blocked. The spam could be sent from a Robert or Bill with the same domain. Both emails will be blocked :)

These are a few methods I use or have used to combat those annoying spam emails. What are your strategies?

--

Okay, so I forgot to add a random picture yesterday. I'm just going to stick a cute kitty in here... hehe.

Source

"Red" by Taylor Swift

I'm a pretty big Taylor Swift fan. The first song I heard was "Teardrops On My Guitar." I liked it so much that I had it on repeat for weeks and I learned the lyrics perfectly. Since then, Taylor Swift has crafted some incredible songs. I accidentally stumbled across her "Red" album on Youtube... the FULL VERSION. Enjoy!

0:06 - State of Grace
4:58 - Red
8:38 - Treacherous
12:38 - I Knew You were Trouble
16:16 - All Too Well
21:41 - 22
25:31 - I Almost Do
29:31 - We are Never Ever Getting Back Together
32:43 - Stay Stay Stay
36:08 - The Last Time
41:03 - Holy Ground
44:23 - Sad Beautiful Tragic
49:05 - The Lucky One
53:00 - Everything Has Changed
57:03 - Starlight
1:00:38 - Begin Again

Upcoming Week

Hey guys! Tomorrow, I am taking the train to my cousin's place :) She's the one with the baby and I will be helping out for one whole week. My cousin Maggie is about to start working again and needs all the help she can get :)

I'm going to put product reviews on hold. Instead, I'll probably be talking about random happenings in San Mateo.

Anyways, have you guys tried tea candy?! I normally don't like hard candies, but this is an exception!

Source

I bought the Green Tea Latte (middle) for $1.89, which is a good deal since you get 40 pieces. There were lots of green tea varieties at the Filipino market. The brand is "Bali's Best." I don't think I've ever seen these around before... so I'm not sure where else sells these yummy drops :( However, I did find it on eBay :P

Have a good day :)

Review: Laura Geller The Real Deal Concealer

One of the many gifts my friend Sue gave me for Christmas this year was a concealer from Laura Geller. The color is "Light," which actually looks much darker than the picture. It's more like an orange-y beige color. I have naturally fair skin and didn't think this concealer would work for me.

What do I think about this product?

• It looks really orange-y but once it's blended out, the concealer matches my skin perfectly.
• Really amazing coverage. Sue once said this stuff can cover up a tattoo. I wouldn't doubt it. 
• The texture is a creamy mousse and it can be a little heavy.
• After blending out the concealer, my face was really cakey. 
• It's $22 for less than 1 oz.

In conclusion, this Laura Geller concealer is great. It seriously does cover up any blemishes or dark undereye circles. However, powdering your face afterwards is a must. It is really important step that cannot be skipped. Another thing is: use a very tiny, tiny amount. A little really goes a long way. I am going to predict this little bottle will last me a year or two. I might purchase this concealer in the future, but the price is a little high. Also, I think liquid concealers just feel better, but I think that's just me :P 

I currently use a liquid concealer from Cargo and it's a lot easier to blend out. It doesn't feel heavy on my face either. The downside is that coverage isn't as great as this Laura Geller product. 

You can check out the true color and buy the Laura Geller The Real Deal Concealer at Ulta here. 

Christmas 2012: Part 2

Hey there! Today's the day after Christmas. There are lots of good sales right after the big day, but I didn't go this year. Did you? Instead, I spent my day hanging out with one of my bestest friends ever... Sue! :) We just sat in her room for about 5 hours and talked. I love friends like these where you can talk about anything and everything until your jaw is tired of talking! I haven't seen Sue since summer, but I still consider her my sister and best friend. Here's what she got me for Christmas (and my birthday, which was in October, but we haven't seen each other since):

Random picture of almost everything Sue gave me :)

Benefit Mineral Foundations

Skin 79 BB Cream, MAC eyeshadow, Laura Geller concealer, Burt's Bee's chapstick, Missha BB Cream, Benefit High Beam highlighter

More facials! :D

The yellow Morning Burst! How'd she know?!

What else did Sue get me? 

• A Sandisk flash drive
• Tampons (lol)
• Box of brownies
• Chocolate things you melt (think chocolate-dipped strawberries!)
• Scrapbooking ribbon

And...

• A black Coach purse! (I'll put a picture up soon! :D)

I love my best frienddddddd <3

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all had a great time with your family and ate lots of delicious food :) I didn't get out of bed until 11:30 AM and then I just watched TV until dinner, haha! We had a big family dinner with the usual Chinese dishes. Since this will just be a little short post, here's what I got for Christmas!

Scrapbook, candle, shampoo + condition sample, notepad set, nail polish

Forever 21 socks

Cat book!

Inside of cat book!

Honey facial mask

Candle

Nail polish and lip balm

Philosophy body wash and lip gloss set

Lucky cat phone charm

Vanilla hand soap and lotion set

Tell me about your Christmas! Family traditions? Favorite dish? Got an awesome gift?

Mini Haul: Sanrio Hello Kitty Store

1. Little Twin Stars eraser
2. Rilakkuma Duckie notepad (the head is the notepad!)
3. Japanese girl notebooks
4. Sugerbunnies letter set (Sugarbunnies is a newer Sanrio character group)
5. Keroppi stickers and a Hello Kitty eraser

Recently, I learned a new trick to take clearer pictures with my Nikon point-and-shoot! Zoom in all the way and use macro mode. I'm still getting used to it, but my pictures have been amazing! If I didn't use the zoom + macro combo, my pictures would be one big blur! I think the first and last picture came out the best :)

What tips do you use for your camera?

Hope you enjoyed this mini haul! It's almost Christmas :D

Review: L'oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cream Cleanser

Hey everyone! Today I will be reviewing this L'oreal cleanser, but don't think I love it just because I'm almost done with the bottle! When the "Scrublet" line came out, I wanted to try it so bad, but I waited because 1) I wasn't out of a cleanser yet and 2) I like sales! One day, while I was looking around at CVS, I saw this cleanser and it was on sale for about $2 or $3! I decided to buy it because it was so cheap. I was a little disappointed because the other "Scrublet" products weren't on sale :( I bought this a while ago and I finally decided to use it. 

What is a "Scrublet"? 

A "Scrublet" is the little facial scrubber the product comes with (L'oreal came up with the name). Since I bought the "Deep Cream Cleanser," my "Scrublet" is pink. It pops right out and after wetting it a little, you put a dime-sized bit of product on there. Then you cleanse your face in a circular motion. 

What do I think about this product?

• I use this cleanser in the morning because I find that it doesn't cleanse my face too well. If I use it at night with a makeup or oily face, I don't feel as clean. That's why I use my Morning Burst! ;)
• The "Scrublet" is soft and flexible, but BEWARE if you have a big pimple. Sometimes the "Scrublet" pops my pimple for me and I'm left with a bloody face :( If you have a pimple, try using the cleanser with your fingertips instead.
• It contains salicylic acid, but for me, it has done nothing to combat my acne.  
• It's a gentle cleanser that leaves a tingly, refreshing feeling. 
• Lathers easily with a little bit of water. I like to wet my face and the "Scrublet" just a little bit. If there's not enough water, it will feel too dry and will not lather.

In conclusion, I am just trying to use the bottle up. It cleans somewhat effectively, but I can still feel a little bit of oil left on my skin sometimes. It does nothing for my acne, even though it has salicylic acid as an ingredient. I will not purchase this product again because there is nothing special about it. However, I might try the other "Scrublet" products. I know they have a gel cleanser (in a green bottle, I think) and I happen to like gel cleansers :)

Review: Clean & Clear Morning Burst Detoxifying Facial Cleanser

This little blue bottle is my lifesaver. If I skip a day without cleansing my face with this, I break out. The Clean & Clear Morning Burst Detoxifying Facial Cleanser is so great that this is my second bottle! The first time I used it, I didn't have really bad acne, but it kept my pores clean. After I used up the first bottle, I decided to try other products, since my acne wasn't that bad anyways. Bad decision. My acne came back, worse than ever, about a year ago and I had to tell my mom to buy this for me! I could have bought it myself, but there are no stores around my apartment, remember? :( Anyways, I've been using my second bottle for about a month now and my acne is calming down :)

The words are hard to see in this picture. Here's what it says:

• Oil-free 
• Oxygen-infused formula
• Wakes you up
• Cleans deep for visibly healthier skin
• 8 fl. oz. (240 mL)

The product comes out like a gel and once I lather it between my palms, it foams a little bit and the beads break apart. In the bottle, the beads look pearlescent, hehe :) It's important for the beads to break up because sometimes beads or scrubs are too harsh for the skin. Also, the bottle claims that the "Bursting Beads release antioxidants, leaving your skin clean, fresh, and visibly healthier." 

What do I think about this product?

• Smells good. Not too fruity or flowery. More like a minty scent.
• Works easily into a lather and the beads break up almost to the touch.
• Cleans oil and dirt amazingly. My face feels so fresh and clean afterwards!
• It doesn't have benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, BUT I feel that it does a great job to tame my pimples. I think it's because it keeps my pores clean!
• I actually use this at night, because so much dirt and oil build up on my face throughout the day. I use a more gentle cleanser in the morning: Loreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cream Cleanser.
• Inexpensive and can be found in lots of stores (Target, Walmart, Walgreens, etc). I think I paid about $4, which is a great deal because the bottle lasts a few months :)

In conclusion, this is my favorite cleanser. Ever. I don't think I will replace it, unless it gets discontinued :( It does everything it says, for me at least. Remember: everyone has different skin types. I have tried a different Morning Burst from Clean & Clear. It's the green bottle, and it smells amazing and cleans great, but the beads in it were too harsh. Maybe I will try the yellow and orange bottles, one day...

What did you think about this review?

Hello Winter Vacation!

I am finally done with finals and the fall semester! This morning, I woke up at 5 AM, but didn't get out of bed until 6:30, hehe. My last final was at 7:30, but I wasn't panicking too much because it was just a little two minute speech :) After finals, I went back to my apartment to finish packing up my things and organize a little, since I'll be gone for an entire month! (yes, we get one full month of winter vacation :D) Then I boarded the train and three hours later, I'm back home!

Jon picked me up at the train station. When I was one town away from home, I texted him and said, "5 more minutes!" He replied back with, "Stuck in traffic" or something like that. I got off the train and still, he said stuck in traffic. I walked towards the waiting room and there he was :) So basically, Jonathan lied. He did the same exact thing last time when he picked me up from the train station. But I didn't get mad, because I was so excited to see him!

After Jon picked me up, I had to get a package at my friend's house. It was Jon's birthday and Christmas present combined. Today is his 20th birthday (he's old, I know!) and he's leaving for Oklahoma in two days, so why not?

He opened his present back at his house and loved it all! I got him three jackets from Aeropostale and the Gandalf Lego keychain. The Spiderman one in that same post goes to my brother. Why? Because Jonathan and my brother have the same birthday. HA! Maybe that's trying to tell me something... hehe!

1/2/3

(I would have him model the jackets himself, but I don't think he's up for that, haha!)

Jon tried on every single one of the jackets and rewarded me with hugs after each one :P I could tell he was so happy :) Especially because I know exactly what he likes. That was the first time I bought him clothes, by the way. Now, if only he knows what I like... :(

After presents, we went to a sushi buffet! It's called Fuji's and we've been there a few times before. We always try to sit by the sushi bar so we can experience the moving sushi boats! It's so fun watching the boats glide on by and snatching up plates of sushi! Click here for a really good review of Fuji's, along with amazing high-quality pictures!

Source

Have you guys tried any sushi buffets? What's your favorite kind of sushi?

Wishlist: Tea Tree Oil

I've heard such good things about tea tree oil and other essential oils, like lavender, peppermint, and jojoba. Why did I choose tea tree? Well, it's known to combat acne, of course! A bottle of tea tree oil can be quite expensive, but I think it's worth the investment because it will last a long time :) 

I read somewhere (I don't remember where...) that adding two drops of tea tree oil to your moisturizer will help with the acne. One consumer said all of her acne cleared up! I've had my acne for a little over a year now, and I am tired of it. I've tried a lot of things: facial masks, spot treatments, cleansing in the morning (I used to just cleanse at night), washing my pillowcases more, and touching my face less. It's not working! I mean, these strategies help keep my acne at bay, but it's not making it go away :(

I have one more itty-bitty final tomorrow and then I'm off to the train station! I can't wait to be home! :) The next few days will be pretty busy. I want to hang out with Jon as much as I can before he leaves for Oklahoma on Thursday :( Thursday, aka our 11th month anniversary. Oh, gosh... where has time gone?!

Here are some tea tree oil choices to try from Nutrasource.com...

  

"Statue" Cover by Alex Thao

Hey guys! This is Alex Thao from Colorado and I love his cover of "Statue," originally performed by Lil Eddie. I discovered this song about a year ago and had it on repeat. A couple minutes ago, I decided to go on Youtube.com and I remembered this cover :) It is, once again, on repeat. Tehe! Alex has a really soothing, soft voice. Currently, he has over 30,000 subscribers, but I think he deserves more!

Check out his Youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/alexthao20

I decided to change the look of my blog again. I wanted something more simple and clean. I just took one of Blogger's defaults and tweaked the colors and fonts a bit :)

The winner of my first ever giveaway is... Lainey! It was no surprise, since Lainey comments on my blog so much! :) I'll be sure to have more giveaways in the future!

I hope you had a great weekend!

Mini Haul: Bath and Body + The Body Shop, Plus More

Again, terribly sorry for the terrible quality! I left my camera back home during Thanksgiving break. Bad decision :( My roommate and I went to the mall today! The mall with over 230 stores... It felt like we just went to Disneyland! Our feet were so worn out. The mall was really crowded today and I saw a guy buy a giant Hello Kitty plush!

Well, here's what I bought...

Bath and Body Works

• Fresh Picked Strawberries Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap
• Peach Bellini Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap
• Kitchen Lemon Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap
• Fresh Picked Tangerines Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Soap

The Body Shop

• Vineyard Peach Body Butter 
• Satsuma Body Butter
• Mango Body Butter

The Lego Store

• Spiderman keychain
• Gandolf (from Lord of the Rings) keychain

The Disney Store

• Winnie-the-Pooh mug 

I couldn't find a deep cleansing version of the Fresh Picked Tangerines. Foaming soaps are fun, but I don't think they last too long :( The Vineyard Peach is a gift for my roommate, the Spiderman keychain is for my brother, and the Gandolf is for Jon :) Hopefully he won't read my blog for the next three days... I'll be done with finals and sitting at home in just three days! Yay! Oh, and the mug is for my cousin, who really loves Disney :)

The soaps from Bath and Body were 4 for $15 and the body butters from The Body Shop were 3 for $10 :) I've never bought any body butters from The Body Shop before, but my roommate and I fell in love with their fruity scents... I don't think I should add on to my lotion collection any more... 

When I got home, I tried the mango body butter and it's really great. The scent isn't too strong nor is it too weak. The butter also leaves my hands feeling very much moisturized :) I might make a separate review for the body butters, since I've never tried them before. What do you think? Should I not make a review, because it's just body butter?

Untitled: For a Reason

As some of you may know, I am almost done with this semester. Woohoo! I only have two more finals left, on Monday and Tuesday. One of them is actually a speech, so I only need to study for the other. And if you know me well enough, I probably won't start until Saturday ;)

So with all this extra time, what have I been doing?

I'm trying to make time pass. I've played games, I've napped, I've watched tons of episodes of Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Simpsons on Hulu.com. Not productive at all, I know. But other than that, I've been thinking about my blog. My blog doesn't exactly fit into a category. It's a mixture of reviews and things I want, but mostly I just talk about myself. Like what I'm doing right now.

I would love to have a beauty blog like my friend Lainey's, but I don't have that many beauty products. Fashion? I am not fashionable in any way. I could be, but I don't have the money to. Because I don't exactly have a motive for my blog, I lack encouragement sometimes. There were a few times when I think about deleting my blog altogether. I just feel like I don't have anything to say anymore. To some people, a blog is like a diary. A diary can be a great idea, but in my opinion, it's much too personal. I don't want to gossip about my classmates or rant about my parents to the world. Besides, I don't even think anyone would like to read about that.

Don't you ever feel discouraged sometimes?

Maintaining a blog is a huge commitment and requires extensive dedication, and often, I just feel I don't have enough of either. I have the time and mindset for a blog, but I lack a motive and drive. I think having a themed-blog is so much easier.

I wish I had strawberries & whipped cream! Source

Reminder: Giveaway Ends!

Hello there! This is a reminder that my giveaway ends this Saturday, the 15th. I will pick a winner (whoever comments on the post the most) on Saturday and will ship out the goodies ASAP, after I've contacted and received the address of the winner :)

Anyways, I think I deserve some relaxing time after finals! I did my nails and my favorite facial :) Sorry the quality is terrible, my camera is back home :(

• Alba Papaya Enzyme Mask
• Wet 'n Wild Wild Shine (Blazed)
• Wet 'n Wild Wild Shine (Clear)
• Ulta (Starstruck)

My nails make me feel like a princess, tehe! After a base color, I dabbed the glitter along my cuticle line. Then I used the clear coat and applied it like normal: cuticle to the tip of my fingernails :) I kept messing up on the thumbs for some reason :(

What do you think?

Good Morning!

At 2 in the afternoon... tehe! I had my first final of the semester today. Here's what I did...

• Got out of bed yesterday around noon and "worked" on my take-home half of the final until 2 AM.
• Went to sleep a little past 2.
• Woke up at 6:30 AM. Stupid iPod alarm didn't work...
• Showered, got ready, etc. Done by 7 AM.
• Ate two granola bars. 
• Left apartment at 7:10 AM.
• Reached classroom around 7:25.
• Waited for the final exam at 8 AM.
• Finished and left at 8:25. I swear, people were finished after 10 minutes!
• Went to the student bookstore and bought me and my roommate orange juice :)
• Home. Nap. 

And here I am, waking up at 2 PM! And I had planned to do an all-nighter... bad idea! The truth is, I wasn't really tired or sleepy yet. I was in the kitchen by myself, in the dark and it was quiet. I do not like that combination. At all. So, I started to freak out and right after I finished my work, I went straight to bed. It's stupid, I know. But I couldn't help it! 

Well anyways, the final exam was fine. Only 25 multiple choice questions. The take-home part was a four-part essay. Now that one took forever. I can't say I'm too confident because it's American history... there is just too much that happened. 

What am I doing right now? Munching on Bugles and drinking orange juice! Bugles aren't really popular anymore. I found these by chance. Have you ever had any?

Goodbye Fall Semester!

Today is my last day of classes! My first class (at 9 AM) got cancelled because our professor has jury duty and so, I will start school at 12 PM today :) My weekend had been a little rough. Everything I ate made my stomach hurt :( I'm getting better, but I'm still scared to eat. I have no clue what it is. I haven't done anything different, really. All I did was wait it out. It went away after about 2 days. I tried to research online what it could be, but there's so many different stomach problems! I do hope this won't turn into anything serious.

In the meantime, we're looking for a new apartment! I know, our lease is 1 year, but we've been through so much... broken fridge, cockroaches, bed bugs, broken window, some unknown kind of bug, etc. We feel that our landlord owes us because he didn't really take care of these problems. My roommates and I had to deal with them on our own. Four little girls with no fridge and bugs everywhere? It's beyond scary. We did learn from this experience and know what to expect, but it shouldn't have been this way.

Rule #1: If you want to be a landlord, do your very best because someone's home can be awesome or hell. Someone's comfort and safety is in your hands. Nobody wants to come home depressed every day because of bug problems.

Speaking of rules... let's move on to self-promoters. I support and allow self-promoting, which is posting your link on another site in hopes to bring in more readers and followers. In fact, I leave my url on other blogs sometimes when I comment. However, there are rules. Here's a few I came up with:

Rule #1: Be respectful and considerate. Always reread your comments and messages. If you are going to leave your link and name, make sure you are respectful and considerate. Some people are more sensitive about this issue and you could eventually deal with anger, pain, and a hurt reputation.

Rule #2: If I can see you have an inappropriate url, I will not publish it on my blog. This is not about being sensitive, it's about keeping my blog a safe environment for my readers. I mean, does it look like my blog needs something rated-X on it? I think not.

Rule #3: Do not spam. Nobody likes spammers. Sure, self-promote yourself maybe once a day on one website or blog, but any more than that can irritate the authors/ owners.

Please keep in mind that I do moderate comments. If I find a comment that breaks any of the above rules, I will not publish them. I want to keep my blog a safe, welcoming environment. I believe one of the biggest responsibilities of a blogger is to think of their readers first.

Let's end with a kitty picture, shall we? :)

Source

Christmas Wishlist 2012

Hey there! I only have two more days of class left and then comes finals week. I am so excited! I will try to blog during finals week, if I have time or if I think of something interesting. I don't think anyone wants to hear about stress or hear me reciting history notes.

I have had a great time this semester. Living in my own place was definitely the biggest change. It has taught me to manage time, be more organized, and to live with new people! I had a wide range of different classes this time around; some were way better than I expected and some... I just can't wait to be done with. For example, I have come to absolutely love my communications class! I'm not a great public speaker and I usually tend to be super nervous, but I've learned so much in this class. I've learned how to be more prepared on speech days, how to present professionally, and how to be more comfortable and confident.

Well, let's get started on my wishlist! I might add or change a few things as Christmas nears... tehehe.

1. Somebody pleasepleasePLEASE get me Once Upon a Time (Season 1)! This is number one on my list, even before a tablet and boots! I got hooked on this show during Thanksgiving break and I MUST HAVE IT. The story-line is just... indescribably amazing. Source of first picture. Second picture.

2. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is second on my wishlist. It's a want, not a need like my Once Upon a Time, hehe. Jon showed me this tablet a while back and it's simply gorgeous! I saw it in person once during class. The guy next to me said it's much better than the iPad (he had the first generation). A tablet, to me, is more like a luxury. It would be nice to have, but it's not a must. Source of picture here. You can buy this here.

3. A new camera. Mine is just so outdated and it's red. Not my kind of thing. I found one that's sleek with great specs: the Canon PowerShot A4000IS. It is priced at $100 on Amazon.com currently. 16 MP, 8x optical stabilized zoom, 3-inch LCD screen, and it comes in five different colors! Source of picture + where you can buy this here.

4. The first three are my main wants/needs. Other things on my wishlist include: riding boots, a new journal (cute ones!), coats + sweaters, scarves, etc. I don't exactly have any specifics ones I want (because there's so many to choose from!), so I can't put up pictures, but here are some cute ones I found on Polyvore:

Sources: 1/2/3/4/5

I hope you enjoyed my wishlist this year! Got a wishlist for Christmas? Link me!

Tips to Save Money During the Holidays

Source

Hey guys! I promised to make a post about saving money this season. Who doesn't need to save money during Christmas?! There's presents, Christmas trees and decorations, and food! Here are some great tips I've learned over the years (I'll probably edit this tomorrow or add some more):

1. Bring cash: If you bring cash, you basically have a physical budget. That way you won't overspend with a credit card. This is one of the easiest trick to saving money!

2. Make a shopping list: Bring a pen to check off items on your list. At the end of the day, reward yourself with hot cocoa if you bought things only on the list. This allows you to buy only what you need.

3. Shop alone: This might not seem too appealing, but shopping with a friend can make you feel pressured! Often times, friends make suggestions which are hard to say no to. Sound familiar? And what about taking your time in particular store because your friend wants to try on a million things? Shopping alone will not only keep the pressure away, you will be able to zoom through stores and finish shopping in no time :)

4. Sign up for coupons: Got an email account you don't really use? Dedicate it to email coupons from stores like Bath and Body Works, Macy's, and more. You can usually sign up for these on the homepage of the store's website. I've gotten free lip gloss from Bath and Body and free undies from Victoria Secret before! Don't feel like printing out coupons? Most stores will still accept the coupons if you show it to them on your phone.

5. Use reward cards: American Eagle and Sephora have reward cards which allows for discounts or freebies after reaching a certain amount of points. I know, it's hard to reach that goal! And to reach it, you must buy more! But just remember to swipe your reward cards every time you shop - watch those points rack up as you shop for your friends and family. And maybe, you'll be able to get yourself a little something with those rewards! ;)

6. Make it yourself: Handmade gifts are much more meaningful. A few ideas are: cookies in a glass jar (tied with a ribbon!), coupon books for your boyfriend or girlfriend, knitted/ crocheted scarves (or mittens and socks if you're good!), and jewelry! I really like the cookie in a jar idea; it's also really cute to make hot cocoa mix. To do that, fill a glass jar halfway with cocoa powder and fill the rest of the jar with marshmallows! You can add cinnamon, wafer sticks, etc.

7. Try to buy everything in one day: Dedicate one day to buy everything on your shopping list to save on gas and time. Also, this will prevent you from adding on to your shopping list! ;) That would be considered cheating!

8. Save receipts: Keep these instead of throwing them away. What if you bought a shirt in the wrong size? Or what if you accidentally bought too many glass jars for your cookies? Return them! Yes, that means waiting in line for half an hour because it is holiday season, but hey. You can save a lot of money that way!

I hope this list will do its part and save you money this year :) I honestly sat down in the library and wrote these tips down, so please credit me if you wish to share!

Happy shopping (and saving!) <3

IT'S ALIVE

Yes, the internet works! It only took exactly one week. Seriously, right to the minute. Now I can proceed with my plans! Last Wednesday while I was sitting at the library, I planned out a few blog posts. This includes a wishlist for Christmas and ways to save money during holiday season. I will create separate posts for those two probably later tonight or tomorrow. I don't think I've ever created a Christmas wishlist before. My family doesn't really celebrate it, but I wish we did. I want the full experience: setting up the tree, climbing up an unreliable ladder to put up lights, wearing ugly reindeer sweaters, and having a Christmas dinner!

When the internet started working about an hour ago, my roommate went to do her usual things: check email and read the news. She suddenly exclaimed (exclaiming is not in her nature, lol) and commanded I go on Yahoo.com to read an article because it was cute. And it was! A boy wrote a girl a love letter in the sixth grade and twenty-years later... they get married! You can read the article here. How sweet is that?! If only Jon and I went to the same elementary school... no, just kidding!

Jon actually went to the same elementary school as my cousin did. My cousin is the same age as me and Jon. She and I were basically best friends when we were younger and she told me about everyone at her school. So that's how I knew Jon existed. Come middle school, all three of us actually went to the same one. Apparently, I had three classes with Jon (we found this out recently when we thought about our class schedules!). But that's not the cute part (hehehe). Jon has had a crush on me since the first day of seventh grade. It's almost as cute as the article, right? Ha! Well, I think it's the cutest thing ever. I had a secret admirer for years and I had no clue! We are now second-years in college, so that makes it... eight years. Huh. That's a really long time...

Have a great day! :) My giveaway is still going on until December 15th!

Here's a picture quote I found from my tumblr (it goes with this post!):

Source

Unproductive Weekend

The Comcast guy finally came and fixed our internet, but it stopped working again when he left. He didn't exactly explain the problem either... so I guess we're stuck sitting by our front door, hoping to get good connection from our friend's internet upstairs. This past weekend has been rainy nonstop and I didn't get any homework done; I laid in bed most of the time playing Plants Vs. Zombies. And one of my roommates got me ice cream! Mint with Oreos! Yeah, a little crazy to be eating ice cream in this weather, but it's mint! My other two favorite ice cream flavors are vanilla and green tea. Yum.

On another note, my boyfriend and I got into a little fight. We don't normally fight. It's usually little disagreements here and there, and me just being cranky. I guess I can say the fight we just had was our biggest. It's hard to actually fight with my boyfriend since we are 119 miles apart. I told him I wanted a break last night and I barely slept because I was crying, etc. We eventually did talk things out this afternoon and we shall see if the problem will be resolved or not :)

Make sure you check out my giveaway, which ends December 15! If you do not have a Blogger or Google+ account, you can still enter! When you comment, select Anonymous and just leave me your information :) Good luck!

UPDATE

Oh, I almost forgot: I'm supposed to upload pictures with all my blog posts! I found an adorable kitty picture on tumblr today:

I am such a cat person, hehe! Source

GIVEAWAY: BB+W Hand Sanitizers and Mini Notebook

Hey there! I would like to hold a giveaway for my amazing followers and readers :) It will be a little Christmas present from me. 

Sorry the picture isn't the great quality. I left my camera back home and used my iPod instead :(

I will be giving away:

• Bath and Body Hand Sanitizer (Colada)
• Bath and Body Hand Sanitizer (Sugar Lemon)
• One mini Korean-style notebook (pick one)

Rules:

1. You must live in the United States (sorry, international friends!)

2. You must comment on this blog post telling me what you like about my blog/ what I should improve on. OR you can tell me about your day, what your favorite part of December is, etc. Just comment!

3. You must leave your email with your comment! (Or I will contact you through Blogger to get your email, but that will take longer!)

4. Your comment will not count if you spam me with irrelevant  comments or say anything rude/ offensive.

I will choose one winner on December 15. The winner will be whoever comments the most. In other words, it's a commenting contest! If you are the winner, I will email you for your address and choice of notebook. Then I will mail your presents ASAP! 

Good luck! <3

UPDATE

I decided to throw in some tea and instant hot chocolate too! :)