Hangsiiiies

  Man, I never thought that I'd be chillin in an apartment in Rome, writing a blog post but... HERE WE ARE. To preface, those photos are gonna be in the next one. For now, the week up to departing SoCal has been something nice to look back on. 

Oh yeah, and the spanish tarot cards my mom gave me are finally being practiced. It's a lot to take in, but everyone on my mom's side does it, and I kinda wanna just... do that. So. Been practicing. 

This throw was really crazy though. The worst spread out of all the ones I've done. 

Lets say that this person thinks on the past a lot, misses someone they used to be close to, and their home life is very important to them. But, there's a woman who is incredibly toxic that is a huge hindrance to the peace of this person's home life or stability. Lotta back and forth with this person. and the last row is horrific. The Sword chick is a toxic, controlling, overly-emotional presence in the person's life that is making things extremely burdensome. When the Sword chick wants something, she goes after it selfishly. The last row... Nothing but fights, strife, arguments, disagreements, and separation. She really sucks.

We know she sucks because of the middle card between the Ace and the Sword chick. That card basically means stagnant, blockage, even backwards momentum- not good. In the context of everything, she is deliberately creating a problem in the persons home- the Ace card. Which can be like... their life. There's something in the persons life that she does not like.

The top row is the past. The Cup chick on the left is the person who they were close to. We know they were close because of the two of coins on the right. Could've been friends, or lovers, or a child was involved. The middle card solidified the context of their closeness. Could even signify the middle sword chick and maybe how things used to be, but now she's crazy? idk. But the person thinks back fondly on someone they miss or are no longer close with.

And the bottom is the future, or current/near future and that's just a fucking train wreck. 3 sword cards in a row. 5 of swords is the shittiest card ever. But to summarize, someone's gotta peace out for the sake of their mental health. That sword chick.... she sucks lol.


So yeah! I'm learning. This i'm sure could apply to anyone ever, but it just fascinated me how specific everything came out with the context of the cards.

Also, my mom said to never do your own reading. It's no bueno. So just do random ones for practice and see what comes out. And this was one of them! Weird, huh?

If this applies to you, I'm sorry. And I hope you can free yourself of Sword Chick. She sucks. It tells that she's controlling and clingy, so good luck with that. And whoever you're missing, just like send them card or something, idk. Bless up.


ANYWHO. 
The week before we peaced out of SoCal,

 The best day at work is when the food trucks come :D
Food trucks are so precious I just want them to roam freely in a cute field with endless fuel supply and fun happy time for everyone ever and just ... have food forever. That's be so cute. And I could eat non stop and and and .... ya. ^_^

 That same evening, I met up with this boiiii

I can't remember why exactly, but he owed me ramen. From like 8 years ago. And we just never got around to it, until last week. So, we went to this place by my house because it's really good. 

Was dope catching up. We're on the same wavelength about a lot of stuff, and ... just gotta remember what's important. Was nice. He's good people.

Good talk

I wear the hoodie from his line like, all the time. 

On Friday before we left, 

 I felt cute and took selfies.

 And then, we met up with some people from work for like, beer and fun hangsies time

And.... I discovered the most amazing beer of all time ever. Gulden Draak... is... by far.. just. so delicious. It TASTES LIKE WINTERMELON. LIke the tea. Wintermelon tea. It's really sweet for a beer, and kinda syrupy in texture, and heavy, but almost creamy? And smooth. I can't describe it, but for the love of everything that is delicious and beer-y.... Gulden Draak is straight up Wintermelon beer. It is. I swear it. And it's awesome and delicious.

Also, I like sweet red wine... so. This was a treat. It's not like JUICE. But for a beer, and for me.... all I drink is water and soda is gross to me; for MY palette, it was sweet and reminiscent of wintermelon tea. k i'm rambling.

yay beer and hangsies!

and weiners

sharks have 

two

weiners

:D

After beersies, we went to arcadesies and drank moresies and play gamesies. Because when you grow up, sometimes you don't really grow up, you just kinda get older.

 I want my own Munsters pinball machine and Mortal Kombat arcade machine. I'll settle for an Addams Family pinball machine, but rather not.

Was feeling tipsy so

I 

took a selfie and

started braiding

peoples'

hair

It just happens. If I'm feeling it, and you're around, and have plenty 'o' hair, I might start braiding it. It's the rules.

Mo braided my hair back, which was totally fine because

no one ever

braids my hair

D:

Saturday, we found ourselves looking out into the airplane playground beyond the giant glass window. 

It hadn't kicked in yet. I slept the whole trip up to SFO. We'd be there for a day before departing to Frankfurt, Germany. And finally Rome. 

Ah, I don't want this vacation to be over.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss everyone at work though :B
I won't be back until next week, but the days seem to fly by so quickly.

There are over 1200 photos on my phone. SOON

Lo-Fi stress levels to eat to

  The mood this weekend for me has been just... chill.

There's this awful habit I have of sleeping in until 1pm on my days off, and then... I find myself discouraged by time constraints when it comes to artsy pursuits. And to be honest, gaming has been dominating most of my free time. But this weekend, I made it a point to wake up at 9am, and like, did stuff. It's nice to not feel rushed!

Someone from work let me borrow some Hellboy graphic novels. It's been weeks lol... I finally got around to them this morning.

And I've been wanting to try some photo stuff in my room, since my lighting is dope. And finally got around to testing some stuff. My favorite colors to play with are the purple and red lights. But I'll have to try others. Maybe green and red next time.

Also, I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self to not be an asshole about braces. I hated them so much as a teenager. Now, I love them and wish I could wear them forever. Mostly because they match my piercings. They're a mechanical augmentation, and that's like, awesome lol. 

Note; I used to hate smiling in pictures. I think having the braces on has actually made me more confident with my smile. It's gonna suck when they come off haha

Earlier today, the boy and I went on a little lunch date. I wanted sushi ^_^

 Gimme yellow tail and salmon and I'm a happy smol bean

 During our lunch date, he encouraged me to pursue my clay stuff a little more aggressively. It's not something I ever really considered, because they're all passion projects. I make stuff for myself because I'm bitter that there aren't things I want in the market lol. But he said I could probably put a portfolio together and consider pursuing it a little more seriously. 

Thing is, I'm not imaginative at all. And the things that I do come up with... well they stay in my head because I suck at drawing. That's not an excuse, but as someone who is ruthlessly meticulous and detail oriented, putting something on paper that doesn't convey precisely what I aim to reproduce would only be ............... huh. probably better than not doing it at all, huh?

well shit, I just put myself in my place. damn lol

WELL , anyway, I'm not imaginative.......... wait... no. Okay, I'm not proficient at conveying the things I come up with on a medium that I can utilize as a tool to transfer that reference into a 3D piece via clay. And when it comes to clay, I still have a long way to go. Like I said, clay isn't a thing I ever considered pursuing seriously, and I take my time with it- I'm learning a lot as I go though. Especially with this Cydaea statue I'm doing. Very very slowly and painstakingly. But I'm determined to finish her.

Something I'm stubborn about is learning on my own, through trial and error. It doesn't make sense, but I don't look thing up ever. Like, ever. The times that I do, it's to get a general context or foundation, and then that's it lol. This ironically leads to a lot of time spent on mistakes and re-dos. Which are so.... discouraging and annoying. But, I think that's part of why I like it? It things came too easy to me, I think I'd lose interest. 

With this Cydaea statue, I'm learning about foundation. I messed up royally but not having more skeletal support, and her ass is weighing everything down, despite the wire frame I did. So, I may have to go back in and remove clay to reinforce the frame. Which.... really sucks. But it's a learning process. One that I could've easily looked up and learned about in a quick tutorial video but...... whatever lol. It's still fun. 

And then there's my writing. I used to write short stories a loooooong time ago. Idk what changed to make them unappealing. But at least there's still this. I like writing ^_^ it's nice.

Oh yeah, I'm also done with my new cosplay. It's so dumb lol. but it will be comfortable :D

It's 10:15 at night and I want donuts and cheese and snacks and tacos and ramen and pork buns and taro buns and boba milk tea and and and and reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 

time to raid the fridge

Strength & Honor

   The heaviness of this past week still pulls at me. It's one of those things you read about in obnoxiously loud tabloids and think, "damn that sucks", and wish everyone well. Then, close the article, maybe check social media for a bit, contribute in a share, and move on.

But suddenly one day, it affects those you're close to. You see it and watch it happening right in front of you. And any semblance of comfort or compassion is stripped of the words that we learned were supposed to hold a positive charge to them... no matter what. They feel weak. They fall short of impact on the intended target. And all you can do is hold someone while they cry into your arms. 

...

The following day, I get wonderful news about my mom.

And finally, I short circuit, staring blankly into my v-day dinner at the Peruvian restaurant by work.

In spite of everything, some have come to me with updates. Good ones. Reassuring my belief that Blizz fam, and the other studios, are strong-willed, resilient mfs, and absolutely will not see themselves as forfeit. It's why they were there to begin with. The community came together in a massive out pour of support. And to me, speaks volumes on the gravity and significance of what came to pass. 

 From here on out, it's forward momentum. There will be unfamiliar challenges many will face head on. But they will come to realize that these obstacles will only be favorable in their pursuit of personal growth and skill sets. 

Blizz love was not lacking on Valentine's Day.

Or the week, for that matter. Affection was in abundance, which is all anyone can really ask for in a time of doubt.

This weekend is going to be a lax one, with the exception of a belated Chinese New Year dinner with the boyfriend and his fam. Also there was a lot of fish. Just in general.

because

Chicken had gotten us tickets last year to visit the aquarium. But then, shortly after, work was like... HAY EVERYONE. WE'RE GOING TO THE AQUARIUM :D

and we were like

loloh.

SO for a year, these tickets were just sitting there. We finally went on a cold, overcast weekday.

 

 TWO WEINERS

 the penguins were cute.
and in the middle of trying to get a cool dive shot, it pooped.
and I got this instead.
I'm not even upset

LED jellyfish

ur my type

TEEHEE STAAAAHP

He'd never been to Hooters. And it's a minute walk away. So... I nagged him into it lol. 

  Hooters has this weird, almost negative connotation to it. Only confirmed when I went in to work the following day and excitedly told my coworker about finally taking my bf to Hooters, and he was like.... "that's not my thing." And I'm like.... watlol u dont like food?

and he was like, "isn't that place like.... the girls have giant boobs and are kinda skimpy and .. just yeah"

and I was like.... bruh. tf u even talking about

 ALLOW ME TO CLARIFY 

A THING

 Hooters is an actual restaurant. They even serve food sometimes. Most of the time, it's actually all of the time. Because it's a restaurant. Weird, I know. And I think they have bathrooms and like, drinks even. Crazy. Guests can even like, sit at booths I think, on like, whole chairs LOL WHAAaaatT

menus?! YEAH, THOSE TOO

Man. People out here thinking Hooters is some kind of brothel or something... WHACKEST WHACK

The hostesses and waitresses wear the tank tops and orange booty shorts, and that's as far as it goes. They're like... really, really tame fan service- for lonely dudes at best. But they don't all look like ..massive titty blonde orange stripper chicks. And even if they did, so what? I've taken a date to a strip club too, lol.

They're like, normal girls, always super nice and friendly. They're not trying to get on your bf's' weiner or make me feel less attractive. That's' number 1.

Number 2, the food is BOMB. Their wings and appetizers are so... omfg. And their drinks are mmpf.

And finally,

Number 3 -  if you're uncomfortable by the idea of going somewhere with your significant other because something may present the slightest undertone of sexuality-that isn't you- it's time to reassess why that bothers you. 

just saying
be secure about yourself and your relationships because
hotter people exist.
ya gotta be stronger than that, c'mon now

Belated Chinese New Year dinner with his fam was at this renowned sushi joint in OC; Taiko

This was our second time here. The first time, we were lucky enough to just be able to walk in with no wait. This was on a week day, on like, a Wednesday or something, after work. We got a seat at the bar, and it was the best sushi experience fucking ever. Toshi was our chef, and he's like, best boy. 

This time around, it was.. not.. a Wednesday or something. It was actually the worst day to go ever. Which we can all deduce to be an infernal Saturday late afternoon. They open their doors at 5. We were advised to arrive at 4:30, because there would be a line. We suck, and didn't get there until 4:47. Thankfully, one of his family members was already in line. The rest, in the car staying warm. 

There were a LOT of people. I knew this place is like, good. But wow... I can't really think back on a time where I had to wait in a long ass line to get into a place, to be put on a wait list. Like, wait list, sure. But this was insane. 

3 HOURS. We waited 3 WHOLE HOURS until the 1st and 2nd rounds at the bar were finished and we got called in. The whole reason this place was picked was because his parents hadn't experienced it. Like, the sushi bar. It's a totally different experience and so awesome. Everyone should do it, imo. It would've been a significantly less wait time had we just dined in... but, she's a foodie- I respect this. And I understand the appreciation of experience when it comes to dining, so waiting didn't phase me. 

 Chicken on the other hand, and his parents, were less than enthused lol. BUT... after much Candy Crush, we were called back, and I see OUR BOY TOSHI. He remembers us! I was stoked when he saw us and was like WHUSSUP and we're like HAY BEST FRIEND and it was just beautiful

Naturally, I asked, and he happily posed for a photo ^_^

This time, we had a different chef, but we got to sit near Toshi, which was great, even if he wasn't specifically sharing his trade with us this time around. 

 We began with the Yellow Tail, and the decadent Toro nigiri
fuckin MMPF



A beautiful, rich, seafood medley to sip on throughout our meal

I've watched a couple documentaries about sushi chefs, the lifestyle, and read a few articles about the discipline as a whole. And oh man... the dignity, tradition, honor, and discipline that goes into this craft is ... scary, but admirable. 

There are foods that we as consumers respect, 

and then there are foods that we  R E S P E C T. 

Sushi is without doubt the latter.

 

 Salmon nigiri, and Yellow Tail sashimi

Albacore

Best boy and his colleague were preparing for the dine-in patrons that night, but watching his work was just as mesmerizing as last time. Made me wonder, was this how people watched me when I was at Starbucks stores? lol

Salmon skin, and Spicy Yellow Tail hand rolls

Everyone was done, but I wanted to finish it off with Halibut

And then I was done.

Just kidding because a few shops down, I got frozen yogurt. 

And then I was done. And started writing this, but am finally finishing it today. 

Hi.

 J u n j i    I t o   is going to be at Crunchy Roll Expo and I'm trying to rationalize attending JUST for him. Which is a very real possibility. But I also understand that my hope to meet him will very likely be met with the also very real possibility of being in a line for most of the day. Also assuming I arrive early enough to get a spot before it caps. That's also assuming he's there for all days of the event. Which is unlikely. 

But if not for him, at least for the experience.

To be a fan girl :|

Anywho, Chicken made me some super yummy fried rice, and the Shanghai Dragons lost their first game of the season. And Apex Legends is cute, but I need to get over my shyness and being intimidated by a huge map. 

Awkward ending..... here goes

byyyyyeeeeeee