31 December 2011, Last Day of the Year.

2011...had so many amazing opportunities for my husband and myself. I feel very blessed for all the time we've spent together, making up for all those times the military had him away from home. I had the most amazingly epic adventures with my friends who came up to visit...I overcame plenty of obstacles in my decisions and life...

Overall, this year was one of the greatest and challenging years of my life.

I'm so ready for more.
2012,
Lets do this!!!

What's In A Name? Part II.

Not a big blog post today... I just wanted to say,
 I officially registered my domain name:)  
*GEEK OUT*

Winter has officially arrived.

Here in Washington all the seasons come when you least expect them to. And this morning...definitely a drop in temperature. Seems 'ol man winter is here.

Intermission.

I guess you can say I've failed my "30 days of blogs". I was really pumped up to do it but I've become real busy that I haven't quite had time for much. I do apologize...once the holidays are over it'll be semi-smooth sailing and back to the grind. But until then, it'll be a blog here and there:-)

Happy Holidays to all!

03/30 | 30 Day Blog Challenge

3. Where have you been spending your time lately? Three/Five/Ten years ago would you have expected to be there?

+ I have find myself spending a lot of my time at work lately. ALL I ever is work and most days I feel like I don't have time for anything else because once I'm done with work I just want to relax. I knew eventually I would be working but I never thought it would have the affect it has on my life right now. I used to work two full time jobs and never rest...never stopping...I would hang out with friends anytime.

I guess that's what happens sometimes. Life slows you down but eventually I'll find a good rhythm again:-)

02/30 | 30 Day Blog Challenge

2. Who are you? In comparison to who you used to be. What made you change?

+ I feel I'm the same person, just wiser and more independent. I haven't really changed...I grew up. I still have the same dreams, same goals in life plus additional ones. I'm stronger and more driven yet laid-back. I remember little things used to bother me. But that's out the door...I've moved on in my life and I've learned there are certain things you shouldn't spend your whole life worry. I've learned that all people have some kind of good in them but you can't trust all of them. I've learned to appreciate the relationships/friendships in my life even they don't last. And I've learned to be comfortable in my own skin.

I'm still me and happier:-)

01/30 | 30 Days Blog Challenge

1. What happened today? If it was the last day of your life, how satisfied would you be with your final hours?

+ Today I did my normal bit of waking up, getting ready, and going to work. It was a very easy day, in fact in most cases I feel it may have been to easy. Afterwards I came home to relax and calm my mind. My husband and I had pizza delivery for dinner. I spent hours just alone to my thoughts in our room while he played some videogames...easy day.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being VERY SATISFIED), I'd maybe say 4, more satisfied than most. It may have been an easy day but it was filled with hard work and far from perfection. Spending the whole day with my husband, with family and friends would have been icing on the cake. But nonetheless I can say yes...having that my finals hours of today will be spent with my husband and our strange cats;-)

Just me.

Just me., a photo by rarebliss. on Flickr.

Just me.

"The Paris of the West".

San Francisco...how I miss you.

Japanese Idol

I've never aspired to look like anyone in my life but I am inspired by her makeup. She looks so flawless!

First of November.

I love Fall... There's just something amazing about the cold weather, getting to dress up in layers, bundling up under blankets, being cozy by the fireplace, tree leaves changing hues, and watching the world from inside. And of course, there's the pumpkin spice, hot chocolate, and warm Pho perks:)

Hope everyone had a safe Halloween and Happy FIRST of the MONTH!!!

Photo Quality Testing....

Courtesy of my new Android phone:-) More photos to come....

Brownie Reflex. Rarebliss Photography 2011.

October Wellness.

This month I decided to participate in October Wellness month at my work. Its basically a goal set for the month to enhance/improve your wellness, whether its financially, mentally, physically.... you name it! I thought it would be really fun! Plus, my office is the first thing people see so I figure why not let people get to know a little about me! Here's what I decided to do:

1) To improve my digestive/immune system, I have decided to drink more water and less soda! Drinking 8 Glasses of water per day is the minimum that people should be drinking so that is my goal. (Its not that I drink more soda than water, I just don't drink enough. What can I say.... I'm an eater not a drinker:P)

2) To improve my financial wellness, I am putting away 5% of my paycheck into a savings to help with an "Emergency Fund". To save it for a rainy day, or perhaps to travel:)

3) I've decided to pool in inspiration and start snapping again. Snapping photos that is!!! I am quite a camera/photography/filmography afficionado but the past months I haven't done enough of it! I feel like I've slacked off with trying to just really enjoy life and its moments (before stuff like Myspace and Facebook ruined candid moments). Though will all that said, doesn't mean I cannot enjoy both!!!

So there you have it, my three goals of wellness.
Anyone else have any goals for this month?

Servus!

Guten Tag! I had one of the most amazing adventures this past weekend and although I am crunched for time at the moment I thought I would give you a sneak peek:)

5th Year Wedding Anniversary:)

Today is officially our 5 year wedding anniversary!!! Ahhh we made it:) And we'll keep on going strong!!! I cannot believe it... In fact I have no idea what to really say. I have waited for this moment and it has finally  come. I really feel that we have overcome a lot throughout the five years. We overcame my fear of starting a new life. We overcame the fears of moving in together (Although I don't think we even had much fear at all). We overcame all the years and holidays that the "Military Life" had kept us apart. And not to mention our own worst fears of ourselves and each other. This year in particular has truly been the best because he is here for every holiday... or everyday in general. It feels really good to have him home. I remember how it all began like it was yesterday. How I never had the intentions to find someone that I would spent the rest of my time with. But then I found him and all the pieces fell right into place. My husband is truly an amazing guy. And I hope that he doesn't doubt any second that I love him with all my might:)

QOTD: 07 Sept 2011.

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

– Jim Rohn

5 Tips To Land A Job!

I'm gonna be brutally honest with you... You know how hard it is to find a job. Well that's not even the hard part. Its probably doubled that these days. Companies are looking for capable workers but not those who overstep their their boundaries. Here is 5 tips that will help you narrow down your job search. Trust me....

1. DO NOT BE PICKY.
Let's face it, you not only need a job but you need the money. And unless by some miracle you have found your dream job, you shouldn't be afraid to start at the bottom. What do you have to lose?

2. DO NOT SET YOUR SCHEDULE.
This is a definite RED FLAG. Why should a company hire you to work for them, if you are trying to set your own schedule???

3. FILL IN THE GAPS.
Its true, hiring managers look at those gaps in-between your work experience. If you have a good reason then go with that, BUT MAY I ADD, be honest but DON'T TELL YOUR LIFE STORY. (IE; "Reason for Leaving: Because I had medical issues that allowed me not to complete my job."). Which leads to my 4th....

4. BE BRIEF.
Save the stories for an interview. Its okay to leave brief descriptions in your "Reason for Leaving" section. We need to know your intentions but NOT YOUR LIFE STORY.

5. VOLUNTARY vs. INVOLUNTARY QUIT.
If you were consistent with how long you've worked and when. This actually is irrelevant.


And may I add..... Be courteous to others.
You never know who you will be interviewing with:)

PART II coming soon.................

Reasons I Blog/Vlog.

"The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for Life." -- Andrew Brown

First off, I would like to mention that I never intend on impressing an audience with my words or videos. If you end up on my blog or my youtube channel, and you actually enjoy it. I thank you.

I simply enjoy blogging/vlogging but I don't do it often. The internet used to be a big part of my life and then I woke up from all that and realized half of it is a big waste of time. I don't use Social Networks (Just Say No to Facebook, Myspace, whatever people use now a'days!). So this is basically my means of semi-communication aside from texting:P I love being able to type out what I feel, when I feel, without anyone really judging me with "likes" or "comments". I don't like the feeling of being stalked. I just enjoy getting to speak my heart out knowing that someone or no one is listening (or in this case, reading.).

And that's all I have to say about that.

Cheers!

What's In A Name?

I can never seem to decide whether or not I want to bring a domain back. (For those of you who don't know, I ran a web/graphic/hosting site back in 2009-2010...It was really fun until I forgot about it:P). I go back and forth in wanting to make a name for myself and my photography. Photography is one of the toughest businesses because its either all the same or all seen before, or redone. But none-the-less I enjoy capturing moments in life. Once I start I can't stop! Which is probably why I have tons and tons of photos and media files on hand.

So my main things is.... do I use my common username as a domain name or do I want to break free and use my actual name? Or should I come up with something new?

Why is it so difficult to just... deal with a name?

(via Tumblr post)

iPhone Fail.

For those of you who are trying to reach me...My iPhone has officially died. Completely. I cannot reset, restore, or restart. ITS DEAD. Its my 2nd iPhone within the last year and they both didn't last for very long.

I officially hate Apple.

As for now, you can email... I check it every now and again. I have a temporary number up until my upgrade in September. Time to decide which phone to get next.

Definitely NOT the iPhone 4.

NKOTBsb EPICNESS;)

Its safe to say, that I am still on a Concert high from this past weekend. My friend, Leslie & I went to see NKOTBsb live in Concert and I must say... it really took me back to the 80s-early 90s. I cannot believe we still knew their lyrics lol. It was amazing!!! While most of the NKOTB fans were 40 going on 16... I'm here in my 20s going on 7 LMAO. Epic indeed.

To Higher Ground...

I cannot believe how blessed I have been the past month. And I just couldn't help but write about it. It has taken me quite a journey over the past years to finally break out of the mold that people, mainly my family have put me in. The mold to be like them- to show perfection, to show strength, to show that I can do anything THEY want me to do. Not that it was too horrible but the creative ME was just itching to get my own life on. I am my own person, and I have always known that from the beginning but being the youngest sister I have always felt the need to respect others wishes, to put their feelings and such before mine. And here I am. On higher ground... on my own.

So enough of that back story (for now)...SO LET ME JUST SAY THIS, I feel very blessed to have the opportunity, after FOUR long years of hard work and persistence to move up from within my workplace. I thought the time would never come. When I first started my job, I really felt it was just a temporary setback, a need-to-have kind of basis. It was definitely NOT comparable to the two jobs I had back home, one at the corporate accounting level of $23/hr, the other being at $20/hr at a nightclub in SF. Here I am, at the the starter job for most teens making the minimum wage of Washington State. It was a job nevertheless. I quickly climbed my way through the retail food chain, training in many places of the Department as possible. And then finally reaching a comfortable halt within the Photo Lab. MY ULTIMATE LOVE. film, photography, developing... I was all over it and learning it faster than ever. Soon enough I was a permanent member of the Lab. And with every part of life, world, work (not to mention living in a very HIGHLY populated military world)....people come and go, changes arise, and somehow I found myself unhappy AND also being pushed out of my normal workstations and losing hours. I couldn't figure it out... I thought it was personally towards me until I realized half of the store was getting the same treatment and dropping like flies. So I did what I could to change my fate by trying a completely different position and avoiding anything that had to do with my old one.

FAST FORWARD, that didn't work out as I would hoped. So I started back at the beginning, which would be horrible for some people but I for one was just happy to be back to what I knew best! And starting to see some more familiar and friendly faces. Yet here I was again. Stuck in time, stuck going nowhere - neither up or down. 2011 - another new year to turn things around. I was getting more hours, which meant I working more, which meant happy paychecks. But what could I do to get ahead. Get back to living my potential.

And then there was the recommendation, from my previous supervisor. I didn't believe it at first when she asked me if I was interested but the words, "I would love to be trained!" was already flowing from my mouth. March, April, May..... I went from working on the Floor, to working from a desk. Its been amazing! I enjoy every bit of it, even though I'm still trying to remember certain tasks and routines. The even better part, I also got my goal in the works. Before I even knew that I would have the opportunity to train in the Office, I had expressed A LOT of interest in working in the Pharmacy for the B-Tech program. I start my training in a week:) I hope that this it the beginning for greater things.

Even if this recent success could suddenly disappear, I am really grateful for all the new knowledge it has given me:)

Sorry if that was long!

Words From The Wise.

I couldn't have said/wrote this better myself, so I really have to give MAJOR credit to my dear friend, Lecia (misfitcitizen.com). She is pure genius and genuinely right about most if not all things. And thus is a repost of her blog from 15 April 2011. Enjoy!!! ......

Once upon a time, not long ago, I was a daily “social networker”. It wasn’t until MySpace almost ruined my relationship that I realised how pointless and stupid social networking was. In more recent years I’ve even considered using it for strictly advertising and promotional purposes, but I’ve changed my mind and refuse to ever partake in that “movement” ever again.
It causes conflict between people, whether you want to admit it or not. Why? Let’s honestly face it: it consumes people. Have you not noticed that
everyone
, including animals, inanimate objects, celebrities, make-believe people, news programs, newspapers, and even states, have “profiles”? Everywhere you turn someone is always talking about Facebook and Twitter.
Wah, wah.. why didn’t you add me? Wah, o-m-g did you see what what’s-his-face tweeted? Wah, wah.. how come this bitch keeps talking shit to me? She MUST be jealous… Wah, I’m a bad bitch and take sexually explicit pictures when I’m “drunk” but don’t think I’m a ho.. JUST LOOK AT MEEE! Wah, wah.. why is my boyfriend’s ex still his friend and how come he didn’t delete her old comments?? Wah, my girlfriend changed her status to single…

And people have the audacity to get upset for being called a whore, bad parent, an awful friend, or something negative. Give me a fucking break! It’s like the saying, “Don’t dress like a ho and expect to be treated like a lady.” What you outwardly portray to people is what and who you are, whether you’re pretending or not- people take shit way serious. What business you CHOOSE to tell others is what business EVERYONE is “all up in”.
People are so consumed with it all that it’s all they ever discuss with one another, even what they use to solely communicate with one another… and I cringe to even think that people make multi-million dollar careers all because of how many friends, fans or followers they have. Sad thing is, people, moreso women, are so catty.. even celebrities are featured on the news about their “beefs”. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?
You know what makes the social networking thing even more dangerous? The infamous iPhone and the thousands of Apps, more than half of which are completely pointless (ok I admit I thought the Dispicable Me app with that giggling yellow thing was HILARIOUS and cute for like 3 minutes lol). Again, people are completely consumed by this materialistic piece of Made in China crap. Ask yourself: do you own an iPhone because you truly love the phone and its features, or did you buy it because it was the latest fad everyone around you has? Do you actually have a need for all the features, or is it just for looks?
You know what else irritates me? These stupid reading devices. Sure they’re pretty cool and convenient, but nothing beats the feel and smell of a book’s pages… Why can’t we take the time to appreciate what we already have as they are?
I remember a time even before FindAPix.com (what you know about that 2000 shit, bitches! lmfao) when it was all about creating your own website, actually learning coding and design. Now your creativity is no longer needed- just click a button and go!

Our highly evolved brains just continue to go to waste… The world digresses, but I refuse!

Self-explanatory.

It's no wonder that nobody has REAL one-on-one (in person) conversations these days...it's no wonder I hate Facebook so much too! This comic strips says it all....




Please... Kill your Facebook, while you still can. And start LIVING.

Style Watch: Emma Roberts.

I don't know about you but I complete adore Emma Roberts fashion sense & style. Its simple, classic, and VERY wearable in your everyday life. Its not too loud but at the same time its bold. I found this very awesome website on Polyvore that showcases most of her looks. I love it!

Today in Photos: Spring Cleaning Early.

• Greek Yogurt and Granola w/ Fruits & Nuts for a healthy breakfast.


• Target is starting to sell all the things I love. It's sucking me in:P


• Amongst the shopping I had to do today, I bought some organizing trays and storage tubs. And of course, some pillows to replace our old flatten ones! Ah the joys of new pillows lol


• Ran out of my usual makeup remover towellettes. These were on such a good sale...I thought I'd try them:)

Yeah, it was a chill day;) You gotta enjoy those days just as much as your busiest days!!!

Updates & Blog FaceLift

I'm so excited to say that I have stuck with a majority of my new years resolutions. And I had quite a lot!!! I mean, A LOT!!!! That I even made a video on my YouTube channel in hopes to encourage other people. New Years resolutions has been a tradition of some sort for my family during new years and I've always felt the need to be consistent with keeping my word. So that's what I do.

One of the biggest out of the bunch (and maybe I'll edit this later to list my resolutions) was to weed out the Social Networking. As much help as Social Networking can do for everyone these days it's also the opposite, it's one of the biggest problems. Especially with the younger generations. I think with that said they can usually speak for themselves but in case anyone out there can't quite wrap their minds around what the Cons of Social Network Sites are, here are a few words to help: Bullying. Addiction. Predators. (But I'll save my opinions on them for another day...)

It's insane. Many things can be misconstrued over the Internet and I for one have learned my lesson and am over it. The only ones I keep around are those that help my main interest in life which are a gallery or two for my photography, for my film/vlogging, and for my enjoyment of writing and sharing. I've happily nixed Myspace, Facebook, Livestream long ago but most recently I've been able to stop using Twitter and Tumblr.

Life is good:D

...Oh yes, and how do you like my new layout??

To A New Chapter...

I am proud to say that after less than a month of my husband separating from the Army, and only less than a month of job hunting.... Last Friday he got one of the most important news of our lives...Of his life. It's confirmed that HE GOT THE JOB!!! ;D I am such a proud wife. I'm really quite ecstatic over his feat. Its a job he decided to take a chance on, put a lot of effort into landing it. I knew he could do it;)

What makes this really really awesome is that, just the day before I was asked if I would like to train in HR. And of course, I said yes! Heck yes!! I think it's a great opportunity and I'm very thankful to get the chance to be a apart of it. My training starts in two weeks:D

I feel very blessed.

AND at last note, for those who have been coming to read my blog since this one had started up, I hope you noticed the dramatic change. I started with putting some simple "Little Things In Life That Make Me Happy", which was a blog filled with posts of just that HAS turned into a true blog of variety... that is well, basically me:) I can use my tumblr for quick posts but here, I feel I could share life stories more better. I hope you all will take in the changes as my life has become more and more of a real journey into full adulthood (being married and all haha). And if you're new to my blog, WELCOME... official intro blog is coming up:)

"A Year Ago, Today in iPhone Photos"

Date: 10 March 2010
Weather: Warm, Sunny
Last Year I Had: Lighter/Shorter hair, thinner eyebrows, and experimented with eyeshadows.
Also: my husband was away a lot with the Army and our cat (at the time) Pinnochio developed allergies from something in our apartment:/



Today: 10 March 2011
Weather: Rainy & Windy
This Year: I have darker/longer hair, grew out my eyebrows, new obsession with nail polish art.
Also: my husband has since separated from the Army and is starting a new job. Our cat, Chunk turns 1 year old in April. We no longer own, Pinnochio, he went to a new home that he could happily live allergy free:)

My...how things change swiftly!!!

Target Goodies;)

Yesterday I found out that Target is starting to Clearance out their NYC Color cosmetics to make room for a new brand. And being the nail polish/drugstore product consumer that I am (and not to mention that I have a lot of NYC Color makeup), I totally couldn't resist getting a couple more nail polishes for dirt cheap! I'm a nail polish addict these days and I went with their reds. I'm a big fan of red nail polishes. I thought I'd also try some other few products as well.

As for the SDHC Card. That was a steal! 4GB at $12.99. Cannot be passed up, especially for a shutter happy gal like me:)

Sundays are for Relaxing.

Sundays have usually been our relaxing day. Per usual, my hubby let's me sleep in as long as I feel. When I got up this morning the aroma of stew had masked the air. Beef Stew:) We decided yesterday that we would take the day off and stay in, so we stocked up on grocery for the next day (for today).

We spent hours getting teased by the delicious smell of meat, onions, potatoes, and other good ingredients from the stew cooking in our good ol' CrockPot. I wish we had more uses for it because I know there's plenty we could make but we usually just go with the usual. And only have it probably...oh once every two months or longer.

I started on my new book, the last book in a Trilogy I've been reading. Well I pretty much finished the first two books LAST YEAR and waited for the third to go paperback. That's the way I roll with my books. Paperback for easy transporting:) I did a bit of filming for a new video too. I just have to figure out how to transfer from our new HD camera. Actually I think I know how to, but I need to buy the USB cable. Le sigh.

And that's pretty much how my Sunday went for this week. I've started blogging more here and at tumblr and yeah...

Until next time:)

The Day the Sun melted the Snow.

I woke up today with a mission to dye my hair. I’ve been itching to color it for awhile now but I wasn’t sure if I wanted a subtle or drastic change. So I had two boxes and a choice to make—-I went with the subtle change route. Thus started my day…

Today was an awesome, awesome day. The past two days our town had seen Snow, and it doesn’t bother me at all. I enjoy the snow, as long as I don’t have to commute in it. And it was, of course, WONDERFUL to see the Sun (it’s Washington State, sun is definitely NOT an everyday occurrence) out for a change. Sun is essential for a healthy mind, it's inspiration. And I had a million things running through my brain. So many ideas, so many ideas indeed!

For starters, My husband and I had lunch at our favorite Gyro place. This place is a gem! A hole in the wall with a 15 minute wait. But its worth it. Indefinitely. Oh man, how I could eat Gyros everyday of my life if I had to. With no real plans we stopped in at our local B&N store. We maybe spent 5 minutes in there and then immediately decided to hit up one of the Borders Bookstores that was closing up near by us. (if you haven’t heard, Borders is filing for bankruptcy, google it!). We took a trip across the only tolled bridge (in State) to Gig Harbor. And OMG, best idea ever!!! I found so many goodies, it was insane. I had to narrow it down with my hubby’s help:P

Afterwards, we decided to hit up the nearby Target just to take a gander and buy dry cat food, literally. I spent some time within the day testing out my time-lapse skills with an app I found for my iPhone, at just about every place we went lol…Fun times! We headed home as the sun started to set and that cold chill moved in. It was a great day out…And a much needed one too! A day like any other day should never be wasted!!!

And the other best part of my day was receiving my third package of four LOL. Okay, so I may have went a little online shopping crazy but I never really shop anyways, so it's all good;) Awesome sauce.

#19: Projects.

I definitely enjoy any type of art projects. Being creative is my ultimate outlet. Whether it's through ideas, painting, photography, or writing you name it. I'm up for it! I love the feeling of accomplishments and how people appreciate your work of art. It's most rewarding:) I finish all projects are start on, though some may be completed faster than others. Most times I'll spend a lot of time extending a project just because I don't want it to end!!

#18: Life Changes.

Whether it's embracing it change or planning on change --realistically Change is always a good thing. Most change in Life should be for the better, if it affects a life or two, or a whole group. It's necessary to let life unfold in it's ways. And overcome obstacles. But most importantly to leave behind the past to make room for improvements;)

#17: Self-Checkouts.

Now, I know that Self-Checkouts can ultimately become the cause in demise of standard checkout employees but let's face it-- their convenient, easy, fast, and efficient. AND most importantly, you do not have to deal with occassional fake kindness from a person. It's true and you know it.