Hello Kitty Car

I was walking to my car after work and guess what I saw!

Isn't it awesome?!  I need me one of these...

<3,
Juju

Yoda Backpack

Look at what I found at Disneyland today:

Tati kept trying to persuade me to buy it but I have no idea where I would wear it.  Is this the same backpack your professor wears to lecture, Nhakhanh?  I should come to your class so we can match.

<3,
Juju

Pride

I've lived in a bubble most of my life and as a result, I'm much more sheltered and oblivious than others.  It took me a little longer to realize this, but not everyone is going to like you for who you are.  There's always someone who will criticize, judge, or hate you.  And if you can't reconcile with them, then there's really nothing more you can do than to just accept it and move on.  But that's easier said than done.

I was raised to treat others as I would like to be treated.  And sometimes, there are just stubborn people who will take advantage of that and try to trample all over me.  If I knew there was someone who disapproved of me, then I immediately question and blame myself.  But I have to realize that it's not always  my fault.  My low self-esteem and paranoia usually gets the best of me, and that's what I need to correct.  Why must I waste my time and lose sleep over such people?  They are so blinded by their own spiteful convictions, that it's impossible to reason with them.  I know there will always be haters and I shouldn't let what they think affect me.  But when they start to judge my character without properly hearing me out first, then I get upset.

Who are you to judge me?

Based on some misunderstanding, you'll always see me as this greedy little liar.  And it hurts that you even think of me that way.  I have integrity, I have morals.  And by accusing me of such actions, you insult everything I stand for.  You insult my pride.  But there's nothing more I can do or say to persuade you.  So just remain stubborn and think whatever you want to think.  I know who I am, and that's all that matters.  Pretend like nothing happened.  Smile at me, I'll smile back.  But underneath it all, I know you'll always think of me that way, and it will never be the same as before.  You may no longer be angry, but your words will always hurt my pride.  And for that, I can never see you as the same person again.

Easter Kitty

Stopped by Sanrio to pick up a new key cover for my house key:

Truyen is sad because Bunny Kitty is replacing my old Chopper one haha.  It's not like I'm tossing him aside!  I just lost the chain thing so I can't hang him on my keychain atm...

I also got a mystery egg with my purchase.

Hmm...what's inside...

It's a little figurine!  I'm glad I got strawberry since it's my favorite fruit =) These are all the other Fruity Kitties:

<3,
Juju

Oh snaps, an 8ft tall Yoda?!

Last Friday, I discovered that South Coast Plaza was holding a big Lego event in celebration of the new Lego Store's grand opening.  What was the project?  Oh...nothing special really.  Only an 8ft TALL YODA.  *pops out lightsaber*

As a newly converted Star Wars fan--with Yoda being my favorite character--you can imagine how ecstatic I was.  It was a 3-day event and anyone was invited to participate in the project.  I would've joined the building crew, but I would've been the only girl helping out.  The entire construction team consisted of eager, young little boys.  Where are all the girls?!  Girls can play with legos too!  Haha.

Here are some pictures I took on the first day:

The little Yoda model.  He'd probably be this tall in real life keke

You can see the base of Yoda here.  It looks like poor little Yoda is trapped...

A little boy constructing away with the help of his daddy

Yesterday was the last day of construction.   I didn't work so I planned on visiting Yoda today. 

When my lunch hour arrived, I rushed to the carousal court eager to catch a glimpse of him.  And what did I find? NOTHING.

Confused, I thought they probably moved him to the Lego store.  So I rushed over there, and only found Boba Fett.

I asked a worker about Yoda's mysterious disappearance and he said that poor Yoda was demolished yesterday after the mall closed.  My spirits crushed right then and there...I literally just stared at him for a couple seconds, waiting to hear him say, "Just kidding!"  I can't believe they destroyed him just like that!  They should've displayed him for a week at least.  All that hard work...gone to waste!  *SADNESS*

I was able to find the finished Yoda online:

He towers over everyone!  I love the mini Yoda too <3

So sad I couldn't see him in person though.  Sigh.  I guess I wasn't strong enough with the Force to predict his tragic death...

<3,
Juju

Disney Date with Diane

Omg, I can't believe I haven't been to Disneyland in the past 3 months.  As a passholder, I vowed I'd make the most out of it and try to go once every month but it's been difficult trying to coordinate everyone's schedule ("everyone" being Diane and Tatiana lol...).  But since I was off work today, Diane and I ventured off into our land of happiness! x)

Here's some pics I managed to take:

Mr. Toad! A bit too bright...evil backlight!

Loved this window display!

And this one too!

 These DJ tees were so cute~  I love the Mickey one.

 Decided to buy this because I fell in love with it.  Mickey and black lace?  What more could I ask for?

Diane and I only stayed for 2 and a half hours because we parked at Downtown Disney.  The first three hours are free and we didn't want to pay for parking haha.  When we were about to head home, we saw this adorable bride and groom:

I can't believe we witnessed an actual wedding taking place!  The Japanese couple were saying their vows in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle and they looked so radiant.  It was very romantic and...kind of magical.  (Excuse me if I made you gag with my cheesiness.)  I would've taken a better picture but I felt embarrassed and a bit weird taking a photo of a random couple and disturbing their special day.  The bride's dress was GORGEOUS.  Very princess-y =) If I had a Disney wedding and wore a beautiful dress like that, I would've made a grand entrance in a pumpkin carriage or something.  Tee hee.  Yeah yeah, I'm such a girl.

Afterwards, we decided to get lunch at Marie Callendar's.  It was both of our first time eating there and we decided to order their trio deal.  You get either a chicken pot pie or shepard's pot pie, ceasar salad, and your dessert pie of choice.

Mmm...looks so good.

Ready to dig in! 

Now I've been a fan of chicken pot pies, but I've only eaten the frozen ones (I know, so unhealthy).  So I was eager to try a restaurant-quality version!  And let me tell you, it was SO delicious.  Omg.  The crust was super light and flaky, and the soup was so creamy.  Everything just melts in your mouth.  I felt extremely full afterwards because I'm still not used to the bigger American-sized portions.  Will definitely come back and devour some more though!

I decided to end the day by getting my hair trimmed.  It's amazing how cutting only 3 inches of hair can make your head feel so light!  At first, I didn't know where I wanted to go to get my haircut.  I didn't want to drive all the way to the My Ngoc Beauty Salon in Westminster, and I didn't want to spend $60 at my previous stylist's salon (especially for just a trim!).  So I took a risk and gave SuperCuts a try.

Never.  Again.

Yeah, it's cheap (only $16 with no shampoo wash), but you get what you pay for.  The hair stylist was super nice but she does not know how to layer hair.  Sigh.  Now I'm stuck with choppy-layered hair.  At least she understood what a trim was and didn't snip off 5 inches of my hair.  Oh well, it's not that bad I guess.  I'll live.

Alright, it's been a long day and I'm pooped.  Off to bed I go~

<3,
Juju

Pasta Heaven

Omg, I'm still so bloated from tonight's dinner...I feel like I've gained ten pounds or something.  Even though it's super fattening, the fetticini alfredo at Vie de France is simply irresistible.

Their version has a unique taste, mainly because of the pasta sauce.  I love how there's mushroom and spinach in it, which isn't commonly served at most restaurants.  It makes it taste even more delicious =)

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This is completely random, but the other day I saw this "Guess Who" Star Wars edition game at Target and squealed like a giddy school girl. 

Look at Yoda! So cute~

Truyen has slowly been converting me into a Star Wars nerd.  I can't believe I've been missing out on the series this whole time!  Before, the only thing I enjoyed that was Star Wars-related was the Star Tours ride in Disneyland.  The ride is currently undergoing some reimagining so I can't wait to check out what new features they've added!

Anywho, I'm going to start watching Episodes I, II, and III with Truyen tomorrow.  Then my Star Wars adventure will be complete =)

<3,
Juju

Lunch of the Day: Bún Thịt Nướng

...Otherwise known as rice vermicelli with bbq pork:

This is probably one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes.  There are different variations but I usually eat it with lettuce and cucumbers.  Sometimes I'll eat it with thinly slice carrots too.  The only thing I don't like is how the nước mắm (fish sauce) makes my breath all smelly >.<

<3, 
Juju

Palty Hair Dye in "Juicy Peach "

Spring is rolling around the corner and my sister wanted to sport a new, edgy hairstyle.  I suggested she try cutting her hair into a short bob, with one side longer than the other.  It came out pretty successful and she loves it :)  She also wanted to color her hair and I was skeptical at first because I personally think she looks good with black hair.  Also, since it's her first time coloring her hair, I was unsure how much color would actually show up.  It took me several color treatments until I was satisfied with my brown hair.

But that's where Palty hair dye comes in.  Palty is a Japanese hair dye collection aimed towards Asian hair.  That's what differentiates it from over-the-counter Americanized hair dyes like L'Oreal, Revlon, or Garnier.  I've never used Palty before so Diane was my guinea pig ahaha!

Here's some of the available colors (I'd be a bit concerned for anyone who would color their hair "Jewelry Ash"...unless it's for some costume/cosplay purposes):

She picked out "Juicy Peach," which is like a light brown with a hint of orange.  One box contains the following:

 
1) Hair dye
2) Oxide Water
3) Brush tip applicator
4) Tsubaki Oil
5) Protective gloves
6) Instructions (wish there were English ones!) 

Here's Diane before:

During the coloring process:

And the end results:

Craaazy, right?  This is with no previous bleaching or coloring whatsoever!  I'm SO impressed with how bright and vivid the color came out!  And the dye didn't dry out her hair as much.  It just looks healthy and full of shine, and even closely resembles the expected hair color on the box:

Now I want to dye my hair again but I think I might need 2 boxes for my long hair.  I was a bit hesitant to use over-the-counter hair dyes again because I've had a bad history with them.  Usually, I dye my hair at a salon because I trust my stylist.  But now...I think using Palty would be a less expensive way to play around with color =)

<3,
Juju