Instagram

Just sharing a few Instagram photos from the last month or so. You can follow me @iiilyana. I have the same twitter username as well. Cheers!

Lovely message on my Starbucks drink from my former assistant manager. 

Girls' night at Fireside

Green tea ice cream from Arirang Korean Restaurant

Stone Bi bim map from Arirang Korean Restaurant

Music Monday

WISHED FOR SNOW & GOT SNOW

American Eagle toggle coat, H&M scarf, J. Crew shirt, Levi's jeans, Sorel Joan of Arctic boots

WHAT'S IN MY BAG?

Since my classes are resuming tomorrow, I thought I would take pictures of all the things that will be coming with me to school tomorrow. With the exception of this semester's books, which I have yet to buy, and a reusable water bottle that's in my kitchen, here's the list of things I keep in my school bag.

Since first year, I had a working Dell. It held up pretty well for three and a half years and ran all the programs I needed. However, the battery conked out early last year and the only time I could use it was if it was plugged in, which is highly impractical if I were using it in class. By November, I needed a computer that could travel easily and could run programs faster. I was debating between the MBP and the Dell XPS 14z, but in the end I chose Mac because of all the hype about its OS. So far, I've been impressed but I'm nowhere near the state of Steve Jobs idolatry.

I got my iPhone December of 2010 and I can safely say it's the most practical and worthwhile purchase in the history of my consumerism. It's my watch when I don't have one, my alarm clock, my internet when I just want to stay in bed, my primary news source, and my phone. Also, FaceTime is the most amazing thing for long distance relationships.

You've seen this on the blog before. This is the Amazon Kindle 3 with wi-fi, and I use it to read books on the bus or just right before I go to bed. I've also used it to store PDF files of readings, which I prefer over reading on a computer screen or printing off on paper. It's less strain on the eyes and better for the environment. 

Food! I need to constantly have food in my system or else I get really light-headed and pale; not to mention, my stomach growls (and it increases every time I get more anxious about it). 

The matches are not for "reading a magazine" as the cast of How I Met Your Mother would describe it. I got it from a smoke shop in Toronto and figured I'd keep it in my bag in case of a Zombie Apocalypse. As for the bag of girly secrets, it's made up of monthly necessities and makeup. 

Angry Little Girls wallet that Dan bought for me in Banff. He said the girl reminded him of me, so clearly there's some sentimental value there. 

Where do I keep all this stuff? In this overly-edited (colours are way off) Fjallraven Kanken backpack in the Frost Green colour and classic size. It's a perfect size for my small frame but it's just large enough to fit a 13" MBP in the inside sleeve. It comes with two side pockets/sleeves which are just narrow enough to fit an iPhone, keys, bus pass and ID for easy access. Oh, and I've also got a Brip, the Ugly Doll, keychain because I love it. Don't you?

NEW YEAR & NEW RESOLUTIONS

I wrote this post on a new blog over at Wordpress. I'm not quite sure whether I want to stick with this one or start a new one over there. Ideally, I'd get a wordpress.org account and self-host, but I can't justify paying for it when I'm so indecisive about blogging platforms.

It’s officially 22 hours into 2012 where I live. Last night, my brother told me not to spend anything on the first day of the year or else I would continue to spend frivolously throughout the year. The day isn’t over but I guess it’s fair to say that I’ve accomplished that small feat. If that should give any indication to my ability to follow through on goals and resolutions, then I’m stoked for 2012. This year, I graduate from university, I visit the Philippines after four and a half years, I plan to move out west, and I hope to figure out what I really want to do for the rest of my life. The only thing that can turn this year of infinite potential into a complete bust is me.

To usher in the new year and get myself motivated about getting shit done, I thought of coming up with a list of resolutions that address all aspects of my life (original, right?).

School & Career

• Get involved in more extra-curricular and volunteer activities
  • Take pictures again for the school newspaper, get involved with the new NGO, seek other projects and organizations in campus
• Improve your GPA – kick ass this semester
• Graduate in Fall 2012
• Apply for grad school 2013-?
  • Build relationships with your profs so you can get those letters of recommendation
• Gain work experience – apply for a legit job that relates to your degree

Finances

• Save up for pocket money and travel money to use in the Philippines
• Pay off at least 50% of student debt by December 31, 2013
• Save up enough money for the big move

Life

• Summer vacation in the Philippines
• The big move
  • Move to the bigger city (Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, or Vancouver)
  • Save up enough money to cover the costs for 3 months
• Whatever happens and wherever we go, we are making this relationship work ♥
• Gain life skills – driver’s license, cooking, handiness, taxes, etc.
• Improve creative skills – photograph more; write more
• Exercise and eat better
  • Eat healthier, less processed stuff
  • Gain weight!
• Start a blog, stick to it, and update frequently
• Prove those Mayans wrong and make it out alive

It’s a rough list and it definitely needs to be developed more as the year progresses. Looking at it all laid out is so completely overwhelming that I just want to crawl under the covers and never leave. But I have to constantly remind myself to start working on the list and finishing them. If I keep doing, I avoid the likelihood that this list becomes nothing more than a meaningless blog post on New Year’s day. I probably need to set this post as the homepage on my browser, screen cap it and set it as my desktop wallpaper, and print it and tape it to my wall. It might be excessive, but it might just be the kick of motivation I need.