1. I had lunch with Elias waaaaay back in August and we caught up over a ton of Korean food. I haven’t been very good about meeting up with friends and it had been a long time since we last saw each other, but as always, it was easy to pick up right where we left off. SCANDALOUS CONVERSATION FOR HOURS ♡

2. Had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled and it was a rather miserable experience.

3. I picked up swimming this summer!!! Or rather, resumed swimming after not doing so regularly since I was in high school. It was exhausting the first two weeks and I could barely do a lap without wanting to keel over, but it became a lot easier the more I did it (like all things right?). It’s taking a lot of self-motivation and determination to continue with it since I go in at 6AM and it’s really a struggle keeping myself from crawling back into bed. I fell back into bad habits this month when the pool was closed for cleaning, and I could feel my health getting weird so I really have to push through with starting again this week now that the pool has re-opened. It’s going to be such a test when winter rolls around. Check this membership out! Full access to all the rec centers in NYC for $25 if you’re 18 – 24 years of age. It’s a great opportunity and so much cheaper than a gym membership.

4. Working on my eyebrows, working on my hair. I’m trying to get over the heebie jeebies that plucking gives me so it’s a slow journey, but it’s happening!! I also officially gave up on heat styling and trying to learn how to manage/love/baby my natural hair.

5. Job apps. haha. sigh.

6. Read more books, watched more movies, listened to more music (‘High Society’ – summer mix & “It’s you, entire” – part 1 of a series of songs about love)

PS: HEY FRIENDS http://ask.fm/astronomist

(JAN 25) Lunch with VC and A at Bitgoul Tofu & BBQ for a soondubu fix. VC asked me to bring some of my makeup and so afterwards, we headed to VC’s house where I gave them a basic makeup rundown in exchange for getting to eat all of VC’s food at home. I’M SO EASY.

(FEB 04) I had dinner with my beloved ES at Jebon Sushi & Noodle House because we needed some serious catching up. It was great – we can spend a million hours just talking about nothing together. There’s a lot to say and treasure about a friendship where you hardly ever have time to meet and yet the conversations pick up like it was just yesterday that you saw each other.

We went to Strand Books where I asked the staff if they had any hardcover fairytale books and they pointed me to a copy with a purple velvet cardboard cover in the children’s section. haha noo. I already have a pair of softcover fairytale books that my friends bought me for my birthday, but my dream has always been to own a collection of really ornate hardcovers like the Barnes & Noble’s Leatherbound Classics series – so beautiful!

(FEB 23) VC called me for lunch because she needed some help with her Chinese assignments and we decided to do a trade-off with me getting Korean lessons! We grabbed lunch at Sunway Cafe and reminisced about the times we came here in high school especially the time after we took the calculus AB SAT II’s and everyone was silent. I’ll never forget how many students opened their exam and just yelled “NO” and put their heads down to take a nap. AHAHAHA.

Finally managed to get my hands on the Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, which is a warm orange shade – a little crazy, but I’ve been meaning to try a bright lip and finally plucked up the courage to give it a ago. I have rather pigmented lips so it appears more red-orange on me. I LOVE IT.

(FEB 28) Took a trip with my parents to Mitsuwa supermarket where my dad finally got his beloved ‘Boloniya’ bread from the Yokohama St. Honore Bakery stall near the drinks section. It’s AMAZING. I wish I had a photo, but it’s a buttery soft bread that’s served in a rectangular loaf and because it’s been folded so many times, the inside is light and flakey ughhh. My cousin judges us because it’s just bread but do a search ‘Boloniya bread’ and you’ll find it’s not just me! Pricey though at almost $11 a loaf jeez. The skincare selection at Mitsuwa, however, is heaven. I’ve died and this is where I want to be buried

As much as I love fried foods (WHO DOESN’T), we don’t often fry things at home because it’s just a hassle, but we picked up some panko and sauce during our Mitsuwa visit so my mom and I gave it ago. It turned out great, but we need to work on not sticking our eggy hands in the bread crumbs – it makes it all lumpy LMAO. Ah, nothing beats a crunchy chicken katsu mmmm :9