Surprise! I'm back with another annual blog post, but this time, ~travel diary edition~. I'm going to be honest — writing out this post took a lot of convincing and persistence. I haven't written anything in about a year now. I was nervous that taking a year-long break from writing meant all of my storytelling skills, and even passion, have inevitably went down the drain. Shout out to my closest friends for encouraging me to stop worrying about not being a great writer and to just pick up a pencil (or in this case, my laptop) and start practicing again. I can't promise myself that I'll be writing every week now, but hopefully more than once a year. 

Alright, that's enough of this sappy and way too personal prologue. Here are a few of my favorite highlights from my mini vacation to Cape Cod last week.☺

Welcome to my second quarantine book review! At this point in quarantine, I should probably be finishing up my fifth or sixth book, but some old habits (cough procrastination) never die.

Initially, I was supposed to write this book review on Celeste Ng's "Everything I Never Told You", which is the second book I finished while at home, but to be honest, that book didn't nearly hit me as hard as Jodi Picoult's "Small Great Things." Don't get me wrong, I think Celeste Ng is a good writer and her focus on Asian American identity is such an important topic that's often overlooked in popular contemporary books, though "Small Great Things" dives even deeper into the themes of race and prejudice in America. While reading this book, I literally could not put it down because of how suspenseful and thought provoking each chapter was. Okay, that's enough of me gushing over how much I loved this book. Instead, I'm going to go over the myriad of reasons as of why you should also love this book.

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"I'm alone but I'm not lonely. Comfortably indulging and trying to get to know me." 

When I first heard Sabrina Claudio's song "Comfortably Lost", these lines struck a chord with me. As someone who's naturally more introverted and frequently needs alone time after a long day with friends, the idea of quarantine didn't sound so terrible at first. Personally, I love using my alone time to indulge in my own creative interests while finding out more about myself. Now at a time where staying at home is pretty much mandated, it's important to utilize this time to not dwell on the fact that we feel lonely, but take advantage of all the opportunities of personal growth that can be accomplished. I know it's hard to be alone for long periods of time  —trust me, as someone who enjoys much needed alone time, I'm also starting to go crazy being at home 24/7. Feeling lonely is normal, especially now more than ever, though there are ways to combat those hard feelings and find ways to improve your life at home. Here are just a few things that I've been doing to help me not feel so helpless:

Long Monologue (Skip to the third graph to read the actual review): Hi everyone! Long time, no talk. I don't have a good explanation as to why I haven't been active on this blog except for the fact that I've been going through a creative slump these past few... years. As a full-time college student, I barely have time to explore my creative pursuits like writing, and that's something I seriously regret. Nowadays, society has taught us to live and breathe the "rise and grind" mantra. We're constantly bombarded with ads preaching the workday hustle, though sometimes (or most of the time) we need a break from the stress of everyday life. I understand that during this unusual and unfortunate time, many young adults are undergoing even more stress from financial uncertainty, health complications, and a slew of other unpredictable setbacks. I acknowledge that I'm fortunate enough to be able to sit in my bed and type out this blog post, and I'm incredibly thankful that I can utilize this time to take a step away from constant school work and work on myself.

Okay, enough with the long rant. You probably read this article for a book review, and a book review is what you'll get! But please note that my opinions are solely mine. You can hate or love this book — it's completely up to you. Also, if you're expecting a professional literary essay on why you should/shouldn't read this book, you're on the wrong page, sis.

If you couldn't tell from my recent Instagram posts, I've been having a pretty serious case of post-vacation blues. Just a few weeks ago, I was happily soaking up the sun in Europe while sipping on a (non-virgin) ice cold piña colada (the legal drinking age in Europe is 18!!). Now that I'm back home, I'm quickly realizing how truly short summer vacation is and how many responsibilities I have to face in the upcoming weeks. So, in order to escape the reality of my stressful college life, why not relive my vacation in a fun lil travel post!

Merry Christmas everyone! I know, it's been quite a while since I wrote a blog post...almost four months to be exact. These past months have been extremely hectic, stressful, and pretty emotional, but I still forced myself to get off my bed to write something new! Actually that's a lie because I'm still writing this from my bed. Anyways, in honor of the new year coming up, I wanted to recap a little on 2017 and what big events occurred in my life. Honestly, this year has been the best of my life, full of both happy and sad tears. All in all, I'm grateful for every amazing thing that happened throughout my 2017 and hope that 2018 will be full of good luck and happiness. So, here is my year in review:

Just to clarify, I don't eat perfectly clean 24/7 and I definitely am not a professional dietician (these tips aren't for solely losing weight!). If you're trying to transition from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one, the process is NOT quick, so don't be discouraged if you're not instantly seeing amazing results within a week or two.
 These are ways that I personally found were extremely helpful towards my journey to better eating habits, which leads to a healthier and more fulfilling life! I'm still on the road to better eating but have noticed amazing changes in my health along the way thanks to a few of the tips below.

Last week I decided to take a much needed mini-cation to the suburbs of Long Island. I reunited with my close friend from university, who generously showed me around and let me stay in her home (thanks Gina!). Although I only slept over for four nights, by the end of the trip I already felt like an authentic Long Islander and a new member of the Lee family. ♡

- DAY ONE - 

On the first day of our LI adventures, I met Gina at Penn Station to take the Long Island Railroad back to her place, which was pretty exciting since I've only rode a train maybe two or three times in my life. The train ride wasn't too long, but I still felt extremely fatigued from my restlessness the night before. When I finally got to Gina's house, I was pleasantly surprised by her two adorable dogs waiting at the door - Coco (who is a little loco) and Ever (a cute lil Maltese). After I unpacked my things and adjusted myself, we both got ready for the rest of the day: a dinner date with her friends!

My first dinner in LI was super delicious and surprisingly vegan! I never thought vegan food could taste so flavorful and mimic actual dishes I usually eat with meat. We ate at a vintage looking cafe called The Witches Brew, which appears as an old house on the outside with lots of antique decor and comfy sofas on the inside. I had a falafel sandwich (my go-to nowadays) with a side of creamy potato salad. The portions were just right - not ridiculously enormous but also not leaving me hungry for seconds. I forgot to take a picture of the food, but I did take a cute picture with Gina!

 Note: It's been quite a while since I've posted on my blog, and I'm so excited to finally have time to write new content now that it's summer! Expect a lot more fashion, traveling, and beauty posts :) This article is a lil different but I felt the need to present some encouraging words for this summer:

My first semester at BU, I liked to complain a lot about how Binghamton was void of any cute, aesthetically pleasing cafes or restaurants downtown, especially since the city is so small and vacant. My life was pretty much changed (seriously), when I stumbled upon The Shop on Washington Street. Imagine walking into a small, cozy bistro in the middle of Brooklyn or NYC, with a full brick wall, pipes running all along the ceilings, and everyone's favorite: hanging bulb lights. The Shop is essentially the quintessential hipster cafe for anyone that misses the vibes of a big city while living in, basically the opposite. 

Last week I turned 19 and it was definitely one of the most fun yet bittersweet birthdays I've ever had so far. Being this was the first time I had to celebrate away from family, it truly hit me hard that I'm actually an adult now and am going to be away for the next three years and so on. Needless to say, I did lock myself in my room on the day of my birthday and cry about how much I missed not only home, but New Jersey, which I never thought I'd ever miss since I would constantly complain about how much I hated Jersey. Never take your home for granted!

 Ignoring the sad stuff, my birthday celebration was honestly such a memorable weekend consisting of my favorite things: food, friends, and fashion! Wow, I didn't purposely try to make alliteration there. For the past couple of weeks, I haven't been looking the best... meaning all I wore were sweatpants, leggings, and oversized sweaters. Binghamton weather has been extremely brutal, like below freezing brutal, though the weather on my birthday weekend began to get a lot warmer! I guess that's my present this year from mother nature. So since the weather was so beautiful, I got to wear one of my favorite outfits and take amazing photos with my friend's Iphone 7, which seriously almost has the quality of a professional camera.

Hi all! It's been awhile since I've made a post... mostly because I've been crammed with so much studying and essay writing due to my need to always procrastinate. Second semester has finally begun and I can proudly say I feel a lot more confident this time around than in the fall. I've finally found the motivation to work hard and think positively, though some days I do fall back into that deep, dark hole of empty feelings. I'm just proud to say that I'm slowly overcoming it, or at least able to control the wave of emotions before they hit me too hard.

It's been a long and stressful semester full of sweat and tears (from both the gym and finals), though I can proudly say that I've made it through 1/8th of college alive!

To be completely honest, I thought my experience at university would be a much easier experience than the reality I truly faced these past four months. Transitioning from high school into college was by far the most draining, hair-pulling phase that not only I, but every freshman, had to adjust to, and often times I do still struggle with time management and yes, even feeding myself daily (bagel bites and nutella are the best meal you can have!).

I know I'm still technically a baby when it comes to being a college student, but the lessons I've learned last semester are essential in helping me grow as an individual and continue my journey of self-identity. From forgetting to print out an essay the same morning it was due to nights crying myself to sleep because I just felt so alone and unhappy, I managed to pull myself together and look at these barriers with a more positive lens, which is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

I've always been a worrier - a person that constantly changed their mind, freaked out over minuscule subjects, and let that darkness consume me whole.

As I was in this negative state of mind (and still a little bit am), nothing really interested me anymore. I didn't want to read books for fun, even though I used to hoard dozens and dozens of books. Music seemed boring to me and the lyrics and sounds just became dull and meaningless to me. And I didn't want to write anymore, when writing was the number one thing I turned to when I felt like I was stuck in a rut. Ideas just weren't flowing through my mind anymore - I mean, how would they? My mind was constantly in this state of panic and confusion as I was living in this whole new environment with new people and new classes and just new everything.

As I sat hour by hour, day by day, thinking of all the possibilities of my future and what-if's, I stumbled upon a Facebook post advertising for the first meeting of the newspaper of my school. At first, I ignored the idea because I was sure that my dreams of becoming a journalist would be crushed. The competition was too high, the pay too low, and the uncertainty scared me. Though, a part of me forced myself to at least go to one meeting and try.

I haven't been posting much recently...or finding creative outlets for myself at all these past weeks in college, and I have a good explanation as of why. Initially before college began, I was so set on pursuing a journalism major, though now I'm not even sure if majoring in English is even the best option for me anymore. Honestly, I thought that the only thing I was decently average at was writing, so I was determined to make use of the ability by striving for the best job possible in that market. Now I've realized writing might be something I love to do, though isn't what I want my entire future to be shaped around. Writing shouldn't be something forced out to me- it should be fluent and natural and genuine from within. With journalism, I found that I didn't enjoy being constrained to strict standards and rules and having to pump out articles at least twice a week if my heart and soul wasn't being put into every single word. Sadly, English just isn't something I'm completely devoted to at the moment and can find myself having future job prospects or happiness. So now I'm faced with the scary disillusionment of not knowing what the hell I want to do with myself for the next four years I'm at college. This post doesn't really have an ending because I still have no solution to my confusion, though I'm opening my options and trying out different things that I find to be interesting. I guess the substance of this post is that interests change, life isn't always what it seems to be, and that it's okay to be indecisive. I'm still young and trying to figure out my future... but not going to lie, I worry constantly that i'll never find something I'm good at. I hope that I find my happiness soon and can finally live my life without anxiety of the future. Wish me luck!
➵KW

It suddenly just hit me how little time I have until I leave for college...I really wish that time would just slow down a little bit. Graduation was over two weeks ago, though it felt like yesterday I was excitedly putting on my cap and gown, walking down the aisle with a diploma in hand. There's only 40 days left to my summer vacation, and I'm desperately grasping on to every last bit of freedom and home comfort before I go.

Hi, I'm Katy 

I always tell people that I'm horribly awkward at describing myself, but maybe the cringe factor won't be as bad through words. Getting the obvious out of the way, my name is Katy and i'm currently 18 years old and will be off to college in a little over a month. And yes, I'm honestly scared out of my mind to be sent off exactly 204 miles away from home. I'll be studying English with a concentration in rhetoric at Binghamton University with hopes of flourishing into the journalism, publishing, and media industry. I've always had a passion for the arts, but more specifically, writing, making journalism a perfect choice since its purpose is to spread awareness throughout the world from simply writing. Ever since I was a little girl, I would rummage through my basement and collect all the black marbled notebooks I could find, all which held my newest pieces. My mind was running wild with a myriad of new and ridiculous ideas I just had to get down on paper to share to my friends and family. The first time I actually felt accepted in society was when I endlessly wrote series of stories that my classmates would rave about, some even paying me to keep one of my notebooks. From that early age, I realized just how powerful words really were in expressing emotions that couldn't be easily outright spoken. Writing was ideal for me: a shy girl who was typically outcasted by society because she was "different" through her ethnicity. Elementary and middle school passed(thank god), and I finally began to feel like I could associate myself with other groups of people, rather than the wanderer I used to be. Though with that, I started dropping interests I once had to compensate for the new friends I was rapidly making. That meant my knack for writing went on a drastic downhill slope. For my first 3 years in high school, I didn't pick up a pen or pencil to creatively write for myself, which is one of my biggest regrets. I didn't feel like an individual person anymore. I lived my life trying to please everyone around me so I could feel accepted for once, and if I was lucky, "popular".  Finally, senior year of high school, I was able to become comfortable with myself and my friends, some of which who left me, and some who lovingly stayed by my side. I took creative writing courses, which helped me to brush up on my writing skills, though sometimes I still find it hard to get my ideas onto paper, or in this case, a word document. But hey, practice makes perfect, and I expect myself to get back on my feet and try my best throughout college. I have a perfect combination of supporting friends, a motivating family, and an amazing boyfriend...what more could I need? So yes, I love creativity and the arts and writing. But no, I'm not ashamed of this passion. Maybe it's often downcast by society as a "worthless" major. I refuse to let myself fail no matter where I end up in life. I have all the necessary tools to guide me through my success, and this time, I won't let myself fall (too) behind. Hey, I'm still human.