All posts in: Birthday

06 Apr 2019

Talking About 29

What a trip it was to turn 29 this year! I can’t say that I was most excited about this age because generally, I find it to be an unattractive number. It doesn’t have the cool factor of “27” or “28” and it’s certainly no milestone like “30.” It’s just a number (shrugs). It was, however, my favorite celebration.

Every year, my birthday becomes a whole thing. I love gathering all of my friends together in one place from all walks of life, but as a host, it’s stressful. Constantly, I am trying to make sure that everyone is having a good time and that they are mingling, and this year I said “Hell no!” to that. My friends are good people; I know this. As we get older though, the energy to extend friendships and meet people becomes more challenging and this year, I’ve accepted this. Why? Because I’m the same exact way! There was also no excessive drinking and for that, I am grateful. We are getting a little bit too old to put everything on my tab at the end of the night or sign up for bottle service.

So instead, I separated said birthday into sections. There was a time for myself – for self care – and a facial. Honestly, this is me every weekend so this is no different! I celebrated first with my coworkers by doing casual drinks after work, which expanded into dinner with a smaller version of that group. It was the best ever!

My coworkers surprised me on the Friday before my birthday with flowers and a cake from my favorite place – Whole Cakes!

Lastly, I happen to have a smaller group of friends that I spend time with together more often. On a monthly basis, we try to get together for dinners at a different chain restaurant. Even though it was my birthday, I didn’t want this to be any different. Since we hadn’t landed at McDonalds yet, I thought it would be the perfect occasion. It absolutely was!

That day, every person played a role from providing the lighter to light my candles on my Apple Pie cake, to engineering how this was going to be done and prepping the invite even for a small group of 8.

We ended the night at bowling; a sport that I’m not great at, but can appreciate. I think everyone had a good time and that’s the most important thing! There was no running around trying to catch up with everyone on life for minutes or asking if anyone needed anything. We could all just be in one place without all the hustle and bustle and it was perfect. Here’s to starting 29 with being a little less frazzled!

Thank you to everyone who made my week so lovely and sent me birthday wishes!

25 Mar 2017

It’s Our Birthday Again

Hello!

I know it sounds silly, but every year, I used to like my birthday to be a little bit of a spectacle. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have a celebration of some sort and during college (especially for my 21 run) I sometimes celebrated up to three times. It was excessive and even as I’m thinking about this now, I’m getting tired from it. This year, I’ve been preoccupied with so many things going on in my life that I forgot about my birthday until my parents had sent me an email the day before. With a new job, it’s hard to think about anything else.

Last night after a very low-key birthday dinner with Mandi, she asked me what my goals were for year 27. I felt so put on the spot! The thing is, I thought about this question every year and usually had a response – one that would end up on Yow Yow! but not this year. As I woke up in bed this morning, I spent some time reflecting on year 27. What am I actually trying to achieve this year that I haven’t yet achieved in other years and the first thing that came to mind was really quite simple: self-care. It’s a thought that bounces around in the back of my head from time to time, but during my recent time off, it was an idea that I stuck to. Because I had the time off work, I made a concentrated effort to take care of myself in more ways than one. I had close friends visit me from out of town. I spent time outdoors and getting out of my home to try new things. I flexed my creative muscles and spent more time writing on the blog than I ever have  – probably since college. I treated myself to a lot of things – facials, boba, candles, food, sleeping in. I exercised regularly and came up with a healthy daily routine to take care of my mind and my body. In my last days of being 26, I was already doing this and now I want to keep it up going into 27.

As you’ve been following me, you’ve probably noticed a lot more weddings and bachelorette parties in my life. I could not be happier for all of my friends and their incredible news. G just announced recently that she was expecting – the first out of all my friends that I am closest with! The news is always overwhelming, but so full of joy and I can’t wait until I’m in their place and sharing that kind of news with my friends, family, and Yow Yow! I used to wonder as a kid and a teenager when all of these life changes would happen to me, but now at 27, I’m glad to just be having a job that I enjoy, great company in my life, and the ability to be able to stand on my own two feet right now. Everything else will fall into place when it needs to. <3

20 Aug 2016

What We Wore: Our Birthday

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Top and Skirt – Brandy Melville / Cardigan – Oak + Fort

… 5 months ago! You know how sometimes you have your outfits that are your favorites and you just can’t go a week without wearing it? That was this one. So this is a great look for spring and maybe for fall, but I haven’t worn this ensemble all summer for pretty obvious reasons – that sweater gets me H O T! So do those boots so we’re going to reserve this for mid-to-late September. As most of you know, every year celebrating my birthday is kind of our thing and it’s totally when I’m at my happiest! (for the most part at least – I can remember one sad birthday to date) These photos that Sandy took of me this day are pretty joyous though. 🙂

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27 Mar 2016

Turning 26

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It’s funny because turning 26 felt significantly different than turning 25 last year. After turning 21, there aren’t that many milestones afterwards except for those years where you just know you’re getting much older… 30. 40. 50… When I turned 25, I still felt like I was at a very fun age. I was right in the middle – I could be more responsible if I wanted, sure, but I could still do things that I felt were really carefree and spontaneous. At 26 though, I’m like – I need to just have everything together.

It wasn’t a quarter-life crisis, but I had a lot of questions for myself. Am I happy with where I’m at in my career right now? Am I happy with my friendships and my relationships? Do I feel like I should be doing things differently – with myself, my career, or my relationships? All in all, am I happy with my current situation? I’ve thought about these answers for a couple of days now so it’s pretty interesting to reflect on these things. 2016 has already been a really great year for me and I hope we can just continue on that path. At 26, I know I have a lot of life ahead of me, but I also know that if there are things I know I want now – that I probably shouldn’t wait any longer to have them or to go after them.

Anyways, all reflection aside – my birthday was exactly what I wanted it to be. Some people would rather take the day off work on their birthdays, but I love going into the office because everyone is just so nice. Also, no one can be a jerk to you! (not just in the office, but anyone) My team bought me the prettiest bouquet of tulips from Bloom That and later on in the evening, I met up with Mandi, Eric, and Ryan for dinner at Delarosa. We had the cutest family style dinner of salad, pastas, pizzas, and desserts! It was very special to have dinner with these three because they were the first three friends I had when I moved here and we’re all still friends today. We’ve also all just gone through a lot – Mandi and Eric got engaged last year and Ryan moved to New York for like a minute, but now he’s back!

Every year, my birthday reminds me of all the people that I miss and that I no longer get to see as often anymore, but it always means the world to me to hear from them on this day. Thanks everyone for making it so special!

Read more “Turning 26”

14 Jan 2016

Happy 7th Birthday Yow Yow!

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We’ve never done anything to celebrate any of Yow Yow’s birthday in the past other than write a post about it, but 7 years of me committing to something deserved a celebration. This year we have a balloon. Next year, maybe we’ll get a cake!

We started this post on a plane leaving Seattle coming back to the Bay Area after the holidays and it was written mostly on my phone in the notes app. I remembered thinking that 7 years was a long time for a hobby. The last time I had this kind of serious commitment was when I collected my Polly Pockets for 7 years. This feels more productive than that. Embarrassingly enough, as I was writing this I started getting a little emotional. (luckily no tears!)

Yow Yow! is now as old as a child entering the 2nd grade though for the longest time, Veronica and I used to say that I raised a toddler in the form of a blog. We’re finally past that! Yow Yow! was an unplanned project though. It was never meant to be a hobby, but a side project and a little bit of a time waster for my classmates at school with me. It’s amazing that we’ve kept this going for as long as we have and I’m even more grateful that my friends continued to pass it along within their networks making Yow Yow! what it is today. We’ve really grown up with this and if you’ve been here for awhile, then you know that the archives from 2009-2012 are sometimes a little bit like reading the diary of an adult teenager. I dare you to go back and look.

It sounds weird to say this and I’ve been thinking for weeks about how best to write this, but… Yow Yow! is the truest and most honest form of my identity. I’ve tried a lot of different things in life and had other interests, but this is special. When I can’t feel like myself in person for whatever reason, I can through this outlet. When I’m writing on Yow Yow! I’m happy and I’m excited to share things that I hope people will be just as excited to read as I am to write about it. At the same time, there’s a lot of vulnerability that comes with this; my life and this blog aren’t always filled with joy. It’s important for me to capture those moments too. After 7 years, I’m incredibly proud of all that we’ve accomplished. We’ve met and worked with such amazing individuals. I’ve allowed other people to write their own thoughts on here too! Yow Yow! will probably never have my full and undivided attention because I like having a job, but even though we’ve showed signs of slowing down, Yow Yow! still has a heartbeat in it.

The list of thank you’s after 7 years is long. Thank you to the friends and family that have stayed by our side, shared it with their friends and even passed along little bits and pieces that they thought I would enjoy writing about. While I’m doing all of this on my own from the time I get home after a day of work until I fall asleep, I’ve never felt alone in this process and if I did, it’d be much easier to say goodbye to it. Here’s to 2016 – our 7th year, more adventures, more fun, more projects, and of course more wedding talk!

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30 Dec 2015

My Favorite Posts of 2015

As we were writing our top posts of 2015 the other day, I realized that a lot of them hadn’t been written by me! They were, in fact, written by Mandi and she’s so deserving to have many of those posts receive that many views this year because she had worked hard on them. In addition to that, she was honest and vulnerable and I know through speaking with her she spent a lot of time putting her thoughts together and getting second opinions from Eric and I. After writing that post though I was a little embarrassed that my own writing hadn’t been the majority, but I realized that even though many of the posts didn’t receive as much viewership, they were still very enjoyable to write and I didn’t want them to go unnoticed. So here are our top 12 posts (one for almost every month!) and the reasons why they meant something to me.

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  • Super Bowl 49 – We’re Comin’ For You – Never have I ever written a post with so much emotion! I still remember this day like it was yesterday. That Packers game was nuts and I remember being heartbroken watching the majority of that game and wanting to throw in the towel and drive all the way home to South Bay before the game was even over! It’s not bandwagoning, it’s just heartbreak and disappointment. Luckily though, we had reconvened at Mandi’s to finish it out and it was worth the wait because that’s where this photo comes in.

  • “After Us” – Watching this Wong Fu Productions video this year was super relevant to me and it was a great reminder to pick myself up again after a split. Additionally though, I became much more aware of the videos that Wong Fu put out and found myself watching video after video after video. I’ve never been the most “Asian Asian,” but I have to admit that I do find comfort in watching these videos that feature predominantly Asian characters and their life experiences similar to mine. It’s kind of an interesting way for me to identify a little bit more with my roots when it’s not my usual.
  • I’m 25. – I feel very blessed this year to have had the best birthday celebration that I’ve ever had. Thank you so much to everyone that helped ring in my 25th birthday and for making it so great. It really has been a year of fun, experiences, and lessons (some good some bad, but still worth it!)

  • Wedding Rules You Can Throw Out – Quite a few people in my life have come to me this year asking me for advice and opinions on wedding ideas and wedding planning in general. Now, I’ve never been close to marriage, but I am really flattered that people value my thoughts on this. It’s not for everyone though. There are definitely people that disagree with my views against tradition, but I felt really good about writing this post and laying it all out on the table.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/120647268]

  • Find Foxy Films – When my brother’s friend Phil started his own film production company and started sharing short stories, I was intrigued. These are the types of stories I LOVE sharing on Yow Yow! – so raw, real, and personal. Phil is embarking on his own battle right now with Stage 3 Nodular Hogdkin’s Lymphoma, but that isn’t standing in his way. It’s inspiring to see him continue pursuing his dreams even while he’s still receiving treatment.

  • Natalie Tran – Asians in Media Talk – This is one of the first times that I ever struggle and discuss the issues that I’ve faced with my identity and being an Asian American. This was a particularly difficult post for me to write because I like to think it’s 2015 and this stuff doesn’t have to exist, but it is real and there are times when I get uncomfortable having to answer questions about my “Asian-ness” to other people and face the prejudice from others about those that I choose to date as well. I’m very optimistic about this and how things will look in the future and I think these things just take time.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/129574704]

  • Wedding Mondays – It’s so hard to choose a favorite! I didn’t think that I would be able to, but honestly this one made the most sense to share. I actually knew Justin in college so watching this video made this all the more memorable for me. I’m sure that next year when my own friends get married, they will find themselves on this list too.

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  • The Best Time to Visit Seattle – We took quite a few trips this year in 2015, but we never have a bad time when we return home to Seattle. During this trip, I got to see some of my favorite people and eat all of the things that I crave when I’m in the Bay Area.
  • The Instagram Project – It sometimes seems a little crazy how much time I may spend thinking about the perfect picture to post, but Instagram is a great daily outlet when I can’t get to writing a post on Yow Yow! everyday. While it does take some added time, I’ve actually enjoyed the pictures that have come out of this project even more and am looking forward to continuing on with it into 2016.

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  • Last Weekend’s Halloween Wedding – I just noticed – today – that the title of the post said “Weeding” instead of “Wedding.” How did no one catch this?! Oy… so embarrassed. Anyways, this was the first time that I could ever go through and talk about every detail of a wedding – what I liked and disliked – cause I didn’t know the couple! We won’t have this opportunity for a long time! Also it was my first themed wedding ever – v. steam punk and it was quite the experience.

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It was so hard to narrow this post down to just 12 favorites and this took me the whole evening to go through a whole year of posts. I know I’ve written repeatedly this year that I didn’t get to write as much as I would have liked to and at the volume I’m used to like in the past, but I’m very proud of what I’ve put out. There are things that I’ve written on Yow Yow! in 2015 that I could’ve never had the experience or knowledge to write about back in 2009. I think this is the reason why I sometimes feel the need to keep pushing. There’s so much more for us to discuss on Yow Yow! and it’s important that we see it through. Thank you for reading. 🙂

03 Apr 2015

What 25 Feels Like

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When it was my birthday last week, Diana and I held a mini photo shoot. I really wanted to capture exactly how I was feeling that day and at this moment of being 25. Also, I purchased my pinata Ralph last year with every intention of smashing it, but I’m such a little hoarder and I didn’t have the heart to do it! So now Ralph and I are celebrating our birthdays together every year. We took a few photos this day, but this one is probably the best. I’ve really matured y’all.

*This is a Birkenstock post. Ever since I bought these, I’ve been struggling to find a way to make these work with my outfits, but I’m not quitting yet.

29 Mar 2015

I’m 25.

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There is nothing like celebrating a birthday to show you just how many people care about you both near and far. It’s something we often forget about the other 364 days out of the year. 24 was a great year, but I am looking forward to 25 so much more. Everyone keeps asking me how I feel and if I feel older. The answer is yes. I do feel older, but I also want to act older. Your 20’s are supposed to be some of your best years and I’m halfway with so much more to look forward to, but at the same time at 25, I want to be more confident, more assertive, and of course making better decisions for myself and my life. Not a bad plan, right? The 25 year old me is already so different! I always used to emphasize celebrating birthday month and birthday week in high school and college and I’m glad to see that that hasn’t stopped. I felt really spoiled this week by having Kevin visiting, eating out non-stop, and catching up with so many great friends especially ones that happened to be in town from college which I didn’t expect. My former manager even baked me the most delicous cake on my birthday! My only request? Candles, pls! It used to be one of my favorite parts about my birthday and as you get older you kind of stop doing that.

Earlier this week, I was checking out the top posts like I normally do and saw near the top my throwback post that I wrote when I celebrated turning 20. It’s funny to look back on this and remember that back then I had no idea what was going to be in store for me. I didn’t know what living outside of a dorm would like or what graduating college looked like or what having a job would look like. Five years ago… I was a child, basically. I guess the reason why I’ve been blogging for so long is so that I can have moments like these.

Thank you so much to all of my friends and family who made my 25th birthday so wonderful.

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And a bonus photo of the birthday card my lovely parents sent me. Adorableness.

14 Mar 2015

Proud Owner: Birthday Edition

Wilfred Free Yasmin Dress

I’ve been doing such a good job lately of saving my moneys and it’s something that I’m actually really proud of. Other than purchases made on a gift card, I haven’t bought any new clothes for myself in what feels like two months. Turns out that I never really needed to anyways. However, with my birthday just around the corner, I thought I deserved some new pieces and was pretty excited to splurge a bit on things that I knew I would love. This year, I decided that I wanted two dresses – one to wear the night I celebrate my birthday and another one to wear to work on the day of my birthday! Both dresses are from Aritzia and I adore them for very different reasons.

I have a long sleeved sweater dress similar to the one above, but I didn’t feel like it would be casual enough to wear out – plus I don’t want to wear long sleeves out. I decided to opt for this more laid back look with a sexy back cutout. I think it’s kind of fun! I’m really excited to not only wear this dress for my birthday, but for other occasions too. If this dress looks familiar, it’s because you’ve probably seen it during a “Closet” post that I’ve done.

The dress below is just really pretty and quirky. I really liked the print and the black and white is very versatile. I tried this dress in an electric blue too which would be great if I were headed to a tropical island, but I didn’t find it to be as wearable as this one.

Talulah Lipinski Dress

12 Aug 2014

Happy Birthday Cara D.

Our favorite model turned 22 today! Cara D. is such a character and quite the gremlin is she not? I obviously mean that in the most complimentary way possible. To celebrate her birthday, we’re sharing a GIF. Maybe 2. 

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