Japan Food, Clothing, and Other Stuff Haul Summer 2016

Hey guys!

Recently, I visited Japan and I got a bunch of food and other stuff. Let's jump right into it!

Japan has really unique Kit Kats, so I got a Wa-Ichigo (strawberry), a Strawberry Cheese Cake, and a Sakura Matcha (cherry blossom and green tea) Kit Kat. I wished the Strawberry Cheese Cake came in a larger box like the other two and the Strawberry Cheese Cake tastes pretty similar to the Wa-Ichigo one. The Wa-Ichigo is pretty sweet so if you're not into super sweet stuff, I would recommend the Sakura Matcha. 

I also got some gummies (and a Hi-Chew). The top left gummy isn't exactly what one would be used to. I think you will understand when you actually eat it.

My favorite gummy is the Fettuccine Italian Peach gummy. It has a coating on the outside that gives a slightly acidic punch to it. I highly recommend this! 

I got some Strawberry Pocky.

I also had a Minute Maid QOO Jelly Drink in the peach flavor. I love this stuff!

Of course, a trip to Japan isn't complete with Royce. Royce is one of my favorite chocolates. The ones I got were Au Lait and Mild Cacao (Liquor Free). I feel like the Mild Cacao is just slightly less sweet than the Au Lait but I like them both. These chocolates just melt in your mouth. Oh god I want one now.

The clothing items I got were all from Uniqlo. These are some heat tech clothing which uses special technology to keep you warmer. I've never had the leggings before so I'm excited to try them out. The ones I had before I got these were the Extra Warm long sleeves, which I could feel were thicker and retained heat better, but since I'm going to LA for college I don't think I would need Extra Warm ones. But seriously, if you are going to some cold place, I highly recommend heat tech. 

Here are some other stuff that I got!

I visited the Pokemon Center in Sapporo JR Tower ESTA. Pokemon is my childhood and I got a Bulbasaur and a Jigglypuff plush! Definitely bringing these to college.

The guy gave me a Metapod tissue pack. 

I also got a towel that shows a 100 million Japanese yen bill. I just thought it was cool. I would love to have 100 million yen!

That is all I have for this post! I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading :)

Review: Empties (Spring 2016)

Hey guys!

I have a bunch of empties over the spring so I'll just jump right into it.

A body product I have here is the Bath & Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Shower Gel. A lot of people like this scent and I can really tell why they do. It smells sweet but is not overpowering. I really enjoyed using this one!

Another product I have from Bath & Body Works is Meyer Lemon Gentle Foaming Soap. This was also really pleasant and I like the consistency of these foaming soaps. They are seriously so bubbly. I'm not sure if Bath & Body Works is still selling this scent (since they come out with new scents all the time).

I finally finished using the L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream. It's super moisturizing and it lasted me a long time. I don't usually use hand creams on a daily basis but I would from time to time in the winter. 

This will probably give you a better idea of how it looks like.

http://usa.loccitane.com/shea-butter-hand-cream,82,1,29193,261659.htm

The next product I have finished using is The Body Shop Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream. You might remember me mentioning this before. This is really moisturizing, especially during the winter. Sometimes when I do not moisturize well enough in certain areas, this would sting a little, but it just goes to show it's doing something. For now, I don't have a backup of this anymore since I'm trying out new moisture creams!

This is the third tub of Innisfree Orchid Enriched Cream that I have used up. Seriously, this moisturizer is so good. I might even like this more than the Body Shop one I just talked about. I wrote a review on this already and you can read it here.

The next two products always appear on my blog. It's no surprise that I have finished using a few more SANA products.

This is the SANA Nameraka Honpo emulsion.

And this is the SANA Nameraka Honpo products lotion (or a toner). I've talked about these in a previous review which you can read here.

This isn't exactly an empty, I just felt like it has been way too long since I've gotten this mascara and it probably expired already. This is the Maybelline Rocket Waterproof Mascara. My holy grail mascara has always been the Isehan Kiss Me Long and Curl Super Waterproof Mascara and while I have that, no other mascara can really compare.

The same goes for the Maybelline Falsies Waterproof Mascara. It technically isn't an empty but it's been in my drawer for way too long. If I had to pick one, I think I prefer the Rocket over the Falsies. I just feel like the brush on the Rocket does not make my lashes clump easily and somehow I feel like it holds a curl better. 

This mascara is actually an empty from a long time ago but somehow I never tossed it. This is the L'Oréal Voluminous Butterfly Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black. The packaging isn't the best since all the words got rubbed off but I did enjoy using it. 

This is what it actually looks like.

http://www.lorealparisusa.com/en/products/makeup/eye/mascara/voluminous-butterfly-waterproof-mascara.aspx

Another empty is the Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation with SPF30. I've written a review on this and you can read about it here.

The other foundation I have finished using is the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation with SPF 15. It's been a very dependable foundation for me and it is the perfect match for me in the summer. This is probably the second or third bottle I have finished. This is a previous empty post where I talked about this foundation and this is a post of all the makeup products I used during a special event (e.g. Winter Formal) that also included this foundation. 

This is it for now! That was a lot of empties. Thank you for reading and I hope you found this helpful in some way :)

Acknowledging My Past

While I was cleaning up my room as I prepare to head to college, I found things from my past.

I read through my diary entries from 2010 till 2012 back when I was still living in Singapore (and back when diaries still existed). 

Those were the glorious days of my teenage years - the days when everyone seemed to love me, the days when many marveled at my athletic capabilities, the days when I was a popular kid and talked to a number of guys. 

But those, too, were the dark days of my teenage years - the days when I was not especially intellectually driven, the days when I was obsessed with fame, the days when none of my romantic interests reciprocated the way that I had wanted. 

The reason I am writing this is because I'm ready to come clean after four years.

It's a funny feeling and a bittersweet one really. Sometimes I would feel the anguish and the pain all over again from not doing well on tests, from not given a chance to perform on the court, from not getting a text back from a guy I liked. Sometimes I would feel a smile spreading across my face from recalling the times when I had fun with my friends and when my crushes smiled at me. 

Obviously, I don't really talk to the people I called friends or the guys I was interested in now. It's not that I hate my "friends" or anything for not caring about me or talking to me ever since I moved to Shanghai, it's just that people grow apart and there was no point in talking to them again. Also, it's not that the guys were horrible people (quite frankly a few were extremely nice and I wouldn't mind running into them on the streets one day and catching up over a cup of coffee with them), it's just that what happens in the past stays in the past.

I tossed many things away while cleaning my room - school magazines, homework, SAT stuff, and random doodles. I struggled to decide if I should toss my diaries too but after a lot of thought and consideration, I decided to keep it.

There are certain pages that I tore off because I did not want to see a certain name anymore. I don't exactly believe in "forgive and forget" because some things are just unforgivable and unforgettable. 

But there are many pages that I kept because that was still my past. I have moved on, but I acknowledge my past. I acknowledge that I wasn't the best person I could be and I acknowledge that I wasn't the nicest person ever. And I feel that it is so important for me to accept and acknowledge my past because that is what I look back on and say, "I have came a long way and I have grown and I'm glad I'm a better person."

Don't get me wrong, it was painful losing everything I had when I moved. 

But then again, I never really had anything looking back. I wished that someone was there to stop me from being the monster that I was and I wished that someone was there to stop me from getting hurt. 

I'm coming clean because I have nothing to hide. It's not who you were, it's who you are now. 

It's the things that hurt the most that make you grow the most. Quite frankly, I'm glad things happened the way they happened. It made me a much stronger person and nothing can ever break me the way this did. 

I just hope that if you are reading this and are going through something difficult, you'll only become stronger. Know that I'm here for you when no one was there for me. Know that you'll pull through. Know that better days are coming. 

Thank you for reading and for being non-judgmental.

5 Lessons From High School

Hey guys!

As a very recent high school graduate, I decided that I would pick out 5 important lessons I learnt from high school. I hope that this will help you if you happen to still be in high school or are entering high school. I would just like to make a disclaimer that this is just my personal opinion and you don't have to take me too seriously if you do not wish to do so!

So here goes...

1. If you have heard bad comments on a teacher and you happen to be put into his/her class at the start of the year, SWITCH OUT

Don't be as stupid as I was and stay in the teacher's class because you had friends in that class or because you find a person particularly interesting. NOT WORTH IT. This one teacher single-handedly ruined my GPA and the worse thing was I totally did not learn anything from him. Also, you have to realize bad teachers who still listen to your opinion and try their best to teach is one thing, but bad teachers who do not admit that they cannot teach and still end up giving you bad grades is a whole other thing.

2. Do not procrastinate and try your very best to exercise even when you're busy

For me, I always try to sleep before 12am and for the most part, I've been pretty successful. I hardly ever procrastinate and I hardly spend any time on social media on the weekdays. Sleeping early also helped me feel more rejuvenated so that I can actually concentrate fully in class. 

I wasn't very good at getting exercise when I had lets say a ton of tests in a week. However, whenever I did exercise or I had to run because it was basketball season, I felt like I was so much more energized while studying and I also got a better sleep. 

3. Stop comparing yourself to others

There may be people in your school who seem perfect, but that doesn't mean you're not in your own way. There may also be people in your school who don't deserve what they have, but that doesn't mean you have to be salty about them. Comparing yourself to others will only stop you from getting happiness and peacefulness. Yes, there may be people who are smarter, or better looking, but ultimately things come together and everything will happen the way it is meant to be. 

4. Be thankful to teachers who care about you

As mentioned previously, I have met some horrible teachers. However, I have also met some amazing teachers who are not only passionate about what they teach but who also cared about me as a person. I have a few teachers I feel so close to that they are more like friends than teachers. I know I can always rely on them if I have any questions in the future but the more important thing is that I am truly thankful for the effort they put into making me a better student and a better person. A simple gift or a card can express your gratitude for them.

5. True friends stay

I get along with a lot of people well enough but I only call a few friends "friends." They are nonjudgmental, understanding, and they always have my back. Sometimes friendships fall apart and I've learned from my previous experience of moving to Shanghai from Singapore that that is PERFECTLY FINE. You shouldn't be putting in so much effort to try to continue to be friends with someone who does not reciprocate in the way you desire. Yes, it hurts, but life goes on. In a matter of years you probably won't remember a lot of people you've met because the tiny handful of people you call friends is enough.

These are just 5 lessons I immediately recall and of course there are many other things I have learnt. I hope you found this helpful and thank you so much for reading!