The Little Efforts

Much to my disappointment, I no longer have a single lunch with two of my best friends, Devon and Lulu.   Although I still have English class with both of them, and AP geography with Lulu, it was a big change from having a chunk of time for socializing with them to in between class periods and after school for a few minutes.

Because of the change, I was incredibly worried that our friendship wouldn't be as strong (which is silly, I mean, it's 20 minutes a day).  Luckily, that hasn't happened!  Knock on Wood, right?

I did learn that the little conversations and the little efforts make a big difference.  For example, every other day, my first period class is at the high school.  However, I still go to the junior high for fifteen minutes just to see Devon, Lulu and some other friends.  Although it's not a lot, it's a huge difference, and it shows that I care about them, and that I want to spend time with them.

Overall, changing schedules can suck, a lot, but I think going out of your way to do something nice and to show that they matter a lot can really help.

If you're in a similar situation or you're a really busy person, this can apply to you.  Finding five or ten minute periods just to say hi and ask how a friend is doing can go a long ways.

Devon is a really cool person(:  He taught me how to cube, and we go skiing a lot (even though he is about a gazillion times faster than me... haha oh well).  He's a really cool, funny person and hanging out with him is so much fun (:

Lulu(: I had a picture but she didn't like it... so later (: She's my bestie!  We hang out a lot together and have a sleepover almost every week.  We ski a lot, drink way too much tea (way too much...), and watch a bunch of movies.  She's kind of obsessed with Tumblr... Oh, and also, SHERLOCK<3.

Christmas is Coming!

I don't know about everyone else, but I can't wait for Christmas.  There's snow (at least where I live), cookies, a Christmas Trees, Santa is coming, and of course, everyone is giving gifts.

For a lot of people though, the weeks leading up to Christmas are stressful.  There are gifts to give, presents to wrap, and houses to decorate.   Getting presents for all of your family is difficult, and the goal of this blog is to give some great ideas for family and friends that vary in price range.

Amazon saved my life this holiday season, and all of these ideas can be found on amazon.

Idea 1: Rubik's Cube

Although these were created in the 1980's or whatever, they're becoming more popular again.  Most of my friends can solve them,  and my friend Devon just ordered about eighteen different types.

You can order a Sheng Shuo Rubik's cube on amazon for under $7.

Idea 2: Hoodies

If you live in a cold place like I do, hoodies are your life!  Hoodies make great gifts because there are a bunch of designs out there and are affordable for some of your better friends and family.  They also work for both genders. Did I mention that they are comfortable and warm?

You can get this hoodie, along with many others on amazon.  This hoodie is $25.  

Idea 3: Jewelry 

Yes, this may apply mainly to females, however unique jewelry means a lot to a lot of people.  Instead of getting the normal "best friends" split apart necklace, you can find some really interesting designs of jewelry online that would make anyone feel special. 

You can find great jewelry similar to this online at amazon.  You are sure to find one that fits the person you are shopping for! 

Idea 4: Coffee Cups

Coffee mugs are definitely on my Christmas list mostly because I'm currently living off coffee.  

Just kidding, however coffee mugs are practical and you can find many styles and designs that fit a person!

This adorable cookie monster coffee mug not only holds you famous warm drink, but cookies fit his mouth!  You can find this and many other cute mugs on amazon.  

Idea 5) Movie Gift Basket

Who doesn't love candy, popcorn, and movies?  A really great gift for a movie buff friend this Christmas is a popcorn bucket filled with their favorite candy and movies or a cinema gift card.  While these are super easy to make, you can also find them online.  

Yummy (:  I love food!  This gift basket can be found on amazon.

Idea 6) Fuzzy Blankets 

Affordable and warm, blankets are a great idea.  They come in many different colors, patterns, and designs, and you are sure to find one that suits your friends. 

This too is found on amazon, and even though there are millions out there, these are simple, bright, and incredibly soft! (Trust me, I have one)

Have a great holiday season and I hoped I helped to relieve some of the holiday stress this winter (or summer, if you live in the southern hemisphere).  

Happy Holidays!!!

Family Carving

Last night, after deciding that homework could wait for another day, I sat down with my family and carved some sick pumpkins.

After looking online for awesome carving templates, I finally settled for the templates on Zombie Pumpkins because they were free and some of them were at my level of pumpkin carving–crappy.

For those of you who aren't "cool" enough to know what these are, they're Iron Man (the most amazing super hero ever that is played by my favorite actor) and the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo.  Yeah, I know, they're beautiful.

We eventually settled for Iron Man and the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, because they're awesome and we had the ability to draw it on the pumpkin then cut it out.

I'm really proud of how they came out, judging by the fact that we haven't carved pumpkins in 4 years because they're 50 US dollars in Hong Kong for a small one... yes it is crazy.

The entire night was a really great time, and I loved doing it so much because I had the chance to spend time with my family, who I rarely have the time to talk to, and almost never get to do something fun with.

Yes, maybe I'm a bit behind on my homework now, and yes, maybe my hands got a little messy (okay, a lot), and yes, I may have had pumpkin gut fight with my sister (my hair looked... interesting... after that experience)  but the entire night was so much fun.

How Much is Enough?

If you didn't know already (either because you don't pay attention to detail, have never talked to me, or haven't read any of my blog posts), I used to living in香港 (pronounced "xiang gang", or Hong Kong for those of you who don't speak Chinese).  If you want to know more about what living in 香港 as an expat is like, I highly recommend this blog.

In 香港, I had a really great life.  Although school was hard, I had a lot of opportunities and a lot of freedom.  I hung out with friends for a few hours every week too, and I became close with a lot of people.

Leaving 香港 was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I had to leave the people I trusted and the place that had become my home.  

Louisa and I on the night of our middle school graduation.  

"Lulu" was my closest friend during my 8th grade year, and the hardest part of leaving 香港 was saying goodbye to her.  She is still my best friend.  

One of the hardest things to find time for now is talking to old friends, like Louisa.  The time change is definitely not on my side either. The only time I really have is on Friday and Saturday nights, because Hong Kong is 14 hours ahead of Utah, where I live now.

Even though the only thing I ever want to do is talk to them, I have to carry on with my life here.  If I don't make friends here, I am going to be miserable, because I won't make any new memories, and I won't have any fun over the next four years.

It's literally killing me to not see Louisa and my other friends every day.  With all of the other things going on in my life, it's hard to find time.  The only way I find myself chatting or skyping with 香港 friends is by setting up a time a few days before.  By doing this, both of us are expecting to talk to each other, and I look forward to it.  It guarantees that I will talk to them in the near future.

If you have moved, even if it's just a few towns or a state away, I highly recommend setting up a time before you move to talk to old friends.  If your schedule doesn't allow it one week, let your friends know that, and set up an alternate time.  If you don't set up a time, and choose to talk to friends on a random basis, it's going to be a lot harder to keep up with everyone.

Sometimes, life gets busy, and that's okay.  But it's important to factor in time for people you care about.  Even though leaving 香港 was incredibly hard, I came out of it stronger and with great friends and memories that I will work to keep.