Last Post of 2013 :)

Another new year. Damn I feel old :( I can't believe I'm going to be 24 this year! So old....
I guess it's time for a sappy post.
This year has been crazy and blessed in many many ways. I could probably spend like an hour writing a post about all the shit and good stuff that's happened this year. Like literally, now that I think about it, this year has been a TOTAL blur. Mostly because med school is so fast paced and each day goes by in a blur. I guess that's something to work towards in the future -- savoring each day and each moment because it will never come again.
I thank God for helping my family get through all the bad moments this year. This year has put a toll on our family, challenged all four of us, and has tested our love. And I'm happy we've come out of this with some damage, but with much more cohesion and togetherness than I have seen in years.
And of course, now I'm 3/8 of a doctor! I feel like I know nothing, but I think I've come out with a lot more patience, determination, and confidence. Also, I feel like for the first time I've made some real relationships that will last me a lifetime.
Of course, I have much more to improve on this upcoming year. For one, now that I'm 24 it really really hurts me that I've never had a real relationship....never had a steady boyfriend. That's something I really want to fix, but first I have to change the way I look at myself. I have a horrible self-image and that's something I want to work really hard to fix this upcoming year. I have all the tools, I just have to put it to use and dodge all the stress-induced pressures to wreck my diet that spring up every other day in med school. Ahh but that could comprise a whole post on its own, so that's all I'll see about that in this post.
But yeah, I'm hoping 2014 is a better year than this year in many ways, but I hope our family is blessed with good health once again this year. There have been a lot of deaths in my family recently, with the most shocking being my cousin Deepak's untimely death. It seems SO unreal to me still and I still sometimes think it was a bad dream. He was such a young, handsome man full of promise, potential, and unfulfilled dreams. I'm hoping that wherever he is, he is resting in peace. Like I said, it's still a HUGE shock for me and the rest of my family and may God support his close family in this rough time. There have also been other deaths in more distant family and my God bless their souls as well. I'm so scared for my health and my parent's health...I'm hoping God once again graces us with good health and prosperity as he has this year. That's my biggest prayer for this upcoming year...I just want God to protect my family and bless them with good health and wealth.
I think that's about it for my post! Here's to a great 2013 and a (hopefully) better 2014! I'm hoping I grow in many ways this year, and I really really really hope I can shrink my waistline and finally have the dream body I've wanted for the past 15 years. Seriously, it's time to stop cycle-dieting and shed this weight once and for all!

No-buy January/February!

HOLY MOLY. Signed on to my PNC virtual wallet this morning to pay my credit card bill for this month and I literally freaked out for a second that my credit card number had been stolen! After checking my purchase history, I was kinda horrified to know that my number had infact not been stolen (whew!), but rather that I had spent $500 within the past like 3 weeks! Yeah....$500 in three weeks. A new all time low for me.
I think I let all the Christmas stress, family stress, exam stress, end of semester stress, and the impending Step1/clerkships stress finally get the best of me. I guess there are worse ways to handle stress than shopping and binge eating, but I think this is a big fat wakeup call for me to mend my ways a little bit this winter season (or as I call it the blah season).
Sooooo I've made a pact to not buy ANYTHING beauty or fashion related in the months of January and February! Yesss, no new makeup, clothes, accessories, bath products, crafting supplies, even no fancy baking ingredients. The only exception I think I'll be making is buying the oh-so-adorable new Too Faced Sweethearts Blush that I've been eyeing up for my annual being-single-on-Valentine's-Day treat, but besides that noooo more beauty binges the rest of these two months! Of course I'll shell out money for food and hygiene products like shampoo or deodorant, but nothing else. Also, as part of my growing list of New Year's resolutions, I'm going to be restricting my eating out days to once a week. Hopefully this will make both my wallet and arteries happy :) although I'm afraid that my new pact of no more refined sugars or processed foods is gonna hit my wallet pretty hard too..but hey hopefully it's gonna pay off this bikini season! :)

New daily routine!

Figured it was time to organize my life a little bit more and chalk out a typical day kind of routine.
By no means will I be following this every single day of the week, but it's gonna allow for some structuring of my work week, typically Mondays-Fridays. Right now I wake up whenever, study whenever I'm not lazy and hope for the best. Not anymore! Time for some serious schedule re-organization!

6:00-6:30 -- wake up, take medication, brew coffee, check emails, look at daily schedule
6:30-7:00 -- eat light breakfast, check emails, look at daily schedule
7:00-8:00 -- exercise
8:00-9:00 -- shower, get ready
9:00-12:00 -- class/study, snack
12:00-1:00 -- light lunch
1:00-5:00 -- class/study, snack
5:00-6:00 -- light dinner
6:00-9:00 -- class/study, snack
9:00-11:00 -- relax, catch up on shows/youtube, check next day schedule

Bath & Body Works List!

January
Shower Gel: Winter Candy Apple
Wallflower: Glade Christmas Cookie

February
Shower Gel: Sandalwood Rose

Wallflower: Winter Candy Apple

March
Shower Gel: Lavender Vanilla

Wallflower: 

April
Shower Gel: Rome Honeysuckle Amore

Wallflower: 

May
Shower Gel:

Wallflower: Sugared Lemons

June
Shower Gel: Bali Mango

Wallflower: Sweet Clementines

July
Shower Gel: Capri Seaside Citrus

Wallflower: BBW Summer Sale

August
Shower Gel: BBW Summer Sale

Wallflower: BBW Summer Sale

September
Shower Gel: BBW Summer Sale

Wallflower: Glade Apple

October
Shower Gel: Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin

Wallflower: 

November
Shower Gel: Cashmere Glow

Wallflower: Marshmallow Fireside Noel

December
Shower Gel: BBW Summer Sale

Wallflower: Evergreen

New year's resolutions 2014

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS 2014

1. FINALLY weighing in at 125 pounds
2. Capturing every get-together with friends and family in a photo
3. Checking in with old friends once a month month (text, Facebook)
4. Cutting out processed foods and refined sugars
5. Sleeping 7+ hours a night
6. Credit card bills less than $300/month

Nighttime Routine

So sad that Christmas is done for another 364 days :(
I guess I should probably post about my New Year's resolutions, seeing that there is a long laundry list of them and hopefully one of them will come to fruition this year. I'm starting my resolutions now, a couple days before January 1st to really 'beat out the crowd' ha. But all those I'll write in another post. This one I wanna focus on a much-needed list of nighttime routine things I want to do every night. I'm hoping this list kinda serves as a reminder so I don't forget something or anything.

1. Remove all makeup with Aveeno Ultra-Calming Makeup Wipes until wipe comes out clean
2. Wash face with 1-2 pumps of Clinique Acne Solutions Foaming Wash. Rub into skin throughout
3. Use a cottonball and Clinique Acne Solutions Toner to wipe face. Repeat until clean
4. Apply Aveeno Smart Essentials Night Cream all over face. Let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Dip one end of Q-tip with toner and rub over any acne. Once dry, put some Clean & Clear Benzoyl Peroxide on the other end and rub onto acne
6. Apply eye cream all over undereye and lid area
7. Brush teeth with Crest 3D Whitening Toothpaste 
8. Floss teeth, followed up with Crest 3D Whitening Mouthwash
9. Place hair in a loose bun before sleeping

First day back to wearing contacts!

Over the past month, I've been wearing my glasses everyday since my cornea had some inflammation going on. I absolutely haaaate wearing glasses because they look super clunky on my face. But the worst part about it was that I wasn't allowed to wear any eye makeup since bits of shadow/mascara could get into my eye, making the inflammation worse. Even a little undereye concealer had my eye tearing up...sooo yeah pretty bad. But today, I'm going back to wearing contacts!!! Sooo excited, and definitely going to try putting on a little bit of eye makeup today. Nothing too dramatic, but maybe a little gold shadow to brighten up those eyes.

I have to go to clinic this afternoon...not really looking forward to it since I'm so behind in class and it's freezing as hell outside, but since my CSA exam is coming up in two weeks, the practice will be good. As always, I didn't really practice my physical exam during Thanksgiving break, but hopefully this session will elucidate which parts of the exam I'm most shaky on and I can practice next Sunday.

On the flip side, I'm somewhat excited to get back into the groove of school since it's gonna give me something to focus on other than family drama that I've been dealing with for the past few months. Also, it's Step 1 studying season soooo...busy busy busy times coming up! Break out the fleece pants and baggy sweaters!