Halloween on 6th Street

 Great view of downtown :)

 Lovely candid shot provided by M, who was trying to get the Pedo-bear behind me (you can still sorta see his white sneakers). I had to make-do with a quick DIY costume since it was too cold for my nurse outfit, and just wore a flowy artsy dress with a mismatching headband to proclaim myself a hippie.

Oh yeahhh some of the finest characters you'll ever meet.

Mario and Luigi bros!

Oh yeahhh the Sith Lord!! My favorite Darth ever.

 A headless man who couldn't walk two feet without getting a picture taken.

Halloween was a blast! It sucks that it was on a Thursday night since the streets went on forever and it seemed like we could just wander around without getting bored... But S had an 8am class and A had an exam the next day, so we headed back around midnight.

The original plan was to go with a good-sized gang of girls (another A, M, I, and E) and eat at Fuzzy's Taco beforehand, but not surprisingly, things did not go as planned... College students are so irresponsible (I admit, I'm guilty of this too sometimes, but not for fun events!). "I" wanted to go after 2AM (which is too crazy for me and would completely pulverize my sleeping schedule), M said she was too tired after her lab and would rather just eat and watch movies in bed, and A fell sick that night.

But then S, my underclassman from high school, texted me, asking about 6th street (he had never been there before) and then A, a friend from last semester's Stats class, messaged me on FB asking about my plans for Halloween and whether or not she could squeeze in. So I invited them both to come out with me for Halloween.

We almost got caught in the middle of a fight between drunk guys (good thing S knows how to plow his way through a crowd) and had to hold hands not to get lost... It was THAT packed! But there were just so many interesting things to see all at once, and so many great costumes.

Next year I want to coordinate my outfits around a group of people (that Gotham group was pretty badass). We could all dress up from some nerdy anime show or a TV show, and it'd be a lot of fun. I bet the pictures would turn out great too!

Hula Hut with Pops

Random outfit of the day: Forever 21 sweater (size S), M.S.S.P blouse (size M), Old Navy jeans (size 1), and Michael Kors boots.

So much food! I had a great time with my dad :) Sometimes, you forget how much the simple things in life matter... I've been caught up in so many pharmacy school and registration worries lately that I haven't been able to treasure time with the things I love, like family and food. And of course, the great scenic view that Lake Austin presents.

The fact that my dad and I are so like-minded (or I guess I should say that I'm like my dad... not the other way around) also makes it so easy to have a good time with him. I hadn't realized before how much I missed him. I'm so glad he came down to Austin for that business conference! (And of course, he also treated me out to dinner... That's pretty cool too!)

Oh, and... CAN'T WAIT FOR HALLOWEEN! It'll be so much fun! :D

Run for the Water, Longhorn Halloween, etc

So that was a great run in the morning~! Really makes you appreciate Austin downtown, which is big but nowhere as big as downtown Dallas and much cleaner. The view by the bridge was breathtaking, especially as the sun rises. I'm a little sad that only 49 people from our class showed up (50 people need to show up in order for us to get extra credit!), but regardless, waking up to get there at 7:15 in the morning was still worth it. I got free breakfast taquitos from Whataburger and free pizza for lunch too.

Then, for Longhorn Halloween, I got to work in the candy room! Couldn't be more thrilled over the selection. And I made a new friend too, who is currently trying to convince me to join CSA (which I probably won't anyway because I don't care to join a group based on ethnic ties). But it's nice to meet new people and try new things.

Later on, I went to the Buzz Mill to study. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling very well so I didn't take on any of their heavily caffeinated drinks and ordered a simple cup of green tea instead, but I still got a lot of work done regardless. The music was pretty cacophonous (who in the world thought it was a good idea to put screeching cars and terrible acoustics together?!), but the atmosphere is just right if you plug in a good, working pair of headphones in to your own study music.

Next time I go there (probably some time soon again), I will try out one of their coffees and see how that goes.

Night Market and Gourdough's

 Outfit of the day: Dress (from China), J. Jill cardigan (size S), Dicky's jeans (size 1), and Ecco shoes (size 8).

Shaved ice from the TASA Night Market!

I was a little disappointed, to be honest, because I've been craving decent Chinese food all week and was so looking forward to free food... But the 葱油饼 was dry and flavorless, and I wasn't fond of the other street-style food. The fact that they didn't have 油条 either was also disappointing, but I guess I wasn't really expecting that, since that's more of Beijing-style food and the organizations hosting this event never made the claim that they'd bring that. Bahhh but whatever. I really wanted to show R 葱油饼 that doesn't taste like Jewish bread (in his words, anyway) and let A and M eat some good food too.

Anyway, it was still fun with M, A, and R, probably my three favorite people as of this moment. So yayyy, even if we ended up going to Coco's Cafe later (I could tell M was completely unsatisfied - she's always been the pickiest eater out of all of us, so I felt really bad about that).

On Saturday night, R and I ate at Gourdough's Public House. Introducing... Flying Pig! Filled with artery-choking deliciousness.

Costume Social at Plucker's

It was for Longhorn Pre-Pharmacy Associaton. I was a modest nurse. Don't judge me.

Official picture for the costume contest.

Won second place in the trivia competition with this cool cat! (I answered the biology/chemistry-related questions, she answered the pop culture questions, and it somehow worked out really well.)

First time having Plucker's... Ordered the sesame sauce boneless chicken wings with a side of macaroni and cheese, yum.

Awkward picture at the end of the night. I closed my eyes, but I guess she thought my eyes were that small so she took the picture anyway. And how do you tell the photographer that the picture they took isn't flattering at all?! I flubbed for a minute trying to fish around for words to ask for a redo, but then decided it wasn't worth it. Oh well.

RHS Reunion

Outfit of the day: Heritage 1981 blouse (size S), Ambiance Apparel tights (size S), Buffalo by David Bitton skirt (size S), Zenana Outfitters vest (size M), Astor belt (size S), and Michael Kor boots (size 6.5).

Fried Avocado taco from Torchy's~!

^The gang!

Afterwards, I took J, R, and S to Navratri, which was this really cool Indian festival with a bunch of dancing. S taught us how to "move," and even though it was mostly a failure, it was a valid effort. We were completely underdressed for the occasion, and since we had arrived in the middle of the festival, the rhythm was a little too quick for us amateurs.

I told "the boys" that I'd keep my distance from them so all the cute brown chicks wouldn't get the wrong idea and think that they're not available, but as it turned out, they had very little success tonight anyway, haha. What a shame!

In the end, we went to Potbelly's to slurp up some shakes and talk. All in all, it was a fun night. Just your typical Friday night, I suppose!

Ups and Downs

Recent frustrations:

• The fact that I took the stupid-ass PTCB test, received the pharmacy technician license, and now can't find a job anywhere. I've tried following up with Riverside's HEB, Walgreens, and CVS Pharmacy weekly, and they always seem to have an excuse to turn me away - "oh, we just hired two new pharm techs a week ago" or "the manager's not in right now". A told me that the key is persistence and timing, but I'm running out of time and I can only be persistent for so long before it gets downright annoying...
• Recommendation letters. This is tied in with my lack of work experience. I have two professors and my academic adviser who are willing to write letters of recommendation for me, but I don't know any pharmacists...
• The application is due on November 1st. I'm not ready at all. I'm not ready. I don't want to submit it in yet. I don't know if I'm ready to be thrown in there and judged and interviewed. My personal statement is bullshit. My resume is stupid. I'm really scared; I don't want to stay here for an extra year...
• Philosophy of the Arts is a very stupid class. And stupidly enough, my only two grades in that class are B's, which makes me angrier at myself. I don't know what they expect from me! I wish I could be more... I dunno, artsy, I guess. I really do want all A's this semester.
• My mom is lonely and keeps calling/txting me to the point where it's practically spam now. I wish I could help out, but I, uhm... do have a life. Haha. My dad's coming back soon though, hopefully she'll stop yelling at me for not calling her more frequently.

And now the ups:

• I am really enjoying Organic Chemistry and Rhetoric of Satire classes, as weird as that might sound. I'm almost disappointed whenever the hour is up... I'm surprised at myself, I've never particularly enjoyed any of my classes last year. But I think it's because my professors are awesome and make class fun.
• Honestly, I have been quite happy lately, despite freaking out over PharmCAS stuff. I guess I can thank the guy I'm dating right now who is fun and smart, and the friends who invite me to cool events, and UT for providing free food and swag. I've always enjoyed college life so much more than high school life, but now I just really feel like it's the environment I belong in. Part of the reason is because of all that sweet freedom and independence - I do whatever I want, whenever I want, and it's pretty fucking awesome. Even better because my parents won't be on my back either.

Anyway, tonight I have an Organic Chemistry study session with J, and then I'm going out to eat at Buca di Beppo with Rudester and Jelly, to celebrate the end of our "Round I" midterms. I'm really looking forward to the weekend too - can't wait for Ramen Tatsuya with A and M! :)

Gimme some of that sweet sweet cat-lovin'!

Austin City Limits: Friday

La Condensa's Avocado/Black Bean Torta! Different from what I thought it'd be, and I really hate hot dog buns and spiciness and black beans, but aside from that, I enjoyed it.

 Hammocks!

Bahaha GoodPop's Hibiscus Mint! I liked it (despite R insisting that it tasted like toothpaste) but thought that this could easily be a hit-or-miss. The flavor is unique and not saccharine, which is awesome, but then again, I am partial to both hibiscus and mint. And while it's great that it's made with organic ingredients, $4 is ridiculous for an ice bar of this proportion.

R's snowcone!

 

ACL was fun! We got to watch Jake Bugg, The Black Angels, Vampire Weekend, and Muse perform, which was really really cool. But I wouldn't really advise anyone to pay the full $225 for a ticket-wristband, especially since it's unlikely that you'd stay there the entire weekend... The only reason why I'd go again next year is if somebody sells it for a great price, like $60 or something. Still, I'm glad I had the experience and now I can go brag to my friends about how awesome it was!

The Weekend

On Saturday, I went with A to Yaya Cafe. Originally, the plan had been Plucker's with C and A, my old friends from stats class, but then C had work and he canceled. And since A and I are no big eaters for wings... we ended up trying the cafe with my nickname.

Outfit: Unknown brand tshirt from China, DKNY Jeans jean jacket (size S), Free the Revolution pants (size 1), Ecco shoes (size 8), and Harajuku bag.

Yummm pork crepe!!

Then on Sunday, R and I went to watch The Book of Mormon, which was just a great performance, with excellent singers and dancers and some hilarious dialogue. Afterwards, we ate at Conan's, which was also awesome because they had deep-dish pizza which convinced me to eat the crust of one of the two pizza slices I had (a big deal if you know me, because I never eat the crusts!).

Outfit: Energie tank top (size S), H&M skirt (size 4), BCBG cardigan (size XS), Astor belt (size S), Bandolino heels (size 7), Guess purse.

Pretty awesome weekend. In between the fun, I just studied intensely (since I knew I'd be looking forward to another chunk of fun in my time slot later on in the day), and so I feel ready and prepped up. Can't wait until next weekend, ACL!!

The Past Week

So on Sunday last week, I went with M to Mozart's Coffee Roasters, which had a really cool hipster vibe to it and a nice scenic view outside, but was so overpriced. Still, I'm glad to have finally tried it out!

Yiding top (from China), American Eagle artist jeans (size 0), and American eagle flats (size S).

Jingshang top (from China), Love from Ya-Ya shorts (size 3), and Daphne sandals.

Motivi dress, unknown brand cardigan, Sugar wedges (size 7), and Astor belt (size S).

Unknown brand shirt-dress (from China), Poof! tights (size S), Ecco shoes (size 8), and optional DKNY Jeans jean jacket (size S).

Yumm glorious Waffle Wednesday!

Rue 21 top (size S), Abercrombie & Fitch skirt (size 0), Talbots belt (size S), and Naturalizer heels (size 7).

Anyway... I've always been pretty happy with my life, but lately I'm just feeling really good about everything. Except stupid Philosophy class. But other than that... yeah.