Finals Week

So this semester is finally coming to a close. Although I felt like this semester went by too quickly I am excited to wave sayonara to it. I feel super lazy as this semester comes to an end, but I've worked too hard to give up now. I have five finals and a report to finish! It's a lot but I can handle it, I'm sure? haha unfortunately it wont be a total summer vacation for me; I will be going back to Hilo but I will be taking summer courses to catch up on some credits. I wish everyone luck this week for their finals!! We will dominate them:)

Birthday Weekend:)

So this weekend we celebrated my 20th birthday. It was definitely something I'll remember forever. So a few close friends and I went to JJ's cafe and sang Karaoke for about 5 hours straight. I'm surprised no one's voices were shot the next day. Although my birthday isnt until tomorrow, I spent my last few days as a "teen" with the best people I know and I truly felt special :3. Looking back to a year ago so many things have changed in my life and I learned so many life lessons. I don't know what this year will have in store for me but I hope to continue to grow as a person and spend it with people I love.

My Parents Came to Visit

Hey so this weekend was exciting because my parents came to Oahu because my dad had a conference here. They stayed for about five days! YAY! It has been a while since both of my parents could come and visit together. Here are a few pics of my weekend and what we ate :) WE ATE WELL.

Just a regular week!

So this week was pretty much uneventful. I had a few midterms this past week so that wasnt very enjoyable but other than that, the week flew right on by. I feel like this semester came and went so quickly. Less than a month left and there is so much more to do! D: stress time. And this is the exact point where I'm beginning to get lazy. But I signed up for summer school; why is it so expensive!!! D'= But this weekend was a good weekend, I got to relax and spend good quality time with a few friends. I also got to watch 21 Jump Street. It was actually really funny! I recommend that movie for a good laugh.

Anyways hope yours' was a good one!

xoxo,
Tarynn

My jewelry is my nails.

So this week was a pretty uneventful week except for the fact that lent is over and Easter Sunday is coming up! Yay!! But I had a long weekend starting from Thursday and was able to squeeze in an appointment to do my nails. I had calgel nails done and I love it~

For those of you who do not know what calgel is; calgel is a gel overlay on your natural nail. It is a long lasting, ordorless, and is safe to use on your nails.Most acrylic and regular gel nail extensions will lift up off of your nails when your natural nails start to grow out. But with gel nails it does not do that. It is a good investment to me and the girl that does my nails is such a sweetheart! 

Anyways I hope everyone ejoyed their week and leave a comment if you are interested in getting your nails done ;)

xoxo,

Tarynn

UH Productions New Cooking Show

Hey everyone happy spring break!

Today I wanted to share UH Production's new cooking show! It's cooking made easy for those who simply do not have time or are living in a small space (such as the dorms), while keeping it healthy at the same time. It's my first cooking show ever so I hope you all do not mind:D

Have a wonderful break!

xoxo,
Tarynn

Back to Hilo for the Weekend

So I was in Hilo for the past few days because it was my grandma's funeral. Unfortunately she passed on due to a massive stroke and cancer. Cancer is such an unfortunate disease and is now so common. I pray for those whose loved ones are suffering or was lost from this evil disease. On the brighter side I was able to see my parents and other family members that I have not seen for years!! Although it was short I enjoyed my stay. But I'll be flying back to Hilo for spring break. (my mom wasnt too sad to see me off this time around ;P )

Here is a few pics from this past week!

Memorial table for my grandma. She loved purple and I do too!

These are Sweet Potato Chips that I made. There's this contraption that I bought in Japan and what you do is you cut any vegetable you want to turn into chips and put it in the rack and microwave it. Simple as that. No added oils or salts. Super healthy and you get that crunch. But of course you can add the salt or toppings if you wanted to. But since sweet potatoes have so much flavor on its own, why add anything else?

I hope you have fantastic week!

xoxo,

Tarynn

Bad Weather and 60's Film shoot

Hey everyone I hope you all kept warm and dry this past week! The weather was terrible with all the thunderstorms and high winds. Walking to class was not fun because my umbrella did nothing because the wind picked up the rain from underneath soaking everything! :P But despite the weather our lives must go on and I had to conquer 3 midterms this week! D: I hope everyone's midterms has gone well.

Yesterday I had a great opportunity to help out one of UH Manoa's ACM (advanced creative media) film project. I love acting on the side as one of my hobbies and was able to play a role of a 16 yr old 60's girl. Basically she's having a great time on her bike and dreams that she is flying! Here are some pictures from the shoot!

It took all day to shoot but we were all satisfied with the outcome and thanked the weather for holding up. Let's just say I had a good nights' rest last night! Anyways I hope everyone is doing well!

xoxo,

Tarynn

Pampered!

Hey guys so this week has been a pretty stressful week...BUT luckily this Friday I got to pamper and treat myself by getting a manicure! So this is my first time getting Cal Gel nails. What's awesome about these is that this gel overlay is on your natural nail and it is actually healthy for your nails. If you have brittle and breakable nails like me, I suggest you try this out. There are so many options and styles to choose from and it is virtually indestructible. It will not chip, break, or fall off. Even when your nail grows out, it will not come off until you get them removed or filed down. Here is a picture of my nails (gold) and my friend's nails (black).

I absolutely am in love with the turnout of these nails and if you are like me and very careless with your hands, this is something worth investing in! I hope everyone had a great week! God Bless

xoxo,

Tarynn

Gossiping >=[

Hello my lovelies!

Thank you to those who commented on my last blog! It's always nice to read encouragement and I encourage those who are trying to live healthier to never give up! The rewards are amazing.

So today I would like to talk about keeping your mind and spirit healthy. I was reflecting on certain things and there is something so addictive and so evil; and what's even worse, people don't even know that they are addicted to this drug. GOSSIP. Boys and girls, raise your hand if you have said something hurtful about a friend or someone! I hope each and every one of you raised your hand. Okay NO, I dont want to turn this post into another "Mean Girls" rendition. But think about it, why do say terrible things behind someones' back when we know that if someone said the something behind ours it SUCKS.

No matter how much one says "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me", WORDS CUT LIKE KNIFE. Gossiping is addicting because it makes people laugh and sometimes gives us a sense of belonging in a group of friends. Think about it, if your friends are making fun of their friends, they are most likely making fun of you too. It's the sad truth. I have certain friends that make fun of our friends habits, style, what they say, and I'm trying to distance myself from them. Although I do laugh, I wonder why I am laughing. Why does such negativity bring me JOY? NO it shouldn't. I for one have been a victim of gossip and it really sucks. So why would I participate or inflict that pain to someone else. What's even more terrible, is that when you see that person your friends were making fun of, you wouldn't say anything.

First of all, stay away from people that cause so much negativity. It isn't good for you. And if you find yourself in that situation, stay quiet. Do not participate. Do not even giggle. By doing so encourages the other person to gossip more often. If you feel like you have to gossip in order for your friends to laugh or like you, they are not your real friends. Find people who are positive for you; you'll find yourself happier and healthier.

Do you find yourself stuck in this situation? Are you the perpetrator? Dont worry. Stop right now. Reflect. Change. You are not alone! When you become positive, you will attract the positive. I promise!

Besides that, guess what I hauled in from shopping today!!!!

So I bought the Ezekiel bread from DTE (Down to Earth). I cringed at the price but it's so healthy because it's made from whole sprouted grains. I am not much of a rice person, but I do love my bread. Lately on the news, they have been talking about how the average American consumes way too much sodium. One of the culprits is bread. Look at your bread and see how much sodium is in each slice. In this bread, although it says low sodium, on the label it says 0 mg of sodium YAY! It also contains no sugar and has only 80 calories per slice. As for the taste I will let you guys know because I havent tasted it yet ;). The F-factor is a good cereal because it has little sugar and 18g of fiber! Holy Moly that is awesome. I also got heat protectant spray for my hair because I am determined to grow long sexy beautiful hair haha! I finally bought the Revlon Lip Butters that are so raved about. I tried it out and it's as wonderful as they say. Super moisturizing. Now I don't have to splurge on my Dior lipstick! I also got NYX jumbo eye pencil. I have been loving those because I'm super lazy in the morning to put on makeup but with these I just rub it on my eyelids and blend it out with my fingers in like 30 seconds. 

I also bought these at DTE. I am a snacker and so I wanted to buy something crunchy and healthy (low in calorie). Found these. 1/2 cup and only 25 calories. It is also made with whole grains and organic fruits and veggies. But I laughed at my self because these are made for BABIES!!!! But who cares. Babies need to eat healthy so I figured adults can too. But when I was at the cash wrap, the cashier was like "Oh my son LOVES these!". All I could say was "Oh really!?" because I was too embarrassed to say that they were for ME!!!! 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my blog post! Stay happy and healthy my friends! God Bless

xoxo,

Tarynn

Healthier Me

Another thing I would like to say about me is that I am very interested in living a healthy lifestyle. America is having a epidemic: Obesity. Living in the dorms on campus, it is easy to adapt an unhealthy lifestyle. There are buffets, lunch wagons, fast food, and SNACKING. Of course we are always "studying" so who has time to hit the gym?;) But I care for my health and body. In my freshman year of college I had a huge wake up call. I gained about 10 pounds in my first semester of school. Having a tiny stature 10 pounds actually looks like 20. I did a lot of research and found out that about 80% of our body is controlled by diet, 10% exercise and another 10% from genetics.

So starting off with diet. I did a lot of research. Eat clean and your body will be happy. Stay away from processed foods and stick with WHOLE FOODS. Your body can easily digest foods that are not heavily processed. Eat the rainbow. Eat fruits and veggies that are colorful. Whole grains. Make sure that your breads, pastas, rice are whole grains. Whole wheat is not whole grains. Look at the label, if the first ingredient is made with whole grains you are good to go. Sugar is also your enemy. Sugar boosts insulin levels in your body which stimulates fat storage. Beware fruits are better than brownies and ice cream but moderation is key!

With that in mind I have switched from my unhealthy diet to making better decisions. Of course I still pig out at restaurants and have a relationship with cheesecake, but I eat them in MODERATION. Living on campus with little money in my wallet, there are not many eating options to eating healthy. But recently I found a great vegetarian food cart on campus called Govinda's. I am not vegetarian but I swear that you can have the love for meat and still enjoy their cuisine. They do not cook with any animal by-products (eggs, milk, ect.), hydrogenated oils, or food coloring additives. Clean and simple yet so flavorful. And better yet, it's affordable. A mini-plate is $5.10 which includes an entree, brown rice, salad, and a dessert. Not so mini. Here are a few pictures of my mini plates I have eaten.

If you are interested in living a healthier lifestyle, I encourage you to eat clean and maybe try eating a vegetarian diet once a week for a day! I hope you all had a wonderful week. God bless!!!

WHO AM I?

Hello everyone!
Before receiving Professor Giano's assignment to create a blog, I actually created one about a year ago. I initially made one to follow other bloggers but totally failed at it. As you may or may not be able to see that I only follow two bloggers!

Anyways, who am I? I am a Japanese girl born and raised by a Christian family in Hilo, Hawaii. I moved to Oahu at 18 to attend UH Manoa. I knew I did not want to stay in small Hilo town. Like many other college students, I was thrown into college mainly because "it was the thing to do". Because I took many science and health related courses at my high school I figured that I was going to do the same in college. So I was like okay, I'll be a nurse. Why not? It's a great profession with great financial stability. But class after class, I dragged my feet back and forth feeling like a zombie. I was not enjoying school at all. I was so confused because I heard that college is where you find your calling and where you learn to THRIVE. Not happy at all, I decided to take the semester off and do something I am interested while thinking about what Manoa can offer me to run after my dreams.

Last semester I attended a vocational school, Makana Esthetics Wellness Academy. At that school I was educated on skincare and preserving one's natural beauty. After compiling 600 hours worth of training I took my test and became a licensed professional. I feel so accomplished and proud of myself. While at Makana a voice told me that I should go back to Manoa and pursue a career in television broadcasting. It's something I've always thought about and have done most of my life back on the Big Island. So why not? I enjoy the camera and current events. So this is where I am right now. Taking Communications 201 in pursuit of a BA in Communications. Still unsure if this is my true calling; I can say this for sure, I am enjoying my classes much more than before and is finding school enjoyable again.

With this blog, I will share something that has grabbed my attention each week! I hope you guys will enjoy my "new" blog. Here is a recent video I have watched. Religious or not, I think everyone should watch this video. :)

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

xoxo,
Tarynn