Wicked

April 1, 2024

I’ve been wanting to see Wicked on Broadway for years but just never put the plan in motion because procrastination. Well, I finally got to see it this weekend! I made a date to see it with my friend Kayla who’s also been wanting to see it so it worked out perfectly.

I’ve only heard bits and pieces about Wicked but never knew the whole storyline and avoided trying to read wikipedia and plot summaries/synopsis about it to keep the element of surprise and let the story speak for itself. I didn’t want to go into it too hyped up or having any biases and expectations. And I’m really glad I did. It was so good! The story was so sad and the ending so bittersweet. It was a happy and not so happy ever after ending, which are sometimes the best type of endings because everything tying up nicely with a bow isn’t real and too expected. I love that the show had a bit of comedy and a bit of tragedy. I really hope the movie adaptation coming out soon does it justice because let’s just say the Mean Girls musical…….did not, lol. If you haven’t seen Wicked, I highly recommend it! I’m not going to spoil anything by giving it a full on review. I will say the actors in this production were phenomenal. The set design, the costumes, everything was giving. I’m so glad I finally got to see it and before the movie came out. It took nearly 20 years but better late than never, right?

After the show, we got dinner at Pasta Lover’s since Kayla was feeling Italian. I had linguine fruitti de mare which was really good. I always love when I can find this dish but sometimes they make it too spicy for my liking. This one was just right. Kayla got the rigatoni bolognese, which was my second choice because you can never go wrong with a classic bolognese.

After I wanted to visit the Krispy Kreme location since I haven’t gone to it since it opened but was severely disappointed. The store seemed bigger in other people’s stories. This was a IG vs reality case. It was smaller than I expected and not much going on. There wasn’t anything crazy or exclusive. No holiday specials or anything, no fun merchandise but there were still long lines….for no reason. I guess because tourists wanna tourist but it was a letdown for me. We left within minutes. Watching the behind the scenes making of them behind the glass wasn’t that interesting with lines hiding the view. I feel like they need to make the layout better for a fun experience.

I tried to go to the Line Friends store for bunny merch but was sticker shocked by the price of small keychains and quickly left there too. I get that I was in Times Square so everything is so expensive on top of inflation but damn. Maybe it’s a good thing because it helped me save money but not wanting to buy anything. It was a sign. Maybe the whole day was a sign because I wanted Miffy merch at the Kinokuniya store and I was not about to pay $15.95 for two paper clips. I settled on a plush instead to bring home for Banh Mi. Our last stop was Nordstrom because I wanted to see if they had the latest House of CB dresses for me to try on sizes since ordering online from the company itself is such a dice toss with its reputation of bad customer service, but alas, a snag there too. The store itself has changed layout since last year and when I found the House of CB area, there wasn’t a lot at all. Nothing to try on. This is a sign from above to help me save money, I guess. But at least we got our steps in for the day! I had a great time still, walking with Kayla and catching up. It reminded me of the prior weekend I was in the city with Kerri when we walked around and just caught up. It’s funny how as we get older, we have less and less opportunities to spend time with our friends and we enjoy doing the simpler things now even though we have more means to do more. I used to wish I had more money to do more things with friends, but now I just wish we had more time with each other. I’m looking forward to next weekend, hoping for nice weather to see my friends again and hopefully some blooms to shoot.

The Bridgerton Experience NYC

June 25, 2023

Dearest gentle reader,

The Bridgerton Experience has finally come to the grandest city on the East coast! I attended last month with a few friends and had an amazing time! I’m finally sitting down to write this review so if you’re interested in going, the pop-up is running through til end of July.

So. What’s the lowdown?

Tickets start at $39. The experience is about 90 minutes long and includes cute photo ops, live performances and dancing. It’s a cute and quick acting out of the love stories of the Bridgerton show, through live theatrical and acrobatic performances told through dance. If you love ballet and theatre, you’ll love how up close the performers move throughout the ballroom.

I highly recommend dressing up if you choose to go. It makes your experience that much more magical and immersive and just FUN. You don’t have to go all out in regency attire but definitely dress to the nines in your best formal attire. We went in our cultural dresses and had a blast. It really does add to the experience when presenting yourself to the Queen, speaking of which, actively looks for a diamond at every event! So dress your very best for a chance to get selected.

There are cocktails and drinks available so remember to bring your ID if you’re interested in sipping on something fun. You do have to be at least 16 to attend, but of course 21+ for alcoholic beverages. 1 drink is included if you purchase the Queen’s Court ticket, otherwise it’s a la cart for general admission.

Even if you’re shy, I highly recommend you joining in to dance! A lot of this experience is up close performance dances and they have the audience join in at parts. They teach you the dances and even if you don’t have a partner, the performers got you! and remember to snap, snap, snap away! Take all the photos you want and feel free to go back on the painting line as many times as you’d like. They even open up the Queen’s chair at the end for photos.

Word of advice though, bring only what you need. The coat check area is self serve and the room is open to everyone so just be aware to not bring any valuables since there’s not really anyone to attend to them.

I heard mixed reviews before attending so I was apprehensive but the experience is truly what you make of it. We had a fun group that really got into it and everyone was so nice to each other. I loved seeing all the different ways everyone was dressed up. I hope you have a blast if you go! This is definitely a fun date night activity, or girl date with friends, especially if you have a group of friends who are extra enough to get all dressed up and act the part of regency royals. It’s definitely different than other pop-ups I’ve attended, this being my first involving live performances, so I highly recommend if you love the performing arts!

Disclaimer: I purchased tickets on my own and this review is my own, honest, personal opinion!

Goals for 2022 and 2023

January 1, 2023

GOALS FOR 2022

Work on finishing the house. Finish the bedroom, the spare room, get a real dining room table set.
- Well, we’re still working on this, but we did make more changes to the house since adopting Banh Mi this year. He’s also helping us be better at maintaining the house so that he can roam around. Maybe this is practice for if we ever have to baby-proof the house by learning to bunny proof the house.
Complete the Dopey challenge/my first full marathon.
- I still can’t believe I did this and that my first full marathon was along with a Dopey. I have no idea what I was thinking taking on this feat but I am so glad it’s over with and I can finally say that I did it. What’s worse, my friend Harrison talked me into the Brooklyn Half as part of his bigger scheme getting me to qualify for the NYC Marathon for 2023. This wasn’t an original goal when I started the year and somehow here we are. I have now successfully finished all my qualifiers. I honestly thought I’d never do it, but then again a few years ago, I also thought I’d never do a Dopey. I know some people are saying, “Why not? You got this after a Dopey,” but honestly, a full marathon on it’s own is still absolutely challenging and daunting to think about.
Workout goals: Reach a full split. Unassisted pull-up.
- I don’t want to talk about this.
LEARN MY DAMN CAMERA ALREADY.
- I don’t want to talk about this either.
Regular closet clean-outs.
- I said I’d try to do this 2x a year and I did! I listed and sold a lot of items too on my Poshmark/Depop, and donated a lot too. I would love to make this more regularly but making the time to do this is challenging when you’re a super procrastinator like me, as well as having a million things to always (want to) do.
Work on being more sustainable.
- I’ve been trying to cut down on my shopping. I don’t go to the mall as often and when I did this year, I often came back empty handed because there was just not a lot that piqued my interest. And when I did buy new items, I tried to make sure it was something I could style and wear with several different outfits, something I’d get a lot of wears out of. I’ve been trying to re-wear and restyle outfits for shoots as well.
Cut my hair.
- I haven’t cut off all the processed ends but I did get my haircut at the beginning and the end of this year to cut off all the dead ends and reshape my layers. It’s helped to make my hair feel so much healthier and fuller, cut down on breakage, and accelerate healthy hair growth. Hopefully I can get rid of all the processed ends in 2-3 years time as well as getting it to grow again beyond what seems like it’s current terminal length.
Work on my CEs.
- If I’m being honest, I did like 2. But next year I really have to do them, no excuses because it’s renewal year.
Get rid of backlog and post in real time again.
- I’m all caught up! I’m wondering if I want to continue posting in 3s again for the aesthetics or go back to posting whatever again. I also hate writing captions. Sometimes I just want to post pics and leave it be. Why does everything have to have value to be important or get views. Why can’t I just see my friends’ cute lives.
Go on a vacation with just hubby again.
- We went on a cruise this May and it was one of my favorite most intimate vacations. And I’m not talking about the $3x! We just were able to connect on a deeper level with no internet or other people in the way when left with just each other’s company. I would really love to do this again but I think it’ll be a little challenging with our financial status in trying to be more conservative and save next year after this December crushing us so hard.

GOALS FOR 2023

Connect more with my husband with more one on one time.
- I really enjoyed our cruise vacation where it was just us. Honestly, I don’t know if we’ll be able to take a vacation together at all next year with our financial situation so I want to find more/different opportunities for us to be together and disconnect, whether it be quick nearby road trips, date nights, etc.
House train Banh Mi so he can free roam better.
- Who had us becoming pet parents in 2022 on their bingo card? Cause I definitely didn’t. But I fell in love with this little mush and I’m hoping we can definitely better train him to responsibly roam around the house on his own because I really hate cooping him up in the hutch when I have to be gone all day. I can’t imagine being confined in a small space myself for too long with not much to do so I would like for him to be able to entertain himself around the house without making too much trouble.
Finish my CEs for this renewal period.
- I just need to sit down, sign up for all the classes and remember to do it. I have til August and I know I can speed through them when push comes to shove.
Learn to drive stick.
- I need to get rid of my car and get something that handles better in the snow. I hate feeling like I’m going to die in the winter when a bad storm hits and my car spins out. But I don’t want to buy a new car or even look at cars honestly. So the closest resolution would be for me to learn to drive stick so I can drive the hubby’s STI and he can buy whatever new car he wants. I’m terrified of learning to drive stick though. I’m worried I won’t pick it up and will suck at it but I guess we’ll never know until we try.
Complete a world major by running the NYC 2023 marathon.
- I actually never had this on my bingo card either but through having bad friends, here we are. Everyone keeps saying I already ran an marathon once, so what’s so hard about doing it again? Everything. A marathon is just hard in general. I wanted it to be a one and done accomplishment because I found it so hard. But here we are. I’m really nervous about running this distance again so fingers crossed I can get through it.
Take a cooking class or some type of fun class with the hubs.
- I’ve always wanted to do this. Just have no idea where I can sign up for them. I want to learn to make pasta or something fun and make a cute date night out of it.
Play video games more regularly with the hubs.
- This is more for hubs than it is for me. But I do want to make more effort since he does a lot for me and puts up with all the photos I want to take and all the dumb places I want to venture off to. I really do suck at video games but for some reason he still enjoys it when I play with him so I want to try and make some time for him more often doing things he enjoys.
Declutter my closet, my house, my photo albums/storage.
- It would just be really nice to really finish my house best we can by getting rid of all the clutter. And then hopefully we can build from there. So this is basically a baby step/stepping stone to finishing the house.
Work on my mental health and practice more gratitude.
- I want to work on my anxiety and also stop overthinking and creating paranoid scenarios in my head thinking my friends hate me and get out of my imposter syndrome. I need to work on reflecting more on what I do have, instead of what I don’t have. I also want my weight to stop controlling how I feel about myself on a day to day basis, especially when I look back in retrospect, I realize I looked fine when I thought I wasn’t. I need to stop letting these demons win.
Sign up for swimming lessons.
- One day when I head back to the tropics for a beautiful warm vacation, I would love to be able to just float in the water and relax. I would like to get in the water and not feel like I’m drowning. I have a fear or taking swimming lessons though because I don’t want to show up to a class full of kids and here my adult ass is, with my floaties on my arms, lol. But sooner or later, I would really love to be able to swim.

Year in review

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The other day I was feeling down thinking I had wasted my entire year doing absolutely nothing. And then when I actually reflected, I realized I was just an idiot. I did A LOT. So much I forgot about it all. I was jumping from one thing to the next, it ended being a blur.

Running

I started off the year crazy stupid ambitious. I remember a year ago around this time, I was so stressed and anxious about Dopey. A big storm was about to pass through and I left work early to get a day head start on driving down to Florida. And it was a really good thing we did because had we left even half a day later, we would have been stuck in a huge traffic mess. The major highway leading down to Virginia was a standstill for over a day, if I remember. People were stuck in their cars overnight due to all the accidents from the snow. It was crazy. We had drove right through it before it got impassable. I was so relieved. And then the entire week at Disney felt like chaos. As much fun as I had in the parks during the day, it was a lot of stress getting enough sleep, waking up and getting to the races on time and completing them all. It was quite a journey. So much happened. But in the end, I successfully completed it. I still can’t believe it to this day I did it. It still feels unreal. I want to say it’s probably one of my craziest and proudest achievements of my life. Those 6 months of training was a roller coaster and I’m glad I got through it. I’m proud of how far I’ve come because completing this challenge was proof to me that if I worked hard, dedicated the time and energy to it, I can honestly do anything if I set my mind to it. Cause a few years ago, I would’ve told you you were crazy if I was ever going to be able to run a full marathon, let alone a Dopey 48.6 miles.

And then batshit crazy me ran all the way back to Disney in February to do the Princess Challenge AGAIN. I completed my 2nd in person Princess challenge and 3rd Princess weekend (first year I only did the half, not the challenge). I had one of the best experiences on this trip too having developed more friendships within the running community over the years and it was so nice finally getting to meet everyone in person!

I was also hoping to do a faster time than my previous half marathon PR on this trip but fell short. Looking back, all my runs since Dopey have been a little off and I'm realizing now it's because I was pushing my body to do so many long runs and so many races without properly recovering and resting. And then I took this summer off and realized I had to build myself back up again to where I last left off with my speed, stamina and endurance. I need to find a happy medium of maintenance training so I can avoid going too hard and risking injury, and not resting too long in between that it feels so strenuous starting up again. I need to work on that for 2023, to avoid the burnout, because I definitely pushed myself more than I had intended. In January, I only had WDW Dopey, Princess Half weekend and the DC Cherry Blossom 10 miler for my race season. Then it expanded to the Brooklyn Half, which then snowballed into the 9 + 1 qualifier for the NYC 2023 Marathon. Now that I’m sitting here thinking about it, I realized I ran 17 races this year! Holy hell. I only intended for 8, which I felt was overwhelming enough so it’s crazy how I went way over that. No wonder I felt burnt out. All those early mornings traveling to the city to get them done was tough. All in all, this was a very busy race season for me and I learned a lot about myself and what my body can endure. I learned a lot about running too and the work that goes into training for a full and how different it is from a half. I learned about how important hydration, fueling, stretching, proper training, sleep, nutrition and recovery are all key to a successful race experience. The most important too is your mental health. This is important to help get you through the hardest parts of training because those walls are real.

Fitness Journey

I should be more proud of myself for my non-scale victories and stop allowing myself to be disappointed by the number on a scale. Although! The number on the scale, when broken down, shows my fat percentage to be on a low end, and my protein/muscle composition to be high so I should be proud of the work I’ve been putting in. The weight gain, while discouraging at times, is actually very healthy and something other people strive really hard for so I should practice gratitude for what my body is able to achieve.

My non-scale victories I want to commend, is how hard I’ve worked over the years to maintain my active lifestyle. Because that’s truly what it is now, a big part of my daily routine so much that I don’t feel good unless I get some movement in. And I’m proud of how much I’ve done in trying different things to cross-train to switch things up and keep it interesting and fun. I go to the gym, lift weights, run, walk with my husband, practice Blogilates, hell I even did another round of Insanity this summer! I try to get in my steps everyday. I tell myself to be active for at least 30 minutes when I’m strapped for time but for the most part I try to work out for an average of 1-2 hours a day. I’m really proud of myself for making this a healthy habit.

I also was given the opportunity to work with Popflex and Crowned Athletics on several projects this year which I’m definitely very proud of to be considered for. I always get imposter syndrome about it, but I really appreciate when a brand genuinely reaches out because I align with their brand. This was a big milestone for me.

travel

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel and go on several vacations this year. I went to Disney World twice and participated in 2 race weekends, Disneyland, Bermuda and DC. Sometimes I get sad about not being able to afford Europe and Asia travels to explore new destinations but I’ve still been very fortunate.

This is also probably why I’m depressed about my financial situation. Had I not been so reckless with all these trips trying to chase a molecule of serotonin, this December might not have hurt as much with all the financial curveballs thrown at me this month. We just had to replace our washer and dryer since ours broke and it would cost more to fix than replace. And then I was due for my car inspection but interestingly enough, my check engine light went off and a month later, here I am, $4k in the hole to fix the issue. On top of our heating bill, regular bills and of course, the added costs and stress of Christmas. It’s been a little rough and overwhelming because it was a lot of financial hits all at once, especially in December. Although I shouldn’t complain. As financially stressful as it’s been, I am still very fortunate. I have my health, my family, and my absolutely amazing husband by my side helping me navigate all these issues. I sat there at Christmas reflecting and realized I need to practice more gratitude. I have not one but several places to go to for the holidays because I am fortunate enough to have healthy family connections. And at each gathering I attended, we were blessed with such an abundance of good food to eat at each.

We aren’t rich or anything, but we are happy, healthy, and honestly want for nothing. I am showered with love by friends, family and my amazing husband. I can’t stress this enough because I really need to get it through my head when my demons come to play and make me think otherwise.

Photoshoots

I got to continue building my portfolio and work with a lot of new people who have become very good friends of mine in a short amount of time! I cut down on pop-ups this year, opting instead to work more on my portrait micro posing skills, as well as re-do old shoots with my current hair. I also got to finally complete a video/shoot project I’ve been wanting to do for a long time but we couldn’t find a good location till this summer and it was definitely worth the wait because when it all finally came together, it turned out absolutely epic. Sometimes you don’t need a busy pop-up with a million things going on in the background all the time. You just need good lighting, a simple outfit, your best angles and poses and you can make anything work. I love everything I got to create this year and everyone I had the opportunity to work with, both old and new friends.

Banh Mi

Halfway through the year, somehow we became pet parents adopting a baby bunny after the hubby fell in love with them at a petting zoo. We’ve always talked about a pet but could never agree on anything nor have the time for one but somehow this worked out. Now it’s been 5 months since we had this little stinker and as mischievous as he’s been, just like a little child, we still are absolutely head over heels in love with him at the end of the day. It’s so funny how he has his own little personality and is temperamental sometimes but also lovable. Is this what having a child is like? No matter how much of a shithead he is, at the end of the day when I look over at his cute face I can’t help but want to kiss his stupid face. I’m glad bunnies have a life expectancy of 8-10 years but oh are we in for the biggest heartbreak when it happens. And to think, it’s only been 5 months with this baby boy.

Reflection

Did I peak in 2018? I mean, how much more can I do in 2019 to step up my game in everything? But you don’t know if you don’t go. I’m ready to jump into 2019 and see what great things lay ahead. Cheers to 2018 and it’s great gifts, and here’s to what the new year will bring us!

You know, I wrote this in 2018 at the first year of my blog and it’s funny because even sitting now, I’m like what can I possibly do in 2023 that will surpass 2022 because 2022 was a pretty big year, especially when it came to ambitious running goals. But life has a funny way of still surprising us as time goes on. At the beginning of 2022, Dopey was the farthest I dreamed. I definitely did not see me running 17 races this year and qualifying for the NYC marathon. I never had any ambitions of completing that but here we are. I’m actually nervous for what’s to come in 2023 because I feel like some of it is uncharted waters. I don’t have any other crazy goals of mountains to climb, but I am looking for a bit more stability. Before December threw me for a financial curveball, I was actually really proud because I had cleared myself of all my credit card debt and ready to tackle on my student loans debt when they were supposed to resume in the new year. And then all the shit hit the fan and I’m back at square one as I pay off these financial messes. Luckily the student loan pause has been further extended to the summer, so fingers crossed I can clean this mess again before then and hopefully stay that way. I want to be able to start saving again and plan for the future. This is probably why I’m walking into 2023 with a bit of caution. Usually I’m ready to jump in headfirst but this year feels more like uncertainty for me. I have no idea what this year holds and honestly it makes me nervous. I know it holds growth and growth always forces us outside our comfort zone, which explains why I’ve been feeling very uncomfortable in my life lately. I know it’s necessary for the bigger picture but is it wrong to want to stay in your comfort zone a little longer? Le sigh. 2023, please be good to me.