2015: A Year of Many Firsts

I’m still in shock that it’s already a new year! Its only been 2 days into 2016, but a little part of me feels stuck in 2015. Not sure if anyone feels the same. I’m not too sure if it’s because I didn’t get to accomplish all that I wanted to do in 2015 OR if I enjoyed 2015 too much to let it go. Nevertheless, I have new goals planned for 2016 and I’m excited to see where life takes me 🙂

To sum up 2015 in a few words, it was a year of many FIRSTS. To say a farewell to 2015 and a big hello to 2016, I’ve compiled some of my FIRSTS from 2015 below. By the way, this is actually my FIRST post EVER for my blog and it was lots of fun to reminisce on 2015.

Moving From HI to SF! This was probably the biggest life-changing event that has happened to me in the 22 years that I’ve been alive. After graduating from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with my Bachelor’s in Biology (Fall 2014), I wanted change; to explore the mainland, to feel independent, and to discover myself.

First Jobs Post-Graduation: Cafe Grillades & Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes: Job hunting was difficult, especially finding a job in the Bay Area. Initially I wanted to find a job at a hospital, but it wasn’t going to be possible with my lack of experience (so many over-qualified applicants applying for entry level positions). I set my ego aside and settled for a waitress position at Cafe Grillades and a teaching position at Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes to make ends meet. I eventually quit my waitressing job to focus more on my work at Lindamood-Bell and to have more time for other activities. I started volunteering at Clinic By the Bay, which is an awesome Clinic BY THE WAY 😛

First time watching a live horse race at Golden Gate Fields: I never thought I would actually go to one of these horse racing events. My boyfriend and I pretty much had bad luck that day. Every horse that we placed a bet on didn’t win 😦 But, that’s okay, because the experience itself was lots of fun. We went on Dollar Day – general admission, hotdogs, beers, sodas, and general program were all a DOLLAR. Pretty good deal eh?

Watching Manny Pacquiao VS Mayweather: I don’t normally watch boxing matches, but this was going to be the biggest match of the century, so why not? Besides, I have to support Manny, a Filipino boxer and my dad’s favorite.

First SF Giants Game: I don’t follow sports that much, but my boyfriend does. So, by living in the Bay Area and being in a relationship with someone who is from the Bay Area, if there’s a baseball team to root for, it’s going to be the SF GIANTS. My favorite part of going to a baseball game is drinking beer with the most GARLICKY french fries ever!

First time Pumpkin Picking and Carving: I want to say that pumpkin picking and carving is more like a mainland thing. Never in my life did I pick a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch or carve one.  What you might not know is that it took me 2.5 hours total  to carve such a simple design. I was super indecisive when it came to choosing a design for my pumpkin because I wanted it to be perfect. But then, it was taking way too long to decide on a design (2 hours) and by then my boyfriend had already finished carving his. So, I settled for a kitty cat, which only took 30 minutes. I can’t believe it took me more time to decide what to carve than the actual carving itself.

First Time Dressing up as a Couple: In the 3+ years that we’ve been dating, we have never dressed up for Halloween as a couple. To be honest, we didn’t plan this costume pairing until the day of. My boyfriend didn’t plan on dressing up and I was just going to wear my onesie that I had purchased in the summer time for work. But then, my boyfriend changed his mind and we paid a visit to Spirit (a Halloween store). He went with the sumo baby costume and I was his stuffed dinosaur.

First 5K!!!: I think this has to be one of the best things I decided to accomplish in 2015. I never thought I could do it, but I did. I initially signed up alone for the 5k mermaid series, but thought it would be more fun running it with my partner in crime from Lindamood-Bell (Caroline). I placed 5th in my age group out of 31 and finished the race in 32 minutes and 21 seconds. Not bad for my 1st race. I will definitely do another race in 2016.

Turning 22! “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22…” At first I was freaking out about turning 22, but then the day came, and I felt the same. When I was 18, I had this 10 year plan. I was going to be in medical school by the age of 22, but that didn’t go according to plan. I’m still a little lost with myself at age 22, but I’ve been telling myself that I’m still young and everything is going to be okay… [I’ll probably blog more about this at a later time… stay tuned…]

For my birthday celebration, my boyfriend’s mom and aunty took me to an awesome Japanese Restaurant in the Marina called Chotto. Their ramen is probably the best that I’ve ever had. Definitely a restaurant to check out!

 

First Time Snowboarding! BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT!!! My favorite presents  are the ones that are experiences. My boyfriend surprised me by planning a whole weekend of fun at Kirkwood Ski Resort. It’s quite rare for me to see snow, seeing that I was born and raised on a tropical Island. Snowboarding was a lot harder than I thought, and definitely a workout. I lost count with the number of falls that I experienced. Will probably go again… but try skiing instead.

First Christmas Tree: I bought my first Christmas Tree! It was super cheap at Walmart (~$20). Growing up, my family’s Christmas tree was always colorfully decorated. Instead, my boyfriend and I settled for a gold and blue themed tree. I was initially against that idea, but it turned out great. Who knew my boyfriend had good taste in decorations 😛

First Puppy: Meet Mocha! On top of the two kids that my boyfriend and I already have (2 cats – Sammy and Peaches), my boyfriend and I welcomed our third kid (Mocha) to the family on December 10. She is a darling, and the cutest yorkie-poo ever. When we got her, it was definitely an impulse buy. We were window shopping at Serramonte Shopping Center, when we came across a couple holding Mocha. All I wanted to do was to pet her, but it turns out they were trying to sell her. The moment my boyfriend and I saw her, we had to get her. Mocha is 4 months old and has the friendliest personality ever! She will no doubt make your hearts melt the moment you see her. The biggest thing that I’ve learn, besides the fact that it’s a lot of work to raise a pup, is that I’m no where near ready to have an actual baby of my own (so, if you are thinking about having babies, have a test run with a pup :P). Mocha is cute and all, but potty training her has been a lot of work and so far, it’s getting a little expensive with vaccinations, food, and supplies. Despite the amount of work, I don’t have any regrets adopting Mocha, and I can’t wait to raise this cutie pie ❤

XOXO,

Andrea