Girl Power
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tonight I attended the Girls in Tech LA Presents Social Fashion Beauty Summit. It was hosted by Girls in Tech, which is "a social network enterprise focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent and influential women in technology." Check them out at girlsintech.net. It's pretty cool. The proceeds from the event went to Dress for Success, which is a nonprofit whose mission is similar to Working Wardrobes in Fountain Valley except that it's geared more towards women. That alone is what really made me want to attend; along with the fact that my boss kept pushing me to go in order to "network" with people in the PR field to see if that's a route that I'd want to go into. It's funny though because I expected to talk to more professionals in the PR field but I was naturally drawn to people who just happened to be working for nonprofits. Go figure. I went to the event by myself which might've been intimidating but I sucked it up and just worked it haha (thank you UCI Career Center). I made a friend immediately upon stepping foot into LALive (which is an awesome but way too expensive boutique store). She had just moved to LA and was working for a start-up tech company and didn't know anyone at the event either. We bonded over that. Anyway, I met the branch manager from Dress for Success and spent practically an hour talking to her! She was incredibly nice and explained all the cool volunteer opportunities that I am definitely gonna look into. Right off the bat, I knew that this was a nonprofit that I wanted to get involved with (job or no job). I'm so excited about it! Anyway, I made friends with her and another recruiter from a different company.

Around 8pm, the panel on the effects of Social Media on the Beauty/Fashion industry took place. It was not something that I was entirely interested in but it was interesting to hear what these experts/professionals had to say about the negative connotation that's attached to the title "blogger", how they got started in the industry, their thoughts on the movement of fashion/beauty editorials from magazines to the paperless internet realm, and so on. It was an hour of productive discussion... and it wasn't boring at all. Afterwards, they gave us more time to look around the store (EVERYTHING WAS WAY TOO EXPENSIVE) and "schmooze" with people. I was able to introduce myself to the 2 women in charge of the event, who knew my boss because she's an advisory member of Girls in Tech. I also met the founder/President of Glamour Gals (another nonprofit that specializes in pairing teen girls with senior citizens to bond over makeovers and such). She is very good friends with my boss too so it was nice meeting her. She also told me to forward her my resume to send to nonprofits that she thinks might be a good fit for me which is definitely something I plan on doing. They also had free cocktails with an open bar (but they only had vodka which was not a pretty or delicious choice). I did help myself to a drink (vodka/cranberry)... and just as I expected, it wasn't great at all guys. It also didn't have much ice in it. Booo. I'm glad they didn't card me though! Yay 22. To top off this awesome experience, they gave us a goody bag which was larger than I expected it to be. Plus, it came with all sorts of Stila & mark makeup. I'm a nerd and I looked it up and I got literally 76 dollars worth of makeup tonight! I am one happy camper. All in all, great networking experience and definitely worth attending.



That was another night to remember. Other things to think about. One of the speakers said that you don't always end up doing what you have a passion for... sometimes you end up doing something you're good at or something that you just can't help but do. He used the example of how he was an English major that wanted to go into pre-med but writing is something that he could never stop himself from doing so here he is...a managing editor at mademan.com. It was advice that I never really heard before.

I'm really glad I got to go tonight... but I'm sad I missed out on Joe & Brenton's get together and on LoG's Halloween meeting. I'm sure both of them went amazingly well. I also missed out on the Women's Conference this year :( I asked my mom if we could go next year! I am totally there!

Life, you surprise me in a good way.

Prayers all around.

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posted by anna liza at 11:11 PM | 0 comments
today
Saturday, October 24, 2009
i did absolutely nothing lol. i was a bum all day. i missed out on the hello kitty party at royalt but that was my own fault because i didn't know anyone who would wanna go with me; i also didn't make much of an effort to try lol... man kathy & i should've just gone LOL. we missed out on hello kitty themed breakfast, jewelry & sushi-bento box making workshops, hello kitty happy hour AND hello kitty karaoke. darn it. i will definitely be going there one of these days! hopefully nov. 1st for her bday HAHAH.

there's always tomorrow.
posted by anna liza at 8:43 PM | 0 comments
I AM SO GOING TO THREE APPLES SOON!

Three Apples is a celebration exhibiting the 35 years of Hello Kitty creations for free. All are welcome.

It has been a sensation with little girls all over the world since 1974, so much, that today people can still find just about anything made with a Hello Kitty painted on the front of it. Celebrities are even seen wearing their Hello Kitty couture jewelry. Away from the original pencil boxes and notebooks, there are cell phones, toasters, almost every school supply a person can imagine, talking Hello Kitty robots, Eva Air jets, hairdryers, and a million other items Hello Kitty designed.

There will be an art show including 100 or more of Hello Kitty fans and artists. The art show will be curated by Jamie Rivadeneira, owner of Japan LA. Visitors will be able to purchase toys and clothes of the Hello Kitty kind which will help support a great cause. A portion of the proceeds will be given to L.A. Works which is a community service volunteer group that helps out in the Los Angeles communities.

Three Apples is taking it one step further with a multidimensional exhibit starting Saturday, October 24th and ending November 15th at RoyalT which is a cafe/shop/ and art space located at 8910 Washington Blvd., between Robertson & National Blvd., Culver City, CA.

There will be art, fashion, Hello Kitty breakfasts and tea parties, pop up show, tattoo booths, bento box workshops, happy hour for the 21 and over, theme parties and costume events, special appearances and signings by Hello Kitty creators. Best of all there will be a special celebration on November 1st which is Hello Kitty's official birthday.

There will also be a portion of the venue created to look like an apartment fully installed with Hello Kitty utensils and appliances. Look at the Hello Kitty of the future.

Here is the itinerary for Saturday:

Saturday October 24, 2009 All Day 10AM-10PM


10AM -1PM
Hello Kitty Brunch! Bring your favorite friends to a fabulous Hello Kitty brunch where you can enjoy scrumptious Hello Kitty-themed waffles & pancakes and a live DJ set.

1 PM -2PM and 3PM -4PM
Meet the Designers! A very special appearance by ‘Kitty Mama’ Yuko Yamaguchi (Hello Kitty head designer straight from Tokyo) & tokidoki creator, Simone Legno — and the launch of the exclusive tokidoki for Hello Kitty 35th Anniversary collection — follows.

2PM -3PM
Hands-on Jewelry Workshop with Three Apples artist Natalia Fabia!
This workshop has a materials fee of $15 and requires pre-registry.

4PM – 5PM
Yummy Hello Kitty sushi & bento box workshop with acclaimed chef Sushi Girl
Sorry! This workshop is full. Please join us for a different fun event!

5PM -7PM
Hello Kitty Happy Hour with Lovemade for fans 21+

7PM – 10PM
Hello Kitty-Oke karaoke dance party with Karaoke Queen Raina Lee (author of Hit Me with Your Best Shot: A Guide To Karaoke Domination) Hello Kitty-oke Dance Party with Karaoke Queen Raina Lee

All Day Long!

Photo ops with Hello Kitty herself!

Happy Birthday, Hello Kitty!

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posted by anna liza at 1:07 AM | 1 comments
i'm a helper.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
these are fields i'm looking into and the things i love about them:

+ counseling: helping other people solve their problems, wholeheartedly listening to people share their struggles and giving advice without judgment, helping them feel better about their situation and giving them the tools they need to improve upon it.
+ women's issues: dealing with self-image, self-esteem, self-identity, discrimination, abuse, helplessness..."empowering" women to feel good about themselves and feel comfortable with who they are and want they want out of life and what they need and expect of the people around them.
+ career services: counseling, editing resumes & cover letters, doing mock interviews, helping people find jobs & internships, advising people and helping others advance in their career goals.
+ student services: working in a higher education setting, advising students, directing them towards the appropriate resources, helping new students get situated and not feel so lost and confused
+ human resources: RECRUITMENT! meeting new people, encouraging others to be a part of something that i'm a part of and believe in, promoting internship/job opportunities
+ public relations: the diversity of the tasks that one gets to do everyday, nothing's ever the same, the opportunity to work with big time/ big name clients (CELEBRITIES! lol), being able to write, the marketing/social media aspect of it

now do you see my dilemma?

nonprofit? education? what do i choose? yes, i know. only I can answer that.

as for my day today, i had a really good lunch with my cousin at the alcove on hillhurst and then we grabbed dessert at none other than scoops! vegan cream cheese-oreo and maple-caramel for the win. we had good life-career talks. i've been having way too many of those lately. i'm getting old.

last night i couldn't sleep because a helicopter flew over my neighborhood 30 times LITERALLY! i guess they were looking for someone...oh well. i hope it doesn't happen again tonight... as snoop says, i'm from "los angeles, where the helicopters got cameras" yeah, i call him snoop lol.

p.s. before i forget... as of yesterday, it's been 28 months!?! time flies... in a good way of course lol :)

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posted by anna liza at 8:09 PM | 0 comments
(wo)man in the mirror
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I think the only thing more stressful than finding a job is actually deciding on a career. Yeah, all of my blogs have been centered around my search for my own little niche in this big crazy world. So I've made baby steps towards discovering what I, Anna Liza want to do with the gifts & talents that He's given me. But again, the progress I'm making doesn't consist of gigantic leaps (though I wish it did)...instead, I find myself making teeny tiny steps toward my future. I am 22 years young. I've been reassured time and time again that it's okay to be where I am right now. In fact, up until today, I was getting pretty comfortable thinking that way and came incredibly close to believing it. My mind plays tricks on me and though I tell myself and though others tell me that it's gonna be okay, sometimes I wish that someone would just point me in the right direction already. Technically, I've only been unemployed since the beginning of September and I've only started applying to jobs a week ago. I've found it difficult to be motivated especially because I've convinced myself that once I get a job, that's it. That's the end of my story. I've convinced myself into thinking that once I get that one opportunity to work for a living, I can no longer dream any bigger or want anything else. I fear that all the anticipation & excitement I've built up around landing that dream job and jumpstarting that ideal career will be wasted on an anti-climactic ending: a 9-5 administrative job where I'm stuck in a cubicle counting down the hours until I get off work. OKAY, okay, so maybe my expectations are too high especially during times like these when you're lucky to even get an interview, let alone land a job. However, a girl can dream and it's not my fault for dreaming big and wanting the best for myself. Anyway, I don't want anybody thinking that I'm approaching my job search with a sense of entitlement. That couldn't be any further from the truth. I'm on the same boat as everybody else. I have to climb the ladder like everybody else. But I think that's where a lot of people fall short. They've convinced themselves that they're just another fish in the sea. They've convinced themselves that they are just "everybody else." We may be placed on an equal playing field but we're different from one another and we need to capitalize off of those differences. I guess what I'm trying to say is that everyone should learn to recognize their worth as individuals. My work experience and life experience is different from yours and once you acknowledge the things (the distinct qualities, strengths, flaws & imperfections) that make you YOU, you'll have a much better sense of self... and knowing yourself will help you gain the confidence you need to confront everything life throws at you.

As a recent college graduate, I'm learning that the attitude you take on towards applying for jobs and just towards life in general makes a whole lot of difference. If you're confident, I'd say you're more likely to get a job than someone who isn't. I'm sure most people can attest to that. I think I'm off on a tangent right now but the whole purpose of this entry was not to complain about how I haven't found a job yet but to remind myself that things happen in His time, not my own. This entry is also a reminder to myself that when presented with a choice of feeling hopeless or hopeful, to always choose the latter and not to just sit around & wait for life to happen. I gotta make it happen. Like Michael Jackson said, "if you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself & make a change."
posted by anna liza at 11:07 PM | 0 comments
Welcome Day 2004 - My Senior Year of HS
My class pride started long before 09 :)

This makes me smile...and laugh. Here is the intro video to our Scene Stealing Senior Performance!

p.s. don't judge LOL. i'm so amused by this video loool.

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posted by anna liza at 5:09 PM | 0 comments
make the world a better place.
Sunday, October 18, 2009


oh and before i forget, happy 22nd birthday to my bf zac, i love you!
<3 anna

LOL.

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posted by anna liza at 3:04 PM | 0 comments
current loves of my life:
Saturday, October 17, 2009
+ GLEE
+ the rachel zoe project (lol)
+ LOS ANGELES (almost everything about it): the mom&pop shops, hole-in-the-wall highly-rated & yelped restaurants, the celeb-siting hot spots, the million things you can do & the million places you can go here, the diversity, the shopping centers, the palm trees, & the fact that all the houses don't look the same lol
+ reconnecting with old friends & maintaining contact with new ones
+ the rain & the sunshine
+ driving when i actually know where i'm going
+ going to mass & novena on wednesdays with my mommy
+ checking the same arts&crafts blogs every day for new finds!!
+ reading inspirational messages on icanread.tumblr.com (thanks angie!)
+ finding inspirational quotes anywhere & everywhere
+ reigniting my passion & love for music - listening to it, singing along to it, being engaged by it
+ reading my guilty pleasure celeb gossip blogs (justjared&justjaredjr)
+ Cory Monteith & Matthew Morrison (though i still love you Zac).
+ ice cream!
+ not feeling the slightest inclination to shop! (yeah, it's actually a good thing)
+ reading job descriptions that totally fall in line with what i'd want to do... and actually applying to them
+ $2.99 8-piece sushi rolls at california market! might not be as amazingly awesome as sushi imari but definitely hits the spot... and is the cheapest price of a sushi roll that i've ever seen
+ being home
+ being in control of this next chapter of my life

it don't take a whole day to recognize sunshine...

and... my supervisor said she wants to take me with her to her appearance/taping on Good Day LA next month! :D loving it!
posted by anna liza at 12:19 PM | 3 comments
America's Best Young Entrepreneurs Under 25
Friday, October 16, 2009
No, not me... but my current supervisor/ the CEO of Intern Queen, Inc. Check out the article here and vote for her here! :)

So I've been entertaining different career paths lately (what's new?) and while I was on twitter, I was looking through the list of people that I follow and happened to notice a recurring theme: @girlsinc, @iamthatgirl, @tyrashow...@oprahwinfrey! i also follow lauren conrad!! anyway, what i'm really getting at is that i really AM all about female empowerment... though i'm sure a lot of you are probably shaking your heads and thinking "duh, we knew that already." i don't know why it's taken me this long to put two and two together. it all makes sense now... my unwavering love for and attachment to my all-girls high school (yeah pandas!), my commitment to being a "woman of great heart & right conscience" (lol), my deep interest in female adolescent psychology (the research i did with my professor was focused on female adolescents & the effects that various online social spheres have on their well-being and their self-image), my long-time desire to work or volunteer for Girls Inc. or the Step Up Women's Network... it is all coming together...now that I think of it, most of my mentors or many of the people that I've looked up to have been women... (that's partly because my mom is my #1 role model). I can even trace it back to one afternoon when I was a second year and tutored for PASS. i even blogged about it:

"the most heartbreaking thing happened today. i was tutoring this new first grade girl named leslie. she was from a private catholic school. she is incredibly smart and her reading skills are so above and beyond the reading skills of the other public school kids that we tutor at the library. she had trouble doing homework, not because she COULDN'T do it but because she didn't WANT to do it. she was getting lazy & restless. by the end of the day she made amazing progress and i actually got her to finish all her homework. she's one of the reasons i wish it didn't end. she said the most disturbing (anti-immac) thing ever...we were doing sentences and she messed up while spelling one of the words and said... and i quote,

"UGH! This is why I hate being a girl."


it was the most upsetting sentence i've ever heard. i asked her "how can you say something like that? girls can do anything!" and the fact that all the tutors at PASS today were girls is living proof of that. she then proceeded to say that she was going to end up being a "house cleaner" like her mom! for a first grader to lose her hopes like that... it's not right at all. i asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she hesitated for a while because she didn't think she could be anything... she said she was "nothing"... after a few minutes she told me she wanted to be a dentist and i told her that nothing was stopping her from becoming one because she's a smart girl. luckily, i coaxed her into finishing her homework and at the end of the day, when i said bye to her i asked her what she wanted to be again and this time she said "A DENTIST!" excitedly, without hesitation and it made me smile. experiences like these make everything worth it.

if there's one population that i want to reach out to in this lifetime, it's young girls... especially those who come from less privileged backgrounds. i could've been one of those girls... who gave up, who let others tell her what she can and can't do. in fact, i actually WAS one of those girls at one point in my life. i was bullied. i was definitely a poster child for those anti-bullying public service announcements. people would constantly bring me down... because i was smart, because i was nice, because people liked me, because i was quiet & shy, and more importantly, because they assumed i was too weak to fight back. the way i dealt with it was by constantly turning the other cheek... (and telling my mom lol). but i look at where i am now and see where they are and i'm content because i was the bigger person, i took the high road, and now i've finally learned to stand up for myself & be myself. it's been a long time coming... i think that's why i feel so empowered and inspired by women who've been able to recreate themselves, women who are strong enough to break the mold and go against the grain, women who are brave enough to speak out and say "I am that girl"...women who are courageous enough to fight for what they believe in.

so i guess i do have passion.

i've only really been searching for a job this past week (lol), and i'm realizing that my hopes, aspirations & dreams for my future didn't just come about over night...they were years in the making... and every experience i've had as the little girl that i was contribute to the young lady that i am and to the woman that i'm becoming. thank You.

...for Your greater Glory always.

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posted by anna liza at 12:00 AM | 1 comments
last night
Thursday, October 15, 2009
i had a scary dream... it was the first time in a long time that i've had a dream like that. ugh.




in other news, prayers please & thank you.
good night, i'll be praying for you too.
posted by anna liza at 11:30 PM | 0 comments
life after college
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. - Steve Jobs
posted by anna liza at 7:38 PM | 0 comments
Passion
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
"You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don't make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off you. " –Maya Angelou

posted by anna liza at 10:26 PM | 0 comments
rainy days & mondays
  • the cold weather is nice. it rained a bit today. i love being indoors during this kind of weather.
  • my cold's going away, slowly but surely.
  • some people are really selfish & self-centered. there's more to life than you think.
  • i need to be more disciplined about everything in my life right now.
  • today was a good start to hopefully a new & refreshing routine
  • jury duty postponed till next year because i registered late. it's like delaying the inevitable.
  • i love TV again. i have no idea why but i have an affinity for the rachel zoe project...i caught up on all of the episodes. i could never do what she does as a stylist... way too stressful and i already experienced a taste of that when i did the jamah show.
  • new season of little people, big world! (looming divorce for the roloffs? crossing my fingers hoping it's not true...)
  • i am beginning to approach my internship as a job and that is a good thing.
  • being the only child gets boring sometimes. that makes me look forward to the weekends.
  • my car had a flat tire but we finally got it fixed today! yay!
  • i have 1 more box of junk to sort through/dispose of. that's the last of my irvine boxes.
  • i hate that my room still feels messy/cluttered.
  • i still want to go to sushi imari.
  • i still wish i could go to a concert.
  • i still am looking for a job.
  • i finally eat breakfast everyday and it feels good (farewell bad habits!)
  • i love my parents very much and i'm grateful for this opportunity to spend time with them.
posted by anna liza at 12:24 AM | 0 comments
The Summons
Sunday, October 11, 2009
I had a good talk with my mom while we were driving home after dropping Alex off to UCLA. We talked about everything. For those of you who know me, you know that my mom is my ultimate hero, role model & everything I pretty much aspire to be... minus the stubbornness (which is a trait I probably have already acquired anyway). My mom is also so steadfast in her faith. I've never met anyone who could pray as much as she does...well besides a few special people in Liwanag (IT!). I admire her so much for that. Tonight I asked her who her guardian angel was (after talking to Nez about it a week or two ago). I was curious to know because she always tells us about her guardian angel and reminds us to constantly pray to them and seek their help and protection. She got a little defensive upon hearing my question and said, "Aba! (sp?) I have 3 guardian angels!: St. Raphael, St. Michael, & St. Christopher (pronounced as ChristoPEAR)!" She said that those are the angels she prays to every time Alex and I don't pick up our phones and she is convinced that every time she gets angry because we haven't called her back, once she prays to her angels, within moments, her prayer is answered and she hears a ring from her phone. That was her lighthearted example of the power of prayer & the power of guardian angels. She told me that she's imagined them as being incredibly strong with huge wings that expand far enough to shield her from anything that comes her way. Yeah, her description of angels isn't super unique but hearing my mom describe them in detail was so awesome because I can tell that this isn't just out of her imagination, she's SEEN them before. It's crazy. She says that they are always with her and I believe her.

I know that I try to pray to my guardian angels whenever I can but my relationship to them isn't as personal or as profound as the relationship that my mom has established with hers. She knows that they exist for a FACT and is willing to argue against anyone who questions the presence of these angels in her life. Who am I to question her? She told me to remember to pray to them because at times we neglect them. At the end of our conversation, she said, "Liza, this is REAL! I'm not lying to you."

I believe you mom. I really do.

There is so much I can learn from living at home and from spending time with my mom. I think sometimes she plays the role of my living guardian angel.

Mass at the Cathedral was so good today too. The homily was perfect. Fr. said the best gift we can pray for is the gift of wisdom and prudence. He gave tons of examples of people who were unwilling to leave behind their most valued possessions in order to follow him. These people knew what they needed to sacrifice in order to enter the kingdom of heaven and yet they couldn't let go and do it. Father said that God never asks us to give up something that we don't have and I thought about it and realized how true that is. He doesn't ask us to donate $50 to the collection basket when we only have $5. It's easy to get caught up in the material or the superficial but at the end of the day, do those piles of objects & clothing really lead you closer to Him? The more that I think about it the more it hits me...why are we so willing to cling to things that only satisfy us temporarily and yet we so easily surrender opportunities to enter His kingdom of eternal JOY and unconditional Love? Why do we jump at the chance to successfully climb the corporate ladder but hesitate in becoming the best person we can possibly be for God? Why are we so concerned with the short-term when the long-term is what truly matters? I have yet to figure any of this out. But I guess as long as I keep my heart fixed in the right place and my eyes fixed on Him, I can't go wrong and I can't get lost. He is our compass on this journey of life.

Peace.

Btw, they played this at mass today and I couldn't help but think of last spring quarter, "Yes I Will"


Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.
posted by anna liza at 10:27 PM | 2 comments
"job searching"
posted by anna liza at 7:16 PM | 0 comments
live high.
Saturday, October 10, 2009

Live high, live mighty
Live righteously takin' it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously

And oh, let's take it easy and celebrate the malleable reality
You see nothing is ever as it seems, yeah this life is but a dream
posted by anna liza at 9:50 PM | 0 comments
being sick = not fun
Thursday, October 08, 2009
my nose is runny & stuffy but that's life. i've been trying to get lots of rest and i've been drinking lots of fluid (oj and h2o) as prescribed by abby (and my mom lol). today, aside from the usual internship work that kept me busy until 3:30, i got to hang out with brenton again. that's already twice in one week! we watched man vs. food and he cooked me dinner! steak, veggies & rice ftw :D it was yummy. then we went to vons and got ice cream & cookies = my favorite dessert because together they can make a pizookie or an ice cream sandwich! then we watched the office. although i've never really kept up with it (despite having the first 3 seasons on dvd), i liked it a lot. i've been watching a lot of tv lately. must catch up with more shows. i had a lot of fun and we didn't even have to go out and spend money lol. that is my new kind of fun esp. because i don't have much money to spend.

anyway tomorrow, i have to go to toluca lake to meet with my boss and i'm still feeling a little under the weather. my car also has 2 flat tires so i can't drive it. luckily brenton can take me haha. but it's at coffee bean and it shouldn't take longer than an hour.

my blogs have been a combination of talking about the details of my day and talking about what's going on in my head. ok that's it for now. good night!

p.s.
btw, thank you for driving me, cooking dinner, and taking care of me today! <3 you da best, son!
posted by anna liza at 10:37 PM | 0 comments
what a fool believes
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain, and most fools do."
Benjamin Franklin
I really like that quote. Too many times have I come across people who are completely oblivious to the blessings that are right in front of them. Instead of saying "thank You for this beautiful day", they grumble & complain about one thing or another... and say things like "Today's gonna suck" or "I can't wait till this day is over"... or even the widely popularized catchphrase among many teens & young people these days, "FML." I think some people tend to forget that things could be a lot worse...they forget that there are millions of other people in the world who are suffering and dealing with problems that are way bigger than their own trivial concerns. Sometimes we all become too preoccupied with our own lives that we forget to step outside of ourselves and look at the world around us. Material things can only take you so far. But being a good person and serving those around you takes you above & beyond this world alone.

It upsets me when people just give up and take the easy route...the easy route = taking on a bitter stance towards life altogether. Nothing is accomplished by you whining about how you don't have this or can't do that or wish you were like them. You place yourself at a disadvantage when you fall into the trap of self-pity because while everyone else is getting up and doing something, you're just sitting there feeling sorry for yourself & for the situation that you've VOLUNTARILY and WILLINGLY placed yourself in. Stop pointing fingers at other people and criticizing what they do. Why create more negativity in the world by spitting harsh criticisms out of your mouth? Instead, make the world a better & more positive place through your actions, through what you do. I'd rather be remembered as the girl who at least tried to make the world a better place than as the girl who sat in a corner moping and cursing at the world. The conspiracy theory is stupid. The world is not against you so stop making it out to be your enemy. You are your own worst enemy. Life is what you make of it. I've learned to make the most with what I have and deal with the cards that I'm dealt with. I hope you learn to do the same.


Today, I sat & prayed the rosary with my mom. I know that You were there with us.

Prayers always.
posted by anna liza at 11:58 PM | 0 comments
so what
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
so what if it hurts me
so what if i break down
so what if this world just throws me off the edge
my feet run out of ground
i gotta find my place
i wanna hear my sound
dont care about all the pain in front of me
cause im just tryna be happy
just wanna be happy




Some of my favorite life stories to listen to are the ones where people don't know what they're doing with their lives and then all of a sudden, it hits them and they go from not having the slightest idea to knowing for certain what/who they are meant to be. I guess it's because I secretly long for that to happen to me. I've been talking to a lot of different friends lately and asking them how they came about deciding on their future career. The best part...and at the same time, the worst part about it is that they each had different answers, which makes sense because we all have different experiences. Some people chose their careers out of pressure... their parents wanted them to pursue a certain career or the situation that they were placed in (i.e. getting pregnant at an early age) forced them into it. Other people figured it out while they were interning or working at a job that was similar to or along the same lines as the career they were already looking into. Others did research and conducted informational interviews with people working in that field and eventually decided to enter that field too. Other people have known what they wanted to do all along (they've wanted to be a doctor/lawyer/musician since they were kids. Meanwhile, the lucky few just fell into it (they were in-between jobs/school/etc., ran into the right people and got the job).

It's definitely a process of self-realization and after several months of completing college, I'm coming to terms with that. I can say for certain that I'm figuring out what I want and what I don't want in a future career. Why can't I just commit to a career yet? Well, I am extremely fickle...I have a lot of dreams but also, I have extremely high standards for myself. I know that I want to be successful in what I do but I also want to be passionate about it. I want to choose my career, not just fall into it, jump into it, be pushed into it. There a lot of things about myself that I didn't choose... I didn't choose the type of family I was born into, I didn't choose my SES, I didn't choose my race/ethnicity, I didn't choose my gender. But my career is something I CAN choose so it's not wrong for me to want to choose wisely. In regard to all those things that I mentioned that I didn't choose, do not think for once that I consider any of those things to be handicaps because I am proud of all those things. They make me who I am. The journey continues but I'm enjoying my internship experience. I am multitasking and networking like crazy! It's ridiculous. But I'm also learning, which is the main thing I wanted out of an internship. Please continue to pray for those of us who are still searching for their vocations :)

In other news, I reunited with some old friends today for my friend's 22nd birthday at Downtown Disney. It was a much needed break from reality. I had a lot of fun. Yesterday I introduced Brenton to scoops (thanks Julian for introducing me to it a while back!) and we also tried amazing chili cheese fries from Hi-Life in Alhambra and walked around the Santa Anita mall. Then we played some Beatles rockband and hung out with Joe & Kaylene and some of his other roommates. These past two days have been good to me. Tomorrow it's back to work... and looking for a job. Btw, I LOVE TV! I got to watch all these shows that I never really got to see before! I also love the Rachel Zoe Project!!!

Anyway, I hope everyone's doing well. Until next time... lots & lots of LOVE&PRAYERS for you all.

- Anna
posted by anna liza at 11:30 PM | 0 comments
pretty wings
Sunday, October 04, 2009
why must i always be nostalgic for something? when i went to high school, i missed my grade school friends at ihm, when i went to college, i missed my h.s. friends at immac, and now that i've graduated from college, i miss my uci friends, especially log. the transition between one stage of life into another always proves to be difficult for me. even though i'm only an hour away from irvine, it's not like i can just leave home & go there whenever i want to... i can't just go to late night birthday surprises or hang out after a meeting when i please. i guess that's something i've been adjusting to... or trying to adjust to. brenton's right... i do tend to miss irvine the most when i'm not busy. i wasn't super busy today which probably intensified my nostalgia.

but a nice thing about being at home is getting to bond with my family. today we ate at mako for lunch & at sushi mac for dinner (i hadn't had sushi in a month practically!) it was my first time at both places. i liked mako... sushi mac was alright. i think people go there for the cheap prices and not necessarily for the quality of the sushi. my craving was only temporarily satisfied. sushi imari, i'm coming back to you soon. i promise. it's been way too long...i don't even remember the last time i went :( after dinner we watched tropic thunder on blue ray. it was my first time watching that movie... and it was pretty funny. i liked that my parents, alex & i all watched it together. that hasn't happened in a while.

other than that, my life has been sort of uneventful lately... other than trying out new food places in LA. janice! we still need to get sushi!! i haven't forgotten. i also need to revisit scoops. i haven't been there in a while. there are a couple other ice cream places i need to go to too.

anyway i should sleep. my eyes are irritating me. yay allergies. have a good one.

I had to set you free.
Away from me
To see clearly
The way that love can be when you are not with me
I had to leave
I had to live
I had to leave
I had to live

If I can't have you
Let love set you free to fly your pretty wings around.
Pretty wings, your pretty wings, your
Pretty wings...Pretty wings around.
posted by anna liza at 12:14 AM | 0 comments
"be who you are"
Saturday, October 03, 2009
i know i've been blogging a lot lately... i'm probably the winner right now. anyway, after ending a day of looking for & eventually applying to 1 job, i am tired. i attempted productivity and succeeded by finally organizing my closet and sorting through piles and piles of clothes (not an exaggeration, though i wish it was). i also decided to apply to jobs after realizing that i need money in order to buy a disneyland pass, which i was reminded of while talking to markee online. money, as much as i hate it, makes the world go round...unfortunately.

let's recap my week in the mean time shall we? so the search for my vocation continues. if anyone ever said it was gonna be easy to figure out your life 4 months after you graduate, they are wrong... especially if you're indecisive, fickle-minded & commitment-phobic like me. before i tell my stories, let me clarify that i am being reimbursed for gas so no worries. ok so my boss was in florida for a speaking event this week and her good friend, the owner of JAMAH bags, was hosting a launch party for her bag collection. my boss decided that i should help out because it would be good press for both of the companies and because she said it would be a good way for me to practice networking (little does she know i've done it before). so this monday i drove to venice (JAMAH headquarters/owner's beach house). it took me 45 minutes to get there using the side streets! to top it off, i got lost when trying to find the condo because it was a beach community with a ton of alleys and dead ends and houses that all looked the same. luckily one of the owners (half filipina/half white) named rose helped me find it. it was exactly how you would imagine a beachside condo belonging to a fashion designer to look like. so anyway, i walk in and am immediately put to work by people that i had just met (but talked to over the phone). i was in a room full of overpriced expensive designer bags, making labels for them and organizing the labels alphabetically. now that task seems simple enough but it took up the 3 hours that i had planned on staying there. after that, i went home... using the side streets again... which took me even longer because it was around 3-4pm.

but my fashion adventure doesn't end there because the following wednesday, my boss sends me to her apt in toluca lake to pick up her business cards. after running the errand, i take a quick lunch break and head to the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills to help out at the actual JAMAH fashion event. the hotel was nice but not super glamourous. anyway, i call the owner and she comes down and introduces me to the other interns... i found out later that one of the interns was actually JAMAH's publicist but she was my age. anyway, i quickly made friends with the other girl who was super nice and interning for a different company (like me)... you see we weren't actually JAMAH interns... we were interns for people collaborating with JAMAH for this particular event. now that i've cleared that up, we had to unload about 80 or so bags from her truck, bring them over to the poolside cabana where the event was to take place, stuff the bags so that they looked presentable, and price them in an assembly line fashion. more interns came along and helped out... they were all very into fashion... you could totally tell this was their calling (and not mine lol). we helped out the event coordinators by creating vase centerpieces and that's when 2 powerful magnets snapped my finger creating a tiny bruise. battle scar. later we had to arrange the bags on the tables which took WAY longer than you think it would. people in this industry are picky. after that we each had to pick a bag to model throughout the night. my bag was called the "bitty boo" and i had to walk around, network with people, most of them being white middle-aged rich women interested in purchasing the bags, and tell them about the bag i was carrying. my boss also wanted me to introduce myself to the photographer and have them take a picture of me in my intern queen shirt. i accomplished everything i was supposed to and surprisingly, i did so without feeling awkward or uncomfortable. if anything, i found myself feeling bored most of the time when i wasn't talking to someone. bored because i didn't feel like anything that i did that night amounted to something meaningful. this short-term fashion gig only further solidified the fact that's not in my personality to pursue a career in an industry or an occupation where i'm not helping other people. even though i technically WAS helping other people by arranging all that stuff and by spreading the word about the purse i was carrying... it all felt so superficial and empty. at the end of the night, i just wanted to go home. maybe because i wasn't doing anything to benefit the greater good of society. i was just helping the rich get richer with new bags that they can flaunt around. the good that did come out of the night, besides that realization, was that i made a new friend out of it, who felt the same way i did. as recent grads, we talked about finding occupations that fit us and fell in line with our values and ideals. i don't mean to be negative by this entry at all. this experience was definitely a positive one for me and one i'll never forget... who really gets to say that they helped organize, attended, & modeled for a high-end fashion event in Beverly Hills? i'm grateful for this opportunity. but i'm also grateful that it's helped me knock another aspiration off my ever growing list.

the only thing that's frustrating about all these self-realizations is that it makes me even more impatient about figuring out what i'm meant to do for the rest of my life. maybe i AM meant to be a counselor... maybe it's right under my nose. but all i know is that there are at least a dozen more things i want to try before settling down. finding a career definitely is like dating. i want to be completely sure that my heart and my mind agree on it. in the midst of my journey, i definitely have to stop comparing myself to those who've figured it all out. i'm my own person and i may not want to work in fashion but JAMAH's motto rings true for me: be who you are.

p.s. i hate when people discourage me. don't do it please. don't get in the way of my dreams because i would never do that to you.
posted by anna liza at 1:00 AM | 1 comments
no comparisons.
Friday, October 02, 2009
i will stop comparing myself to others.
posted by anna liza at 11:27 PM | 0 comments
when they were 22...

  • At 22, Johnny Cash went from decoding Russian communications for the Air Force to recording his first country single at Sun Records.

  • Oprah left college at 22 to become a news reader in Nashville, then moved to Baltimore where she scored her own talk show.

  • At age 22, Jack White started a band with his wife. They later became known as The White Stripes.

  • Giorgio Armani originally wanted to be a surgeon but realized it wasn't for him. So he tried his luck at photography. Still struggling, he took a job at a department store and discovered his love for fashion. His boss, recognizing a talent in him, gave him a promotion. He later started his own fashion chain that many people recognize today.
  • At 22, Desi Arnaz moved to Miami from Cuba when Fidel's regime moved in. To make ends meet, he bussed restaurants, drove taxis, and did odd jobs. Unable to deny his desire to perform, he began playing at local night clubs, then started his own band. He and his band were discovered and made it all the way to broadway, where Desi met the starlet Lucille Ball, six years his senior.

my friend lilian just turned 22 recently. i met her through humanities core when we were first years. anyway, in commemoration of her 22nd birthday she's been posting facebook statuses with facts about where certain celebrities, political figures, and athletes were at this turning point of their lives = 22. this is the next book that i'm gonna buy. i have so much to update you on but i will do that later. must continue the productivity.

never looking back or
too far in front of me,
the present is a gift
and i just wanna BE.
- common

posted by anna liza at 2:43 PM | 1 comments
the present
When I am anxious it is because I am living in the future. When I am depressed it is because I am living in the past. ~Author Unknown

One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us. ~Michael Cibenko

Don't let the past steal your present. ~Cherralea Morgen

You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present. ~Jan Glidewell


If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven't done much today. ~Author Unknown

The past is a good place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. ~Author Unknown

People are always asking about the good old days. I say, why don't you say the good now days? ~Robert M. Young


Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relive the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to believe that in between these two extremes is peace. ~Author Unknown

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. ~Alexander Graham Bell


Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee. ~Montaigne


The other day a man asked me what I thought was the best time of life. "Why," I answered without a thought, "now." ~David Grayson

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present. ~Babatunde Olatunji

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's not what if, it's what now. ~Author Unknown

We are always getting ready to live but never living. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do. ~Jean de la Bruyere

If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is. ~Author Unknown

The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness. ~Abraham Maslow

Pile up too many tomorrows and you'll find that you've collected nothing but a bunch of empty yesterdays. ~The Music Man
posted by anna liza at 1:14 PM | 0 comments