SO MANY CHANGES

Wow..I'm terrible at this blogging thing..
Just felt like checking in to record all the changes since the last time I was active here. Looking back at all my posts, I am speechless at how much I "grew up."

I think the most exciting change is my MOVING OUT! WHOOOT!

A friend and I found a two-bedroom basement apartment in Queens; ghetto, but clean and quaint nonetheless. My friend ended up moving back home and I posted a facebook status about the available room. And guess what? My current roommate messaged me right away! She is an awesome teacher at a church I previously attended and started to attend again..Its nice rooming with someone who has similar life philosophies. God certainly does provide!

A very messy, unprepared glimpse of the beginning stages of my place

Is it bad that I don't plan on upgrading my housing anytime soon?
I really think I'd rather build up my savings with the cheap rent and invest in a condo later on. I don't think it makes sense living paycheck to paycheck on a luxurious apartment in the city, when I can do so much more with a humble home.

Speaking of savings, it has dwindled soo much because I was unemployed through this whole process. The last time I had a job was in December - basically 5 months ago.
I ended up moving to be closer to the city, while my parents moved deeper into the suburbs. Even now, it still takes me over an hour to get to Manhattan -_____-. But definitely better than 2+ hours.
Unemployment is really..wow..terribly depressing. Deadlines and motivation went OUT THE WINDOW. Plus the lack of response from all these companies was really discouraging. 

THANK GOD I received an offer last week.
I think this period of unemployment has really given me a reality check. I was so set on finding a higher paying job and not settling for "less", but that dream really isn't worth going broke over. Sure, this job isn't any where near high paying, or relevant to my future career goals, but I really am grateful. Its enough for me to live comfortably for my situation, while splurging once in a while.
As an alternative, I was thinking of going to Korea; I was immediately accepted to the EPIK 2015 program after the interview. Let me know if you want to hear more about that!

At this moment, I really feel that I'm at an okay place in life. I am not wildly successful, or "happy", but am secure with an apartment, job, family, and friends. What is happiness and success, if not stability and security in life?
I don't think I'm doing too bad for a 23 year old. 

I hope to revamp this blog soon, and be more consistent with my posts. I hope to make this blog a routine part of my life. 

Before I check out, a selfie

CHARM✌참

Eeeek

Wow, talk about hiatus..
:/

It's so easy to fall off of the (public) blogging bandwagon!
Maybe because there's always a limit to how much can be said and to what extent..It's hard for me to filter myself, lol. ANYWAYS~

Updates:

• Finished midterms - absolutely despising this semester's classes..
• On spring break
• Moved mini fridge to bedroom!
• Changed blog layout (as visible)

and most exciting..

• Transitioning to raw vegan, whoot!

The initial push was when I realized just how little greens I was consuming. It led to a video on juicing and then another on making green smoothies, and the rest is history.
Prior, my breakfast consisted of either savory oatmeal (salt+pepper+sesame seeds) or a fibrous cereal with almond milk. I decided to incorporate green smoothies into breakfast by replacing the norm when I had extra time. It wasn't a radical decision; I still kept the cereal and milk on hand for the lazy days, but they ended up being more home decoration rather than food.
Seriously, the zing I felt was so instantaneous and uplifting it was impossible for me to even look back! I didn't WANT to give processed foods a second chance because this was it, this was AWESOME.
Given it's only been about two weeks since I took this step, but it's something I know will grow into years and years.

One major drawback that I've noticed was my thinning wallet (sigh).
Not because raw veganism is necessarily expensive in the long run, but because it seems to require quite a bit of money at once to benefit from savings. An example would be participating in a local co-op. The one closest to me requires a payment of a minimum of $400 for a month of local, organic veggies and fruits; though that is an amazing overall price compared to supermarkets, there is no way I'd be cough up that much at once. This definitely means a sacrifice of organic goods until I'm out of college.
Another example is a heavy duty blender. Regular blenders can be found for $20-40. However, their motors give in so quickly, it's almost a necessity for raw foodists to invest in a heavy duty industrial machine. The most popular option is the Vitamix; another is the Blendtec. Both of these options require at least $350. Yikes.
Sure if one can afford to, these blenders are great - buying one once is better than buying cheap, short-term ones over and over again afterall. It's just not plausible to hand over that much money in one sitting for many (like moi).

That being said, I did a bit of research and came across the Omniblend; it's on sale for ~$250 and comes with a 5-year warranty. Not too shabby..I'll probably end up purchasing one if I ever do have any expendable income, for now all my money goes to quickly diminishing greens and fruits.

Another drawback is just the lack of a raw vegan community on the east coast!
All the information that pertain to any sort of support group seems to be located in the west or south.
Guess I'll have to start making waves, huh?  :P

On other things, I've been thrifting quite a bit recently - must post haul soon!

Happy passion week! Let's all reflect on the suffering of Christ, and what his sacrifice means for all of us.

CHARM✌참