Oh Barbie, You're So Fine

February 27, 2025

Barbies and Kens, Midges and Allans, let me introduce you to my new babygirl! Isn’t she so pretty?!

Back in December when we went car shopping, I wasn’t really excited about getting a new car because nothing really stuck out to me. I’m not really a big car person to begin with, especially when having to get something more ‘mature’ and adult-like, aka good for the winter so I get to work safely since my job requires me to come in no matter the conditions. When I bought my first car in 2012, I didn’t have much in mind at the time than buying something aesthetic and something that would get me from point A to point B. I was obsessed with Camaros and sporty cars because I just wanted to look hot in a hot car. Well, fast forward to 2024, nothing has changed, lol. I still want a hot looking car and everything looked…not hot. But I have more boxes I needed responsibly checked off this time around, like making sure it’s 4 door, reliable in all weather conditions, front and back cameras for parking, etc. The first day we went looking, we found some cars that checked those boxes off, and one especially at a good deal, but I wasn’t sold because I just…didn’t like how it looked. I’m still vain and wanted something to my aesthetic but I couldn’t figure out what. Luckily, I have a cute but also smart husband because that night when we got home, he searched the internet and realized what the perfect car for me was. And we went literally the next day to test drive one and I was sold.

Let’s be real, this wasn’t that hard of an equation to fix, lol. My husband figured out how to get me to like a car easily by picking literally something Barbie herself would drive and Yahtzee, I was sold. And truth be told, I’m not into Jeeps at all. They weren’t on my radar because I didn’t want to join the Jeep girl gang. I know, I know, how very pick-me of me, but seriously, I didn’t. But once I saw it in pink and he reminded it’s a Barbie car, I was all in.

We spent the next month looking for the package I wanted and then another month acquiring it and getting it delivered to me just in time for Valentine’s Day. I test drove a pink one with black trimming but knew I wanted one that was all pink and I’m so glad I got exactly that because she looks so good in all pink. One of the perks of having a car guy for a hubby cause he’ll make sure you get exactly what you want since he’s just as picky and meticulous on details too. And I even said if it doesn’t have a giant bow on top, send it back, because I don’t want it. I know. Priorities, I got em. But my hubby is the cutest and the best so he truly delivered.

Of course, Barbie is taken for custom license plates but I found something even better available. I ordered it immediately and I’m excited for it to come in the mail soon, along with another cute little detail I ordered. I can’t wait to customize and Barbie-fy my baby, and take her out this summer at the beach for photos. I can’t wait to put together cute outfits to wear with her.

And of course, because God has a sick sense of humor, 2 days after she was finally delivered to me, we had a huge snow storm and an entire week of snow one after another. So I guess it’s good timing because I would have had so much anxiety driving in my Camaro. It’s also funny that I bought my Camaro around this time 13 years ago as well! I picked her up Feb 8, 2012 and this new baby was delivered on Feb 6, 2025. Winter babies. I still remember the day I got my Camaro, I drove straight out of the dealership and right back to school, excited to show off my car to my friends because it was my first car and big girl purchase. I love her so much and I’m going to miss her, but it’s time for a new chapter of Barbie adventures and I am so excited!

Goals for 2024 and 2025

January 30, 2025

GOALS FOR 2024

̶P̶r̶a̶c̶t̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶c̶k̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶.̶ ̶P̶o̶s̶s̶i̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶S̶T̶I̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶b̶u̶y̶ ̶a̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶(̶u̶s̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶ ̶b̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶w̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶d̶i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶.
- We started out early in the year, learning to drive stick. But alas, it was anxiety inducing and as much as the hubby had confidence in me and said I was doing well, I hated it. I couldn’t imagine having to do it on a daily basis. I probably could master it if I had dedicated more time and determination to it, but every time we went out for a lesson, I was crying after a few sessions because it felt so hard trying to master it and I kept beating myself up every time I couldn’t get it down consistently. I’d learn and be okay at it for a few runs but then I’d fuck it up again. The muscle memory was not muscle-ing. In the end, I was too frustrated with it. And then my car had a bunch of work needing to be done throughout this year and it finally just got so expensive that I’m finally at my breaking point and we finally went to look at cars in December. I finally picked something out that I like and we’re working on it so stay tuned to see what it is!
Less running, more low impact workouts. Slow down.
- I rotated back and forth between running, Blogilates, and weightlifting this year. I took a break from running for the first 4 months of the year, and then started back up in May to prepare for the Disneyland Halloween Half. But my training for this half looked much different than my usual. I followed the Nike app and did 2 short speed intervals with one long run every week. It was interesting and fun but I don't know if it really helped improve my running come game day. It felt about the same to me but it also could have been bc race week was a heat wave so I purposely dialed it back to avoid heat related illnesses and injuries. Then I took another break from running after I came back from the half, getting back into weights, and then at the end of November, I started to get back into running as I took a break from weights.
- When I did run, I only focused on speed if it was a specific speed workout. All the long runs I did, I took my time. It felt good to not put pressure on myself to be fast all the time. I may not have been consistent in my workouts this year in terms of the types of workouts, but I’m still proud that I’ve been consistent at continuing to be active and making working out a priority in my life and health.
Make my health a priority.

So good news, my labs are finally all in normal range again! Bad news is my weight is still the same. Actually I shouldn’t say bad news because this is also something I’m still working on - not focusing solely on weight as a measurement of progress, because the reality of it is, my weight is higher than I’d like for it to be, but a lot of it is muscle. My fat percentage is pretty healthy and on the low side for the most part and all the other percentages and ratios are perfect and in the “athlete/healthy” range. I shouldn’t complain. It’s a very healthy weight. Despite my BMI being borderline, even my doctor said I was at a very good weight because of my muscle tone which she accounted for how my body was so good at fighting infections since I rarely get sick.

My mental health for the first half of this year was a trainwreck. The second half is a work in progress but I’m happy to say, I’m not crying every day anymore for unknown reasons.

Get back to blogging more regularly.
- I don’t feel like I blogged as often as I wanted to, but honestly I just didn’t feel like there was much for me to write about. I didn’t feel motivated or inspired to blog about a lot. I do want to blog more but I also don’t want to force myself to blog for the sake of blogging and then be boringly rambling on. I want to share stuff I feel passionate about to share. And that’s what I want to work on for this year. Less ado about nothing.
10 year anniversary photo shoot with the hubs!
- I got to shoot both of my dream shoots! We got both the Vietnamese traditional wedding photos done as well as my dreamy Central Park shoot and hubby was a good sport about both so I’m very happy with how everything turned out.
Finally master my camera.
- This is still a work in progress but I DID start using it more and playing with it to get the settings the way I like for my sister and hubby to take my photos for me the way I want. I haven’t “mastered” it but I’ve definitely made more progress this year than in all the past years I’ve owned my camera for. I would say I shouldn’t have been so ambitious in making it a goal to ‘master’ my camera, but I’m getting better at adjusting the settings to suit the conditions I’m given to get the photos I want. I know I can get better at this with time and practice.
Try to go to Japan this May or October.
- There were financial and time logistics that prevented this from happening but I really want to manifest this for 2025.
Work on the backyard and start a garden.
- We did this! Well actually more so my husband and sis but they did a great job and had the garden up and running this summer and we did yield a decent amount of harvested goods for our first year. Banh Mi loved all the goodies we grew for him and now he’s a snob about store bought bell peppers vs home grown, lol.
Finish the bedroom, clear out the den, get rid of excess in bathroom and kitchen shelves and cabinets. Downsize closet. Eat everything in fridge/pantry before buying more food to avoid excess and food going bad before expiration dates.
- Again, this is still a work in progress but we are working on it! I sold a lot of stuff from my closet this year too! I’ve also been a bit more diligent on regularly going the pantry to throw stuff out and just buying what we need. I did clear out the bathroom and kitchen cabinets and shelves but they're still not as optimally tidy as I would like. I'm always worried we'll run out of something but I need to cut that out bc we do live near everything we need.
Establish a routine again.
- We’ve been going to bed around the same time for the most part and consistently waking up around the same time to allot myself enough time to work out before work. I also have been getting myself back in the habit of putting on my face for work and it truly makes a difference when you feel all put together. Now, if only I can work on going to bed earlier and waking up earlier so I get more done before I have to go to work.

YEAR IN REVIEW

I had to go through my 2024 archive to remember everything I did this year. A lot happened but for some reason why do I feel like also not a lot happened? Some milestones though include:

Baby’s first snow: The first year we had Banh Mi, it didn’t really snow so we never got to dump him out into the snow to experience it. This past year we had one big snow day so we threw him out into it after we finished cleaning up the driveway. He wasn’t crazy about it, he hopped around a little, peed in it and decided he wanted to go back inside, lol. My baby is a princess. After all, he is my child.
My BFf's bridal shower and destination wedding in DR: This was a long time coming. Once upon a time when we graduated high school, we were planning her wedding first. But life is funny sometimes and changes course when we least expect it. I was really happy for her when she found someone new that made her feel like she could be her true self. And I’m glad after all these years they’re finally married. It’s funny because we also dated for 12 years before we got married and so did they.
Yoga at top of WTC/got to finally go up the freedom tower: One of my other bffs visited for the weekend this spring and in looking for new experiences, we came across this one and it was perfect. I’ve been wanting to visit the Freedom Tower for a while and this was a great activity to do it, given we both love yoga classes after getting to do it at Disney. The view was absolutely beautiful and it was such a relaxing morning.
Watched a solar eclipse: This was funny to watch my entire hospital just abandon their workstations and go outside to view the solar eclipse. And to see everyone going crazy on social media. It’s like for a moment we all finally believed in science.
Finally watched Wicked on Broadway: I’ve been wanting to watch this for years but never got down to seriously do it. I’m glad I got to before the movie came out. I’m about to go see it on Broadway a second time since my coworkers want to see it too.
Attended Govball, my first (and last) music festival to see Sabrina Carpenter, then got to see her in concert later in the year when she went on tour, and then again at an exclusive screening for a total of 3x this year!
Went back to blonde and loved it but now contemplating going back to dark looking at all my old pics because now I miss how healthy, shiny and full of volume my hair was. But at the same time I love the blonde. So ombre/balayage style for lower maintenance and health it is while my hair grows back out. It’s funny how life is. You don’t appreciate truly what you have til it’s gone and somehow I still want to have my cake and eat it too.
Had a fun summer bbq with friends: It was just a small event at my house but it was one of my favorite events of the year. I would love to do an annual summer bbq and Friendsgiving every year. It’s just a really nice and lowkey but fun way to get everyone together and catch up and just have a great time. I wish I took more photos at these events but when you’re the host, you’re just too busy making sure everyone is ok, but at the same time I’m not mad because not taking photos just means I’m really getting to enjoy the moment more than worry about photos. (But I still would love the photos for memories, again see the pattern with wanting to have my cake and eat it too, lol)
Attended Sleeping Beauties fashion exhibit at the Met: The fashion lover in me will always love these exhibits. Maybe it’s because it feeds the part of me that never got to go to fashion school. But interestingly at the same time, it’s a nice reminder that fashion is better as a hobby for me than a career. There’s so much work and detail and history in fashion. And it’s a very difficult career to make a stable living in. I don’t think I’m cutthroat enough for that lifestyle and pressure to do well. I do enjoy the stability that my career in healthcare has allotted me.
Summer Streets: I saw this last year but never got a chance to come up on a free weekend to check it out and regretted it because it would have been fun to run through for NYC Marathon training. This year I was able to come up and experience it via citibikes. It was really fun to see all the streets closed down and perfectly free for us to ride through. I would love to do it again this year but haven’t decided if I want to run it or bike it. Or maybe both! Half and half maybe, would be interesting. Would love to be able to traverse more of the pathway.
First Disneyland races and first Halloween themed races: These were the only races I signed up for this year and will probably be the last ones I do for a bit. I’m still running but I’m taking a bit of a break from races to allocate my budget to do other things for a bit, since races are incredibly expensive. Runcations are fun but I just don’t have the funds or PTO to do it all and for 2025 I’d really like to be able to go back to Japan. In a perfect world, I’d do both but races will always be around and I can pick it back up anytime in the next few years. Maybe I can sign up for some local races if I’m really feeling like I need a quick fix. Although I’m glad in doing the Halloween race series, I was able to kill a few birds with one stone. I was able to finally experience not only a Disneyland route for races, but also finally a Halloween themed one and was able to do the Halloween party at Disneyland again since I do feel these are the superior parties compared to WDW. I do have to finish up my Disneyland Halloween race blog as well. That’s way overdue and still sitting in my drafts because I’m a master procrastinator.
Night lights: I finally got to launch lanterns into the sky! Another bucket list item off my list.
WDW Halloween trip cancelled resulted in a staycation. I still had a good time at home relaxing and catching up on local fall events I wanted to do but simultaneously disappointed because I felt like I wasted vacation days being at home.
Attended 2 holiday candle making classes, one pumpkin and one gingerbread. Also did a decoden workshop earlier this year and made my own deco phone case. Wish I knew how to do this sooner because it would have saved me so much money 10 years ago, lol. It’s funny how in lieu of popups I’ve been taking little craft workshops instead. It’s been fun feeding my creative outlet in a new and different way.
Put together one of my bff's baby shower in under 5 weeks: This was filled with some annoying unnecessary drama leading to a stressful time trying to get everything together in a time crunch and honestly I wasn’t fully happy with how it turned out because I wish it had looked better if I had more time to plan and put together better decorations and organize games better. But in the end, it came together and I’m glad it was loved and appreciated by the happy parents to be and their families.
Won a picnic bday: This was another thing I was able to check off my bucket list. I’ve been wanting to do a luxury picnic experience for a while but every time I tried to figure out costs and logistics, I ended up throwing in the towel so my winning this contest for a free picnic and then fate threw me another hand making it fall on my birthday weekend due to my limited availability this fall worked out nicely in the end.
Christmas with both families: In past years, I juggled Christmas with both my family and hubby’s family, sometimes getting lucky in combining both families. As of last year after my grandpa’s passing my dad’s family has been trying to get everyone to get together more so my aunt has been hosting a Christmas dinner at her house. Usually I hate this but lately it hasn’t been too terrible. I still hate when their conversations start to get irrationally political but for the most part, it’s been tolerable.

Reflection

This year felt like a blur for some reason. I feel like I have brain fog trying to remember everything I did. I was only able to remember everything I did this year by going through my 2024 Google photos archive. I feel like my mental health this year was the biggest obstacle I had to fight trying to keep my sanity together. But in reviewing the footage, I actually did do a lot and even did a lot of my bucket list/dream goals. So why do I still not feel like enough is enough? I’m hoping 2025 is better to me in terms of keeping me grounded and sane (although I’m also skeptical given the political climate).

Goals for 2025

Face my fears of heights. Mickey wheel, skyliner, Roosevelt Island tram. Do something out of my comfort zone.
- It’s weird and I can’t exactly explain it but I’ll ride roller coasters (although I am scared of them too) but I’m more afraid of Ferris wheels and sky gondola rides. Maybe it’s because I know the roller coasters will be over fast and with the latter moving slower it gives me more time to freak out. With fast rides, my anxiety is still there but the ride is over by the time the high gear anxiety kicks in. But lately, I’ve gotten better riding the Incredicoaster a few times recently so I’m hoping maybe if I face my fears and try it a few times, it’ll lessen.
Sell my car.
- There’s no reason to keep both and it would be nice to be able to use the money from selling my car towards my trip.
Make it to Japan.
- I’m really trying to manifest this trip this year. I’m really hoping to nail down the dates by the end of February and have everything booked.
Focus. Get more things done, less procrastinating.
- I need to start making to do lists for daily, weekly and monthly tasks. Baby steps help to get the bigger picture done.
Fitness goals: continue being consistent. 10k steps, splits, pullups.
- Get 10k steps in daily but allow myself some grace if I miss a few days. Work on my side split and front split. Finally do un-assisted pullups. I wonder if I should get back into cycling to be easier on my legs and knees in terms of impact but at the same time, the psychopath in me will be like “what about my step count?!” LOL I need to pick a lane.
Do a fresh face no makeup shoot.
- I’ve been getting more comfortable with my face lately and would love to do a portrait session looking fresh faced. Okay, maybe a no makeup-makeup look, but minimal no lashes, no liner, light lip balm, clean skin look. Just really good lighting and no frills. I also want to work on simple micro posing with portraits more.
Cut down even more on shopping. Limit purchases to things I know I'll use/wear often. Sell more of my closet.
- I’m trying to really cut down on shopping this year. I don’t really have a need for any more activewear and I really do love all the clothes I already do own. I enjoyed re-styling and re-wearing all my clothes in the past few years as I refashioned them to work with my brunette hair looks so why not continue. Trends come and go but I’ve never really bought my clothes based on trends but more on what I personally like and will want to wear all the time anyway. I’ve also been trying to thrift more as well as sell my own stuff more.
Take more local/budget friendly trips and explore newer places.
- I know with Japan being a big trip, I most likely will not be able to travel much else for the year. But a local day trip or even a quick weekend getaway that’s within budget is something I’d like to do more often. I would like to explore neighboring towns, cities and states and see what they have to offer beyond my usual same spots every year that I go for photos.
Learn to cook more new things.
- Learn to make pasta, maybe more Viet food. I just want to add more recipes/dishes to my repertoire.
Figure out how to stay informed but not compromise my mental health and state of being for it.
- I have to try and find a balance in staying up to date with the news but at the same time not, to not let it affect my mental health. It’s difficult tiptoeing that line.

A Nonsense Christmas

December 12, 2024

Last week I won tickets to attend a special screening of Sabrina Carpenter’s Netflix Special: A Nonsense Christmas! I applied but didn’t think I’d actually get it because my answer for wanting to attend was so lazy: “I love Sabrina Carpenter and think she’s hot!” Alas, I got in and was able to take my sister with me. I mainly wanted to go because I had an inkling feeling that she was going to be there at the screening, especially since she had just finished her North American leg of her tour and had said during her NYC performance back in September, “I live here now.” I gambled and long story short, I made out on top because I just died when she came out to surprise us! Everyone in the room was screaming and it was just amazing to be in the same room as her.

We got into the city just in time that evening as her priority line for the event opened and was checked in within 10 minutes of arriving. The lines looked long but they moved fast and efficiently as they scanned our tickets, gave us cute seating cards, wristbands, Sabrina Santa hats and glitter dusted popcorn! There was a cute little photo op set up in the lobby but unfortunately they weren’t allowing us to take photos as we walked in, claiming we would have time at the end but then they rushed us out at the end too so honestly why did you even have that set up? They should have had it set up outside instead for people waiting on line to have something cute to do. They rushed us into the theater which, while it had ample seating for everyone, was a very small space to sardine us all into. I’m so used to being spoiled to stadium seating movie theaters with reclining seats and ample space. Being all bundled up because it was so cold, I felt so squished in my seat with all my layers and winter wear. It was hard to move in and out of our seats too, because every time you want to get up, the whole aisle has to get up too for you to move. I got up a few times because the screening didn’t start for an hour and a half so everyone was still standing around taking photos. Luckily the girls in our aisle were really sweet and didn’t give us a hard time. They were up and excited too! Honestly the fans I talked to around us that night were all really sweet and excited to be there. Everyone was also dressed really nice too due to the dress code on the invitation requiring you comply or not be let in, although I’m not sure why they did this since it’s not like anyone was really checking what you wore anyway and we were all just going to sit in a dark auditorium to watch a movie. The promotion for this event advertised photo ops but there weren’t any, lol. I guess they just wanted us to look nice to represent her fanbase but after attending her concert, I can tell you they always dress up.

The event was supposed to start at 7:15pm but didn’t start till about 7:35 when the producer came out to talk to us and then she said, “I wish I could thank Sabrina herself…” and then the door opened and a lone security guard came through and we all felt so let down and then literally a second later, she came walking through and everyone started screaming through the roof. It was insane. I was so happy. She talked to us for a good few minutes giving us background info and inspiration behind the making of the special and then she kissed us all goodbye. Man. In retrospect, I should have left the theater when she did and followed her all around NYC that night, lol. We found out she kissed a fan outside and a few people got selfies who didn’t get into the screening so I’m not sure who’s luckier, them or us.

But honestly, I’m very happy because in the course of a year, I was able to see and be in the same room with her 3 times after becoming a fan last year. It’s crazy. Govball, her NYC concert and now this. It’s insane. Last year she was just a suggested artist on my Spotify and this year she BLEW UP. She’s doing amazingly successful and I’m so happy for her because given all that’s been doing this year, she’s working really freaking hard for it so it’s kudos to her for it finally paying off.

Sometimes I feel like if I just got my shit together and started pushing myself to my potential (even though I don’t want to), I could and would be much more comfortable and financially secure. But I always ask myself is it worth the risk of my sanity and well-being? I did the workaholic girl boss thing when I graduated and it honestly brought me no joy or fulfillment of anything. Just more feelings of stress and anxiety. I feel much happier now where I’m at, but I still stress over (albeit different) a lot things. It’s a pick your poison but for now, I do enjoy my peace of mind and better quality of life for lower effort.

But I digress!

Back to the special. It’s almost an hour long and it’s filled with Sabrina singing her own Christmas songs and covering some classics. There are a bunch of duets and a few little skits, but for the fashion lover in me, the wardrobe is what got me. She’s absolutely stunning in everything she wears. From her cute little Marilyn Monroe-esque opener, to the cute little bodysuits, to the sparkly dresses. I wish I could buy all her bodysuits, especially her glitter ones from her tour. I also LOVED that she had Chappell Roan guest duet Last Christmas with her. I honestly didn’t care for the skits as I feel like a boomer who just didn’t get some of the humor. It would’ve been cuter if she had done a continuous skit that connected the entire special but they’re all individrual skits in between songs and sets so it felt a bit random. I was there more for the outfits and the singing but overall I thought it was cute for a Christmas special.

I hope she dose more screenings and events like this in the future and I am manifesting it into my future to run into her one of these days in NYC. I am so jealous of everyone that gets to bump into her or run across her. Although, watch when I finally do, I won’t recognize her because she’s dressed like an average New Yorker in wide leg jeans and oversized hoodie and sunglasses. That’ll be my luck. But I really hope I can meet her in person one day and get a selfie. I love this bitch so much.