I think I'm going to start blogging again

Hey guys, long time no blog!

So I've kind of stopped blogging for a few years, shortly after I returned from my study abroad in Japan. I was recently reading my lovely friend Mo's blog, and it sparked my urge to blog again!

 I’ve been working a lot on YouTube, so I haven’t been totally gone. I’m going to try to post some blog posts about my YouTube videos do you can read more in depth about my adventures, and I can add some photos in. Since I'd started making videos, I kind of didn't so much feel like I needed blogging as an outlet anymore, but I frequently go back here to find stuff and remind myself of my study abroad experience or find old pictures, and I kind of miss it. 

I also want to have a bit more of a diary kind of thing like I used to. It’s kind of nice to type things out than just saying them on video because I can be more clear here. I guess I’ve realized that I may have seasonal depression because every year around this time is when I lose my creative spark, work (which I actually like) starts to get me down, and I can feel the pressure to do more with my life without the time or energy to make it happen! But I remember that there definitely are times where I’m full of energy, seeing friends constantly, photo shooting, going out to see cool Japan stuff and flowers, and I thought, oh that’s because it was warm outside! It doesn’t get as cold here as it did in WV and NY, but I still would rather be sweating in the extreme Tokyo (or even Kumagaya) heat, than even just a little bit cold. I haven’t even been dressing up fashionably very often, and I realized that’s because of the cold too. I hate to be cold, so in the chilly mornings, I always opt for the layers of warm over the cute skirts. 

I’ve been really building my Liz Lisa collection lately using Mercari (Japanese secondhand sales app) and constantly checking out thrift stores (so also I haven’t spent more than ¥2000/$20 on any of my Liz Lisa items) and I really want to wear them, but it’s just not the season yet. When it was still a bit warm in the fall, I really started to dive into modeling, but then the winter hit and I haven’t been so much into it (plus work and shooting outside in cold is hard). I really want to dive back into it in spring with the cherry blossoms! I’m going to see as many flowers as possible, I want to FILL my Instagram feeds with flowers! They make me happy and I am so ridiculously excited for them!

Lately I've been playing around a lot more with photography. My passions I guess change in waves, but always alternate between Youtube vlogging, photography, modeling, fashion, and music related things. Oh, and I started swing dancing again, but that's gonna be its own whole post I think.

Anyway, I think for this blog I’ll just post whatever, whenever. It’ll be less orderly than my YouTube, though I kind of do the same for YouTube anyway. I still have a tiny glimmer of hope that my YouTube might somehow start to make me a little extra side money though XD But that’s not my goal, my goal is to have fun and have my own video diary of my life while possibly helping out someone traveling or moving to Japan in the process! My blog will be more personal, when I can go back and see more of my deeper thoughtful about my day. Then twitter is my quick thought diary!

Anyway, thank you guys for reading if you got this far, and be ready to see more on here in the future!

Diary: Update on Life

Well, I have my laptop charger back, so I'm back online!

Buuuut my plans for the near future have changed a bit...

My boyfriend went back to Japan to visit for 2 weeks and found out that he can't can't come back to America to finish his degree, or get a new visa. It's a long story that I don't really care to share here where everyone can read it. So, instead of waiting until he graduated to go to find a job and move to Japan, I'm looking for a job now, and want to move there asap.

I feel like from now until whatever amount of time it takes me to find a job and get everything worked out, my whole life is on hold.  I felt like that a little bit before, but now it's so much worse that my boyfriend isn't here with me. There are so many things I now have to do in such a short time, or longer, which I really hope isn't the case. I'm trying to see this as a blessing in disguise, as I can prepare to go to Japan sooner than expected, but I also have to do it alone. Well, I can't really say completely alone. If I didn't already know before, I do now, that I have so many amazing friends who care about me and are willing to help <3

Anyway, I'm anxious and unsure about everything now and have no idea where I'll be in the next month or few months and this uncertainty is horrible...I hope everything works out!  At least I've already graduated.

Diary: Some Updates!

Well, I recently went to visit my friend Emily who lives three hours away and stupidly left my laptop charger there...Takeru is in Japan for another week, I'm out of school, and most of my friends are out of town, so I just don't know what to do with myself.  I can't work on my blog, edit pictures, or even watch things online.  I'm writing this post on my phone for the first time ever, so if this post looks like a mess, that's why. Basically Pokémon Go has been all I've been doing XD It's no fun alone though. Guess I should try to clean and organize my closet so I get something productive done...

I have sooooo much stuff I need to post!

Diary: Graduation from WVU!!!

Hey, I did the thing!!!  I figured I should post about it on here too

I cut it close and didn't want to say anything or celebrate too soon, but my grades are in and I really did it!  These past few weeks were possibly the most stressful of my life

I'm kind of a horrible student.  I have trouble remembering what I need to do (and even remembering to look at what I wrote down to remember to do).  When I have a lot, I find it impossible to focus on each thing, and see it as one big ball of impossible, so I shut down and give up.  I was scared to even celebrate and had a hard time being excited about graduating

My mom

The photographer who took all of the pictures in this post, Kevin

Arianna

Basically, this sums it up quite well:

I know that I can be smart and I have very good thoughts and ideas and I feel like I understand a lot about people, relationships, and life, but when I try to study something I find interesting, I just lose interest until I almost dislike it, and want to avoid it.  I wanted to be a fashion designer and go to grad school in Japan for it, but I absolutely dread the thought of more school, and I don't want to MAKE clothes, just design them. But I can't put my ideas well on paper because I'm not great at drawing, and don't really feel motivated or inspired enough to.  Also when I'm in school, I noticed I lost interest in a lot of things I used to do, but maybe that's just me changing? I used to doodle all the time, dress up more, play with fancy makeup and nail art, but I don't so much anymore.  I wonder if those interests will start to pick up again now that I'm out of school? Photography has become a strong interest, and modeling is one that wavers between strong and not so much.  I need to improve myself more for modeling. I'm ready to take it to the next level, instead of just freelance, not getting paid, just-for-fun stuff (though I'll still do some on the side because it's fun).  When I had long breaks in school or weekends, I found it hard to make myself get up and do much of anything unless it's doing something with friends. Maybe now I will want to and be able to again?

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Anyway, now I feel like a huge weight has been lifted and like I'm finally free!  The plan for the next few months is find to a second job so I can save money for Japan, find a job in Japan, lose weight, like seriously cuz I ate my stress as sweets for the past few months, and so I can get into modeling for reals, get rid of lots of my stuff, and see all of my friends as often as possible since I couldn't during the combination of school/work every weekend, and do lots of blogging and photography!

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Review: Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Shimmery Bronze Nude

I had never tried Physician's Formula before, though I'm always admiring their cute packaging in CVS.  I finally couldn't resist with this super sparkly palette! Their stuff is a bit pricier than other drugstore brands, and I haven't seen many reviews of their products, but this mini palette has eye shadows that shimmer like the expensive ones I've seen in Sephora!

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And here are some swatches in sunlight and indoors with flash

This has been my go-to palette since I got it!

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Diary: Japanese Friends from Nagoya Visit!

This was actually right before Halloween...anyway, my friends from my share house adventures in Nagoya came to visit America!

They came mostly to see New York, but since WV is so close by, they stayed with me for a few days!  They made my time in Japan amazing, so I wanted to try my best to show them the best of Morgantown.  They also brought a bunch of snacks and stuff for me from Japan!

First we had a little welcome party, introduced them to some friends, and I showed them around WVU's campus, then they did some exploring by themselves. They said WVU's campus was like a movie XD

Of course I showed them some of my favorite food places.  I had class for part of the time, so they also went to eat at some other places that I recommended without me.  I took them to Chico's Fat, the Morgantown Brewing Company, and the Cupcakerie

I hope they had a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing them again in Japan!

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Review: Wherelight Glasses

It seems that ordering cheaper prescription glasses online is becoming a big thing, which is super awesome! Way better than the usual one pair a year (or until they are so broken, they are impossible to be worn anymore) that costs hundreds of dollars. It's awesome to have different pairs of glasses for different outfits too.

 I've gotten and reviewed glasses from another similar website, Zenni, but everyone knows about Zenni now. I decided to try Wherelight because they are even cheaper than Zenni. I was a bit skeptical because when I looked up reviews, I couldn't really find anything except for one, hard to find, bad review so I gave it a shot and ordered 3 pairs of glasses.

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Here they are! All the prescriptions were perfect and they fit well and comfortably.  I love Zenni, but it's nice to know there's another cheap option for cute glasses.  They all came with cases, lens wiping cloths, and one mini screwdriver key chain

I have been wanting to try a pair of round glasses for a while now!  I'm not sure if they suit me very well though...they're also my first pair of wire glasses, and I kind of already broke them slightly by bending them too far X( They open too wide on one side now, but it's not noticeable, just annoying for me.  I also wish they were a tiny bit bigger (meaning the circle part).  They're still really cute though!

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Then some simple cat-eye glasses

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And then these ones! They looked more orange at the bottom online than in person, but I guess that was because they were up against a white background there

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Overall, I would definitely order from them again!

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