Kristle - Tales of My Everyday Life

In less than 12 hours it will be 2009. I will not have an official countdown this year since I'll be working tonight. Working my first New Year's Eve. I don't mind because I had my first Christmas off. I've celebrated NYE in different ways over the years: Vegas, clubbing in LA, partying with family, partying with friends. I've seen lots of family and friends 6 different times over the course of 2 weeks. I won't feel deprived out of this one holiday. I don't believe in new year's resolutions, but I do believe in having personal goals and aspirations. I think the new year is a great time to be reminded and more conscious of commitments to priorities and focusing on making personal lifelong changes for the better. New year's day doesn't compel me to think of what direction I want to take next, it's actually my birthday, which just passed yesterday. 2008 is coming to a close. I'm 26 now. I look back on the past year with so much gratitude for...

I had such a wonderful day. I had no expectations and no clue how I was truly going to spend it. Getting older never felt so good! It's so ironic, because now that turned 26, I had been kinda dreading the "reality check" for awhile. The truth is though, my birthday was perfect and more than enough in every way. I am so grateful that I am at a loss for words. Thank you to God and everyone who remind me why life is amazing and worthwhile.

Words cannot fully describe how smitten I am with this movie! I am in love with Edward Cullen's character and of course Robert Pattinson's looks. I haven't been this excited about a movie since I watched Lord of the Rings and laid my eyes on Legolas (aka. Orlando Bloom). I really didn't know what to expect with watching this movie, but it definitely reminded me that I am undeniably a romantic at heart. Now I have to read the books...aaah! I know it's all fiction, but you know what... a girl can dream! And that I definitely will be doing that, daydreaming that is.

Lakers won baby! Mom, my godson Ethan, and me - Christmas Day This has been a very special Christmas! I mean every year is special, but this time was different because I didn't have to work Christmas Eve or Christmas Day for ONCE. In addition to that, I got everything I wanted - quality time with family and friends and the Lakers won the LakersCeltics rematch! I mean I could list all the amazing things I've collected as gifts like a Samsung 32" HDTV LCD television (and tv stand),a Louis Vuitton handbag,a Coach purse, portable dvd player, an Anne Klein watch, and a web cam, BUT nothing compares to feeling of knowing that everything I received this year was given to me with so much LOVE. And the ironic part about everything I got, I never asked for anything or dropped hints. The best gift to me is to have quality time with my loved ones and knowing that my loved ones are there for me. I received everything I could have ever hoped for and more. Thank God for this very special...

I always wanted to celebrate my birthday in Vegas with loved ones and my long time birthday wish finally came true this year. Even though this weekend is 10 days before my real birthday, the timing couldn't have been any better. This is the weekend I got out of school and before all the holidays start. Friday night we drove to Vegas and arrived at 1AM, we checked into our room at Palazzo, and then met up with Cheryl and Cherise and went out to chill. We ended up going to Tao lounge and eating at the Grand Lux Cafe. During the day, the fam and I ate at this cafe off the strip in Arizona Charlie's hotel. We had the best steak and eggs meal for $3.99! Then we met up with the rest of our friends at Planet Hollywood Fat Tuesdays and also hung out at the sports bar. We took a break and then got ready to go out Saturday night. For Saturday night, everyone, all 21 of us (yes we roll deep), got in free to Blush lounge at the Wynn thanks to Cherise. We popped Champagne and danced the nig...

Well, almost. One more test to go, then I'm FREE. Still have lots of different things to do. But the school part is less of a stressor now. So I found out that I will most likely pass my class afterall! I talked to my instructor and even though I missed a test because I actually was a good consistent student, she let it slide. I'm so relieved now. Lately, I've just been thinking a lot about what I'm going to be doing after I graduate with my bachelor's in nursing. I've been seriously considering going back for my master's degree. But first I need a good break to relax and do other things I've been holding off on, like traveling, before I recommit myself to another 2 years of intense studying. I'm going to be in school forever from what it seems like. I still can't believe December is here already. That means all the holidays are around the corner, not to mention that I'm going to hitting my next birthday. I want to stop counting now haha. But...

Studying and more studying! My brain is fried from working on different assignments for hours. I have a lot of work I still need to do and it seems like the process of me catching up is never ending. I have a group presentation tomorrow. I'm still concerned about one of my classes, but I guess I'll find out where I stand soon enough. I was at least able to do a few errands and squeeze a workout in today also. I've already decided that my new year's resolution is time management and organization. I know a lot of things came up throughout the past months that made it challenging to manage my time and energy. I think I've just been in denial in how long it would take me to complete certain assignments and tasks. So now I'm beginning to relearn the art of planning and goal setting. I think in almost everything I do, the biggest challenge for me is to get started and to finish what I'm doing. I feel like I've been antisocial for the past 2 weeks, with the e...

Have you ever waited for your whole life to do something bittersweet for the people you love or fulfill a personal promise your made to yourself? Being a Laker fan for the majority of my life, I always promised myself that when I was successful someday I would take my parents to a Laker game. That someday was tonight! I took my dad with me last year when I went to my first Laker game and tonight I was able to take both my parents this time. I was so happy to see my mom having fun at the game. Nothing is more bittersweet than sharing some of my favorite past times with the most important people in my life. This is definitely a night I will never forget!

versus tonight at my first Laker home game for the regular season! Lakers must keep on top of their game. They are still 3 games short of matching Boston's standings right now! Ugh! It should be a good game tonight. I want my free tacos! Yes, after they earn over 100 points and keep the other team below 100 points. It will be done! This will be my 1st out of 5 Laker home games I will be attending this season (thus far). I'm taking my parents to the game. It will be my mom's first Laker game. I wonder how she will react to going to a game. She is so funny to watch when she actually gets into watching a game at home. Anyways, Staples Center, here I come!

I feel much better today. =)

My tipping point I need to vent and I'm not going to hold back. Today was just one of the days when different emotions were overwhelming me all at once. I reached my boiling point. I know I can't control others and I shouldn't have any expectations, but there are just some things that have been bothering me. My feelings caught me off guard and I wish I could ignore them. I would much rather focus on the positive and what I'm grateful for, but these underlying feelings are getting in my way. I could rule out so many other possibilities, excuses, and things to give anyone and everyone the benefit of the doubt. But the point is, I am acknowledging what is weighing me down so I can finally let it go and move on. So here goes. Just venting. You've been warned. It bothers me when people leave me hanging. I hate it when people lead me on or deceive me. I hate it when I do that to myself. I'm talking about when people cannot be straight up about what their intentions ar...

All I have time to really say right now is that I'm drowning in school work. I'm worried about passing one of my classes (stupid mistake I made, don't ask). I'm so over school right now. I can't stand online discussion boards anymore. I just need to get through another week of school (and the suspense of uncertainty killing me at the moment). I realized I've really let my other interests, obligations, and distractions take over way more than they should have. Time management, organization, and following through with my priorities have always been an ongoing issue for me. As much as I wanted to think I could manage it all before, reality has surely set in. I mean I'm even feeling regret on some of the choices I've made over the past few weeks, but at least I'm finally learning from it now. I've been thinking a lot about the changes I would like to make in my life. My feelings about how I want to accomplish things and what I want to focus on have c...

Giving Thanks I am thankful to be so blessed and loved. I am thankful for my good health and for the good healthy of those I love. I am thankful to be surrounded by so many loving family and friends who care a lot about me. I am thankful to have the resources to live comfortably and pursue my interests. I am thankful to have a career that is interesting and co-workers who go above and beyond to help me every day I work. I am so thankful words cannot fully describe and measure how deep my gratitude is. I worked my butt off the past two nights I worked. I was so exhausted by Thanksgiving dinner time. It took me two days of rest to recover. But getting to have my first Thanksgiving off in YEARS and spending it with my family made me feel so much better. =) Black Friday is here, which means Christmas is around the corner! Come to think of it, I'm so excited for December. Holidays, trips, shopping, time off school, and birthdays galore. The most wonderful time of the year is coming soo...

I escaped to Vegas this past weekend and it was lots of fun. Some of the fun in Vegas is getting hooked up, which we did both nights we went out and that was nice. This weekend was pretty chill compared to past Vegas trips I've taken. Now I have three weeks until winter break and two weeks of school left. I just gotta get through it and I'll be free to enjoy Vegas part deuce!

A happy Friday is any Friday I am off from work! I haven't worked in almost 2 weeks now and it feels good to have a break because I've been more focused on school. I chose my vacation days well because having a break from work has made my load doable. I had all these tests, papers, and group projects deadlines coming up at the same time. Now I have 2 more weeks to get through and crunch time is approaching. I'm looking forward to a easier load next semester, one class, nursing leadership lecture and clinical. I am really loving life right now though. No complaints. I think a lot of it is because I've been getting a lot of rest lately, except for days when I have papers due. I'm exercising again and it feels good to workout. Sometimes eating healthier, but still working on that. I got to hang out with friends and family several times this week. It's basketball season, so I'm enjoying watching the Lakers! I went to the Usher concert Wednesday night. I had so m...

Lately, I've been getting a lot of comments from various people about my party life. People saying things like, "I don't party like Kristle does. I can't hang like that." I mean I usually don't take it seriously because I'm sure some times its just a joke to tease me and I don't mind. I have a GREAT life and I'm sure people notice. But the other times, when it's just emphasized more than I'm used to I'm left to wonder if that's the main impression some people get of me (see below). So I was curious to compare what actual definitions of a party girl were out there. I googled "party girl" and dictionary.com refers to is as being "an attractive young woman hired to attend parties and entertain men." I have never been paid to go to parties. So technically I don't fit this definition. On the other hand, I have enjoyed the benefits of a party girl: entrance into clubs for free with no wait, VIP treatment, free ...

Here are two of the most important guys in my life. Something good actually came out of waiting for these fires to stop already. I got to spend quality time with my brother Daniel and my godson Ethan today at home. I'm really glad they came to keep me company so I wouldn't be home alone. I was starting to get nauseated from watching wildfire updates!

I think the recent California wildfires are a wake up call and a lesson to everyone to be prepared for the next disaster. Often times people get complacent and are in denial that a disaster like the recent fires could ever happen to them. However, as some stories I've heard demonstrate, not being prepared to deal with an emergency can be stressful, dangerous, and inefficient. If you had 10 minutes to grab your most prized possessions, what would you grab for and do you even know where they are? Ten minutes is all they give you once they announce mandatory evacuations as my friend Poonum told me. Do you have any supplies you may need to survive an emergency? Do you have a plan? Let this be a reminder to everyone to start thinking about disaster preparedness. In case anyone is interested in learning more about disaster preparedness, www.ready.gov is a good resource with lots of tips in personal preparedness. An example of an emergency preparedness kit

Fortunately I'm safe at the moment, but this is what I see on television right now. I've been getting calls and text messages all day and night from relatives and friends about the fire that started in Sylmar and Corona that eventually jumped into my community. I'm thankful to know that my friends and family are safe. We're all keeping tabs on each other. I could literally see the fire at a distance with my bare eyes at a distance driving through the neighborhood. Earlier today friends and family were stuck on the freeways taking hours to get home because several major freeways were closed. Then I was suppose to go to the Q-tip show at Sunset House of Blues, but since it was going to be too difficult to get around and the unpredictability of this fire convinced me and my cousins to stay home. It's kind of hard to believe how close this is, but it's happening. It just reminds me of what it was like to be the epicenter of the last earthquake in Southern California...

You think you know, but you have no idea...here are 10 more reasons to love nurses. And in my opinion, they're all TRUE.

I can't seem to find enough words to describe how great 2008 has been for me. On the other hand, I do have some pictures to show what it looked like! January NYC Chris Brown concert Ate Anne's birthday at DTF February Common show at HOB My 1st Laker game! My big bro Kenji came to town March A night of drinking and debauchery with CSUF nurses April Dinner at Venetian for Jen's birthday Lounging at the Palazzo Ate Naedine's wedding with Ate Lil and Ate Bib Me and Nik @ the Glow in the Dark concert: Kanye West, N.E.R.D. Lupe Fiasco, and Rihanna May BWW days BWW days with the ladies Laker nation! Western Conference Semi-Finals Lakers vs. Jazz Game 2 & Kobe got his MVP trophy!!! May 7, 2008 Staples Center Eugene-Nim-JR's birthdays @ barhopping in San Diego Gaslamp district June LA to the BAY part deuce: B412 Wine tasting tour at Castello di Amorosa Erykah Badu and the Roots concert Me and Cheryl @ the Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals!!! Game 3 June 10, 2008 Anjelah Joh...