october 2018 | a look back

[aesthetic]

highlights

• early absentee 2018 ballots came in the mail this month for the 2018 midterms! after careful research and consideration, it's been filled out and awaiting until it's time to drop them off.
• i got back into listening to podcasts again and discovered more great ones worth listening to.
• after 3 weeks of not being able to eat certain foods due to dental extraction and temporary crowns, i finally got permanent crowns and can eat whatever i want again. hello pizza, i've missed you.
• dedicated time and energy to join thelastweekend.org + people power in phone/text banking, postcard writing + mailing, and canvassing with fellow volunteers in my community for progressive candidates to get out the vote for the midterms.

lowlights

• a dear friend of mine got bad health news but i'm praying and supporting her to pull through.
• as if my bank account didn't take a hit enough after my dentist bills last month, my car took even more for maintenance and repairs. whoever said owning cars were fun, lied! 
• job rejections/non-follow ups
• flakey friends
• dealing with health insurance issues
• halloween was lackluster this year but at least i had a job interview
• my mental health was at a low this month

what i read

well-read black girl // glory edim

the minimalist home // joshua becker

a blade so black // l. l. mckinney

in the vanisher's palace // aliette de bodard

blanca & roja // anna-marie mclemore

odd one out // nic stone

a very large expanse of sea // tahera mafi

the boneless mercies // april genevieve tucholkk

what if it's us // becky albertalli x adam silvera

frugal living guide for the minimalism lifestyle // 

minimalist living // genevieve parker hill

frugal: the art of frugal simplicity // jessica jacobs

a little bit of mindfulness //

mind detox // 

betraying big brother // leta hong ficher

pinay: culture bearers of the filipino diaspora //

what i listened to

without me// halsey

taki taki // dj snake x ozuna x cardi b x selena gomez

bad guy // niykee heaton

1999 // charli xcx x troye sivan

focus // saweetie

sweet but psycho // ava max

(full playlist on my october playlist post)

{Raditorial} Museum of Ice Cream | San Francisco, CA

i celebrated my 26th birthday at the museum of ice cream in san francisco last week with my friends, and after showing my parents and siblings (little sis is an ice cream connoisseur) the photos we took, they wanted to check it out so we took a quick family trip to the museum. having visited the museum three times already, somehow every visit gets better and better. i've only been to the ones in LA and SF, and personally i like SF the best.

it was pretty cool to see all the ice cream-themed exhibits, although the lines and crowds were not. some of the exhibits were interactive and full of ice cream fun facts. some exhibits gave away free ice cream, pop rocks, cotton candy & lemonade for those with a sweet tooth out there. as you go through the exhibits, you'll find yourself jumping into the sprinkles pool, to candyland with a gummybear, to a crawl space that's made of all mirror, to a unicorn, to a ring toss game, to a 1950s diner with a jukebox, to a magnetic exhibit with refrigerator magnets to leave your mark, and more. there's also a set of swings perfect for the (insta)gram.

originally opened as a pop-up museum for a few months, by demand they extended it. twice. we're glad to hear that the museum of ice cream is here to stay permanently! so if you've planned on a visit to san francisco one day in the near future, make sure to put this down as one of your stops (if you're into ice cream and sweets). currently there are museum of ice creams in san francisco, LA, NYC and miami.

location: museum of ice cream

1 grant ave.

san francisco, ca 94108

website/tickets: https://www.museumoficecream.com/san-francisco

♥ have you been to any of the museum of ice creams?
what were your favorite exhibits and flavors? ♥

august 2018 | a look back

highlights

• my lola (grandma) came back from philippines. again. she'll be here for my birthday and for the rest of the year until she goes back march next year.
• my little brother started the 5th grade. his last year of elementary school :'-(
• saw valfre and charmaine olivia paint their murals at our local open wide walls mural festival. they're my favorite artists, so it'll be nice to have a piece of their work on the streets of downtown and pass by everyday.
• roomies + i participated in an aclu people power postcard writing party campaign with fellow local aclu volunteers to get out the vote to folks across the country.
• celebrated end of summer at third thursday event hosted in downtown sacramento, where there were crafts that people got to participate in, games, drinks, silent disco, + a free showing of lady bird.
• joined indivisible guide's textbank team (aka indivisitext) to text people in florida for andrew gillum for governor.
• attended local aclu people power's 'demand police accountability' lobby day for ab 931. thank you assemblymember skinner and cosigners for creating and pushing for this bill. it's good to know there are still some people who care about accountability and the community.

lowlights

• if you've been following me on twitter the past few months, you'll know that i've been having a bug problem particularly in my room. the usual culprits are spiders (and 2 cockroaches), but this time we found a centipede in there. how did a centipede get in the house? we have no idea.
• mendocino fire grew and outbeat last years napa wildfire at 459,000 acres. larger than the size of the city of los angeles.
• my skin broke out in weird patches out of nowhere, and then got puffy after putting aloe vera gel. i looked like a zombie with red circles around my eyes but luckily everything went back to normal a few days later.
• ab 931 was shelved for another year, unfortunately. but we're not giving up on passing this bill to hold california police accountable for abusing their power.

what i read

the descent of monsters by j.y. yang

unapologetic: a black, queer, and feminist mandate for radical movements by charlene carruthers

legacy by whiti hereaka

rising out of hatred: the awakening of a former white nationalist by eli saslow

nejma by nayyirah waheed

mindful moments: everyday mindfulness for real people by haven e. carter

so done by paula chase

give a sh*t: do good. live better. save the planet. by ashlee piper

new poems of native nations, edited by heid e. erdrich + more

noughts & crosses by malorie blackman

girls resist!: a guide to activism, leadership, and starting a revolution by kaelyn rich

the joy of less, a minimalist living guide: how to declutter, organize, and simplify your life by francine jay

rad women worldwide: artists and athletes, pirates and punks, and other revolutionaries who shaped history, edited by kate schatz and miriam klein stahl

what i listened to

lucid dreaming (cover) // first to eleven

the 1 // blackbear

summertime magic // childish gambino

real friends (remix) // camila cabello x swae lee

tootimetootimetootime // the 1975

all the time // kim petras

lomesome love // mitski

devil's in the backseat // lostboycrow

beautiful // bazzi x camila cabello

summer on you // prettymuch

[full summer playlist coming in my next post]

adventures

none. i'll be going to the museum of ice cream sf and seattle next month, so stay tuned.

looking forward to in september

• my birthday on the 1st! (but not so excited at the prospect of turning 26)
• museum of ice cream
• capitol airshow
• vacation in seattle

summer 2018 playlist

f.f.f. // bebe rexha x g-eazy
give yourself a try // the 1975
playwitme // kyle x kehlani
i do // cardi b x sza
myself // bazzi
girls like you // maroon 5 x  cardi b
middle finger // phoebe ryan x quinn xcii
i got time // bebe rexha
enemies // lauv
all the talk // mike stud
tension // cappa
5 in the morning // charli xcx
gratitude // livvia
so sad so sexy // lykke li
hunger // florence + the machine
first love / late spring // mitski
beautiful // bazzi
spin the globe // lostboycrow
better alone // lykke li

♥ the 1975 and lykke li are back!!

what were you listening to this month? ♥

july 2018 | a look back

highlights

• family road trip to venice beach to celebrate my little sister's birthday. i can't believe she's 4 already!!
• friend from alaska surprised me with a last minute quick visit. unfortunately i didn't get to spend much time with her or take her on adventures like we talked about, but it was still good to see her and hug her.
• attended the indivisible guide's #savescotus visit to senator kamala harris' office alongside fellow indivisible volunteers/activists.
• phone banked for ami bera (ca-07) with the local swing left team.
• text banked for aclu people power to commit voters to 'be an aclu voter and vote like their rights depend on it' campaign. more info on the campaign: aclu.org/avpp
• i got to hangout with a friend and her baby after a few months of her recovering from surgeries. glad she's doing okay and it's unbelievable how fast my little nephew is growing.
• phone banked with indivisible volunteers for the #100daysout, which is an initiative to volunteer for the 100 days countdown to the midterms

lowlights

• senate is back on their b.s. again. can't wait to vote those suckers out.
• dad and brother got into a car accident, luckily it was small and everyone involved is okay. can't say the same for my parents car insurance rates though.
• it's finally been confirmed that russia did in fact meddle in the u.s. 2016 elections, but of course our government doesn't give a damn nor are they going to do anything about it. no surprise.
• the carr fire in redding, ca -- 2.5 hours away from us -- has grown exponentially. we're getting a grey haze and smoke smell all the way out here. that's how bad it is. a good chunk of the city had to be evacuated. roomies and i opened our couch in the living and lounge rooms to a couple of evacuees over a weekend. wish we could do more.

what i read

girls resist!: a guide to activism, leadership, and starting a revolution by kaelyn rich

trail of lightning by rebecca roanhorse

second wave summer by jay e. tria

mindful moments: everyday mindfulness for real people by haven e. carter

sweet sixteen by brenda rothert

the mere wife by maria dahvana headley

fire & heist by sarah beth durst

gotita de dragon and other stories by nick joaquin

a quick & easy guide to they/them pronouns by archie bongiovanni & tristan jimerson

among the glimmering flowers by lynn e. o'connacht

the death of truth: notes on falsehood in the age of trump by michiko kakutani

rad girls can: stories of bold, brave, and brilliant young women by kate schatz

mindfulness for compassionate living: mindful ways to less stress and more kindness by patrizia collard

a girl called murder by kennedy cannon

white kids: growing up with privilege in a racially divided america by margaret a. hagerman

what i listened to

eastside // benny blanco x halsey x khalid

in my feelings (cover) // lights

lucid dreams // juice world

love it if we made it // the 1975

ex // kiana lede

broke // will jay

[more to come in my full summer playlist]

adventures

venice beach, ca

inspiration/motivation this month

firefighters and first responders battling the wildfire flames. thank you for your service and rest in peace to those who lost their lives due to the fires.

"go back to europe" viral video

looking forward to in august

• little siblings starting school
• my fall semester classes