Up and Down

Hello! ^_^ How are you doing today?

I made it my goal when I started to post on this blog again that I would write at least 1 post per day, no matter how small. Unfortunately, I've hit a small, temporary roadblock- I'm out of state right now!
>.< I just arrived in Utah yesterday, and will probably be unable to post a lot during my time here. Gratefully, I'll only be here until Wed., so I'll start up again right away after I return home! Please forgive my awful writing in this post, it's nearly 2:30 am and I am absolutely toast >.< So with this, I wish you all a good night. Good night!!!

<3

Flashbacks To A Time Well Spent

Today, I'd like to share some pictures from a trip most of my family (including extended relatives!) took to Canada a few months ago. 

Meet my cute little cousin Adam. He is the older brother of a set of twins! I didn't have a solo picture of his little brother, Aaron, but here he is pictured below next to another person we met on the Rocky Mountain bus tour:

Aaron pays high attention to his image, and was not satisfied with the way this picture came out. So, he had me retake the picture while he struck a cooler pose:

I am coooool~

Regardless, I thought he looked cute in the first one, so I uploaded both. Haha. Perks of being the older cousin. ;) On a side note, Aaron is actually taller than his older brother, but Adam is definitely more mature. I miss them both so much~!

This is another one of my cousins, Katherine (like you, Katie! ^_^) She's extremely cute and absolutely LOVES taking silly pictures. All of the other little cousins collectively hail her as the "Gandhi" of facial expressions. I love this little kid <3 

There were two other cousins who came on the trip as well, but I am sadly lacking pictures of them... I will be sure to share as soon as I get my hands on some. ^_^

While up in the mountains, we ran into a couple of wild goats. They were sooooo cute!!! >.<

A not-so-stellar picture of Lake Louise. My iPhone just couldn't capture the amazingly unique hue of the lakewater. Oh, well~... *hums "Lake Louise" happily*

And to finish up, some pictures of the beautiful scenery in Canada. Absolutely breathtaking.

Thanks for reading- I love you guys :) Have a good night, everyone~ <3

Tiny Miracles To Make You Smile!

The other day I stopped by my local Barns & Nobles to check out some books- and reminisce along the way. Of course, being the weak-hearted (and flimsy-willed) person I am, I just couldn't leave the store without buying SOMETHING...

Long story short, I was captured by the magnificent cuteness of these little, fruity page clips. And bought them. >.< Dear or dear, this frivolous me...

Aren't they cute? That little apple, though! <3

I was really happy with my purchase, but didn't have a chance to actually use them until a few hours ago, upon which I actually READ the script on the packaging (because, you know, I kind of forgot to before...) and realized... THE LITTLE CLIPS ARE SCENTED!!!!

Now, this might not seem like a big deal to most people, but when I discovered this fact, I was hit by a huge wave of nostalgia. I don't really know how to explain it. I was just really, really happy. I found it amazing (and slightly amusing) how a fact so small, and so seemingly insignificant, could lift my spirits to the roof and make me value these cute little page clips so much more. It was a tiny miracle. ^_^

The second tiny miracle I wanted to talk about was actually kind of a phenomenon. You see...

                                                   

...this little guy in the picture above has been with me for around 7 years now. I bought it for 4 dollars in a Chinese airport when I was 12 or so years old. That, in and of itself, is pretty normal. However, yesterday night, I returned to my room to discovered this...

                                    

...little guy lounging on my bed next to my other little fuzz ball! 

HOW...???

The second little roly-poly was a gift from a friend that I received randomly around a year ago. He usually stays on a little stool next to my bed, and I had absolutely no memory of moving him or even SEEING him during any recent times. So imagine my surprise when I opened my door and found him on top of my bed, all chummy with his unrelated but oddly similarly-built colleague!

What do you all make of this strange event? I have no idea... I just figure he was lonely and jumped up there on his own. Or so I would like to believe, because that would be really cool. Hahaha. Anyways, that is all for now! Have a great night, everyone! ^_^ <3

 Don't they kind of look good together?

Recovery and Revival! (And strawberry cream toast! Haha!)

So, this picture really has nothing to do with what I'm going to talk about in this post.

The picture really doesn't do it justice

But I just couldn't resist posting it! Doesn't it look so delicious? Scrumptious? Absolutely mouthwateringly undeniably euphoric? 

It was all of the above ;)

Sometimes, when you're feeling down and blue, eating something delicious can really perk you up. After all, they do say that what doesn't feed the body feeds the soul! We all deserve a treat once in a while! (Even though my singing teacher has me on a strict diet right now... ;_; The things we do for our dreams...)

There is a phrase in Korea that literally translates to, "It's a rice cake in a picture". It is used when describing something that looks so good, and that you want so badly, and is right in front of your face...that you can't have. 

Sigh...

Okay, moving on! Hahaha!!!

I've been in a fantastically good mood today. You see, yesterday, I was able to find some clearance in an issue involving a person who is very dear and precious to me. It was a difficult matter that has plagued us for many years, and will probably never disappear completely. However, through yesterday's explosive battle, we were able to work out a lot of misunderstandings. 

What this whole event really taught me was how important it is to ask before jumping to any kind of conclusion. None of us in this world (probably) are psychics, and we really have no idea what is going on in another person's mind. The only way to truly find out is to ask. Don't guess. Don't assume. Because while you sometimes may be right, the chances of you being wrong and hugely offending the person you are passing judgement on is just too large for reliance. In any relationship, communication is key. 

To conclude, I leave you with this question: Is criticism always good? Is it always necessary? If someone is already aware of their faults, is reminding them of their shortcomings really an act of love?

What do you think? I'm really curious to know. 

Have a great night! ^_^

A new year, a new feeling, and a new beginning!

Hello! It's been a long time since I've uploaded a post to this blog- several years, in fact. So many things have happened since then- I graduated from high school, suffered from a disease, and confirmed my dream. I sprained two wrists and an ankle, sang in a dozen concerts and have finally received an opportunity to further my career. So many things have changed, yet one thing remains the same- I'm still lonely. ^_^ I suppose it's a human thing. Or it might just be an April thing (that's my name, by the way). It's strange, because it feels as though I have a lot of friends and am constantly surrounded by people- yet the loneliness is sometimes suffocating. I guess it's a matter of opening my heart. >.< 

                                          

Yesterday night, I was re-reading some of my favorite books ("I Am Here!" by Ema Toyama) and was refreshingly reminded of how much stronger people can be when they have someone to lean on. It was those books, actually, that originally inspired me to start this blog . I wanted to be able to do something that might help someone in any way, however small. 

Admittedly, I became caught up in a whirlwind of experiences soon after that led me to cease from posting from quite a while. I'm very sorry. >.< I will do my best from now on!

To the person who may have stumbled randomly upon my blog and is reading this post at this very moment: It's so nice to meet you! I'm really happy to have connected with you in some way. I hope we can become good friends. It might be strange, talking with a random person on the internet, but I really believe that people can more easily turn sadness into strength when they aren't alone- even if the person they are leaning on can't actually do anything for them. 

I hope this can be a place that people can find a little bit of happiness- even if it is only 1 cm long. ^_^ 

Have a beautiful day! And smile! :) <3

Pictures by a friend. I'm trying to catch up to her photography skills. >.<

This one is mine! Not bad, eh? I've been working on my photography ^_^ Though my "camera" is actually just my phone... hahaha!

The best pancakes ever

I recently had a craving for pancakes, but I didn't want to eat something insanely unhealthy like most things you buy in restaurants now day... so I did some research and found this absolutely amazing recipe. The pancakes were the best I'd ever had. Here's the recipe!

Credits go to Dakota Kelly, who posted this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used around 1 1/4 cup for an eggier taste)
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar (As usual, replaced with Xylitol)
• 1 1/4 cups milk (If you don't have milk, as in my case, just replace it with water. Start with a cup of water and add more if needed, since water is thinner than milk. It will still taste incredible!)
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

I'm adding Coconut oil to this list- I used it to grease the pan. It's a healthier alternative and the taste goes well with the pancakes.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Hope you enjoy this recipe! Have fun!

A yummy treat

I'm a chocolate lover. ^_^ Really, who isn't? One of my favorite treats is chocolate cake, and this recipe is beyond amazing. Give it a shot!

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (Sea salt is heathier but also has a stronger taste, so I tend to add a bit less when I use it.)
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar (As a healthy alternative, I use 2 cups of Xylitol. Xylitol can be used as a healthy replacement to sugar in everything!)
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

*Note: Always follow the baking directions. If you just dump in all the ingredients, whatever it is you are making won't taste as good. The reason? The chemical reactions that would have taken place if you had followed the directions were cancelled out, which could do a number of things to your masterpiece. Chemistry + a good recipe= an amazing treat! Have fun!