A New Semester, A New Me

Helloooooo, everyone! 

Well, I officially finished the first week of second semester, sophomore year! :D It wasn't too bad. Of course, it's only the first week, so for the first couple of days the professors just went over the syllabi and the introductions of the class. I did have a bit of homework, but overall not too shabby.

LOL, for all those KPOP lovers who read my last post, I have gotten over the HUGE amount of fan-girling I did over EXO. They're still my favorite KPOP group, of course! (^^) I actually just finished watching episode 8 of EXO Showtime. But I'm DEFINITELY NOT going to be an EXO-STAN...I don't want to be a "stalker-fan". I'd rather just love from a distance. <3

Anyways, I'm just gonna share with y'all how I'm planning on bettering myself this semester.

Organize.

Yep. After getting all of my syllabi, I took some time, a calendar, and some colorful pens and filled out all the dates when important stuff like tests and papers was due. I actually even gave myself a 1-2 week warning to start thinking about certain things before they were due. I even jumped ahead and picked out a couple of books from the library that I needed for some book reviews that will soon be coming up. 

I am really excited about keeping up on all my assignments this semester, and I'm hoping this system works out for me.

Hittin' tha GYM.

I am ready to get back on track with working out. I did so well with my workout schedule last summer, and I totally slacked off last semester. It's so pathetic that I've pushed myself back on weights, and my abs are sore as crap right now from working them yesterday. 

I'm really happy that I'm able to workout with at least one of my friends at some point during the week (well, so far). It really motivates me to have someone with me. 

I plan on working out every day except for Fridays and Sundays since my body needs to rest at some point. Hopefully I won't get too busy during the semester that I'll have to stop going to the gym to study more.

My Attitude

I realized how crappy my attitude was last semester. And really, a lot of it was my fault. I misunderstood people's actions and motives, and honestly, I felt like I deserved to be an angry little rain cloud for once. I took on bitterness, and it became my constant attitude. And it sucked. Not just for me, but for the people surrounding me. And I am still regretting that I wasted so much time in that state of mind, and that I treated people the way I did for all those months. 

It wasn't right. And I am deeply sorry for all the hurt I caused.

So, this semester, I'm going to really ask the Lord to give me patience and to prohibit me from going down that road of bitterness again. So far, my attitude has been great. I can feel my normal positiveness returning to me, and I genuinely have more joy. And that makes me even more joyful to think that God's been merciful to me to give me this joy again, despite my poor attitude last semester. So humbled and so grateful.

And Some Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. So, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how God is going to work in me and my friends and even through our campus. I'm eager to see what kind of growth will happen spiritually and socially. 
2. SPRING BREAK!!!! I'm definitely looking forward to that! :D
3. And I don't know about any of y'all, but a new year also means NEW MUSIC from ALL TYPES OF ARTISTS AND BANDS! :D I've heard that Pierce the Veil is working on some new material (and still trying to build a studio from the ground up in San Diego! That's pretty awesome.) 

Branching off of that: my beloved, fellow KPOP lovers! Aren't we ALL excited for the AMAZING COMEBACKS this year? I mean, B.A.P, BIGBANG, 2NE1, EXO, B1A4, and the list goes on! \(^^)/

And already, I've gotten into this group called Royal Pirates. They just released their first mini album 2 days ago called Drawing the Line and I LOVE IT. :D I actually found out about them through f(x)'s Amber's Instagram video she posted about watching their MV and literally drawing a line on a dry-erase board LOL. Y'all should definitely check them out!

So, yes. Here we are. Spring semester! And I've already gone to a dance party. Just got back, actually. And if you read my tweets on the side of my blog (they're on the right side! Stop by my Twitter and follow me! I'll follow back! :) ), then you would have seen that I enjoyed myself quite a bit. 

I mean, coming out of a dance party with a knee that's barely functioning, a throat that's sore and hoarse from the cold air, and your ears slightly damaged due to the loud music is a SURE SIGN that it was definitely a dance party to be at LOL.

Well, I hope you all are doing well! Do you have anything you're going to change this year, this semester? Are there any ways I can be praying for you as you try to make these changes? Shoot me an email! (Look to the right and you'll see the "Contact Me!" ..."slot", I guess? I don't know what you'd call it haha) Your email doesn't have to be super detailed with your last name and everything that's going on in your life. Just a simple, "Hey, I need prayer because I want to try to change in..." whatever.

Whether you email me or not, though, I am praying for you all! Don't let school or work get you down! You can do it through Christ's strength! Rely on Him and He will help you conquer!!! :)

Have an AMAZING weekend, y'all! I'm gonna go take a shower and see what I can do about this sore throat and the pain in my knee! No working out for me tomorrow, that's for sure!

#luvya!
*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3

*KPOP: My Favorite Group!

*****WARNING!******

Although the word KPOP may be enough of a warning for those who do not like KPOP, some KPOP fans and other curious readers may not be prepared to see numerous photos and read explanations of the KPOP group discussed. Proceed at your own risk. You have been warned.  *BTW, this post DOES NOT contain explicit content. (since when do my posts ever do?)

Hey guys!

So, for some of you, you got SO EXCITED because *gasp* there's a new post! But then you looked at it and saw the first word and sighed in frustration...

"KPOP? Really? She hadn't posted about it in so long, I thought she'd just stopped listening to it."

NOPE. I STILL LISTEN TO IT. AND HERE I AM TALKING ABOUT IT ONCE AGAIN. 

But some of you are KPOP lovers and can indulge in this post. Obviously, you may not have the same opinions as me, but that's okay. Because I'm sure that we may fangirl over the same "oppas," groups, videos, etc. WE ARE A FANDOM. To quote High School Musical, "WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER."

So, I'm going to talk about my favorite KPOP group. Because I've finally declared a favorite group of my own. See, I started with 2PM as my favorite and then U-KISS, but my sister really loves U-KISS a LOT, so we were kind of in this stage of "my sister likes the same thing I do, and I don't like it, but I liked it first therefore I will not budge and continue liking it even though I don't like the fact that she likes it too." (Haha, did you get all that?) Those of you with sisters who are pretty close to you in age and like the same things you like understand this concept.

I'm doing this for a couple of reasons: 

1. Because I want to.
2. Lately I've been fangirling a lot over them, and maybe talking about them and posting pictures of them here will get everything out in the open and decrease my fangirling. Here's hoping it does! *FIGHTING!* (LOL)

So my favorite group is: EXO! Yes, I've become an EXOtic! :D

It all really started during the summer of 2013. I'd heard that this group called "EXO" had released an MV called "Wolf" and I decided to check it out. At first, I was a little thrown off by the song, but then as I continued to listen to it, I began to love it. That's when they released their first full album "XOXO".

And then maybe a month later, they released an MV for "Growl" and a repackaged version of "XOXO". I think Bria was the one to tell me to check out "Growl" and so I did. And loved it the moment I saw it. And then after that, I pretty much took a break from EXO and KPOP in general really. School started back up again, and I was exploring the punk-rock genre which includes bands like Sleeping with Sirens, Pierce the Veil, and Mayday Parade. Really, the only way I was updated on the latest KPOP news was because of all the tweets I would get from http://www.allkpop.com/ (they're really awesome about being up-to-date! Any KPOP lover should follow them on Twitter! :D)

But then Christmas break came around. And my knowledge of EXO grew. Bria and I briefly talked about them when we were watching their MVs (Bria's bias is D.O. [his voice is freaking amazing] and my bias is Kai :D)...

D.O. is on the left and Kai is on the right. (I think the girl in the middle is from Girls Generation, but I'm not sure...)

...and I really liked their song "History". I also knew that EXO has 12 members in all, but they also separate into 2 different groups with 6 members each: EXO-K (for Korean) and EXO-M (for Mandarin or Chinese).

EXO-K consists of maknae Sehun, lead singer D.O., Baekyun (not pronounced "Bacon"), lead dancer Kai, leader Suho, and rapper Chanyeol

EXO-M consists of leader Kris, lead dancer Lay, Luhan, Xiumin, lead singer Chen, and maknae Tao

After seeing what allkpop was saying about them on Twitter, I found that their popularity was escalating fast. And they had a new show called "EXO Showtime."

Well, I'll tell you a little tip about KPOP: the moment you watch a TV show on any group, you're fangirling of the group will automatically begin to increase. And that's exactly what happened to me. I watched the Christmas episode of "EXO Showtime", and began liking EXO more and more. I watched the latest episode yesterday and told my sister: "It is official: EXO is my favorite group."

My sister even painted my nails an EXO theme! 

Kinda over-the-top, huh? Yeah, it is, and I know it. The fact that I'm even posting this blog about them is over-the-top. This may decrease my fangirling by one point, but it could also increase it by maybe five points. (^^')

Bria said that I'm on this "downward fangirl spiral", and to be honest, she was right (even though I didn't want to admit it at the time). And so, right now I'm trying my best to refrain from watching anymore "EXO Showtime" until I can get this fangirling under control. I'm even trying to avoid all the EXO tweets on my Twitter feed. 

LOL, but then I found out today that I'm going to get EXO's repackaged "XOXO" album as a late birthday/Christmas and I AM SO STOKED YOU WON'T EVEN BELIEVE IT. (^^)

Hopefully by tomorrow all this fangirling will die down so I can watch "EXO Showtime" in a calm, civilized manner. It was getting out of control (especially when I was reading EXO Facts to my sister last night. In her words, "it was like she was reading me a bedtime story or something." SMH just a little out of hand...)

I totally get it. Liking a band or a KPOP group or a singer is fine, but I must learn to not let it get out of hand. I'm definitely not making EXO an idol because I know that liking them can't fulfill any needs that I have or help me accomplish anything. I think a big reason I'm fangirling so hard now is because once this next semester starts, I won't have time to fangirl. Better now than during the school year.

So, yeah! I hope those of you who aren't into KPOP heeded my warning at the beginning of the blog. And I hope those of you who love KPOP like me enjoyed reading about my favorite group! :D 

*Those who love KPOP: Saranghae! Who is you favorite group? Do you have more than one? And who is your bias? Do you have more than one of those? I seriously wanna know! If you go back to the top of the blog and look to the right, there's a section that says "Contact Me". Email me about your favorite KPOP anything! I'd love to hear from you! Also within your email, let me know if there are any groups you want to suggest to me! I'm up for listening to different groups! If you have any KPOP groups you want me to write about, I'd love to do that too! :) 

*Those who aren't really fans of KPOP, but read this anyway: Thank you for your patience as you read through my fangirl-ed post. I know that it might've been a burden to some of you, but I really appreciate it! <3

Tomorrow's MONDAY, which means some of you will be going back to school. :P But you can do it!!! Be encouraged that it's the start of a new semester, and if you didn't do so well last semester, strive to do better this time around and finish strong!! I believe that y'all can do it!!! :) 

I hope you all have a great week!!! <3 <3 <3

luv ya!
*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3

The New Year

Happy New Year, my dear readers! :)

Last night, and even now, many people are willing to throw away the past that was 2013 and look ahead to 2014. I've heard so many people say how excited they are that 2013 is going to be over. From most of the comments I've heard, it sounds like 2013 was a hard year. I will admit, there are times in 2013 that I am not proud of, and I'm excited that I get to leave them behind as 2014 starts.

But even though there were rough moments in 2013, I can still look back and see all the good times I've had such as...

1. Spring Break: I got to take a 16-hour (I think??) road trip with a few of my closest friends. Sure, we hit some rough patches even then, but we learned so much, about life, about each other, about the world. It was a great experience, one that left me a little less richer than I was coming into my first college year, but one that I wouldn't trade for anything.
2. Finishing my first year of college: I finished one full year of college! Went through the educational, social, and spiritual ups and downs of a freshman in college and truly did well! 
3. Blogged for the year: yes, I posted more during some months than I did others (in fact, I think March contained most of my blog posts!), but I still blogged at least once a month! That's huge, knowing my busy schedule! I also just looked at how many views I've had in all, and the total is 2700! Y'all are so awesome and I'm so grateful for those of you who continue to come back to read my blog! And I'm excited to share a change that's going to occur! Just sit tight...
4. A Truly Refreshing Summer: I will admit, some hard things came upon me during the summer time, but all-in-all, it was still refreshing. I was able to do so many things this summer that I didn't think I'd ever get to do. I was able to celebrate birthdays by watching movies, making cookies, and hanging out. It was so much fun, and I look forward to this next summer!
5. Another semester down...: I finished another semester of college! Another trying time in my life, but hey, God got me through it! And now here I am, resting away for the next couple of weeks! So grateful!

It really helps me to remember the great times in 2013. So many times around New Year's people think about the rough times they've had. They can't see past those things to see how truly blessed they are that they've lived another year. 

Trust me, I understand what it means to feel B-R-O-K-E-N, to feel like you're not making any progress, even though life is passing you by. We're all broken and fragile. Sometimes the slightest change in life can impact us so greatly. But thankfully for us Christians, we have the Holy Spirit within us to strengthen us despite the fragility, and to give us the hope of not being completely broken.

Welcome, 2014! With a new year coming upon all of us, I've thought about and realized some things...

Change.

I feel like my calling is becoming a little more clearer to me as I continue living my life. And right now the way I see things, I don't see music becoming a HUGE thing in my future. I definitely still love music and I love playing my acoustic (well, when I get the chance!), but I know that music is not my passion. I know people who have a passion for music, like my friend Caylin and my sister Kae'sha. They are so driven and determined to make music their careers and to make things happen. They continuously write songs, practice their instruments and vocals, and think about their future in music.

Me? Well, if I were to say anything about my talent in music, I dabble in it. But that's okay. That doesn't mean I'm going to sell my acoustic or tell someone "no, I don't want to sing harmony for you". I'm definitely going to keep practicing playing my guitar to get better at it. And I will still have a love for music. But I've seen what a true passion for it looks like. And if later on in life I develop a passion for music because God has it in His plan for my future, then sweet. I will go where He wants me to go. But I'm okay if it isn't where I need to be. Wherever God needs me, I want to be there, because it's what He wants.

Now writing? Gosh, writing is a big thing I love. I sometimes feel like it's the only thing I have. Writing has truly become an outlet for me and I've really grown to love it more and more. And now, when I do think about the future, I can see myself being a full-time blogger or writing for a magazine or (this is a long shot here) touring with a band or musician and writing their blog for them. I can also see myself writing fiction novels and other books and speaking at conferences for teen girls and maybe even listening to their stories and helping them through their problems. I have so many ideas I want to try, but lemme be real here...

I AM SCARED. 

I'm scared for what the future holds. And I know that God is in control, but when I really think about what I'm going to do when I get out of college... well, all I can do is pray and ask God to help me trust Him and to open my eyes for the doors He's opening. 

I'm telling y'all all of this because I'm changing my blog name. Because I feel like a "lifesong" type title is more for one who is passionate about music. And really, I just want a change. A new year, a new blog. Well, sorta haha.

The main thing I know now is this: things are constantly changing. I've expressed this and I'm constantly changing. Circumstances surrounding me impact me in such big ways. I'm not really changing the blog posts as much as I'm changing the blog title, so if you've been liking the content (aka, my life and lessons) of this blog so far, never fear! 

And because of who I am and life in general constantly changing, I've decided to change my blog title to Redefined. I've told you what I really want to do with my future. But who knows? In a couple of months it may be something different. Maybe it still has to do with writing, but it's something other than magazine publishing or maybe God will call me back to music again. 

And not only am I "redefined" in this way, but my whole life has been redefined because of Christ's sacrifice for me and because He's called me as a child of His. So, not only am I redefined, but all Christians are redefined. We are no longer defined by this world, but we are changed and renewed.  Our lives now have a different purpose than what they used to before we accepted Christ as our Savior. 

So again, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Have any resolutions? I know I do! I'm going to truly appreciate what I have here and now. I'm also going to learn adapt to the change that's happening in my life. Because it's okay if things change.

I'm also going to do what my Pa told me to: I'm going to make a list of things that I want to do while I'm young and single (so, not just for the year 2014!). For instance, living in a different country for a year (most likely South Korea). I encourage you to make a list as well! It doesn't have to be for the rest of your life, it could be for 2014 only if you like!

I hope you're enjoying the first day of a brand new year! I know I'm excited for what God has in store for me, my family, and my friends! And I can't wait to share with y'all the lessons I'll learn this year and the great events to come! 

May God bless you all this new year! I love you all! 

luv ya!

*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3