Going Under the Knife, yea or nay?

Is it wrong for a person to want to improve their appearance?

Isn't that why people get braces, change how they dress, shave/pluck/color/cut their hair, go on diets, get tattoos, wear make-up and even contour their faces with make-up, put on fake eye lashes and now even use medication to help make them grow? So, I guess the questions isn't, "is it wrong for a person to want to improve their appearance?" it's, "where do we draw the boundary in the natural-improved look and the "plastic" look?"

This is just my take on this controversial topic:

Just like the majority of people, I don't see a problem with getting braces to straighten your [naturally] crooked teeth, using make-up to hide blemishes or to highlight certain areas of your face, or doing anything of that level. And, maybe a less popular opinion, I also don't see a problem with breast reductions, eye lash implants or getting a nose job. However, there is a difference between when someone wears make-up to do a little touch-up and when someone cakes it on. Parallel to that, I feel like doing a reasonable amount of correction to your nose or breasts is reasonable. It's when someone gets an obvious amount of work done under the knife that makes me start to question if they are "fake" or not.

Some may say that, braces are just correcting what you already have and it's not like you have to go into surgery. This isn't necessarily true, some people don't fix their teeth just using braces, some people had teeth that jutted out at an unwanted location, or their teeth looked a little too small or large for their liking. Well, those people had to do more than just wear braces. So, what's wrong with people wanting to adjust their nose a little bit, and what's wrong with reducing your breast size? Everyone is entitled to do what they want in order to make themselves feel more positive about their appearance. Having self esteem and feeling proud of yourself...you cannot put a price on it.

People who change their breasts, nose, get botox, etc. to an extreme amount where it becomes unnecessary and can be ask categorized as "plastic surgery gone wrong" may have gone a little overboard and can be seen as "plastic". But hey, if they can honestly say this is what they needed to feel good, and that it's not an addiction or a psychological problem of depression or something where they continually need go under the knife, then I support them.

This isn't to say that young children who hate something about their own body should consider extreme measures. There should be lots of thought and discussion that goes into one's decision process before doing anything permanent to your body.

Story #8: Dance Like Nobody's Watching

“Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like its heaven on earth.”
Author: Mark Twain
~ Thanks to DictionaryQuotes

These past couple of weeks have been amazing. Sometimes, other people just have the gift of expressing your thoughts in more elegant words; so, by the words of le Gallienne, Richard, "we should have our trials, our ups and downs, I know; but surely it is by those that true love learns how to grow" (TheFreeDictionary). Within the joy of giving, the expression of gratitude, and the act of kindness, there is so much to love about life. Just think back to Christmas day, the air feels light, there's so much happiness and laughter, and the warmth of good childhood memories and friends and/or family by your side makes you wish that every day could be like Christmas morning. Here the presents are just an added bonus; the cherry on top of the most scrumdiddlyumptious sundae.

In some ways, that is how these past few weeks have been for me. Within the act of giving and all that jazz, there was so much happiness and positive energy that made all negative and annoying nuances in the day seem so minute.

What I have found, is that being able to find an outlet really helps prolong the good and to make the bad go away. As I mentioned it last post, I am starting to dance again. And this my friends...is my outlet. It's a challenge disguised in happiness and laughter. Being able to spend time with my parents, being able to  meet new people, and most importantly, being able to move my body in a way that makes me feel confident and sexy is exhilarating. I love it! By all means, I'm not that good, but that's why I'm going to dance like nobody's watching.

My plan is to take classes Wednesdays for body movement and ladies styling, and Thursdays for just salsa dancing AND to go out later at night on [some] Thursdays to social events for salsa. :)

Story #7: Age ...

...is a matter of feeling, not of years.
Author: George William Curtis
~ Thanks to WorldofQuotes

So, today's my 23rd birthday!!!...but I still look like I'm in HS (apparently hah). Gotta love the Asian genes. Hopefully, I will always look younger than I my age...if I do, than all of this underage and being carded twice in one place non-sense will all be worth it. :)

I must say, this year was the first year in a long time where I was really excited for my birthday. For some reason I've been so giddy. I would say that I have no idea why, but I'm pretty sure it's has something do with all of the wonderful surprises I've been getting for the past couple of days. Hey...I'm a girl, I'm supposed to love presents and attention!! But for reals, thank you to my parents and everyone else for the amazing gifts and surprises. I feel so spoiled because I got so many things. ♥ ♥ ♥

Back to business...

Since my background in acting is pretty limited, I am trying to think outside of the box on how else I can make myself stand out and be more of an asset. I guess a plus on my side is that I'm pretty athletic (thanks to my dad) so sports are a go. What I wish I could do better was dance and sing, I love to dance and sing, and it's not like I can't keep a beat or am tone deaf, but I'm just not great at it. So, I've decided to get into dancing again. One of my best friends from college got me into Latin dancing (primarily salsa and bachata), so I'm going to pick it back up. At least once a week I will be going to a salsa class or social outing! I already went to my first HotSalsaHot class last Thursday. It felt so good to be back on the dance floor.

Make-up!!:
Today I had an appointment to get my make-up done at Blue Mercury, but this time for a Bobbi Brown event!! I did not get the chance to take pictures at the event, BUT I did buy stuff, and I did take pictures of it.

I bought (Order of first picture: back row, left to right and then Front row, left to right):
- Conditioner for my brush...to clean it
- Skin Foundation
- Brightening Spot Treatment Corrector (white box/tube)
- Illuminating Bronzing Powder
- Smoldering Eye Palette
- Rich Color Gloss
- Tinted Eye Brightener
- Gel Eyeliner

Samples I got:
- Lathering Tube Soap
- Hydrating Face Tonic
- Hydrating Face Cream
- Eye Repair Cream

These are the most of what she used on me today and I can't wait to use them again!! So many new things I have never used before and so many new techniques to try and perfect. Wish me luck!


Things to look forward to in upcoming Story#: More posing pics, updates on modeling/acting/future jobs

Story #6: Finding Your Feet

To become more comfortable in whatever you are doing.
~ Thanks to Idiom Site

For me, having high aspirations and dreaming big was always the easy part. I have always wanted to do so much and to be so many different things; but, there was always something that held me back. There was always that black box that weighed so heavily on me, that it prevented me from taking the next step to pursue my goals and dreams. This isn't something that I had no clue about before, but it was something that I wouldn't fully admit, or... admit enough to myself so that I could have the courage to do something about it. Well, this past Tuesday, I finally confronted that black box.

I went to a ProScout event, where getting a callback meant you were invited to the invitational ProScout event. At this event you will have the chance to meet 30-40 major modeling and acting agencies. Being in that room filled with kids sitting by their parents, it was right then and there where I was able to confront this black box. And this black box was fear; the fear of failing and the fear of rejection. In any situation like this, all that would run through my head would be, "there's no way I can make it", "look at all the other kids, I can never be one of the best", "what makes someone want to pick me over that gorgeous kid over there?" And because of these constant doubts, I was never confident enough to try a lot of things. It was easier to avoid those situations than to confront my fear. And when I was forced to do something where I didn't want to fail, I would put forth minimum effort. Why? This may sound stupid, but to me it was easier to accept failure in something that I didn't try hard in than to fail at something where tried my best. If I failed without trying hard, then I could keep my pride and have a full proof excuse as to why I failed.

I took a deep breath and went for it. I thought to myself, it didn't matter if I didn't get a call back, it didn't matter if they didn't like me; all that mattered was that I was putting myself out there and that I was finally taking the first step to pursuing a dream. Well, lo and behold (not that it ended up being really a difficult process to get an invitation) I was invited to the ProScout invitational event in February. Although February is really when things will be tough, I hope that the confidence I gained from this experience can help me continue this momentum to really put forth my best effort. I am finally starting to find my feet.