Christmas Wonderland: A Trip to Shanghai

 

Last week, my mom and grandmother came to visit me here in Hangzhou. It was like a great, short getaway for me. My boyfriend and I decided to take them to Shanghai since they have never been there. We passed by a street called Xintiandi (新天地）, and surprisingly, it was filled with beautiful lighting and Christmas decorations. I didn't expect they would go all out like that because most people here in China don't celebrate Christmas. Chinese people are usually Communists, that's why they don't really talk or celebrate anything that has something to do with religions. Basically, religion is a very sensitive topic here. However, I don't want to create any controversy out there, I fully respect other people's decision, I know that not all of us love Christmas and want to celebrate it. With that being said, we all have our own point of views on how this holiday season should be like, I just want to have a peaceful and cheerful one for all of us. Let's be as tolerant as possible to face this type of thing.

Seeing these beautiful Christmas decorations made me wanna go to Europe or US to celebrate Christmas because I believe the decorations would be merrier. From where I live, I barely see a Christmas tree as if Christmas is just any other regular day, and it kinda saddens me because Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year.

That's why when I went to Shanghai and saw all of this, I was so excited and happy !

We were stunned with the humungous, beautiful Christmas trees they have set up for this holiday. It was very magical, I should say.

These are a couple of foods that we ate during our short vacation, and I can assure you that these foods are delicious :D

What are you guys doing for this winter holiday ?

LOVE,

Things I Love

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1. Watching my favorite TV show while drinking hot cocoa in a gloomy weather

2. Wearing a very comfortable and cute oversize sweater for the fall

3. Getting ready (dressing up, putting on makeup) for a special occasion

4. Reading my favorite novel with no disturbance

5. Cuddle with the love of my life in the winter time

6. Having a girls day in or out with your best friends after a really long time

7. Trying out new and unique restaurants 

8. Getting presents

9. Getting my nails done at a salon with my girlfriends

10. CHRISTMAS ! 

12. Waking up and knowing that you still have a lot of time to sleep

13. Get an A on every test I take because I study

14. Tumblr

15. Having a family gathering and meeting all of my funny cousins

LOVE,

The Christmas Tag

Who is excited for Christmas??

Well..

I am

I have no idea why, but I just love the feelings and the decorations and the new scents of candles and the new flavors of Starbucks beverages LOL. Basically, Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. Words can't even describe how delighted I am about Christmas..

OKAY

Let's just get on to the Tag :)

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1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

Hands down Home Alone series and The Polar Express. 

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Christmas Eve :D because I am wayy to excited to wait.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

Yess of course. My friends and I were planning to exchange gifts on the Christmas Eve. I just love Christmas shopping and the feeling of gettin  alot of cards, gifts, and lots of candy canes. We went to church together and then went to other places after that :P

4. favourite festive food?

I love everything honestly. Fondue, chocolate covered strawberries, Christmas cakes, cupcakes, mashed potatoes etc etc

5. Favourite Christmas gift ?

At the moment, I was really happy when my friend gave me bunch of make ups that I have been wanting.

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

Christmas cookies 

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
Not really. My family and I usually go to church on the Christmas Eve and then go to a fancy dinner.

8. What tops your tree?
I don't have a Christmas tree now because I am currently living at the dorm. However, my family usually put a star or a bow.

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

I think it was the newest phone at that moment haha :p I always wanted the newest gadgets

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?
The decorations and the dinner! I just love how everytime I go somewhere, there will always be Christmas decorations. I think they are beautiful :)

Feel free to tag yourself in the comments if you want to use this on your blog so I can check them out!

P.S : I was inspired to do this tag after I read The Little London's blog post !

LOVE,

The Lifestyle Blogger Tag

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When did you start blogging and what made you start?

I started blogging I think in 2013. It was a friend of mine who introduced me to Blogger, and it's not until this year that I knew blogging is such a big community.

How did you come up with your blog’s name?

I don't know lol I was just trying to be creative and made up something unique. Then colorsinmybubble came up out of nowhere. It's kind of cheesy now that I think about it.

Who is your favorite lifestyle blogger?

Hm.. Zoella, A Little Opulent, Sailboat, and a lot more haha I can't really choose. They are all such great, inspiring bloggers.

Where do you get your inspirations for posts from?

Youtube, Pinterest, and sometimes I just ask my friends about some blogpost ideas.

What was your first blog post about?

It was about a DIY Rave Bra that I made for EDC New York 2013.

What are you favorite things to write about?

Life, advice, things that have been on my mine and cannot wait to get out, and short stories.

What advice would you give to a lifestyle blogger who’s just starting out?

Just enjoy blogging like it's a hobby and something that you love to do. Don't focus on the numbers, focus on your content and freeing yourself from the world by writing and creating amazing stories.

Is there anything you wish you could change about your blog?

No :)

LOVE,

November Goals

I've realized that I need to change. I am not saying I want to change myself to become somebody else because that's just absurd. Honestly, I want to be a better individual, a better human being. This has nothing to do with physical appearance or outer beauty. Everybody has different perspectives of what beautiful should be like. Some people might think you're beautiful and some might think that you're the ugliest human being on earth. It does not matter what they think because the most important thing is the way you see yourself. Our society is pretty much insatiable, and there's nothing we can do to stop it. That is why we should just focus on ourselves and stop worrying about pleasing other people because there are infinite numbers of rules and criteria and opinions to fulfill if we try to indulge this cruel society of ours.

How can I be a better individual if I am surrounded by such atrocious creatures who won't stop bringing me down ?

First Aid for The Soul by: Sonya V. Timsley

Love, Respect, and Value Myself

I have come to a realization that I have been treating myself so badly by letting people influence me in every aspect I do in life. A single critic would bring me down, the littlest compliment would bring me up. My mood depends on other people, and that's just unacceptable. I need to stop letting these people get the worst in me.

• I want to love myself enough to appreciate what I have, to be happy, and to stop comparing myself to others.
• I want to respect myself enough to stop over-thinking about the critics and negative comments from others.
• I want to value myself enough to realize that I am valuable and I am good enough no matter what others think.

So many people are depressed and having anxiety problems because of our society. Young, innocent girls kill themselves because people call them ugly. We can't stop the society to act that way, but we can convince ourselves to keep going and don't give up.

"You are worth so much more

than you give yourself credit for, you are beautiful, you are lovely, you are brilliant, you are fearless, and somewhere somehow , someone loves you, you just need to open your eyes and see the world the way it is supposed to be. ♥"

LOVE,

Forget to Live

I was dying

First, I was dying to finish high school and start college;

And then I was dying to finish college and start working.

And then I was dying to marry and have children.

And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough 

for school so I could return to work.

And then I was dying to retire.

And now, I am dying... and suddenly I realize I forgot to live.

Anonymous

Submitted by Nicole Zablocki

I was scrolling down my Instagram feed when I saw a picture of a poem that my friend posted. To be honest, I was stunned for a moment trying to taste every word and swallow it one by one, then I knew that this is the most honest mistake every human being tend to make. We forget to live. We are too busy being stressed out and being overwhelmed about something that would not matter 5 years from now. I think people spent probably 75 percent of their life time putting pressures on themselves. It's heart-breaking to see a lot of people regretting the choices they have made in their past lives, and wishing they could have done it all over again. 

I'd rather make a lot of mistakes than trying so hard to avoid them. I don't want to be an eighty year old lady who spent her whole life doing nothing because she is too scared of failures. Mistakes is unavoidable, we all make mistakes, we learn from them, they are a part of us. Without them, we are nothing. I am not saying you should do drugs, sell ecstasy and cocaine then steal from people. We all have boundaries, and we need to figure it all out which one to do and which one to leave behind. It's all common sense. We know what is right and what is wrong. All I'm trying to say is have fun, live your life, enjoy your youth because you won't get it back once you reach that stage where you have a family that you need to take care of. 

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I spent too much time being afraid of deciding, choosing, and escaping. I used to let other people make the choices for me because I cannot stand up for myself, I am too frightened with what life has in store for me. My mom was my sidekick, I discussed everything with her and told her to just decide everything for me. But one day she told me, "I won't always be here for you, you know? There will be one day when you have to do everything on your own." That point on, I realized that she is right, I don't want to be a coward who always live under her shell wishing that she would protect me till my death. Realistically speaking, that was preposterous of me to even think that I can hide my whole life from the real world. I keep telling myself even until now, "I own myself, I make the choices and the decisions, I'm the one who knows what I'm capable of and what I'm disable of, I know me best. I may ask other people for opinions and advice, but at the end, I'll be the one to decide because there is no one else who knows me better than I know myself." That's how I got through everything on my own, when I make choices for myself, I won't regret a thing because I know that at that moment, it was the best choice for me.

LOVE,

Autumn Amour

The comforting breeze, the colourful and dazzling scenery aren't the only things that make autumn so special to me. Can we just take a moment and enjoy how perfect it is to drink a warm cocoa in this weather while reading a novel or watching your favourite TV show?

Heaven ...

(I might be exaggerating a little, but well, who cares? lol)

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These are a couple of reasons why I think fall is the best season of the year :)

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I always love wearing comfy, baggy, warm sweaters, scarves, and beanies. Honestly, I can't get enough of them. These fashion items won't only warm up our bodies, they will also make us look more sophisticated and trendy. 

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Hot chocolate? Cappuccino? with whipped cream and marshmallows? Aren't they just the best combinations you'll ever encounter?

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I'm crazy with maroon and burgundy when it comes to autumn. I just love how those colors look on my pale skin, they make my nails stand out more with a touch of elegance :)

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Yap, can't forget about fall scents candles from Bath and Body Works. Who doesn't love burning well-scented candle sin their bedrooms? I can't wait to buy some of these to put in my dorm.

Did I just leave 'cuddling' behind? I wouldn't lie, cuddling is the perfect thing to do in this kind of weather. Who cares if you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, right? I cuddle with my pillow pets all the time, and I still love it ;P

What are your favorite things about autumn?

LOVE,

The Blogger Tag

I came across Chloe's Way blog a few days ago, and I saw this interesting tag that she just posted. Well, as you can see, I was so tempted to do one myself. So here we go...

1. What is your favourite beauty product?

It would be Maybelline Volum'Express The Rocket Mascara.  It's just amazing how one product can make your whole face looks different. The quality of this product is the bomb dot com. It lasts for the whole day without creasing, and it curls and lengthens my lashes at the same time.

2. What is your all time favourite brand?

I have different brands for different products. It's very hard to decide which one is the best. I guess I'll just go with Maybelline since it's a very affordable make up brand. Also, the quality of this brand isn't as bad as most of you might think. 

3. Do you collect anything?

Novels?

4. Early bird or night owl?

Night Owl. I am not a morning person, waking up early in the morning irks me lol. 

5. Tea or coffee?
Coffee.

6. What is your favourite TV show?

I have so many of them, I don't know how to pick one :( Fine, maybe Scandal. Or Devious Maid, or Teen Wolf and Pretty Little Liars?? See? I watch so many Tv Show, it's so difficult to decide which one I like most because I love all of them.

7. If you could travel to any era when would it be?

The Great Gatsby. I love the make up, fashion, and the lifestyle of the women. They are so sophisticated and elegant in a very unique way.


If you guys decide to do this tag, please leave your link in the comment section below. I'd love to read them :)

LOVE,

Food These Days...

I have a confession to make....

I love food.

It's just so good to try new, different restaurants you know? Culinary is one of the best thing to do in life. Just sayin'

Personally, I like any kind of food from Asian to Western and even Indian food. I just want to share some food I have been enjoying lately. I know most of them are Westerns', but trust me, they are not the only kind I eat. I stopped caring about being perfectly skinny and dieting because I realized that I want to enjoy my life and try everything with no regrets. Of course, we have to still watch what we eat and start to pay attention to our heath, but once in a while, a little treat wouldn't hurt, right?

LOVE,

Relationship 101

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. Honestly, I have been busy catching up with my friends and my classes have just started so I kinda abandoned my blog for a little while.

Before I write anything about being in a relationship, I just want to tell you guys that I am not an expert in this field, I am also not a couple therapist. My content is based on personal experiences and my personal opinions.

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Just the thought of being with somebody who adores, loves, and exhilarates you is very soothing, right? Imagine how that person would die to protect you, how you would be missed and thought of by someone every second of every day, and how he'd do anything to be with you. A long time ago, I never thought that a person would care about me and love me for who I am. I mean, Me? Is that a joke? I don't even want to date myself! But as we all know, everyone has different taste and point of views. There is always someone who hates you and someone who loves you. We should focus on the ones who love, care, and respect us no matter how hard the situation gets. I have been in a relationship three times. I have been in love twice and got my heart broken once. Every and each of this relationship has taught me how to handle countless situations.

• When it comes to arguing, I hate to lose. I do not care if I am right or wrong, I always want to win. You see how I am such a bad bad bad girlfriend? I love to spin around the situation and twist every word so that I can hear a word "sorry" come out of my boyfriend's mouth even though he is not wrong. That is so bad! As a human being, we make mistakes, we slip, we forget things, and that is completely normal. What is so hard about saying a single sorry and move on with our lives? I know it's easier to say and harder to do, but would you rather lose someone who loves you than admitting your own wrongdoing? I, myself is still working on this because I know I can't and won't let myself ruin a relationship that I have been dreaming of.

• Have a honest relationship. Do not lie to each other because relationship is a way to get to know your significant other even deeper. If the beginning already starts with a lie, you have to cover your lie with another lie. It's tiring.

• Throw the third party out as far as possible! There is always a third person, the friend, the family, the negative influence, the mistress, etc.
• Cheating is very much UNacceptable in my dictionary. I don't care what the excuse is, but cheating is out of the question. 
• Negative comments from your friends?  Dude, there are only TWO people in a relationship and you should know better about your significant other than any of your friends. Tell them to Get Off because it's none of their business. 
• Fix everything together as a team, figure it all out, find a way to get out of your problems together! The outsiders are just the audience. The ones who really care will let you TWO handle it as mature as possible.

• You have a life outside of this cute, lovely, little bubble that is called a relationship. You have work to do, deadlines to catch, a family to take care of, appointment to go to. Be understanding to one another and remember the reality.

• Compromise is a very crucial thing to do to be in a relationship. Before you go deeper, you have to compromise with your significant other on the things that you both might think is very important before you begin your journey together as a couple. For example, is this relationship is going to disturb your study, work, or personal life? How do you guys compromise to fix these problems?

•  Respect one another. This is another one that I personally need to work on too. Respects include consideration, appreciation, and good manners. Show them that you care about them and consider them as someone who is very influential in your life. Say sorry, thank you, and please. No matter how close you guys are, the little things are the ones that matter most! Accept others opinions with an open heart.

•  Do not take things for granted! The efforts that he puts in the relationship has to be balanced with the efforts that you put in. Treat your significant other like you want to be treated. 

• Expectations lead to disappointment (Lesson Learned). Just live for the moment and let everything flow as it is.

•  Please please please, when you face an argument, solve it with a cold mind. Screaming, cursing, shouting won't do you any good. These things will only create more problems and show that you disrespect them. P.S. It hurts to be screamed and cursed at, you know? I experienced it and trust me, words cut your heart deeper that a slap in your face. 

•  A little spark won't hurt you know? A little "I LOVE YOU" post-it-note letter as a reminder that you think of them! 

 A couple of weeks ago, Karishma from Gingersnaps asked me if I want to do a guest post on her blog, and I said yes when she offered. I decided to write about "My Blogging Story" on her blog. If you guys want to check it out, please give us some feedbacks :)

I hope you find this helpful. Thank you for reading.

LOVE,

Diary of A Lonely Girl

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I remember it was raining. The sound of thunder frightened me because it was so loud that it made me envision the impossible in my own head. I had goosebumps everywhere, anything loud would do this to me. Those sounds freaked me out to the point where I couldn't move from where I was standing. The thunder eventually stopped as I expected, and now I could only hear the sound of a steady drizzle falling to the ground altogether. I was just sitting by the window while looking at these little drops that were covering the other side of my window. My head wasn't in the moment, I was visualizing the "what if" because I wasn't satisfied with what I had. "What if I never experience what it's like to have a boyfriend? What if no one loves me because I'm the ugly Betty with braces and glasses? Why do I hate myself so much that I don't even want to look at the reflection of my face?" These thoughts were crawling like a virus that was sucking my self-consciousness. The only thing that I kept in the back of my head was that I hate everything about myself. One time, my mother told me, "You're the most beautiful girl I have seen. Don't let people tell you otherwise, and remember that everyone is beautiful in her own way." I tried so hard to believe her and feel better afterwards, but no, the truth won't lie. I am not beautiful and I'll never be one of those pretty and sexy girls whom all the boys chase.

There were different types of girls in my school; pretty, smart, multi talented, popular, sexy, and losers who weren't in any of these categories. As you already guess, I was the loser. No friend, no talent, no beauty, and definitely not popular. I was one of those girls who ate at the girls' restroom because I was too embarrassed to eat alone at the cafeteria where all of these drama queens and kings were. And yes, I didn't go to parties because I hate loud, crowd, and the smell of alcohol. One day, a new student came up to me and asked me if she can sit next to me. "Yes," I said. She was pretty, sexy, smart, and she sings very well; she was the description of a perfect girl. "I'm Emily. Call me Ems. Nice meetin' you," she said while looking at me straight in the eyes. I adored her confidence and the way she brought herself to the world like nothing could get in her way. I still don't know how, but we became best friends. This was the turning point of my life, she changed my life, the way I think, my perspective, and everything that could have been changed. It was good, it was a good type of change.

"Seriously? You're gonna let that bitch walk all over you? You won't do anything? Gosh! That's not nice, that's dumb!" Emily was talking non stop about how I needed to step up for myself and stop letting people take advantage of me. "Okay, I'll tell her I won't do her homework." I replied with a little sigh at the end of the sentence. At that point, I realized that I was never good in saying no and disappointing people in any way. I've changed. A lot since Ems became my best best friend. She didn't only teach me how to speak for myself, she taught me confidence, courage, and fearlessness. It didn't just happen overnight; I needed practice and after a while, it became a habit that I carried with me even until now. I walk straight with my head up high, I look them in the eyes when I talk, I speak clearly with no hesitation, I say 'no' to things I don't want to do, and most importantly, I learned how to love myself. It took me years to be able to accept everything with an open heart, and for me, I needed someone who would never get tired of assuring me that I am worthy. I was telling Ems about my feelings one day, and she snapped when she heard me complaining, "How are these people going to love you if you don't even love yourself? Stop being such a little wimp! Go out there and see the world, don't just stay in one of those dark corners in your bedroom because that would not make you the person that you want to be. Pitying yourself will only bring you misery. You don't like being the ugly Betty? Then do something!" And again, She already knew it was necessary to be said.

(Disclaimer: This is just a story/fiction.)

LOVE,

Thoughts of The Day

 

"Chrisylla, what do you want to be when you grow up?" My teacher asked a 12 year old me. I hated it when I have to talk in front of the classroom and tell everyone what my dreams are. I froze for a moment because the question she threw at me was not expected at all. Of course, I didn't know what I wanted to be. I don't even know what I want to do until now. "A doctor," I said with no second thought. I explained how I want to save people's life and be useful for the society. Truthfully, I said doctor because I couldn't think of any other occupations right at that second, and doctor was the only word that came up to my brain when she asked me that annoying question out of the blue. There's no way in this world that I would want to be a doctor. I despise blood, hospital, needles, ghosts and most importantly, cutting people. I still don't know how real doctors do it, I used to think that they have some kind of angel or magic that help them save all these people from the death. Yeah, I adore them very much, but I don't want to do what they do because it is scary, and I'm not really good with talking, talking to the family of these patients and tell them that I will be responsible for these people's lives. It is scary.

My future is still a puzzle for me. I'm jealous of those people who can passionately tell me about their dreams, their future career, and what they want to achieve in life. I always find myself wondering, "how can I know? what's the trick?" because honestly, I am so desperate to find out. Do I really want to be an employee who works in a company or a bank to analyze the customers' financial condition? Is that why I'm taking International Trade and Economics? Is that the job that I have been waiting for since I was a kid? Is that something that I want to wake up to for the rest of my life? I admit, thinking about these stuff is pretty over-whelming. All I know is that I want to be successful, but what does successful mean? Having the money to buy yourself a $4.5 million Lamborghini Veneno and a luxurious and humongous mansion? Is that what happiness is all about, wealth and power? Sure, my life would be so much easier if I have the money that Bill Gates has right now, but will it make my life happier? Or perhaps successful means having a job that you have been wanting and you're good at what you do. Each and every one of us has different opinions in things, maybe some of you think that successful is when you can balance your work life and your personal life perfectly. You can never get a definite, exact answer when you ask people "what does successful mean to you?" Right?

“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.”
―Bob Dylan

“...the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” 
―Oprah Winfrey

I don't want to live in regrets and other people's expectations of me. Even though everything is still grey in my eyes, I believe that I'll eventually figure out what makes me the happiest. And whatever it is, I'll catch it no matter what.

What does successful means to you? What makes you the happiest?

LOVE,

The Land of Hope

That day, I was just riding around with my boyfriend and his green motorcycle; he said that I gotta see this beautiful garden that's located not far away from where we live. At first, I was completely uninterested and apathetic until he worked his words of wisdom to make me see this place with my own eyes. 

The front gate of this "heaven-look-alike" is not very alluring. My head was speaking for itself, "I'm not in the mood for nature, and some bugs getting the satisfaction of slashing my skin while savoring the taste of my blood."

However, when I stepped my feet right onto this place, all those speculations were vanished with no trace. For a second, I wanted to feel free and enjoy every moment the best I could. Heck, I played a scenario in my head and wouldn't want to be waken up to face reality.

In my imagination, I can see bliss, freedom, happiness, and never ending laughter of the people who step foot on this land. There is no such thing as sorrow, poignancy, agony, and heartache because these people live by the words hope and love. We all love each other, care about each other, and would never see others as our competitors because jealousy is the root of rage, hatred, and resentment. We are brave, we are free, we are great in what we do, we are honest, and we do not cry. The only cry you'd ever hear in this world is when all the kids were playing around and suddenly fall off the ground.

This land is full of greens, different types of flowers, blue sky, and a huge lake with fishes and other beautiful creatures inside it. We aren't scared of nature because it is us. We don't seek wealth because we are happy with what we have. We do not kill others because they all are a part of us. We obey our own rules because we want peace, we need peace. We embrace and conserve our lands with our lives because this beautiful world is ours. That is why we should care.

Only if. Only if this kind of world does exist, no wars, no violence or brutality, no destructiveness. Is it possible to even wish because until now there are still wars and the crave of power and wealth? These endless thoughts brought me back to the world, Indonesian, American history that I had been studying for approximately nine years when I was in middle school and high school. Do you remember all those wars, deaths, and sufferings that each country had gone through to gain independence and powerful forces? Even though in this very moment, we might still feel that this world that we live in is full of monsters that suck the kindness out of human's heart, I wouldn't deny that we, in this generation, are fortunate enough not to experience those wars back in the 80's or the years before that.

I apologize if I sound like I'm rambling or perhaps I actually do, but I just want to set my mind free and write what flows into this small brain of mines. 

Do you have your own imagination of the Neverland? What do you think about this world that we live in? 

LOVE,