travel – Kristi My Dao

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Reflecting on 25 Blog Banner Header Image

Reflecting on 25

I’ve made it another year around the sun. It isn’t a crazy thought, but I’ve had such a great year. The crazy thought is that it will continue to get better, year after year. Since my word for 2023 is relax (I’m still working on it), instead of setting goals and intentions for this coming year, this blog post is going to highlight five things that happened that made 25 so good.

The Weekend of Being a Supportive Girlfriend Blog Banner

The Weekend of Being a Supportive Girlfriend

Maybe you can tell from what I write/how bad I am at regularly making sure I am posting, but I can very easily get caught up in my work and doing what I have to do. However, on this particular weekend I decided to stay in town instead of going home since Asanti just came home.

Hindsight says that I made a good decision, but maybe you’ll read on and then tell me you think I’m wrong. Anyway, here is my weekend recap of being a supportive girlfriend.

The Lunar New Year Weekend of 2023 Header Image

The Lunar New Year Weekend of 2023

It is Lunar New Year, the new year celebration of many Asian households (at least, my family/local community has just wrapped up celebrating yesterday). I don’t know if I’m at an age where I’m just more aware of how much I don’t know or if I just never really know anything culturally, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot this week.

For example, one of my friends that I’ve made in the grad program is Filipino, and she was telling me about how there are also elements attached to the zodiac animal of the year. This year is apparently the year of the water rabbit. Then, the computer in my apartment complex is the thing that informed me that for the Vietnamese, this is actually the year of the cat. I originally thought it was just clickbait, but when I asked my parents, they said it was true.

So this just might be the year of learning for me. Today, we’re going to dive into my weekend, which has reminded me to be grateful for how lucky I am to live the life that I have.

The Tiny Collection of Things I Bought at Tempe Marketplace Header Image

The Tiny Collection of Things I Bought at Tempe Marketplace

Most people would just call this a “Tempe Marketplace Haul,” but I don’t think I bought enough to call it a haul. Plus, it didn’t take me a lot of effort or force to get it, and it wasn’t stolen or possessed illegally (I’m referencing Google definitions of the word haul). So while the title might be long, I think it is more accurate.

While everyone is out shopping for Black Friday Deals today, I am soaking in time with my family, but I’m definitely going to talk about shopping. During my time in Phoenix, someone I met recommended that I visit Tempe Marketplace while I was in town because it was a quickly developing shopping center. And I decided to go, after I forgot to pack a moisturizer and saw that there was an Ulta in the place. After spending a couple of hours at Tempe Market, just what did I buy?

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Debating About Friends After Watching for the First Time Header Image

Debating About Friends After Watching for the First Time

I feel like so many people in my life love the show Friends that it was a crime that I hadn’t seen it. So I squeezed it in recently, and while I can say that I appreciate it, I don’t think it is as special to me as it is for everyone else. It is enjoyable for what it is, but I think the reason that people loved it so much is that they were living with it. Like, they had to wait week by week for the next thing to happen, kind of like how I loved shows like Big Time Rush, Hannah Montana, or The Vampire Diaries. They’re so memorable because I remember being invested in the characters, being upset by the cliff hangers, and just having a little escape from life.

Anyway, for this blog post, I thought I would tackle some of the major debates about the show since Thanksgiving is around the corner. For me, the show really gives me Thanksgiving vibes, so that is my logic.

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The Weekend of Feeling Like a Woman Blog Header Image

The Weekend of Feeling Like a Woman

At the beginning of the semester, I kind of considered delaying starting graduate school. Why? The Ladygang announced their tour, and I immediately wanted to go and be a groupie, because I absolutely love them. Their podcast is the good part about my weeks, and no show is ever the same because the crowd is never the same. So I considered it for a minute, but I already enrolled in my classes and I couldn’t forget how hard I worked to be in graduate school.

But this past weekend, I got to live out my groupie dreams. I picked up tickets to their last few shows in Phoenix and Denver (because Los Angeles was sold out). So that’s what I did this weekend, and while I missed Asanti, he’s the best for reminding me how important it is to treat myself in the midst of all my hard work.

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The Weekend that Weakened Me Header Image

The Weekend That Weakened Me

I feel like no one ever plans to get sick, but getting sick this past weekend put a damper on my spirit. Why? Because I was in a city that has always been on my bucketlist. It’s the country music capital, Nashville, Tennessee, baby. While I didn’t really go out to any honky-tonks, I was very happy to be able to take in the energy of the city in my short time there.

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What To Fall In Love With Beyond Looks Header Image

What To Fall In Love With Beyond Looks

On a recent trip, my boyfriend and I were out to dinner when he said, “You know, I think this trip has been good for us. I’ve fallen in love with you all over again.” That sentiment is just so sweet, and shows that he always knows how to make my heart melt. It is a great reminder on National Inner Beauty Day that while looks are a nice bonus, they aren’t everything. I’m going to say that since being in this relationship, I’ve put on about twenty pounds and a lot of my clothes don’t fit anymore. There is a significant height difference between us, and as good looking as my boyfriend is, that’s not what attracted me to him. So what is it that we fell in love with that is beyond skin-deep? Keep reading to find out.

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My Well-Balanced Weekend Header Image

My Well-Balanced Weekend

It’s not often that I get a weekend where it’s nicely balanced, one that is equal parts work, socializing, and resting. Either I work or do homework for most of the weekend, or I worked all week so that I could have a completely fun weekend, just like the one I had last weekend. So what does a well-balanced weekend look like for me? Keep reading to find out.

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Breaking Down My Wedding Look Header Image

Breaking Down My Wedding Look

While I typically wouldn’t say that I have style, I can semi-dress myself. I think I started to doubt my fashion recently when my boyfriend made a comment about it (I will unpack that more later). However, I am kind of enjoying the process of unpacking my style and fashion, so I’m probably going to keep doing it (and sharing it here on the blog, of course).

Plus, I think I looked pretty cute, and I’m the one who pulled the look together (with some input here and there). So keep reading if you want to get my look for yourself. Remember, anything that I post is stuff that I buy on my own.

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