Week 48: Best Friend Adventures (Anissa)- Chipotle, Shopping, HungerGames

On Monday, I chilled with my bestie Anissa. I was so exhausted in the morning (I guess due to my night shift) but I went to bed around 0940am and woke up literally at 2 exact (which was the time we were considering to meet one another). I stayed in bed literally till 430 when I forced myself up to shower, change, and leave my house =_=.  Once I met up with my girl, we made our way downtown to Toronto Eaton Centre!

Since I just woke up, we decided to buy our tickets for the movie, HungerGames-Mocking Jay Part I, and find something to eat. Since Anissa is also my lovely gym motivator, I originally wanted Jacks or Kenzo Ramen Noodles but my bestie was like "Nope, you gotta eat healthy!" So we made our way to Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Steak Bowl filled with everything I ordered (except for Guacamole) 

I've been to Chipotle Mexican Grill before with Noah, so I understood the ordering system. They're really popular and fast! When we got there, the line was pretty long (about 7 people ahead of us) but in 2 minutes, BAM were up to order. The place was pretty crowded too but we were able to get a place to sit after ordering. I got Steak Burrito, with like everything (tomatoes, black beans, brown rice, guacamole, chilli, sour cream and cheese). It was SOO DELICIOUS! I was actually surprised how amazing it taste. I didn't  bring water with me -3- so I got some lemonade bottle drink instead of getting pop. It was just so good! Defiantly going there again!!!

Next, we went shopping around Eaton's. I love high class expensive stuff but man, CLOTHING IS EXPENSIVE! I'm more of a Handbag, Accessory, Shoe type of girl, so I don't focus on clothing for a number of factors but we decided to get a pair of pants that would be like motivation tool now that I've hopped back on the workout train. We stopped by Sport Chek since I need a GOOD sport bra for my gym workouts cause Walmart bras don't do shit (like literally). I have 3 different types and all of them don't do the primary job of HOLDING YOUR BOOBS IN PLACE! So frustrating! I tried on the underarmor bras since they're utterly amazing and if I buy one, I'll never need one for 1-2 years which is what many individuals state when they buy it (I use to work at Sport Chek). Now that I know my size, I'll probably pick it up on Friday before I start the gym on monday (SO EXCITED)

The Best recommend Sport Bra by UnderArmor 

We than made our way to jean shopping. So why would I possible go shopping for jeans that wont fit me? Well, there are many ways for someone to motivate themselves and I believe getting a pair of pants that "I hope" to fit in, within a certain period of time is a good motivator. So we went to Blue Notes, which have really nice jeans. However, $50 price tag was not very motivating, especially for the fact I wont be wearing these babies until I reach my goal which can be between 4-6 months. So, moved onto Old Navy. Their jeans were also expensive ($44.50) dollars for a pair BUT they were doing a 30% OFF sale, so I decided to take advantage of that and got them from $31.50 (so with tax $35). This was a good price for some nice regular jeans. I could have honestly waited till Friday, but since it Black Friday and I don't want to be murdered in crazy lines for 50% off, I decided to pick it up today.

My Motivation Jeans in Size 12

LOVING THIS WATCH

I had to choose between size 10-12 which was really difficult. My goal size is between size 6-10 (if I reach an 8, I'll probably be satisfied. A perfect size if I lose weight or gain) but decided to get a size 12 to start with. Anissa didn't want me to get 14 (which is the lowest I was able to get the last time I lost weight) since its a size I've achieved once before AND its a size that you can easily gain back to size 16-18 that I am now. So size 12 it is!!!! I have from December 2014- April 2015 to try and get down to this size! So hopefully with dedication, perseverance, and some sacrifices (SHE FORCING ME TO HAVE BUBBLE TEA ONLY TWICE A MONTH!!!!!!!!- ...World Ends....) hopefully it will be worth it! All my close friends (Lina and Noah) our encouraging me to eat better so Im excited to try and achieve this.

Weight loss has always been my goal but now I think I can achieve it. I've achieved all my other goals in the past, so this is the one main goal I have left. I also want my mom to come back from vacation and be like "What happened to my Daughter" hehehehe. Anyways, we watched our movie (was REALLY good, so excited for the final movie) and moment I got home, I worked out (at 2AM....). Felt really good about it.

It was a nice motivating day. I always feel motivated or inspired when I hangout with Anissa. She such a unique, hardworking individual which is hard to find now a days =D! Im excited and glad she helping me on this journey both physically and emotionally. Good to have friends that want you to succeed and don't judge you like the rest of society.

Till Next Time...

Yumoyori <3~ 

Week 46: Best Friend Adventures(Lina)- Unexpected Day Off

Happy Early Birthday Lina

Saturday, I originally had thought I had work (normally scheduled Saturday nights). However, when I received my DSP (its a document sent to our work email a day before each shift with the client information and a number we use to log in before our shift) and it only stated I worked Sunday. I called to confirm and make sure my client had a nurse for that night and ended up having the day off =D! So instead of staying home, I arranged to chill with Lina again!!!

Our hangout was suppose to be Saturday but due to my Friday plans being cancelled, I decided Friday would be better, thus us hangout with Anissa. It was good that we got to hangout again since we had to do a number of things!

Lina lovely boyfriend decided to buy the SAME bag for Lina as a Christmas gift, but since I beat him to it (MY BAD xD) I encouraged Lina to bring it and we would go exchange it for a different style/colour cause honestly, who needs two of the same bag?

We met at Eaton Centre and went straight to GUESS. The lady was pretty nice about it and honestly I bought it yesterday, so I didn't expect any major problems. We looked around the whole store and though Im not a MAJOR Guess fan (only love their watches) there wasn't anything that really attracted me that would look nice on Lina. We returned back to the bag section and was debating to get the White or Black Delany Mini Tote, but both colours especially white, looked like they would get dirty pretty fast (in the store they already had dust and the white had a little stain). Finally, a Black with the guess design and brown straps caught our attention (the white one got our attention first and we found out they had a black version which I preferred due to the decreased probability of it getting dirty).

This is the Delany Logo Small Classic Tote in Black. I felt this would be the best for Lina since its small, can still carry more than just a wallet and phone, and due to the material, if by chance it got stained, it isn't noticeable to the eye (unless u go all close and personal). Overall, out of all the choice, this looked more reasonable. The price was $98 dollars so with tax I paid about $34 dollars extra which was worth it compared to buying the medium size which was $120 and beyond "medium"  

It looked extremely well with Lina too so totally worth it. Lina TRIED to connivence me to allow her to pay for the difference but CMON what kind of friend would do that XD <3~

Once that was accomplished, we headed to Bath & Body Works and I went on ANOTHER haul (me and my mom honestly have an addiction to candles....I think I have a stronger one for scented ones than my mom) and I took advantage of the buy 2 Get, 2 free/Buy 3, Get 3 Free Deal. 

By the time we were done shopping, I was starving (only ate a McMuffin for breakfast) so we headed to Kenzo Noodles Japanese restaurant to have some Ramen. This location is pretty small, so we were lucky to get a booth seat when we entered. Lina treated me, so I ordered the King Ramen Bowl at lvl 1 Hot (spicy) and Takoyaki balls. We both enjoyed our plates and the service was VERY fast (literally within 5 minutes our food was served). 

The food was really good and filling especially on a cold winter day. The spice lvl was perfect and the Takoyaki was really soft and big pieces compared to other places such as Teashop 168. 

After Lunch-Dinner, we walked around Best Buy and Eaton's looking at electronic and dresses. TED BAKER opened up at Eaton's centre so we took a look. This made me laugh since ALL THERE DRESSES GO UP TO SIZE 3!!!!! Can you believe it! Talk about being excluded to the fashion train. Such beautiful high classes dresses that would be very classy and elegant to wear, yet ONLY designed for people Size 3 and BELOW! I was VERY dissatisfied by this. Even IF I lost weight, I would NEVER go that low. Size 6 is my LIMIT. If I did ever become smaller than that, it would ONLY be due to me toning my assets such as my butt and waist. We ended are hangout talking about the struggle of plus size or anyone past size 8+ getting clothing without a higher price tag.

Lina an awesome individual in general. She smart, thinks logically, and I love her passion for finance and saving money!!! She a perfect friend to have (and she thinks I'm crazy for buying so many candles as if they're going bankrupt or were going to have a blackout). She also got me my current RN job which I'm passionate about and allows me to have fun and support my Mama, so I'm always grateful to her. It surprising, cause the ONLY reason we met was through the CRNE Nursing Exam and she was sitting right next to me (this other girl was sitting in MY seat and thus I had to ask her to move; the seats in the examination room are numbered so if you don't seat in your designated seat you can be asked to leave the room for your stupidity). We chat for a bit, I wrote her name down on my envelop, added her on Facebook and our friendship started there. Weird how life works XD.

So far, Im very satisfied with the friends in my life (well one of them is concerning me but will see how that goes in terms of de-ranking on the friendship scale). Lina is a someone reliable and who you would want in you life. Also, she not afraid to tell me I'm spending too much (hehehehe which I do ALOT). It was a good day and I had fun. Hope to have more adventures with her and I still owe her a movie so thats next on the list (I really want to watch Dear White People...hehehehe)

Till Next Time...

Yumoyori <3~

Week 45: Best Friend Adventures (Noah)

Today, I got to chill with my Mom and Noah :D!! This was the first time they meet one another, and it was really interesting.

My Mom has issues with other people driving her so if you go to fast she gets all nervous (its SOOO cute xD), so I couldn't stop laughing when Noah was only going btw 80-90 on the highway and my mom was freaking out!!!!! My mom really liked Noah. She thought he was chilled which I believe is rare when your best friend is meeting your MOM! Also my mom is really laid back. When Noah was talking he said "Oh shit" and than he was like "OH...SORRY" and me and my mom died of laughter!!! I swear sometimes at home too so my mom doesn't take offence compared to maybe 2 years ago when she would be like NO SWEARING in the house kinda deal xD!!! Overall, Noah a really good driver so we got to our destination on a nice timely manner! I had to chill with my mom for a bit and took us literally 45-60mins before we got everything checked and cleared -__- sooooo long! So FINALLY, I left my mom (love u mommy :p) and Noah came back and picked me up (I have no idea what he did for the whole hour *_*)

My Mom laughing
(couldn't get a clear picture)

We went to Yorkdale for some nice shopping :D!! Since Noah drove me and my Mom, I decided to treat him to some good lunch/dinner. By this time, it was about 415pm when we reached Yorkdale so we were both starving!! The traffic was horrible!!!! It took about 10 minutes to find parking and the line to get even into Yorkdale parking lot was crazy (15 minutes).

We started off with our lunch/dinner at Pickle Barrel (will write a review on our experience). After dinner, we went around the mall. It was honestly so crowded, ridiculous -3-. I have a few things I have to buy for Christmas shopping. I know what I'm getting Noah (not your keyboard that u want Mr. if your reading this -3-). Also have a general idea of what Im getting for my other best friends. In terms of coordinators at work, probably going to get them Visa gift cards (apparently some have activation fees so I gotta be careful). We went to MK (wanted to view the wallets and they moved into a  MUCH bigger and spacious area of Yorkdale- not opposite of coach anymore), Kate spade, Holt Renfrew, Jack Jones, Top Men/Hudson Bay, Guess, Sport Chek (bought my weights), and went to the source to buy temporary earphones cause my Beats cord has died (R.I.P). I should order a new cord but my Beat headphones are having its own issues so I'll invest in a new one in a month or so. Probably, after christmas since Shopping alone will be about $400-500 bucks for the 7-8 people I'm getting gifts for.

I kinda wanna be cheap with my gifts, but now int today society you have to spend at least $50 or more, and me having a career doesn't help (people expect more sadly). But I've really narrowed down who Im giving gifts too cause honestly at the end of the day, they say thank u and thats it. Just wasted money on people who probably wont last long in your life to begin with.

Got Complimented for my Makeup

In-front of Holt Renfrew

Anyways, it was a good day overall. I really love Noah for his amazing personality and care free character. He is shy but once u get to know him, its so much fun! I love annoying him hehehe! Thanks Noah for always pampering me >:D!!!! (and driving me home, LORD knowsssss if I took the bus from yorkdale I wouldn't get home till 9).

Though I got home at 730pm, I couldn't sleep. Probably slept around 9ish and had to get up at 930 to go to work. I didn't want to be late (I always get Tim Hortons before my night shifts) so I took the 21:48 bus than the usual 22:04 bus. Also it being Saturday and the subway is closed from Eglinton to Bloor so shuttle busing is annoying.

Till Next Hangout....

Yumoyori <3~

WEEK 45: Best Friend Adventures (Anissa)- Nursing/Friends/Success

On Monday, I got to have a lovely unexpected chillage with my best friend, Anissa <3. Why was it unexpected? Well, I never planned to go anywhere on Monday (was my day off) but because of the wonderful news I received from her through phone call, I decided celebration was in order, ASAP! My schedule is very packed this week so why not chill right now (since at that moment it was 6pm). 

I've known Anissa as a person for close to 9 years!!! We were merely acquaintances in High school, since I hanged out with one group (I was an anime fanatic back than- still am but to a lesser degree) and she hangout with another. We both went to different Universities, Anissa going to Ryerson University and I going to York University. The main attribute was we both went into Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in 2009.

We were reunited when we were both writing our nursing examinations in June 2013, I was coming out of the washroom and she was waiting in line to go in. It was a 10 second interaction but that set in motion the future events and thus, our current friendship now. Ever since then, she been my partner in crime lol. It was surprising that from today we hadn't chill for a full month :O (October 6) which is really RARE! We usually try to chill every 2 weeks but my schedule was quite hectic this month so it was probably my fault lol.  So WHY are we celebrating unexpectedly?

So today (referring to Monday), the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination results were received by most candidates who wrote October 1st.  For those who don't know anything about the CRNE, its an exam created to prepare an individual who has completed the BScN program (4 years). Think of it as your ticket to finally practicing as a Nurse and receiving your licence. Without this, you CANT practice as a nurse in Canada or anywhere in the matter and have 2 years to complete this exam or your 4 years of schooling is useless. 

With the CRNE, you have 3 shots! This means you are given 3 attempted to write this exam, the passing score being 550/800. The % varies on a number of factors but usually based on the overall average of the group writing (or so they say). There are 200 question (100-case scenarios/100- independent). You are giving 4 hours to write this exam (no exceptions). So basically 50 questions/hour.  Now your wondering, this exam must be pretty easy or straightforward or thats how people believe. 

From my personal experience and previous blog, Ive mentioned my experience with this exam. I'm not Extremely smart but I work hard to achieve good grades in university. I was a 80-90 student, did okay throughout school, never had any problems till THIS exam. People really don' t understand how hard this exam really is. Ive written this exam ALL 3 TIMES and now with my career in motion and achieving success, I can proudly say I had to go through this struggle. 

This is exam isn't based on smarts. Some people I knew who literally got by the whole 4 year program passed, compared to people who were honour students with 90's failed. This exam came down to how you answered the questions, within 4 hours and Knowledge, Application and Critical Thinking were all involved. So it really comes down to having Good luck and God (if your religious) by your side at that moment and hopping the best.  IF you take all 3 attempts and fail, the end result is your BScN degree is useless and thus you must go back to school (for another 4 years) at a different university IF allowed (apparently cant have the same degree unless approved). Other option is requesting to be considered for the RPN exam, get approved, writing that, hopefully pass and become an RPN (if so u can go and do two years of school to become an RN and get another 3 chances). ALSO the exam has NOW been changed as of 2015 to the NCLEX so this would be difficult for previous writers due to a different concept and focus. 

So, if you pass this exam, its an ACCOMPLISHMENT! Also its the gateway to pursue your career as a nurse and now be considered for employment. 

So, Anissa called me this evening to bring me the good news that she PASSED her exam!!!!!! WOOOT!! (*throws cookies everywhere *0*) I, for one have been going all crazy and spamming Facebook with her success (this blog post included) but if you been with this girl for the last 10 months especially, and see her growth and determination, you would be spamming too! 

We worked really hard in the last 10-12 months. During that time, I was also studying and working towards my own 3rd attempt for Feb 2014 exam, and once that was out of the way,  we started to focus on Anissa. We would meet up every 2-3 weeks either at her place or library/bbt and go through questions, I gave all the notes I could possibly find, we and her family worked together to do everything in our power to help my girl succeed.

Knowledge of course is important for this exam, but Apply the knowledge and using critical thinking is both weighed at 40% (or together 80-85%) of the whole exam. Thats why its a really win- lose situation if you lack or mess up on these two areas especially, and thus comes down to how you answer the questions. You don't need knowledge, you need to analyze, understand and apply what the questions is asking/locate the answer in the 4 options provided (these 4 options can ALL be the right answer, but 1 will be the priority. For example-> O2 VS medication)

To celebrate, we went to Pyung Won House- Korean restaurant to eat (will write a separate review)

WE DID IT! We're Registered Nurses

I cant even express how proud I am of this girl. Maybe its because we both known each other for so long, seen one another grow & change, both had to go through this hardship and more. It was so nice to have such moral support and someone who wouldn't abandon you once they reached their success (which HAPPENED ALOT- used, abused and ditched you the moment they passed). However, this experience has taught both of us a lesson in terms of people and overall friendship.

Don't allow someone to be in your life if they wont be there when your at rock bottom. I had many friends in the last 5 years (specifically in 2012-2013). I thought of them as "best" friends, would put 100% etc but if they only give you 50, 60, 80% in the friendship, you really need to re-consider the "best friend" title. Some say a Best friend should be someone you've known for 5,10, 20 years. I don't believe in that... I think a best friend is someone who give 100% into the friendship, someone who isn't in this friendship for something in return. Someone who YOU, as an individual, can look and say "I WANT this person in my life for xx amount of years or as long as possible".

In this time and age, its really hard to find those type of people and friends. I've ditched many people who used me for their own needs, didn't give a lot, or just needed me in their lives to remind themselves how better off they are (in terms of size or financial status). However, NOW, I can say I have a good set of people in my life, individuals who I can travel with, hangout with whenever I want, who I can actually consider being my bridesmaids in the future (and be apart of the groomsmen section lol), and overall want me to succeed.

SUCCESS, is what it comes down to and is one of my main motivators. When you haven't reached success, many people don't care of you, only a few friends, family members etc. Moment you start exhibiting signs of success (have a career, financially stable, get a car, house, travel, living life) thats when these "unnecessary" individuals want to know your business and SEE how your accomplishing such things (either out of curiosity or personal satisfaction). Not to say everyone has such intentions, but in the year of 2014, majority of people have this type of viewpoint more or less.

SO, All I can say is this:

"You DID IT Anissa!!! You wanted to become a nurse, to be a life saver, and change people lives. 

Now you can finally pursue your dream, your passion.

You struggled, you worked so hard

Many tears were shed, you were frustrated and stressed

The all nighters, and having no social life 

is FINALLY over 

Now go rise up and broadcast your success

so those who didn't show any concern, ditched,  and couldn't even support you

when you were struggling through many hardships 

can  NOW see how far you went WITHOUT them

Go and Live Your Dream"

Congratulation to ALL my other friends who passed the CRNE :D *high-five* 

Yumoyori <3~