A Los Angeles Weekend

July 26th.

My weekend was spent in Los Angeles - the city of opportunity. The city where everything is possible; where stars and dreams are made. The city of bad drivers and aggressive characters. The city of cheap, but cute clothing, jewelry and accessories. Where traffic is a daily thing, and city buses cut you off. Where people walk so fast, they trample over you. Where you can see every possible ethnicity in one block and every culture is celebrated.

Oh, how I love Los Angeles.

I have always dreamed of living there, especially when my ultimate dream was becoming an actress. The city is so alive, and people are always on the go. It's not as crazy as New York, but it's close enough. My mother doesn't really like the place because of how crowded and rude some people can be, but that's just L.A. It's normal.

On Friday, my mom and I went to L.A. mostly to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages Theatre. However, we drove there around noon to stroll around Downtown L.A. (the main part of L.A. where hipsters like to hang out at). The parking is absolutely nuts, and meters are so expensive. Who carries $4 worth of quarters, just so they can park for 2 hours? Absolutely nuts.

But still, it was well worth it. My mother walked like a mad-woman when we were downtown because of the fast-paced and loud environment - she couldn't wait to get out! Whereas I took my precious time, absorbing the liveliness of the city and all the different sounds that makes Los Angeles such an exciting place.

at Jewelry District

 After spending two hours of our time in Downtown L.A. (yes, okay, my mother is one of those people who brings $4 worth of quarters with them for a parking meter), we went to the hair salon where my mom has been going to for the past fifteen years.

I cannot tell you just how much my mom and I got lost in this area. Her GPS wasn't working, and mine was acting up. My mom kept on driving the complete opposite direction from where we were supposed to be going... and it was just a complete disaster.

But lo and behold, we made it to the salon. All I wanted was a haircut, but the hairdresser also colored it ash brown and cut a little more than I asked. No arguments, though. Her assistant was this really cute Korean dude, and it was funny watching him try to comb my hair with a little tiny comb and a whole container of detangler. Curly, thick hair problems, am I right?

It takes a village to do my hair. Seriously. After I took this picture, another lady helped out with detangling my hair, and when they had to dry my hair, three of the blow dryers were used and one even overheated and died.

Props to them, though, because my hair turned out well and I love it!

After the salon, my mom and I headed to Pantages.

SO. MANY. PEOPLE.

Not like I was expecting less because The Phantom of the Opera Tour is absolutely sold out. I got my mom and I tickets back in April for center Mezzanine front seats at the Pantages. I spent my first paycheck from work on this. Totally worth it.

All I can say is that the theatre is beautiful, and the play was phenomenal. I want to see it in New York someday - the true Broadway mecca. I loved Pantages so much that I'm already planning on seeing another show there. Hopefully I'll be able to see another one before 2015 ends!

One day in L.A. wasn't enough, so the next day, my whole family went. We all drove there for the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games.

Best. Experience. Ever.

Before the opening ceremony, my family and I hung out at the parking garage because it was way too hot outside and we felt like sitting on the truck while eating fancy sandwiches and drinking Gatorade. Once we were all sick of the parking garage, we decided to kill two birds in one stone: go to the California Science Center before heading to L.A. Coliseum for the Opening Ceremony.

thank you Snapchat

Of course, we had to get some ice cream before going to the event.

The line was SUPER long, and it was awesome to see so many people at the Special Olympics World Games! There were 177 countries participating, and over 7,000 athletes. I would say that there were about 60,000 people at the stadium yesterday. 

When my family and I finally got through the line, my mother decided to use the restroom, while the rest of us kids waited outside. In front of us was the Egyptian ambassador who stayed at the same exact spot for about ten minutes because people kept stopping him to take a picture with him. My siblings and I were joking that we should stop him and take a selfie with him, but we thought it would be too awkward, so we saved ourselves from embarrassment and took pictures with each other instead.

My mom got us tickets because she was a sponsor through Kaiser Permanente. We had front row seats, almost towards the center. My mom, little sister, and my brother got the best seats, while the rest of us had a huge black sound system covering the center stage. Darn. Still, we had a really good view of all of the athletes.  

It was such an amazing experience. I don't know how else to describe it. The entertainment was amazing - Jimmy Kimmel opened up, Cody Simpson performed, and then there was Becky G, Eva Longoria, Nicole Scherzinger, Avril Lavigne, and so many other amazing artists. I even got to see my favorite character from Glee: BECKY JACKSON (Lauren Potter). She is the cutest, most enthusiastic girl ever. I don't know how anyone can NOT like her. Come on, her motto in Glee is: "WHAT'S UP, BITCHES?" *excuse my language* with her fierce attitude and confidence. And her laugh is contagious every time she "burned" someone with an insult. Oh, Becky. 

Of course, the best of them all was also there: STEVIE WONDER. Oh my goodness, when I found out he was performing, I had a fangirl moment, and kept on singing "Isn't She Lovely" until my sister got annoyed. 

Still, it wasn't the entertainment that made the opening ceremony the best experience I have ever had in Los Angeles. It was the athletes. It was so heartwarming to see so many kids and adults with intellectual disabilities from all over the world have the best moment of their lives in a competition where each and everyone of them can show their true athletic ability and is loved and accepted by millions of people. 

A lot of people treat them differently just because they may have down syndrome or autism or something similar, but when you see them, they look "normal." They look just like us. When the countries were being announced, and my sister and I looked at the participants walking, we couldn't even tell the difference between the ambassadors and the athletes. We didn't know which one is which because they all just look the same. Yet they are treated so differently in many places of the world.

The Special Olympics movement and Reach Up L.A. revolution is something we should all be a part of. It is so amazing to see those athletes with such big smiles on their faces and compete their hearts out. I seriously love their athlete's oath: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." 

This oath doesn't even have to only be for the Special Olympics World Games' athletes. It can apply to all of us, and that's what I love the most about it. 

So, if you guys can, follow the World Games for the next eight days! It is truly, truly amazing! Good luck to all the athletes out there. Cheering for USA and the Philippines. :D

First Lady Michelle Obama

the stands & fans

Lighting of the torch

  

Let the games begin!

Explore Los Angeles whenever you all have the time to do so. :) 

Much sun,

Annika.

Medical Journey: Phlebotomy

July 23rd.

I have been MIA for about three weeks.

Three reasons:
1) Vacation Bible School 7/6 - 7/10
2) Hang out with friends
3) Phlebotomy Class 7/6 - 7/22

First of all, vacation bible school was a BLAST this year. God truly worked in our hearts and helped us reach out to a lot of children! Two little kiddos received Jesus Christ as their Savior, and everyone had so much fun with the camping theme this year.

day 1 of VBS & Phlebotomy

Secondly, I have only had a couple hang outs with my friends the past three weeks. Not only has my schedule been packed, but my friends also work or have been going on family vacations. 

I went to my friend's house on July 10th, and I accomplished two things that day. The most important one is that I LEARNED HOW TO RIDE A BIKE. 

Yes, someone as uncoordinated and unbalanced as I am FINALLY learned. Yes, it took 18 years. Yes, I feel very accomplished. Yes, my friend recorded it because we all knew that none of our other friends would believe us if we simply took a picture.

The other thing I accomplished that day is to get over my fear of little puppies. Believe it or not, even the tiniest puppies make me nervous because they are more hyper and louder than the big, old ones. I was once bit on my butt by a dog as a young child, so I really wouldn't call this fear "irrational." My friend has two dogs: one that is calm and one that is loud. We had to hide the loud one in the bathroom while I was there, but my friend got fed up with my fear, and eventually forced me to become friends with the loud puppy. I have got to say, they're a lot cuter when you know they like you.

Other than that day, I have been able to spend a day with my two best guy friends, two of my friends from Navy JROTC in high school, and babysit some of the little kids from church.

Last and definitely not the least, my PHLEBOTOMY CLASS.
This is the main thing that has been keeping me busy the last three weeks. Many people do not know what phlebotomy is; it is the puncturing of the vein in order to withdraw blood. We learned how to do venipuncture, fingerstick/heelstick, and winged infusion set (butterfly needle) methods. We also learned all about the cardiovascular system, and the purpose of having different colored vacutainers (tubes).

vacutainers & centrifuge

I am taking this class because my mom and dad both thought that it was a good way for me to enter the medical field while I am in college.

It was a 10 day course, from 9am to 1pm, Mondays to Thursdays. The class was about half an hour away from my house, so I technically, it took up 8a - 2p of my daily schedule. We had a uniform - scrubs, wipeable white shoes, tattoos covered (not like I had any), nails short and natural, and hair must be in a ponytail, bun or braid.

The long hours and homework were definitely worth it because 1) my best friend took it with me, and 2) this class was so useful and knowledgeable, not only in the phlebotomist's point of view, but also in a patient's perspective.

first day of class

I cannot emphasize enough at how fun this class was for me. Yes, at first it freaked me out that we were working with different sized needles. It also scared me that, as first-timers, we were not allowed to practice on mannequins.

Yes, you heard me. We practiced on each other.

venipuncture method

fingerstick method

Eventually all the poking made my class of 11 closer to each other. Of course, my best friend and I stuck by each other everyday, but we were forced to pick different partners to experiment on the next day. We were able to become friends with one guy who works at Disneyland, and a couple EMTs, some moms, and even some guy who just moved from Nebraska. My best friend and I were the youngest ones there, and they called us and treated us like babies (in a good way).

Day 3 of Venipuncture

They thought everything we did was cute, especially because when they found out we were best friends. We were "young, fresh out of high school" children, while most of them are in their late 20s. I think the oldest one was a mom of 7, and she was in her 50s.

Yeah, crazy.

The benefit of being the youngest ones there was that everyone taught you something. I cannot tell you just how much more I learned that were non-phlebotomy related. I learned so much about growing up: being a parent, working and studying at the same time, the different things that change in the body over time. Some of them even told us stories of "when gas used to be a dollar," and when "fifteen years ago, [some guy] become a hairdresser." Even the ones in their 20s gave us advice and motivation and some inspiration to do well in college, and to choose the right path, and to think about the consequences of everything we will do.

Another benefit was that whenever we were partners with an older classmate, they would be extremely patient with us and tell us how good of a job we were doing. It was awesome to hear all of these adults tell us that we were proactive and productive.

pre-exam bonding with the adults

The main thing I was extremely thankful for was my instructor. I took this course in Phlebotomy Training Center in Westminster, and the 9a - 1p session teacher is Ms. Watson.

Ms. Watson is simply amazing. No, she's not some superwoman, and she's not a world renown phlebotomist. However, her last fifteen years of experience has truly made her something extraordinary. Her niche is truly teaching.

Ms. Watson is patient, and fun. Lectures were not boring because she had a sense of humor that kept us awake. Her stories about her kids, her experience, her other teaching gigs, and even just her rants about current news while we were writing down notes made those long lectures worth paying attention to. She helped us relax during the lab, especially on the first day we did venipuncture. We could not do it on a mannequin, which made everyone insanely nervous because we did not want to hurt a stranger. She definitely used her motherly instincts with us, especially with me and my best friend: reminding us to wash our hands, stay hydrated, sleep early, do homework, be on time, what to eat and not eat, safety first, handle the needle that way and not this way, and keeping us motivated and determined to be well-trained phlebotomists.

I am telling you - I have never had such an amazing teacher (and I have had a lot of awesome teachers). I hope that once I get to university, many of my teachers at nursing school will be just like her.

Ms. Watson

Of course, there were downsides to this class.

One of the downsides is that if you bruise like a peach, then expect major bruising on your antecubital fossa (back of elbow) and callouses on your fingers. There are also chances of having hematoma, since your blood is being drawn by amateurs. If you're a naturally busy person (maybe you're a single mom or a full-time worker), then you are going to need to put some time aside late at night or super early in the morning to do your reading and homework.

Other than that, there is nothing else that I could think of. My class was amazing, and I could not have asked for a better group than the one I had.

We took our exam today, and it was not difficult at all (once again, thank you, Ms. Watson for "over-preparing" us). I find out in a week whether I passed or not!

My first step was obtaining my Basic Life Support for Healthcare Workers certification by American Heart Association. Phlebotomy training is my second step. After I pass the exam, I will start working on a 40-hour externship at a clinic or hospital. After this, all I have to do is file for my license, which takes about three months!

While I am waiting for my phlebotomy license, I will already be on my third step in my medical journey. I will already be starting on my nursing career, and on my way to becoming a CNA, then LVN, then RN, then obtain my BSN in Nursing.

I still have a long way to go, but I can already see God working on my future. I am so thankful to have such a strong support system, and especially thankful to have been blessed with parents who are in the medical field.

27 more days until college move-in day! I cannot wait to officially become an Aztec and start my official adventure on becoming a nurse.

VBS & Phlebotomy in one picture :D

Much sun,

Annika.

1Eighteen8

July 2nd

I know I have not been able to write here, but it's really no surprise because I said earlier on that I will not be able to keep up writing every day and every week. 

Ever since June 21st, I have had a lot of fun. I turned 18 on the 23rd, and I've been out and about with friends every day. 

My 18th birthday celebration was really fun. It was the first time all of the most important adults in my life and all of my best friends were together in one location. My best friends from elementary school, middle school, and high school were all in one place, along with my siblings. My parents, aunt and uncle, and my most favorite "replacement parents" (who are just really my friends' parents) were all there, too. On the 23rd of June, 23 of the most important people in my life celebrated my 18th birthday with me. Isn't that cool?

Although I did not have a big party, I felt so loved and so blessed to have celebrated my birthday with people who I know I have shared memories with and will see me grow more throughout the years. It felt amazing to know that I have 23 constants in my ever-changing life. I truly saw how blessed I was. :') 

Nothing has been different since I turned 18. I know it is a glorious moment for those who want to smoke, or get tattoos, or go to strip clubs, or have future gambling problems. However, I am not one of those people, so turning 18 has not been "fun," so to speak. The only privilege of being 18 I have gotten to enjoy is being able to register to vote and actually vote for next year's presidential elections. 

Oh, and a later curfew and the ability to legally drive my friends around. 

That has been a blessing because I have been able to explore nightlife in California.

The other days I have been with my friends, it is usually out to the movies, or walking around the city, or simply relaxing at my house while we talk about college and reminisce on our high school memories. 

Those are the times I appreciate the most about summer. I get to spend time with my best friends without needing school to force us to be together. I am able to see friends I do not usually see because of busy school schedules (i.e. my college friends are back from all over the U.S.!). I get to stay up all night talking to anyone and not feel bad about the both of us being sleep deprived in Calculus class the next day.  

The most important day that has happened since I last posted was when my friend visited last weekend. It was so good to see her again, though I am still quite bitter about that weekend because none of our plans worked out and instead of being able to spend a whole Saturday with her, we only got to see her for two hours early in the morning... 

When she visited, it felt like high school all over again. OG was complete. I was with all three of my high school best friends. Those two hours on a Sunday morning we spent with her will probably be the only time we will be all together this summer. Her next visit isn't even confirmed yet, and there is a chance that I will be busy on the weekend she visits again from Nevada. 

Man, our schedules suck.

But it is okay because this is just the beginning of our long distance friendship. With college around the corner, and our future careers, families... I have to start getting used to not seeing them every day, every week, or even every month. Adulthood slightly sucks, doesn't it? 

There is a quote I always remind myself with: "Friendship isn't counted by the miles, it's measured by the heart."  

Anyway, here are other pictures I took when I was out recently. I try to take pictures whenever I go out, but I forget a lot of the time. 

Remember that it is a lot more important to enjoy the moments. You don't always need to take a photograph of everywhere you go because there are plenty inside your head! 

There was a day one of my best friends and I spent literally six hours at Starbucks. All we did was work on a bunch of papers we were writing/reading, talk about high school memories, talk to strangers, and discuss future college plans.

Anyway, this is all for now.

Seven more weeks until college, and you guys have no idea how excited I actually am... I'm done school shopping already!

Peace out.

Much sun,

Annika.