Top 10 Motivational Songs I Like

I admit that I have down time in my life such as personal issues, could not land my dream job, things did not go like I planned, and/or being treated badly at school or work. We all have those moments. What has been always being there here and kept me moving forward? It is MUSIC!! I conducted the rankings of my favorite motivational songs. These songs are attached to my heart!! The links are in the title. I hope you will listen and get inspired!! 

10. Never Say Never - Justin Bieber


Never Say Never came out in 2011 when I graduated college. At that time job market was slim, so I received a lot of rejection letters. However, I will never say never about landing my dream job because "whenever you knock me down, I will not stay on the ground!!"

9. Born This Way - Lady Gaga


Born This Way reminded me of being bullied in school regarding my poor language skills and negative body image. This song boosted my confidence because "you are beautiful in your way because god makes no mistake. You are on the right track because you are born this way."

8. Reflection - Christina Aguilera


I listen to reflection every time I lost my way. This song is from the movie "Mulan." I am like her. I don't want to be the person other want me to be. I hope they will see and accept my true self. "Must there a secret me I force to hide. I won't pretend that I am someone else for all time. When will my reflection who I am inside?"

7. The Climb - Miley Cyrus


I listen to "The Climb" when I am achieving a long and tough goal. I often doubt whether I will get there or not and I might give up in the middle. This song would keep me going no matter how fast and how it will take me to get there because "there always going to be another mountain, there will be some battle, and sometimes I have to lose."

6. When You Believe - Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey


If going through something, which I cannot control or the probability of success is low, I often listen to "When You Believe." It gave me hope because "there can be miracles when you believe, through hope is frail.It's hard to kill." I like to believe in miracles. 

5. Firework - Katy Perry


I listen to this song before interviews and presentations. Although I don't like interviews and presentations and I am not good at speaking, this song give me the confidence. I feel I am the firework and let the interviewees/audience see my worth (as I shoot across the sky). 

4. You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban


This song encourages me to take challenges and help me to go beyond what I can. I am a risk taker, but I my fear often get in the way. Whenever I feel afraid, I image a sin and think "I am strong when I am on your shoulders. You raise up to more than I can be." I love Josh Groban's opera voice because it warms my heart. 

3. Through the Rain - Mariah Carey


Every time I go through a rough time, I image like this song's lyrics "caught in the rain and nowhere to run." I believe that "I can make through the rain and I can stand up once again, on my own because I am strong enough to make it. If I live one more day, I am going to make through the rain."  I LOVE Mariah's voice. It gave me POWER!!

2. Stronger - Kelly Clarkson


Every time I hear discouragement or something devastating happen to me, I often become a negative person and think it is the end of the world. I listen to Stronger to maintain positive because "what does kill you makes you stronger". Instead of being killed by those discouragement and devastating events, I will become a fighter to win the battle. 

1. Fix You - Cold Play


Fix You is such a therapeutic song. It starts with 
"When you try your best, but you don't succeed. When you get what you want, but not what you need. When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep. Stuck in reverse. When the tear stream down your face, when you lose something you can not replace, when love someone, but it goes to waste. Could be worse?" 
I am sure we ALL HAD at least one of those moments. This song came out when I was in high school (most weird time). I lost track how many times this song saved my life for the past ten years. 

"People Haven't Always Been There for Me, But Music Always Has" - Taylor Swift

You are NEVER ALONE when you have music!!

My Thoughts About Ashland

Last weekend, I visited Ashland. It was a short but very productive trip. I saw most of my friends and talked. I had SO MUCH FUN!! This was a birthday gift for myself, and I missed my friends a lot. Also, I needed a break from work and family. The busy tax season is coming up at work, so this trip will help me go through the crazy season. 

When I arrived, I realized, the town was just beautiful. 
Everything stayed the same.
Everyone welcomed me, and the place welcomed me.

I came to my old dorm and saw my room. 
No one live here anymore.
It is still the same hall and filled with memories. 

My friends' conversation picked up immediately. 
This shows our tight connections. 
Even we live apart, we still feel like we met, yesterday.
I feel blessed to have so many good friends in Ashland. 
The talks we had was just like the old times. 
My hall mates even had accidental reunion. 
I felt like I never left the city. 

Here is my thoughts: 
"Every time I go to Ashland, I feel everything will be OK.
Everything did get better; actually everything was perfect in Ashland. "

I decided that every time I want a break or relief for anything in life, I would come to Ashland to get away. 

This place gave me hope. 
This place was like heaven.
When I went school here, I received good grades, made good friends, met a lot of nice people, and gave me encouragement for the future. 
Everything I wanted was there. 
Ashland never let me down

Five My Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

October and November ALL about pumpkin. For the last several of falls, I had pumpkin overload. There were pumpkin smoothie, pumpkin latte, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin rice pudding etc… I pretty much tasted EVERYTHING in pumpkin flavored….


This fall, I try not get into "pumpkin coma". I will control myself to only limit to these following five recipes 

When I cook pumpkin, I like to make my own puree. I never used the canned pumpkin puree, but that would work as well. HERE is a step by step video demonstrates how to make pumpkin puree. It is easier than you think. 

No. 5 Pumpkin Pancakes

The recipe can be found in HERE

I have eaten so many different kinds of pumpkin food, but I never experienced pumpkin pancakes. This is definitely going to my  pumpkin baking list because we all enjoy tender pancakes. This would be a great breakfast in the crispy fall morning. I can't wait to make them. 

No. 4 Pumpkin Cookies 

The recipe can be found in HERE

When I made these cookies with my friends on halloween two years ago, we had marvelous time. The kitchen turned quite a mess. The texture was like a bread rather than cookie. It is not the prettiest cookie, but they do have the yummy fall flavor. 

No. 3 Pumpkin Roll

The recipe can be found in HERE

First time I had pumpkin roll was in Southern Oregon University's dorm cafe. It was SUPER delicious. Then I found it at my local Wal-Mart store, so I let my family taste it, too. They like it as well. I love the cream cheese filling, which is not too sweet. I hope I can make it someday. I never roll cake, and it look challenging. 

No. 2 Pumpkin Bread

The recipe can be found in HERE

Among all my baked goods, my family likes the quick/sweet bread the best. It is perfect warm, sweet, and soft from the oven. We can eat it as breakfast and/or snack. It can also made into the muffins. This year, we gave several pumpkin muffins out. They all wanted the recipe and thought the muffins were the best gift ever.   

No. 1 Pumpkin Pie

The recipe can be found in HERE

My favorite is definitely the PIE!!  It was the first pumpkin treats I had. Before knowing the pie, I did not like pumpkin, so the it opened my taste buds to all the pumpkin world. I was very nervous when I first baked the pie because it sounded difficult. I did not expect it would turn that great. 

What kind of pumpkin do you like the best? Are you going to make pumpkin pie for thanksgiving? 

What I LOVE About Summer

You know me now, right? I like to write about what I love about each season. I wrote What I LOVE About Spring, What I LOVE About Winter and What I LOVE About Fall for the past year. Summer is officially began, so it is the perfect time to share my summer favorites. 

1. Sunshine and Beach: Sunshine makes me happy and productive!! I enjoy waking up early and work as I soak the sun. Sunshine also makes everything look beautiful like flowers and trees. I lived in Oregon for the last 11 years, where it rains most of the year, so sunny days are previous for Oregonians. I also enjoy going to the beach because I like to play in the water since I was little. I feel glad that I live in Portland where it is only one and half hour away from the seaside. 

2. Fresh Fruits and Vegetable: Summer is the time of harvest!! There are cherries growing in my backyard and I can make trips to local farm to pick up all the goodies. I tend to eat healthier during summer compare to fall and winter (holidays, you know...) because of the all the fresh produce.  


3. Dress Up for Hot: If you have read my last three posts, I always end the list with dressing up. My mother loves dressing up, so I get it from her. I like the fact that it is very hot outside, so I can wear less in summer, and I can change my cloth quickly. I love wearing simple things such as T-shirt, shorts and skirts everyday. 

After I publish all the wonderfulness in each season, isn't it so hard to decide which season to love the most? 

What I LOVE About Spring

If you been reading my blog long enough you will realize I posted What I LOVE About Fall and What I LOVE About Winter.  Weather is getting warmer and warmer, and this week is first week of April. It is a good time to write about spring. This post is my way of starting April and Spring term. Enjoy!

1. Flowers: I always start with nature related favorites!! For spring is definitely flowers!! It is the season of full blooming. They are just too beautiful and hard to resist. Whenever I see flowers on the street, I can't help myself staring at the flowers and take picture. Sometimes I even want to pick some flowers.   

2. Hope and Starting Over: Usually second one will be holiday related. The holiday during spring time is Easter. It is about rebirth. It gives a hope. Generally when the weather is getting better, people would start to feel the hope.  Spring is also the start of new school year in Japan and Korea. I lived part of my childhood in Japan. Spring is time to start over. 

3. Dress Up for Warm: I hope you already read about my previous posts, and you will realize I love dressing up. Spring is time to big coat (even I like them), and change to lighter cloth. During the spring time, I like to wear one piece of long sleeve with jeans. They are so comfortable. 

Five things I LOVE about Ashalnd

I have been to Ashland for since September. I ABSOLUTELY love it from the deepest my my heart. Let me share!!

1. People are SO FRIENDLY!! Seriously, every one can feel live at home in Ashland. There are very a few criminal cases here. I feel very safe living in this town. I love walking down the street and seeing people smiling at each other. If I ever want to ask for help, there always people there, so I feel worry free in Ashland.

2. The town is very ARTISTIC: There are a lot of interesting shaped sculptures on the street. Ashland is also the town of Oregon Shakespeare Festival. There are talented musicians performing on the streets as well. Furthermore, I really like how people dress up in Ashland. I even learned some fashion tips observing them. 

3. EVERYTHING is in walking distance: It is extremely convenient!! A poor student like me can not afford a car. I can go everywhere without a car. I also like to walk, and the weather is good almost all year around. the weather and structure of the city match well together. 

4. There are a lot of DELICIOUS food: I am a foodie, so I enjoy living a city with different kinds of food. Even Ashland is a small town, there are a lot of restaurants and cafes. Explore and try new food is what I love to do during my free time. I like the Bakeries and Italian Restaurants in Ashland. 

5. The view are so BEAUTIFUL: Ashland is beautiful town in general. I enjoy sighting every day. We can even access to the outdoor easily. There is big nature park called "Lithia Park" in the downtown area. We can see the mountain of Ashland from almost anywhere in the city. 

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What I LOVE About Winter

Back in November, I wrote What I LOVE About Fall. I said I love the leaves and colors, food and holidays, and dressing up and the weather. I thought I should do this kind of post for every season. I do not a favorite season because every season has its own specialities, and they are similar to each other. 

1. Snow: I have love and hate relationship with snow, but I love it more than hate it. Snow makes everything look so pretty. Nothing better than waking in the morning and seeing outside is covered with whipped cream!! Some legend even tells that snow is gift with heaven. White Christmas is romantic as well. The hate part is that I don't want it too much. There was one year, we had limited mobility due to heavy snowed. We were pretty stuck at home for two weeks!! I also don't like to ski and skate, but I like play in the snow. 

 

2. Food and Holidays: Same as Fall, winter has a lot of holidays such as Christmas, New Year, and Valentine's Day. Plus both my mother's birthday and my birthday happens in winter. We have fun celebrating all the holidays and birthdays. There would be a lot of cooking and baking for the special days, and I LOVE FOOD. I also like the comfort food. Nothing warms me up better than a cup of hot soup in the winter days.  





3. Dressing Up for Cold: I know most of people do not like the cold weather in winter, but we can use this coldness to be fashionable. I enjoy wearing different kind of coats. I like to try different kinds of scarfs and gloves to match with the coats. I am not a hat person, but if you are, you can try different kinds hats as well. BE CREATIVE!! Winter is also the season for boots. This year, I bought my first pair of boots, and I absolutely LOVE them. Ideas for winter fashion are endless. 

I hope this post made your cold days better. 
Dear all my blog readers, do not get sick!!

What I LOVE About Fall

Now is middle of November, which means it is almost end of the Fall. The weather is getting colder and colder everyday, and winter is approaching. I better write something before it ends. 

I LOVE fall!! Actually I like all four seasons equally because they all have something special in it. 

1. Leaves and Colors: 




I love the changing color of the leaves. The orange color is just beautiful. That is why I changed my blog background to orange. During fall days, I like to take a walk and go for a run in the park and see the pretty leaves falling out from the trees. I realized fading is as wonderful as blooming, so I am not scared of getting old and dying.  

2. Food and Holidays: 

Fall the is the season for yummy food and great holidays. There are two wonderful holidays, and they come consecutively with one and another. Halloween and Thanksgiving: I love to dress up and see all the other people dress up for halloween, and I enjoy having enormous dinner with friends and family on Thanksgiving. Most of all, both of them associated with pumkin!! I love pumpkin!! It is SO delicious. The best part is that it can be dessert, appetizer, drink, and main dish. I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin latte, and pumpkin soup.  

3. Dressing Up and Weather: 

Dressing up for fall is very fun because I love scarf. That is the PERFECT accessory. Fall is a season of sweater and cardigan, so I like to wear them as well. The wear in the fall is nice, too. It is not too cold nor hot. The crispy weather is the BEST part. 

 

I hope my blog reader is enjoying your fall. What do you like about fall? Is fall your favorite season? Or you don't like fall? 

My Backyard

A break from my Summer To Do List, let's look at my garden. Summer is the best time in garden because the flowers are finally blooming and fruits are in season. They are all from the hard work of my TALENTED MOTHER!!

Lilies: Aren't they beautiful!! I like them because they have many different colors. When I choose a type of flower, I always have hard time pick the color. Although my favorite color is pink, I think any color would look on flowers. In China, Lilies are common flower gift for couples because their name means happily together for 100 years in Chinese. Some boys buy lilies for their girlfriends when they propose. 

Roses: Portland is the ROSE city. There is not only an International Rose Garden, there are roses blooming everywhere on the street and people's garden. Most of my neighbors have roses in their garden, and so are we. Not. They are irresistible. 

Cherries: The best part of the summer garden is that there are delicious cherries to eat. They were hard to pick because they were high above. We planted the tree back in 2009. Back then it was very small. I was worried that whether the cherries would really going to grow or not. For the past three years. it grown rapidly. Now it is about five to six times the tree when we first planned.  

They are so YUMMY and FRESH!! Also, absolutely organic. It would cost a lot to buy organic cherries at supermarkets. They were gone fast!! Even the cherry season went quickly. I don't think we can pick this many cherries from the tree anymore. Last year was the first year, cherries had grown on the trees. The number of cherries we picked at least doubled, almost tripled from last year.

On the perfect Portland Days, I'd like to sit in the garden and have a cup of tea with my afternoon snack. My favorite afternoon snack is a piece of cake with a lot of seasonal fruit. This is HEAVEN. 

What is growing in your garden?