"Love in that condition in which the happiness of another is essential to your own" -Robert Heinlein

"I love you for all that you are, all that you have been and all you're yet to be."

"Loved you yesterday, love you still, always have, always will."

"I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity and her flaming self respect. And its these things I'd believe in, even if the whole world indulge in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be. I love her and it is the beginning of everything." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

"All you need is love."

021708<3

midland.

i've been content and happy with where i'm at right now. :)

my job as a barista at starbucks has been amazing. of course, i was skeptical and hesitant at first in the beginning. i can be a bit awkward at first when you meet me, but once i open up to you, i'm loud and out there. anyways. it's hard meeting new people and trying to make friends in a new environment and i was pretty worried at first when i began at starbucks. however, it was easier than i thought to become friends and comfortable with the people i work with. there are a couple of people that are going away to college within the next week that i'm pretty sad about. we are getting new people so hopefully, they'll be just as awesome as the people leaving.

my other job as a freelance writer at utpb has been okay. i finished up the first three stories i was assigned: previews for the upcoming season of the men and women's soccer, cross country and volleyball teams. it's really easy money for doing these stories on your own time so i'm enjoying it a lot. i still get a bit nervous talking to my sources and interviewing them, but i guess that's just something i'll have to get over.

i caught up with an old friend from high school tonight. she has the cutest baby boy ever and it feels weird, not in a bad way, but a good way. i haven't talked to her in two years and she actually got in contact with me through instagram. it was nice seeing her and playing with her adorable little boy. hopefully, we don't lose contact like we did the last couple of years.

besides work and socializing, (i do actually need to start studying for the gre), i've been spending tons of time with my little brother. since he's a couple of years older than what he was before i moved to san marcos, he's grown up a lot. he's going to be 12 on october 2nd, and it just blows my mind that he's about to be taller than me. (he's up to my chin probably). we've been getting snow cones from the little snow cone stand near our house at least two or three times a week. we've been playing tons of video games including left 4 dead and super mario bros. wii. we also spent the morning/afternoon together the other day as he helped me run a few errands around town and in odessa. we ate wing stop for lunch and it was his first time and i'm sure he's obsessed with the wings from there now. he keeps talking to our dad about going to wing stop because he wants bbq wings, haha. :P

 

boyfriend.

joshua,
the past four and a half years have been the best years of my life. you've taught me a great deal about everything including myself. of course, we have our ups and downs like any other couple and our wonderful and bad times. the past year has been one of our biggest years ever. i've changed. you've changed. but we've definitely changed and grew up together... as individuals and as a couple. these past  years have flew by like no other. it just felt like yesterday we were walking down the halls of lee high. and now, we're graduating college. (well, i graduated already. ;P) you've done so much for me and i can't thank you enough for everything and the smallest things you do. you're my better half, my rock, my world, my everything. i remember seeing you in junior high and having the biggest crush on you and thinking, "there's no way we would ever get together." i remember the first time we had a conversation outside of school - the starbucks next to the high school when you gave me my christmas present. :) i remember the first time you called me "babe" and i got so many butterflies in my stomach. i remember the first time we held hands and i remember our first kiss. you've given me so much joshua and you've done so much for me. i can't thank you enough and words can't tell you how much i appreciate you and how blessed how i am to have you in my life and for me to call you mine. you're not only my boyfriend, you're my best friend. i love you and miss you very much.

love always,
bae

p.s - fifteen more days till' i get to see your handsome face. :)

home sweet home.

this summer has definitely went by fast. faster than i thought. it just felt like yesterday ariel and i were talking about summer plans in late may. and now it's the beginning of august.

it's been a few days since i moved home and since moving home, things have been really emotional, yet less stressful. it's been emotional because of all the emotions and feelings i have towards san marcos and all the friends there. but being at home has definitely had its ups. for example, i don't have to worry about spending money on groceries or the electricity bill. and on top of that, i get my mom's cooking everyday.

i really miss san marcos though. i miss the friends i made there, especially my main girls, ariel and meagan. i miss going out to the bars every weekend. i miss going to work at bed, bath & beyond... as much as it was a pain in the butt working there, it was nice having great co-workers. i miss my boyfriend especially. i miss waking up to his handsome face in the morning, cooking dinner with him and giving him little kisses on the cheek and forehead. i miss the whole college atmosphere of san marcos. i definitely miss running around san marcos and the river. thank you san marcos for the wonderful college experience. it's definitely made a huge impact on my life.

it's going to be a long five months before josh moves back home. until then... work and study. i'm pretty sure an advantage of being home is not going out to the bars and saving money and on top of that, losing weight. i want to try and spend a lot more time with my little brother as well before moving again. he's turning 12 in october and i think this is definitely the perfect time to spend a lot of time together and build that close sibling relationship. another thing i really wanna do while i'm here at home is learn my mom's cooking. being in san marcos, i've always baked chicken and fish and had macaroni, mashed potatoes, etc. i'm sure josh would appreciate me learning how to cook like my mom as well. ;)

i haven't been at home even a week and i already landed a freelance writing job at the university 20 minutes away from midland. i'm also in touch with the lifestyles' editor at the midland reporter telegram about a position there. it just so happens that i went to elementary school all the way up to high school with the lifestyles' editor's son and she remembers me. i really hope things work out while i'm here in midland... especially career-wise and financially.

people.

a few things i wish i understood more about people:
- why people are so selfish.
- why people do certain things. are they done intentionally or unintentionally?
- how people can be so bipolar towards others.
- how someone could be so spoiled and not even realize it.
- why people don't say something sooner instead of later.

people are ridiculous and i know i'll never understand why decisions are made. but for now, the majority of people that i know need to quit being so selfish and quit doing things that's completely unnecessary and stupid. the world doesn't revolve around one person and if you think it does, you have a lot coming for you.

life as of lately.

it sure has been a while since i've updated... not that i've been super busy or anything, but i've just been simply enjoying the summer and my last few weeks in san marcos before i move back to midland. :)

since my last update... not much has been happening except:
- i finally got my iPhone 4s from my parents for my last graduation gift. i've been on it so much lately... it has everything i need. all of my apps, music, photos, etc.
- as usual, i've been hitting the bars every weekend with my main girl, ariel. tons of funs and we've been to bar one41 so much that the bartenders pretty much know who we are!
- took a weekend trip to dallas to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law. it was nice to get out of town and take a mini vacation. there was tons of eating out, pool time, alcohol and going out.
- finished up my college job at the triple b; (bed, bath and beyond). the managers and my co-workers surprised me with a ice cream cake along with a few gifts that included a hello kitty throw and a hello kitty rice cooker.
- i threw josh's surprise early birthday dinner last night at plucker's. the surprise was mainly a lot of our friends being there and then, a surprise avenger's birthday cake with trick candles. it was entertaining watching him blow out the candles then watching them re-light, haha.

 

 

Happy List.

Took this idea of a happy list from my amazing and beautiful cousin, Cynthia. :)

1) Late nights with my amazing friends. We've been hitting the bars a lot and not to mention spending tons of money, but it's all completely worth it since it's my last summer here in San Marcos.
2) Spending time with my boy. <3 We don't get much time together since he's in summer school. It seems like we have opposite schedules so when we do get time to go to the mall or just cuddle, it's amazing.
3) Iron and Wine and Pandora. I have been on my iPod like crazy lately listening to music. I prefer music over television any day.
4) Writing. The whole process of getting assigned a story, contacting sources, interviewing, writing a story and then seeing your name printed in the papers next to your story is awesome.
5) Running. Although I've been averaging one run a week (ha, I know. It's been super hot!), it's nice to get out there and get the stress reliever out of the way.
6) Breezy weather. Even though it's been super hot, I love the cloudy days and the breeze rolling by.
7) NBA Playoffs. Go OKC! Thunder Up!
8) My Macbook<3 It is so much better than my Dell laptop. It has everything I need on it. A hello kitty decal thanks to babe and all my Adobe programs thanks to my boy, Brando.
9) My hair! It's finally getting longer and I'm getting happy with the length of it.
10) In two days, my "no drinking soda" for three months will be marked! :)

Summer 2012.

First and foremost... Finally got my diploma! :) I'm an official Texas State graduate and I now have my bachelor's degree.

I've been spending a lot of time with my girls by going out to the bars at least once or twice a week.

I've been enjoying my brand new Macbook thanks to my rents`. And bae sure knows me too well. ;)

And I have been happier than ever with this amazing boy right here. :)

Besides going out and having drunken nights at the bars with my girls, spending time with the lovely boyfriend and working as a cashier... I've been busy with my internship at the papers. It was slow for the first couple of weeks, but our "Showcase Edition" which features San Marcos organizations will be published soon so I've been assigned six stories. Trying to get in touch with sources and writing the stories itself have been keeping me busy as of last week.

Life has been good lately. It's been relaxing yet busy with work and the internship. I've been brushing up on my Illustrator skills and have also been reading. The last and final Twilight movie comes out this November and I'm hoping I can finish reading the series before then. I started reading Twilight last week and I can't get my nose out of it. I forgot how amazing of an author Stephanie Meyer is. Other than that, I'm trying to keep up with this blog. My life isn't that interesting so I don't really have much to blog about, but it gives me something to do once in a while. :)

graduation.

I'm an official Texas State graduate as of May 11th. :) Okay, well technically on May 15th since that's when final grades were posted. It was such a busy week before graduation. 

Thursday - Took a day trip to Houston to pick up my graduation cake. (Long story short - My friend's aunt bakes and baked my graduation cake and she lives in Houston). It was rainy and the drive back home was completely horrible because of the weather. I eventually made it back to San Marcos where I got my nails and eyebrows done and had a party dinner with a few friends at a wing bar. My brother and sister-in-law came into town from Dallas and we hit the Square (bars) that night for a few drinks.

Friday - GRADUATION DAY. It was so overwhelming and so stressful. I didn't go to bed till' about 3 the night before and I woke up around 7:30ish because I was so nervous. The only thing I ate that day was a donut... My stomach was doing flips here and there and I didn't even have an appetite. Graduation was at 2... It was over before I knew it. Luckily, I spotted my brother in his bright blue shirt and saw the rest of my family and friends. Of course, I was super freaking hungry out on the floor while waiting to walk, haa. After graduation - got my new Macbook, yay! :) Thanks to pops and moms for the best grad gift. We had dinner reservations at Salt Grass Steakhouse - best steak ever with macaroni and mash potatoes, lol. Went out to the Square again graduation night and stayed at Bar One41 (best bar/club ever) and got pretty drunk, haha. It was a good day and good night.

The weekend was good. I spent a lot of time with family and it was nice being away from the job for five days. I'm kind of sad knowing I graduated - It feels... weird, lol. But, to-do plans now since graduation is over:

1) Move home for a few months.

2) Run a lot more... like 4-5 times a week.

3) Explore more books. It's been a while since I read for the fun of it.

4) While at home, get back into being a barista for a while. I miss making coffee and espresso drinks. It'll be nice making a little money on the side while living off my parents rent.

5) Look for a journalism or designer job - apply - get hired.

6) Study for the GRE.

7) Apply to graduate school - preferably at North Texas.

8) Keep in touch with the amazing people I met here in San Marcos.

Undergrad Officially Done.

I finished up all of my classes, finals, projects, etc. today! :) Which means... I'm officially done with my undergraduate's degree. It didn't really hit me until Josh and I went to get pizza (Haa, random. I know). We had the windows rolled down and after getting pizza, we were driving around campus and it hit me. Of course, I started bawling like a little baby. But, knowing that I'm done and I'm going to have my bachelor's degree in a week is really exciting. Maybe I'm just a bit emotional, but oh well.

I don't think I would've been ready for Texas State if I hadn't gone to Midland College. Midland College has definitely taught me a lot and gave me the tools and experience of going to a legit university. My first semester was horrible, I'll admit. A couple of C's here and there and even a D... but finishing up at Midland College my fourth and final semester, I received a 4.0 that semester which brought my GPA up past a 3 in addition to receiving my associate's degree.

Going through the first year at Texas State, I really had no social life. All I really did was study, work and hang out with Josh. Given, I did pretty decent that first year. (I could have done a bit better my first semester). At the end of my second semester, Josh left to go back home to Midland. It was a roller coaster ride with him through the summer and especially through the fall 11` semester. My first summer here in San Marcos, I finished up with 12 credit hours taking a couple of journalism and art classes. Going into the last fall semester, I had two pretty hard art classes (Typography & Conceptual Thinking). I was also taking Web Design, Media Law and Info Gathering & Analysis through the journalism school. It was probably the roughest semester by far - with me turning 21 and being able to drink whenever and not making school my number one priority because I wanted to party and on top of that, Josh not being there. And you know, there are things that I do regret that I know I shouldn't because I believe things happen for a reason. Some of the craziest and stupidest things I did last semester was go to class drunk on critique day because I went out to Sixth Street the night before, and even throwing parties and playing beer pong on random nights such as Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Coming into my last semester, I really wanted to finish strong and improve my GPA for graduate school. So that said, I put aside drinking and partying and started focusing on school. Also - Josh came back for the semester. :) Of course, I would go to the bars and play a little beer pong here and there, but things have definitely changed from last semester. I found myself working quite a bit, hanging out with Josh more and having consistent homework and project deadlines. I really needed to slow down on drinking and partying because: 1) School should always be my number one priority rather than partying. 2) It's a lot of money going to waste. And 3) I've been doing a good job on running and losing weight so drinking would pretty much balance losing weight out.

I knew this semester was going to be good... I had doubts at first about my art classes, but in the end, I enjoyed every single minute of it. I had the busiest schedule ever this semester with class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 am to 4:50 pm straight through. This semester has definitely flew by fast. It just felt like yesterday was the first day of the semester. It's amazing how time flies by so quick. Not only am I saying this for this semester, but for the whole two years I've been here at Texas State. It even felt like yesterday I was in the LBJ student center with my parents for orientation. And now, here I am... about to graduate with my bachelor's of arts in journalism.

Although drinking and partying did take over my life quite a bit last semester, if I didn't go to parties... I wouldn't have met all the amazing people I know today in San Marcos. Looking back at the first semester at Texas State and not knowing anything to the last semester and throwing the graduation party last week... it's unbelievable how many friends I've made. From work friends to art friends to journalism friends to party friends... I learned how important it is to make friends and get involved during college.

So, I wanna say thank you first and foremost to my parents. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to succeed here at Texas State... Especially financially. They've helped me a lot when it came to money situations and they've always been there to motivate me to be the best that I can be when things were at its lowest point. I also wanna thank Bob Templeton, my advisor and Karen Lanier, my publications instructor from Midland College. If it wasn't for them, I would not have any of the journalism experience I have today. And for that, I thank you guys and appreciate your hard work and dedication to helping me learn and make the best out of myself. To the new friends I've made here in San Marcos, thank you so much for supporting me and giving me the social life I needed here at Texas State. My big brother, Kuang & sister-in-law, Steph and Aunt Linda - you guys have been the most inspiring people ever. Without you guys, I don't think I could have done this without your motivation and words to my stubborn head. The rest of my family - thank you for everything that y'all have done. I love y'all. And last, but not least... Joshua Templeton. We've been through a lot... You're my best friend. My boyfriend. My everything. This has been one crazy adventure with you here in San Marcos, but I wouldn't trade it for anything at all. Thank you for sticking by my side through everything. I appreciate you putting up with my attitude and stubborn self... You're the best. <3

Party, Party, Party! Let's All Get Wasted!

Saturday was my huge graduation party that friends and I threw. Needless to say, it was a super fun night. Let me say, I was tipsy by the time midnight rolled around. We had 200+ jello shots, a keg, 'holy water' that my friend made, a DJ and a beer pong table. Luckily, the party wasn't busted. We warned the neighbors ahead of time. ;) Towards the end of the night, I was pretty much out of it. I don't remember walking up the stairs to the apartment, changing into sleeping clothes or going to bed. The party itself was a success. There were at least more than 50 people there... people that I know and people that I didn't know. The party pretty much turned into a night club. Apparently I started the dancing, hah. Overall, I had tons of fun! I definitely needed this party and the alcohol after a long few weeks of school.

 

 

Busy Bee.

It has been a loooooong week. Coming back from Houston after a fast weekend for Cambodian New Year's. Staying at the school till' 5 in the morning when I have an 8 a.m that exact day to finish a project. Creating and designing my Senior portfolio within two days of the deadline. And on top of that, my job decided to give me 30 hours this week... plus, I picked up an extra shift.

I wouldn't trade it for anything at all because... next week is the last class week! :D Which means... I graduate in less than three weeks! Words cannot explain how excited I am or how proud I am of myself. I've come such a long way from being a freshman at Midland College to finishing up as a Bobcat at Texas State. And the most important thing is I did it in four years after graduating high school! Taking summer classes all summer long was in a pain in the butt, but it's completely worth it knowing I'm graduating on time. :)

After a long week of school, it's time to kick back and relax with a book and my iPod with One Direction singing to me. ;) Love these boys! Their album, 'Up All Night' is completely addicting.

And to become a bit stress free, my boy definitely knows how to cheer me up. Thanks babes. :)

Tuesdays.

tuesdays. the most busiest days out of my schedule. and so it goes like this...

5:45-7:15 a.m - wake up, get ready, breakfast, etc.

7:15-8:00 a.m - on the way to class. parking can be a pain in the butt as well as traffic.

8:00-10:50 a.m - first class; interactive design.

11:00-12:20 p.m - second class; sports as writing.

12:30-1:50 p.m - third class; advanced reporting.

2:00-4:50 p.m - fourth class; advanced typography.

5:00-7:00 p.m - leaving school, small break, small dinner, prepping for covering games.

7:00-9:30 p.m - covering high school sports games. it was basketball earlier this semester, but now it's softball season!

9:30-11:00 p.m - writing the sports story for the papers' before the 11 p.m deadline.

11:00 - afterwards, it's shower time, blogging, facebooking, etc. i should be doing homework, but after a full day of school, no way!

(i'll sometimes throw in a 5 a.m run if i really need to. that hasn't been happening lately, ha)

san marcos high school softball team played seguin in the last of the three district games tonight. josh and i went to seguin to watch the girls play. unfortunately, they lost, 5-3 making their record 10-15-1 and 3-5 in district. they host converse-judson this friday night in addition to it being senior night.

it's been a very long day i must say. i baked cookies for my love so it's time for some milk and cookies. :)

New Blog, Same Me.

figure i get a blogger to blog about my life and what's going on in it. keeping it simple and short. :)

this is me.. iline (eyelean) tang. i'm 21-years-old and currently, a texas state undergrad student majoring in journalism and minoring in communication design. i'm graduating in aless than 6 weeks, yay! also - my boyfriend is in this photo. his name is josh and we've been together for more than four years. :) my life pretty much revolves around school, work and my boyfriend.

nothing flashy or important, but that's me. :) working and going to school everyday like any other person. i'm also currently a sports reporter for the san marcos daily record. not really a big name, but hey, i'm getting there. ;)