Helloooooo June!

“Better late than never,

but never late is better”

Wow, the past few months have flown by in a whirlwind and left me in a daze. 
I can't believe I only posted once the whole month of May!!!  =(

Life has seriously been too crazy for the past few months:  Between working 3 (technically 4 jobs), meeting with friends and family, and all the other aspects of my life, I literally had no idea what day it was most of the time. 

Luckily I had my planner: I looked at where I had to be the next day... and I'd make sure to be there  =D

An example of the craziness that was my life.... my room.
And yes.... those are bags of laundry at the foot of the bed
o_o



Welcome to the (Concrete) Jungle- I ♥ NY

"New York is a different country.

Maybe it ought to have a separate government.

Everybody thinks differently, acts differently

--they just don't know what the hell the rest of the United States is"

-Henry Ford 

Ok, Ok.... I will be the first to admit that I don't always love NYC.

We have a passionate Love/Hate Relationship going on. 
And it IS two-sided:  NYC can be very good to me, and it can be a reeeeeal pain in the @ss.

Growing up in Jersey, right across the GWB (George Washington Bridge for those not in the know), I've spent most of my life in and out of NY.

* Being a little kid, going to NYC was always fun and exciting. 
Dinners, Theatres, Shopping~ Going into NY was always an adventure
* When I was in High School, NY was the place to sneak off to and hang out on the weekends
Ahhh..... so many fond memories of going into the city and carelessly dancing the night away, sitting on stoops, and all the crazy adventures I've had over the years.
* Now that I'm older and have to go into the city for work and to see friends and family, it's not as pleasurable as it was back in the day
("JUST COME OUT TO THE CITY!?!" my friends will have to coax me) 

The traffic and crazy drivers, the hustle and bustle, the chaos that can be NYC can put me in a state that I like to call "New York Neurotic".

* HOWEVER, I have literally travelled all around the world and one thing I can say without hesitation is that there is nowhere else in the world that is like NY. 
Love it or Hate it~ NYC is one of the most amazing places in the world.

Spring is one of my favorite times to be in NY.

The warm weather and carefree breezes, the flowers and trees blooming everywhere, and a renewed feeling of energy and positivity that New Yorkers seem to carry after a long and cold Winter help to make NYC a wonderful place to visit in the Spring.

If you are a tourist or have never been to NYC, here is my advice to help you get the most out of your trip.

I'm an April Fool- Jokes and Pranks

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance"

-Japanese Proverb

It seems that my co-workers and friends didn't get the memo that April Fool's is on April 1.
Lately, a lot of them have been having fun at my expense by pranking me   =P
Although I usually like to be the one playing the prank, I have to admit that practical jokes are fun.

So, if you really want to play an April Fool's Joke on someone, do it after 4/1!  =D

Here is a clip of the prank my friends Josh and Susan played on me the other night.

* Side note: I was ALREADY in a scared mood because we were going to watch a scary movie and Susan had already scared me with the mask a few minutes before!!!!
- I think I was trying to say "Stop!" but couldn't even get the words out.
- As you can see, I was so scared that I couldn't even look or stand up
- Josh found it amusing that I hadn't even really looked at him before screaming.

I am currently plotting ways to get back at them.  The Prank War is ON!   =D

Prank vs. Prank is a You Tube Channel that features a couple that are always pranking each other.
I can't believe some of the stuff they do to each other.... but it's pretty funny.
Here are my two favorite videos from them. 
* How to wake up your hot girlfriend with a fake head
* Girlfriend scares the hell out of sleeping boyfriend

Old School Girl In A Fast Paced World

Recently, I've been noticing how I'm constantly talking about how old I am.

I realize I need to stop doing this (because it's annoying and makes me seem REALLY OLD).

However, I can't help feeling that things are changing way too quickly!

When I asked my father (who up until a year or two ago had never used a computer before) what 4G meant, and he knew that it meant "generation" while I had thought it meant "4 gigs", I got really sad...

I'm constantly asking people, "What is that?!?" and "What does that mean?!?" when it comes to new cultural and technological terms.

It seems like everyday there's a new acronym that I have to decipher!

I'm an Old School Girl in a world that's rapidly changing by the second. 

It's sooo hard to keep up, and sometimes I feel left in the dormant and dated dust....    

Polite Picture Posting: Say No to Posting a Bad Photo

When I log into my email and see the words, "________  tagged a photo of you on Facebook", my heart rate shoots up and I start feeling nervous.
I anxiously log into my facebook account to see what picture awaits me.

Q: Why do I have such a strong reaction to a simple picture?
A: Susan Yi and Taylor Schneider

Yes.  Two of my closest friends in the whole wide world have made me a paranoid Nervous Nelly when it comes to online pictures.

I didn't always used to be this way.  I used to have a feeling of happy curiosity and eagerness to see what pictures awaited me when I was tagged in a photo.  Or at the very least, I didn't care....
NOW, I carry a feeling of dread with me when I go to see what picture I've been tagged in.

I don't know why two of my best friends (and other people that do this) will post up pictures that are not flattering of other people.
Now I realize that I am a very picky person when it comes to taking pictures~ I only like taking side/profile pictures from the left side of my face (and my friends always make fun of me for it).
However, I'm talking about pictures where someone's eyes are closed, they're talking, or they just don't look good.

Beauty Resolutions For 2011

Ahhh... A New Year.  A New Start.  A New Beginning.
For most people, January 1 is a time of renewal and the start of a "clean slate".
An excuse to get rid of bad habits and a time to start good ones.

Here are some of the top 10 Beauty Habits I hope you will follow.
Yes, they're obvious.... but if you actually put in the effort, I know you will see results.

Au Revoir 2010~*

Up. Down. All around.
Been all over the place (Physically, Mentally, Emotionally).
It's been a fun, happy, sad, frustrating, scary, educational, exciting, blissful and blessed year.
Thanks for the memories 2010 (and all the people, places I've  encountered throughout the year)~*

Wishing everyone a wonderfully blessed, blissful, and bangin 2011!

Cheers to Health, Wealth, and Happiness!

“Another fresh new year is here . . .

Another year to live!

To banish worry, doubt, and fear,

To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me

To live each day with zest . . .

To daily grow and try to be

My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity

Once more to right some wrongs,

To pray for peace, to plant a tree,

And sing more joyful songs!”

-William Arthur Ward

*~ Have a Beautiful New Year ~*

The Power of Prayer

"Prayers go up, and Blessings come down"

-Yiddish Proverb

This has been a pretty crazy year  (when in my world is it not, right?).
Another rollercoaster of a year filled with ups and downs~
However, this year was a lot more bearable during the down times.
I believe this is because of the power of prayer.

Over the past few years, my spiritual life has grown in many different ways, but this was the first year where I felt I truly lived differently.... and could actually see the outcomes.

Thanksgiving 2010~*

"Gratitude is the best attitude"

"For flowers that bloom about our feet; For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;

For song of bird, and hum of bee; For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee!"

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanksgiving is here. 

I try not to be thankful just one day a year, but everyday.

Here's my 2010 list of gratitude.

Well. Africa. Fundraiser. 11/17/10 @ Galway Hooker

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little"

-Edmund Burke

I was fortunate enough to go to Kenya in 2009 and 2010.
My life has been changed from the experience.
Of course not everyone can go to Africa, but everyone can make a difference.

Here is a video of some our experiences.

I.C.E. (iRene, Crystal, Esther) is throwing a benefit to raise money and awareness to help build a well for the orphans at By Grace Orphange in Kenya.  

•For those of you that are my friends, you better have a good excuse not to be there!
•For my subscribers living in the tri-state area that have yet to meet me, come on out! (I'm always curious as to who my readers are).
•For someone who's thought about trying to help others and make a difference, here's an opportunity.
•For someone who just wants to get drunk fast and cheap, there's no better place!


Come on out to get some good, cheap, drinks, meet some great people, win some prizes, and help save the world one contribution (and perhaps a t-shirt) at a time!

Happy Halloween '10

I love dressing up, so of course Halloween is a fun night for me.
This year, I wasn't really feeling up to doing anything so I didn't plan on going out.
But a few days before Halloween weekend, I thought about it and really wanted to see other people in costume.
I don't like buying costumes so I thought about what I could easily come up with from home.

I had a robe, a fan, and flip flops.
Here is my costume for Halloween 2010.

It was freezing cold walking around in a dress and robe, but it was fun seeing all the crazy costumes.

Favorites costumes this year:
A couple dressed up as corpses in body bags
A guy who had a children's toy block around his waist---> Cock Block

Hope u all had a safe and fun Halloween!

*~ Have a Beautiful Day! ~*

What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted

Love is like a puzzle. 

When you're in love, all the pieces fit

But when your heart gets broken, it takes a while to get everything back together

I've been through my share of break-ups, rejection, and "getting over it".
It doesn't seem to get any easier no matter how much "experience" I gain.
A broken heart (whether it be a small tiny rip or a full-on gut-wrenching "My life is over" feeling) SUCKS.

Here are my attempts to heal a broken heart.

In My Makeup Bag

I'm always curious to see what products people use: I love seeing what my friends and makeup mentors use in their makeup bags and kits.
So in case you were interested in seeing what goodies I carry around with me, I am about to unveil my own bag of tricks   ;)

Currently, I'm using a silver Bobbi Brown makeup bag that was a gift with purchase.
I usually use my makeup bags for months- a year until it starts falling apart.
Sometimes I change the products, but I usually carry around these items (or ones that are similar in quality/convenience)

Here are the products that I feel are worthy of carrying around with me wherever I go (at least for now):

My Life as a 27 Year Old

"Welcome to Old.  Get Comfortable"

-My Older Cousin

"The obstacles you face may be huge but you have what it takes to overcome every last one of them.  Never doubt that you were born to be special. Never doubt that you will succeed. 

 See whatever fate sends your way as a gift to be used"

-Virgo Horoscope

How are the years zooming by soooo quickly?!?

Today I am 28 (and only 2 years away from my scary age).

Birthday's have always been a mixed feeling day for me~ I tend to love them or hate them.

Whatever feeling I'm having (this year is pretty good), it's always a day for me to think back on my life and see where I am now.

Here are some of the experiences I've had and the lessons I've learned (hopefully) during my 27th year on earth.

To a Fabulous Father~ Happy Father's Day!

"One father is more than 100 schoolmasters"

-George Herbert

I always say this, but I have the best Dad.
No, Really~ I do.
If you've met Unsik, Charlie, Mr. Kim, Hae Ran Appa (iRene's Dad in Korean), Papa Kim or whatever else you may know him as, you'll agree.
If you know me and all the things I've put my father through over the years, then you'll REALLY agree!

*~ It Takes a Village To Raise iRene Kim.... Happy Mother's Day! ~*

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.  

~Jewish Proverb

Mother's Day used to be a really sad day for me.
It was hard because it was so close to the day that she died (5/7/01).
However, as I have learned to accept my mother's death, it's become a lot easier for me with each passing year.
Just a quick thanks to my friends that called or let me know they were thinking about me.
You guys are the best!  xoxo

I Am Korean American... and Proud of it!

I came upon the I Am Korean American website through Korean Beacon.
It's a great site that features profiles of different Korean Americans.

There are over 1.5 million Korean Americans in the United States. We share many similarities but are each unique and different. I Am Korean American is an online project that showcases the diversity and many interesting personalities of the Korean American community.   

The World Does Not Revolve Around iRene- Why it's been Me, Me, Me.

"My significant other right now is myself, which is what happens when you suffer from multiple personality disorder and self-obsession" 

-Joaquin Phoenix

So I know I haven't done as many beauty-related articles this past month.  My apologies.
A few reasons for this:

2nd Week in LaLa Land... and a Week in Sacramento

I have now been in L.A. for 3 weeks and it has been absolutely fabulous.
Here's what's been going on my second and third week living in California!

1 Week in La La Land

So I have officially been in L.A. for over a week... and I'm loving every minute of it!

Initially, I wanted to get a part time job here.  And I actually could have gotten some work... but when I told them I'm only here for a month.. it was plain to see (by their expressions) that that was pointless.

So, I am here to enjoy the sun, clean up my life, make some new contacts, and study on my own to become the best makeup artist I can be.
How am I going to do that? Well.... I can't give away ALL my secrets!  ;)