It's Been a Long Time Without Updates, My Friends

Tiffany told me today at the office that my last post on this blog was two years ago. Who is Tiffany? Oh she's a new member of the CCS office, started 6 months ago. Sorry, like I've said, it's been two years since my last update. MY BAD!
We have also had a new guy at the office! Matt started at the same time as Tiffany, but due to his heavy class load as a pre-med student and potential research assistant opportunity, he left the office a few weeks ago. Below is a group photo of the CCS people back in December 2015! Matt and Tiffany are on the sides, and our Director Yunxiang Yan is in between me and Ashlee.

Taken in Dec 2015 at International Institute Winter Luncheon

Speaking of Ashlee, she left CCS as well, and the reason was because she GRADUATED! Congratulations, girl! She's job hunting now, so we wish you best of luck, Ashlee! <3

We love you, Ashlee!

We recently have a new addition to the office, and his name is Tim! Catherine will be graduating and leaving UCLA in two month in June, so we got Tim in now to learn the ropes from Catherine. I will upload Tim's photo later. Meanwhile, you can check him out on our website : http://www.international.ucla.edu/ccs/person/1919

I'm giving final presentations tonight, so I gots to be going! Oh yea, I started a Master in Clinical Psychology program at Pepperdine in January 2015, so I'm taking classes on weeknights. 

More updates later~

:)

Finals Week, Yay Spring!

It's almost the end of finals week here at UCLA, which means that Spring Break is coming next week! It's been pretty slow at the office event-wise, but that's good because it means that I have time to catch up office stuff.
Last Friday, I ordered microphones, amplifier, and stand for future lectures; sometimes our speakers don't speak loud enough for the audience in the back to hear clearly. We got them earlier this week and Catherine and I were having a lot of fun haha we're saying how we can host karaoke events now!

Manicures and Cupcakes! 3/13/14

The weather today is so nice! It was around 72F when we went to Beverly Hills during lunch, and it was just a really sunny and breezy day to walk around on Rodeo Dr.

I made an appointment with Haimi to get gel manicures because I saw it on Groupon that they have a special gel deal for $20! She preferred that we skip the Groupon and pay her directly, because those deals websites take a cut from the price. The gel manicure normally costs $40, so I got a good deal! :)

As I was walking to the parking lot from the office, I saw Catherine coming to work, so naturally she became my mani-buddy and we went to BH together hehe

Haimi is a beautiful petite lady from Vietnam, and during our session, we've learned so much about her! She studied music and sings opera, so she knows how to speak Italian and French in addition to Vietnamese, Chinese, and English. She's done makeup and nails for Kim Kardashian and other celebrities! The little shop she has in the plaza on 421 Rodeo Dr was only opened 9 weeks ago.

After getting our manicures, we decided to go to Sprinkles, because how could anyone not stop by Sprinkles when you're in Beverly Hills? (Except maybe Ashlee; she hates American desserts..boo)

Cat got the Irish Chocolate cupcake from the Sprinkles Cupcake ATM! It's $4.25 for one cupcake in a box. I got the Dark Chocolate Banana cupcake from inside the store for $3.75, and it only came in a bag.

Irish Chocolate

Cupcake is out!

Ordering at the ATM

Happy with one final done

After we came back to the office, Ashlee had finished her French oral final. She was really feeling relaxed and we wanted to share our cupcakes with her to celebrate, but after taking one bite, her face turned into this...

ew yuck!

I guess that's how she stays this lean... haha her dislike for sweets! However, she said that she loves eating meat and that she could eat a lot at all-you-can-eat kbbq... she has good genes :p

Catherine's Neon Orange

Esther's Princess Pink and glitter

So the quarter is coming to an end and next week is finals week. There won't be much going on at the Center so I guess it's time to start up my daily workout routine again. :) Need to burn off the cupcakes..

Happy Saint Patrick's Day (It's on 3/17)

Esther (Going to the gym tonight)

Twins Edition plus After Vegas, Tenth Week, Where Is My Room Service?? 3/11/14

I had too much fun with the twins last Friday that I didn't get a chance to publish a post, sorry! I thought about catching up with the post yesterday, but I was so tired =_=... I would have attributed it to the daylight saving time change if it wasn't for the fact that I've only had a total of 15 hours of sleep since Friday night...

Anyway, here it is!

Last Friday, Catherine's twin sister came to visit from Berkeley, and they came to the CCS office together. Listening to the two of them talking to each other was like listening to a schizophrenic person talking to herself. "What are you doing? Stop it!" "No, wait, look at this" "Oh that's so weird!" "Told you!" "Hahahaha~" (It's hard to tell their voices apart when they are talking simultaneously)

Alice and Catherine

Although they sound the same and have the same laugh, they would protest vehemently when you comment on how similar they are to one another. They are quite different though, with Alice being pre-Pharm and Catherine being Econ. However, they are both really sweet and fun-loving, and they reminded me of my childhood dream of wanting a twin sister. 

They didn't realize it until I pointed it out, but they both put on a Meow top that day. Twin Telepathy!

Meow~

Catherine

Alice

Another thing they both love is warm weather! Fortunately LA was getting hot over the weekend, so Alice got to enjoy some of our Socal sunshine at the beach! They both got into Cal and UCLA, but they chose to go to different schools so they can meet new people instead of spending too much time together. Can you tell which one is the older twin and which one the younger?

Another interesting thing about the Lin Twins is that they love to change their hair colors. They've went through just about every color of the rainbow over the years. Catherine's next color of choice is to go back to red, so I'll keep you guys posted on that. ;)

I do think that Catherine is more tan because of the Socal sun, so I guess nurture does override nature at one point.

Cut-out backs

Ashlee

Ashlee didn't have to work on Fridays, but she came in to say hi to Alice and get her picture taken. She's working on her 6-page essay, so the hairdo is in a high bun. The big sweater she had on emphasized how fair her skin is. Black and white looks good on her. We noticed that both Ashlee and Alice had cut-out backs, so yay we had a wardrobe twin!

So yesterday, Monday, I arrived at LAX at 8am, and Ashlee was so great to have agreed to pick me up. Her essay was due at 12pm, and she still had half of the conclusion to be finished when she had me in her car. That was so scary! I guess I forgot what it was like being in college; you don't know what to write until the last minute and all of a sudden your creative juice just start to flow through your brain.


Today we had a talk at 4pm about China's Demographics. The turnout was not bad considering next week is finals week at UCLA. Catherine started studying for finals yesterday and realized that she still has ample amount of time, so she's going to workout again today! It's 75F today, so that to Catherine means it's shorts time! Ashlee is still under a lot of stress, and she's going to Powell library to study tonight. So please meet again her white O sweater. :)

Today's Style:

Sunshine girl

Studying gal

I had room service in Vegas, and it's very addicting. Not the food, because it was just okay, but the fact that you could call and have your food delivered to your room on a silver platter while you lie on the sofa and watch TV was just so nice. Being back in LA and back to home means no more room service :( I guess I'll just have to work hard and save up money so I can go to Vegas to order more room service such as $5 for a can of coke and $16 for a Turkey club.

Esther (I need more sleep)

Snacks from Visiting Scholar

The AC is broken...3/6/14

Our AC is broken!! The thermostat doesn't work and the wind coming out from the vents is like 10 mph ><

So Catherine told us last night in our whatsapp group that she didn't go to the library after class because she was feeling tired.. At least she wrote one page of her essay, so that's 50% down. Her sister Alice is visiting UCLA this weekend from Cal, and is arriving tonight, so she wants to finish it before. I'm looking forward to Alice's guest appearance at the CCS office tomorrow! A little sneak peak.. 

Ashlee just started her paper today, and her thesis is "China's Rapid Economic Growth Weakens the System of Global Governance because it Undermines the International Environmental, Health, and Labor Regulations." This is for her Global Studies 100A: Global Governance and Conflicts class, and she needs to write a 6-page essay due next Monday at 10am. My goodness, that essay sounds so serious.. good thing she's starting it today. I'm going to Vegas this weekend to celebrate my friend's birthday and won't be back until Monday morning, and Ashlee had very generously agreed to pick me up from LAX at 8am on Monday! I will buy you McDonald's breakfast!
(btw, Ashlee is playing the song 天下無雙 on youtube right now, man it brings me back to 2006...Ashlee has an old soul)

Today's Style:

Ashlee is very proud of her long dress collection! She's been infatuated with maxi dress this past year, and today's pick features her back with cut-out designs. (She bought this in China for only $10 USD) You wouldn't notice the back design of this dress at first because of the blue-green sweater she has on, which gives a good contrast to her otherwise all black color scheme. It wasn't until she put her hair up into a ponytail did we see the top part of the cut-outs, and we asked her to show us her sexy back ;) So this is a good outfit for day-to-night; with the sweater, it's work-appropriate, and without the sweater, it's dinner party time~ 

Work

Cocktail Party

Catherine is going to workout today, so here's her workout attire. She's being a true Bruin, wearing a UCLA t-shirt while demonstrating how to bench press on a coffee table.

Bruin Workout Tee

It's daylight savings time this Sunday, so remember to move back one hour! Okay I'm going home now, the AC is too crazy, I'm feeling a little sick :(

Esther (Hopefully I don't get sick before Vegas)

Wouldn't it be great to have a Transporter? 3/5/14

After our talk on Monday, the rest of this week is pretty much for us to catch up on reimbursements and take a breather. Our February was packed with events, with the busiest week being the last week of the month - four events in five days. To be honest, we probably should avoid scheduling more than two events per week in the future. Attendance does get affected if we have back-to-back events, since parking at UCLA is not very convenient... 

Catherine was going to the blood drive today, but she said the line was crazy long, so she didn't get to go. I guess the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center don't have to worry as much now. I wonder if they are really giving out movie tickets...Maybe I should go next time hehe

"Donate Blood or Platelets and as a THANK YOU receive movie passes to your favorite Movie Theater.

Blood donors receive one movie pass

Platelet donors receive three movie passes"

Catherine initially dubbed Ashlee's style today as "bummin' it," however, with her leather leggings and ankle boots, we think it's more appropriate to categorize her style as "slept over at boyfriend's place last night and didn't bring a change of clothes, so decided to put on an over-sized UCLA hoodie and try to look Korean"

As for Catherine, since she originally thought that she would donate blood today, she wasn't planning on working out. She also has an essay that's due on Friday, so tonight she's staying late at the library, and needs to dress warm. (warmer than she normally dresses anyway) With a grey graphic tank, black leggings, brown ankle boots, and a light brown cardigan sweater that matches the color of her hair, she looks like a 氣質書生 (elegant scholar? I can't translate it to English...) that will sit elegantly in the library, quietly typing away on her laptop while sipping slowly on her cafe au lait. 

Today's Style:

Korean or Bummin' it?

氣質書生

It's 7:40pm now, I should probably get home. Sometimes I wish there's a bed and shower in my office, so I won't have to walk through the cold to the parking lot and drive home through the local traffic in Westwood. Seriosly, my apartment is only 4 miles away, but it takes about 30 mins or more to get home every night...

Good night!

Esther (wishing that I can have a Transporter)

Spring is here~ First blog! 3/4/14

I've been working at UCLA, the CCS office, for about 15 months now. I love going to work not only because the things we do are interesting and educational, but also because I get to chat with my 學妹 (school younger sisters) at the office! Unfortunately I didn't think about starting this blog last year when Vivienne and Linda were working here. Updates on them; Linda is currently in China teaching English to children in public schools, and Vivienne just got a job at UCLA and she's coming back :)

So starting in October of 2013, my office has two new assistants, Catherine and Ashlee. I promise I didn't pick them based on whether or not we're going to be good friends, but they are just so delightful and funny that we have so much fun at work and outside of work. (Maybe I did pick them because of their friendly personalities?)

Working at an university is really different than working in private companies, and I really enjoy being able to walk on campus everyday and smell the fresh scents of trees and grass. In the office, I can look out the window next to my desk and see the Bel-Air mountains (and contemplate on what I need to do to have a house there).

Talking to Ashlee and Catherine makes me laugh everyday and keeps me young (at heart), so I want to start this blog to record what happens at the CCS office with these unconventional office ladies. :)

Today's style:
Ashlee - Lime green geometric sweater with leather tights and ankle boots.
Catherine - Workout attire with UCLA tank top, tights, and running shoes.

Ashlee

Catherine

Ashlee only has one French class today, so it's a relaxing day for her. She's trying to go for the cool, stylish late winter/early spring look. Catherine has recently decided to work out every day in preparation for the undie run in two weeks, so she is usually donned in workout gear.

Ashlee has been quite stressed out with classes lately since she's on the Poli-Sci track and her classes require a lot of essays. In comparison, Catherine's econ classes don't seem to be as time-consuming. (Ashlee just sighed again, she's been craving for fried chicken lately... I recommended Honey's Kettle fried chicken for her to try tonight, makes me want to have fried chicken too...)

See you tomorrow!

-Esther (feeling like Ashlee but should be more like Catherine)