I started this blog in high school, I'm almost 30 now.

It's time for another yearly update for future Catherine (and whomever stumbles upon this blog). I realized I have had this blog since I was in high school. When reading my entries, I can see how much I have changed, and have grown from a girl to a woman (that was the point of my constantly journaling and blogging). I always record and take pictures of everything, so I wouldn't forget. 

I moved out last year in September. I finally bought a place (with my dad's help) and moved out. I decorated my home as I would have loved when I was a child. Life is peaceful and I have grown to appreciate my family more. I think we just needed the space. 

After I moved, I would only wake up to silence, not the sound of my dad's tv or my mom on the phone. My cat, Jiji, is no longer there to wake me up. I also would come home to silence and darkness, not my dad cooking dinner or my cat coming to greet me. But it is peaceful. 

My best friend, Sam, sent me a flyer about a black cat who needed a home. She was already called Gigi so Sam thought it was funny that there's another black cat with a similar name. 

I put in the request for her adoption and finally got her in November 2023. Now I have two black cats, Gigi and Jiji (who still lives with my parents). Gigi is so cute and affectionate, just like Jiji (although she doesn't like other animals). I found out she had aids in January :( but she is still a healthy cat otherwise. 

She taps you when she wants pets, she's very vocal, and she loves being cradled like a baby. I now wake up to her screaming (I can not sleep in because she knows the time that I wake up each day). I also come home to her screaming. Life is still peaceful. 

Other life updates -

I went to Japan for the first time with my family last summer! It was one of the best moments of my life. We went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Osaka within two weeks. The food was great, the places were beautiful, and the people were kind. 

I performed twice last summer. I injured my shoulder over training and it wasn't the same since. 

I also went to Sedona and Phoenix last winter. Sedona was great! Phoenix was meh. 

I started tattooing early this year. It's something I've wanted to do for so long. I read a post that if you receive a calling, don't ignore it or it'll come back when you're in your 40's, and that is your mid-life crisis. At least if it doesn't work out, I know I have done my best. 

Tattooing isn't easy. It is as if I'm working two jobs (my full-time and this one). I'm still improving my skills, very slowly. I just starting tattooing humans last month! My work is on IG: @inkedbycatherine. I made this page last year not knowing when or if I will become a tattoo artist. It feels so great when people want to get my flash art tattooed on them. I feel so appreciated. 

I ended my five-year relationship about two months ago. My relationship before that was also five years. Hm. The relationship ended a week before my birthday. We usually celebrate my birthday together, but because I am now single, I didn't want to be excited for my day (even though I always did). My coworker suggested we go out for drinks. I had lunch with mom, took myself to a solo date to the bookstore, got myself flowers, and then went to the restaurant with my work friends. They got me presents and cake. They sang happy birthday, and I honestly truly felt so loved and grateful in that moment. 

I wonder if I am going to a quarter-life crisis. To be honest, I still feel pretty lost in my life right now; not as much as when I was in my early-twenties. Compared to my early 20's, life is so much better now. I have more confidence, independence, money, and experience in life. I have a lot more friends (good ones too) than I had eight years ago. I also definitely look better than I did when I was younger; I wear less makeup now and stopped dying my hair. I am financially stable and am no longer a broke college student. I know life isn't that bad, but I still feel like my life is in 'limbo' right now. I wish there was a manuel or spoiler alert of how my life will turn out. 

Ok bye! See u next year. 

BTW, I saw cherry blossoms for the first time in my life last month. For the past 3 months, I have taken allergy shots every week, and two separate allergy pills, nasal spray, and eye drops every single night. 

My Yearly Update

Hello, 

I will be 27 on April 10, it doesn't feel like my birthday is coming up to be honest. Time feels like it's flying by although our days feel long. 

I'm making another update because it's about 8:40pm and I don't really know what to do until I sleep at around 9:30pm. I go to bed early on nights where I have to go to the office the next day. 

It's crazy how I created this blog when I was in high school at 16 years old, and now I am telling you that I have to be in the office tomorrow lol

Now that I am closer to my 30's than to my teens, I found a need to be in touch with my 'inner child'. I have been drawing again, an activity I loved doing when I was little but had to stop because my parents told me to "put my damn interests away" and be a doctor whatever. I've also been reading A LOT. I read a total of 44 books last year, and so far I have read 14 books this year. 

I've also been trying to reconnect with old friends. Now that I am older, I value friendships more than ever. It is so hard to make new friends as an adult. I am so glad I have my pole community where I have made so many new friends. 

I feel like so much has happened since my last blog post, but at the same time it also feels like not much has happened because all I did was work and work. 

Well, I had a lot of family issues and I really hope I get out of it soon. I don't want to say anything about it yet. 

Other than that, the only interesting things I can think of are:

1. I went to Arizona with Nancy! My first time venturing out so far out to the west coast. It was just over the Labor Day weekend, but I had so much fun! Everyone was so nice and the food was great. It was 110F everyday and I LOVED it. Definitely my type of weather. 

2. I went to Miami with my partner! Also had a fantastic time. We went in the last week of December so it was great to be in 80+ degree weather when it was so cold in NYC. 

3. I got two tattoos in February. The skull one was for free, I won a giveaway. I totally manifested that shit. The crescent moon was a matching tat with my bff Sam. 

4. I went to see my favorite band, Pond. I had discovered them during my college days. It's crazy to finally seeing them perform in-person. It was my second concert and the first one that I went alone. Another thing that I noticed as I grow older is that I really value solitude. I used to be so scared and uncomfortable with doing things alone, but it's great lol

Anyway, I feel like 2023 really sucked for me besides the month of March. I feel like I'm cursed with extreme bad luck sometimes. I'm only saying this because it's always the small inconveniences that build up into a mountain of stress and inconveniences, and it only takes another small bad thing to happen that makes it the cherry-on-top, causing me to cry in an Olive BBQ Chicken. 

Also, the last quarter of the year to now is me trying to get out of my family situation. I feel like my life is currently in limbo. I ran away from home in September 2022 like a teenager. I feel like I wasn't the same ever since. Maybe that's also why I wanted to tap into my 'inner child' again. I missed the Catherine I was before. I am so bitter and full of rage now. 

Lastly, if you are not me and you are reading this. Thank you for reading and stopped by my blog! 

I don't get a notification for comments for some reason, so I apologize if it took me 2-3 years to get back to you lol

See you soon, 

Catherine 

Another life update

It has been about a year since my last post and about two years since my last life update. So here is one from Catherine, who turned 26 last month. Since the pandemic, time has felt like a blur.  I started this blog when I was in high school. Where has the time gone? How am I closer to being 30 than being a teen?

Anyway, I will start from where I left off last time- September 2020. My cat woke me up at 4am while he was playing and I couldn't fall back asleep. I am writing this while sleep deprived...

September-December 2020

This was the most difficult semester I've had in my graduate career. I had to memorize the entire brain to pass the class: every gyri, every sulci, every coronal slice, etc. I probably had memorized a total of about 150 brain areas. All my finals landed on the same day. I slept for an hour since I was studying the entire night, cried in the shower, took my first 4 hour final, took my oral exam (where I had to memorize 120+ brain parts), and then completed a written exam (which I submitted 4am the next day). 

2021

Tattoos:

I got my first tattoo on April 20, 2021. I saw an ad on Instagram for free tattoos. Being the impulsive individual that I am, I made an appointment. It was PAINFUL. The tattooer was an apprentice, I was probably his 10th client. He stuck his needle in so deep and dragged it onto my skin. I watched kdrama to distract myself from the pain, although I nearly fainted. 

Since then, I have gotten a tattoo every 1-2 months. I think I am addicted to tattoos, but they were not as painful as the first ones I have. Maybe I will include a pic of my with my tattoos.

Graduation:

I completed my Master's in Cognitive Neuroscience. It was painful and difficult, especially when I completed this during the pandemic. I cried so much. My days consisted of sleeping at 5:30am and waking up at 2pm (except when waking up for my 9:30am where I just logged into Zoom and then went back to sleep). 

Writing my thesis was even more painful. It was very frustrating and stressful. I don't know how I managed to submit my thesis an hour before the deadline, but I made it. It is published. 

I was very disappointed to not have a commencement because of Covid. I did get a 14 minute Youtube video with the graduates' names in "Star Wars format". 

My family and relatives gave me a at-home graduation celebration. It was very sweet. My aunt let me wear her graduation gown and cap from when she had her Master's. 

Life after graduation:

My parents pressured me to find a job after graduation (let me relax a bit first??). Thankfully, my PI gave me an opportunity to continue working with her over the summer until I find a job. I worked in an fMRI facility and I got to look at live images of the brain. Very Cool. 

My summer consisted of getting more tattoos and applying for jobs. I applied to a total of 100 positions. It is brutal out there. After a lot of interviewing, I finally got a job offer in November: job application #93. I was job searching for three long months.  

First vacation:

The week before my start date of my new job, I went to New Orleans with my partner. It is my first time traveling without family. I really loved it there. The weather was so warm, the food was delicious, and the people were so friendly. Unlike NYC, people say hi to you when you pass each other. 

New Job:

I started my first big girl job aka my first full-time job. It is like an office job. It can be very hectic and stressful at times, but for the most part I do enjoy it. Everyone is very welcoming and supportive. The only downside is that the commute is 1.5-2 hrs, but I WFH every other day so it isn't that bad. 

2022

We are five months into 2022 and to be honest, I don't really have any huge life updates. I've mainly been working and getting more tattoos as usual. 

I nearly forgot, but I got LASIK like two weeks ago. I was almost legally blind, but now I have 20/20 vision. Yay!

My most recent pic with my tattoos. Not shown: back and neck tattoo, the one behind my arm, and the ones on my ankles. Please don't tell my parents, they don't know about most of them especially the ones on my forearms. I also cut my hair last summer! I am living the short hair life now B)

I just realized it has been 10 years since this blog was created. I know no one reads this page except for the one or two people who have randomly stumbled on my blog. This is mainly for future Catherine to look back on. 

When reading my previous entries, I am always reminded that life really does come at you fast.