And here we are - Post 10 of Things I am incredibly thankful for.

I am thankful for my parents! :D

Not only am I thankful for the life foundation they have worked so hard to create for my sister and I but also for how they continue to add to that foundation. Even now in my adult (heh heh) life, I know for a fact that I can lean on my parents for advice on how to tackle some of life's toughest situations. They are also there to show me when some of those situations really aren't so tough after all. I am honored to have such great examples in both of them.

Below I've included some adjectives that come to mind when I think of my parents.

Mommy + Daddy
+persistent, hard-working, caring, protecting, resilient, intelligent, devoted


Thanks for reading.

Much love,
Jewel

P.S. While I know not everyone has the joy of having parents in their life - whether it's one or both, my prayer is that everyone will feel that type of parental love and support at least once in their lifetime.

I am so very thankful for my baby sister. :)

There are tons of quotes out there that describe the importance of family. There's also a good set of quotes on the bond between sisters. I found the one to the left and it only scratches the surface of what my little sister means to me.

​Having her in my life is a constant reminder of why I need to do well for myself. If she is looking at me as an example, I can only hope that she will surpass anything that I am blessed enough to achieve in life!

My baby sister is so talented and beautiful. She's an important part of my life that I would never trade to be an only-child (hahahahaha).


Peace and Blessings to you dear readers. Happy Saturday!

​-With Love, Jewel

I am thankful for a running car!

So I got my first car at the beginning of last year and I am so grateful for the change it has brought to my life!

In a September 2014 post which can be found here, I mentioned how much I enjoy the upsides of public transportation. I still do! However, there are, obviously, some downsides. Grocery shopping is an example that immediately comes to mind! Oh the struggle of deciding if I should buy orange juice OR milk because the thought of buying both in one trip and having to lug extra heavy grocery bags on the bus was discouraging.

Another example - taking my puppy to the vet, dog park, pet store, etc. I got Melio around the same time I got my car and I really don't know what would have happened if I couldn't drive him around. Haha....I kinda know. We most likely would have been on less trips to the park, I would have brought home smaller bags of food from the pet store, and we would have to beg...I mean, ask...good friends for rides to the vet.

But, thank God for a car! I have a lot of respect for those of us who do not have the option of driving ourselves around. I know what it's like. To me, those pre-car, pre-driving years only prepared me for my updated state. :)

All the best y'all! For those of you saving or waiting on your opportunity to drive - hang in there!

Love,
Jewel

I am thankful for my sweet puppy.

Oh how I love him so. :) My sweet puppy Melio!

I have had Melio in my life for a little less than a year and a half now. He's such a joy and blessing to me. It's been especially great to have a little comp​anion here in Dallas while I've adjusted to my new city. Taking him out for walks or play time at dog parks has been a great way to explore Dallas and meet new people. I also love how many dog-friendly restaurants there are around here! One in particular (actually my favorite so far) is Mutts Canine Cantina. It's basically a dog park with a restaurant attached to it and it's so much fun for both people and dogs. Melio loooooves it there - he loves anywhere that gives him to opportunity to "greet" people and other dogs and/or "taste test" new treats. Hahahaha......

Anyway, here's to a great first week in April! Have a blessed Monday! :)

Love,
Jewel

I am thankful for my new career.

After years of school and months of internships, it was such a great feeling to walk across the stage on May 22 (also my birthday!) as I graduated and received my Bachelor of Science degree! :)

Being an immigrant to this country, I can definitely say it was not easy but the ride was worth it. I am really happy that I chose The University of Texas at Austin for my undergraduate studies. My time there helped to launch me onto the career path I am on right now.

As my LinkedIn tagline says I am a "technology professional focused on maximizing client satisfaction and retention". Basically, I am driven by successful connections between clients/customers and products. I really love seeing a product delivered correctly and I really love when customers' expectations are exceeded by products. I am so thankful for the opportunities and experiences I have encountered that helped me develop these passions.

I am so excited to see where I go in my career! I have no idea what the future holds but I know it's going to be great with God on my side! :)

Happy Tuesday!
Jewel

Y'all, it's July 20th. -_- 
Anyway, with that said.....

I am thankful for my family! :)


I am truly blessed with a wonderful family. Although my family is spread out all over world, literally, we always seem to find a way to stay connected with each other. Whether or not that connection means a text everyday, a Facebook chat every month, or a call a few times a year, each convo is important to me.

It is incredibly important to remember where you come from - not to hold yourself back with memories of past times but, instead, to push yourself forward with a deep desire to add to your family's legacy and create new opportunities for those that come after you.

As I embark on my new career, I look forward to seizing opportunities to expand my family's legacy and create greater opportunities for my relatives all around the world. It's important to me to grow the investments that my parents, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. have poured into me throughout my life!

Jewel's Random TidBits - Don't stress if your family isn't as "put together" as you would like. We all have our grievances when it comes to our relatives but we can reduce associated stress levels by focusing on the joys those same people bring into your life!

Well there are seven days left until Christmas so I better finish up these ten posts on Thanksgiving! :)

I'm extremely thankful for my friends.


This year I learned so much more about what it means to (a) be a true friend and (b) have true friends. In life, especially in college, we meet so many people that we quickly click with. We might share the same favorite song, favorite food, or favorite color. It's easy to rush and call these people our 'best friends' without taking time to truly learn more about them and the relationship we share. True friends not only share the same interests and favorites as you do but they also share a genuine interest in your well being. They're present even when your favorite "things" aren't around because the bond of true friendship is worth more than material objects.

I love, love, love my friends! I'm so happy to have matured in this area of my life and to have found genuine friendships!

Jewel's Random TidBits - So many people have considered hosting Friendsgiving but what about also hosting a Friends-Christmas gift exchange? Several of my friends and I have been hosting one in January for the past few years and it's a really great time to spend with your favorite peeps before the year gets hectic!

As I sit here thinking about these moments of thanksgiving and the act of sharing them with you on my blog, I realized how much of a blessing it is to be able to express myself through writing.

When I started blogging last summer, I had no idea how long it would last or where it would go. I simply enjoyed typing my thoughts and being able to publish them for others to read. It's really interesting how the different perspectives of my readers affect the meaning of each of my posts. You, my reader, can vary in position from a family member to a friend to a classmate or even a future employer. You could be an acquaintance or someone I know very well. Even if you're a complete stranger, something or someone brought you to my website and blog for you to have a look and read a post or two! Whichever category you may fall into as a reader, thank you! I really appreciate your time spent reading my posts and learning more about me. (:

Jewel's Random TidBits - While Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Thursday of each November, other countries celebrate giving thanks at other times during the year. Here's a look at how Thanksgiving is celebrated around the World.

If we're going to throw some science into this (and, yes, we are), then we can see how consumption of sweets directly affects us. In short, we have receptors that send signals to our brain when sugary foods are consumed. These signals tell the body that the sugary food was enjoyable and that it would like some more! For this reason, it's extremely important that we try to balance our diet as much as possible. A sweet treat every now and then is great but try not to indulge too often!


Jewel's Random TidBits - Try baking your sweets at home when you can! You'll cut back on a lot of preservatives and added sugars compared to buying your goodies at a store or cafe. You can cut back even more when you bake from scratch as opposed to pre-packaged mixes!

Surprise! :) I'm starting my blog series off on the topic of computer science.

I'm thankful for my mobile computing course.


It's nice to be in a class where my classmates don't rush out of the room as soon as we are dismissed or worse, pack-up and prepare to leave the room before the professor ends the class.

When I planned my initial Fall 2014 schedule back in April, I was so proud and happy that I had managed to avoid scheduling a class on Tuesday/Thursdays. However, when UT's add/drop session opened up and I saw that Elements of Mobile Computing was offered this semester, I knew it was an opportunity I could not pass up. I'm so happy that I registered for this class! In addition to gaining a broad overview of the mobile application development process, I've gained a much deeper appreciation of the people that surround me at UT. Taking courses in the Elements of Computing program has enabled me to meet great professors, such Dr. Dickerson and Dr. Downing, and meet great students across a wide variety of majors.

So that's it for day one, I'm thankful for my mobile computing course. (:

Jewel's Random TidBits - Regardless of what industry you plan to build your career in, programming skills will serve you well. If you have access to an opportunity similar to UT's Elements of Computing program, go for it!