Happiness is Here

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Alice Vega

Happy 2014! I’M BACK!

As much as I’m excited for this brand new year, I have to be honest with you guys: I hate New Years Resolutions. The concept behind them is pretty nice; you make a promise to yourself that you will improve in some aspect that will result in you being a happier person. Sounds legit, right? But here’s the thing… why do we put so much emphasis on making these promises at the start of each year? We can make these promises ANYTIME throughout the entire year. And why do we make these promises to ourselves that don’t correspond to who we are? I mean, you’re really gonna go to the gym five times a week when you haven’t done any rigorous physical activity since high school? Whose goals are you making… yours or society’s? And to that I say – fuck that.

I’ve been in a funk for the past month. I was on cloud nine in my last blog post and now I’m telling you upfront that I’ve been in this stupid, depressed clusterfuck since then. I’ve tried everything from mindless distractions to consistently writing in my journal. I have to constantly remind myself that a broken heart doesn’t heal overnight… especially if you’re like me and constantly think about shit too often.

But I realized something. Happiness is here. It’s always been here, but I’m just refusing to accept it. When I think about my life, I can’t help but be proud and grateful for all the accomplishments I’ve made, friends I’ve kept around, and places I’ve been to. Just because one aspect in your life isn’t up to par with what you envision it to be doesn’t mean the rest of your life has failed. That should just give you motivation to really kick your ass into high gear. Sometimes you just have to ask yourself, “What’s important to me? What do I WANT and what do I NEED?” Once you can answer those questions honestly for yourself, that’s when you can get your shit together and turn those ideas into actions.

And don’t ever feel like you need to justify yourself as to why you feel the way you feel. No one can tell you how to feel. Only YOU can internalize that for yourself.

So here’s my New Years Resolution from now til… ever. I want it ALL. *cue High School Musical number right here* Anyone? No? Damn you people for not understanding my love for Disney movies. (I’m mentally shaking my fist at you.)

But in all seriousness, I want to work on every aspect of myself. I want to grow as a dancer, I want to grow as a leader, I want to become more independent, I want to start vlogging again, I want to grow as a writer, and I want a kick-ass supportive partner that wants to share this crazy journey with me. I want to be a fucking modern day Renaissance Woman.

I know what you’re thinking – “Whoa, slow down girl! One thing at a time!” But who’s to say your methods are what’s going to work for me? Or that my methods are going to work for you? Maybe my crazy, spontaneous, impulsive way of living makes you uncomfortable. Or maybe it intrigues you. Whatever it does, it makes ME happy. And that’s all that matters. No one can take that away from me. No government, no institution, no workplace, no friend, no family, and especially no BOY… can take my right to be happy.

So here’s to a good year. 2014, I have a lot of plans for you. I know you’re going to test me, but I’m ready. Let’s kiss and make up. And kiss again. And then you can kiss my ass for testing me. Because I’m ready to run this shit.

Inspired.

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Alice Vega

This is my “inspired” face.

Hey everyone! Happy Thursday!

You know, one of the best feelings you can ever experience is the positive energy of being inspired by others. Lately in my life, I’ve been surrounded by such amazing, talented people who are motivated to pursue their dreams. They’re tenacious and will work hard because they understand that nothing great comes easy. I’ve always considered myself to have the same mentality and it’s just so refreshing to share that passion with others.

If you’ve read most or some of my blog posts, you’ll know that I’m a huge advocate for positive reinforcement. I think everyone always deserves some critique on how to better themselves, but in the end, I think the cherry on top is the “You’ve got this!” or “I believe in you!” statements that most of us forget to give to others. We can be so wrapped up in ourselves and how WE can improve, but we forget that there’s others along the way who are also in that same journey. We should be helping each other along. Because ultimately, who wants to stand at the top by themselves? What’s success if you don’t have others to share it with?

I’m not gonna lie, there are some people that you can’t help sometimes. These are the people who just have to learn it the hard way. You can’t just give them the answers and expect them to progress. Self realization is the only way people will grow. Sometimes people just gotta hit rock bottom to realize they have two options: they either continue on their downwards spiral or they wake the fuck up and make the change to better themselves.

I’m not a perfect person and I never, ever claim to be one. I have a lot of stubborn tendencies and I can randomly be shy and awkward. But one thing’s for sure: I know what I want and I will work hard to get it. If that means I have to make some drastic changes and sacrifices, then I will. If that means there are people who I will lose touch with along the way, then so be it. It’s a sad thought, but the people who truly matter in your life will always be a part of your life journey, somehow and someway. Just because we lose touch, doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate what they’ve given to me. I treasure every connection and friend I’ve ever made.

One last thought to leave you with before I conclude my rant for the day – be NICE to people. Please. Unless they’re just a dick.

Ok but in all seriousness, being a genuinely nice person to everyone you meet goes a long way. You might not understand it in the moment, but just giving someone a smile and saying hello to them might have made their whole day. You don’t know what everyone is going through. You don’t know if they’re struggling. So… just be nice.

And to everyone who’s just an asshole to everyone… you’re doomed. 😛 Remember what I said in my last post?! Karma…. (hide yo kids, hide yo wife!)

A great Youtuber by the name of KevJumba once said “When people do cool shit i get inspired so keep doing cool shit so i can get inspired.”

Word.

-Ally

Shut up, Elitists!

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Alice Vega

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! 🙂

Photo from ricochet.com

So this is a topic that’s been on my mind in recent weeks and it effects EVERYONE. Not just geeks. If you have a hobby, have a favorite artist, or if you just in general like ANYTHING… this goes out to you.

And if you know someone like this, please do them a favor. Slap them. And then spew knowledge at them so they know not to be ignorant assholes.

How’s that for an introduction? You know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about ELITISTS. What’s an elitist, you ask? Well let me give you my definition. An elitist is someone who acts elite. Simple, right? These are the people who act like they’re entitled to be the “VIP” section of their fandom. So if you’re a comic book fan, these are the people who own “X” amount of comics and scoff at newcomers who try to get into the series. These are the people who hear a song on the radio and say “Oh my gosh… this song was WAY cooler 6 months ago. Now it’s so mainstream. I hate this song now.”

The other day on my Facebook feed, I saw a status from an acquaintance of mine who basically said that she’s over going to raves or massives because of all the stupid people who keep overdosing on drugs. She said she doesn’t like these events anymore because it went “mainstream” and all these other n00bs (newbies) destroyed something that used to be so “underground.”

Okay… I’ll let that sink in for a minute.

First of all, raves/massives weren’t YOURS to begin with so why are you complaining all these people destroyed it? Here’s a newsflash for everyone reading this: there’s stupid people EVERYWHERE. In ALL parts of the world. You can’t hide from them! They’re going to be in your fandom or hobby.

Oh noes. What do we dooooo?!

How about you IGNORE them? Does it really bother you THAT much that they’re trying to get into something you’re into? I’m not gonna lie… there are some anime fans that seriously make me shake my head when I see them. Am I gonna fall to the ground and die because their existence is ruining my love for anime? NO. I’m still here. I’m still allowed to love anime. End of story. Ignore them! Who says you need to be their friend?

I know that can sound pretty mean, but seriously! We’re all adults here! We’re not in elementary school where you have to send an obligatory Valentine’s Day card to everyone in your classroom. If you don’t want to be associated with someone, then don’t associate yourself with them. This isn’t fcking rocket science.

And I know someone’s going to bring up the whole argument of “Ermagerrdd… their behavior is making ALL of us look bad.” Ok well let me refute that by saying WHAT KIND OF GROUP/ORGANIZATION DOESN’T HAVE SOMEONE LIKE THAT? It takes ONE bad apple to ruin the bunch but that doesn’t mean you have to automatically identify yourself with them. Whatever happened to just doing your own thing? Whatever happened to just telling people you’re proud to be unique and an individual? Just because there’s anime fans that are a bit immature, doesn’t mean I should be ashamed of myself. There’s always going to be stereotypes. There’s always going to be people who believe in those stereotypes. If someone doesn’t want to get to know you because they automatically judge you for being that raver or anime fan, then fck them! They were probably going to be a shitty friend anyway!

YOU DON’T NEED EVERYONE’S APPROVAL IN SOCIETY TO BE HAPPY. People are going to judge. Let them. They’re the ones missing out on a fabulous person.

So I hope this has encouraged you to verbally slap the shit out of elitists. They annoy me oh so much. Can you tell?

Get off your high horse, elitist. You’re not impressing anyone here.

-Ally

Finding Yourself All Over Again

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Alice Vega

Hey everyone!! Happy Wednesday!

It’s been a while since I’ve last seen you! But that was entirely my fault. I went into hustle mode and I didn’t exactly have time to sit down and blog about it. But what’s done is done and here I am! Sorry I neglected you, my internet friends. I missed you and I definitely didn’t forget about you.

So in case you don’t know, I actually have interests outside of my Geek Girl persona. (SAY WHAAT?!) I know, right? Who does that? Well, actually, a lot of people do. And I say it’s time we start acknowledging that it’s NORMAL to be a well rounded person.

I’ve said it multiple times in this blog, but I’ll say it again. I love to dance. I started dancing when I was 12-years-old. My dad was a ballroom dance instructor and he put my sister and I in classes. We took the generic studio classes – ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop. At first I was trying to rebel against the dance life because most of my family did it and I wanted to be different. But in jr. high when I joined the dance team, I realized dance was a passion of mine.

I continued to dance all throughout high school and during my freshman year of college. But after that, I stopped. It was sad. Life got in the way and I couldn’t find time to take class anymore. Plus, the SoCal dance scene was absolute craziness. It was this whole world I’ve never seen and it was intimidating as fck. These hip hop dancers were incredible to watch and I just felt like I wasn’t good enough to train with them. I also felt insignificant because I never danced on a team before. I was just that lone, solo dancer that watched from afar… hoping and wishing someday that can be me…

Okay. I’m totally exaggerating. But my point is I then began to admire the dance community from a distance rather than be in it.

That all changed about 2 months ago when I applied to be a staff for Boogiezone.

Interviewing Ellen Kim from Movement Lifestyle

Boogiezone is this wonderful dance community that bridges the industry and community together to train under one roof. Not only does it provide a healthy environment to learn in, it provides numerous opportunities to grow and challenge yourself.

I got an email that they were hiring staff for different locations and I decided, why the hell not. I was looking for an internship and this felt like the right one. To my surprise, I got an email from the brainchild himself, Elm, a day later asking for a phone interview. And it’s all history from there…

Erm.. well… 2 months of history. Whatever, don’t judge me.

This experience so far has been amazing. I can’t even find the words to describe how confident I feel again. This past weekend was our summer intensive, Boogiezone University. It was 3 days of hard fcking WORK! We had classes all day and as staff, it was our job to pump up the classes and make sure the choreographer’s and students’ experience was one they wouldn’t forget.

Anthony Lee, Culture Shock LA Director

My primary job all weekend was to interview the choreographers. Now, I’m no stranger to interviewing. We do it every week for community class. But we had about 50 instructors altogether. I did about 85% of those interviews. I suck at math, but you can pretty much get the idea that I conducted a bunch of interviews back to back.

It was hard, but I felt like I finally mattered.

Di Moon Zhang from I.aM.Me, ABDC’s Season 6 Champions

Does that make sense? Sit tight, I’m about to get all philosophical up in here.

For the past year, I was in a rut. I felt like a failure, I felt like I couldn’t make anyone happy or proud, I felt like I had nobody by my side and it was terrible. I felt like no matter what I did, it was and will always be wrong.

Now I know what you’re thinking. This mentality is whack. First of all… hell yeah it is! Second of all, I went through this rut because of the people I was surrounded by. You know that saying that if you surround yourself with positive people who believe in you, you will always do well? Well it was exactly the opposite. I surrounded myself with people who doubted me and never believed that I could accomplish anything. I knew I had to take a stand and make a change if I wanted to be happy again.

Now this is gonna get super corny but Boogiezone is the reason I’m back on my feet. There’s other factors too, but Boogiezone is a big factor. Just so you know, I entered this journey alone but I met so many wonderful people that I can consider dear friends of mine. I never would have imagined myself interviewing some of my favorite choreographers, let alone meeting them or taking their class. I am so incredibly grateful and blessed to have been able to do this. Seriously, thank you Elm for everything. Thank you for believing in me and thank you for allowing me to wreck havoc on your Youtube channel. Shit’s about to get real loud up in here.

Arnel Calvario, Kaba Modern Founder

I could go on and on about what Boogiezone means to me, but I’ll tie it back to one of my many “Awesome Advice” posts. If you’re unhappy, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Please. We only have so much time to live on this earth. We can’t be wasting days just feeling sorry for ourselves. If you’re in a shitty job, if you’re in a shitty relationship, if you have shitty friends, make that change and make the choice to be happy today. There will always be outside factors you can’t control, but YOU have the power to change everything. You have the power to change your attitude. You have the power to change your life.

So do it. I encourage you. You’ll be so much happier, I promise.

I titled this post “Finding Yourself All Over Again” because I felt like I lost myself when I was in that rut. My daily routine was all mechanic and I was just going through the motions. I lost my purpose. But I found it again and I couldn’t be happier.

And I’m just happy that people like Ellen Kim or Arnel Calvario noticed that. I really must be doing something good in my life!

So let’s all find our purpose again. Let’s find ourselves through this hot mess we call life.

-Ally

This is Why You’re Fcking Awesome

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Alice Vega

Hello beautiful! Happy Wednesday!

So I’ve been dying to write more posts to contribute to my series of blog posts titled “Ally’s Awesome Advice.” Now I’m no expert at life and I am pretty young, but I do consider myself to have some common sense and determination to live life like a badass person. (Shout out to the new Nigahiga video!) Therefore, I believe I have the street cred to back up what I say.

First off, I just wanna start off by saying that we need to stop comparing ourselves to others. I’ll be the first to admit I am very guilty of this. It’s hard to not compare yourself to your peers! I mean, how many times at school has your friends asked you what you got on an essay or what grade you got on that midterm? Honestly, that’s no one’s business but your own so don’t ever feel obligated to share that shit with them – even if they are your good friend. And as a dancer, it is almost impossible to not compare yourself to other dancers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in class or at a workshop and I just awkwardly stare at the really, really talented motherfcker in the front of the routine. It like gets to the point where I’m probably making them feel uncomfortable with my staring, but I just can’t help it. If you’re a ridiculously good dancer, people are gonna stare. End of story.

And just to connect to my fellow geeks out there, I KNOW this shit happens in the cosplay world for sure. You know that awkward moment when you’re walking around at a con cosplaying as your favorite character and then you see another person also cosplaying as the same character and you start to realize they did a phenomenal job and yours is just shit in comparison. C’mon. We’ve all had those days. In the cosplay world, it’s even more intimidating because people are asking for pictures. So if you’re not getting your picture taken, but the other person has flocks of photographers going to them, it just fcks with your self esteem. I know the feels, bro.

You ARE special and unique. Wanna know why? Because you are the ONLY ‘you’ in this entire world. I know there’s a Jenna Marbles video out there that discusses this concept in great detail, but I wanted to reiterate that point and remind you that you are an amazing person and you should never let anyone make you feel less than that. So if you’re dating a douchebag or a sketchy ass girl, make the choice today to MAKE A CHANGE. Life’s too short to dwell on the losers. We could all DIE tomorrow and you’d die knowing you were dating an asshole that’s not right for you. So stop it! If the person you’re with doesn’t make you feel like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him/her, then you need to reevaluate why you’re dating this person.

My third point I’d like to make is to stop calling yourself fat. You’re not fat. Trust, you’re just not. Society has built this concept of what beauty is and if you don’t fit that image, you’re automatically ugly. I’m sorry, but who the fck are you to tell me I’m fat? That’s what you should be telling all those trashy magazines you’re reading. As a person aspiring to be in PR, advertisements are meant to make you feel like you’re a worthless piece of shit and you need to buy this specific product in order to feel like you’re of value in this world. DON’T PLAY INTO THOSE MIND TRICKS. You are smarter and better than that. If you want to be healthier, then MAKE THAT CHANGE! Challenge yourself to eat more vegetables and cook at home rather than eat out. Challenge yourself to workout. Oh and with working out, you don’t need a gym membership to work out. There’s plenty of home workouts you can do without spending money on a gym pass. For starters, check out the youtube channel “Blogilates.” Cassey Ho is a super talented and energetic individual who has tons of awesome workouts that you can do FOR FREE. The internet has everything, you know.

That’s not to say that working out at home is better than working out at a gym. A gym is a great place to workout with friends and meet new people. I’m just offering an alternative.

So let’s recap, shall we? Don’t compare yourself to others because you’re the only beautiful YOU in this entire world. If you’re in a dead end relationship, save yourself and that person the trouble and move on. And lastly, body image is a mental exercise in itself. Be happy with the body you were born with. Accept yourself!

I hope this helped you realize that you are indeed an awesome fcking person and no one should ever tell you otherwise. I understand it’s a process to learn to love yourself and accept every fiber of your being as your own, but we’re all learning. Even your role models and celebrities are fighting a battle of their own. We’re all people – we have the same organs, the same hearts, we have hands, feet, eyes, etc. What makes us different is our ability to think. Use that sexy brain of yours to THINK differently! Don’t let those advertisements fck with your brain. THINK about them and realize they’re trying to make you feel like shit. Don’t let them. You’re better than that.

Make the choice to be happy today. Fck feeling sad! Being sad sucks.

To end on a fun note, my question of the week is, what are some things you’re awesome at? Get that positivity going!

And to further end on a funNER note… TMI fact of the week: I may or may not be addicted to twerking. I’ll just leave it at that…

If you’re going to Comic Con this weekend, HAVE FUN! 🙂 I wish I can be there. Take pictures and let me know if you run into Wong Fu or Angry Asian Man!

-Alice