My Two Cents: About the Artist

Hello, this is me.

Hello, my loves - long time, no chat! From the bottom of my heart, I would like to apologize for this much delayed blog post. I cannot believe it is March, and I am finally here with my first post of the year. I realized I never introduced myself as the artist of this platform, so I thought this post should be both an introduction and update (depending on how well you know me) to explain my recent whereabouts.
When I first started this blog, I did not have any intentions of sharing it beyond my little circle of friends. Thus, I never thought such introduction was needed. Who knew this little 'ol blog would go beyond that circle, let alone enlarge it as I made new friends through blogging. Given that we have been together for four years, it is about time I address some commonly asked questions.

• My name is Diem, and I am 23 years old.
• I am a first generation Vietnamese-American, and I am super proud to be hyphenated.
 - No, my favorite food is not phở; that is actually my least favorite. 
 - My favorite Vietnamese cuisine is bún bò Huế, and I cry every single time when I eat it out because I have a low tolerance for spicy food, but that doesn't stop me!
• I am a California baby - born and raised.
 - I currently live in the Sacramento area, and I didn't start to appreciate the city until I explored it with the purpose of finding photo-shoot locations.
• I am a UC Davis alumna. I graduated last year with a B.S. in environmental toxicology with an emphasis in pharmacology. I also minored in psychology.
 - I am working towards pharmacy school - if you have any tips, then please send them my way!
 - I am also retaking a course at my local community college - going back to college after graduating is the weirdest feeling ever.
• As a hobby, I am a fashion and beauty blogger.
 - This is not my job. I just started working as a medical receptionist as my first big girl aka post-grad job. Medicine is my first passion.
 - No, I have never studied fashion before, so please do not test me on the history of fashion, although I love love love history.
 - No, I did not grow up with a passion for fashion - my fashion sense was the worst. As of today, I still think there is room for improvement when it comes to my style.
 - My favorite part of blogging is collaborating with creative people - peep at my Instagram to see any projects that I've worked on. (P.S. I'm always down to make art, so feel free to reach out to me!)
• I have a history of acne, eczema, and such.
 - I've been battling against acne since my early adolescence, and it evolved into adult acne.
 - I've been judged for my eczema scars because sadly, they look like hickeys - please do me a favor and do not judge others solely based on their skins.
 - Makeup has been my savior mainly because it allows me to be treated equally. Although makeup has a very bad connotation of being some sort of mask, it actually gives me the confidence to be myself after others, then, give me a chance to do so.
• I am not diagnosed with a mental illness.
 - However, I consciously acknowledge my mental health, and I relate to the spectrum of general and social anxiety.
 - I recently became a Wear Your Label brand ambassador, and it is a huge honor to share my story through the brand.
• I have never been in a serious relationship before.
 - Unless you count a relationship with oneself, then I've been in a happy and healthy relationship for about 2 years now as a self-love advocate.
• If you cannot find me at school, work, nor blog, then you can find me at a local concert venue.
 - My favorite self-care practice is getting lost at some show that I went to by myself.

I hope this little introduction/update gives you a bit of insight into my art. I shall see y'all soon... sooner than three months! Hehe.