Pink Argyle

Training for My First Half Marathon

2012-01-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

[Cute ad campaign from lululemon]

On a whim I signed up for a half marathon. "You did what?!" said the boy. "Do you even know what that entails?"Oh, husband. Such confidence!

Seriously though, I don't think I really know what it entails, ha! I'm not a runner, but for whatever reason, I was swayed by cute tigers (the money for this marathon goes toward a new tiger sanctuary) and this voice inside me telling me that I should focus on something that helps my mental and physical health. And then, before I knew it, I was signed up to run 13 some odd miles in the Safari Park Half Marathon.

[Wanna join me? You can sign up here!]

Like any good planner/blogger/future librarian, I've looked up some training schedules and it looks like I better start training in the next couple weeks and log in a whole lot of miles a week. Eep! But I'm excited by this challenge, and I think it will be good for my heart and head.

Send me your tips marathon runners! How should I train?

Lunar New Year Baby Blocks

2012-01-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

Sister 2: So wait, when are you going to start trying?
Me: After my graduation, and after the boy gets his PhD.
Sister 2: Ok, so when is that?
Me: Well, if I don't royally screw up, I graduate in June. And if the boy advances, he could potentially be done by March next year.
Sister 2: So, next year? You'll start trying next year?
Me: No, after he's done with his PhD, which isn't until...
Sister 2: THAT'S NEXT YEAR.
Me: Shut up, it totally is not. *scratches head* Hm, he starts clinic in 2013...which is, hm...
Sister 2: NEXT YEAR!
Me: Whoa.
Sister 2: Don't worry, I'm sending you my books. Which ones do you have?

I suppose one could really tell that I'm having baby fever because I'm starting to research cute baby items on Etsy. This is how the wedding planning started, which then snowballed into its very own lace-covered beast!

Lunar New Year is creeping up on us and I saw these adorable animal zodiac baby blocks by bysimple and I had to share. What a beautiful keepsake for a newborn! They come in all the animals of the zodiac and also in two different illustration styles.
You can check out more at Stacy's Etsy shop.

[All items and photos from Stacy Wong of bysimple]

I envision a cute set of these in our future nursery, to be determined at a much later date!

11 Things About Mo

2012-01-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

Thank you to my blogger friend elephant is love for tagging me! This is quite the post, I needed to answer 11 questions about myself.

Here are the questions Chewy came up with and my answers!

1. Is there a significance behind your name?Yes--my name means “dream” in Chinese. I’m told my Dad had a dream I would be a girl, and lo and behold! Here I am. :)

2. Your favorite color / color combination?Purple is consistently one of my favorite colors, but I love all colors of the rainbow. I’m not a huge fan of black, but if I do wear it, I like pairing it with a really bright scarf, necklace, or cardigan.

Here are some of my favorite combinations at the moment:

[Purple and aqua]

[Peach and goldenrod]

[Royal blue and seafoam green]

3. Favorite past time / thing you do to de-stress?
I love to write, take photos, make art and crafts, and explore new places (or old ones, like the beach or the zoo!) This blog is the perfect place for me to publish all my adventures and reflections. Not only is it a record of everything I see, but it's also my way of sharing my life with you.

4. What is your motto in life, or your strongest belief /value?
Hmmm...good question! I make an effort to keep an open mind, and also try not impose my values on others because what works for me certainly doesn't work for the rest of the world. I don't like upsetting people, and am sensitive to the harmony and peace in my relationships. Life is hard, we need all the help we can get from one another! I try to see things from other people's perspectives because we've all come from different walks of life. While I like to keep the peace, I have been known to make snide remarks or give a death stare for the following: 1. racism 2. homophobia 3. sexism 4. judgmental statements against myself and/or family/community 5. entitled people 6. arrogance 7. the movie National Treasure

Finally, chocolate and hugging are needed on a daily basis.

5. What is your next upcoming (exciting) project?
Another mini book! This one is a more personal project and I'm going to write a lot for it, as opposed to my other mini books which are all photos. It's going to have a forest theme and I am really excited to use these fun materials I picked up:

6. Describe your fashion style. Post a picture, if you have one!
I have an ultra feminine, colorful, eclectic style. Texture, bright colors, and fun accessories are all welcome in my closet. I own way too many dresses, and am a fan of ruffles, bows, and cardigans. Below are some of the items from my wardrobe.

7. Coffee or tea, or choice of morning beverage? Vietnamese coffee or milk tea please!

8. All time favorite book and/ or movie? Oh man, just one? If I HAD to choose one movie, it would be My Neighbor Totoro, which always puts a smile on my face and gives me the warm fuzzies. I don't know if I have an absolute favorite book (I feel like as a future librarian I should have one that I absolutely adore) but there are just too many in too many genres. What kind of book? Art book? Children's book? Fiction? Nonfiction? But let's see, just one...I always think fondly of the book A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius because I read it when I was studying abroad and missing Berkeley. It made me a fan of Dave Eggers.

9. What music do you listen to? I typically listen to folk, indie rock, or indie pop with a female lead singer--Bird and the Bee is one of my favorite bands, and I also have Ingrid Michaelson, She and Him, Lily Allen, Fiona Apple, Rilo Kiley, Kate Nash, and Lenka on my playlist.

10. Do you prefer living in a house or an apartment? I've been living in an apartment for the past 10 years, but I really miss living in a house. I'm not a huge fan of being stacked on top of one another, and having a house would mean I could have a yard or a front porch or a garage...sigh...the possibilities.

11. What is your dream vacation? Anywhere with good food, a beautiful view, and my husband by my side.

Thanks Chewy! I had fun answering these.

San Francisco Date Day

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

[I wrote this post over my break and I notice that my tone in this is rather chipper--which probably means I was having a good vacation! Instead of revising it since I'm posting this days later after coming back home, I thought I'd keep it as is--enjoy!]

Did everyone have a good holiday? I'm still on vacation back home in Northern California, gearing up my wits and health for a great 2012. After having a bit of a panicky two weeks (I was convinced I was doing horribly in one of my classes--turns out I was fine, phew) we made the long drive from San Diego to the Bay Area and have been here since. It's been a little crazy. We've been here a week and have stayed with four different relatives and have filled our bellies at so many delicious restaurants. Such is life when we visit!

Yesterday, something unexpected happened--we had nothing planned. So the boy and I decided to take the day to frolic through San Francisco. We met in college at UC Berkeley, so San Francisco was always a special treat for us away from studying. Even after visiting so many times and living close in college, San Francisco continues to be a treat.

We started the day off at the Ferry Building, and got some Blue Bottle coffee and Acme Bread. And then we walked out to the pier and I snapped this picture:

[Blue bottle mocha and a content Mo]

We continued the day over at Koi Palace in Daly City.

[XO har gow, aka, spicy shrimp dumpling deliciousness]

[*drool* These are like Chinese donuts, lots of sugar and fresh out of the oven]

After stuffing ourselves silly, we headed over to the Conservatory of Flowers. The exhibits were gorgeous, and my favorite was the special exhibit, Playland (see the pics further below.) The exhibit celebrates seaside culture in a bygone era, complete with a miniature railway exhibit, fun mirrors, a photobooth, a bumper car, and other amusement park charm. I LOVED all of the bright colors and foliage that decorated this space. I highly recommend it, and it's on display until April 15th!

I left my heart in San Francisco. I'm pretty sure it's not at my desk in San Diego, which I have to return to shortly, sigh. Hope everyone is having an easy week back at work!

hello 2012, I've been waiting for you

2012-01-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

While 2011 proved to be devastating, there were some happy memories and good news for us. Here are some of the happy moments of 2011:

+ Our marriage is still going strong, and we continue to learn more about each other every day. We've talked a lot lately, especially with my heartache, and I think we're closer than ever now. We celebrated our first year of marriage with a trip to New Mexico.

+ My sisters gave birth to beautiful baby boys, Parker and Jonah.

+ We moved into a nicer apartment and I finally have my own office space.

+ The boy and I were both awarded fellowships for our studies. During this economic nightmare, we consider ourselves lucky to have the help.

+ After a scary six weeks of my Dad being sick in the hospital (at the worst time, we were told pancreatic cancer was a possibility--it's since been ruled out--yay!), he is finally at home and regaining strength. I was able to see him over the holiday break, which was such a relief.

The big theme for me for 2012 is to look forward. Make peace with the past. Look forward to things to come. I have a lot to look forward to--in the near future I have my graduation to look forward to, and in the farther future, I see growing our home to include a house and kids.

I really liked this 2012 manifesto poster from creating clever, and so I made my own. If you made one too, I'd love to see it!

2011, go to sleep. 2012, I'm all yours.

Do we share any of the same resolutions? What are your thoughts about the past year?

Winner of the Shabby Apple Giveaway - Nikkiana!

2011-12-11T22:39:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Nikkiana! I couldn't find an email address for you, please contact me (my email is on the contact page) so you can claim your prize.

peace, love, and cupcakes

2011-12-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

Have you entered the Shabby Apple Giveaway? Tomorrow's the last day!

[I had fun doing this photo shoot. The cat never has fun during these photo shoots, but I know that when she sees the final product, she's thankful she didn't squirm out of my arms in desperation. Now I just need to make the boy pose for one of these!]

To brighten up this super crappy year, I am looking forward to spending time with my family and friends this holiday season. We will be making our perilous trek from San Diego to San Francisco and Sacramento on the 23rd, where I finally get to see my Dad (he just left the hospital and will be recovering,) my family, the boy's family, and some good friends I only get to see a few times a year.

When times are hard, it's difficult to be far away. Days like these, I wish I lived close by, so I wouldn't have to plan out just one week of time to see everyone I love.

On the agenda is a visit to one of our favorite restaurants in the city, The House, and I hope to have lots of cuddle time with my baby nephews and niece!

With a mountain of work (finals and work deadlines) I am counting down the days until I get to go over the river and through the woods on the 23rd. It's been pure chaos lately.

Hope your holiday planning is sweet and merry! I'm going to have Elf playing in the background while I toil away at my finals. xoxo

Shabby Apple Giveaway - Francine Skirt - CLOSED

2011-11-30T16:38:00.001-08:00

Tis the season to give, and what better way to give than with a Shabby Apple Giveaway! I've had my eye on any skirt with a bow, so I'm going to give one of you the chance to have this adorable pencil skirt, the Francine. For those of you unfamiliar with Shabby Apple, it's an online boutique of sweet and flirty women's dresses. As readers familiar with this blog know, I'm a sucker for dresses!

[The Francine Skirt from Shabby Apple]

To enter, you must:

Like the Shabby Apple Facebook page, then leave a comment below telling me you did. That might be a pretty boring comment, so to make things interesting for me and you, let us all know what your plans are for this holiday season while you're at it.

For an additional entry, you may also:

Tweet, Facebook, or blog about this giveaway and leave a comment here with the link.

This giveaway will close one week from now on December 8th at 11:59 PM. A winner will be chosen at random from the comments.

Don't forget--include your email address so I know how to contact the winner!

Good Luck!

20% Off Sarah Perlis + Eternity Ring Love

2011-11-29T14:31:00.001-08:00

I never got a wedding band (we opted to use the money to get the boy the gold wedding band of his choice) so whenever I see that Sarah (who made my engagement/wedding ring!) having a sale my heart skips a beat. Isn't this one just lovely?

[Yellow gold bezel eternity band]

Sigh...maybe one day??

Go visit Sarah's website here for more beautiful jewelry.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-27T22:10:00.001-08:00

That turkey above was really, really good. The gravy that you see directly behind it, even better! Some of the best turkey I have had. For the first time, the boy and I spent Thanksgiving at my godmother's who whipped up a fabulous feast. It was delicious.

My godmother and I share an affinity for sparkly pretty things. Here you can see the pretty tablecloth she set out, and the pink glass peaking in the corner.

Yams are underneath this cloud of toasted marshmallows. Mmmmmmm...

Even though I had a horrible paper to write (ugggghhhh) the boy and I managed to have fun with his time off from lab. It was really nice. We spent the day at the zoo, which I always love. I've been to the zoo several times, and each time the hippo, Otis, is smushed up against the glass and looking positively lazy. This time he was actually posing on this rock, so I took the opportunity to get a photo with him. Hi Otis! [These lucky folks got Otis to smile.]

After the zoo, we had dinner at one of our favorite spots in La Jolla, PrepKitchen.

[Photo from PrepKitchen]

That dinner was amazing. The boy's dish was particularly good--a turkey leg with polenta. This was fall off the bone good.

To top it off, we shared a pumpkin bread pudding. We were full of food and happiness.

Annnnnnnnd if that wasn't enough, we also saw The Muppets, which was SO GOOD. It totally made me smile all the way home and had me in love with Amy Adams (and her wardrobe!) again.

[Just hanging out with my Muppet buddies]

On a more serious note...

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all of the experiences I have had in my life thus far. I am thankful for the love I have received, the places I have been, the knowledge I have the accrued, and the possibilities that my life has to offer. The fact that I got to eat a delicious Thanksgiving meal, visit the zoo and see so many animals from around the world, have a romantic dinner by the ocean, and see The Muppets, all with my best friend and love, is quite a weekend. I'm quite grateful that this is my life.

I am thankful that my friends and family have their health and are fed well and live in warm homes. And although my Dad isn't doing so well (he's back in the hospital and I hope he is out by the time I go back home,) I am thankful for the education and experience of the doctors and medical staff who are helping treat him and make him better so he can go home and be with us.

I am thankful that I have this public vehicle to share my life with you, and I am thankful that you share your life with me so I can read about the love that other people share around the world.

Hope everyone had a wonderful, delicious Thanksgiving.

Let the holidays--whatever you may celebrate--begin!

A Birthday + San Diego Beer Week

2011-11-16T17:55:00.001-08:00

[The boy and I at the Beer Garden event at the Lodge at Torrey Pines]

Things are getting better. Have I mentioned how great the boy is? I love him. He's been so patient and supportive. Big emphasis on the word "patient", because I know a gigantic portion of the population wouldn't be able to handle weepy Mo rambling on about life, death, the past, and making weird pop culture references while doing so. Yeah. From talking to me for hours when he has other work to do, to going on midnight runs to McDonald's for my friend and enemy the McFlurry, to doing more chores to help out, he's really stepped it up. On another sunny note, my Dad is recovering at home (he was in the hospital last month) and slowly eating more and regaining strength. I have high hopes for December and 2012.

This week we celebrated his birthday by going to Beer Garden at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, which was sorely needed! Sun, good food, pretty place, alcohol, plus the love of my life? Yes please.

There were ten stations with food from local restaurants and brewers, and it was all. you. can. eat. And the food was incredible! I'm not a beer drinker (shhhh! don't tell the other people that went!) but the boy loves it and is getting into craft beers. He's already planning for next year.

[The event took place on the patio at The Lodge at Torrey Pines.]

[There was live music while we got tipsy and ate lobster.]

[Each attendee got a baby glass to try all the beers.]

[One of my favorites: Boursin Cheese Ravioli, Parmesan Cream, Rock Shrimp, Asparagus and Baby Tomatoes from Pamplemousse Grill]

[Another favorite: Main Lobster “Salchicha”, Piri Piri salsa, Cilantro pistou from Karl Strauss]

[The boy's favorite: Lightly Smoke Trout, Crushed Potato-Fennel, Green Apple Salad, Pommery Mustard from The Shores]

[Fresh bread from Sadie Rose Baking Company]

Hooray for a successful birthday for the boy! Three cheers for being a wonderful husband and life partner. :)

A Blooming Halloween

2011-11-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone for your support on my last post. After writing it, I felt better. You're a great audience, thank you.

I'm doing a bit better but still not completely present. I've also been struggling with some family health issues, and our family cat of 17 years died two weeks ago, so basically October 2011 is in the running for worst month in my life.

For some therapy, I decided to make my Halloween costume using this Martha Stewart idea. There's nothing like a trip to Michael's and Paper Source to make me feel better momentarily. That, and adorable trick or treaters coming to my door and getting excited over my pink Pocky and Hello Kitty candies. Those kids were too adorable. (Tick tock, Mo.)

Here's how the costume came out:

[My Halloween costume, based on this Martha Stewart tutorial]

[The whole ensemble--I'm holding an arrow because I was part of a food chain. My fellow editors were a bunny and a wolf. :) ]

I used:

+1 plastic headband

+PVA (I think double-sided tape works well too)

+floral tape (regular tape is helpful when attaching the tissue paper)

+floral wire (I glued this to the green paper to make the leaves bendable)

+pink tissue paper

+green paper with fibers

+bees from Michael's (I found them in the floral department)

I'm happy with how it came out and love how colorful it looked!

How was your Halloween? Did you dress up?

Lost Love

2011-10-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

Before the boy, there was Daniel.

We met one summer at a high school tennis camp. My hitting buddy was on vacation, and I jumped at the chance to ask him to be my new partner for the day. When he didn't sound disgusted but pleasantly surprised, I beamed. When I realized he was so much better than me, but didn't give me a hard time about it, I started to like him even more.

We found out we had a lot in common. He was an artist, loved music and concerts, played tennis, was as annoyed about high school as I was, and believed in the good of people. I had never met anyone who read so much, or who read so much Shakespeare and actually understood it. He asked me out on a date to the state fair, and like a high school fairy tale, we held hands and stole glances at each other the whole night. If you think about all the cliches you would see in a movie about first love, they were all present that night. We were both crazy for one another.

After that day, we soon became a couple. He was my best friend. We spent summer days at the river, hung out in Santa Cruz where he went to school, made mix tapes for each other, watched all the latest movies, went to concerts, made art for one another, talked about politics, college, leaving our small town, backpacking in Europe. A future together.

We were a couple from about 1998 to 2002. He told me we came from different worlds, and that it was time for both of us to move on, that I didn't really want him, that I needed someone else but just didn't want to admit it. For a bit we kept in touch. But eventually, I stopped making an effort and so did he. I met the boy and fell in love again.

Last week, Daniel died in a car accident. It had been 6 years since I last spoke to him, and after we broke up I cut off all my ties to anyone connected to him. My good friend back home heard it through the grapevine and told me Saturday night. I flew out Sunday morning, just in time for the memorial.

When I got to the memorial, a photo I took of him and his brother was framed at the front table. I just about lost it. I kept to myself in a corner, silently crying, until they asked for people to share any stories in memory of Daniel. I stood up and walked to the podium. This is what I said.

It has been about 6 years since I last heard from Daniel, but from the years 1998 to 2002, we were very close, and I treasure the happy time that we spent together. I'd like to thank his family for welcoming me into their home when I was an obnoxious teenager--I probably ate all your food and tied up your phone line. Thank you for treating me like family.

Daniel was so special to me and embodied so many firsts. First date, first kiss, first love, first 'F' on a paper--which he helped me raise to a 'B+', first day of college. He was always there for me.

It's hard for me to pick one memory, because I have so many good stories, but one of the memories I cherish is our time at the river. I was always too scared to scale the cliff down to the river by myself. So Daniel would go down a few steps, and then point to the rocks that were safe. Every time, I would hesitate, because I'm just cautious and I didn't always trust him. But he would hold out his hand to me, and say "It's ok, Mo. I got you." We'd hold hands carefully walking down the cliff, and like he promised, we always made it down safely.

Even though it had been so long since we were in each others' lives, I am going to miss Daniel so much. And I am so glad that I can be here today.

His family embraced me after, and told me the hard truth the next day. Since I had last heard from him, Daniel wasn't well. He got sick. He was never like he was when I last knew him best.

[From top to bottom: A Valentine's Day card, Daniel, and Me and Daniel at REM in 1999]

I hope that in writing this post, it helps me remember all the good in our relationship and relieves some of the grief I have over never being able to be with him again.

Rest in peace, Daniel. Thank you for teaching me how to love.

White Glasses, Yay or Nay?

2011-10-17T23:34:00.000-07:00

[The Webb frame in Black Crystal and Crystal Matte. This is a "virtual try-on," a feature that lets you upload a photo so you can see what you would look like with the glasses on]

Ah, glasses.

My prescription gets worse every year, and again, my current glasses aren't letting me see to my full potential. Last year, the boy purchased some frames from Warby Parker. He loves his frames, and the delivery was swift and customer service super nice. So, I might jump on the Warby Parker bandwagon myself. And I have my eye (pun intended) on the Webb frame.

But I need your help. I am really tempted to get the "crystal matte" but I'm not sure if they'll look OK. I've always just gotten black, except when I was 9 and got blue with pink flecks, and when I was 13 and had a Lisa Loeb obsession.

What do you think, white glasses? Yes? No? Stick with black? Get some orange frames?

When Life Gets Busy, Crafts Suffer

2011-10-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Where did I go? I'm heading into week 4 of the quarter, and it's showing in my crafts, and basically all aspects of my domestic life. I will, however, brag that I was able to wash the dishes AND do laundry this week. Also, I've noticed that I have missed out on several weeks of my favorite podcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour, which is just inexcusable. I think it's a travesty when NPR is not included in my life. I have however been able to squeeze a teeny tiny bit of time for one of the best craft times of the year--Halloween! I swear, if I wasn't up at night reading about AACR2 and MARC records, I would be crafting up a storm.

I've planned two crafts for myself, one is my costume (soon to come!) and the other is *drum roll please* Glitter pumpkins!

[You can make your own glittered pumpkins too, here are the instructions]

I think this craft came out OK and I probably should have taken Martha's suggestions on the colors. Blue with bits of orange peeking out? Not that cute. But I just couldn't resist the blue! I also sprinkled some glow-in-the-dark glitter in there, which I did not know existed before Saturday.

Also, how did Martha NOT get glitter on the stem? If you're doing this craft, I recommend finding pumpkins with very long stems so you have a better chance of not getting the stem bombarded by glitter.

Still, even with these shortcomings, they are pretty eye-catching in the middle of our table. And the mini-pumpkins I got? Too adorable.

What's your favorite part of Halloween?

Miss Your Faces

2011-10-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

9 Years

2011-10-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked 9 years of being a couple. I didn't mention it, and neither did he, because like the past couple years we have just FORGOT. So much for being romantic.
But even though our wedding anniversary has masked our dating one, I still think fondly of the fall of 2002. And despite not remembering, I think last night's evening of him washing dishes and making dinner while I gabbed on about my day was plenty romantic enough for me. :)

Here's to almost a decade of being together!

Tell Me About Yourself

2011-10-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you to elephant is love for the Tell Me About Yourself award! As part of the award, I'm supposed to write 7 random things about myself. I'm feeling particularly boring these days, but let's see if I can gather 7 tidbits about yours truly.

1. I was an Asian Tracy Flick.
Or some might say I'm still Tracy Flick, but I like to think I've calmed down since then. Really. I didn't tear down any campaign posters and then lie about it, but I was definitely aggressive about what I wanted in high school and stressed myself out about being (my idea of) "perfect". And then I went to Berkeley and met a bunch of other Tracy Flicks and got humble really fast. There's nothing like getting a paper with no mark on it, just the message "REWRITE" in red, as a way to shake someone up and say WAKE UP!

[Did you watch Asian Annie (the counterpart to Jewish Annie) on Community? Hilarious! I creepily have several outfits that look just like that...cute glasses, Annie!]

2. I can lick my elbow. Go ahead, try it. I'll wait.

*******************************

...Did you do it??? Did you? Our nerdy doctor friends found out that I can only lick my right elbow because my right shoulder is double-jointed.

3. If all goes well, I graduate this spring!!!! By the end of this year, no more working full-time and going to school part-time. Let's take a big sigh of relief together.

[From here]

4. I ate at Burger Lounge with the boy for lunch. I had a quinoa burger with white cheddar. I think this is the best burger in San Diego, it is SO yummy!

[At the La Jolla Burger Lounge]

5. I already have a boy name and a girl name picked out for our future children. I'm not telling you for fear that you will laugh or tell me that someone horrible in your life was named that. I realize this is crazy since we are 1) not pregnant, and 2) not ttc. Although, I feel like one step in the right direction knowing what that acronym means!

6. I love working with kids. During a corporate job interview having nothing to do with kids or art or education, I admitted that the best job I ever had was working with kids at an art and science camp.

I didn't get the job.

7. I'm in the market for a good printer (for photos and scrapbooking, plus all the basic b+w printing I have for school,) and a tablet to read eBooks. Any suggestions??

The award indicates that I have to tag people, but it's hard to choose among all my blog friends. Consider yourself tagged, and if you feel inclined, tell me something random about yourself in the comments. :)

Hope everyone has a lovely start to the week!

My Fairy Blogmother

2011-09-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

I'm back from a long weekend in the SF Bay Area and Sacramento. I visited my in-laws, my parents, my grandmother, my cat, and attended the red egg and ginger party of my adorable newborn nephews. Before I left, I got a pretty exciting surprise in the mail.

Do you remember this travesty?

Yeah I know, let's not look at it for too long. It hurts, doesn't it?

My blog friends, women I have never met but only know in this wonderful and sometimes crazy world of the Internet, continue to amaze me with their generosity and kindness. I want to thank you all for the comments on my post about my bag. I carried it every day, and also wouldn't have bought it originally had I not found it on sale for 50% off...hence, the sad, sad day of the suntan lotion massacre of summer 2011.

So, what was the surprise package? And who sent it?

This gorgeous yellow version of the same bag (!!!!!!), sent by, none other than, my fairy blogmother--Abbie!

[Tano Boogie Bucket in lemon line, a present from my blogger friend, Abbie of A Glimpse of the Girl Next Door.]

As you can see, I've already started carrying it. We're going steady. I think it's gonna ask me to the prom and pick a corsage that matches my dress.

Abbie, I promise I will take good care of it and will not leave it teetering on a bathroom hook at Starbucks only to see it fall to a devastating death. I'm going to hug it just like in the photo above. Forever. Or until it falls apart.

Have you ever had a fairy blogmother or acted as one?

An Elephant and Embroidery Love

2011-09-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

[Check out my blog buddy, elephantislove, and her etsy store here]

A couple weeks ago, I won a great giveaway from the lovely elephantislove for a beautiful notecard set from Sarah of Sometimes I Swirl! Thank you to both for hosting the giveaway, and for introducing me to a beautiful Etsy store. I've been admiring Sarah's embroidery work. Here are some of my favorites:

[Three Colorful Flowers from Sometimes I Swirl]

[Embroidery Flower Garden from Sometimes I Swirl]

[Purple flower from Sometimes I Swirl]

Dreamy, no? I have never tried embroidery, but these are so lovely I'm curious to try now.

Playing With My Camera - San Diego Zoo

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I bought a new toy for my camera--a telephoto zoom lens! After the power outage on Thursday (more on that later), I spent some time enjoying the fresh air and lack of crowds at the zoo. I wanted to see how close I could zoom-in to the animals. Turns out, pretty close!

Here are some of my favorites:

I just bought a membership, so I hope to visit my zoo friends more often for regular portrait sessions. :)

StoryCorps: The Voices of 9/11

2011-09-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

[From StoryCorps' 9/11 Animated Shorts Series, She Was the One]

Groggy from cold medicine and cloaked in a Cal sweatshirt, I woke up the morning of 9/11/2001 to my phone ringing. (A real cordless phone, because I didn't even have a cell phone yet.) It was my first month in the dorms, and I was still getting used to being on my own and learning about the world around me. I had just met my roommate, who became a lifelong friend, and I didn't even know the boy. He was probably sleeping in a dorm room a half mile away.

"Hello?" I said with my eyes still closed.
"Are you up?" It was my sister.
"No, we're both sick, we were sleeping. Why are you calling so early? What's wrong?"
"Go find a common room with a TV. Is there one on your floor? Go watch the TV."

With my sister still on the phone, I shuffled out of bed and to our dorm's common room, where I found a group of people already glued to watching the news. The rest is a little foggy to me.

She Was the One brought tears to my eyes and makes me want to hold onto the boy and never let go.

Take care of your loved ones and community, blog world.

With love,

When Bad Things Happen To Good Fashion

2011-09-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

[Mo+purse during happier times]

My Tano Boogie Bucket suffered a horrible fate on Sunday, thanks to a can of suntan lotion and my trust in a wobbly hook in the Starbucks bathroom.

"I'll be fast," I told the boy. Little did I know what torture I'd inflict on one of my favorite fashion pieces by choosing to pee at that time, in that place, and with that bag slung over my shoulder. I shut the door, and put my bag up on the hook. It wobbled. But I didn't want to waste any time, so I didn't think anything of it and just left it there to teeter over the thing piece of metal. And then, before I could even turn around, I heard this huge *POP!* like a firecracker or toy gun, and I turned my head (slow motion like in an action movie right before something epic is about to happen,) and saw an exploded can of suntan lotion and my red bag limp on the ground. Patches of the leather slowly turned a darker shade of red as the oil seeped over it.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Everything inside--my wallet, the cards in the wallet, my iPhone, my keys, my glasses--were all soaked and still smell like suntan lotion. I came out with my hands filled with oily wallet, bag and phone, which the boy greeted with a "what happened??"

Neutrogena attacked my bag, that's what happened.

Here are snapshots of the damage.

Do you think there is anything I can do to save my bag? Because the boy is already planning its funeral.

The Weekend Recap: L.A. and The Getty Villa

2011-09-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday night, or in this case Monday night, is like the worst night of the week. I'm filled with the dread of the weekend being over and my work-week responsibilities flooding my head. While I can relish these last moments away from my work email, here's a recap of our weekend!

The boy and I went exploring in L.A. Our main stop was the Getty Villa, which was lusciously grandiose and had me in love with Corinthian columns and rosettes. There were so many details at the villa, from painstakingly made mosaics in the garden, to precisely carved flowers on the ceilings. There was a lot for the eye to see among the gardens and architecture, not to mention the entire collection of Roman, Greek, and Etruscan work the place holds. One of the more memorable things we saw in the collection was a mummy. You can see a video of the mummification process on the Getty Museum channel here.

Prior to the Getty Villa we had some trendy dim sum at Bao. This was definitely not our parents' kind of dim sum (ie, it was really clean, there's a cocktail bar, and they were playing Sufjan Stevens) but the food was good and the experience worthwhile. Still, I think next time around we'll be going back to Monterey Park for our dim sum.

We also had a coffee tasting at Balconi Coffee Company.

The boy has a siphon coffee maker, and a chat with the incredibly knowledgeable and friendly owner has motivated him to learn more about his siphon and its capabilities. I know squat about coffee, but enjoyed the ride. My cup tasted like blueberries!

We ended the day with a good burger with our friends, and a stroll around the beautiful Venice Canals before I downed even more caffeine for that late-night drive back south.

Thank you to miss t. for the recommendation!!

Every time we drive to L.A., we have the "where do you want to live" discussion. Ultimately, higher powers are going to determine where we live in four years after San Diego, but we still play this game as if we can decide ourselves. When I lived in Northern California I would have never thought of living in L.A. (I think it has something to do with the Norcal vs. Socal ideology,) but it's really grown on me the more we go there. Sure, it might take 40 minutes to drive 6 miles, and that guy on the road, well, he sure does like to use his horn, but L.A.--it's slowly charming me.

How did you spend your Labor Day weekend?

30 Day Photo Challenge - Days 12, 17, and 20

2011-09-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

[Day 12 - Sun Flare]

[Day 17 - Bokeh]

[Day 20 - Water (this is from inside the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego--the square is a window and the area around it is tinted glass!)]

I'm having a lazy Labor Day weekend, enjoying the slightly cooler weather here in San Diego. We're planning a trip to L.A. tomorrow which should be art and food filled. Can't wait. :)

Happy weekend everyone!

Babies Waving At Me

2011-08-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was at the mall waiting for my lunch, and I felt something nudge my leg. An adorable little toddler looked up at me with big blue eyes and waved at me before her Mom carried her away.

The day before, I was in line at the market behind a man holding a baby boy. He (the baby, not the man,) waved at me and then hunkered down in his Dad's shoulder. "Ya can't just wave to her and then be shy buddy, that's not how it works," he said to him.

Yup. I'm feeling the first pangs of baby fever. But I know, despite seeing adorable babies wave to me in public, that we need to wait. That I need to finish school, get our acts together, save money to one day own property. I feel in limbo, like I really want to create a "home" for ourselves but know we aren't anywhere near that point. I don't even know what city we'll be calling home in 5 years, or what I'll be doing, or what he'll be doing. I like to plan and research and read about everything. It drives me a little crazy not to know what will happen.

Babies. All in good time. In the meantime, I hope they keep waving at me!

Help Us Choose An Album Cover

2011-08-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

Work is kicking my butt. Where did my carefree summer of mini books and vacations go?? Come back summer of ice cream and rainbows! Boo to spreadsheets and emails! It's seriously cramping all of my fun stuff, including the big project I was supposed to finish: our wedding album. After some frustrating use of Adorama (more on that when I get the actual book) I went back to Blurb. I am SO CLOSE. SO CLOSE. I'm really happy with how it's turned out so far.

But, it's taken a long time. One of the things the boy and I cannot agree on is the cover. We argued about it without a resolution, and since then I have just left the file untouched. Since I'm going back to grad school in about three weeks (eeek!) it's time I get this project done. Let's pick a cover, please help me.

I'm not going to tell you which one of us likes what because I know you all love me more and will choose the one I like (ha!) So here are four choices--please excuse the terrible cloning of our names.

Which one would you choose, to have and to hold, on one's coffee table, from this day forward? Or until we get filthy rich and invest in a cloth-bound book with archival paper?

Thoughts? 1, 2, 3, or 4?

A Craft Project for the Petite

2011-08-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

We're short. If we see something on the top shelf at the grocery store, we argue about who is going to stand on the shelf and grab it. "I did it last time, it's your turn...no way, I'm the one that did it last time...oh wait! There's someone tall walking down the aisle, ask her."

I'm really sorry, people above the height of 5'8", we've probably stopped you at many a grocery store. Anyway, we've really needed a step stool for a long time now (what? we have storage space in the top cabinets? shut up!) and we finally got one at IKEA. But it was just so boring, so, I painted it and decoupaged some flowers on top.

Ta-dah!

[Bekvam Step Stool from IKEA, painted in Martha Stewart Aegean Blue]

[I've had this paper for 6 years now, and I haven't done anything with it. You might recognize it as the packaging for Voluspa Japonica candles. This is NICE PAPER but I got tired of it just sitting around...so I cut up some of the flowers, painted them on with Mod Podge, and voila! The paper is now out of the closet.]

I think the step stool is a nice, bright addition to our kitchen and anywhere else we need a boost.

Also, thank you to Discovery Street for the inspiration for the Martha Stewart blue! You should all check out her amazing new bathroom! :)

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 11, Silhouette

2011-08-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

[Day 11 - silhouette]

My office mate is IN LOVE with America's Got Talent, and he got me watching a few episodes too. Did anyone see this act?? I thought it was so graceful and impressive.

Silhouettes have been a really popular design element lately that I feel like I see them everywhere along with birds, balloons, and cupcakes. What do you think, do you like the trend or should it start to fade away?

Polka Dot Scarf

2011-08-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

I'm catching up on life this weekend. First on my "very important things to do" list was to check out the Mad Men collection at Banana Republic, and then I hopped over to Gap for the 50% denim sale. I bought this new scarf (I LOVE scarves, I have a lot of them,) and a pair of super comfy denim leggings at 50% off.

(This is the highlight of the weekend, for the rest of it I'll probably be cleaning the bathroom and doing my laundry.)

[Polka dot scarf from Banana Republic]

Hope you all have a pink polka dot weekend. Ciao!

Things We Don't Talk About On Our Blogs

2011-08-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

I just watched Catfish. (I know, it came out a long time ago, bear with me.)
If you haven't seen it and would like to see it, then you should probably stop reading now.

I'll wait if you'd like to leave.

*

*

*

*

Ok. I'm back. Glad you could stick around! So, Catfish. Catfish is a supposedly real documentary (but has been criticized for being a fake). In a nutshell, the movie is about a 20-something New York photographer who starts an online relationship with a beautiful girl living in the midwest. They have never met. He texts her, sends her emails, talks to her on the phone, all over the course of several months. He *knows* she's gorgeous based on all of the photos on her Facebook page. They talk about being together one day, sharing lives, having a real relationship. They fall in love.

The sad part is that she was a fake. The girl turns out to be a hoax, an entire world created and edited by someone else. The person behind the photos is an artist named Angela Wesselman Pierce. If Catfish is indeed a fake documentary, then I watched a fake documentary that pretends to be real life, about a woman faking her identity on Facebook. A hoax about a hoax.

What I found really interesting about Catfish was the idea that we all edit ourselves online. I definitely do that with this blog. I only post photos I like. I write about only certain aspects of my life. I don't use the boy's real name, or my real name even. It's a curated version of myself, framed in pink. [Although I can still guarantee this blog features the "real" me. You can see some proof here.]

When my life is bombarded with my career, you'll likely not hear from me because I don't share that part of my life on here. It's edited out...hence my silence lately.

We all edit ourselves to some extent, online and in person. What do you share and not share on your blog? How much of your authentic self do you edit?

Happy Weekend!

2011-08-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

[Check out the whole "Up" house at Bangerter Homes here]

I miss my more relaxed summer. :( As you can see, July was a great month for blogging! August? Not so much. :/

I'm spending a little time away from work and anything that requires a password by visiting my good friend up north. She is celebrating owning her first home and her first child! It's going to be a great girls' weekend.

Speaking of homes, have you seen the replica of the "Up" house? Yes please. With a corgi and the boy.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! xoxo

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 13, Childhood Memory

2011-08-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

So, since I'm already cheating by giving myself more time for this "challenge", I'm breaking even more rules and going out of order. You see, even though San Diego is known for its sunshine, it's been a little gloomy lately, which makes Days 11 and 12 (silhouette and sun flare) difficult when Mr. Sun does not come out!

This is a photo I took of some public art in La Jolla. Notice the grey sky? It's been like this. way. too. much.

[A trash can in La Jolla village--pretty, no?]

I'm jumping ahead to Day 13--childhood memory. For my childhood memory I chose my copy of The Phantom Tollbooth, which I got at my favorite used bookstore in my hometown sometime around age 10. It shared a shelf with some of my other favorites, Harriet the Spy, Matilda, and Charlotte's Web...and a whole gigantic mountain of Babysitter's Club books.

[The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jules Feiffer]

Did you have a favorite book when you were a kid? Do you still have your childhood copies?

Red Egg and Ginger Invitations

2011-08-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

My family is hosting a joint red egg and ginger party for my two adorable nephews and I designed the invitations around this super cute bunny stamp. Like our Chinese banquet invitations, I wanted to design something a little different from the typical red and gold Chinese invite. This is what I came up with!

I used a really simple font and had the file printed by Mercurio Brothers, the same printer that did our beautiful letterpress invitations. The quality is excellent, I highly recommend them if you're looking for a printer!

Then, I heat embossed the bunny on each one. Heat embossing creates a slightly raised surface, similar to thermography. The bunny added just enough extra decoration to my invite.

To heat emboss you will need:

- a stamp

- a watermark stamp pad, like VersaMark

- embossing powder (I used this red powder)

- an embossing heat tool (I used this one.)

This is how you heat emboss a stamp:

1. Stamp the bunny in the watermark stamp pad. Make sure the whole image gets coated. I made this mistake and the bunny's butt went missing.

2. Stamp the bunny onto your surface. Again, make sure you push down evenly so the ink gets fully applied to the surface. You want the whole bunny!

3. Cover the surface with the embossing powder. Embossing powder comes in all kinds of color, and even glitter. The downside is that this gets messy, so I used a box lid to catch all of the extra powder.

4. Shake the powder off. Now we can see the bunny! Hi!

5. It's time to turn up the heat. Use your heat tool (which gets super hot--650 degree hot) to turn the powdered bunny into a slick, raised surface.

6. Bah, sorry girls and guys, had to clone some info out! But here's the final product with the heat embossed bunny.

7. I wanted to add an envelope liner, and I am lazy, so I picked up these envelope liner templates while I was at Paper Source. You just have to trace around the template, and cut out the paper. EASY.

8. Ta-dah!

9. Here's the completed invite with the envelope and the liner. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

With luck, I got these stamps to go with it, which I think go very well:

[Garden of Love stamps]

They're all ready to go!

Things To Look Forward To

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

[C'est La Vie print from Etsy seller pixelcloud]

I wish summer lasted longer, don't you? Soon I'll have to go back to craziness (school+work) and since just the work part of that equation is kinda ca-ray-zy right now anyway, I'm definitely not looking forward to combining it with school again. This will also (let's hope!) be my last year in my program, and after two years I am definitely looking forward to graduation. But this craziness, it's all going to be worth it in the end, right? Right?

I think about my Dad who woke up at 5 AM every morning to work a 9 hour shift, on his feet. 5 days a week. For 30 years. Surely, I can handle getting through library school and working. Sigh.

Anyhow, this post is titled Things To Look Forward To, so here are a few things I'm looking forward to!

1. A girls weekend! I get to hang out with my former roommates who I miss dearly. We're going to paint pottery and eat brunch and catch up on our lives and basically be our girly silly selves.

2. We're going to take a trip to the Getty Villa! It will be a nice way to end the summer and spend some quality time with the boy.

What are you looking forward to? Anyone else lamenting life's craziness?

30 Day Photo Challenge - Days 8, 9, and 10

2011-08-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

[Day 8 - Fresh fruit. What? This counts as fresh fruit! They're blueberry pancakes. :) ]

I took this at breakfast at Mission Coffee Cup, one of our favorite places in La Jolla. It's yummy, casual, friendly, and hip. If it's a super lazy Sunday, I love coming here, getting coffee at Brick and Bell, and then watching the seals on the shore. If it's not a lazy Sunday, I go back inside to my office and cry over my spreadsheets.

[Day 9 - Sunset. Another beautiful San Diego sunset]

[Day 10 - Animal. My cute kitty. Did I ever mention that the boy got her for me because I made the move to San Diego? He sure does regret that decision after he's seen his backpack chewed up!]

Bridal Shower Mini Book

2011-08-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

It felt so good to get some alone/craft time today. *big breath* I started my 30 day photo challenge when life felt pretty carefree, only to have it side-swiped by not so carefree responsibilities and life in general, so I apologize for my delinquency. I'm giving myself more time to complete it. :)

In the meantime, another mini book! And, I'm promised a date from the boy tonight. Like a real date, where I shower and wear something nice, and not just another night where we order numbers 5 and 12 off the take-out menu. Mini books+real date night=nice Saturday.

This mini book is for my bridal shower that took place last year at Crown and Crumpet in San Francisco. You can see the full post here.

It was an unabashedly pink party, and I have no fear of pink unlike so many people, so I just ran with it--pink letters, pink card, and a butterfly tag with some twine for a touch of variety. My favorite part are those letters, which are from Martha Stewart crafts again. They are fuzzy and rounded, giving the book a bit of texture. Love them.

[The front cover--I knew I could use that business card somewhere!]

[This butterfly tag came from a discounted pack of tags at Target.]

[The whole book fanned out.]

[For group shots, I included a little tag with the names of the people in the photo. This tag came from a Delphine Press pack.]

[I interspersed photos of details and people throughout the whole book for variety.]

Since it was a short event, it's a fairly small book but still a nice addition to my collection. :)

Wanna see more mini books? You can find them here, here, and here.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Days 6 and 7, Breakfast and Beauty

2011-07-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I've been absent. Things were going swimmingly well, and then I got a big burst of anxiety that set me back from doing fun blogger posts. But I'm here now, with more photos! Let's get the boring one out of the way first: breakfast. I don't eat very much for breakfast, but during winter months I drink tea and eat a bowl of oatmeal. Below is a picture I took from my desk of my meager summer breakfast.

[Day 6: My breakfast on a typical workday includes a banana and a cup of either Vietnamese coffee or a green tea latte. On this day, it was a green tea latte.]

And now the fun photo! I love beauty products. You might have noticed I just decided to continue morphing all my photos in Instagram, but for this one I feel like talking about my makeup, so I'm going to do a more extensive post with "regular" photos.

[Day 7: Contents of my makeup bag]

[My makeup! The makeup bag is peaking out from the right on that first photo.]

I tend to go for jewel tones, particularly deep purples and blues, paired with brown. You'll see that I buy a lot of stila, MAC, and benefit, but I'm now venturing out with my first Laura Mercier product. I by no means wear all of this on one day, but probably going out I'll throw it all on. Without further adieu, the makeup of a light-skinned, dark-haired Asian girl:

FACE

Laura Mercier silk creme foundation in cashew beige (This one is new in my bag. I shopped around because I wanted something creamy, and this one has been so nice. Doesn't flake, good coverage, and matches my skin tone really well)

MAC powder blush in CUBIC

MAC mineralize in Medium

Make Up Forever High Definition Concealer

EYES

Ole Henriksen total truth eye cream (super soothing)

stila backstage eye shadow palette (a very pretty jewel-toned palette that goes well with light skin and dark hair): chiffon, flamingo, pacific, luster, poetic, coal

stila smudge stick waterproof eye liner (my fave eyeliner, I have three colors: stingray, lionfish, peacock)

benefit brow zings

Takako eyelashes

Fairy Drops mascara

Acuvue Oasys contacts (lasek one day please)

LIPS (these aren't pictured, but I love dark, red lipstick)

benefit Wild Card

MAC Viva Glam A30 (LOVE this, a great lip color that makes my lips look 1920s glam)

Korres Cherry Gloss

NAILS

essie nail polish: it's genius, clambake, rock candy, mint candy apple

Do you have a product you can't live without?

Mo+Chewie Go To Comic-Con

2011-07-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

[Make me a buddy here!]

*Roaaaaaaaar* Hello. I'm Chewbacca. You might remember me from a little 'ol movie series called Star Wars. Mo made me from following this template on StarWars.com so that I could go to Comic-Con. I think she did a pretty good job, but someone still confused me for A DOG. Um, no. I'm not a dog. Wookiee, thankyouverymuch.

[We made it!]

I guess a lot of other people wanted to go to Comic-Con too, because it was very hard for Mo to walk around! She had to raise her hand a lot so that I could see over everyone's heads.

But even though there were so many people, we got to meet lots of cute characters just like me. This is edamame, its ears moved up and down! We were instructed not to lean on it because edamames are delicate.

[Edamame from Mameshiba]

And then we met these ugly dolls. They are called Ox and Ice-Bat.

[Ugly Dolls]

After we took some photos, we saw some talented artists that we admire like Gene Yang, James Kochalka, Andy Runton, and Craig Thompson. Look at what Andy drew for us!

[A sketch from Andy Runton for Mo and her boy]

We also saw some panels, including one about a new Jim Henson graphic novel, and another about one of our favorite subjects--children's books! Here I am listening intently to the panelists.

[Interesting. I wonder when the Q&A session will start? Too bad my arms don't move, otherwise I would ask a question!]

After a really long day I was TIRED and hot. All this fur is really stifling. So we left the con satisfied and exhausted, but our last adventure of the day was at Yogurtland! My friend Hello Kitty was there. She's on a commemorative spoon, along with my other friend ChocoCat. Mo really wanted the other spoon so the boy took one when the person at the register wasn't looking. Don't tell Yogurtland, I don't want to go to wookiee jail.

[My favorite flavor is strawberry.]

I hope you've enjoyed my recap of Comic-Con 2011! Mo says next year I might have an ewok friend if I'm lucky.

[See you next year!]

30 Day Photo Challenge - Days 4 and 5, Clouds and Books

2011-07-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

[I cheated, these are not clouds from Day 4. This is a photo I took on the road in New Mexico, but can I help it that San Diego has been cloudless lately?]

[Our travel books. Sort of. I think some of these are my sister's -- sorry!]

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 3, Hands

2011-07-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

The boy will occasionally grab my hands and observe them. He tells me he loves how perfect they are, and that makes me smile.

I took a photo of his hands today while he was sleeping. (I promise I'm not creepy.)

[The boy's hands during a nap.]

He has a habit of peeling his cuticles (totally gross) and his palms get sweaty, but I still like holding his hand all the same.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and that Monday goes by FAST. We had an exhausting but fun day at Comic-Con (more on that to come!) but finished off Sunday night with a big bowl of Japanese curry and lounging on the couch.

Are you fascinated by a part of your S.O.?

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 2, Favorite Shoes

2011-07-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

[Day 2]

Ok. Favorite shoes? That's a little broad if you ask me. I have shoes I wear almost everyday, shoes that are super comfortable for walking, shoes that I like to wear to weddings. I went with the shoes that I was stalking for a long time. These are the "amethyst" shoes in black from Seychelles. They are not only super cute on but also comfy. Y'know, for a reasonable amount of time, you wouldn't go rock climbing in these hunnies.

Seychelles is one of my favorite shoe brands, along with Poetic Licence, and now TOMS for comfier uses. If I had the $$$ Kate Spade would be added to that list, but I only had the chance to buy one pair for my wedding. Le sigh.

What are your favorites?

[To see the full 30 day list, click here.]

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 1, Self Portrait

2011-07-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Amelie Obscura for introducing me to the 30 Day Photo Challenge. I'm going to try and see if I can make it through all thirty! The list is above if you'd like to join me. :)

Since I was snap happy today, I decided just to go ahead with Day 1, which is a self portrait. I shot this with my iPhone and then put the lomo filter on it via Instagram. I don't generally like close-up shots of myself because *fun fact about Mo!* one of my eyes is larger than the other. Close-ups magnify this. It's SUPER obvious in baby photos, but my eyes slowly evened out the older I got. I've made peace with them, they are, after all, sisters--not twins.

[Day 1]

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! xoxo

Adventures in Wall Decals

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I finally purchased this wall decal from Blik and Doodlers Anonymous and it came this week! I mustered up the energy to put it on our wall. The boy acted as quality control.

Here is the before with the pieces pinned up with tape to give me an idea of what it would look like:

And here is the after!:

[A view from our hallway, with kitty standing guard]

We used a transfer method. (You can watch this step-by-step on the blik website if you are considering using wall decals.) Kinda nerve-wracking at first (I was scared that I would rip the graphic, especially at the tips of the buildings) but I'm really glad I didn't and that it came out nicely! Overall, a rather easy way to spruce up a wall without painting. Plus, for all you renters out there, this decal is removable just by peeling.

Huzzah!

It All Ended This Weekend

2011-07-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

"It" being the Harry Potter films, don't worry blog friends! I still have a ring on my finger. ;)
Did you see Harry Potter 7.2/DH 2? Wasn't it satisfying and captivating? Way back when I was in high school, I still remember being at my friend's house and seeing the first book on his kitchen table. I had never heard of it and casually read the back cover, probably before doing something very high school, like speeding through the hills in my hatchback while eating gummy bears. Who knew that more than a decade later, I would be at the movie theater playing cards on a nasty a*% theater floor (not much else to do while waiting for a movie) for this very book?

Anyway, we had a great time! I did my best to look Harry Potter-esque and painted a deathly hallows symbol on a white tee. I had that cardigan (hard to see, there's a little lion coat of arms on it) in my wardrobe from a J. Crew sale, and the scarf is leftover from my days in Bay Area weather.

In other weekend news, I bought some pretty yellow tulips which brightened up my apartment.

And, I got a surprise in the mail from our wonderful wedding photographer, Jessamyn Harris. As a gift for our one year anniversary, she had our wedding portrait turned into an encaustic painting made by Wax and Pixels. It's mounted on a piece of sustainable wood. I've already hung it in a special place and think it's quite lovely.

Back to work . . . last week I had a nightmare about work on Sunday night, so let's hope I have sweet dreams of macarons and cupcakes. Like this one I ate.

Hope everyone had a fab weekend and that you had sweet dreams last night!

New Mexico Mini Book

2011-07-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Another mini book post! This one was much easier to make because we were only there for three days. After making the Japan book, editing these pictures and threading all the pieces together was a piece of cupcake. I used brown note cards from Paper Source, green divine twine, and stickers by Lotta Jansdotter.

Here are the different sections for each town we visited:

I'm in love with these Lotta Jansdotter stickers I used for each section. My sister bought me a book of them, available from Chronicle Books. I still have a bunch of them left, and so far have used them for gifts, labeling boxes at home, and now these little books.

[Lotta Jansdotter Labels & Stickers]

I'm also now tempted to get the dutch door press labels and stickers and the small object labels and stickers so that I can cute-i-fy anything in my crafting path. Who needs boring white labels anyway?

Colorful New Office Space

2011-07-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

[My new office area during a momentary lapse of cleanliness.]

One of my favorite parts of our new apartment is that there are two bedrooms, so not only do I have one bedroom for me to dump all of my stuff, now I have two! This weekend, I tidied up my area and hung up my bulletin board and new wall file. I purchased them a few months ago from The Container Store. They are both part of the Brocade collection and definitely pretty up my space!

[This kitty cat on wood is from the wonderful Night Owl Paper Goods.]

Once upon a time, I didn't even have a desk area and would set my dingy computer on my lap sitting on my bed. At the time I was also taking design classes, so I had to use the computers at the lab because I couldn't afford Adobe Creative Suite, and on top of that I didn't own a scanner or printer. My art supplies stayed in my backpack, and any reading I had was just scattered around me. Having all this room, I feel so grown up...despite the fact that I have a poodle lamp and still post up images of kitty cats.

I love having this as my space. The other half is the boy's space--there's a framed and autographed photo of Levar Burton, a molecular structure model set, an empty beer bottle, and a gigantic filing cabinet.

[You thought I was joking about Levar Burton, didn't you?]

That's right. I married a Troy.

How about you, do you have your own space you love at home? Any Levar Burton fans out there?

Honeymoon Mini Book

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

[A mini scrapbook I made of our honeymoon trip to Japan]

I was on a scrapbooking frenzy this weekend! After finishing our guest book, I tackled a mini scrapbook (4 x 6) of our honeymoon. It has my favorite photos, dressed up with stickers, labels, and any maps, tickets, or cards that I saved from the trip. The letters on the front and the blue pom poms are from Martha Stewart Crafts. I couldn't find the link to the alphabet I used, but there are some other alphabet stickers from Martha Stewart on the web.

Here are some pages from the book. You'll notice that most of them consist of either food or cute animals, because if you're new to the blog, that's just how I roll.

I'm planning to do one for our last trip to New Mexico, one for my bridal shower, and then, well, more exciting things have to happen to me so I can make another book. :)

How do you like to remember your travels and big events?

Our Collaborative Wedding Guest Book

2011-07-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY got around to making our wedding guest book! Well, let me clarify, more like finally got around to compiling and creating covers for my wedding guest book. Our guests luckily created all of the content, and I had the pleasure of putting it altogether and getting weepy over their messages and photos!

{The guest book, like most things in our wedding, prompted a lot of debate and discussion. You can read all about the other options we considered here.}

I'm really happy about how it turned out. Here it is, the completed book, each page made by a guest at our wedding:

I designed the cover to mirror our invitations. You can see our invitations here.

And here are some of the pages designed by our guests:

Our collaborative mini book was very easy to organize. You can make one too!

I planned to have two types of paper to the wedding, pink scalloped note cards and plain white note cards left over from when I was studying for the GRE. (Glad those came in handy later in life!) The cards are about the same size at 4 x 6. Prior to the wedding, I punched three holes in one notecard that I used as my template. And then I gave the boy the hole puncher and had him punch holes in the notecards. :)

Next, I gathered stickers, special scissors, pens, colored pencils, and anything else I thought people would like to decorate their page.

We used the Polaroid camera so people could add photos to their pages (bring lots of film!), and because Polaroid cameras are retro fun. I bought photo corners so they didn't have to tape the polaroids and so I could take them off the page if needed.

Our kind cousin took people's photos, and then put all the completed cards in a box.

You can see the whole set-up here:

[Set-up photos from Jessamyn Harris and Sheri Tennison Berg for Jessamyn Harris Photography]

Finally, to put the whole book together, I used 2" binder rings and a Crop-A-Dile to punch holes through the thicker cardboard I used for the cover. This mini book was inspired from one of my favorite blogs for inspiration, enJOY it.

If you had a wedding, what was your "guest book"?

Bath Hearts

2011-07-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

These were just a sweet touch during our stay in Santa Fe. I forgot to include the photo in my last post and it's one of my favorites from the trip. The green makes me happy and calm. :)

xoxo

Being Happy With My Body

2011-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

[Mo today vs. Mo 8 weeks ago]

I reached my goal weight just before vacation (woohoo!) and now would really like to stay here, no more, no less. Yes, I did eat a lot on our vacation (but didn't the food look good??). No, I didn't really exercise in the past week because of said vacation. I know, I'm already off to a bad start. But really, I'm tired of getting to the point of my clothes not fitting anymore and then exercising more and eating less. I've grown up eating a lot of whatever I want. It's hard to break that habit. I'm going to try to make more of an effort this time post-diet to keep exercising and eating less sugar and fat.

I also find dieting really exhausting and would love to never want to go on another one. When I'm on a diet (which to me is 1200-1400 calories a day) I am constantly thinking about food. What I can eat, what I can't eat, how my body looks from day to day. It's all consuming and altogether very tiring. In the midst of my calorie obsession, I found two websites with Asian perspectives on body image and food. They've helped me stay grounded:
Lynn Chen's personal food blog, The Actor's Diet, and her collaborative blog with Lisa Lee, Thick Dumpling Skin.

I'm so glad they exist. Reading other people's stories makes me realize I'm not alone, and helps put my own issues with weight into perspective. Yes, my mother's wedding cheongsams are a size 0 and do not fit me. Yes, I had a boyfriend tell me to lose 10 lbs when I thought I was thin (not the boy, thank goodness.) Yes, I'm told at family meals to eat and eat and eat but then am criticized for gaining weight.

No, I do not want other people's disparaging comments about my weight to get me down.

Yes, I am happy with my body.

And since I'm on a roll declaring things, I'd like to eat cake and not feel bad about it. Like this one.

[Inside-out Neapolitan Cake from Sweetapolita]

Wish me luck.

For more eloquent writing about Asians and body image, visit Thick Dumpling Skin.
To peak inside Lynn Chen's food world, visit her personal blog.

Meet My Nephews!

2011-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

My two sisters gave birth recently to two baby boys. They are adorable, small, and just starting to realize that they have the coolest auntie ever.

Say hello to Jonah and Parker!

The First Year of Marriage

2011-07-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

[Frozen cupcakes and cookies, one year old from our wedding last year--they are still thawing in the fridge, we cheated and ate a new cupcake from Sprinkles!]

Yesterday marked our one year wedding anniversary (*trumpets! fireworks!*). Unfortunately, I was too tired to do a blog post. BUT I am tired out of happiness, because it's been a really fun weekend so far. I feel super spoiled after having gone on vacation, and then having all of this fourth of July weekend merriment. I got to meet my newborn nephews, celebrate my cousin's wedding, and after our flight back home, we spent the day in Point Loma at Cabrillo National Monument and Sunset Cliffs.

[View of sailboats from Cabrillo National Monument]

After a good walk along the cliffs, we ate dinner on the patio of Pomodoro, and then split this lemon blueberry cupcake from Sprinkles. We might be adventurous today and eat the frozen ones from our wedding. (Or not, haha)

[Lemon blueberry cupcake from Sprinkles]

In honor of the "paper anniversary" we bought these papel picado hot air balloons on our New Mexico trip. We're hanging them in our office so we can be reminded of happy times as we toil away at our work. I'm also now enamored by papel picado. I've always loved Chinese paper cuts. As a kid, I used to cut out templates my mom would buy for me in Chinatown. It didn't occur to me how much I love papel picado too until we saw so many of them in Santa Fe. I totally want to try making a (very simple) banner now.

[The boy modeling three of the colors in the 12-piece banner]

Finally, because this post is titled "The First Year of Marriage", I'm concluding this wrap-up of fun stuff with some contemplative thoughts about the changes in our relationship after the wedding.

Like our relationship at any time, there were highs and lows. I recall our lowest low being an argument in which we actually debated who inflicted more stress on the other. I also wasn't myself for a few months, which probably contributed to the "I stress you out?! YOU stress me out!" fights. I think the "being married" distinction also messed with me head--I didn't know "how to be married". In my fog of what I perceived as instability, I wanted a foolproof marriage plan--where was this magical solution to prevent divorce? Where could I get it? How could I do it? What did we need to do to ensure we are happy? When my mind was racing and my anxiety was high, I didn't have the sense to realize that "being married" isn't derived from a list of requirements. It's what we want it to be.

After a year of being married, I'm even more thankful I have the boy in my life. Out of the haze of my anxiety, I came to the realization that the boy truly accepts me for who I am. He never bothers me for not liking what he likes, or wanting to stay home on a Friday night instead of go out with him, or getting way too excited at craft stores and bakeries. He gives me space to be myself instead of molding me to be an "ideal" partner. And that makes me very happy.

What lessons did you learn in your first year of marriage? Did you eat year-old wedding cake??

Congratulations Daisy+David!

2011-07-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

[Photo by Blueberry Photography]

Congratulations to my sweet cousin Daisy and my new cousin-in-law David. They are getting married today in the rotunda at San Francisco City Hall. It's going to be lovely, and I am so happy we get to celebrate with them and our gigantic family!

For more of their adorableness by Blueberry Photography, click here.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful July 4th weekend!

[Photo by Blueberry Photography]

One Year Anniversary/Birthday Trip: New Mexico

2011-07-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

[After my birthday dinner at Cafe Pasqual's in Santa Fe (loved it here)--we were both very tired but full and happy!]

I had a lot of confused looks from people preceding the trip: "New Mexico? How random." And even on the trip, people kept asking why we chose New Mexico. But I'm so glad we went. It was a beautiful, more affordable (compared to Hawaii) getaway destination that allowed us some time to reconnect.

Here's a breakdown of our 3 nights in the Southwest.

What We Did:

+ We floated down the Rio Grande Gorge in a hot air balloon ride in Taos, a town about an hour and a half north of Santa Fe. The ride was gorgeous, and most definitely the highlight of our entire trip. I'm not sure either one of us has woken up so early (3:45 AM!) but we did. And we loved it. We took the tour through Pueblo Balloon Company. They drove us to the site, let us watch our balloon be blown up, and then took us down the gorge. To top it off, we had a champagne brunch at the end of the flight.

+ In Santa Fe, we wandered around The Plaza and checked out some local art, including these incredible wooden flowers from The Rainbow Man.

+ In Albuquerque, we took the Sandia Tramway and caught this amazing sight of a rainbow in the clouds.

Where We Stayed:

In Santa Fe, we stayed two nights at Terrain Santa Fe, a boutique bed and breakfast about 20 minutes outside The Plaza. It was one of the nicest places we have ever stayed in, and definitely the quietest! Not only were there ample spots outside to lounge/relax/meditate, but inside we had our own jacuzzi tub, plus a hot tub outside that we could soak in under a bed of stars. Looking to book your honeymoon/second honeymoon/'get away from it all' couples trip? This place fits the bill. We stayed in the Shoji Suite and had everything we could ever want at our fingertips.

[The outside patio, which looks out onto a beautiful landscape and is surrounded by wind chimes and fountains.]

[The amazing bath tub! The room also had all of these candles which made the whole place magical.]

On our last night, we stayed at the Chocolate Turtle Bed and Breakfast in Corrales, a village outside of Albuquerque. The Chocolate Turtle was lovely, with beautiful views and cute bunnies, road runners, and quails scurrying around the yard. It was very different from Terrain in that it had more of a family-oriented/homey feel to it rather than a chic/urban oasis vibe. It was quite comforting to stay there--we ended up playing cards on the porch with another couple and then watched a movie with snacks and popcorn. Man we sound old.

[The view from the backyard at the Chocolate Turtle--you can see the Sandia Mountains in the distance.]

[We stayed in the very colorful Road Runner Room.]

What We Ate:

I saved the best for last! Since we stayed at b&bs, we ate a lot of our meals at the inns. No complaints here, all the food was delicious. Behold, the breakfast we were served at Terrain Santa Fe:

[Stacked New Mexico blue corn enchiladas, sunnyside egg, ginger granola parfait with mixed berries, strawberry lemonade, scones, raspberry streusel--are you full yet?]

I also had my first fritatta at the Chocolate Turtle, which was SO GOOD. It had feta, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes. Mmmm...

And because I can't leave any post about food without mentioning sweets, we visited two chocolate shops part of "The Santa Fe Chocolate Trail": Kakawa Chocolate House (really, really cute space--I bought some peanut butter bites here for my niece) and C.G. Higgins (super nice owner who helped us picked out gifts and gave us free chocolate-covered strawberries,) which we had a Groupon for and bought lots of yummy treats like chile caramel corn and raspberry chocolate fudge.

[Truffles from C.G. Higgins]

Hope you've enjoyed my New Mexico recap!

We're already brainstorming our next getaway.

How about you, what's your favorite destination to reconnect and unwind?

Today is my birthday

2011-06-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

[From the hilarious My Mom is a Fob]

Today is my birthday. Some years my Mom remembers, many times she doesn't, and we once had an argument about my age. Apparently, I do not know how old I am--"Are you suure you are that old? Eh, I can never remember, mommy getting old, too much to think about!"

This is why this post on My Mom is a Fob made me almost PEE MY PANTS from laughter.

Aiyah.

Here's to year 28!

. . . I think. :)

We're Off!

2011-06-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

[Heart Balloon print from Etsy seller elgarboart]

We're off to Santa Fe on Saturday! I am so happy to have a long weekend together. We're both so exhausted most days that it will be nice to spend quality time with each other in a beautiful place. Plus, we've planned a hot air balloon ride that I, and my camera, are over the top giddy about.

The bad news in this post is that the boy caught a cough. We got him some hot soup at lunch and then he went home to rest, so I hope he feels back to normal in a couple days. Poor boy.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! *See* you all when I make it back to California, full recaps to follow.

Out with the mold, in with the new

2011-06-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

[White sandals from Aldo, Red striped wedges from TOMS, Calina flats from Lovely People]

I'm going to tell you something gross. In our old apartment (thank goodness we moved) the bathroom was connected to the bedroom. It also had poor ventilation, so a lot of steam from the bathroom would linger in the bedroom, making our closet (dun dun DUN) damp...which then led to (dramatic pause)...mold. I know. Really, really gross.

As a result, many of my shoes were sacrificed. I saved my wedding shoes and cleaned them with tea tree oil and left them in the sunlight, but many of my other shoes were just too gross to wear again.

Recently I treated myself to way too many new pairs, which left a dent in my bank account. But on the upside, I'm ready for summer (and vacation!) now. :)

Anyone else wanna go to the beach with me?

I Caved: Follow Me on Pinterest!

2011-06-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

[You can find me on Pinterest here.]

I have too many online personalities. TOO MANY I tell you! So, for many months, I ignored all the buzz about Pinterest. And then last night, after seeing my invite from Mochi Studios, I thought, hey, why not? And, well, now I am OBSESSED. I don't have much up there yet, but I foresee months ahead in which I get wrapped up in curating my boards.

If you want a quick dose of happiness, check out Mochi Studio's prism board here. It'll make you smile. :)

Do you feel like you have too many online accounts? Are you as insanely obsessed with the Internet as I am?

What Am I?

2011-06-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

A new intern started in the office, and my coworker introduced me. Usually when I'm introduced at work, my job description follows right after: "This is Mo, she sits over there in the cave and does x, y and z" and it's gotta sound like the most boring thing in the world. I generally don't like telling people what I do because I feel like it takes too long to explain and I can't bare the response of head nodding and "ohhhhhhhhhhh" or, my favorite response ever, "that's it?"

(Seriously. Someone once said that. If you're reading this and you know me, don't worry. It wasn't you.)

Ok back to my story. SO, new intern in office, my coworker is making introductions, and she says, "This is Mo. She's an artist." And then I protested, something along the lines of "Oh, no, I'm not an artist," and then coworker insisted "But you make things. And you work on the art for our company." These are both true. Does this make me an artist?

Instead I said, "No, I'm not an artist, I just do x, y, and z." Well, I just basically made myself sound so much more boring. I probably should have left it to my coworker to describe me. This happens when someone calls me a photographer, I'll qualify it by saying "I'm not a photographer, I take pictures." When I was doing production design, I'd correct someone if I was called a graphic designer. "I'm not a designer, I just do the production work."

So, when I am I going to feel comfortable enough to call myself something? I'm not even that comfortable calling myself my own title, and that's stamped on a business card. I'm eager to finally feel like I belong in a profession, rather than feeling like I'm sort of in the club. Artist? Eh, no. Photographer? Mmmmm...naw. Graphic designer? Only for my wedding.

...Blogger?

I think can handle that one.

Does anyone feel this way too?

Calendars Around the Apartment

2011-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

[Jonathan Adler calendar and Birds and Bloom calendar]

[paperflavor Year of the Rabbit magnetic calendar--goes great on my white magnet file holder!]

[Paper Source mini desk calendar and vintage travel poster desk calendar]

I managed to clean a crazy amount this weekend (it also helped that my grandmother was visiting, heh) and as I was sifting through the mountains of stuff, I realized I have a whole lot of calendars. We have one in the kitchen, one in the living room, and three in the office...y'know, just in case anyone forgets what day it is or wants to see cute animals.

In other apartment news, I think we've come to a consensus for a wall decal! It's going to come right out of our couch, like this:

[The Trip by Michelle Lasalvia via Blik Design]

Cute, no? I love the hand drawn look and hope it adds some whimsy to our otherwise boring living room.

Do you have an obsession with calendars or wall decals like I do?

The Shabby Apple Winner!

2011-06-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to...

[You can read e.louise's blog here]

I hope you enjoy your new dress and wear it on a fun date with your husband. :)

Thank you to everyone for participating!

Happy Sunday!

2011-06-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

[I've been eating blueberries like a mad woman.]

Hope everyone is enjoying the last day of the weekend! If you haven't already entered the Shabby Apple giveaway, you have until 1:30 PM PST today when I close comments.

It's a lovely day in San Diego. Today has already been made wonderful by a lovely breakfast at Hash House with Brandi. And for the remainder of my restful day, I'm taking a run around the lake and cleaning house. Hope you have something equally relaxing in store for yourself!

When I Finish the School Year, I'm Going To...

2011-06-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

...do a bunch of stuff I have been neglecting! Those of you who follow me know I've been struggling to work full-time and do grad school part-time. Last year, I also had the wedding to plan, so when I finished the school year last year it was like wedding go-time. I had one goal in the month of June 2010--get everything done without going insane.

I ~~unfortunately~~ thankfully don't have to worry about planning a wedding this year, and on Saturday I finally finished my last project! I fell asleep at 11 last night, and today I leisurely shopped then worked out and actually cooked my dinner. It was surreal.

SO now that I'll have my nights and weekends free again, here's what's on my to-do list:

+Make my wedding album! I know, it's been (almost!) a year and I don't even have a wedding album. I really want to take the time to make this as I love making books, so this will be my summer project.

+And, if that's not embarrassing enough, I still need to make my sister's wedding album! TWO YEARS LATER. I know, I'm terrible.

+Work out and eat my vegetables. I've run six days in a row now and already feel better.

+In April, we moved into a new apartment. I'm so happy in our new place, but there were things we moved and just left in their boxes. I'm determined to unpack and clean everything this summer, and maybe throw in some decorating.

+Finally, I'm still researching for our anniversary/birthday/regenerate mini-vacation to Santa Fe! We're totally counting the days (20!)

What's in store for you this summer? Does anyone have any Santa Fe tips for me??

For the Love of Dresses: Shabby Apple Giveaway--CLOSED

2011-06-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

This post brought to you by: 1. my summer break from school (insert happy dancing here), 2. my love of dresses, and 3. Shabby Apple! Shabby Apple has a lot of women's dresses right up my, your, and Emma Pilsbury's alley. Bows, ruffles, flowers, stripes, polka dots, bright colors, and vintage cuts galore. Here are some of their dresses that make me happy:

[Candy cane stripes and gondola-inspired goodness: Circo and Gondola]

[Classic black and white polka dots and a bright sailor's dress: Jacob's Pillow and Walk the Plank]

[The North Shore dress from Shabby Apple]

The fun part of this post--a giveaway!

THE DETAILS

Enter to win the North Shore dress (above) from Shabby Apple. You can enter two ways:

1. Leave a comment telling me where you would wear the dress and how you would accessorize it.

2. "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook and leave a comment here telling me you did.

::Sorry, only U.S. residents are eligible!::

I'll pick a winner next Sunday and announce the winner on Monday!

The description for the dress says you can wear it to the beach or dress it up to go out, and since I love dressing up, I'd pair it with gold heels, a really simple gold clutch, small pearl earrings, and then I'd wear a statement ring like the ones below:

[Luce del Sole Ring and Uma Turquoise Ring]

And finally, if you're looking to buy any Shabby Apple items, use this code, good for 10% off: pinkargyle10off.

Good luck my friends, hope you all had fantastic weekends!

Blogger Missed Connection

2011-06-02T00:10:00.000-07:00

Remember I went to go see the Tim Burton exhibit?

Guess who also went to see the Tim Burton exhibit, and was standing in line RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.

No, not Tim Burton. Someone much prettier with a cooler wedding.

miss.t of ...and that's why I love you so !

[Wasn't she a striking bride? Photo by White Haute Photography and Ohana Photographers via Style Me Pretty]

Can you believe that we just happened to be in the same line, on the same day, right next to each other, after following each others' blogs? Makes me realize just how small our blogosphere really is!

Have you ever recognized other bloggers outside the comforts of your computer?

[You can find miss.t blogging here and see her wedding photos on Style Me Pretty here.]

When Clothes Don't Fit

2011-06-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

[Huzzah! The comment box is back!]

Do you remember that bathing suit? Well, I couldn't even get it over my thighs (commence violin playing.) To be fair to myself and women everywhere trying this particular suit on, there is boning in the bust, making it impossible to fit over hips that might be larger than one's bust. Since my hips are way bigger than my rib cage and I didn't want to risk ripping the suit, back it went to the store. Le sigh.

On that note, yesterday I started on my diet kick again--about a month before our summer vacation and my cousin's wedding. It does not help that things like this pop up on NPR::Kitchen:

[Nutty Nutella Swirls by Soma Rathore and Nutella Tartine by Dorie Greenspan]

I've gained the newlywed nine and am trying to make it the newlywed four. I'm amazed at how many people tell me five pounds is nothing, when it takes me six-eight weeks of eating much, much less than I'm capable of and exercising four-five times a week.

Is anyone else dieting in time for summer? That nutella looks good, doesn't it?

Tim Burton at LACMA

2011-05-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

[Well my friends, the comment box is still not working. You can also contact me via Twitter (see the right sidebar) or email me (see the left sidebar) or send good vibes out into the Internet. I'll receive your messages eventually. :) ]

In addition to the yummy eats last weekend, we also went to the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA. It was the first day for non-members, and we stood in a lot of lines, but I'm glad we went. It was incredible to see the mass of work Tim Burton has created. There are rooms just filled with his sketches, paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos--all the way from his childhood, up until his most recent work.

I highly recommend the exhibit, particularly for any art students, because it's an inspirational look at a living person's life's work. You get to see leaflets and posters Burton designed as a teen, his essays he wrote in junior high English composition, his art history papers from CalArts, his first book proposal to Disney--it really makes you realize just how much work he put in to become what he is today.

They wouldn't let anyone take photos, so I unfortunately I couldn't take any inside, but there was this fun inflatable piece set to Burton-esque ("na na na na na na") music at the very end.

[Clockwise from top left: promotional poster of Untitled (The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories); a balloon piece at the end of the exhibit; a balloon piece outside; a deer topiary from Edward Scissorhands]

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the museum, as this was our first visit. I love, love, LOVE this Matisse. You can read all about the museum acquisition of Matisse's La Gerbe here.

[Love the colors, can you tell from my outfit? :)]

It was just another lovely Southern California day.

Hope you all had great weekends and that they were just as cheerful as that Matisse!

Comment Problems

2011-05-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well, okay, maybe it isn't blogger's fault, maybe it's my fault, BUT thanks to Julia for alerting me that my blog is going haywire. For some reason the comment boxes are not showing up, so I unfortunately can't get any feedback from anyone. Commenting will hopefully commence soon!

Weekend Eats

2011-05-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

We spent yesterday in L.A. at LACMA (more on that in the next post!) and also tried out some places we've been wanting to go to: dim sum restaurant Lunasia in Alhambra, and ultra trendy but ultra tasty Umami Burger (we went to the Santa Monica location and got take-out.)

Both didn't disappoint! Dim sum is our comfort food, and Lunasia was better than anything we could get in San Diego. On our way home, the boy let out a big sigh. "I miss good dim sum."

Sorry San Diego.

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend!

A Club 33/Disneyland Bachelorette

2011-05-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

This is my cousin Daisy (she's the one wearing the bridal ears!) She's getting married in 5 short weeks in beautiful San Francisco, and this weekend her bridesmaids surprised her with a bachelorette weekend extravaganza in Southern California. I had the pleasure of joining them for a lavish and fun day at Club 33 and Disneyland! Her girls went all out, making us custom screen printed tank tops, getting matching Minnie ears for us all, and coordinating all the details--including inviting me as a surprise! It was a much needed escape from my really ~~boring~~ enriching homework and long days at work.

Thank you Daisy and friends for letting me come along for the ride! Wanna see some pictures?

[Our group of girls all Disney-fied and full from a large and delicious meal at Club 33. Photo from Rita of Mochi Studios--who also makes ADORABLE plushies!]

[Club 33 is a private members-only restaurant in New Orleans Square at the Anaheim Disneyland park. We were able to get a reservation because Daisy's (other) cousin is a member and had the hook-up for us! Inside, it is decked out in Victorian decorations and Pirates of the Caribbean art. It also had this really weird toilet below.]

[Funky Victorian toilet in the ladies room]

[It was a dessert/salad buffet and then we had different options for the main course. I chose the filet mignon and then felt like sleeping in there from food coma. Mmm...dessert buffet...]

[The staff brought out this sweet dessert plate, complete with chocolate ganache Mickey!]

We spent the rest of the day frolicking around the park, soaking in the magic, swapping stories, and documenting the whole kit n' caboodle. It's so fun to take pictures when you have such a colorful scene like this one.

Congratulations Daisy--can't wait for the wedding on July 2nd!

[Side note: Ok readers, I only have one more week until the second year of library school is over and then I am officially on summer break! You'll hopefully be seeing a lot more of me soon. In the meantime, give me the strength to finish this quarter up so I can spend more time having days just like this.]

Huzzah! 20% off + free shipping at JCrew Swim

2011-05-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

All women's and children's swimwear is 20% off and free shipping until Wednesday. It was the push to make me buy that orange swimsuit (which J. Crew calls "vivid poppy") that I've been drooling over.

[Ruched and knotted twist front tank from J. Crew]

Anyone else shopping for a swimsuit as the summer draws nearer?

Beautiful SF Day

2011-05-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

[Dolores Park, San Francisco]

We were scheduled to have my sister's baby shower in the park. The forecast called for rain, and since it's San Francisco, I believed it. Instead, we had blue skies, sun, big, puffy clouds, and PIE.

[Pear Frangipane Tart from Mission Pie]

[L: My two pregnant sisters! R: Us enjoying the park]

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Becoming Mothers

2011-05-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

[Flowers after my hike at Lake Miramar yesterday]

Today, my sisters and I celebrate our own mother, while also looking ahead to growing our families and being mothers ourselves. My oldest sister is already a mother to my sassy and beautiful niece, but is expecting her second in just a short month. If that weren't enough excitement, my middle sister is also expecting her first within ten days of my other sister! TEN DAYS. Could you imagine if they were born on the same day?! I wish I could be there, but will see my beautiful nephews in good time this summer!

To celebrate, next week we're having two baby showers with plenty of food, family, friends, and pie. It's gonna be all kinds of fun.

On that note, the boy and I are not trying to conceive until he's done with his PhD and I'm done with library school, but lately I find myself curious about trying to conceive and pregnancy, even though I know it's a couple years away. If it takes me six months to plan a 3-day vacation and 18 months to plan a wedding, a couple years of reading about pregnancy sounds about right! In the meantime, I'm told by my brother-in-law that I can practice by being a good auntie.

Happy Mother's Day my blogger friends. Hope it was wonderful!

Help Me Pick A Color

2011-05-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

[Ruched and knotted twist-front tank from J. Crew]

Bathing suits give me anxiety. I'm just glad one-piece suits are back in style so I don't have to wade through all of the two-piece options to figure out what would cover my butt the most but still look stylish.

I really want a new suit before our vacation, and I have my eye on this one. The strapless option gives it a bit more sex appeal for a one-piece, and I'm loving all of these saturated colors.

Which color do you think would look best on me?

Looking Like Your Partner

2011-05-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

[What do you think? We look related, don't we?]

Maybe it was love at first sight because we look so similar. Not only do the boy and I have similar facial features, but we're also of similar height and weight. When we met, I wasn't keeping my eye out for another me. In fact, knowing me and my quest to be distinguishable from everyone around me, I was probably looking for my exact opposite. But, alas, here we are, a petite pair brimming with doe-eyed innocence.

Soooo my interest was piqued when I saw this new dating site (y'know, not for me to date, but just as a societal curiosity,) Find Your Face Mate, which apparently matches you up based on similar facial features. Mmmhmmmm. That's right, technology will analyze your face and find people that look like you with the hopes that you will have magical sparks when you see your nose on someone else's face. Weird? Creepy? Nonsensical? Funny? I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. BUT I bet you're aching to sign up and see who you match up with, aren't you??

For those of you in relationships, do you look like your partner? Have you noticed looking more and more like each other as the years pass? Do you like having friends that look like you? Discuss!

Attempting a Tabletop Garden

2011-04-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

[I love the colorful cacti! I hope to have a lot of them in my little tabletop garden.]

I'm domestically challenged. I can barely cook, don't know how to sew, and kill plants.

Enter this bare patio table in front of our apartment:

[Our mini front patio]

We don't really sit at this table, it's wobbly and the chair is uncomfortable, and I've only used it for projects that involve paint and other toxic substances. But the other night when we had my friend over for dinner, she brought a housewarming gift: an herb garden. Hmmmm...Maybe that table has a purpose after all? Maybe...I can be ambitious and have a tabletop garden so people visiting will see what a domestic superstar *cough* I am. Yes? Yes!

I'm scared, so I might start with succulents because they seem easier to take care of than fragile flowers. Normally anything green makes me panic, but I'm kinda excited. It might even mean I can proliferate that table with ceramic woodland creatures:

["Owlivia" by Etsy seller 2chicksandafancyowl]

[Create Your Own Terrarium by Etsy seller blithegardens]

And we all know I just do things so I have a chance to buy cute woodland figurines.

Do you garden? Does anyone garden from the confines of an apartment? Any tips for me?

My Absence + Wall Decals

2011-04-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

[Gerbera wall decal by Ilan Dei]

I have no Internet connection at home since we moved, which is making my abysmal amount of posting even more pathetic for the month of April. The ironic thing is that since I have no Internet at home and cannot spend hours on end at my computer, the apartment is actually coming together quite well! Things are getting put away, dishes have been washed, laundry has been done. It's amazing the things you can do without cable and no Internet. Not that I won't cry with happiness once they are both set up, but still! The productivity one can benefit from without Netflix streaming and online shopping! Amazing I tell you.

My next task after putting everything away is to make the apartment less graduate student chic and more like a "home". I haven't taken photos because not everything is put away, but visualize in your head a brown couch against a large white wall. What could you do to spruce that space up?

(Keep in mind that you live with a boy who is paranoid of things falling on his head, so scratch off picture frames, mirrors, and other objects that hang as decorating possibilities.)

My first solution is a large wall decal. I like that gerbera wall decal above--it's graphic, bold, bright, and will add a pop of color. But beyond the wall decal, I can't think of any solutions that don't involve hanging objects. Can you think of anything else we could do?

Some of my other favorites:

[The Choir of Antarctica by Threadless]

[The Ugly Duckling by Vo Maria and Threadless]

[Invaders by BLIK]

Back to procrastinating from my homework--hope everyone is having a lovely Easter!

Moving Up In Life

2011-04-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

[Really blurry photos from my iPhone of the before (run while you have a chance!) and after (thank god all that we have left to move is the cat) of our apartment]

We have a new apartment (above is the old one) and it seems to have done the trick to kick me out of my rut. I love having this new project to make our apartment livable (I see weeks of unpacking and moving furniture around) and homey. The doldrums of getting up, going to work, coming home exhausted and doing homework half asleep, and then going to bed way too late and doing it all over again, has been gnawing at my happiness. Who knew buying a new shower curtain and reorganizing my books by genre would provide so much satisfaction?

There's also something about moving until 2 in the morning on an empty stomach, and then having the boy cheer me on and buying me the most gigantic plate of nachos at 3, that elicits this warm fuzzy feeling about our marriage.

Have you moved much? Do you have an amazing mass of stuff that you're unaware of like me?

It Has Been 10 Years for Elizabeth and Jessica, Too

2011-04-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

[Book cover of Sweet Valley Confidential]

Speaking of high school reunions, has anyone read Sweet Valley Confidential, the latest from Francine Pascal and her beloved "perfect size 6" (now perfect size 4!) Wakefield twins? Apparently the twins are now 27 and dun dun DUN not speaking to one another and living on opposite coasts. I haven't read it, but I read some SVH in my upper elementary days and even had...the board game.

Yes my friends. There was a board game. I always wanted to be Elizabeth. (There was no way I was a Jessica.)

[From Board Game Geek]

I also had a Babysitter's Club phase and devoured most of those. I was a Mary Anne longing to be a Claudia. Or maybe I just wanted Claudia's wardrobe. And I never could figure out which Sex and the City character I am--maybe a hybrid of Miranda and Charlotte? I feel like Miranda would barf at the site of my blog, but Charlotte would already be wearing an outfit that color-coordinated with it.

Were you reading Sweet Valley High or The Babysitter's Club under the covers? Any other Elizabeths, Mary Annes, or Miranda-Charlottes?

Has It Really Been 10 Years?

2011-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

[15-year-old me]

I received an invite to my 10 year high school reunion. Things that are running through my head at this statement:

1. I would need to watch Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion to prep.

2. It would be fun to make a mix of songs I loved in high school, which consisted of lots of Moby, Ani DiFranco, and Beastie Boys. I also listened to an inordinate amount of Tori Amos, Radiohead, and Fiona Apple, which I think ultimately pulled me further into dramatic shenanigans. I'm pretty sure the summer of 2000 was spent listening to OK Computer and When the Pawn... over and over and over again. I wish I could go back to that year and switch out that CD with...oh, I don't know...Walking On Sunshine on repeat?

3. Not quite sure I want to go back to high school to see people I haven't seen in, well, 10 years. When I left high school, I really left high school.

I wish I had loved high school more. I feel like such a cliche to say that high school was emotionally distressing and fraught with really stupid drama--but it totally was! I wasn't Josie Grossie, but I definitely fit into the oh-so-awkward and just plain weird category with identity issues. This girl you see in the white lace dress holding the pink peony bouquet in the left sidebar? She knows most of the words to all the songs for South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, will tell you everything wrong with Jar Jar Binks, and has seen too many horror movies. Have you watched that scene in Donnie Darko when Donnie (aka Jake Gyllenhaal) is annoyed by his friends' inane Smurfette discussion? That was us, plus some trees and a river for scenery, and Frank Zappa in the background.

In 10 years, I have definitely changed and am SO glad I am no longer in high school. I'm actually glad I didn't meet the boy in high school, because I don't think 15-year-old Mo and 15-year-old boy would actually get along. It was good we met when we did.

So, how about you--would you attend your high school reunion? Did you have a good high school experience? Don't you think Jar Jar Binks is just so amazingly annoying?

The Infinite Garage and Raina Lee

2011-04-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

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I love this documentary of writer Raina Lee, who inherited her parents' house of hoarding horrors. This reminds me of my pack rat family. My parents and grandparents collect everything, and can't handle throwing anything out, including used jars (you never know when you might need to can something,) old stuffed animals (for their undeniable cuteness,) test scores from the 6th grade (I might never get an A++ ever again,) and makeup that expired long, long, long ago (it's still good!).

The boy and I have grown up with this same mentality, and as we're in the process of purging our apartment (I found my diploma people!) I thought sharing Raina's plight was a timely blog post. I also found some old photos that I was supposed to scan and upload long ago, and finally managed to today. This is one of my favorites.

[My mother, San Francisco, before Mo]

Follow Raina at her blog, The Infinite Garage, and wish me luck while I take an hour to reminisce over every item in my apartment.

Things To Look Forward To: Moving, Lenka, and Santa Fe

2011-03-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

It feels good to have a post with this title, dontcha think?
Here are some things happening in my neck of the beach.

+We move in two weeks, and I'm looking forward to unclogging our lives! My love for small, cute items does not come in handy when organizing a household. Things I can see from my desk:
- dog, monkey, and owl paperweights. None of them are weighing down paper.
- a fabric elephant hanging out next to a fabric squirrel
- four calendars, two wall, one desk, and one mini with its own stand
- two Japanese erasers with bears on them
- two polka dots bags, one blue, one red
- green leopard print pencils that have never been used
- a postcard with a bunny saying "hello". This was not intended to be sent or received.
You get the point. I love pretty, cute STUFF. I actually find I am happier having pretty things around me, and this is why I'm drowning in fabric elephants and leopard print pencils. So my goal is to trash any pens that don't work, recycle scraps of paper from my art box, donate *gulp* any books I don't want to the library...sigh. Wish me luck.

+I'm seeing my girl crush, pop music sweetheart Lenka, with the boy. You'll most likely have to suffer through some of my outfit decisions so I can look my best for her.

Ah Lenka, so incredibly cute and bubbly. I can't wait for the show!

If I had a music video, it would totally have dancing stethoscopes too.

+I'm bracing myself for a difficult quarter of school and long hours at work, BUT in a few months it will be summer, my favorite season!

To celebrate our 1 year anniversary and my 28th year at the end of June, we reserved a hot air balloon ride and a bed and breakfast in Santa Fe. I am so excited!

[From Pueblo Balloon Company]

What are you looking forward to?

The Weekend in iPhone Photos

2011-03-27T23:56:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to be guests at an above and beyond creative and loving wedding this past weekend in L.A. Above are small snippets, iPhone/Instagram style! (Aren't her DIY rooster and pig adorable??)

This morning we recovered with a delicious breakfast at Literati Cafe with a good friend.

[The Croque Madam at Literati Cafe]

Happy Monday everyone, hope you all had great weekends!

Eat a Cupcake (or Two) and Support Japan

2011-03-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

[From Sprinkles]

Yet another reason to love cupcakes...100% of proceeds for red velvet cupcakes purchased on Tuesday, March 22nd at Sprinkles Cupcakes will be donated to the American Red Cross to support Japan.

For more information, click here.

A Dress, Some Candy, and Afternoon Tea

2011-03-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

After a blustery weekend in the SF Bay visiting family and friends, I'm back at my desk in typically sunny but temporarily gloomy San Diego. I've been on overdrive lately with work, and coupled with all the tragedy in the news, and the boy also trying to deal with his own work, it hasn't been the happiest of times.

For some cheer amidst the gloom, I've 1) finished one more quarter toward my master's, 2) found some grounding at yoga class, and 3) bought a dress and had some tea.

I own too many dresses. Some people own too many shoes, handbags, books, I have way, WAY too many dresses, and here's another to add to the bunch, which I bought on sale for a wedding next weekend. It's my first one-shoulder, except because of my annoyingly slanted shoulders the one-shoulder doesn't really stay up very well:

[Draped one-shoulder dress in pistachio from BR]

But I kept it because I LOVE the color. In the photo it looks baby blue, but it's actually a pistachio green color, more like this:

Speaking of pretty colors, over the weekend I finally had the chance to visit Miette in San Francisco, where I picked up some adorable little candy bars and a bag of lavender cookies. I could have stayed inside surrounded by the colorful candy jars all day, le sigh.

And then to top off the weekend, on Saturday I had afternoon tea with my sisters and girlfriends at Lisa's Tea Treasures. I had blueberry green tea, a variation I've never tried before, dainty cheese sandwiches, a scone, and pistachio cookies. Mmmm...

Phew. Okay, it's time for me to rest and do laundry before I get thrust back into the office and my school books!

How are you doing? Anyone else got the blues?

Blogging Interrupted

2011-03-14T00:17:00.000-07:00

I had posts scheduled, but talking about yoga and cute shoes just feels bad in my mouth given the tragedy in Japan. I'm also a little numb after reading about the Chinatown bus accident in New York, as it hits close to home. (I used to take the Chinatown bus all the time living on the east coast, and my parents and in-laws travel by bus with other Asian Americans when traveling or going to the casinos.)

If you would like to donate to Japan, click here to donate to The Red Cross, here to donate to Global Giving, and here to Doctors Without Borders. For a full list from the NYTimes, click here.

I'll be back. In the meantime, I send out my love and hope to read more successful survivor stories in the media. xoxo

Compromises + Moving

2011-03-06T22:30:00.000-08:00

Here is the short and really positive version of this post: We're moving! It has two bedrooms! Vaulted ceilings! A window facing north so that I don't have to take so many photos with my flash!

Here is the long and more detailed version of this post: Last week, we got good news. We've been wanting to move to a new neighborhood in San Diego for a long time, except that our lease was up in July, which was when we got married. Getting married + Moving=Headache I Did Not Want To Deal With. So we renewed our lease.

Last week we got a letter.

Dear Mo, remember how you want to move to the beach and live next door to your best girlfriend? Well, now you can! We're changing your lease from 12 months, to month to month, just because we love you! Pack up the cat and get out of here. Off you go to a cuter neighborhood that has a coffee shop other than Starbucks, go now! Love, the apartment fairies

I was so excited that I was thisclose to packing up our first box of stuff.

But we didn't end up looking at new apartments, and the boy halted my craigslist research, to which I responded with wwwhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyy.

For very pragmatic reasons that the boy pointed out, ie proximity to both of our workplaces, cheaper rent, and a washer/dryer in the unit, we're staying in our complex but just moving to another unit with more space. Sigh, I was so close to leaving, so close.

This is a good thing, it really is, more space! Huzzah! I'm just being a big baby and just had held too many fantasies of walking outside and doing yoga on the beach. Maybe one day my friends.

Dear Mo, before you move, you might want to check out that anonymous bag of clothes...or that box of files you haven't touched since 2007...or those toiletries you ignore in the back of the closet. Just sayin'. Love, the apartment fairies

Beer+Cupcakes+Coffee=A Happy Saturday

2011-03-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

Knowing my love of cupcakes and the boy's love for beer, a friend suggested we try out PubCakes, a marriage between none other than, beer and cake! They just had their grand opening last month. The space is super cute, especially the small area outside that is decorated with succulents. PubCakes also shares the space with Treehouse Coffee Company, which supplied us with delicious caffeine for the day.

We had three mini cupcakes: the Top Ten Cake, Beer for Breakfast, and an Irish Carbomb (made with Guinness). You can see pics of them all below.

Overall, an interesting cupcake experience (have you ever had bacon on a cupcake?) that I would recommend trying out. I just wish they were closer to our neck of the woods.

[Top Ten Cake: Karl Strauss Tower Ten IPA, cayenne caramel, cherry, and ancho chillies]

[Beer for Breakfast: Alesmith Wee Heavy, maple cream cheese frosting, and, wait for it, BACON]

PS: My iPhone camera amazes me more and more everyday!

Crappy Day = Eating Ice Cream

2011-03-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

It's been that kind of week. When I feel like crap, two things may likely occur. 1, I eat a lot of sugar (example above.) 2, I buy something impulsively. Impractical shoes are a likely purchase.

Life would be a lot skinnier and less expensive if I only had good days.

What's your go-to quick fix for a super craptastic day?

Nix the Hawaii Vacation

2011-02-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

Good-bye (*sob*) week-long vacation in tropical paradise where everything is pineapples and kisses. Good-bye cute red bathing suit (that I was scared to wear in the first place). It was nice to plan for a second honeymoon while it lasted, but unfortunately we decided we can't do it financially (wwhhhhhhhyyyyyy) and can't afford the time away from our work (nooooooooo) and school (save meeeeee!) commitments. You were all so sweet to help with my (obsessive/anal/scary) planning.

Instead, we're looking for a vacation closer to home that will take less time (are we nuts?) and cost less money (score!)

My latest obsession is Santa Fe, which looks very pretty and relaxing, with a vibrant art scene that includes the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Sedona is also on the list, because I've never seen red rock country before since I grew up among forests and am now surrounded by water and sand.

One day, we'll make it to Hawaii (before we have kids please!) In the meantime, I can manage reading by the pool. In a not so scary bathing suit.

Things That Are Happening

2011-02-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

Did you miss me? I've been gone for a while, I know, I'm sorry. I had a very long weekend, had a good friend visit, and then my week was packed with non-stop work, school, and Ugly Betty and Buffy on Netflix streaming. My TV boyfriend (who has an insane amount of argyle sweaters in his wardrobe) really missed me too.

Here are a few things happening in my neck of the woods.

1. Thanks so much to Brandi for eating lunch with me at MIHO Gastrotruck, because this portobello mushroom burger rocked my world. I can't wait to go back (as luck would have it, this truck parks a couple blocks from my office!) For those of you planning a park wedding in San Diego, they also cater!

[The MIHO Gastrotruck]

2. If there is one time to avoid San Diego, it's the end of July when Comicon rolls into town (unless you are going to Comicon, then of course you have no choice.) Despite my insatiable appetite for pop culture, I've avoided Comicon and the daunting race to get tickets online. This year tickets sold out in one day.

My kind coworker accidentally purchased too many tickets, so guess who gets to go to Comicon finally! We get to brave the crowds with all the other geeks that understand obscure pop culture references. I can't wait.

3. I'm still on my mascara kick.

My newest mascara try is Fairy Drops. So far, does a much better job of lengthening without clumping. My lashes typically aren't visible--huzzah for some actual length!

4. I would like these very much. Especially if I get to wear this dress with them.

I'm in for a weekend of more work, but hopefully I can escape outside! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. :)

Mail Art #2

2011-02-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

This month's mail art is for my friend Rosanna, who celebrated her birthday last week. I used kraft board, packaging tape, green twine, and a page from a free Paper Source calendar I received with a purchase. I also made the envelope, but haphazardly put it together in a lazy fashion. My former art teachers would be so disappointed in me! This would also make excellent wrapping paper to make gifts extra special and personalized.

I have a craving to use some vellum for March, or maybe I will be brave and draw next time? Any suggestions?

To see last month's mail art of a whale, click here. Send some love through the mail!

Asking for a Raise and Other Truly Terrifying Things

2011-02-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

When I shared my goals for 2011, many of you commented that you would also like to be more assertive. It's hard, isn't it? For me, it's a struggle and gives me all sorts of anxiety. How do you share how you feel and what you want without the other party loathing you in the end? How do you do it without being seen as difficult, picky, argumentative, entitled, and just all around not nice?

I also feel like whenever I DO assert myself, I get weird reactions from people. They get defensive. They look uncomfortable. They don't expect me to even fathom ever being unhappy. What's a cute little Asian girl like yourself capable of complaining about? Shouldn't you be drawing unicorns in your Hello Kitty notebook?

My goal to be more assertive came to the forefront of my mind when I listened to this today.
On NPR, they featured this story about women and how they don't ask for raises, and that this may be a large factor as to why there is a wage gap (women make 78 cents to every dollar a man makes.) A research study had one man, and one woman, ask for a raise with the same exact speech. Observers noted that the man was seen as well deserving for the raise, but the woman? She was viewed as aggressive and unlikable. Great.

Despite my awkwardness and anxiety-laced talking problem, I have indeed asked for a raise. Many times. But if it weren't for someone encouraging me (thank you sister,) I would have just sulked back into my chair. Like the women in the story, I really needed that push and counseling.

Since some of you expressed that assertiveness is something to aspire towards, I'm going to share what I did, because 78 cents per every dollar? We just can't have that.

1. I practiced. I'm blessed that I have two older sisters to lend me advice, and so I would rehearse what to say. The bullet points to hit. The key factors as to why I am awesome. Write them down and say them out loud.

2. I brought documents or examples that highlighted my work.

3. I didn't drink caffeine because pure adrenaline was enough to fuel me. I wanted to stay as calm as possible and let as little emotion show as possible.

4. I really, truly believed that I deserved what I was asking for, and I think that was really the key in overcoming my sheepishness.

5. I talked and talked and talked to people I trust before and after any negotiation. They are probably tired of hearing my voice by now.

Do you have a hard time asking for what you want? Does anyone else have suggestions on how to ask for a raise?

A Love/Hate Reaction to B H L D N

2011-02-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

[The front page of BHLDN, the new line for weddings from Anthropologie]

Yeah yeah yeah, I got married, I know, but how could I resist?! Anthropologie+weddings? How long could I have kept myself from this website? Apparently not long because it launched today, and here's what ran through my head while perusing the website:

1. Kudos to Anthro for making photos easily downloadable. The photos are also large, making it easy to see details. They know we want to share photos and save them so that we can hem and haw over our purchases and splash them all across our blogs.

2. There is a "My B H L D N" in which you can create mood boards using the photos. Another plus for all the crazy creative planners!

3. All the visuals are gorgeous. Would you expect anything less from Anthro? Exhibit A is below.

4. Fashion is very Anthro-esque with plenty of vintage flair, artistic touches, and all-around feminine ferocity. Some of my favorites are below!

5. So here comes the hate, B H L D N just reminded me about all the insecurities that come with being the bride. That first page for instance (see up top,) they had 5 chances to add some diversity to that photo shoot, but instead chose 5 tall blonde models. And, to be fair, this is pretty much all of the WIC from what I've consumed. Aaand okay, to be fair again, there IS an Asian model on the website, she just isn't on the front splash page.

It's just been a while since I've looked at wedding porn, and then I took a gander at B H L D N and it all came rushing back to me. Oh yeah. I forgot! Wedding porn makes me depressed!

[Side note: One of the dark days during wedding planning was being told at the bridal shop that I couldn't take any photos of myself in the wedding gown because the designer was afraid of having photos of random people in her designs on the Internet. Well, news to the designer, people larger than a size 0 and shorter than 5'9" will be wearing your designs!]

6. "B H L D N"? Is this supposed to be "beholden"? You'd think they would have come up with a easier name, I've probably typed and said a jumble of all those letters, BLDHN, BHDNL, BLNHD, BLHDN.

There is some definite eye candy on this site, and if you like Anthro you'll likely be dazzled by B H L D N.

I just wish it hadn't made me feel so crappy.

My New iPhone Case

2011-02-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who commented on my iPhone case dilemma. It was a tough one, how do you pass up an iPhone case that was so clearly named for yours truly? ;)

In the end I went with the Jill Bliss case as her artwork always makes me so happy. In fact, we have the same art hanging up in our living room! Brings back fond memories of hiking through the canyon and sketching wildflowers for art class.

As for aesthetics, this is great! I love how it looks. For actual functionality, I'll report back. My Speck case only lasted me about 3 months so I hope this lasts longer!

For those of you looking for a unique iPhone/iPad case, uncommon has a ton of options and even lets you customize a case. I've had a little too much fun poking around their website.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you for supporting my blog and being part of my community. :)
Hope today is a lovable one!

A Face for Radio

2011-02-11T14:28:00.000-08:00

[For other NPR valentines, click here]

Happy Valentine's Day weekend my friends! We are cooking, but we get to choose what the other one cooks. I chose a cake, to which the boy made a troubled face, the kind of troubled face that accompanies a tilted head. It looks like this:

[From How To Speak Japanese Without Saying a Word, from Ken Tanaka Loves You]

And I think I have been tasked with either making a calzone or ossobuco, so wish me luck! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

xoxo

Free Printable Valentines + Cute Cupcakes

2011-02-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

See, Valentine's Day doesn't have to be totally materialistic. Here are a few freebies for that special someone. Click on the links below to visit the creators' blogs, and then download away!

[Kiss Me and Carry On card by 74 Lime Lane]

[Owl Polaroid card by My Owl Barn]

[Color Me In Valentines by Yellow Heart Art]

And if you're looking for something to buy for someone that 1) likes cupcakes 2) loves owls and 3) lives in Southern California (not that I can think of anyone that fits all three criteria) then you need owl cupcakes. Now. Said person might also accept this gift for 1) her birthday 2) her wedding anniversary or 3) any day at any time of any year.

[Owl cupcakes from Blue Cupcake via My Owl Barn]