take me on a trip, i'd like to go someday

(all photos taken by kyle martin)

Originally I wore this look without the lipstick but it looked too edgy for my liking, so I added a touch of red. I don't know what it is about my skintone but it's so hard to find the perfect shade of red! I literally have to mix 3 different shades of red to concoct the right shade for me but, whatever gets the job done.

BTW, are you guys as obsessed about linsanity as I am? I've already been to three of the Knicks games at madison square garden and the energy is so exciting! As an asian american, I have to say that I'm so proud of Jeremy Lin for breaking through the glass ceiling that most asians are limited by. It just shows that although we're always put into a specific stereotype (nerds, submissive, non-athletic, etc) it doesn't mean that that's always the case. He is such a great role model and a great basketball player.

I'm back.

(all photos taken by kyle martin)

I took a long hiatus from the blogging world. I needed to get some things done in the real world and I realized that I had to choose one or the other. You know how it is—but i'm baaaaaack. 

It was so unbelievably cold this day. You probably can't tell from the way I'm smiling but really, it was freezing. So much so that at one point I couldn't feel my fingers or cheeks. The coat and gloves didn't do justice. Funny thing about this combination jacket that I'm wearing, I wore it when I went back home to see my parents over the holidays and my mom remarked that it's strange that I'm starting to wear clothes that she used to wear back in the days. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree because I'm liking outfits that my mom would've worn back when she was my age. 

I hope that I won't have to take such long break from the blogging world again. I'll try not to. 

ho ho ho

Don't know if you guys realize this, but you can see T's shadow in all of these photos. haha. Also, today is Santacon in New York and for those of you who don't know what that is, it's pretty much drunk people dressed up as Mr. or Mrs. Clause, walking around the city, looking for an early xmas gift to unwrap for themselves. If you know what I mean...

In other news, xmas is so near and I still haven't bought my ticket to go back home to celebrate the holidays with my family. Pretty much I'm going to have to spend a fortune to buy them now and at the same time I don't even know if I'm going to be able to take days off work to go, so as of now, I've been crossing my fingers.

I've also been thinking about dyeing my hair to a lighter color. My hair is raven black, really really dark. So much so that a lot of people ask me if I dye my hair black. I get it from my dad and I'm not complaining because he's 60 years old and does not have one grey hair on his head. It's not that I hate my dark hair, I just want a change. What do you guys think?

Lastly, I just wanted to leave you guys with a photo that I took last week. It was such an awkward pose that it made me look like a turtle so I drew it on. It's me! The awkward turtle.

yet another beautiful day...

When I see all this nice weather happening to us right now, I get a little scared because I feel like it's the calm before the storm. Rumor has it that this year's winter is supposed to the worst/coldest winter that New York's had in 10 years and from the 5 years that I've been here, they've all been pretty unbearable. So if this year is supposed to be the worst of them all, friends, consider me missing due to hibernation because I am not leaving my apartment. I'm not good with extreme cold, at all. I'm from Seattle, where the temperature is pretty neutral throughout the whole year and it never get too hot or too cold. Which reminds me, I still need to get some holiday shopping done before I head on home for the holidays...I need some suggestions on some really good holiday gifts...

saturday mornings

Saturday mornings are always relaxing. Usually the routine is to wake up late, get dressed and go out to brunch. Today I went out to eat korean food for brunch and ended up running into a really good friend of mine. Love it when that happens because a lot of my friends live in different boroughs of new york and they rarely leave them. lol. It happens to me too. When I think about all the subway transfers and the commute, I get lazy and I settle for staying close by. A part of it is also because I'm subconsciously scared. It's really silly, but before I moved here, my mom would tell me stories of how dangerous it is to walk late in new york and that if I stepped foot into queens or brooklyn I'm just asking to be mugged. This coming from a woman who's never lived a day in new york and is apparently still stuck in the 70's. ha. Times have changed ma! I've had some of the best shopping and eating experiences in brooklyn and queens.

Just a reminder for you folks... do you realize that today's the third of December??! It's time to start doing as many things as possible, albeit last minute, to make the most of 2011. It's never too late. Go, go, go!

xmas trees are here

The christmas trees are here!! It's strange because back home we usually went to a xmas tree farm to get our tree but in new york, without a car that's purely impossible so we rely on the rugged lumberjack men to bring them to us to sell on the corners of the block. I walk by them pretty much everyday and the smell of the trees makes me feel so nostalgic, it makes me want to buy one. Unfortunately, my apartment isn't big enough to house one... so I'll have to make do with the morning walk-bys or I'm going to try to convince myself that buying a small one is worth it. 

Did you know that even though it's the end of november, I still have mosquitoes flying around in my apartment?! I don't know where they're coming from and just last night I got bitten 11 times. 11 times! It's winter, please spare me. I've already gotten bit so many times over the summer, please just spare me. I even stopped eating bananas because someone told me that eating them attracts more mosquitoes. I guess it's not working. 

croissants and cappuccinos

For those who live in (or are visiting) new york, I must recommend having brunch in this little cafe in the west village called Tartine. They have the most amaaazing warm croissants with homemade jam, it's quite delicious. I'm not a huge pastry type of girl but "T" is and he happened to order one by chance that day, and I just happened to steal a bite. I'm forever hooked. It's a shame that I live on the east side because if I lived closer to the west village I would probably order them in bulk. If you're still not convinced, they also have just an all-around topnotch brunch menu that's below $15 (which is a decent price in ny). I'm actually craving their croissants and cappuccinos now as I write...

This is my parisienne outfit of the day. The vest is makeshift–it doesn't really have that bow. I just added that finishing touch with a silk ribbon that was lying around. Voila! The real looker here is the fact that 1) I have red lipstick on, which rarely happens and 2) my nails. I tried to do an ombre look but it just turned into a dip-dye look which is equally as cool. Yay for nail art!

how do I do this again...?

I'm an awkward person when it comes to cameras. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to smile, pose or act when in front of one. I'm self-conscious in other words, but honestly, we all are at times. If you're one of the special people that's never self-aware, you're either lying to yourself or you deserve a slow clap and an invitation to teach the rest of us of how not to give a **** about what others think. Hopefully I'll grow out of this awkward camera shy syndrome... 

In other news, it's almost thanksgiving and I'm not sure what to do. This year is the second year that I won't be home for thanksgiving and I'm a little bit sad that I won't get to feast on the 20+ lb turkey that they always have at home, yet again. In my nyc household this year it seems as though my fellow friends and loved ones do not share the same opinion with me about having that perfect bite of juicy turkey, with the sweet and tart cranberry chutney and the mixture of the salty and buttery gravy followed by that bite of stuffing right afterwards (yummmm)...in fact, they hate turkey. It saddens me, really. SO, this year we're doing a lobster fest. YUP. Lobster for thanksgiving. It'll be new and I'll have to wrap my head around it but I like lobster so it can't be that bad... I'll be sure to take pictures of our turkey-less thanksgiving dinner so that I can post it here later on.

here we go....

(shoes:converse///dress:victoria's secret///military jacket: hm///wool jacket: hm///necklace:forever21)

A lot of people have blogs... and I guess I'm just another that's joined the group. It's partially because I already spend a lot of time looking at other people's blogs and one day I just thought, "well... I spend so much of my time looking at other people's blogs, why don't I just start one myself?" So I gave in. Not that my life is particularly riveting in any way but it's nice to keep track/memories of my life, right? I've never had a journal of any sort while growing up and now I've come to an age where I'm beginning to regret it because I'm starting to be more forgetful. So here it is. Welcome.