Merry Christmas

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

nigahiga

I thought this was cool. Its a ferry boat in SF I think...


And now you also know what I spend my free time doing on youtube: nigahiga.

thrifty

On a recent thrifting trip with Sheens, she spotted this beautiful vintage Ferragamo suede clutch:



how much do you love?

And I also got these CK purple pumps (because we all know how much I fancy a purple shoe):



Usually, I don't get shoes second-hand--I have this weird thing about feet, don't ask--but these were just too fun to pass up. Something that I've only recently found out about myself is that I sort of really love shoes. Like, I will always always opt for new kicks over any other piece of clothing/accessory. They can get pricey, but I look at them as investments because honestly, you can't underestimate what a good pair of shoes can do for you. And where they can take you.

And the best part about it was that both items cost me less than $20--I LOVE thrifting! I also picked up an ugly Christmas sweater for some holiday fun, but that's to come later =)

FINALly!

oy. Turned in my paper this morning and that was that for my work for the semester--63 pages! I can't believe that I've pretty much completed my thesis, except for the conclusion. That's mind boggling. No way I can wrap my head around that. I wonder what it will be like when I actually finish it.

BUT I still have a MOUNTAIN of papers/exams to grade by friday. Too bad all I can think about is all the fun stuff I want to do...

For instance, my movie list: bridget jones, pride and prejudice, love actually, serendipity, sleepless in seattle, you've got mail-- all those ridiculously optimistic movies about love that, for all their untruth and cliche, and my overall coldness, I still adore.

and shopping: Christmas presents, london/paris travel things, birthday presents.

and cooking: rugalach, pies, cookies, things to make in my slow-cooker.

festive things: pie from julian, Christmas card lane, hot chocolate and apple cider, ice skating, and ugly sweaters!

and other things: I've decided to take an art class--finally! I'm gonna try to take ceramics at school, but they have this stupid prereq. and because I like to fight the system, I'm going to ignore/overlook. Because I really don't think that taking "Introduction to Art" is going to make me better with clay. I don't see how taking that class will make my bowls come out prettier, honestly. But if not, I'll take it someplace else, and I have to say I'm super excited about it.

I also signed up to TA again next semester. I think I might hate it, but everyone keeps telling me it gets better after the first semester, and I think I owe it to myself to see if I can improve. Like everything, practice makes perfect haha. I don't think I can get any worse, so with a glass half full perspective, I can only get better!

OH funny story (gosh can this post can any MORE random [please think of Chandler Bing when reading that])-- so in every office there are usually 3 TAs who share 2 desks. It just so happen that this semester I "lucked" out by only having one other office mate, and thus could have a desk all to myself. I found out today that next semester we'd be welcoming a new person into the office (my officemate is also staying on)... and it just so happen to be the ONE person in the whole history program whom I CANNOT STAND! And it would be ME sharing my desk with him. For 16 weeks! Breathing the same air! Co-existing in the same space! Awesome.

Don't get me started on this guy. To be honest, if I expressed all the reasons why I don't like him, you'd call me ridiculous. Even I admit that most of my reasons for disliking said person seem foolish and a tad judgmental, but the guy irks me to no end. In any case, I was talking to the TA coordinator and asked her if she could actually NOT place him in my office, because we don't get along--yes, I made it a mutual thing, which actually may not be far from the truth, but then again, this is me passing judgment so whatever. And the TA coordinator, bless her heart, moved him out of our office, stuck him somewhere else, and now its just my officemate and myself again with our respective space and our own desks. Awesome!

Countdown to Europe: 11 days.

Masonator.

I'm sitting here staring at my paper and can't bring myself to write so I thought I'd post my most favoritest baby ever.



credit: chrissy kim photography

shakira shakira

It may seem to you that I am in a place, where I am losing the direction of my life, but I'm sure this is nothing more than a phase.

there are so many things to love about this video and about shakira.

A Day in the Life of... ME!

This idea comes from the ClothesHorse-- to take one picture every hour for one day (starting from when you wake up because who wants to see 8 pictures of you sleeping?). I thought it would be a fun experiment for me, at least, to see what it is that I really do everyday and how I manage my time. I tried to be as honest as I could be with a "typical" day.

Here's what Tuesday looked like:

6 o'clock hour: Despite me saying that I would try my hardest to show a "typical" day, things from the get go started out atypically. I had waaay too much caffeine and so I was up until 2pm doing absolutely nothing but wasting time on the internet. Surprisingly, I woke up around 6AM when it was still dark out. Yes, I'm in my bring green PJs again.

7 o'clock hour: This is the only part of my day that is not typical at all. But I had been feeling all sorts of crappy about myself that I decided to take out my deflated stability/exercise ball and do something with it since I haven't been to the gym in like years. I put on an exercise workout on youtube while jamming out to Kpop~ CL & Minji's Please Don't Go. "Yeah I'm the baddest female seoul city ever had..."


8 o'clock hour: Fixing the eyes (and face) and getting ready for school.


9 o'clock hour: Spent most of the time driving, but got to school in time for second breakfast. I must have tea in the morning!






10 and 11 o'clock hours: Spent in my office. I was holding office hours and thus nothing really exciting was going on except me talking to students. As you can see, I'm in extra casual wear today as 1) my hair was a pain this morning and 2) I'm taking 2 hours of my 9 day Thanksgiving break to go to school for students--the last thing I want to be is uncomfortable!



Noon: Students are gone, and I'm back on you tube! I'm sort of obsessed with this song, "The Look" by Ryan Tedder, and I particularly like this "improvised" version. It's "improvised" because he doesn't know all the words (which he admits to) and so its more like a snippet, but its still nice.


One o'clock hour: Bundled up like its not 75 degrees outside. But off to the library to get some more reading materials, incognito, of course.



Two and three o'clock hours: Late lunch at olive garden, and still at olive garden. I didn't realized until later that I had actually deleted my "2pm" picture, so that's why there's only one. This is actually a coaster from olive garden.



Four o'clock hour: Dusk, and home sweet home.



Five (and six) o'clock hour: This was literally taken like five minutes before I passed out! Not getting enough sleep takes a toll on me.


seven o'clock hour: I had overslept by 30 minutes and was late to this meeting at panera! luckily for me, the place is seriously 2 minutes away by car--I had planned to walk there originally but oversleeping really just nixed that idea. This was a "london planning" meeting--did I mention I'm going to london for a week after Christmas? I'm laughing in this picture because my sister caught me and kept saying "what are you doing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"



eight o'clock hour: London underground and remnants of a chocolate chip cookie.


Nine o'clock hour: After I got home, I was busy looking up flight/rail tickets for a side excursion to paris. But an extra $250 just to get there? I need to get rich, like, now.


Ten o'clock hour: Time for bed!

So I learned I spend an embarrassing amount of time in front of my computer, and that it really isn't easy taking a picture every hour. I would always wait until the later part of the hour--because I wanted the picture to be representative of what I was actually doing at that time-- and sometimes I would just forget or couldn't really do it because of meetings, dinners/lunches. If I do this again, I'll do it when I'm off doing something cool so that it's more interesting haha.

BANGIN'

Just got my bangs cut (finally!) but I only one side looks decent...because my hair hid some of my nasty out-grown bangs, and so the hair lady didn't cut them! I didn't realize it until I got home...and had to cut them myself haha. And yes, I'm wearing bright green PJs.

Gah!

gosh, I wish I were brave and courageous and that sometimes I could seize life by the reins and just go. I wish I were more proactive, instead of laying in my bed in front of my laptop watching youtube videos and visiting fashion blogs (...not that there's anything wrong with that, you you get my point). I want to do so many things like take up piano, get myself to the gym, read more, spend time with friends more, cook more, take up spanish/french/italian again, but I just don't. And the worst part is that nothing is preventing me, nothing really, from doing all these things. I could take up lessons, I could take a class, I could do something and be more than I am. Maybe its just the end of the year that's making me think/feel this way. But I think not, since I've done a lot of thinking this year and these sort of thoughts were always with me. Its just that these sort of thoughts are brought more to the forefront because another year is ending (and OMG am I turning 25 next year?!) and aspects of our daily lives, our accomplishments, our failures, our humanity and mortality become more apparent. Have I lived the way I wanted? In a way that makes me happy? Am I proud to call my life my own? What have I learned? As much as it may depress the heck outta me, I think these are all questions to ask ourselves, regardless of if its the end of the year or not. Being aware of ourselves, of our actions, of our words, and taking responsibility for them are all part of growth, I think.

In any case, gosh, I need to make a more conscious effort to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk haha.

Oh, it's Love!

It's FINALLY getting colder, the malls are all decked out in their holiday gear, reds, whites, greens are everywhere to be seen, starbucks has their eggnog lattes and their peppermint mochas out, and every once and awhile, I get to hear some Christmas music...

It's beginning to feel a lot like the holidays, and I for one, am super excited!! Everything, and I mean everything about this time of the year makes me feel happy. Although I know we don't really get seasons here, and that I'm also super stressed out with the end of the semester, I just love love love the holidays.

It's a time for baking, a time for eating, a time of getting together with the people you care about, and showing appreciation for life that is just not present (unfortunately) during the rest of the year. It just gives something warm and comfy, and I don't even care that I'm flying solo for every event and gather. I'm going to make the most of it=)

"Hitler as a TA"

beautiful.

yo yo ma & morricone-- Malena> Giuseppe Tornatore Suite.

Owl City L<3Ve.

Check out the music video for this song... its super cuuuuute =)

Leaving the Ivory Tower

sigh.

All around me, anxious and eager grad students prepare themselves for the next step: their post-MA life. They cram for their GREs, the write up statements of purpose, seek out letters of recommendation, etc. Me? I watch them. As it stands, I will not be entering Fall 2010 as a grad student...anywhere. For various reasons, I am in the process of leaving the Ivory Tower of Academia.

Its a dangerous, uncharted territory for me.

And as I head towards the light, I can only see the major pitfall of having been a student/scholar/academic for the past 6-going-on-7 years: I am completely and utterly at a loss.

Here's the thing, you think college would prepare you for a life beyond it. That it gives you the necessary skills to be successful post-bac as you head into the "real word" as a contributing member of society. That's what you think.

Now, granted, I'm sure that happens for some people. Let's just not call them students in the Humanities/Arts/Letters.

I made a conscious choice, oh, maybe 5 years ago, to abandon the path that leads you to A to B to C and gives you lots of money. What was I thinking?!?! Who would have thunk that 5 years down the road, I'd be backed up into a corner with no skill set, no path, and no options.

Stupid, stupid girl.

Okay, so I'm not completely without skills. They are just...peculiar and specialized. Specialized in a way that is advantageous to no one...not me, not society, nobody. And this, my friends, is the drawback and major complaint filed against academics: That their skill set exists only within the Ivory Tower.

The skills of research, argumentation, writing etc etc etc can make you successful in academia. But how do these skills translate to "real" jobs? They don't. So much of what threatens the university system is the fact that graduates are ill-equipped for the transition from "student" to "job applicant." Forget the civil engineers, the chem/bio majors, the poli-sci majors, business majors... what about me whose degrees are humanities and history....

And so, as I prepare to leave this Ivory Tower that has housed me, fed me and nurtured me, I can't help but feel a bit disgruntled that I will be left out in the cold. I can't do anything! I have always been a mix of "not good enough"-- not quite good enough to do Classics...although not quite good enough to do History, etc etc etc-- but this just takes the cake! Not quite good enough to survive? Not gonna lie, it hurts a little bit. Darwin would probably say that I should have been filtered out ages ago.

But here's the thing that worries me the most: I don't want to be one of those people who settle for whatever comes their way. I know that I've been blessed enough in my life to not have to worry about surviving from paycheck to paycheck, and that I've been given the opportunities that I didn't deserve, but I still choose to live a life that has meaning. I just need to figure it out. And soon!

one-oh-one.

I only just found out that my last post (the hot dog) was my 100th post on Mirth! But since its too late to celebrate that milestone, I decided to celebrate this 101th post instead=) woot woot! Here's to many more useless ramblings, annoying obsessions, and obnoxious over-analysis!!

Oh, and to my 2 readers, hello and thanks for reading =) [haha I delude myself into thinking there are even two readers of Mirth!]

anyway, no updates lately simply because I've been too busy. School kicked in and is kicking me down--I've got to be DONE with my thesis by the end of this year, that's like only like 15 weeks left or something! :o I also started my TAship, which has its better days, and quit my job as a numba one barrristaa baby. But its a crazy situation with the universities (as with most everywhere else), and I'm only barely getting used to how things work.

I planned the transition between jobs poorly, I have to say, because I'm basically living on like, no money whatsoever. Hello cup of noodles, why that kids meal is looking mighty tasty, etc etc etc. I even have a running list of the things I will buy when I get my first pay check (that is, after paying off some of that credit card debt I've been racking up since my income ran out): haircut, shoes, paperclips, those big clips for large stacks of paper, sweaters for when it (finally) starts getting cooler, snacks for my office, large, wall-sized maps for my classes, a couple books... as if my paycheck were even something to cover all of that! I know I have to be better about budgeting my money because its the kind where I get paid only once a month, and knowing me, I'd blow it all in two weeks :(

well, that was a rather pointless post, but there you go anyway.

That's some hot DOG!

I know this is definitely a controversial picture, but I find it extremely funny, in a cute, to-die-for kind of way:


Taken from my filipino friend's FB with a caption that reads, " with bacon, grilled onions, sauerkraut and honey mustard." If you are filipino, this is extra special =]

p.s. no I do not condone the eating of precious pooches--or hot dogs for that matter!

French Feast for the Senses

Whenever I get asked what my favorite food is, my mind goes blank. I am at a complete loss for words. I adore chocolate, but I don't have a particular dessert-type food that I love more than anything. When I go out to eat, I usually choose a western-style restaurant/eatery simply but I also know that I can't live without the tastes of Asian cuisine [I can't give up my rice bowls...which is why I can't go on those no-carb diets haha]. Anyway, so while I can't say what my favorite kind of food is, I do love myself some french food. And have a new culinary hero: Tyler Florence. Excusing that stint he did for, what was it, Applebees?, everything he makes looks delicious and the way he describes ingredients and flavors is just beautiful--this is his take on french food. 

Images courtesy of Foodnetwork.com, go there for these recipes. 

French Onion Soup.

Coq au Vin.

Next on my to make list: this scallop in puff pastry with a beurre blanc sauce.

As well as this: steamed lemon pudding with fresh berries. 

Salivating yet? ; )

Guilty Pleasures and M.I.A.

no, not the singer.

I've been Missing In Action from my blog for a while now. Last week, I got ridiculously sick--summer colds are the worst because not only are you feverish and congested, but its also 95 degrees out as well! Talk about being comfortable. I even had to call into work sick--my first time taking a sick day ever. EVER, in all of my 7 years of working, I had never ever called into work. I guess there's a first time for everything. Needless to say, all last week I pretty much did nothing but sleep and watch Tv.

oh, and this brings me to confessing a secret of mine. I spent the hours between long naps last week reading 116 chapters of the korean manhwa Goong, then watching 24 episodes of the drama. It was perverse and addictive and silly and unproductive and lovely and fun. I will be the first to admit that I am slightly obsessed with aspects of royalty, so of course this was right up my alley. So there, my guilty pleasure is confessed!

I'm heading off to vegas in about two weeks, but I am terribly, terribly, broke at the moment. The money I manage to save up I always end up spending on ingredients! Since I am eating my investments, it always feels like I have nothing to show for the work that I do, which is why I sometimes go crazy with online shopping because it makes me feel better that I have something tangible to show for the money I've spent. This, I know, is not very smart or financially sound, especially while I've got credit card bills to pay, so I must learn how to curb my wants to concentrate on the needs. 

School is fast approaching as well, and I am also in my last two weeks at my current job. At the end of the month I start a new job at school (hurray!) but I am a bit worried that my first paycheck wont be until early/mid october--we get paid monthly. This means I won't have any cash flow for at least a month! I really hope thats not the case, because I don't know what I'd do in the meantime :(

Since I've been a bum recently, I'm determined to be good today. I made my first meal in days, a simple potato, cheese, red pepper, and onion omelet with fresh berries and mango nectar. Now, off to do laundry, grocery shop, hit the gym, and get so useful reading before the day is out! 

[p.s. I am in love with Bath and Body works' Pink Grapefruit lotion/soaps. After using them, I smell my hands all day =) ]

Breakfast

yesterday after a fabulous, home-cooked dinner at sonyas house (sorry no pictures!), I had left over eggs that I tried to pass off to sonya but she suggested I take them home and make a quiche, to which I responded, "I don't make quiches because they don't go well with tea in the morning." But Lo and Behold! This morning I made a quiche for breakfast =) [p.s. it's not that I haven't ever made quiche, no that I don't like eating it, its just I prefer to eat bread-y carbs in the morning hahahaha]



mini-crustless spinach quiches with home-made lox & cream cheese spread over an everything bagel with tomatoes and a glass of orange juice. and not a tea cup in sight!

On another note, I can't believe school is starting in less than a month. I've got so much to do before then! and where did july even go? will. not. freak. out. will not.

My throat has been really scratchy lately, so now that I think about it, a cup of tea sounds delightful=)

Wish List

I'm so over summer...Fall can't get here soon enough!

On another note, my $947 traffic tickets have been brought down to just $152! =]

The Big Picture & a side of feminism

It's friday night, and my inability to decide what I'd like to do tonight has lead me to do, well, nothing. No no, I shouldn't say nothing, but I am staying in and reading up for my thesis.

I don't know if I've talked about this here before, but I need some perspective, so here it is: this post will be about my thesis (disgruntled readers, turn away now! this is bound to be uninteresting for nearly everybody!). For those curiously-minded, I am a graduate student in history--especially ancient roman history--specifically women/religion in the ancient roman empire. I'm nearly done with my MA program; I just need to finish up that pesky thing called the thesis. What, pray tell, am I writing this tome about? What is it that I spend days and nights dreaming, thinking, crying, praying, typing away at, scratching my head over? What is the topic that I've dedicated the last year and one-half to?

Well, it goes something like this (taken from a writing exercise from Kate Turabian's Manual of Style):
I am studying the topic of female priests/patrons in the first 3 centuries of the Roman empire, because I want to find out how women across the roman empire were obtaining public power/status in their communities through their works as both priestess and patroness, so that I can help others understand that women in ancient rome were not simply mothers and wives, that their influence was not merely in the domestic sphere, and that they could have power in their own right, as women equally able to change the face, customs, behaviours, way of life of their cities as any man--something that history in general seems to forget or overlook.

I will be the first to admit that I recognize that I, myself, am overwhelmed by what I'm arguing. I won't go into very much detail (because this post is already riveting as it is), but let me just say that it is a daunting task, and I am easily intimidated. Hence the laggy-ness on my part over the course of this summer to make any sort of real progress on my thesis.

However, when I come across a statement as such as this: By erecting large-scale structures, women effectively inserted a feminine voice, an alien prescence, into a predominantly masculine culture (Margaret L. Woodhull, "Matronly Patrons in the Early Roman Empire: The Case of Salvia Postuma" [I wish this thing had footnotes lol]), which, on the surface seems like a rather ordinary statement, but is really a comment on extraordinary behavior of women in a time that was so overtly masculine, and what a remarkable position these women were in to be able to stand right along side their male counterparts, and how important it is to recognize the efforts of these women, my heart bursts into a firey passion that screams out that THIS, this, is why I do what I do.

Women are so neglected, so marginalized, so downplayed in the history books, in the social studies books in schools. I think back to my own education, and how I didn't get an appreciation of a woman in history until I was in 7th grade, when I did a presentation of Eleanor of Aquitaine. I read the book, Of Scarlet and Miniver, a supplementary reading because I can't even remember if there was even a biographical slip of Eleanor in that social studies book, and through that book, forgiving all its romanticizing and character illusions, I found myself, for the first time, admiring an historical woman. And I mean, I really really admired her. But what, I was 12? 13? at the time? And I found that I did not have that feeling of admiration, of witnessing a woman's experience of history, for the rest of my middle/high school education. And how unfortunate is it that young girls are made to study the history through the eyes of men, and how they could potentially go through all that education without even once understanding her own self through that history, of not being able to see her own existence in the pages of that history because women are not taken seriously. And for all those haters who think that women do not have a place in their type of history because they didn't participate in wars, or politics, I just have to say that that means nothing because women were there too. Woman have always been there.

okay, enough of that. I didn't mean to rant on about feminist history haha.

On a completely different note, I got my office assignment and my office number for the semester <3 I was completely giddy, but it won't feel official until I get my KEYS. Oh, but, there are 9 TAs for the course, 7 boys and 2 girls, and get this, they paired off all the boys together, and put me with the girl, and all the boys are together at one end of the floor, and me and this girl are on the opposite end! Also, because the number of boys just far exceeds the number of girls in our department, I just happen to know all the other boys, and the girl that I'm sharing an office with is a complete stranger to me. Figures, right?

The London/England List: away we go!

London Musts
:British Museum
:Big Ben
:Buckingham Palace
:Grosevnor Square
:Trafalgar Square
:London Eye
:Piccadilly Circus
:Golders Green Borough
:Westminster Abbey
:Hyde Park
:St. Paul's Cathedral
:Tower of London
:Greenwich

Out & About England Musts
:Stonehenge
:Jane Austen Museum in Bath
:Roman Baths at Bath
:Chatsworth House in Derbyshire
:Lake District/ Peak District
:Lyme Park

In the Kitchen...

I love that summer affords many an opportunity for cook-outs, outdoor get-togethers, BBQs, picnics, bonfires, wine-and-cheese nights, and of course, friendly dinners. It's always a time for friends and food, and also gives me an opportunity to get in the kitchen and make something. A lot of the time the things I want to make don't do well for travel, so my family/people at my house get to suffer through my cooking. Maybe I should host more dinner parties at home to overcome this issue--but then, my family is pretty crazy and I wouldn't want to willingly bring them upon anyone.

Anway, this is just a post featuring stuff I've made over this past week, and not much else.


proscuitto wrapped melon. I don't eat any pork save proscuitto.

Honey and soy glazed salmon.

Rice krispie treats!! [attempt #2 = success =) ]
tonights dinner: boiled sprimp& roasted asparagus.

lemon garnish #2--hey I'm not that creative.

not pictured: baked granola <3

Happiness is in the Doing.

or so they say.

I've been toying with the notion of happiness of a while now, and although I have nothing profound to share as a result of my ponderings, I think it is always a good thing to re-evaluate yourself and what happy means to you in the moment.

This was all brought up because not to recently I noticed that maybe I wasn't as happy, wasn't as satisfied, with myself or the way in which things were going in my life. And it was an odd realization because I had previously known myself to be perfectly content with me, my projects, and my everyday life. So where had I gone wrong? How long had I been living in discontent? How had I let this happen, after working to get to such a good place? More importantly, how do I get back? I must get back, and yet, I was utterly confused.

So what did I do? I've been trying to fill my life with the things that bring me the most peace, the most joy, although I must admit that I relapse into non-happy behaviour more than I like. I took a short trip to Seattle, bought books, watched movies, read jane, and cooked my heart out. Its still a process--I am nowhere near gratified in my existence. I need to read more, go to church more, write more, visit with friends more, laugh a lot more, and maybe even cry even more than that.

I need to be grounded and keep myself centered and focused. I need to shake off these clouds and feel the moments that exist between the people that care about me, the infinity of the causes which I support and the goals I want to acheive, the importance of the work that I do now, and the hope that exists in the necessity of my dreams.

Some Photos from the Fourth

where: Poway Lake
when: the fourth of July 2009
My roasted corn with cheesers. I didn't eat this so I don't know how it turned out lol.
I love my straw hat! $2 bucks from target and my favorite summer accessory :)

Drive-by Post! vrooom...

"Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything." -Jane Austen, Persuasion.

Dear Jane. She was a feminist before feminism. Just another reason why I adore her. <3

Today I made a fantastic lunch completely on the fly (if I do say so myself): boiled shrimp with herbs and lemon, sauteed spinach and mushrooms and brown rice. I only wish I had taken a picture of it. I was pretty darn proud of myself! haha

sooo I didn't end up taking the art class. for many reasons which I don't entirely feel like explaining at the moment, its just not a good time. But let me just say, when I was in the art supplies aisle picking out the materials needed for the class, my heart was all aflutter. So definitely soon, just not yet.

Yesterday, after a disaster of a morning in which I didn't go to that art class, I ended up spending the morning at balboa park reading in front of zanadoo (sp?) and sipping on some mexican hot chocolate. After I was interrupted by a photo class as they scrambled to take pics for their assignments, I decided to walk the 13+ blocks up to flashbacks in hillcrest (I didn't have change for the meters and one of the things I enjoy is the free parking at balboa :) ). I bought a dress, a cardigan and a belt for $40 (not bad considering the cardigan itself would have been that price from urban outfitters), then ate lunch at sushi deli, and proceeded to get my hair cut. Shopping, lunch, and a haircut for under $100 bucks? Not too bad!

There is also a chance that I may be spending new years in London. This is a biggg maybe, but its still something worth dreaming about--especially those side trips to see all things Jane and Darcy!!!

on a side note, I really need to quit watching the reruns of the MJ memorial. sigh.

“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.” – Michael Jackson

New Toys

In the mail yesterday came my new toys from Everyday Minerals. A while back, I mentioned that I was purchasing a sample kit from them that included: 3 powders, 1 concealer, and 1 blush for the cost of $3 shipping (such a deal!). Well, I loved my samples so much that I decided to purchase the super custom kit that has 12 items of your choice for only$50!

I picked 7 eye shadows: (top) Spelunk, (middle row, left to right) In the Garden, Wallaby, Late Checkout, (bottom, left to right), Smokey Eyeliner, Wild Flowers, and Smokey Pink. Do you see a theme in colors here? lol.

I also got loose powder, concealer, and two blushes: swimming pool and back to school.

Today I even got up extra early so I could apply a face before work. The powder and concealer are old friend of mine, and I love love love their multi-tasking concealer--it takes care of everything from hiding blemishes to taking care of those little baggies under your eyes. And I used wild flowers and late checkout for eyes, as well as swimming pool for the cheeks. So far so good! What I love about this makeup is that is finishes so well on the skin and doesn't make you look unlike yourself--that is, unless you want it that way! It enhances what you have, and keeps you looking like the pretty you are. I highly recommend and thanks Sheens for the tip!! =)

Finger Lickin' Goooooooood

Yesterday I finally got to go to the Del Mar Fair (yeah yeah yeah I know it's now "san diego county fair" or whatever) and get my eating on! I had been waiting for this day for weeks now, and had fully prepared my stomach for all the delicious, the decadent, the fatty, the fried, the greasy, and the scrumptious food to be had.

chocolate funnel cake. a MUST.
(L) fried smores, (R) fried twinkie---smores was much much better :)

Needless to say that even I, who had scoured the booths for delectables,  drafted an eating plan of attack, and even spaced out most of my eating, was feeling the stomach pangs of remorse. One thing on my list that I didn't get to eat were those deep friend frog legs--although the mac and cheese on a stick would have been nice too I think lol. 

However, just to make myself feel better about not going to the fair simply to stuff my face, I also include a trip on the Ferris Wheel whenever I go---actually, I really do enjoy the ferris wheel so it takes no effort on my part to shell out the big bucks for tickets to ride on the big wheel, there's something about it thats is special to me. 

views from the top. One the right, the fair....

and on the left, beautiful coastline of Del Mar. It was a lovely day.