2013 Happy New Year~! & 2012 Recap

Ended the year of 2012 with my boyfriend last night at a lovely restaurant. It was a wonderful meal and we rang in 2013 with a kiss; a great start if you ask me. 

The green sauce in the metal tin is to die for. My boyfriend says it tastes like the earth in a good way. I drank the rest of what we didn't use as dip. Would've licked the tin clean if we had been alone at home. My favorite dish last night hands down.

Also very good. The square block of pork on the right had tasty squash but the block of just ok meat puzzled the boyfriend and I. 

Two more dishes we had here at this point that I forgot to take pics of. One was scrapple (made using a duck egg) and the other was some kind of southern meat with mac n cheese. We were so stuffed at this point! So we asked our server to pack the mac n cheese dish for us. 

But uh, not stuffed enough to not have this awesome Sundae! The waffle is really unique..I think it's made with sesame seeds? The ice cream itself was very soft and whipped. I normally don't like ice cream all that much but wow this was some good quality stuff. The cherry was soo yummy! I can't describe it all that well but I tasted some cinnamon and perhaps some other warm spices. 

Had to take our other dessert home. We did their NYE special which included 2 desserts. Didn't try this since it's sitting in my boyfriend's refrigerator

~

2012 Recap:

Graduated and got my degree in May. Went on my first flight by myself to Dallas in June. Spent a few months in a shitty job that propelled me to think seriously about what I want my future to look like. Consequently I hustled my ass and got an amazing job offer to start in late 2013. Started this personal blog of mine. Tried (and now love) hot yoga (vinyasa yoga) for the first time. Paid off my unsubsidized student loan (yay!..now for the other ones ><). Used Mint for the first time to track my spending. Joined/created a monthly book club. Started my closet project. Spent an amazing year with my boyfriend. 

The later months of 2012 were marked by my own personal interpretation of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." I think I want to continue that personal cultivation with myself. Whether or not you agree with the idea of 'New Year Resolutions' I think it's good to have goals in life; new year or not. I would like to:

• Get more crafty and DIY. Sewing, bath making (bath bombs in particular), etc...
• Attempt to cook regularly. I know I can cook, it's just a matter to doing it regularly...and without my mom driving me crazy in the kitchen. 
• Take a multivitamin or something with zinc+magnesium. A good diet would eliminate the need for this, but even the best of us who eat healthy can miss out on a few key nutrients. 
• Maintain and improve my fitness level. Start to bike when my family (hopefully) moves to a less suburban sprawled area. 
• Share more experiences with my boyfriend: cooking, picnicking, hiking, participate in his activities as well as him participating in mine. 
• Maintain and improve my personal finances. Continue with Mint. Spend less and smarter. Start saving up for retirement seriously.
• Finish my closet project as much as possible. Realistically this will be an on-going project for as long as I have a closet but I want to finish documenting most of the items I have this year. Plus by other fashion related goals.
• Seriously begin looking into Lasik surgery. Need to set up appointments/consultations. 
• Take more pictures. Blog more.
• Go on a cruise or short vacation with my boyfriend.
• Get my passport by December 2013. 

& many more. I may come back and add edits to this page so it can be used as a reference for me.

Wore Sally Hansen "Golden-I" last night. Also wore it last NYE so I guess it's my tradition now. 

Bye 2012! Hello 2013!

The gift of clear skin with Acne.org's AHA+

I've been using this product for a little over a month now (as you can see I like to date my products with a sharpie) and my skin texture and clarity has improved. Not, "I think maybe this serum/toner/cream/etc is working?" but, "Whoa, why is this post-acne red spot so light today??".

This isn't my first time using Acne.org products so I really shouldn't be so surprised. In my late high school - early college years I used their BP 2.5% Treatment for my generally mild acne and it worked very well. I stopped when I kind of grew out of the teenage zit phase. Nowadays I still get pimples but they're hormonal ones mostly located on my chin. So while I still use BP (Clean&Clear Persa-Gel 10 cause it's cheaper and I don't need as much as I used to) I really needed something to fade away post pimple redness and marks. 

For a little over $20 (depending on shipping costs, product retails online only for $16.11 for 6 oz.) I have almost a year's worth (low balling the length of time) of a nighttime moisturizer that for the past month, has been clearing away my redness, improved the look of my nose because my blackheads are no where near as visible, evening out my skin tone, and making my skin feel so crazy soft. My red post zit marks usually take MONTHS if not years to slowly fade on their own. So seeing these chin post-zit marks lighten so significantly in a month kind of blew my mind. 

I really like the texture of the lotion and how easily it spreads. My first time using it, I could definitely feel the sting of the AHA+, it's 10% glycolic acid after all. My face has since gotten used to it but if I've picked on a particular area..well it's gonna sting there. So obviously don't apply it over broken skin, especially if you popped a zit or peeled off a scab! Since using this I've also taken to use my daily spf moisturizer with more care and diligence. It can increase sun sensitivity since you know...it being an acid and exfoliating your skin and all.  

One of the best gifts I've given myself this year; my clearer skin <3!

Lumene Vitamin C+ Illuminating Anti-Age BB Cream (& Burt's Bees Grapefruit Lipbalm)

I was supposed to be in CVS to repurchase a skincare staple (Olay Complete SPF 30 Sensitive; sometimes in the winter I go for the spf 15 since the lotion is lighter) but I ended up buying a BB cream and lip balm instead. Yea, I don't know either. 

The lipbalm smells SO GOOD. So so so good! Like a real grapefruit! It's magical, it really is. I've gone through a few tubes of the Burt's Bees Replenishing Lipbalm with Pomegranate Oil so I decided to switch things up. I was also hoping the grapefruit would also be lightly tinted like the pomegranate one but unfortunately that's not the case as you can tell. 

I've got nothing bad to say about Burt's Bees lip balms and I always have a tube somewhere. Retails for $2.99 which is great (the cheapo in me cringes though) since I feel the quality and packaging is on par or even better than higher end/luxury lip balm. Moisturizes well, travels great, not prone to melting at the slightest hint of heat and feels good on the lips.  

So*knockonwood* I'm getting my skin under control and since the only base product I have is Make Up For Ever's Mat Velvet + Foundation (in 30) I wanted something for everyday that wasn't so heavy duty. And my foundation is about 2 years old now. Yea, maybe it's a little gross but I don't share my makeup and I wear full coverage so rarely...I'm not about to throw this thing out if it's still performing just fine.

My skin still isn't anywhere near perfect but all things considered it's better enough that I want to consider lighter wear makeup. Some days I just want to put something on for a daytime date with the bf but I don't want to look too heavily made up. And it would be great if I could find something now that's reliable for when I start my first real job (in August...lol). 

I got the BB cream in light after comparing the two color dots on the box in CVS against my face. From the back of the box you can see that there's a recommended 'age of use' at the bottom. Seeing as how I'm in the earlier years of my 20s I guess this product isn't really marketed towards consumers my age but hey that's not going to stop anyone from trying something. I've been eyeing a few other US made BB creams for a while now but I always decided against buying them because they always include denatured alcohol. No thanks, my skin just doesn't like that stuff all up on my face for a good 10+ hrs a day. 

So when I saw that Lumene had a BB cream without the alcohol I was pretty excited. Except for the price. $15.79 is such a weird price right? The other brands were lower than $15 but I said screw it and so, I bought it. The Lumene line of products has been on US shelves for a few years now but I've never tried anything from the brand. Not because I don't think their products are good, I just never really had a reason to try anything until I saw their BB cream display. 

It's not full coverage and maybe medium coverage if you build it up (using thin layers) so it's good for days where you just want to tone down unevenness and not look too made up. The last time I had an Asian BB Cream was in high school, about 5 years ago and it was the BRTC Water Jasmine BB Cream. I didn't like it. Too grey and PINK. It was awful and just didn't perform well. However, that was just my experience and it seems that many others have found it to be suitable for their needs. And maybe I got one from a bad batch, who knows. Seeing how it was so long ago and my experience wasn't great I can't compare this to Asian BB Creams. 

The consistency is slightly thicker than lotion and I really like how it feels on my face. Even though I love MUFE's Mat Velvet sometimes I can just feel it. I also really like the citrus fragrance which dissipates a little bit after you smooth it out on your face. As you can see from the blended portion on my hand, there's shimmer (silica, on the ingredients list). On my face it wasn't as disco ball and I actually didn't even realize it until I went back to look at this picture of my hand for this post. So it's subtle and I like how my face looked...alive and bright while wearing this. I personally think it did a great job of lessening the redness around my nostrils and even provided suitable coverage of my red post-zit marks. 

As far as color selection, Lumene stays true to BB creams by providing a very limited selection of just two shades. Initially, when I had it on my face I thought the color matching was fine but looking at that swatch on my hand made me wonder if it was maybe too pink. And if you're any paler than shade 01 Light or darker than 02 medium you're outta luck. Having worn it about three times now I can now say that this most definitely leans pink toned. When I wore it this morning and looked into the mirror I could see just how much the pink color contrasted with my YELLOW neck. Maybe 02 medium is the right tone?...but the shade would be too dark. Oh well, close but no cigar. Return!

Diva Cup: Update #2

So glad I'm using the DivaCup! I've been fiddling around and trying to get used to it the past few days to prepare for this upcoming monthly cycle. In using the DivaCup I've been forced to become quite intimate with my own body. For instance, after I insert the cup I like to make sure it's completely open and around the cervix so of course that requires you to be very hands in you know.

I decided to learn to get used to it a few days prior to my period. First day on Friday I wore it for a full day and had no issues. On Saturday I got lazy and I didn't use it (still no period). Then Sunday came and I used it. Today I woke up (put it in last night) with it and decided not to removed until around lunch time. And what do you know, the cup was nearly halfway full after keeping it in for a full night into lunchtime today. I knew for sure that my period would start last night so I'm breathing a sigh of relief that I put the DivaCup in. There was no leaking onto my underwear and overall it was quite comfortable (ie, occasionally will forget I have it in). I'm very pleased; the learning curve (which really isn't that big of a deal) was well worth it.

Yes, it is a little bit messy, but the beauty of the cup is that you don't have to empty it at work. Empty once in the morning at home and then again at night. Simple; no fuss no muss. I usually like using flushable wipes during my period anyway so I think that could help with the messiness. You could bring a pack to work and keep them in a drawer somewhere discreet (or not, your desk, no one should be snooping around) to use. I like getting the Kirkland Costco brand with 10 packs of 60.

As for the stem, I cut it down almost completely. I think the makers of the DivaCup should maybe update both their models to have stems that are rounded  and closed instead of cut open like a tube. This way, if it 'pokes' it wouldn't be as irritable (it doesn't hurt when it pokes) and maybe fewer women would need to trim the stem. Just a thought.

Project Closet - The First Night of Digitizing My Wardrobe

Yesterday night I became obsessed with the idea of digitally cataloging my wardrobe. This idea appealed to me for a multitude of reasons:

• Identifying my personal trends and style (Seeing styles and trends emerge.)
• Preventing duplicate purchases (You already have three black ruffle skirts!)
• Encouraging thoughtful purchases (Do I really need this item? Am I missing an essential item?)
• Integration of a possible new purchase with your wardrobe (Can they work with the things you have?)
• Become more minimalist and have clothes that have more multi-functional.
• Indulging in my pursuit of being hyper-organized (I enjoy it. Yes I'm weird.)

One goal I have with this project is to automate my work/professional outfits for when I start my offer in August. I know a lot of people say they need to dress based on their moods but I'd rather not. I much prefer saving that daily bit of brain function on other things. Plus side is I get to plan ahead to account for weather AND as my BF points out, you still have the flexibility to dress based on your mood if you want to.

Anyway, after doing some intense Googling and research last night I found a few apps for the SG3 but I decided to forgo an app and just take pictures myself (using my phone camera so the quality isn't fantastic but still quite good) and uploading it to a folder in DropBox titled "Closet". Now, the one app I probably would have downloaded and used...isn't available for Android phones! Boo! Hiss! If Stylebook ever makes it available on Droid phones I'll download and use it but until then I'll be relying on my own method. 

I didn't expect to actually start on this little big project tonight. Usually I let ideas mull a bit longer before I take action but this probably means I'm actually excited about this project. So I set up my photo shooting area with my white bed sheet and moved the floor lamp towards the mattress for light. Laid the clothes (with their hangers) on the bed and started playing around with my phone's camera. Then I decided some of my clothes could look better hung up so I cleaned the top of my closet door (yea I'm nitpicky like that) and then hung a white bed sheet over it. 

The picture is blurry for a reason, just to give you an idea of what my setup was like. 

I ended up on taking shots of 25 items from my closet. And suddenly I realized I actually started taking pictures last night with 3 pairs of my heels. I guess in my mind, I didn't really 'start' because the shoe pictures are done well enough (not against a plain/white colored background) and so I'll probably re-take them. 

So my Closet folder is set up as follows:

• Closet
• Bottoms
• Skirts
• Pants
• Shoes
• Store Dressing Room
• Tops
• Tops - Cardigans
• Tops - Shells
• Tops - Tanks
• Tops - Sweaters
• Bags 
• Dresses

As I continue to add to my digital wardrobe I may remove, add, or consolidate folders but for now that's what I have. 

I'm already seeing benefits to this digital wardrobe thing.

Redundancies

Yea...so I clearly have a strong inclination to buy short black frilly skirts. It's probably to indulge my HS emo/goth sides while still being girly. Clearly I'm drawn to the Goth Lolita style. These skirts really are ME. But that also means I'm not allowed to buy anymore pieces like this...3 is more than enough and I might even get rid of the skirt on the far right. 

Unworn Pieces

I gotta face it. White tank tops just aren't my thing. Either I need to learn to work these into my wardrobe more (will have to wait until spring/summer) or I need to let go and donate these babies. Alternatively I was also thinking of dyeing the tank on the left into a color I'm more likely to wear. So either way I need to re-use, re-cycle, or re-give these tanks.

Quality Control

See this Express tank top? The strap on the right is longer than the other one! I didn't even notice when I was arranging the tank on my bed. At first I thought I had arranged it wrong but upon closer inspection I could see that the seams for both sides were unequally and also placed further along compared to each side. No wonder I always felt so lopsided wearing this tank. Maybe when I get decent at sewing I'll try and fix it myself.

~

So even though I have 25 items down I still have a loong way to go before I'm completely finished with my project (not to mention that I may even go back and retake pictures for a few of the items). For a few of the items I think I'll need to combine two images to show: a. front and back or b. actually worn on my body. Afterwards I'll continue maintenance of my digital wardrobe in addition to taking pictures of me in outfits that I like and feel comfortable in. I want to give priority and focus towards work outfits but it may not turn out that way since I don't have many professional pieces...(oh the woes of being short). That way, I can have a library of looks that I can wear to work and plan for in my closet (set aside clothes at the beginning of the week into outfits) so I have one less thing to deal with in the morning. 

So excited! Am I crazy or what? =]

Spaworld Grasshopper

Spontaneity is the spice of life. Last Friday while texting my friend J she asked if I wanted to go to Spaworld. So despite being broke I said (texted), "Fuck it! I'm going to Spaworld!" And that was that. (Well not really cause I kept texting her with questions about what to bring (what a Virgo?) and how to prepare myself...she is quite the Spaworld sensei and said to just be patient lol.)

So after work we went to Spaworld together and I must say, the whole naked thing is really overblown. If you don't know Spaworld is a korean style spa/bathhouse. So there's a men's and women's area and in those segregated areas you'll see lotsa naked bodies. It's really no different than if you were at a gym. 

The poultice rooms were really fun and I found the experience overall worth it. Next time though, I'd wait for some kind of groupon instead. I'm not Spaworld master like J...she takes it to the next level. I'm actually really glad I went with my friend for the first time, otherwise I don't think I would have enjoyed myself quite as much. Also, I really have to commend them on their lockers..very very safe. I left my phone in there almost the entire time. It was great being able to lose track of time, very freeing in this day and age. 

We had two meals (food not included in admission price) there: one around 7 I think and another we finished right after they closed around midnight. There's a sit down restaurant that closes at midnight and a snack bar that closes at 2am. Both meals were at the sit down restaurant. 

1st meal: Sundubu & Kimbap (no picture of the kimbap):

2nd meal: Sundubu & Galbi

As you can tell, we really like the Sundubu. And in fact, I've spent the last couple of days daydreaming about it at work. Like my friend J says, it really is perfect winter comfort food.

In between those two meals my J also got the Mango Bubble Tea Smoothie and their Redbean Bingsoo from the snack bar. No pictures but they were quite yummy. And being so generous she shared with me ^_^. Being broke isn't so bad when you have such generous friends...(food makes me, and most people, feel very well loved and cared for). 

They also have a gym there (on the second floor). A pretty nice big one too. Get on the first machines you see and press start. Just do it. Make sure you're at peace with looking ridiculous. 

Bring whatever sort of entertainment you want! They have a big sleeping/sitting area with outlets and TVs.

I had a good time and I'm actually kind of looking forward to the next time I can go again with J and my boyfriend (I'm sure these will be separate occasions, lol). 

Thanksgiving Weekend Update

Family decided not to do a turkey this year but look what my aunt broke out:

 

As you can see she already decimated a good portion of the chocolates before bringing this out after lunch (before dinner). These were cute and I'm sure they would make a great gift (my aunt certainly appreciated it).

After spending the day with relatives/family I left to go see the BF at around 11pm. He had wanted to go to H&M at midnight. He googled around to double check times and location and we saw a video from last year's Black Friday opening and it was madness. When we got to the mall we had to circle around for what seemed like forever to find a spot in the garage. His handicap pass was not an advantage at all, all the spots were taken! Finally when we got inside (around 1am) he though maybe the crowd at H&M had died down a bit but nope! There were lines, barricades and security patrolling the entrance of the store! We left around 3am completely exhausted (he practically had to drag me since I was falling asleep standing up, not to mention I fell asleep in the Macy's dressing room while he trying on stuff). By then the garage started to empty and you could see tons of parking spaces. I didn't buy anything (didn't plan to, Black Friday can be such a ripoff) but he did manage to score a sharp looking coat for a very reasonable price. Maybe next year I'll be better prepared and be able to take a nap before going. 

Flipping through ads/coupons/etc...is it just me or did Chuck lose some weight? A skinny rat is so wrong, they should be fat and plump! He's so deprived of fat that his hair is turning white!