loving to live, living to love ♥

Asian-American Expo: Lots of Pictures! ♥

2012-01-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

Ok, we still have about a week, but I was jumping the gun and trying to hype everyone up! ♥ How is everyone hmm?!

So you may be wondering,"WTF Mikan, why are you doing an early Chinese New Year post?" I can assure you cosplay and Chinese New Year is TOTALLY related.. at least in this case. Okay? Okay!

http://www.facebook.com/dolldelightpage

For those of you who are lolita fans, you are probably familiar with lolita designs done by the lovely dolldelight! Through her passion and love for lolita and fashion, she taught herself (I know, amazing!) how to sew and eventually started creating her own dresses. She does commission, so if you have a style or a look you have been wanting but cannot sew yourself, definitely ask her! Great quality and beautiful designs $*0*$ AND BOWS THE SIZE OF A TODDLER. You can view her page via Facebook here for progress on her designs. ♥

Anyways, Pacific Media Expo (aka PMX) and dolldelight were invited to Asian-American Expo (AAE) as guests to showcase cosplay and lolita culture. For those of you who have never attended AAE, this is not an anime convention.. it's more like a giant Asian grocery store the size of a mall. So you can only imagine how awkward it might be to have families stare... x_x

Back on track! Ok, so because of the invite, 30 cosplayers/lolitas were needed to help out with the fashion show. Koto had never been to AAE before, and I have not been to one in years, so we both decided to go to support Cyril's work and to put cosplay out there...then roam around the convention! Koto cosplay in Touhou, my cosplay in K-ON! Can you guess our characters? -(OxO)-

Walking into the expo!

There was this AWESOME carousel in the middle of the whole place. It had two levels!

Waiting for the other lolitas and cosplayers to arrive!

Dolldelight's booth! She just got there so she had to set up.

HER BOWS! Everyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for pretty bows. If I could, I'd have all them them gnaw at my head.

Lovely dolldelight prepping her table!

Unfortunately we had to meet up kind of early, so Koto and I did not get a chance to eat in the morning! FORTUNATELY there was a food stand...everywhere. We just got to the expo and Erskine, a photographer friend, was kind enough to bring us food! Takoyaki, boba milk tea, and red bean cake. ありがとう Erskine！-(♥u♥)- You can check his work out on Facebook (he's super friendly!) here!

Last pics of the updated booth!

When everyone got here, we went on our way to the show! Unfortunately I had no pockets so Erskine and Koto had to keep my cell phone for me, so I have some missing photos on the first part of the fashion show.. ._. /failblog

Saw these GORGEOUS Thai ladies next to us and I had to take a few pictures. The headpieces were AMAZING and they were all beautiful. Needless to say I was staring while they were being talked to by a Chinese camera crew... then I finally got the courage to ask one of the girls for a picture. I want one of the headpieces! ~(♥o♥ ~)

ALL of these were designed and handmade by dolldelight. Don't you want one now?! No I'm not talking about the pretty girls, but I'm pretty sure if we got each one and shrank them, they'll look like beautiful dolfies. All the girls were beautiful!

♥ ROUND 2 FASHION SHOW ♥

Queuing in line. This got us more nervous because the first show was outdoors on a small performance stage. The second one was in the indoors MAIN STAGE... WITH A CATWALK. Ok not a full one, but enough to make me a bit nervous. o(x_x)o

Spiderman balloon! I wanted one but I could not find the balloon-maker! The yellow balloon he is hooked to has a smiley face and a kiss on his cheek. かわいい！

Performers before us. This stage is huge!

THIS COSPLAYER LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE MY FRIEND! I felt so bad for staring at her e_e

Oh hai thar! :D

FINALLY we went on stage. The top two photos are of dolldelight herself! Sorry for the lack of photos; my phone was in Koto's pocket as we were getting ready to walk up. We were both so nervous!

ERSKINE Y U KEEP FEEDING US? /fat-cosplay XD Was so nice to grab us okonomiyaki, so we ran (we seriously jolted up and went) to buy drinks so he would stop treating us. We felt so bad! However, he is super nice because we did photoshoots for like.. 3 hours... in the cold... with two photographers! But we did not mind since it was fun and there were so many ideas! Okonomiyaki, pudding milk tea, and two green teas! Also got (darn you Erskine!) traditional chinese sugared fruit-on-stick (I forget the Chinese name for this). Got tomato and strawberry one, thank you!

And to end the post: I got a bit too excited while shooting..

..I jumped into a giant bush of roses laced with thorns. Cosplay = pain ♥.

Will post some pictures on photoshoot and video(s) of event when/if I can find them! Please be patient! ♥

And on a super unrelated note, I FINALLY ORDERED MY ♥DREAM SHOES♥. Okay, maybe just one of them... ;x

Can't wait for these to get in. I have been eying these for some time now. Couldn't find them anywhere, then Solestruck restocked ONE PAIR of size 7. Hope it wasn't a bad return or something. Regardless, I am so excited!! \(♥u♥)/

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happy birthday stef!

2012-01-10T23:36:00.001-08:00

Purchased some chocolate brown & white pinstripe fabric along with a few black matte buttons to make a skirt for one of my really good friends. Lolita or casual, it does both XD Favorite part of the skirt? The pockets!

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2012-01-09T10:49:00.001-08:00

Went to ALA on Saturday in this cosplay. I made teh whole thing myself.. except the hakama, because my friend had a red one (for one of her cosplays) I can use so I don't need to slave on them; we made hakamas one year for a group Bleach cosplay, and it was madness 9_9. So... anyone know who I am? ;x

Hint: video game character!!

..OK I CAN'T HOLD IT IN I WAS COSPLAYING AS A RONIN! ~(♥u♥)~ Female Ronin from Disgaea.

A few of my friends and I did a little cosplay group of Disgaea! Instead of doing pictures, we did a video instead. Waiting for the editing... and I already know I looked stupid. Aside from that, I think a few photographers took my photo, so I will post if I can find the pics!

Also I did not plan on buying anything at exhibition hall this time. I keep telling myself: Y U BUY PLUSHY N NO USE? WAYST MONEH! (in an asian parent accent -insert appropriate meme-) So I vowed to not buy plushies. Ever.

..then I bought one. -smacks forehead-

BUT I SWEAR I HAD TO GET IT. For those of you who know me well, I LOVE Mickey Mouse (probably more than Gloomy Bear -gasp-) ♥!! So I was walking around the hall... then I saw this:

私はミクリです~ ♥

HOW DO I REFUSE SUCH CUTENESS?! And it has the appropriate month on it too! SO CUTE! I honestly saw him and started haggling with the salesman to mark it down for me. In the end I get $5 off since I saw a broken stitch, resulting in a little hole (but I fixed it so he's ok! ♥). Honestly I got so excited, I started sweating a little... and squealing a LOT. ._. so embarrassed, but at least it's at a con so it's normal!

And the reason why I really wanted this little plush is because it is the handheld version of the one I can never find... UNLESS I GO TO JAPAN. NO MONEY LA! \(; A ;)/

I will be forever happy when I get this one. ♥ That's right, WHEN. -( ; . ; )-
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As for my feelings for today..

..Today is another day I get to look into the sky and appreciate what I have. No matter how hard life sometimes appears to be, there is always someone else who has it harder. Love your life and keep living it until it's half-full instead of half-empty!

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2011-12-15T16:52:00.001-08:00

Strange weather we have been getting here! Don't know what is up with that.

And I am STILL craving that pudding milk tea!

Ironed THREE yards of fabric for my cosplay. This is what I get for pre-washing fabric. Updates on my cosplay for ALA soon!

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Modeling

2011-12-11T20:53:00.000-08:00

Loving the attempt to diversify more in the modeling world. Elite conducted a worldwide model search, having models from every country (seriously, EVERY country) represent their homes in this competition held in China. It sounds a lot like America's Next Top Model, but it is not, I assure you of that.

More videos can be found on Elite's Youtube.

Congratulations to Sweden! Although I kind of wish Elite opted for a more quirky girl.

60% OFF JEWELRY ON JEWELMINT!

2011-12-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

HI EVERYONE! Decided to post this quickly since I did not get to check my e-mail early enough!

JEWELMINT IS HAVING A 60% OFF PURCHASE PLUS FREE SHIPPING DEAL..

..FOR TODAY ONLY!

I only found out a few minutes ago since I did not check my e-mail early enough! Fortunately someone posted it on Facebook so I jumped at this! Whole purchase will be marked down 60%, that means from $29.99/item to $11.99/item! GREAT deal!

This is perfect for those who need to do some holiday shopping (or personal shopping ;x), so I do push you all to make your purchases now before the jewelry is sold out!

Simply sign in here, take the mini test (so they know what style you like), pick the items you want into cart, and enter code BELLS60 at checkout! Hurry before it ends!!

2011-12-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

Received my Pomander Pendant from JewelMint today! SO IN LOVE.

What I love about this (and I am not usually fond of necklaces) is the fact that it can be filled with a cottonball spritzed with your signature scent. The perforated top allows the scent to seep out little by little, and the cotton inside retains a good amount of your perfume so that your signature scent is constantly in the air. Another thing I love about this? It's so simple, it goes with anything and everything.

If you haven't already started shopping at JewelMint, I believe first-time shoppers get their first item for $9.99 (just wait for that to pop up in your e-mail). They do charge a monthly due of $29.99 (which basically allows you to pick one item per month; they pre-charge your account) after your first purchase though, so be sure to talk to a rep. via online chat (SO great that they have that) to pause your account so that they don't keep charging you if you don't plan on shopping there that often.


Pictures courtesy of JewelMint

I am starting to turn into a jewelry fiend, hunting for those perfect accessories that go with everything. Being a girl is hard!

Daily Fashion

2011-12-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

I've been doing daily fashion posts more recent on my other blog, so now I am moving them over here! Ü

Wore dark clothes today; was a tad gloomy out. I kind of just tossed everything on as I did not feel pretty today.

Leather Jacket - gift from boyfriend
Ribbed Tank - F21 ($3; purchased from "extras" in Downtown LA)
Skinny Jeans - Se7en For All Mankind (gift)
Belt - purchased at La Bufadora, Mexico ($9)
Wedges - Karmaloop (sale, $16)
Total outfit cost: $28 (SUPER WIN!)

Let me HIGHLY recommend leather purchases in Mexico. You know it's authentic when the boutique owner gets a match and tries to light your belt on fire, only to see it in the same condition. So awesome.

Decided to do some damage at The Body Shop since I purchased a Groupon ($20 for $40-worth). Got this tote filled with goods. Purchased tote proceeds go towards a charitable foundation in which their efforts are to prevent sex trafficking. Going to use this as a shopping/grocery bag.

Another outfit from...another day. Working with one piece and seeing how I can work it different ways.

Top/Dress - Forever21 ($10.99)
Pants - Forever21 (clearance: $10.99)
Penny Loafers - Anne Klein (Macy*s; membership + clearance: $35)
Total Outfit Cost : $56.98


Top/Dress - Forever21 ($10.99) Heels - Target ($21) Total Outfit Cost : $31.99

A dress I purchased at Forever21 quite some time ago. I told myself that I could probably rock a GaGa-esque look, but instead I tried to dress down the puffed sleeves. I am a wimp x_x;. I can't rock a lot of bold colors or I'll get scared or something. Maybe when I'm feeling super confident I'll do it one day.

I am more likely to wear the more man-like outfit over the simple dress and pumps; I've never been good with dresses and heels. I feel exposed with dresses, and I walk like a retarded giraffe with heels. Fortunately enough, these pumps are the perfect height so I won't trip over a pebble.

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The Best Gift to Give

2011-12-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend made me, as a belated birthday gift, a bike. He purchased the parts online and/or bought some at a bike shop, and for several months, manual labor was used to create a beautiful white beach cruiser with a leather seat and black basket. Lovely, but why a bike?

Because I cannot ride one. My boyfriend said he'd teach me, and to do so, I would need a bike. So somewhat secretly, he had been building this magnificent steed of mine up north, and surprised me when I went to visit him. Though it was epic fail because the seat was not stable, I was happy with all the effort he put into making me a bike on his own. That's love.

To match his efforts, I had to recollect all the small things I noticed that he liked but never purchased. Though his birthday gift comprised of many parts (I go all out, and so there goes one month's paycheck), I finally settled on making him, for his main gift, the backpack he had been longing for: Timbuk2's Hemlock. Here is a photo and a videoclip of the backpack.

My semi-futile attempt at replicating:

Made a replica of Timbuk2's Hemlock backpack for the boyfriend's birthday gift. Fully lined with a waterproof interior with a notebook protector/divider. Outside-front pocket has interior organizer, outside-side pocket for water bottle stash. Made of ballistic nylon; this means heavy-duty peeps. Double-stitched for reinforcement. 100% waterproof. The only thing I decided not to add was the utility straps for accessories as it seemed more of an aesthetic for my boyfriend since he is not likely to utilize them. Took me two weeks to make, mostly because I had to draft the pattern on my own and try to figure out how to make everything lined without having it look overly done.

My boyfriend loved it. I am considering doing my own designs now!

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Dinner at Bazaar

2011-12-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry everyone! I am in process of migrating some posts in my other blog (so much more convenient) to this one! SO much easier! May expect quite a few posts. Ah, and I did not date these >.<; Gomen~

My "hubby"/date for the night. She might not know it, but she was totally my arm-candy ;x. Finally, an updated pic of me!

A restaurant containing an extensive list of tapas in small portions; hor d'ourves meant to be ordered in mass quantities for a nice group of individuals who want plenty of variety in their meal. Total came to $600ish for a friendly group of 6.

The girls! Bobo, Mio/twinsy/birthday-girl, hubby, and me! I feel so under-dressed =_=;

The meats were delicious, and I think I'm starting to grow rather fond of seafood. Happy birthday Mio!

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♥ small update~!

2011-11-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

currently nomming on a fruit platter. seriously i need to make up for all the meat i eat. XD~

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haven't shown my face in a while. this was...two months ago? gomen~ ♥

HOW WAS EVERYONE'S THANKSGIVING? i got really plumpy and full for...a while. -pass out-

since everyone was busy shopping for Black Friday, koto, stae, ana, and i decided to do some fabric shopping instead! derp derp, we are so lame!

So I drove over to koto's house since everyone was meeting there, and then i drove (I know right, ME?!) to Fashion District in Downtown L.A. to get some shopping done since... ana persuaded koto and mikan to do a cosplay with her. WHICH COSPLAY HMMM?? ;x i will say when the time gets closer!

but because we are girls and we take our time with things, we got hungry before we even got there -(x_x;)- and so we decided to grab food first! first stop, Chado Tea Room!

Images above courtesy of Yelp

the place is awesome! my first time there was when it was koto's birthday, and we liked it so much that we went back! the tea selection is HUGE (as you can see from photo!), and i can tell because when the server handed me the menus, the biggest one was for teas! i originally thought it was the food menu ~(=.= ~). the tea is really nice, you can order by pot, cold or hot, and the pricing is VERY reasonable! the food is also amazing! check out their website and find one near you, really, it's awesome! e_e;

my food! at least i remembered to take a pic with my cell! ♥

so after we ate we had to run back to the car because our meter was running out...but again, because we are girls (pahahaha! ;x) we got distracted when we passed by the Tokyo store! the store is like a mini market with figurines, plushies, bento boxes, makeups, cookware, anime DVDs, and more! like really, guys and girls can go in and get stuck there for some time! we got distracted and made some purchases. i ended up buying one pair of falsies and a glue, since my glue dried out and i wanted to try new falsies style.

Images above found through Google Search

my "black friday" purchase! never used clear adhesive, hope it's ok!

so sorry i forgot to take pictures since i was busy staring at falsies and chatting with the girls x_x;. ANYWHO, we FINALLY ended up purchasing our fabric after like..4 hours of procrastination. will show progress pictures or final picture when i'm done sewing!

anyone going to ALA (Anime Los Angeles)? i haven't been to a con in so long! i miss all my cosplayer friends and cafe peeps ♥

❥ ♥ crazy late cosplay update & shopping haul ♥

2011-08-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

look at my forehead! -(♥u♥)- i hope to do more looks with forehead showing since i tend to not like my forehead too much! new hairstyle? ♥

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hi hi all! ♥ how is everyone! >.<; so sorry for late updates and what-not!

so i have been behind! (~ *A*)~ so sorry! gomenasai! i have been busy so i have not had time to update (; . ;) forgive me! so this is a LONG update with pictures and whatnot of what has been going on with mikan lately! enjoy~ ♥

firstly!it was my first time going to E3 and COMIC-CON this year! for those of you who don't know, E3 is an electronics entertainment expo which means...

video games
Video games

VIDEO GAMES!!

because E3 is a industry-only convention, you cannot buy badge to go in! fortunately for me though, i got a pass! ~(*u*)~ i only took a few pictures though, but to give a short list of what companies were there..

PLAYSTATION

NINTENDO

MICROSOFT

ATARI

CAPCOM

MINECRAFT

ETC ETC ETC ETC~

so basically all the BIG gaming companies (and small ones too!). at E3, there were FREE UNLIMITED VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY! and most of these were newly released consoles/controllers/video games, some are not even released yet! great fun for those who love video games!

with my super-hot booth babe vi! she's so tall with her boots!

i look SO nerdy here :l

at harvest moon booth with my friends! we wanted the freebie llama, but they ran out! (>w<;)

and i'm crouching because i thought i was blocking XD~

SO PRETTY!! my friend stefu playing the new final fantasy! FREE GAMES!!

as for comic-con, it was a comic...CONVENTION! i did forget to bring my camera though (so stupid gahh!!) so i have no pictures for that D: . all i have to say is that there are fewer cosplayers at a comic con than an anime con! i am not used to that! but DEFINITELY more organized than all the other cons i have been to! at this con, i did get lots of nice freebies! and bought a TOKI DOKI X MARVEL PHONE STRAP! it came as a blind-box, which means it is random and you don't know what you get until you open it! and i go THOR (SO CUTEEE!!!)! here are the possible ones you could get:

a good bunch of them are uber cute! gahhh!! one girl went crazy and bought a WHOLE BOX SET, all UNOPENED just so she could get a thor! sorry for her, i wanted my thor, and she bought a whole box set just to get ONE. e_e;

sometime before E3, i went to FANIME!! my first con in nor-cal! was very fun! definitely different from so-cal cons! and FINALLY did finish my SNIPER cosplay from RAGNAROK ONLINE!!

this is what it should look like:

and my version... >> holds breath <<

TA-DA! and yes, that is a miku wig that belongs to one of my friends! and that's my friend stae getting ready for her THIEF cosplay, also from RO!

we actually had a giant cosplay group for RO going on! we took quite a bit of pictures, but i'll secretly release one photoshoot picture i took...but please don't make fun of me!

I KNOW THERE IS A BIT OF CHUBBY D;

>.<; i don't have abs, but it's ok i guess! please don't judge me =_=;. anywho, this came out really nice! at least a LOT nicer than what i expected, especially since i felt so silly taking pics! why? imagine me in cosplay at a park in public, jumping 10x over and over...i'm sure a few people stopped and stared, thinking, "WHAT IS SHE DOING?! WEIRDO!!" ~(X_X)~ i do have more pictures, but i'm waiting on the editing from my photographer friends! so do wait if you wish to see more of me being silly! heee~

what else have i been up to?

i had some old plastic bracelets that i do not wear anymore! i am in the "more gyaru/ulzzang" phase, so i like the slightly more feminine/mature look! so i got an old t-shirt, and cut long, thin strips, got some glue, and did this..

i love wearing handmade bracelets! the white hemp ones i made myself, the olive one is made by my younger brother (i know! so sweet! ♥) and the blue/white one is a gift from stae! there's even a little red fish on it! ♥ love it! my writs feel very naked without such charms! layer these with more bracelets and bangles, and i am completely accessorized with any outfit i have (i like neutral, casual, feminine fusion! so it works!). i also made a similar brown suede one, to go with my neutral/bohemian styles that i have!

ah, speaking of fashion, IT HAS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I HAVE SHOPPED! i am a bit picky with my clothes, so when i buy things, they are usually worth it! has to be comfy, stylish, and affordable! my recent, and small, haul this time is from forever21!!

i am in love with neutral colors lately! haul includes lace puff shoulder-sleeves body-form dress in nude ivory! VERY well fit on me, which is rare because with my height, i am never a small, and never a medium (small is too short and tight, medium too wide!). but this small fits perfect! next is coral lace patterned tee! loose-fitting and see-through, great for layering! and lastly, glitter shine tee! loose tee that can be dressed up or down, because of the glitter thread! interchangeable!! ♥

and that is it for now! this took a while for me to update, so sorry! i do have a review coming up on some samples i have tried, so please keep an eye out for that! much loves to all! ♥

p.s. what are your favorite bloggers to follow? i always like reading updates in my blogger feed, so do let me know who i may like to follow! thankies much! -(♥v♥)-

♥ Samples for EVERYTHING! ♥

2011-08-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

Did I ever post the RO cosplay group pic? =_=; I look so bad here but yes, I am the BLONDE on the right!

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♥ Hi hi everyone! Long time no blog! ~(*u* ~)

Recently I have seen some cute bloggers online reviewing lots of products, and I have always wondered, "How can they afford to buy all these products to review?! What if they don't like it? Then it's a waste of money!" And so I have found out how they get to do these great reviews. -(O_O)-

♥ THE SAMPLE STORE ♥

It is a Singapore-based online shop that provides Singaporeans with free samples on...everything! Hair products, facial products, makeup, even food! Simply register here, and you are set!

What if there is spam? And do I get unwanted ads/viruses and other stuff?
NOPE! I have not received any of those things other than confirmation e-mails! It's really easy to do!

This is all free?

YES! However because I am located in US, I have to pay a small shipping fee (goes by weight). But that's it!

If you end up liking the samples you've tried, you can even purchase the regular size in their discounted online store! YESSS! ♥ I am currently waiting for my order to come in so I can do some reviews and maybe even purchases! Super excited! Hope you dollies who want to try new products do so as well! ♥

♥ MIKAN'S SUPER MOE EPIC GIVEAWAY ♥

2011-05-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

hi hi everyone! ♥ how is everyone doing? -(>m<)- sorry mikan haven't posted in while~

so lately i have been on facebook more than blogger! (ahh gomenasai! >.<;) and for everyone to know, i am starting MY FIRST EPIC GIVEAWAY! i am very excited!

ANYONE can enter my giveaway, and i will ship the gift to the winner no matter where they are! ♥ isn't that great neh? ~(*o*)~

as long as you have a facebook, you can enter the giveaway here! just follow instructions on facebook and you will know what to do! the giveaway will consist of things made by me and purchased by me for my darling friends from all around the world! thank you for being my friend nya~! \(♥u♥)/

sorry it has been very late! have not posted in so long...but please be patient with me! onegaishimasu~ ♥

good luck to all participants! hyuhyu~

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DID YOU ALSO KNOW WE HAVE A HOST CLUB NOW? :) just check them out at our cafe website and at our event here! ♥

long time no post!! ♥ gomenasai~

2010-11-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

DS deco mikan did for mio! elegant gothic style!

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so sorry for belated updates neh! x_xi i dunno' what to blog nowadays! but this is minor update nya!!

recently i started doing DECODEN again! i always like deco, so mikan did some for mio's DS (i begged her to let me =_=i). also decorated mine, which is very opposite in style than her's:

too much free time maybe? okie maybe just a little hehe~

recently i have been having a hard time finding clothes i like, so mikan has been doing lots of DIY stuffs! i will possibly put some tutorials for ladies if you would like some! first thing mikan made was from korean pop group 4Minute MV "HUH"! hoodie influence looks like this:

totally my style! so punk so rock so hardcore! i love big hoods! *0* but one i made was not as cool, but very versatile! yesh! fortunately mikan had a shoot with koto, rayna, and suki, so gilbert took some pics of it!

please ignore my wannabe-cool-model face in last picture x_xi. but yes, was very happy! it is also made seamless; no stitches seen! this takes more fabric but i did it anyway! ♥ fabric i bought by weight. yes weight! $2/lb (because leftover from previous season/roll so store try to get rid of it)! it is very soft and very silky-feeling!

also, every gal knows ViVi, JJ, and all the japanese fashion magazines yes? well every doll knows of the twisty headband trend too? of course! so mikan made some of them too, but with own flare!

i like them fat and chunky! skinny headbands make me feel weird, don't know why x_xi. but yes, been making a lot of clothes and accessories lately since i am picky at stuff nowadays because i can't find what i want in store. ~(*Q* ~) much more fun nya~!

currently learning crochet! i am teaching myself to make a circle scarf instead of buying! it is very versatile and mikan love layering, so this is a fun project ^u^. what do you dollies like to make? any DIY tutorials for me to look at? i feel crafty! ♥

lots of pics! ♥

2010-09-20T23:15:00.000-07:00

cosplaying as Maria from Arakawa Under the Bridge! also did a shoot in meido uniform for AniMaid Cafe!

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it has been a long time neh! gomenasai! it has been....mmm... 2 months! o_oi so sorry~

but update on what mikan has been up to lately! not so long ago i had photoshoot with koto for our Arakawa Under the Bridge cosplays! koto cosplayed as P-ko and mikan did Maria!

after taking pics, koto wanted to put on my wig for fun. we look like sister huh! XD~

also, rayna and their friend suki tagged along to do their individual photoshoot! it looked a lot like love x vamp x lolita style! it suppose to be like a vamp love story ♥~

and of course our photographer was mr. gilbert!

shoot took very long! it was a hot day so we felt really dehydrated! so we decided to grab snacks at Guppy's to fill our tummy and cool us off.

part one of the meal, spicy crispy chicken! the spicy powder stuff was put to the side since koto couldn't eat too much spicy (it ok, more for suki and me!).

our huge bowl of strawberry + condensed milk + shaved ice. perfect after hot day! it was so much, we couldn't even finish it! ♥ but so good~

and lastly, our coconut french toast thingy with sweet syrup *Q* we nommed it up!

after eating, we all decided to relax at an arcade place called Round1. there is SO much to do there! there is an arcade, claw machines, purikura ($5/booth!!), bowling, karaoke, darts, ping-pong, and a small food court! it was my first time there so mikan definitely feel like it was beautiful *0* (♥purikura/claw machine/karaoke!)!

and by the end of the night, i was given two plushies to take home with me! ^_^ thankies mr. gilbert! ♥

right after going, a week later was koto's birthday! SEPTEMBER 19 = HAPPY BIRTHDAY KOTO! ♥

this time was more fun! why? because the theme was KIGURUMI KAROKE! so what were all the outfits?! it was so much fun i will just show pictures XD~

not everyone had a kigurumi, but this sofa had all kigurumi furries! you can see one of our newer maids erri is a pikachu!

and look what koto got as a gift! her friend made it! look just like her! ♥ just as cute as her too~

and if you can't tell, koto is a chipmunk. big hint: disney character!

chiyo also was trying to win a rilakkuma really bad. all together, everyone tried to win it for her but the machine was being stupid! total money spent with everyone: $125+ STUPID MACHINE! as;fdlkja

SEE?! it is stuck in that position! rilakkuma's head was too heavy to lift, so we had to drag slowly the whole way, but it still won't fall! :: angry :: but we all finally did it and chiyo was so happy and grateful that she bought us drinks. thankies chiyo~ we were not going to leave until you got one! ♥

but few days before the karaoke, kai and i got plushy! so why is the machine so mean now! we didn't spend that much! and my twinsy mio did a lot of the claw machine-ing for the plushies for me too. thankies twinsy! ♥
the before picture:
kai: oh i want plushy rilakkuma /emo ;A;

the after picture:
kai: (= u =) ~♥

and mikan want fat brown one (so cute it has embroidered zipper down the back! ♥), so mio got it for me! ♥

ALMOST THERE! ♥~

after making scrump for her, we fall asleep in same bed from exhaustion! x_xi i woke up early so my rilakkuma take my place!

okie so back to the partay! after karaoke a lot of other friends came! original was i think 15 people, then later it was over 20! sugoi! we take up lots of room! so fun with so many people ♥

and of course, i got plushy because twinsy got for me! look at her hard work!

mio's kigurumi is of Scrump from Lilo and Stitch! we stayed up late to make it! we also got matching hello kitty plushy that day to go with our kigurumis. coincidence really!

after karaoke, we spent whole time with everyone taking purikura! so many so many! but we found our favorite machine! ♥ after that we went for dinner and dessert, then everyone had to go because school started for almost everyone :/. but it was really fun..got to see many people haven't seen in a while! miss you all! ♥

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so..anyone know what is mikan's kigurumi?

my favorite plush of course!

GLOOMY BEAR ♥ and just added bloodstain the day before karaoke too! ;x

i know i have been behind with updates, but i have so many things to do lately nya~! gomenasai~! have been getting many sewing ideas, so will post up more for sure soon! recently did some headbows as well ♥

hope everyone having good summer hm? more updates to come! got lots to post~♥

♥ post AX

2010-07-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

sorry sorry! been long time since update!
♥

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well for past week, mikan been recovering from MAX event and Anime Expo! slaved on cosplay for weeks before the conventions! so tired so tired!

for day 1 of AX, mikan worked at MAX the whole time! MAX is a new con that just debut this year on July 1st! for a new con, i was really surprised/impressed! we had Stan Lee, h. Naoto, and Yoshiki from X JAPAN!! best part? it was free!! this year MAX also asked AniMaid Cafe to have two events (breakfast and dinner) at Club Nokia! we finally got enough room for everything! best part? we served food from Wolfgang Puck!

i would show pictures, but i was busy working nya~ hee~

also, after the night event, a few lucky others and mikan were picked to welcome yoshiki and stan lee into Club Nokia! mio was placed to welcome them at the door, and i was placed to welcome them at the red (actually black) carpet where they answered questions from the press. you can see me hiding behind stan lee and the yoshiki foundation sign in the following video. x_x was so embarrassed/shy/nervous nya~

x_xi

was exhausted that day! so i didn't even go to the VIP party they invited us to. therefore i missed the h. naoto fashion show ._.

next day i cosplayed as a STALKER from Ragnarok Online! did not take pictures because wig started giving me headache so i took off right when day ended :l. if anyone have pictures let me know please! ^__^ this was what top half looked like:

without headgear!

with headgear! leaf tiara! take that saplings!!! XD~

mikan also received two gifts from fellow meido/roomie mio! i left AX early because had so much stuffs to do, she got me pressies when i was not there! much love nya! ♥

my favorite sanrio character, melody-chan!

my favorite plush character of ALL! GLOOMY BEAR ♥ ish a gloomy bear face plush pillow with glittery fur hee~

also, before AX, my birthday was in June! just when i thought i had enough, i got another fruit tart from gilbert! arigatou gozaimasu gilbert!

to top everything off, i recently got a BOBBLE. it is completely environmentally friendly, and made perfect for those on-the-go and don't like fountain water. it is only $10 on their site (lucky me, i got it from WOOT! and it was $20 for two bobbles and two filters!), and the filter is equal to 300 water bottles! saves so much money and good for the earth!

when i first got it, i could tell the plastic is thin. it felt like it would snap! after squishing it a bit though, i think it is fine! it was designed that way! yay good earth!

i am still slowly cleaning rooms and healing from con! update later chu~

love you dollies!

♥ happy birthday to me! ♥ (picture heavy!)

2010-06-15T00:32:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to me! ♥~ thankies for giving me my FAVORITE dessert for birthday gilbert!

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today is mikan's birthday! cheer cheer YAY! everyone been busy lately so not many could celebrate with me, but i know you all remember because i got 80+ messages on facebook and mobile! i feel so loved! ♥ thankies everyone!!

well haven't updated last few things, so figure since i am tired from today, i will post what i could remember! latest cooking (and lots of cholesterol!)? wallet egg omelette popped over rice!!

drool drool. look nommy yes? :) hee~

also a while ago, mio went traveling and got mikan little gift. all edible because i am a fatty!

all are still in fridge so it is in fresh shape! (okie maybe i eat chocolate already ;x)

so what else have been up? i have been wanting to dye my hair! since so many recommended palty, i decided to try it!

color? bitter cappuccino! here is a list of possible colors!

colors came out true. my hair is black and it came out to a nice brown. only down side? at least TWO bottles are needed! my hair is fine and long, relatively thin, but i only had one bottle and couldn't get all the color through! so i gave up and reverted to regular dye to get dark dark brown-black (natural). for those who have a lot of hair, i recommend three bottles to be safe!

also, mikan did a trade-off with chiyo! i made her bloomers and in exchange, i got a gift! so what could it be hmm?

juicy couture! but what is it???

JUICY COUTURE BOYSHORTS! uber cute hm? so cute i just keep in box *Q*

also did two purchases! recently got flower air freshener! brand new and not opened yet, but will see how it smells when i get in car!

everyone knows i have an obsession with little crowns and pretty design right? hee~

and finally, a lovely package came a while back and i got my case for my contacts! so what is it what is it!

orenji x traveling contacts case! so cute and convenient! it is size of palm, and when opened, one side is a full mirror, the other holds a contact case (included), a traveling squirt bottle for solution (included), little tongs to pick up contacts (included), and a little q-tip looking thing for cleaning (included). i love the tongs and q-tip thing because it makes it so much more sanitary! lesser chance of getting dirty contacts! also very convenient that everything fits in this little box! recommended highly! please check ebay (forgot seller) for such cases! it comes with many other colors too!

now i also ordered contacts recently too! totally forgot about them, but realized i already have a pair i could use for cosplay! i ordered POP C DARK GREY contacts, and now it's up for SALE! here are some model pictures:

note: i do NOT own any of these pictures! but the following are pictures i took of my OWN contacts that i just received and i am selling!

these are EOS G-204 series contacts with PLANO (0.00,0.00) prescription. the diameter is 14.5mm. i did order POP C DARK GREY (supposed to be 15.5mm), but that would be too big maybe? too dramatic? so this is equivalent (in my opinion) but 1mm smaller! price is $25 FLAT (includes shipping!) anywhere! please inquire if interested as this is good price for them!

anyways, this week we had a meeting with cafe and gilbert brought me a fruit tart! oh so happy! everyone had a slice and we were all happy! to top it off, gilbert got me ANOTHER present to go with it! what is it hm???

what IS this?! it is DECO BLING PAPER IMPORTED FROM JAPAN! *Q* mr. gilbert know how i love to deco my stuffs, so he was kind and purchased several of these as a birthday gift to me! so what did i do right after i got it?

how fun!!! will put other pieces of deco on it when i purchase some! but how did i make it so perfect? each sheet comes with the sheet of glitter adhesive and another clear adhesive sheet. place the adhesive sheet over the item you want to deco, and draw out which parts to cut. remove adhesive and place on glitter paper and trace-cut it. after, peel of backing and attach adhesive side to item! to make clean cuts, use exact-o knife to clean out edges! ta-da! now i got bling DS Lite! ♥

what a long tiring day! ♥ hope everyone is having a good summer though? hee~

♥ picture update!! IMAGE HEAVY!! ♥

2010-06-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

mikan is back finally!! minimal makeup is best always! ♥

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i keep lagging! know i said i post tutorial or DIY, but so much happened last few weeks! so heavy picture update this time!

last week went to meeting for AniMaid Cafe! haven't seen everyone in so long!! before meeting, mikan and few other meido were asked to do commercial for upcoming event for cafe! so had to wake up super early after sleeping over at momo's house! so tired with few hours of sleep!

on the way to commercial! was so tired neh~

getting ready! mikan already done so taking picture of chiyo and kchan!

so much help! look at lovely venus and AniMaid photographer john!

kchan finally finished! so cutie hm?

waiting for my turn in commercial! we each have own separate section in commercial that represent us! will post commercial when it is officially done!

loved the waiting area! munchies on the side and a bunch of nicely mold framed mirrors and cute chairs! mikan can be pro photographer too (haha john! >:l) look chiyo cute huh!

hosts kaname and lulu also helped with commercial and were waiting their turn! me took lovely yaoi picture for the ladies haha ;x.

chiyo doing her portion! guess what her strength is hm?

so after long time shooting, we rush to our cafe meeting LATE! when got there, cafe photographer gilbert gave me present! what is mikan's most favorite dessert of all?

FRUIT TART YAYYYYYYY~!

at meeting mikan practice food doodle! chocolate too watery, but tried best to make cute!

chiyo recently came back from Japan! so jealous! she bring back noms from maid cafe (@home cafe me think). mikan got one cutie one!

it is DELICIEUX! mikan nommed it fast. wish could eat more.

after long meeting we went to get food with friends from cafe! good way to finish day!

nommy food! ordered salmon with creme sauce and pineapple rice. healthy but a little fatty!!! delicioussss!

also just finished my kigurumi! took two days of slavery, but finally finished! mikan's favorite character is?

GLOOMY BEARRRRRRRRR!!!

on side note, AniMaid Cafe will have an event in July called MAX! commercial for this event can be seen here!!

:P we are also accepting applications for new maids and hosts! ^-^v please apply if interested!

HAPPY MAMA'S DAY! ♥

2010-05-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

excuse my strand of hair! >.< bad hair keep flying at my face blah!

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just wanted to tell all the mommy's out there..

HAPPY MAMA'S DAY! ♥

you deserve it! hee~

the day before Mother's Day, mikan went to hang out with friend because i haven't seen her in a long time! we ended up eating at Taiwanese restaurant called "Machi"!

restaurant was not busy when we went (3pm). was actually pretty empty, so service was nice! because it was my first time there and i didn't know what to get, mikan friend ordered!

my drink was honey green tea! very refreshing since it was a hot day!

what we had! it look funky, but yes it is very noms! fried tofu, soy sauced egg, some minced(?) meats, and veggies on top of rice! is very basica Taiwanese dish (said friend!), but simple and nommy!

after lunch with her, had to make reservations to restaurant for Mother's Day dinner (because had other stuff to do on mama's day and can't make it x.x).Tibet Nepal House for Himalayan dinner! here are some yummy pics to taunt you!

restaurant was very...mmm...best word would be "quaint"; not too small but not too big. really nice restaurant if you want to go on a cute date! pricing is decent, and food served is family style. portions are small, so you can try bit of everything there! my favorite was the yak stew and the veggie curry with bamboo shoots!

and mikan not only eat out, but cook too! not that good, but try very best to! here are few recent dishes i made!

call this MIKAN SALAD. has tangerines (hee~), mixed greens, and some yummy sauce! did not have almond slices or cranberries >.

mikan's SUN IS UP! meal (egg yolk look like sun in sky huh!). omelette have diced yellow onion, green onion and secret seasonings (fuahaha!). seasoned garlic wedges on side with white rice topped with grilled onions! oishii~ :: hunger ::

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also i apologize! know i said i would make tutorial, but this came before anything! may consider a DIY instead though! gomenasai! >.

♥ DOLLY WINK GIVEAWAY~ ♥

2010-05-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

fail attempt at cute pouty face! >.<

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hi hi everyone! mikan here to advertise a DOLLY WINK GIVEAWAY! Dolly Wink is a lovely japanese brand by TSUBASA MASUWAKA for girlies who love to pretty up! many have said that this brand suits all girly types! are you the cutie girly type? or maybe edgey urban? girl-next-door? whatever your style is, Dolly Wink has makeups perfect for you!

here are the variety of styles they provide for falsies for ultimate girly!!
1. dolly sweet ♥

2. sweet girly ♥

3. natural girly ♥

4. feminine style ♥

5. real nude ♥

6. baby cute ♥

7. vivid pop ♥

8. pure little ♥

this giveaway sponsored by emily chan will give us girlies a chance at the hard-to-find SOLD OUT Dolly Wink products! so what does the giveaway include neh?

1) Koji Dolly Wink Eyelash Number 2 "Sweet Girly" top lashes. In the package it comes with two set of the lashes and also a small size Dolly Wink eyelash glue.

2) Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner (Deep Black). This is one of my favourite eyeliner! It doesn't smudge or run and it goes one so smoothly. Even if you don't win this giveaway, you have to give this eyeliner a try!

like i said girlies, these items are SOLD OUT! very difficult to find, and if you do find it, it is very pricey! so why not try to get some for free to try out? ♥

Want to join the giveaway? it's easy! follow the rules from THIS link! it's an INTERNATIONAL giveaway, so everyone can join!

♥ THANK YOU ♥

2010-05-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

look at my forehead! foreheads are cool! (why not more hairstyles with foreheads showing? hm?!)

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well mikan just want to make an announcement! have been lagging and not really updating x_xi

ごめんなさい！ but here it goes!

THANK YOU FOR 1000+ VIEWS!

hopefully my blog is interesting and help some out on where to shop (shop smart!) and learn about my interesting life neh! haven't done DIY or tutorial in a while..will definitely do so next post!

okie, back to my post..

mikan have been shopping lately!

"where mikan, where!"

you will be surprised! went to 99¢ Store! some people think only good things are brand, but really, you can find lots of things here! my puchases:

V05 conditioner in KIWI LIME SQUEEZE. smells really nice, and only 99¢!

SOFTSOAP in Crisp Cucumber and Melon! mikan love fresh scents! hee~

and finally, got tangerine (hehehe ♥) lemonade towel and oven mittens! mio keep burning herself because our other mitten had a hole, so now problem fixed! :D

recently got rewards card from VS too! mentioned it in one of previous post, that any purchase come with surprise reward card! because i dunno' what to buy, i just got little lip makeups!

wonder what it could be?! love getting packages! like surprises!

from left to right (all are from Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush line!): cheek and lip tint in JUST PEACHY, lip gloss in YUMMY BERRY, minty lip shine in CITRUS MINTY and BUBBLE MINTY, and finally glossy shinestick in MANGO TANGO! ♥

so far mikan has used lip/cheek stain. my thoughts? lovely! ♥ it looks really red, but when applied, gives a nice sheer layer of natural lip color, a bit like if you had a red popsicle and it left a red lip stain, but less obvious. smells really nice too, like cherry or skittles candy! also has a small bit of glimmer glitter in it so it gives a nice hint of bling!

also recently ordered for first time BB CREAM from Skin79! got Super Beblesh Balm: VIP Gold Edition.

♥ packaging is cute and simple! it make me feel bling bling ♥! it has gold and caviar i believe! before purchasing, did lots of research to see which one fit me best! it seemed like this one was most fitting, so i ordered it online. when it came, the package felt relatively light! was anything inside even? finally saw some of bb cream come out (with mio's help)! came out rather thick, but when blended it was very light! coverage is minimal to medium (if you layer more on), and it seemed to fit my skin type well! big note though,

IT IS NOT TO REPLACE YOUR DAILY MOISTURIZER OR SUN BLOCK!

it really is much like a foundation, but a lot lighter. also there have been reviews that say when worn regularly, sometimes breakouts occur (but this may be different with different skin types i think!). treat this as MAKEUP and not as a daily facial routine! even though my face felt softer and moisturized, i made sure i had my daily moisturizer and sunblock on before putting on the bb. maybe different for other people, but i'm afraid i will break out!

so this is the end of this post! dunno' what tutorials/DIY stuff to do >.

P.S. also forgot to mention, AniMaid Cafe was invited to Las Vegas for MOMO-I NIGHT FEST! big fan of Halko Momoi? want to see AniMaid Cafe? please view the video and prepare for uber moe! ♥

2010-04-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

i am back with food and some shopping goods! onwards nya!

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so i think mr. gilbert, mio, and i have made Wednesday our official random-go-out-eat-at-new-restaurants day! ♥ we recently went to restaurant Class 302 for snacking and dessert!

on our way we go!

the restaurant is more like a small classroom...literally! the whole decor was made to look like you're in a classroom back in Taiwan!

the place is known for their desserts, especially their snow. yes, it's not shaved ice, it's SNOW. before ordering our snow, we decided to get some appetizers to sample their Taiwanese dishes.

my thoughts? well i LOVE sweet potato fries, so that was a big plus for me nya! the sausages and small lunch meal was ordered by mr. gilbert! his review can be seen here. it seems their appetizers and meals are just ok. after all, they ARE known for their dessert!

after talking a bit and taking pictures, we finally decided on getting our dessert. mikan ordered strawberry with condensed milk snow (because it's one of my favorite desserts!) and mr. gilbert and mio shared a mango with mochi snow!

before..

..and after!

it was one of the best "shaved ice" mikan has ever had! *Q* price is pretty good for the size, it is definitely made for two people to share! but mikan was fatty and ate it all herself >:D~ (ok mio and mr. gilbert nibbled on some too). definitely recommend this for dessert!

also purchased a few things this weekend! necessities!!

what could it be hmm?

finally got a wristlet! always hate going out and carry a lot when everything can fit in this little thing! i did not like the prints and colors, so went for classic and got black pewter leather wristlet! i love it because it fits my celly, moneys, ID, and lip balm/gloss! that's all we need to bring out really!

to be honest mikan rarely find good books to read (unless fashion magazine count?), but recently decided on a purchase!

did not watch movie yet, but got book instead! will read before watching movie. so far introduction makes it seem really interesting! definitely going to enjoy this book! excited! XD~

okie getting late. will update some more when new things come up! oyasumi!

♥ shopping spree~

2010-04-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

hi hi goshujinsama and ojousama! i am here to blog again!
(so quickly mikan? why!)
well i just recently went shopping at Melrose! and i want to show my purchases and thoughts of the stores, in case anyone wants to know where i get my stuffs! now onwards! ♥

so this past weekend i went to go shopping! first stop was PopKiller in Little Tokyo! this store is known for their good finds on vintage goodies and own store items! they also carry some cute random stuffs that are just plain fun to look at (like butt-floss. yes, butt-floss!)! what i love about this store is that they find the GOOD vintage stuff for you and stick it all in their store so you don't have to hunt so hard for vintage goodies! another plus is the way the store is decorated! it looks like a small little shop stuffed with goodies (very very cozy!). the workers are always nice and help what they can! also, PopKiller is located in the middle of the good stuff in Little Tokyo, so it is not far from everything else (market, Weller Court, bookstore, etc.)! and the best part? they have THREE locations!

my purchase: creme oversized knit beanie

sorry my fringe is growing out! new style coming up soon?

second store stop was at MELROSE area! walked to many "hypebeast" stores to look for some nice kicks, but ended up going to a small-ish looking one called Sportie LA! this store carried many different styles of shoes! from outside it is very small-looking, and maybe a little messy, but they have decent selection of shoes, including brands like Supra, Vans, Converse, Nike, and many others! store felt family-owened since everyone seem very comfortable with each other. half the store did not seem completely done (second cashier section piled with bunch of shoes o_oi), but i think it is because they are so busy! located on Melrose strip with all the boutiques, clothing shops, and vintage stores. this store is a mini shoe mall!

did i mention that some celebrities come here for their shoes? (shh! ;x)

my purchase: Creative Recreation - Essentials - Cesario XVI

in my opinion, i much preferred the men's version of the Cesario, but they don't have men's 5.5 >.>i smallest was 8. >;l boo! anywho i love high-tops and i realized i do not own a pair of black shoes at all, so i settled for a pair of hypebeast Creative Recreation hightops!

my last two purchases came from a cute vinyl figurine store called Munky King. this store was very simple, much like many other vinyl figurine stores; first half of the store was dedicated in selling the blind-boxed figurines or already opened ones, along with some plushies, and the second half is the "gallery", where some more personal creations are displayed for sale. store is also located on Melrose strip! prices are normal, but they did carry some more personalized vinyl figurines compared to other stores i've been to.

my purchases:

got baby yellow crawling Gloomy zipper pull from blindbox! it matched my leo bear for DS so now they are best friends!

finally, from ELEMENTAL Series, 2.5 in. Qee! these were almost out, only two blind-boxes were left so i quickly grabbed one! wanted to get the rest of my Series2 of Smorkin Labbits, but i wanted variety and got these instead!

overall shopping was good! ate at Argentine Grill named Lala's afterwards where it was really packed! they are known for meats so anything beef is good! was so crowded that i sat like one-foot away from an old couple! i suggest outdoor seating at night!

ah much moneys spent! time to rest my wallet! if interested in more shops i am regular at, please ask! ♥

quickie picture update! ♥

2010-04-16T00:28:00.000-07:00

current song: Big Bang - 声をきかせて

hi hi everyone! sorry mikan haven't updated in so long! been busy hanging out with mio and doing random fun stuffs!

let us begin nya!

went to art gallery last week! was very interesting! so small, but had many nice work! wanted to buy some...but so pricey! all one-of-a-kind though, so totally understandable! when mikan make lots of moneys, i will buy many to support independent artists! yesh yesh!

the weekend following was CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL in Little Tokyo! mikan was at the lolita fashion show, opening up with tomoe-chan! i was in shiro and tomoe was kuro!

wah was so nervous! forgot if posing right or if face look weird x-xi. but was good event and after lolita fashion show, we play jankenpon (rock, scissor, paper!)! mikan switch out into maid dress real fast for that, and then did hapi hapi morningu dance with other maids nya!!

[EDIT] was able to find video that someone recorded! mikan is at far right in maid dress! was fun!

afterwards met some goshujinsamas and ojousamas who are my Facebook friends! was very happy and excited ♥! was good day. switch to normal clothes after and go home!

also gave new メイド in cafe present! mio and mikan made cute stuffs for her la! i made kitty plush and mio made pandacorn (panda + unicorn hybrid!)!

AniMaid Cafe's official photographer mr. gilbert also recently came back from Taiwan and brought back presents! he got present for all cafe meido, and also i special request to get masks because mio had me try some and fall in love with it!

got white rose, apple, and white pearl masks! without actually reading reviews, i tried white rose and felt very moisturized and refreshed. looked more online and found many other "flavors" that can do many things for skin! so far i think i will have two masks a month to keep nice skin!

our meido gift was a leather strap (black, white, or pink) with swarovski crystal letters that spell out our name! it is so pretty i am still wearing it now!

mr. gilbert also had the lucky chance to visit two maid cafes! so jealous! hopefully i can do trips to maid cafes when i get chance to travel!

mr. gilbert also visited us yesterday and took us to KOGI TRUCK! we drive to Rowland Heights and waited short time to get order! then got dessert at Appo Appo!

ordered kimchi short rib quesadilla! drenched hot sauce on it because so nummy!

mr. gilbert! he also ordered set of business cards (because he is a very good photographer yes!). can you tell what the backings are? tease you!

kaname has been visiting us too! he recently brought homemade blanket he made for us! mikan got strawberry creme pink with chocolate brown polka dots! so sweet! thankies kaname!

ah lighting was bad, but i promise it is very cute!

and what i got from kchan? a pair of earrings! because kchan knows how much i love bows, laces, ribbons, trims, and crowns (like everyone know!), kchan saw this and know i like so she buy for me! ありがとうございます kchan! ♥

oh and mio and mikan been busy watching America's Next Top Model! so we been feeling to dress up and look cute! will maybe post pictures up next time!

as for now, one of my favorite models (other than Nakashima Mika!): Gemma Ward!

♥ post more next time!

much love~ ♥

2010-03-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

so mikan just recently finished putting bling on DS! it took like two days T-T. aiyo..

slow, but surely progress!

and the final work!

my original design was to have all black opaque rhinestones laid out in such a way that there would be a lot of "texture" (aka unevenly so it's lumpy all over! hee~). in the end it seemed like it may be too dark, so i added some regular rhinestones and a white cameo with a gold frame. mikan also wanted to use all crystals...but glad didn't! it's already heavy as is...if they were all Swarovski...OMGoshujinsama it would be so heavy! i also bought a small frame for a friend for part of her late Christmas gift, and decked it out too!

i love how chunky it looks!

anywho, few days ago mikan and a few other lucky メイド attended the Cherry Blossom Festival VIP Reception! because AniMaid Cafe will be at the festival, they invited a few of us to go attend the reception to mingle and meet the other nice people who will be at there! because we were in charge of the lolita fashion show, we all went in lolita! neh everyone was so pretty nya! ♥

here's mio&mikan! mio is in "sweet" style, and me in "shiro" style! you can see mio's blog here.

had fringe in front the whole night, but hair kept poking me so i moved it to side! ohoho look like makeover!

our food was delicious! this is one of mikan's MANY lates of noms that night! ;x hee~

sushi (california and spider), meatballs (it don't look good but it was REALLY good), salad (i went for fifths...yes fifths!), egg rolls. in the end i picked some of maiyu's food too >.>i. there was more food but i grab what i can get fastest XD~

for dessert we had mini mochi! each color was a different flavor! mio wanted to steal some to take home.. i can't blame her heh~

the speaker of the night! she is a very social lady! was very nice and took lots of pics with us! then again, many people took pics of us because we were all very "kawaii!!" as some of them would say o_oi

before leaving, i took a pic from the balcony. didn't realize how high up we were! felt so special so up high~!

now a few days ago, i went to see EMERGE, an art gallery event held at Pacific Design Center! mikan never been to an art gallery before, so was super excited! when we went to the place, it was like a mall...just to hold galleries! interior design, architecture, digital art, graphic design, etc.! the whole floor was full of it! and other rooms that were closed held one-of-a-kind furniture! so pricey, but was gorgeous! didn't take pics inside though because was SO cramped! could barely move! i said "excuse me!" and "sorry!" so many times!

outside the design center..

after wandering around for about two hours, we got hungry and went to Gaam restaurant for food. it is decent price, and happy hour = 50% off all FOOD and drinks (except sake)! we ordered one plate of okonomiyaki and a sample platter of skewers (about 10 skewers?). total was ~$20/person (including tip). not bad! and my favorite part of the restaurant? how it is designed. almost completely dark except some candles on table and wall lighting. there is also projector to show music videos and/or artsy videos (dunno' what it's called). perfect dating spot!

see how dark it is?! but it's really pretty, really!

after eating, we decide to lounge at The Spot. it is a coffee shop/lounge that opens late with little desserts and drinks for you to have. think Starbucks, but louder, with open smoking (ew ::cough:: x_xi), lots of people, and funky interior design!

my friend was fixing her camera while we waited for our order so we could take pics at dim lighting. XD

i ordered hazelnut latte! look at the spoon! first thing i noticed was the stirring spoon because it is so cute! it was very good, cost about $6 (a bit pricey no? more pricey than before!), but was good!
my friend also gave me my very very very belated Christmas gift! she knows me so well.. she got me something with LACE~!

it does not show true to color, but it is forest greenish blue with black lace trim and pockets! it's a long and thin cardigan with puff sleeves and two front pockets. very soft and comfy, good for layering! thankies nicky!

other purchases that finally came? mio gave me my stuff when we got ready for reception!

my long awaited lengthy necklace with crown ring! crown ring is 12k gold (i think it was 12? maybe less) with Swarovski crystals. i've been wanting a crown ring for a very long time, thank goodness i finally got it! the bear necklace...hmm...WONDER WHY MIKAN GOT THAT HUH? look, bear wearing a crown, the end, mikan wants. XD~

shoulder tired. maybe on computer too long! will blog more when more time comes. should also do tutorial soon, but unsure of what DIY to do. been doing more like picture posts lately. we'll see though!

me out!

♥

♥ Sneak Peak!!

2010-03-03T01:09:00.000-08:00

hi hi everyone! mikan is back! and with PICTURES!

meet my little squirrel friend! i fed it a raspberry from my fruit tart, given by gilbert before shoot!

yes, this weekend was photoshoot weekend! shoot was tiring and wore mikan out, but it was fun and hopefully inspiring! here's a small sneak peak of outfit 1 from the shoot:

look how small i am! hee~

so for christmas i received a mini rex (i named it "rexy"!) sewing machine. it's so small! it is good for small projects and little crafts.

pros: small and DEFINITELY portable. easy to use; very basic settings. there's a bobbin winder, and threading it is cake. tension can also be adjusted. speed can be adjusted (fast or slow). definitely good for traveling to repair parts, especially if you're a cosplayer and you have a cosplay malfunction!

cons: runs on batteries or AC/DC adaptor, but does not include either. one stitch and no reverse stitch. foot cannot be replaced. there is no pedal to control speed, only a button. it is also loud! cannot handle thick fabric (such as furs).

even though there are cons, this little thing has done wonderful things! in my previous post, i made bloomers with this!

sadly it ran on AA batteries! why?! so expensive to buy! so the manual said i could be an adaptor (which would be $ saving in the long run right?), and so i did, and it finally came today! hyuhyuhyu!

the packaging was VERY bulky, and looked really old. this made me question whether the quality of this product was good..but mikan give it a try anyways! this is what it came with..

the great thing about this was that there are several different plugs you can switch off to! and what else? voltage can be adjusted so this can travel with you anywhere!

the downside to this product is that it is very Very VERY heavy.

so the other day, mio and i decided to share an order online so we could get free shipping! mio ordered two pairs of shoes and mikan ordered one and a shirt! shipping was so fast, it came in three days! it was so unexpected, mikan wasn't even sure what the giant box was doing in our living room..

lovely pink plaid box and blue flowery box is mio's!

my order?

they shoved my shirt in a little plastic bag underneath the boxes! >.aiyo! at least our shoes look nice!

i rushed the heels on and didn't fix the straps, but here are my heels! twinsy and i got practically the same heels, but her's are opened toed and with a strappy front and solid ankle, as mine is the opposite. but there is only one problem with my heels: they are half a size too big. dare i return these heels? no! of course not! instead i've found a way to fix it; i'm going to wear stockings! yes, if it doesn't fit, HIDE it. though they are a bit loose on me, i have Dr. Scholl's inserts for heels, and paired with some stockings and it will be well hidden! other ways to fix this?

1. return them. it's simple, if it doesn't fit, return it!

2. alter them. stuff the heel or toe part of the heels. depending on what kind of heels you have (sling-back, closed toe, etc.), the possibilities will vary. i suggest trying gel inserts or cushions for heels so that you can fill it in better, and if it is too big lengthwise, stuff the front or back. there are inserts that are just for the ball-of-the-foot, so those will definitely help out too.

3. deceive. hide imperfections! with bigger heels, you tend to get "toe cleavage", which i never find appealing unless you are wearing sandals or open-toe shoes. wear stockings to go with your outfit and slip on the heels (with our without inserts, depending on how well they fit you). voila, toe cleavage GONE.

i am a big fan of stockings. i find that they can always add more to an outfit when it is plain, and it is fairly easy to accessorize. another plus? there is a huge variety of styles out there, and many can be found at rather low prices!

but what else made my day? guess what i saw in my mailbox?

behold the almighty! 2 out of the 3 orders are here now...but the most important has yet to come! can't wait for that! tracker says it should be here within a week..

early day tomorrow. i still have much to say, but will post some more later. also cannot decide which DIY tutorial to do next. we shall see now won't we?

good night!

Too Excited!! ♥

2010-02-26T00:10:00.000-08:00

i was so hungry tonight! was so tired that i made bibimbap for dinner. thank goodness my roomie had korean chili sauce. craving spicy..yum!! i had watercret veggie with garlic, rice, pepper, salt, and seasoned ground beef (i put lots of stuff in it so don't remember all spices!). it was so good.. drool..

i can't keep it to myself! mikan just finished sewing venus-chan's bloomers! mikan has a love for bows, lace, frills, tulle, and ribbons..so this was a fun little project! just a short picture update..

isn't it adorable? last time i made white bloomers with white trim, but it was too small! so now i re-did v-chan's bloomers as a gift since she purchased white petticoat for me. ♥ thankies venus! this one is black cotton with creme crochet trim, topped with a peach bow center. i always thought creme colored were for the more classy ladies, and v-chan is very classic! i am so happy with this one nya! v-chan is a little skinnier than me, so i tried on to see how the bloomers fit.. just in case!

now i have to start on chiyo's! she requested black pair with white trim and black bows. still need to buy some of the trim stuff so i can make it! i should just buy a whole roll of it..since i always find random cute things to make!

so why is mikan making bloomers? and why did mikan get petticoat from v-chan? this is because venus, chiyo, and mikan are part of AniMaid Cafe! AniMaid Cafe is a maid cafe that started about one year ago for con-goers, cosplayers, and everyone in-between to experience a japanese maid cafe! we try our best to provide fun, relaxation, and excitement to our goshujinsamas and ojousamas! ♥ and it is a great way to meet others with similar interests (anime, video games, cosplay, japanese culture, etc.). XD we are always trying our best to make everyone feel happy!

anywho, as for now, short update over! mikan didn't mean to spam a random blog entry... but i was too proud of the bloomers hee~

More Stuff! ♥

2010-02-25T01:54:00.000-08:00

my love for Victoria's Secret model adriana lima! she is my favorite of all~ ♥

my twinsy, a.k.a. mio, and i just purchased from VS online! mikan was persuaded into it since Victoria's Secret is offering a surprise reward card ranging from $10 to $100 with every purchase! use code REWARD10 online to get your card girlies! so what did mikan buy?

i bought the yoga skirt leggings for $16.99, and a bikini set for about $15! what a steal neh! i have been looking for opaque leggings for a while, and found a nice pair in the VS website..but then i found these amazing skirt leggings on clearance and got these instead! lucky me! ♥

what else made my day? my friend came back from his short trip to Guatemala! i asked him if he could get me a mini bag of their coffee, since it is one of their #1 exports, and i finally got it today! and reading it, it says that it was grown on volcanic slopes! mmm..tastes like volcano + caffeine! ありがとうございます! ♥

i also couldn't help but get this cute little glass bottle today. i have no idea what to do with it..but it's super cute ♥! mikan don't have much of a green thumb, but maybe with a moe jar it would grow? >.

and yet again i got hungry T-T. when do i not eat? i had some homemade soup with mio, and still go hungry and ate this nummy dessert...and i forgot the name of it hee~ ♥

it is so late! i always end up posting late about my day and wake up exhausted sigh. i am still waiting on my DS Lite and R4 to plop on my door, and now also waiting for online purchases. i really cannot be around mio or she'll make my wallet dry sigh. i shall go sleep now and blog more another day!

♥ おやすみなさい。

[EDIT]
forgot to mention that mio, kai, and mikan have photoshoot this Sunday! hope pictures come out nice! hyuhyuhu~ ♥

Shopping & DIY♥

2010-02-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

this weekend was very eventful!! i had a mini-adventure with koto~♥

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on friday night koto, stae, mio, kai, and i went to watch "Shutter Island". it was very good! i haven't seen trailers for it, so i did not know what to expect! very sad story though... (resists from spoiling movie). XD

so mikan slept over at koto's for the weekend. anytime i sleep over at her house = SEWING DAY! so the next day koto and i went off to hunt for fabric and random goodies! whenever mikan goes there, mikan always find random things mikan like!

i am a BIG fan of baroque print. mikan drooled looking at this *Q*

mikan is also a huge fan of antique-looking and rococo/victorian-based goodies. there are so many of them buttons!

koto noticed a huge fabric warehouse place stocked with a lot of fabric. we couldn't decide what to get...too overwhelming! >.<
after spending four hours walking around the fashion district, we realized we didn't eat yet! aiyo.. we were so hungry! we decided to park in the little tokyo mall to grab some food at the market. we walked around for a bit before eating ;)

..and spotted these yummies. T-T can't spoil our brunch!

to accompany our meal, we went to the drink section to get something. koto got kirin coffee, and mikan got aloe drink!

we finally ordered our food! koto ordered soba and mikan ordered kimchi ramen (i wanted spicy hee~♥).
koto looking uber moe nya! ♥
my yummies!

after our meal, we wanted dessert! before going into the market, we saw a street vendor making taiyaki! koto ordered a red bean taiyaki and mikan ordered custard! we so opposite ♥

it was really nice, the vendors were right in front of a fountain and lounge area! super pretty! ♥ it was cozy eating outside.

we finally got back to koto's house, and we finally found the present venus got me! white petticoat from bodyline! in exchange, i am making her black bloomers ♥ thankies v-chan!

okie now for my DIY section that i said i would post a few days ago! hopefully this is useful!

DIY: Saving Your Pressed Powder
what do you do when your pressed powder is almost out? when it looks like this?

well for sure..DO NOT THROW IT AWAY! it could still come in handy! here is what you will need:

- pressed powder (full or almost empty)
- ziplock bag or small bag
- hammer, rolling pin, or something heavy
- a chopstick or skewer
- small container/jar (enough so portable)
- facial sunblock lotion

depending on what you want to do with your remaining powder, there are two options. here is option 1:

make your own brush powder
this is really easy to do. with your remaining pressed powder, scrape as much as you can into a ziplock bag. make sure it is sealed air-tight. run a rolling pin or something heavy onto it until all of the powder is like dust; very fine. when that is done, pour the contents into the small container.

this is your BRUSH POWDER! you can use a brush and apply this over your foundation for the finished look, just as you would with your pressed powder. the beauty of this? it is more portable (super small jar versus circular compact?). this seems rather simple, and i don't know if anyone has done this, but i like saving my powder!

now here is option 2:

make your own foundation
this is my favorite of the two possibilities. start by turning your pressed powder into...powder. as you can see from the pic above, there are balls of powder and clustered powder. scrape as much as you can of that off into the ziplock bag, and seal it air-tight. get your rolling pin (or hammer fuahahha!) and mash it into fine dust. it should be almost like flour. the finer you get it, the better it will be.

now with the small container, pour in some of the facial sunblock. then pour in little by little, your powder. don't pour all of it in at once. the beauty of this is that if your powder was too dark for you, you can adjust it by putting in more of the facial sunblock. mix the whole thing well with a chopstick or skewer until the color is even. add more sunblock/powder to get to the color you want. if you want this to look REALLY nice, you can try putting it into a blender, but i think that may be a health hazard.

in my first attempt, i FAILED. this was because i did not un-lumpify my powder, so i ended up with clumps. the problem with clumps is that if you apply the foundation, it will leave streaks from the balls of powder that were lumped together. here is what my mixture looked like:

it doesn't look appealing, but i didn't have much powder to work with! what i love about this DIY foundation is that there is sunblock in it, meaning you get sun protection AND an even skin tone. win-win situation!

i hope this DIY helps! i will post more of my ideas weekly and hopefully i will be providing a lot of money-saving help. feedback and questions welcomed!

じゃまた。♥

Makeup ♥

2010-02-18T12:50:00.000-08:00

okie i posted earlier "today", but i just saw this and it blew my mind! i do not fancy big branded goodies (no moneys!), but in a more design/fashion perspective, i was aesthetically (yay big word!) pleased!

i follow a blog recently that covered topics of beauty and anime. though i am a bigger fan of the latter, i found that she is now a brand ambassador of Marjolica Marjorca, a branch off of the Shiseido brand. this brand has been very successful in Japan, Hong Kong, and many of the Asian countries. i would say they are the MAC equivalent. and so upon noticing that they have added a new "chapter" to their line of makeup, i couldn't help but enjoy skimming through the site!

Chapter 26: She Was A Doll

my love for the dolly look and antique/victorian-inspired design has been placed into a website! oh the joy! ♥

because i am mentioning makeup, something i know little about, mikan will add on to this post later with a makeup tutorial on how to save your remaining bits of makeup. we can't put those expensive brands to waste now can we?

edit later, hopefully not that late nya! ciao bella~! ♥

..p.s. did your realize my grammar is actually better?! hooray Microsoft Word!

2010-02-18T02:20:00.000-08:00

hello hello! ♥~

it is really Really REALLY late right now, but i still want to do a small picture update! (hee~ ♥) as some may know, i enjoy eating a lot! if you see me at a restaurant, you will probably see me clicking pictures of food with my celly or cammy. hyuhyuhyu! why? because i want to remember what the food looks like before it ends up in my tummy! here are a few of my favorite yum-yums!

this is a baby potato from Foo Foo Tei covered in mayonnaise!

one of Foo Foo Tei's ramen bowls hee~

...and another ;x

okie i didn't actually eat this, but it's so cute! chibi pineapples i saw at supermarket!

mio's friend came back from vacation and brought us a box of taro bun-balls. mikan not a fan of taro, but this was quite yummy!

i have a lot of pictures of food...but don't know which ones to upload! hope mikan didn't get you hungry (hee~ ♥)!

-

so today i got back home a little late. mio was nice enough to cook for mikan (yayyayayay! ♥ twinsy)! she made salmon with some veggie with a weird name (orca? is that killer whale? e_ei). it was so yummy! mikan was so hungry, everything was demolished before i could snap a picture ;A; mikan fatty ._. (sigh). will take pictures next time!

actually mio can cook really well! so maybe i will just NOT cook for a while so i get nom-nom food. i am not a good cook (burns boiling water) HOW DO I BURN WATER?! mikan fail..

i am not sure, but i think i have a shoot this weekend with mr. gilbert. i am nervous but excited at the same time. it has been a while since i snapped pics solo! wonder if i still know my angles? we will see! hopefully i won't "tomato" like i normally do =_=i

i am also currently waiting for my DS! mikan finally found good pricing for white DS Lite, so i am waiting patiently! i already started making a little pouch for it and thinking of deco-ing it! i did some deco for my cell phone already..

it was very hard to deco at first since it is so intricate, but finally i grow some patience and got better! hee~

haven't had time to do any more deco OR sewing though D:. i was supposed to go to koto's to do some sewing stuffs.. oh well, next time! i will post new things i've made and purchased along with videos next when i have time!

au revoir!

♥ mikan on blogger!

2010-02-15T23:29:00.000-08:00

this is me when my hair was still growing out. (waits patiently) GROW!! >.< -

HELLO! mikan here! (hear trumpets and see confetti fly) i finally got a personal blog! here i will be posting regularly (or try really hard to!), updating everyone on what is going on in my life inside and outside of my world! i will try my best to be literate! (triple checks spelling/grammar and looks up synonyms to sound smart) XD! hope to make new friends too! maybe mika nakashima has a blogger...*u*

i have never really used blogger before, so please be patient if stuff comes out really weird! i am still n00b! >_>i

as some may know, i posted a video a bit ago during Thanksgiving on Facebook. the video was made as a thank-you for all my new/old friends and supporters of AniMaid Cafe! it warms my heart knowing that so many friends go to our events and enjoy our company! arigatou gozaimashita goshujinsama/ojousama! and like in the video, i apologize if sometimes at conventions i do not recognize some of my goshujinsama/ojousama! gomenasai! i am bad with names and sometimes only recognize faces (but seem rude if mikan say hi and not know name! so mikan don't say anything ._.). sometimes i feel people around me are too cool for me too, so it makes me nervous/shy to say "hi" or just be friendly. please be friendly and say "hi" to mikan! i am just a little shy! thank you for being my friends x.x

mikan have been a fatty lately. stay up late listening to music looking at random (and i mean RANDOM) youtube clips online with mio as we karaoke to '90s pop music on Pandora and snacking on sweets. it is fun, but sometimes i don't get anything done.

(note to self: if have lots of tasks to do, stay away from mio! ;x)

we finished half of these oishii danish sugar cookies

should mikan upload video of mio singing? mio you okay with that? i give you 10 seconds to respond... no response? OKIE MIKAN UPLOAD ULTRA MOE VIDEO! hee~ (mio you love me!)

ah i can't stop squee-ing when i see this video! but mio is gonna' beat me for this ._.i

we definitely need to stop distracting each other (sigh). XD hee~

and here's a funny one of the mochi mio made that was uber yummy but had a funny tumor bubble ;x

yes, we eat a lot and we do a lot of random stuffs! love it! ♥!

okie me getting tired now! will post more when have time!

p.s. oh yes and i am making this blog so everyone knows what is happening when i am not able to update them, so please, if possible, leave a comment to this if you think this blog = good idea! mucho love~